Elementary…My Dear Watson

Bible Study Magazine is doing it again. No strings attached, you can get a free John MacArthur study on Romans. Just go to http://blog.logos.com/

Alright, here’s another try.

Check out http://twentytwowords.com/2009/10/26/22-ways-to-win-1-of-4-esv-study-bibles-in-celebration-of-the-esvsb%E2%80%99s-1st-b%E2%80%99day/

In case you don’t already have one, haven’t won one, or just don’t know what it is, you can check it out here.

With a few reservations (that come with any translation/study bible/commentary) this may be the best study bible of our time. I love sitting down with it to study.  So if you’re interested in winning one, go ahead, try a few of the 22 things. A lot of them are sorta fun, and some are even good for you!

Glo is a new bible software program out from Zondervan. For those of you wondering why anyone would need yet “another” bible software program, let me assure you it is quite different from anything I’ve ever experienced. Let’s look at Design, Technical, Install, and Content (hang on for this, it’s why you’ll want it).

First of all, the Design is akin to a modern operating system such as Mac’s Leopard or Windows 7. Very smooth and flowing. All data can be grouped through five different lenses; Bible, Timeline, Atlas, Topical, and Media.

For all you computer geeks out there, before I get too far, I’ll admit that I’m still running the Windows 7 RC on my HPdx 2200. Intel Pentium 4, 3.06GHz, 1.5 GB ram. This is lower than the recommended configuration for Windows 7, but I didn’t feel like running out and buying a new stick of RAM.

Install: This was the most difficult and frustrating portion for me. Because I had tried to install the Demo DVD first, it would only give me demo access until I contacted  Customer Service. While not quite as prompt as Logos (where I have always been able to speak directly to a representative during business hours) they answered my e-mail with an automatic response within the day, and had an answer for me within 24 hours. Not too shabby overall. Apparently, there was a hot-key (F1) which I needed to hit in order to open the upgrade key menu.

The biggest problem in installation was upgrading all my sub-systems. You MUST be running the latest editions of .NET, DirectX, SQL Compact, and Media Player for the installation to proceed. Glo appears to have the upgrade features for all of these built in, however, everytime Glo tried to update them for me, it crashed. I ended up manually updating DirectX and SQL Compact directly from Microsoft, after which, installation proceeded as expected.

Running: It’s a bit sluggish, again possibly because I’m usually running two or three other programs, and don’t have quite enough memory. However, the interface is incredible. It seems very intuitive, flowing along the lines of the more recent Apple creations. The mouses scroll wheel provides zoom function and click and drag enables quick movement through timelines.

Content: Glo organizes its content around its five lenses. With these you can search through the bible in various different ways. Its benefits include timelines, pictures, real-life images, maps, and virtual tours. Imagine an in-depth bible dictionary, encyclopedia, and atlas, rolled into one at your fingertips.

You can check it out here at http://www.bibleglo.com/

Personally, I ordered from Rejoice Christian Software. A great software company that I have been buying from for years now. They are currently selling glow for $47. That’s 40% off its retail price. You can check out their dedicated glo page at http://rejoicesoftware.com/glo_details.htm

Overall, I haven’t had time to check all the ins and outs of the program yet. I’m looking forward to using it for an upcoming sermon project in Psalm 23. We’ll see if it’s myriad of resources can pull some new insights out of a familiar passage. Until then, that’s Glo!

The Third General Session of the MACP. Dr. Doran began with a quick review of the preceeding sessions.

Again, these are my notes and may reflect my personal opinions.

Defining Fellowship and Compromise

Dave Doran

Bottom Line Conclusions:

• If a ministry can affirm the three statements, he or it is Separatist. A significant threshold. That’s not the ceiling. Other things that matters in other issues. Just because I might fellowship, I do not have to fellowship

