Finding Love In The Best Place

What is love? If we look to ourselves, we'll never be able to really answer that question. God answers the question in 1 John 4:10. I studied the verse in my Bible Arc course.

"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Here is the passage video:


1 John 4:10 from Bible Arc on Vimeo.

A Great Bible-Study Tool

Quick post before I head to bed. Just finished studying a passage in Proverbs. The Bible study method I used is called "arcing". You can find out more about it at Bible Arc.

In the meanwhile here is the video of the "trainer". Yup, after you finish studying the passage, you can watch the video to see how you did. PS: the website isn't as old as the video makes it out to be. :-)


Proverbs 2:1-6 from Bible Arc on Vimeo.

Before I pick up my Bible in earnest

C. S. Lewis:

For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await others.  I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.

B. B. Warfield:

Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books. What! Than ten hours over your books on your knees?”

HT: JT

Not Too Late To Read Your Bible!

Today, I posted something in French regarding Bible reading plans. As I'm heading to bed, I saw that Desiring God has also posted something quite useful. So here is a copy/paste:

Not Too Late to Read Through the Bible Posted: 08 Jan 2010 11:23 PM PST (Author: David Mathis) We're now a week and a half into 2010, but it's not too late to start a read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan. After all, you have more than 50 weeks to catch up on what you've missed. Or treat your year as January 10, 2010, through January 10, 2011. Below are several good options. Discipleship Journal NavPress's Discipleship Journal plan has been the most used at Bethlehem for years. I'm back at this one again in 2010, and I would highly recommend it. There are four daily readings (the year starts with Genesis, Psalms, Matthew, and Acts), but it's only 25 days each month—which leaves some margin for missing here and there when life gets busy. For Shirkers and Slackers If "margin for missing" is what you know you need, then this plan from Ransom Fellowship might be right for you. Maybe you've tried the other plans in the past and stalled out again and again. This plan assigns certain genres to certain days of the week and breaks biblical books up into sections you can read in one sitting—so without reading everyday, you can still make measurable headway. Pace yourself well and do some extra reading, and you might even finish long before 2010 is over. M'Cheyne  This is the classic plan, designed by Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813—1843), the well-remembered Scottish minister who died before his 30th birthday. The plan has readings for every day of the year and will take you once through the Old Testament and twice through the Psalms and the New Testament. (Don Carson's daily devotionals called For the Love of God are based on the M'Cheyne plan.) ESV Study Bible Like the Discipleship Journal plan, the ESV Study Bible plan has you reading in four places: 1) Psalms and wisdom lit, 2) Pentateuch and Israel's history, 3) Chronicles and prophets, and 4) Gospels and epistles. Chronological  With a reading for each day of the year, this plan from Back to the Bible aims to take you through Scripture in chronological order. Engage Scripture  This new plan from The Journey in St. Louis looks very good. Also check out The Journey's Engage Scripture page for videos and pdfs giving background info on the biblical books, as Pastor Darrin Patrick takes his congregation through the Bible in 2010.

How Do You Break Free from an Addiction to Entertainement?

JT posted this from my good buddy JP: 


1. Seek the Lord earnestly. Pray like crazy that God would open your eyes to see wondrous things out of his law.


2. Immerse yourself in the Bible, even when you don't feel like it, pleading with God to open your eyes to see what's really there.


3. Get in a group where you talk about serious things.


4. Begin to share your faith. One of the reasons we are not as moved by our own faith as we are is because we almost never talk about it to any unbeliever. It starts to feel like a kind of hothouse thing, and then it starts to have a feeling of unreality about it. And then the powers of entertainment have more sway in our life.


5. . . . [T]hink about your death. Think about your death a lot. Ask what you'd like to be doing in the season of life, or hours or days, leading up to meeting Christ. I do that a lot these days. I think about the impact of death, and what I would like to be found doing, and how I would prepare to meet him and give an account to him.


