SATURDAY CONTROVERSIES: CAN WE ALL GET ALONG? - INTRODUCTION TO A WEEKLY SERIES

 

Pandemonium by John Martin

"Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 15:5-6

"Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." Philippians 2:2

I have a friend who points out that Scripture tells us many places that we are to be like-minded. He's right. But what does it mean to be like-minded? Does it mean we're to agree on everything? Or is "like-minded" more like "keeping the main thing the  main thing," to be agreed on who the real enemy is?

In the next several weeks, I'll cover various controversial topics. And when I'm done, you'll know what the correct view is on every issue, right? Wrong! My goal in this is to try to encourage us to realize we're on the same side, with the same Savior, with a common enemy. Too often, there are people who have the uniform of the Lord's army, considering those not in that uniform their foe, and declare war on the Lord's navy, the Lord's marines, the Lord's air force, the Lord's coast guard, the Lord's national guard, and the Lord's local police departments. 

Of course, there are things that divide the saints from the ain'ts. Jesus is either God or He's not, and that is an essential. We either are saved by God's grace or we have to do our part, and that is an essential. Either the Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God or it isn't. But there are many who agree on these issues that disagree on others. Yes, there are those who want to unite with those we should be divided from, but there are too many who want to divide from those we should be united with.

I've heard some say on any particular issue, "We can both be wrong, but we can't both be right." To be honest, I doubt many who take that view really believe that both sides can be wrong; they just are certain that I'm ever right when I disagree with them. This is based on a presupposition that I don't love God as much as they do, that I haven't studied the Bible as much as they do. But that presupposition is wrong, both ways.

Of course, dealing with free will and predestination will be one of the topics, but let me use it in pointing out that God desires us to realize His Church will have diversity on several issues. If He gave us free will, then we have the freedom on which side of a second or third tier issue is and still be part of the Family of God. If He didn't but predestined us, He obviously fashioned us to have different views, or we wouldn't. I remember a cartoon where two men were standing with their backs to each other and the one on the left had his arms crossed, and the wife of the other man said, "He can't help it if he's predestined to believe in free will."

Let me close this intro by asking for you to pray for me as I write this. My goal is to aim for unity, not division. My goal is when I present an opposing view, I do it in such a way one holding that view would say I accurately presented their view.

One last comment. You noticed I titled this "Saturday Controversies?" And you also notice I usually post on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays? I thought of having this series on Sunday, but I didn't want Sundays to be a day of dealing with disputes. So I'll be posting on Saturdays instead of Sundays. 

BOOK REVIEW - "UNDERCOVER OPERATION" (PACIFIC NORTHWEST K-9 UNIT BOOK 7) BY MAGGIE K. BLACK

 Can K-9 officer Asher Gilmore, and trainer Peyton Burns working undercover as Dan and Merry with their underwater detection K-9...er, pet Spark, locate three missing bloodhound pups and bust a drug ring without their identities being discovered? Who stole the diary Peyton was writing as Merry? And which of the four candidates for two spots on the Pacific Northwest K-9 unit is trying to sabotage their rivals?

"Undercover Operation" by Maggie K. Black is the seventh part of the Love Inspired Suspense series Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit. Most of the time, I find these novels written so that you can read them out of order and still enjoy them (e.g. I read parts 3, 4, and 5 before I got to book 2, and was still able to follow the story), but in this case, I think you should have read the first six books first.

I enjoyed the relationship between Asher and Peyton. The plot is exciting, but has a few holes in it. For example, would a trio of bloodhound puppies dognapped and kept for six months be as small as the cute trio on the cover? You will need a very generous suspension of disbelief with this story. It's still fun.

Again, I suggest you read the series in order before you read this book and the finale. I still recommend this book, and I absolutely love this series.

BOOK REVIEW: "KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY" BY A.W. TOZER

 

I have finished my third reading of this classic. The first time, it was a text-book on the Doctrine of God at Bible college. This time, I'm leading a study on this book with four other friends at church, with three different covers on the books we're reading. Three of them are using the above edition; my nearly 40 year old printing is falling apart as we go through it.