• Fellowship in Philippians
  • Philippians 1:5 – “in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.”
    • We need to admit that Fundamentalism was chiefly a para-church movement. Came long side the church and set boundaries outside of the church because they were all fighting within their churches.
• Phil 2:25 – Philippians participated in the work.
• Phil. 4:15 – No church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone;” Paul would not be receiving support form the Thessalonians to whom he was preaching. They became partners with him in the word.
• Most of us have accepted and acknowledged this type of fellowship. Missionary support.
• Biblical Fellowship
  • “The degree to which I limit my fellowship is the degree to which I separate from you.”
    • Not legitimate.
    • I might not fellowship with people out of passivity.
• It requires and active element.
  • NT presupposes an actual or potential relationship.
  • Either remove the false teacher or withdraw from the false teacher.
  • Or, if there is one coming, you are not to extend fellowship to this one.
• To us, the idea of separating from someone we don’t know, have no relationship with seems too abstract.
  • We’re at a historical time in which formerly effective language seldom works.
  • We try and categorically separate.
• We must realize, the context determines the nature of the fellowship.
  • What is the purpose of the gathering?
  • What is at stake in the gathering?
• Texts
  • Gal 6:9 – Leaders in Jerusalem extended the right hand of fellowship to Paul.
    • Significant act.
    • Endorsement of ministry.
    • 2 John 9-11 – If you endorse a false teacher, even in greeting, you have provided an opportunity for influence for him.
      • Formed fellowship by giving the false teacher the opportunity to influence others.
      • Just because you recognized and greeted in that way.
    • Philippians passages – providing financial and physical support.
• Paul called Barnabas out for withholding fellowship from true believers. Gal. 2:11-14
  • Those who view only two distinctions,
    • Fundamentalists and Liberals
    • The Saved and the Lost
    • Ecclesiastical
      • The relation of local churches to other local churches, secondarily to men and ministries who serve local churches.
        • Because the conversation got away from the local church, it’s all about personalities and people.
        • Moved out of the realm of its proper discussion.
• We’re so interconnected today we have to address it. But we’re not going to do it if we take the point that we must target everybody by always aiming at their Achilles heel so we can discredit them.
  • We all feel the injustice of that unless we’re the one doing it. Then we think it’s cool.

This was the second general session. Again, please remember that these are my notes, and therefore include my perceptions and opinions.

Identifying the Disobedient Brother

Dave Doran

Romans 16

Categories of Belief

1. What you must believe to be saved.
   1. i.e. Virgin birth? Not included in many expositions of the gospel (1 Cor. 15). Not included in two gospels.
   2. An eight year old might not understand everything, but what would he/she understand.
   3. However, if you deny this doctrine, you give doubt to your profession of Salvation.

What about those who do not break with those who deny basic doctrinal truths?

1. I.            The clarity of our response to false teachers. (Romans 16)
   1. Verse 17

1.Commands

1. Keep your eye on them.
2. Turn away from them.

2.This teaching causes differences and hindrances.

1. They try to separate people from the Apostolic Doctrine.
2. We must separate from them.
3. Verse 18

1.Characteristics

1. Selfish desires.
2. We must address motivation from the text. False teaching is selfishly driven.

2.Operation

1. Deception – a kind of speech which endears them to the audience and capitalizes on their naiveté.
2. Verse 19

1.Rejoicing at their obedience (to the gospel).

2.Concerned about their innocence (regarding evil).

1. Not engage with them, dialogue with them, try for mutually achievable goals. Turn away!
2. II.            The Gravity of the Problem
   1. Who we are as His Temple demands Separation(2 Cor. 6:16)

1.To be His Temple, we can have no agreement with idols. (v.16)

2.To be His Temple, we must have fellowship with God.

1. It is not about being accepted by the right people.
2. It is not about being “more separated” than everybody else.
3. Our Fellowship as the Church Demands Separation (2 John)

1.Otherwise you become a participant in their evil deeds.

1. You cannot hide behind disagreements.
2. Illus: Historically – to have someone who denies the deity of Christ to give the invocation at an evangelistic crusade makes you a partaker of his deeds.

2.Passage context is of a local church. They were meeting in households.

1. III.            The History of the Controversy – 2 Major Instances in the 20^th Century
   1. Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy

1.Inspiration, Authority of the Scriptures and the Gospel.

2.Within existing ecclesiastical relationships, these two groups began to form.

3.Christianity and Liberalism. Only two groups.

1. Separatist Response – Emerging Non-separatist position.

1.Fuller Theological Seminary

2.Billy Graham being the poster-boy.

3.Those beginning to call themselves New-Evangelicals felt that Fundamentalists had pursued a position of isolationism.

1. Continuing Effects – Since that point, the fallout began to spread. Fractured relationships all across the spectrum. i.e. What do you do with the people who don’t agree with Graham, but aren’t ready to break from Graham?

1.Some felt that there was no need to separate from a Christian.

2.Others felt that not separating from those who did not separate from false believers was wrong.

1. IV.            The Central Problem We Need to Face
   1. Go back to where the issue rose and ask, what point of disobedience precipitated the break in fellowship.

1.Granting of Christian recognition and fellowship to those who cannot claim it (Liberals)

2.If I’m the pastor of a church in an association which has apostate churches, how can we say we’re brothers?

3.It was never an individual incident. It was a pattern and a direction of the church.

If you happen to be in the Greenville area, Mark Ward’s seminars on Bibleworks are a great opportunity.

