My Bible Study Setup

// May 30th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

NIV Life Application Study Bible:

I use the NIV Life Application Study Bible as well, I got saved reading this bible. It’s a great thought-for-thought translation with solid footnotes, cross-references, and study tools.

A Commentary and Reference Survey by John Glynn:

This book will tell you which other books are the best resources available for in-depth Christian study, and anyone who is serious about studying should have a copy of this book.

The Message by Eugene Peterson:

An excellent paraphrase translation. The Bible in Contemporary Language.

Why ESV? (Click here) and (here)

I choose the ESV as my primary study translation because of its essential literalness and readability, and because it stands in the stream of the faithful Tyndale-KJV-RSV-NASB line of bible translation philosophy. It also stays true to the original text in regard to gender-related language. It’s more literal than the NIV and more readable than the NASB. And in contrast to the KJV, pulling out an ESV doesn’t automatically place you in association with Christians who live out in the country, wear doilies on their heads, store up canned goods and guns, watch TBN and Fox News exclusively, and spend most of their time in rapture practice and the Book of Revelation. So I feel pretty good about it…

I also have been praying for some time that someone would combine the Moleskine journal and the Bible into one glorious act of literary and contemplative beauty. My prayer was answered.

ESV Study Bible (Click here) and (here)

This is the “iphone” of Bibles…ree-diculous.

How to Read the Bible for all It’s Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart

This is a great primer on reading and applying the Bible to your life, and understanding God’s Story.

The Biblical Man: Covenant and Headship

// May 28th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

Covenant and Headship – PowerPoint

Covenant and Headship – Mars Hill Church – Proverbs – 2001 (click to download)

What To Do When a Wife Won’t Follow – CJ Mahaney – Building Strong Families Conference – 2000 (click to download)

Some Verses on Marriage and Family:

1. “The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.” Proverbs 14:1
2. “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.” Proverbs 12:4
3. “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.” Proverbs 11:22
4. “Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.” Proverbs 23:22
5. “Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.” Proverbs 23:25
6. “The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18
7. “For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.” 1 Corinthians 11:8-9
8. “She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.” Proverbs 31:12
9. “A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.” Proverbs 11:16
10. “Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.” Proverbs 19:14
11. “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” Titus 2:3-5
12. “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:22- 33
13. “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer– may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.” Proverbs 5:18-19
14. “The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” 1 Corinthians 7:3-5
15. “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30
16. “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.” 1 Timothy 2:11
17. “He who keeps the law is a discerning son, But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.” Proverbs 28:7
18. “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck.” Proverbs 1:8-9
19. “A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” Proverbs 13:1
20. “A fool rejects his father’s discipline, But he who regards reproof is sensible.” Proverbs 15:5
21. “There is a kind of man who curses his father And does not bless his mother.” Proverbs 30:11
22. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:1-4
23. “The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.” Proverbs 30:17
24. “‘If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head.” Leviticus 20:9
25. “”He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” Exodus 21:15

Film and Theology: No Country for Old Men

// May 21st, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

No Country for Old Men

(CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO)

 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAVEXE6ADcs]

The Biblical Man: Masculinity

// May 10th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Proverbs is a book written by older men (particularly a father) to younger men (particularly a son) for the purpose of raising up masculine men.

(Click on the links below to download)

1) Masculinity Powerpoint

2) Proverbs: What it Takes to be a Man (Darrin Patrick – The Journey Church – St. Louis)

3) Proverbs: Men and Masculinity (Mark Driscoll – Mars Hill Church – Seattle)

4) Here is an interview with CJ Mahaney on biblical masculinity. (PDF here)

5) Defining Masculinity (Matt Chandler – The Village Church – Highland Village, TX)

6) For Guys Only - A Collection of Articles on Biblical Masculinity

The Biblical Man: 7 Principles

// May 7th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

DOMINGO (download file)

GOLDSMITH (download file)

REILLY (download file)

 As a “men-gineer,” you strive to live life as a Christ-filled man of God, but any man seeking to love, follow, and glorify Jesus is in a constant battle with Satan (the Enemy), whose best weapon is to tempt Christians with Biblical and relational apathy, laziness, comfort, selfishness, and isolation while on earth. Frequently we fall into the aforementioned traps of the enemy by wrongly believing that we may never have to fight, march, or ride in a spiritual war. Moreover, when it comes to sharing the gospel and our personal sin, we often value our pride and comfort over humility and sacrifice. These attitudes are sinful, selfish, and dangerous. They can lull a person to sleep and render them useless for the sake of Christ, hence giving Satan a foothold. Our work as men of God will continue until the day we leave this earth. It seems simple enough, but many men including Christians live their life in denial of this truth, seeking something akin to eternal retirement.

The need for “life engineering” or “life planning” is paramount in life of a godly man. Life engineering involves outlining a clearly defined set of guiding principles and priorities, picking a date in the future, writing a thorough list of goals to be accomplished by that date, and then working backwards to strategically plan how you’ll achieve those goals. In the sermons from our previous post, Driscoll supports this life engineering paradigm with a list of Biblical references to further cement the fact that strategic planning is synonymous with Biblical manhood.

If you’re saying to yourself, “I’m not a planner. I don’t need that kind of pressure. I’m led by the Spirit, and I don’t need to write anything down.” You need to take a look at the Bible in your hand, and realize that the Holy Spirit has written a lot of stuff down, and maybe you should rethink that whole position. Without a set of Biblical principles, priorities, and goals to live your life by, you will inevitably get pushed around by the circumstances of life, and you’ll struggle to fulfill the calling that God has placed before you. And in your daily life, without proper planning, you will conform to the urgent. Without forward momentum in our lives, God can’t work or guide us. But part of being a man of God is actually stepping out in faith, acting on a plan, and trusting God to direct us in the path that brings glory to Him and blessing to His people.

It all starts with the 7 Principles concept. If you’re not really sure where to begin, a good starting point would be to look at the qualifications for a pastor (or “elder” ) according to the biblical criteria for the office, as described in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and elsewhere (namely, Acts 20 and Titus 1):

• Above reproach
• Able to teach
• A mature Christian
• A husband to one wife
• A father to obedient children
• A good manager of his family
• Temperate
• Self-controlled
• Not given to drunkenness
• Not a lover of money
• Respectable
• Hospitable
• Not violent
• Gentle
• Not contentious
• Good reputation with outsiders

Alistair Begg – The Power of the Cross

// May 1st, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Check this sermon out, dudes. Alistair Begg is one of the only radio guys I listen to. He’s amazing.

He’s speaking about “The Power of the Cross” at a Resurgence event that Mars Hill invited him to speak at. I was blessed by it.

Alistair Begg – The Power of the Cross

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