Problems...We've All Got Them

I know that it has been a while since my last post regarding Dr. Lutzer's sermon.  I had meant to post details about each of his chapel sermons on here, and I meant to post something last week, but wouldn't you know it, school was really busy.  So I apologize for not posting anything recent.  That's why I'm here today.  

If there is one thing everyone has in common, it is problems.  They are kind of like opinions, everyone has one or some.  Just like opinions, problems carry different weights to them.  Generally, our own personal problems carry a heavier weight than our neighbors.  We put our problems at the front of the line and our neighbors on the back burner.  

As I was buying groceries a couple of days ago, I was standing in the Wal-Mart supermarket, having to decide what I needed to buy, and what was a comfort.  I felt pretty good about myself, I was being frugal and putting things back that I did not need to eat or buy.  That's when God let me know that I at least have a choice.  I can at least entertain the idea of buying that extra bag of potato chips or that gallon of ice cream.  I can entertain the idea of buying better quality cuts of meat or bags of candy to snack on.  I immediately stopped to give thanks to God right there for all that He has given to me and all that He has blessed me with, as there were many people there who cannot entertain the thought of buying ice cream or extra chips, because they do not have the means to do so.  

Be sure and give thanks to God for all He has blessed you with and given to you.  I know that what I consider to be major problems in my life are really miniscule in comparison to some of the other troubles I have seen.

Unanswered Prayer

This week should be an exciting week in chapel here at DTS.  Dr. Erwin Lutzer is speaking each day for the Nathan D. Maier Memorial Series in Bible Exposition.  Dr. Lutzer is the senior pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago, and this week his message series here is title "The Triupmh of Unanswered Prayer."

Initially I automatically say to myself that there is no such thing as unanswered prayer.  God either says yes, no, or wait, at least that is what I have always heard.  But today I just wanted to post a few things that Dr. Lutzer said that really stuck out to me. 

Preaching from Hebrews 11, Dr. Lutzer pointed out that in order for us to be faithful and pleasing to God, we must believe the future promises that God has made to us.  If we do not believe the future or that there is a real future coming, then how can we be faithful to God? 

Another point is that Abraham died in faith, not receiving all that God had promised him.  This speaks to the fact that there are future promises and rewards from God, and it also speaks against the name it and claim ideology that is becoming very prevalent on television.  As Dr. Lutzer pointed out, there are times where God does not answer prayers and you simply have to endure.  Some of the things that God has promised us may not come to fruition here on earth.  Some promises will not come until after death.  One last point on this is that when God does not answer our prayer, and we go through a time where we must endure, if God does not do what we think He should do, we must go on believing.

Lastly, going back to the name it and claim it, word of faith etc...televangelist ministries, Dr. Lutzer made this comment that is humorous and sad at the same time.  He said something to the effect of, "Isn't it too bad that some of God's sheep can't tell the difference between grass and astroturf?"  

Again, these are just some of the many excellent points that Dr. Lutzer made.  I hope to be able to post a few points from each chapel service this week, as this will no doubt be an excellent lecture series.  Let me know what you think.

Interesting Thought...

Thank you for the comments regarding the weeds that can choke out the seed that is sown and how we often neglect those seeds because it does take more time to "weed" the ground. Today we had a faculty forum here at school and one of our professors made an interesting point that I wanted to share.

Often times we view people who are not saved as "those people" the ones who are "dead" and so forth. Dr. Bock reminded us that "those" people, are just like you and I, created in the image of God. Fundamentally, the Gospel is about restoring people, who were created in the image of God, back to the state in which they were created, from which we have fallen.

We all are fallen human beings, but we are all created in the image of Christ. That is our common ground. I thought it was eye opening how we do label non-Christians as "those" people. What do you think?

Harvest Crusade

Hey, once again, there is a Harvest Crusade going on, this time in Philadelphia. Just wanted to post a note and link to it so that you can check out the webcast, if you so choose. Check it out!!!

Another Reflection...

So I keep going back into reflection mode and I completely understand if you find it annoying. I know that I probably would if I was a reader, but it helps me to remember what I have learned. Five weeks have passed here at DTS, which means 1/3 of this semester is in the books. It is funny to think that five weeks has come and gone. I can say though that these five weeks have been quite a learning experience. Within two days at Dallas Seminary, I was learning lessons that I need to learn and relearn on a regular basis.

Coming into school, I felt that I had a good grasp on the Scriptures and that for the most part, I had a solid understanding of the Bible. It did not take long for me to realize that I am not the Bible scholar I thought myself to be. Sure, I can make sense of some Scripture and tell you the meaning, but the vast majority of Scripture is foreign to me. It is a sad and depressing realization, yet it invites me to keep studying and to keep learning. The overall lesson is that it is so easy for us to get into a rut when it comes to Bible study. Rather than reading something new, we go back to the familiar passages that we have read a hundred times. We all know what John 3:16 says, at least I hope that everyone reading this does. But do you know what the book of Habakkuk says?