For those unfamiliar with "Knowledge of the Holy" by A.W. Tozer, this book focuses on the attributes of God. Tozer points out that our finite, created, minds are not capable to understand a Sovereign, Omnipotent (all powerful), Omnipresent (present everywhere), Omniscient (all knowing), eternal (operating outside of time), self-sufficient (in other words, He doesn't need us) Creator. Yet that same Creator is calling us to turn to Him.

Almost every chapter starts off with a prayer, and each chapter closes with a poem. Some of the language is more traditional, King James style. But this book is a welcome challenge, and I believe every Christian should read it, and it might open the eyes of some who aren't Christians. 

I highly recommend this book.

BOOK REVIEW - "DANIEL: FAITHFUL IN THE FIRE" (BIBLE STUDY) BY J.D. GREEAR

 

The Sunday after Easter, a newly formed men's Sunday School class at my church went through "Daniel: Faithful in the Fire" by former Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear While Daniel is known for its spectacular rescues and for the prophetic element, Greear's focus is on the character of Daniel and his friends and how that is a model for our lives.

This book has eight lessons. Each starts with a group discussion. This is followed by a trio of personal studies. There also is an access code that you can use to view the videos.

If you're familiar with Daniel, you're probably aware that it consists of 12 chapters, with the first six looking more at the historical events in Daniel's life, and the latter focusing more on what many (including me) consider to be end times prophecy. You'll then ask what he does to trim 12 chapters to 8 lessons. Disappointingly but not surprisingly, that's because seven of the lessons deal with the first six chapters (two on chapter 1), and the only chapter in the latter six chapters deals not with prophecy but with (absolutely not surprisingly nor disappointingly) Daniel's intercessory prayer in chapter 9. 

I will admit - I do want to deal with the whole book. But again, the book's theme is on us being faithful in a culture that is opposed to everything we affirm and glorify what we consider wickedness. That's definitely a needed theme today.

I highly recomme1d this series for either personal study or for a group.

By the way, isn't the cover art wonderful?

BOOK REVIEW - "SECRET SABOTAGE" BY TERRI REED

 What happened in the two week prior to Ian Delaney waking up in a Colorado hospital bed? Who is trying to kill him before he regains his memory of that time? And how can he be free to learn who his enemy is without bodyguard Simone Walker and her assistants getting in the way by keeping him safe?

I discovered Terri Reed while reading Love Inspired Suspense's annual multi-author K-9 collections, and her contributions made me a fan (particularly "Seeking The Truth" and "Explosive Situation," respectively book 5 of True Blue K-9 Unit and book 4 of True Blue K-9 Unit Brooklyn). 

"Secret Sabotage is the first non-K-9  story by Reed, and I absolutely loved it. The excitement and mystery starts on the first page and doesn't let up, and I loved the characters, especially Simone. 

This book includes characters from a former story which I have not read. I didn't need to read that story to enjoy this story.

I highly recommend this book.

BOOK REVIEW - "COLD CASE REVENGE" (PACIFIC NORTHWEST K-9 UNIT BOOK 6) BY JESSICA PATCH

 Why did someone take Nick Rossi's 3 year old daughter and leave her on a cliff? Is there a connection between this abduction and Nick's sister vanishing off the face of the earth a quarter of a century earlier? Will K-9 officer Ruby Orton and her K-9 partner Pepper solve the case before another kidnapping ... or murder?

"Cold Case Revenge" is book six of the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit series. While ideal to read them in order, the authors of the series  do a good job of keeping the reader from being too lost if they miss a book without spoiling the ending.

Jessica Patch does a great job of keeping you off-kilter in trying to figure out who the villain is, as well as weaving a romance in the story. 

I recommend both the series - my favorite of the K-9 series I've read - and this installment.

 

BOOK REVIEW - "THE TITUS TEN BIBLE STUDY: FOUNDATIONS FOR GODLY MANHOOD" BY J. JOSH SMITH

 

The men's Bible study class I'm in at my church just finished going through "The Titus Ten Bible Study: Foundations for Godly Manhood". J. Josh Smith does an excellent job in covering ten sometimes overlap principles on being a godly man. Each of those points are taken from the pastoral epistle Titus. 

This review is concerning the workbook for the study. It is designed to have a group discussion, followed by five short personal Bible studies for that week. There is an access code where you can get to see Smith's video lectures.

