Over Digitalized Life

Just as an observation, even though we’re here on the Internet. Be careful of the over digitalized life. Why?

In the past week, I’ve seen reports of:

1. Hackers shutting down a Jeep via remote. That’s right. The nightmare of ATMOS from Dr. Who wasn’t far-fetched, after all. I went for a ride today with a church member, and the car he was driving was entirely electronic. No real key. Every thing was digital and linked.

And I think someone with a bit of time and expertise could have shut the whole thing down. Consider how many more digital-linked cars are out there, and what would happen if the engine quit, right now, on every one of them? Never mind the tin-foil government concerns, like a California-mandated cap on mileage for ‘greenhouse’ purposes, the malicious baddies out there could wreak great havoc with that.

2. Researchers hacked the major “smart rifle” system out there. It’s a rifle system that’s digitally linked for long-range shooting, and computes all sorts of variables. Except that the hacking shut down the aiming, and could have retargeted the shot.

3. There’s a constant stream of news of employers, financial institutions, and even government agencies being hacked.

4. Then there’s church. Everything I get involved with eventually comes back around to what happens with church. Just as I’ve asked a few times before, what would happen to your church and the worship gathering you have if the power was out? For some of you, and if your back-up generator wasn’t working. (Seriously, there are some major problems in this world that you could have helped with before buying a backup generator to run your video projector.)

There’s a missing touch in the digital world. And we need to pay attention to that, and not overly vest our lives in the wiring. Don’t be so dependent on it that you can’t function…

Book: Direct Hit

Mike Hollow’s Direct Hit: The Blitz Detective is intended as the start of a series about, you guessed it, a detective working during the London Blitz of World War II. It’s a good read, probably appropriate for middle school and up because of the series nature of a personal look into the effects of war.

First, Hollow gives us a look at the setting. This is more complicated than just “It’s 1940, England’s at war with the Nazis.” Hollow notes the simmering conflict with communism as well as the troubles with imperialism. The world was not as simple as “good side vs. bad side” any more then than today. Hollow captures that somewhat.

Second, Hollow gives us a complication to investigating the murder. In the post-CSI era, everyone focuses strongly on “following the evidence.” Even some of my favorite novels place that concept into places like the 14th century. The “Direct Hit” of the title, though, drive this on different track.

Third, Hollow gives us good characters to examine. They aren’t perfect. Which makes this story live and breathe. People with problems, people with memories, all trying not only to survive but do the right thing in challenging times.

All in all, this is one that is worth reading. It helps put skin on a recent time in history, an era that is moving from memory to history. I look forward to more installments in the series.

I did receive a free book in exchange for the review.

Do Not Go Back! Hebrews 3

As we look into Hebrews 3, keep in mind that a major point of the author is the supremacy of Christ in all things. When the author draws up various quotes and references to the Old Testament, the intent is to contrast how those events and people pale in comparison to Jesus. This applies even to Moses, who is referred to positively throughout the chapter. Even his faithfulness (v. 2) is not as glorious as the faithfulness of Jesus.

The look at Moses is not just about the supremacy of Christ, but also raises the critical application question. The people who followed Moses rejected God's Word through him, and judgment fell on them for it. If that was true of those who rejected a lesser leader in Moses, what will occur for those who reject Christ?

From this, I think we can develop one part of the audience of Hebrews. Initially, we see the Gospel spread among the Jews of the Diaspora (these are the ones who have scattered from Israel at the time) with uneven after-effects. Some communities rejected the Gospel outright, while others became divided over their response. The division between those who accepted the Gospel and those who rejected it grew deeper, though, and reconciliation was not possible. Truth is a powerful divider.

However, living with that division was not as easy as we might like it to be. Much of the world is relational and interconnected in ways that modern Americans have difficulty understanding. While we are concerned, rightly, about how religious freedom affects our businesses or government involvement, in that era being cutoff from family and relationships was a much bigger issue than we think. It could result not only in job loss, but in the complete inability to find work...or future relationships. We tend to marry based on who we find or like, and having an arranged marriage is frightening. In that era, though, being cast out of family cut off the marriage arrangement possibilities, and that cut off could prevent job hopes as well.

Experiencing that challenge, the loss of life and earthly relationships, was a daunting prospect for those who had accepted the Gospel. While there was an eternal hope, trying to keep food on the table and family connections drew eyes back to the earthly matters. The temptation to return to the life from before, living like Jesus wasn't the Messiah, was strong.