Read the whole thing from John Piper

Bible translation (and copying) is serious work… but here's a joke

A young monk arrives at the monastery.    He is assigned to helping the other monks in copying the old  canons and laws of the church by hand.  He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from  copies, not from the original manuscript.    So, the new monk goes to the head abbot to question this,  pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the  first copy, it would never be picked up!    In fact, that error would be continued in all of the  subsequent copies.     The head monk, says, 'We have been copying from the copies  for centuries, but you make a good point, my son.'  He goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery    where the original manuscripts are held as archives in a locked  vault that hasn't been opened for hundreds of years.  Hours go by and nobody sees the old abbot . . ..  So, the young monk gets worried and goes down to look for him.  He sees him banging his head against the wall and wailing.  'We missed the R !  We missed the R !  We missed the R !'  His forehead is all bloody and bruised and he is crying  uncontrollably.  The young monk asks the old abbot, 'What's wrong, father?'  With A choking voice, the old abbot replies, 'The word was...    'CELEBRATE !!!'

Weekend in Ireland

Nothing much being said here. Too busy keeping up with my Bible reading schedule (a brother and I (mostly him) are devouring God's word), working in the publishing world and doing homework.

But this weekend I'll be in N. Ireland, catching up with friends (and hanging out on the Logos Hope again). Enjoy the month of May, its gorgeous!

Things We Don't Know About Our Grandparents

I just got home from another evening spent with my grandfather, Bill Kapitaniuk. It's amazing to hear some of his stories. He's so quiet about them He's a great storyteller, but very humble of what God has led him to do.

But having a Bible-smuggler for a Grandfather makes me aware of the lack of importance I place on the Bible. Papy was willing to suffer to bring a few Bibles into the communist block, I can hardly get out of bed. I will continue recording his stories and picking his brain to know what made my grandfather tick. I've lived around him for 22 years, but I realize today that I've only begun to make his acquaintance.

So Much to Write About

People tell me that a blog should limit itself to one or two topics. For example, if I want to do book reviews, I shouldn't do loads of theological topics, or talk about the persecuted church or random daily life. While I agree with the idea, it just isn't applicable for me (or I simply choose to ignore it). I will not do book reviews (in English). The blog world has several excellent readers that recommend great God-centered books. 

But just after today, I was reminded, that I would have to handle anywhere between 10-15 blogs if I were to be organized with my topics. I just can't bear that kind of strain. I'm just not THAT organized.

Today at school, I overheard (not engaged) a conversation about sex and all kinds of twisted ideas from the beauty of sex as God intends it. As I drove home, I saw a teenage girl fight with her boyfriends. My initial thought was, drop those jerks they're not for you. But then she gave them the finger and I just mourned for my generation. We are destroying ourselves. We go about not thinking, not wanting to think about the meaning of our life. Sleeping about, destroying the beauty of sexuality and of marriage and exchanging the satisfaction of God for worthless idols.

Then when I got home I glanced through the village paper. There was a schedule for the Family Planning section. On the same line were "contraceptives, abortion (in France they call it volontary interruption of pregnancy), and women's rights". I just wanted to burn the paper in sadness and in anger. If I wrote an article advertising my services to tell them about Jesus, it would be forbidden in our secular society. But to have feminists come and tell you what are the options available to kill your baby, that is welcomed!

Then of course I would also like to tell you about daily life in France and about daily Bible readings. There is also life in a small French church. There is so much to tell you about!

Jesus: Man, Messiah, or More?

Was Jesus really the Son of God and the Messiah the Bible claims, or was He merely human like the rest of us? For the last 10 years, a group of scholars have been studying this very issue. Watch as they put forth their evidence, and then decide for yourself who Jesus really was. The first video is available now.

Please Pray for Me as I Prepare the Sermon This Sunday

I've been assigned 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 as sermon text for Sunday 22nd of February. I remember reading the passage a few months ago, as we were dividing up the letter into six passages. As I read, I knew who should preach that text. I found it rich, wonderful and so full of questions that needed answers.