I am signed up for the Advanced course (hoping that a little knowledge hath not made me puffed up) and excited about learning a few of the more in-depth features. After nearly two years of using Bibleworks, I can honestly say that in my opinion, it is the best exegetical software for working in the Ancient Languages.

Check out Mark’s post here.

Safely returned from Detroit after an INCREDIBLE trip. The Conference was a true blessing. With Dr. Doran presenting most of the general sessions, the format was a bit different. However, it was an extremely pracitcal time with some very important topics discussed. Personally, it has encouraged me that Fundamentalism is worth keeping! At least, when it is historically and biblically defined. Something I thought I’d never say!

Praise the Lord for his abundant grace, both in allowing me to attend the conference, and in traveling safety on the road.

I’ll be trying to get more up from the conference tomorrow.

Separated for the Gospel!

Objective: To set forth the case for a renewed commitment to biblically defined gospel-driven separatism.

1. Prolegomena related to the conference – People in ministry tend to be judgmental. Because we are called to evaluate. We tend to think something bad. We assume the worst.
   1. We are in danger of getting lost because of a trend toward traditional ways.
   2. Shifted the field of discussions to applications, rather than principles. If not already, will become counter-productive. Leads to division over application.
      1. i.      Hyper-Separatism –drawing boundaries, not supported by the Scriptures, breaking relationships or not engaging relationships because of that.
      2. ii.      i.e. Anyone who has been on missionary deputation.
      3. An overarching metaphor for my concern – it is time to replace our maps with a good compass.
         1. Not changing from one map to another. Redraw the lines and reclassify people.
         2. Map is not effective because the map is outdated and we’re lost. You can have a good map, but if you don’t know where you are, you’re in trouble.
         3. Rapidly changing culture requires applying biblical principles.
         4. Group-identity has lost most of its value. The “who lives in what territory” map idea doesn’t work. Labels don’t fit the content, and some folks don’t want to wear the labels.
            1. i.      i.e. I only fellowship with Fundamentalists.
            2. ii.      I don’t think you can make the case that there is an “Evangelical Movement” or a “Fundamentalist Movement.”
               1. No recognized leadership.
               2. IF they are “leaders” it’s because they are involved in ministry, or they somehow still carry a title.
   3. iii.      What is the unique agenda for Fundamentalism? It NO LONGER HAS ONE! “We’re here to preserve separatism.” That’s not a movement’s responsibility. That’s the responsibility of the local church.
   4. iv.      We must examine the actual beliefs and practices of people in ministry.
      1. “LET’S JUNK THE LABEL THING.”
      2. “So, what do you believe about what the Bible teaches on this? And are you applying it in a clear way?”

1. Gospel-driven Separatism, 1 Cor. 15:1-5
   1. It is a Message with Essential Content, “the gospel which I preached” (cf. v.11)

1.The Character of the Gospel is that it is Apostolic and Biblical, “we preached . . . according to the Scriptures”

1. There are truths that cut to the very essence of Biblical Christianity.
2. The Gospel-context is man’s alienation from the true and living god, our Creator.

2.The Context of our Gospel is Man’s Alienation from the True and Living God, our Creator, “for our sins” (cf. Acts 14:15; 17:23, 30-31; 1 Thess. 1:10).

3.The Center of the Gospel is Jesus Christ, “Christ died . . . was raised” (cf. Phil. 1:12, 15, 16-18)

1. It is a Message with Eternal Consequences, “by which also you are saved”
2. Gospel-driven Separatism
   1. For the sake of the purity of the gospel, believers and churches must separate from those who deny essential doctrines of the faith (Jude 2; 2 John 9-11; Rom. 16:17).
   2. For the sake of the clarity of the gospel, believers and churches must separate from those who compromise the faith by granting Christian recognition and fellowship to those who have denied essential doctrines of the faith (Rom. 16:17; Phil. 3:17-19; cf. 2 Thess. 3:6-15).
   3. For the sake of the credibility of the gospel, believers and churches must strive to reflect God’s holiness and to live differently than those who have not experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:15-16; Eph. 4:17-19).

Three Statements – If a man will affirm these three statements, they are a separatist. I am not obligated to separate from them on non-separation issues. Doesn’t mean I’m obligated to fellowship or cooperate with them in every endeavor possible.

These are my notes and reflect my personal opinion in some areas.

Lineup for today.

The sine qua non of Separatism.
Identifying the Disobedient Brother

Sam Horn – the practice of biblical worship
Gerald Priest – contending without contentiousness
Sam Dawson – a reflection on Paul’s defense of the gospel in Romans and it’s implications for separation
Mark Snoeberger – Who needs fundamentalism when we have T4G and TGC? A continuing fundamentalist Raison d’être.

iPod touch update.