I would describe this more as a topical study with Titus being a launching pad than a study of the book of Titus. The development of the study is laying "foundations for godly manhood," as opposed to going through the book. The ten studies are focused on the ten foundations and go through various Scriptures establishing his theme; Titus is included but not always the foundational point.

If you'd like a book for a men's study dealing with our role in the family, the church, and society, I highly recommend this book. 

BOOK REVIEW - "HOW TO GET ANSWERS EVERY TIME YOU PRAY... AS A PERFORMING ARTIST" BY VICTORIA "TORI TELLEM" HOFFMAN

 

I was introduced to Tori Tellem by following the awards on WVIU web radio, where she's station manager. When I found out about this book, it jumped to the top of my "to read" list. 

This book is a great encouragement for performing artists to take the next step in seeking the Lord. There is excellent teaching on prayer including a prayer for revival. On the artist side, I also was built up by her chapter on songwriting and her prayer for song-writers.

I will admit there are a few areas I take a different viewpoint from Hoffman. This doesn't change the fact that Hoffman succeeds in encouraging musicians in this little book, and none of them are important enough to knock this below five points on this review. 

If you're interested in music ministry (or other ministries for that matter), this is a good book to read.

REPORT ON CEF GUIDE RETREAT AUGUST 1-3, 2024, INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, WARRENTON, MO

On Thursday, August 1, 2024, Becky and I drove up to Child Evangelism (CEF) Headquarters in Warrenton, Missouri to take part in their semi-annual Guide Retreat. I've heard about it for years and I finally decided to go. Becky joined me, but the primary reason was to inquire of the Lord what my next step is, as I'm nearing retirement age. 

And I wrote that part three days ago. For some reason, I'm struggling with this. Part of it is energy after a long day. but part of it is being happy with what I've written.

So I'll just write a few comments of our two and a half days there (August 1-3).

• I'll start with a summary. I left with more options about what to do, but not with a definite conviction on which option to take. So please keep praying.
• You may have noticed from the photo above - GUIDE is also an acrostic, 
• One part was a DISC personality test. We were given 24 sets of four two word descriptions, with us choosing the ones most and least like us. In my case, the S's (Supportive) and C's (Cautious) had an equal number of "mosts," while I had one least on C and none on S. I found that interesting. And if you're curious on the others, I's (Inspiring) had 4 mosts and two leasts while D's (dominant) had 1 most and 17 leasts. We also had a spiritual gifts inventory.
• Becky and I had been to CEF headquarters 6 years ago and took a tour then. This tour was interesting because our guide would ask the workers questions about their jobs.
• One blessing - we were divided into groups, and we were to sit together at certain meals (we could at the others as well, which we did).

Again, please continue to pray for Becky and me. One conclusion, though: Instead of doing my usual of making a list and figuring out which one is best, I'm just to wait and let God direct.

 

BOOK REVIEW - "EXPOSITIONAL PREACHING: HOW WE SPEAK GOD'S WORD TODAY (9MARKS BUILDING HEALTHY CHURCHES) BY DAVID HELM

 

What is Expositional Preaching? What are its advantages or disadvantages to other styles of sermons? How does one construct a good Expositional (or Expository) sermon? By the way, I heard Focus On The Family's former Vice President of Church and Clergy H. B. London state there were four types of sermons: Expository, Topical, Biographical, and Longhorn. What's a Longhorn sermon? Two points with a lot of bull in between.

If you're not familiar with Expositional Preaching, this short book by David Helm is an excellent introduction. A brief definition is a sermon based on the Biblical text. This type is designed to focus more on what God said in Scripture rather than our opinions. 

Helm starts off with some errant forms of contextualism. Then, he deals with three key parts of a expositional sermon: 1) Exegesis (getting into the original languages and determining what Scripture is saying to the original audience), 2) Theological Background (Biblical theology, Systematic theology) and 3) How it applies today. Helm holds that if you're skipping one (or more) of these, your sermon is not accomplishing what it should.

You may have seen me review other books of this series. The series is excellent, and that includes this book. I recommend this book and the rest of 9Marks' Building Healthy Churches.