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true spirituality

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As believers, we are to walk in an ongoing conviction about unseen things. Not just at the beginning of our salvation, but all throughout. We are to reckon certain things to be true, moment-by-moment, truths about the universe, about God and his promises, about what he has accomplished, about the cross and empty tomb, about how we are to live, what the future looks like, and what is the real value of life here and now. A Christian is one who daily takes God into account, taking him at his word in every circumstance. One book that has been a great help to me, and perhaps the greatest influence on my Christian life over the past forty years, is True Spirituality , by Francis Schaeffer (Tyndale House, 1971, 2001, 2012). Here are a few excerpts... As Christians we say we live in a supernatural universe and that there is a battle, since the fall of man, and that this battle is in both the seen world and the unseen world. This is what we say we believe; we insist on this against the naturali
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give thanks!

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No matter what language we are using ( or studying ) we should be giving thanks to the Lord!
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from whence we fell

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"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:21 ESV) "But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'" (Genesis 3:4-5 ESV)  Thinking of humanity's high calling, and the devasting effects of the fall, I would like to post a few excerpts from The King of the Earth (Eerdmans, 1962) by Erich Sauer:  “If there is a personal God--and the world around and within us is full of testimonies we cannot avoid hearing to His unconditioned, eternal and living existence--He must be the fountain of all life and the embodiment of all perfection. Nature then can also really have ‘life’ only in so far as it is united with this fountain and shares His life, i.e.,  has communion with God. “Now here is precisely the disastr
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Experiencing the Trinity

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"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36 ESV)  "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV)  Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck writes of the spiritual sense of God's three-in-oneness that believers experience. The triune nature of the Being of God is not an abstract speculation but is imprinted upon our very own experience of salvation. We confess God's three-fold Name at every baptism (Matt 28:19). Bavinck wrote that this truth is intuitively sensed by every Christian...  "To that order of existence in the Divine Being the order of the three persons in all Divine work corresponds. The Father is He from whom, the Son is He through whom, and the Spirit is He in whom all things are. All things in the creation, and in the redemption, or re-creation, come from the Father, through the Son and the Spirit. And
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the attributes of God

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In our systematic theology class , we are beginning to study the attributes of God. These are the qualities or characteristics of who God is, as revealed in the Bible.  So, why should we study the attributes of God ?  1)  To build our trust and confidence in God . As believers we take God at his word, but more, we trust the great and good character which stands behind his word (Eze 36:36).  2)  For the praise and glory of God. We study his attributes that we might better glorify God with our worship and prayer. Many of God's attributes are expressed in the Psalms, a book given specially  to guide our life of praise (Ps 145). 3)  For our comfort and encouragement. In times of fear or doubt these attributes remind us of who God is and what he has promised to be to us and for us (Ps 18:2). 4)  To lead us to the Lord Jesus. Our Savior perfectly embodies the attributes of God and in him we see these qualities embodied (John 14:9; Col 1:15).  5)  For our growth in character. As Jesus
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Fall classes begin

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Reminder : classes begin tonight, and the class locations have changed from last year. Systematic Theology I will be in room 141, and Introduction to Biblical Hebrew (part 2) will be in room 142. Park in front of the church and use the main entrance. Thanks!
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theology class update

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"Far from being dry or abstract, Christian doctrine deals with the fundamental issues of life: namely, who am I, what is the ultimate meaning of the universe, where am I going?" (Millard Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine ) The fall semester of the Systematic  Theology I class will begin in two weeks (Sept. 15). If you plan to take this class, we request that you let us know by next Thursday, Sept. 8. You can register by going to our home page and using the menu in the upper left-hand  corner. The text we will be using is Introducing Christian Doctrine , by Millard Erickson (Ph.D., Northwestern University). The author has served both as pastor and professor for many years. He was professor of theology and academic dean at Bethel University seminary, and also Distinguished Professor of Theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He has authored over 20 books. We will also include some supplemental readings. The reading assignments will cover about 30 pages each we
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