Hebrews 3 reminded the audience that God's people had turned back before. They had come close to receiving God's promises through obedient faith, but rejected the last step. Given Jesus as superior to Moses, if the people rejected Jesus the results would be far worse than dying in the desert while their descendants claimed the promises. Instead, there would be no hope for those who turned back.

What does that mean for us? We do not live in the ancient world, and the cultural changes insulate us from some of the consequences of our faith. Further, the Christian community is larger and equipped to be self-sustaining.

That is our first step. Practice being self-sustaining, and realize that we cannot keep up with the world's standards of wealth and power in the first place. Rather than involving our resources in trying to look like a better version of the world, we need to work on being obedient and sensitive to the needs of our fellow Christians.

Second, be prepared for trouble to come. Jesus promised it and Acts records a sampling of how it happened, and yet we seem to think we will avoid it. Trouble will come for those who follow Jesus. Expect it.

Finally, serve Jesus with all your heart and let the events of this world fall where they will. Hebrews 3 reminds us that obedience strengthens our relationship with God, and this is where our hope lies.

Book: 40 Questions about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Today’s Book is brought to you by Kregel Academic and Ministry, one of my preferred publishers.

Have questions about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper? Want to see the viewpoints of various Protestant groups on these two ordinances? And yes, whether or not you call them sacraments or ordinances is one of the 40 questions.

40 Questions About Baptism and The Lord’s Supper is the latest entry in Kregel’s 40 Questions series. I’ve read the entries on Creation and the Law, which were both excellent. John S. Hammett authors this volume, and it’s worth noting at the outset he approaches these questions from a Baptist viewpoint.

And it’s also worth noting that I approach these from a Baptist viewpoint. It is possible, then, that I will misconstrue bias as good ideas. Or that I will assume that Hammett has well-represented other views which I don’t understand.

That caveat being offered, I enjoyed 40QABLS a great deal. I serve as the pastor of a Baptist church, and we observe these two ordinances, but I find that we often don’t fully understand them. First, we don’t understand our own view. Second, we don’t see the differences in ordinances as our main distinction from other denominations. Yet this is the practical place where those distinctions show up most clearly!

The book is broken down into four parts, with differing number of questions in each part. The parts are introductory matters, questions on Baptism, questions on the Lord’s Supper, and concluding questions.

Hammett approaches the ordinances plainly, looking at the historical development of theology about each one. He also attempts to present a balanced answer to the questions, noting the various denominational views in Christianity. His conclusions fall in general line with my own, but it remains enlightening to see the answers placed in one location rather than hunting them out of a theology textbook.

In all, I would highly recommend this as a resource on the shelf of a pastor. There are clearly worded answers here and helpful guides to understanding the why behind the how of the ordinances of the church.

Yes, free book in exchange for the review.

Sermon Recap for July 26

The evening was business meeting, so though I talked (a lot), it’s not a sermon so it’s not here.
Morning Sermon: John 1:43-51 All of Scripture (audio)


1. Introduction

Finding out details....

2. Primary Theological Point
          The sufficiency of Scripture: focus on 1:45 "Law and the Prophets"
3. Secondary Theological Concepts

•      Salvation/Grace

4. Primary Application Point
          Cut out adding things to Scripture. 
5. Secondary Application Point

•      Salvation/Grace
• Avoid false prophets like Armstrong or any other alleged church that adds to Scripture.

6. Conclusion
7. Call-to-Action/Invitation

Also, as an added link, here's the video of the sermon from the Senior Adult Focus on Thursday.

I'll get the music up sometime soon.

Heed Heartily: Hebrews 2

In Summary:

Hebrews 2 opens with a warning to heed well what God has said through His Son, and then goes on to point out reasons for that warning. Additionally, we see more quotations from the Psalms. The author of Hebrews is clearly well-versed in the Old Testament.

Further, we see the explanation in this chapter that Jesus was tempted through His suffering. Even though this is the case, He did not succumb to the temptation and is able, v. 18, to aid those who are tempted. I would suggest that this idea reaches into where our strongest temptations are: during suffering. Good times tempt us to laziness, but suffering tempts us to abandonment.

Yet when we look at the Cross of Jesus, we should see that God does not send us through what He’s never dealt with. That should be a sustaining thought.