Do you know why Habakkuk becomes upset with God? Do you know the history of the Chaldeans? Did you know that their actions would make Hitler look like a nice guy? I had no clue, and it was not until I actually read the book of Habakkuk and discussed the historical background of the book.

There is so much in the Scripture that we do not know. There is so much to discover. I would challenge you to read a book in the Bible that you have never read, or maybe have only read once.

One last thing I want to share is that when you are studying Scripture, do not study Scripture flippantly. Always be aware that you are studying the very word of God. This is not something that is to be taken lightly. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB). The study of and interpretation of scripture should never be taken lightly. We would not want our doctors to take their studies lightly, operating on us with only partial knowledge. So to, we must see to it that we are not delivering partial truths but the whole truth.

Who are You

If there is one thing that I can confidently say, it is that seminary causes a person to think. A good portion of that time will be spent contemplating ideas one has never delved into, for whatever reason. Another portion of that time will be spent in personal reflection. This period of time is almost worse than the time spent thinking on a new thought or idea, simply because you are forced to look at yourself. The more honest you are, the more difficult the reflection becomes.

Last night I was working on an assignment and we were looking at Mark 11:27-12:44. In these verses, Jesus encounters the Pharisees, Herodians and the Sadducees, each of which is messed up in their own right. For the assignment though, I needed a definition/description of each group. What caused me to pause was the definition of a Pharisee. A Pharisee was a Jewish religious leader that prided themself on keep the commandments/laws of God. As a quick side note, this meant more than the 10 Commandments, and today it means following 631 laws. Along with this though was another description that frightend me, as I saw myself being described.

The Pharisees, along with their religious practices, were known for casting a disparaging opinion on those who did not follow the law. Keep in mind, they looked like the most holy people to everyone else and they acted in such a manner. On the inside though, they were not clean. They were full of self-motivated ideas intentions. They were concerned about receiving honor from the people and being well-known and praised. They thought that God's will matched their list of wants and desires.

The more I read, the more I could replace Pharisee with Chris. It was a sad revelation but a good reminder that we all can become like the Pharisees. How easy is it for us to seek the praise of man? How easy is it for us to think that our wants and desires are God's will? How easy is it for us to cast a disparaging glare towards someone who does something we view as sin?

It's Been A While!!!

I apologize for the lack of updates. Seminary keeps you pretty busy and I'm not yet fluent in Greek, so I spend a lot of my time looking a flashcards with weird characters on them. Anyway, on a more serious note, it's time for a bit of reflection.

Prof Hendricks continuously emphasizes in his classroom that if you want to learn something you have to know how to read. You might laugh at that statement, and some of you may be saying, "That is the dumbest thing I've heard. I know how to read!" Do you? Do you really know how to read? I picked up a book that Prof recommended entitled How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading, by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren. Let me tell you, I'm not even a fourth of the way through the book and I have learned that I do not know how to read a book. It's amazing how many things we overlook. Do you ever stop and think to read the inside cover of a book? How about the little blurbs in the back? How many of us read the table of contents before reading a book? Do you ask questions of the text as you read? Do you quiz the text? Do you ask yourself what you have learned while you are reading? The whole point is that we miss a lot in our reading because we simply do not know how to read.

You may be wondering how this relates to seminary or something of that nature. The relation is in that the same principles apply to Bible study. The Bible is a book, composed of several books, and in order to even scratch the surface of what the Bible has to offer, you need to know what you are looking for. Case in point, an example from class today: If someone asked you what the statement "In Christ" means, could you give them a sufficient, educated, intelligent answer? I will admit that I would immediately say yes. Most of us would. I quickly realized though that my answer would probably not be sufficient when Prof told us of someone who wrote their dissertation on the statement "In Christ." The dissertation is 370+ pages in length and Prof says it is one of the best books you could ever read on the subject.

I've been in class for about 3 weeks now, and one thing is quite clear. When it comes down to the bare bones truth, I really do not know or comprehend all that much. I may feel like I do, but I do not. There is so much to learn and so much that I do not know.

Lastly, before I go, this morning we had communion during chapel, and it was a great time of reflection. The more I sat there and thought about Jesus, the more I realized that I don't really know Him all that well. It sounds weird and it feels weird to say it, and trying to put it into words is difficult. He is so much more than our finite human minds and hearts can comprehend, and just when we think we really know Him or have Him figured out, we learn something new. A better way of saying this could be, I sat in wonder and amazement at how much more I could know Him and know of Him.

Think about this, God sent His Son, the Savior. Do you see the grace of God in this statement?