I was hoping my father would be assigned the few first verses of chapter four. Instead, here I am preparing to preach on a topic I'm hesitant to speak on, sanctification/holiness.

Please pray for me. Ask God to give me humility, wisdom and strength to preach to glorify God. Pray also that I would have much love for the flock of Feignies (the church I attend). Thank you.

What I Miss Most of the Woman Known to Most as Sophie Kapitaniuk

To you she was Sophie. To me she was 'Mamy'. 3 months have now gone by since she has gone to be with Jesus. The pain has lessened (as it should), but I still think of her often. Here are a few things I'll miss of my grandmother.

• Her prayer. Daily she prayed. On Sundays, at church she would pray "Lord bless your servant," as the preacher stood. During the week I would drop by and ask her to pray for specific things. I don't know what will be the consequence of her prayers. I also cannot say what will now be the consequences of the lack of prayer, in our family, in our church and in our city.
• Her excitement. Though she was 75 years-old, she was easily glad when she heard stories of people taking risks for Jesus. She loved missions because she loved Jesus.
• Her listening ear. I know many women (and men) tend to become talkers as they age. They go on tangents and you just have to bear with them. Not so with Mamy. She really listened. She loved to offer advice, but she always listened. I miss being able to talk to her. I miss reading the Bible to her.
  
• Her presence. At the birth of my youngest cousin I cried at the realization that she would never know our grandmother. When, God willing, I have children, I will not be able to show them to Mamy. She loved children, and few things made her happier than holding babies.

3 months have come and gone. I still think of Mamy daily. I'm simply glad that her suffering is over and that she is happy now. Her love was God and to himself has gathered her. She is in heaven because she trusted Jesus as her saviour.

Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#2)

"Supposing him to be the gardener."

John 20:15

“Let your imaginations run along with mine while I say that "supposing him to be the gardener" should be A SPUR TO MANY DUTIES.
One of the duties of a Christian is joy. That is a blessed religion which among its precepts commands men to be happy. When joy becomes a duty, who would wish to neglect it?”

Page 17, Supposing Him to be the Gardener ( Sermon #1699 )

Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#1)

DIY Blank Bible. You Don't know What is a Blank Bible?

For those of you who wouldn't know, Jonathan Edward's Bible is famous, not just a little, but big-time famous. He cut up his Bible and between every page of it, he inserted a blank page, after which he bound it back together to form a massive, Edwards Study Bible.

This blog gives us a how to for our own Study Bibles. If anyone is interested, you ought to check it out.

50 Remarkable Spurgeon Sermons (#1)

I've found this first sermon to be most helpful (and beautiful). So here are a few excerpts from it. Remember to read it out-loud, it is the best way to understand the richness of the text.

"Supposing him to be the gardener."
John 20:15

“The wonder is that ever you and I should have been placed among the plants of the Lord. Why are we allowed to grow in the garden of his grace? Why me Lord? Why me? How is it that we have been kept there and borne with in our barrenness, when he might long ago have said, "Cut it down: why cumbereth it the ground?"[…]
I know not how it is that we have been spared, except upon this ground—"supposing him to be the gardener"; for Jesus is all gentleness and grace, so slow with his knife, so tardy with his axe, so hopeful if we do but show a bud or two, or, perchance, yield a little sour berry—so hopeful, I say, that these may be hopeful prognostics of something better by-and-by. Infinite patience! Immeasurable longsuffering! where are ye to be found save in the breast of the Well-beloved? Surely the hoe has spared many of us simply and only because he who is meek and lowly in heart is the gardener.”
Page 16, Supposing Him to be the Gardener ( Sermon #1699 )

50 Remarkable Sermons by Charles H. Spurgeon

While attending a gathering in Switzerland, I visited their second hand book section. I found it rather interesting, although it contained no French books worth reading. Instead, I found old books from authors that have gone to be with Jesus, many years ago.