In Focus:

Let’s focus, again, on the first part of the chapter. Verse 1 warns the reader to pay closer attention to what we have heard. Closer than what? Closer than the attention paid by those in the past, who did not heed the warnings of prophets and teachers.

Further, as we consider the Old Testament record of God bringing judgment on those who disobey, we must consider that ignoring the Son of God will bring even deeper problems and greater judgment.

There is also a chronological aspect to consider. God’s judgment has been as continuous as His lovingkindness. It is seen in both the affairs of nations and the individual lives of people. Yet it has always happened, and can be expected again.

In Practice:

Practically speaking, there are more steps here than simply “hunker down and fear the judgment of God.” Certainly that’s the first step: hunker down and fear the judgment of God. Then ask God to deliver you through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

From there, consider the problems that come across your path. Every one of them is, at its root, similar to the difficulties faced by Jesus. Nothing He commands is out of His capacity, so take it to Him. How do we do that?

1. Knowing the Word of God. We’ll claim to know what God commands, know the person of Jesus, and follow the Spirit—yet we remain clueless about the Word of God that He has given us. How does that work? It doesn’t. Know the Word of God. You don’t have to memorize every last king or get Paul’s Missionary Journeys in the right order. But if you have never read through, slowly enough to understand, the whole Bible, you are missing the bulk of what God has to say about your situation.

2. Live in a relationship with God. We’re not in this alone, but we sure do act like it. Hear God through His Word. Talk to God in prayer. Recognize that you are not the only possible solution to your problems. Rely on and trust in the One who saved you.

3. Be connected with the Body of Christ. Jesus died and rose again, and so you can be drawn near to God. You also can draw near to others who have the same relationship. That time you faced the darkness alone? The Body should have been there for you. As believers, we have to do better for each other, in both admitting our needs and supplying the needs of one another.


In Nerdiness: 

Best nerd part of this chapter is the quotation of Psalm 8 in verses 6-8. Here we see evidence that the Septuagint was consulted rather than the Hebrew text at the time. The reference to man as “lower than the angels” reflects the Greek use of “angelos” instead of the Hebrew “elohim.”

What does that tell us? That while Hebrews is written to a primarily Jewish audience, the audience was more familiar with the Greek expression of Scripture than the Hebrew. This is historically interesting.

Theologically, it raises this question: what should we take as the text for the Old Testament? Should we count the Septuagint’s version of Psalm 8 or the Masoretic Text’s? Do we count both as valid, that Psalm 8 from the Hebrew is correct, and the quotations in Hebrews are also correct? This is why we keep searching, studying, and praying. 

Book: For the Love of God’s Word

I love books on understanding God's Word better. And I usually enjoy books from Kregel Academic and Ministry. So, I am pre-biased in favor of For the Love of God's Word by Andreas Kostenberger and Richard Patterson. Throw in that this is an abridgment of their Invitation to Biblical Interpretation, which I really liked, and I must admit that it would have taken a complete hack for me to dislike this work.

For what it's worth, I hope the authors don't mind that I start by saying this isn't a complete hack. In fact, it's a quite useful work for the shelf of the local pastor. While you should, if that's you, have the larger work, here's why this one is worth your shelf space as well:

1. It's only half the weight, and about an inch and a half thinner than the large volume. Having just moved, that's a bigger deal to me than it is to you.

2. The material remains solid. The Kostenberger/Patterson idea of the "hermeneutical triad" is an excellent concept for studying Scripture. The three sides: history, literature, and theology are all critical for grasping the concepts in a text. While all of these are more clearly teased out through the book, here's the summary: "history" refers to the actual setting of writing; "literature" to the specific genre of the selected text; "theology" to how the text fits within the Bible's overall message.

3. Throughout the book, these ideas are developed in better detail, including specific applications for each genre of the text. The second chapter provides an overview of the historical setting of the Bible. Obviously, deeper study needs specialty books in each of these areas, but this is a great introduction.

4. I like this as a "deeper" training work for ministry development. For example, if you are working on mentoring future ministers and teachers without needing the academic information in a larger text, this is a good book for that. There is no major dependence on original language knowledge, allowing the text to work early in the mentoring process.

5. The title sums it up nicely: for those of us who love God's Word, it's worth studying well and doing it right. 

I did receive a copy of this book from Kregel Academic in exchange for the review.