In the end, I only bought one book (because I'd come by train), but I think it is a rare find, a treasure. A collection of 50 Remarkable Sermons by Charles Spurgeon, printed in 1908. I bought a hundred year-old book of Spurgeon for just over a dollar! I love second-hand books!

As I glanced through the book, I found a wonderful sermon. I'd been longing to read it again, ever since a friend onboard the Doulos read it out loud to me in his Irish accent. The title of the sermon is: High Doctrine and Broad Doctrine (sermon #1762 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle). It is a gem of Bible exposition. To hear the scriptures preached with such force and beauty was a memorable occasion. You'd have to read it for yourself, but until you find the book, you can read the Bible and be amazed for yourself.

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me ; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
John 6:37 (KJV as quoted in High Doctrine and Broad Doctrine)

A good weekend to all. Enjoy the extra free time to read your Bibles and be with God!

A Tribute to My Grandmother Sophie Kapitaniuk

The following post is a shortened version of the tribute I wrote to Mamy the week she died:

November 11, 2008

’Mamy’, as we called her, has gone to be with Jesus and is most happy now. Mamy was a pillar and model to me. Her influence upon my life is incalculable because she was a woman of prayer with great faith in God.

Though 75 years-old, she laughed like a child. God and the Bible were her greatest sources of happiness. When I dedicated my life to missions, she was perhaps the most excited of my whole family. In my grandparent's view, missions and the pastoral ministry were the highest callings and they wished to see the world engulfed in worship of Jesus.

The Bible was a daily source of comfort and strength. She savoured and meditated upon God's word each day. Because her sight was so diminished, she had to be read to. I often wonder why God would take away the sight of a woman who so loved the Bible, while most of us, though seeing, do not treasure the Bible as we ought.

By her death, Mamy leaves a void in my life. She was a friend, a prayer-partner, a counselor and my grandmother. Though short in stature, she is high in my esteem. Her treasure was Jesus, and therefore, in heaven was her heart. She lived out Psalm 71:

    "Even when I am old and grey, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come." Psalm 71:18

Though dead, her life will continue to speak. Death was gain to her, so her life was well lived. If there is one thing she would want for each of us, is that we not waste our momentary earthly lives. 'The best is to come,' she told me recently and now that time has come for her.

"I Do Solemnly Swear..."... Presidents and "Their" Bibles

I dream a lot. Just this evening, reading an article in the Wall Street Journal made my mind wander. The post shows and explains which Bibles American presidents chose to use when they are sworn into office. Some opened at random the Bible, some chose verses and some kept it closed.

So I wondered, what verse would I choose to lay my hand on? What about you? What would you choose?

OK, So I Didn't Join the French Army

My day in the army is over and I am glad. The food was OK (but then who am I to say, I've done 3 years of Doulos-time), but the dining hall was cold. Really COLD. It snowed all of Monday. I hope it sticks around for a while. I've been asking God to make it fall thick and that the weather would stay cold. I love snow and walking in snow is among the nicest things ever, just as long as you don't actually have to be somewhere.

After countless videos all promoting the army, but not as propagandic as the American "Army of One" campaign (nor as slick), I finally decided to stay put and stay on the Jesus team. As the now corny joke goes, "God's retirement plan is out of this world." I really love Jesus. I'm going to go read my Bible now and just talk to Jesus.

What Are Your New Year Resolutions? What Place Did You Leave For Jesus?

I wasn't planning on writing today, but changed my mind after the church service. There was no sermon today, but simply a time of fellowship (we're small, we can do that). We pulled the chairs into a circle and shared what are goals were for 2009. We also read verses that had impacted our lives in 2008 or that we wanted to fly over our lives as banners for 2009.

One of the ladies read part of Colossians 1 and asked a simple question that I thought I would also pose.

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."

Colossians 1:17-18

After reading, she looked at us and asked: "Does Jesus have the first place and the most important part in all your plans, dreams and hopes for 2009?"

The question struck me and I simply ask it of you. May Jesus have the supremacy in our lives this year and every year.