Should Jesus remain the "Son of God" in Arabic Bibles?

Last week I spent hours enjoying tea and conversation with a muslim friend. He had many questions. Frankly, I often did not know how to answer. For I could sense how differently my north african friend would respond to the standard "evangelical answers". His most pressing question was clearly: "How can the Bible say that Jesus is the Son of God?" For a muslim, "Son of God" implies God had sex with Mary.

Christianity Today has an article by Collin Hansen, on the "Son of God" controversy among arabic world bible translators. I highly recommend the article. You can find it here.

After reading that 7 page article, you'll be interesting to follow the debate on Ed Stetzer's blog. To wrap it all up, you can than read the excellent article by a man named "Rod".

Are Demons For Real? Is Satan A Real Person?

We discussed this among other things in our Bible study last night. That same evening, I came home and instead of sleeping, I turned on a Mars Hill Church sermon and listened to over an hour of preaching.


I thought I would post the sermon here. I would love feedback. Mark Driscoll talks about some crazy stuff. So if this sermon gives you a bad impression, first go and listen to Christ Died In Our Place, it's a great sermon. Then come back and listen to Christ Died To Crush Our Enemies. It's perplexing and edgy. God is so real, but so is Satan and so are demons. As a post-it on my computer says, "There's a war for your soul: FIGHT!"

Attitudes of a Believer according to Jésus (and Spurgeon)

It's been a long time since I last blogged. If you're reading this, I must tell you this very important thing: there are great blogs out there, why are you reading mine? You now understand my lack of blogging.


With that being said, I've just read some vital gospel-verses and HAD to share them with you.


This is what I read (from the mouth of Jesus):

"But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the [Pharisee]. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18.13-14)

I don't know if lights are going on in your mind. But tonight, as I read this, something clicked. "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" If you are a believer, do you talk to God that way? Frankly, I rarely do. But Jesus' comments are devastating for those of us who do not say: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"
Why is that? Because, Jesus goes on to say: "this man went down to his house justified (right with God), but not the Pharisee." Do you see how crucial it is that we have this kind of attitude? We must realize that God would be just to punish us with eternal hell for our sins. That is what we deserve. Only when we realize this and cry out to God in anguish: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" can we be washed clean, justified by our merciful Judge.


I pray that Jesus' words alone would convince you. But since I just recently read a sermon by Charles.H. Spurgeon, I thought I would quote him.

"As we read in history of one who was met with a pardon just when the rope was round his neck, just so does God deal with poor souls; when they feel the rope about their necks, acknowledge that God's sentence is just, and confess that if they perish they cannot complain, it is then that sovereign mercy steps in and cries, "I have blotted out like a cloud thine iniquities, and like a thick cloud; thy sins which are many are all forgiven thee."

Total Abandon by Gary Witherall

I've just finished reading Total Abandon: The Powerful True Story of Life Lived in Radical Devotion to God by Gary Witherall. In order for this review to ever get posted, I must keep it short. 


I met Gary a couple of weeks ago and really wanted to read his book (after my best-friend recommended it to me). It hasn't been published in French (yet) and so we may be interested in it.


The story:
Gary and Bonnie Witherall were living among the Lebanese, a war-torn people. Gary discribes how God led both their individual lives to meet one another, led them to Lebanon and finally led Bonnie to pay the ultimate price. While working in a clinic for Palestinian women, she is shot-dead by a gunman.


My review:
I recommend it. I have a few things that pleased me less, but all in all, this is a good book.


I love Jesus because he first loved me. And in the same way Jesus came out of his rightful place in heaven, to live among us, we are called to go to all nations to make Him known to all peoples. So I love mission-stories, because I grow comfortable too easily.
The book is well-written, pleasant (in style) and well put together. The Gospel is clearly there. Gary is portrayed in a very human manner. By that, I would mean that there are times when I'd like to ask him why he did this or that. But that has the advantage of clearly not being polished PR. Gary is the real thing. 
In closing I would say that such recent stories (the events take place in 2002) are good for the church, good for the believers and good for the Gospel. I'm sure much good has come of Bonnie's murder. The description of her funeral service in Sidon, Lebanon is very moving. But God continues to use Gary and Bonnie's death for great good, just read the book to find out.


You can buy it on Amazon

Nathan Talking About Jesus in French-Class

Nathan is one of the staff working at BLF Europe. He shares with us a little glimpse of life in France and the daily morning French-classes. Recently, the topic of religion was brought up and Nathan was asked to explain (in French) Christianity's beliefs.

Book Review of Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Bresheare

This isn't the indepth kind of book review. I don't have the time, nor the desire for that. Instead, I just wanted to mention reading this book and what I liked about it.


A quick review
If you haven't heard of Mark Driscoll, you must live in a log cabin somewhere in Russia (as I've been for the past three years). All I can say is that God is using this guy. He's still a bit young on the job (a church-planter), but he's gifted and he's working on the humility part.


If you haven't heard of Jesus, you really need to. I know, what an original book topic: Jesus. But you know what? Mark and Gerry really pull it off! This is a great book about the greatest and most controversial man who's ever lived. Now for those who like reading religious books, let me warn you, this isn't for you. This is a deep book, but written with everyday words and some of the better parts are occasionally (seemingly) irreverent.


For your information
I would love to see a book like this come out in France. Of course, the media coverage would be a hard thing to get. But what ran through my mind was all other. I haven't heard of a French equivalent of Driscoll. You need someone with charisma, broad shoulders and loads of talent to pull off a book like this. I'm praying for such men in France.

What other books about Jesus have you found remarkable?


Buy the book on Amazon

The Importance of Doing Missions as Servants (by Mike Stachura)

To finish our series on short-term missions, we go to “Seven Principles for Highly Effective Short-Term Missions” by Mike Stachura of Operation Mobilization. He points us toward the importance of a Christ-like attitude as we move out to serve those in need.

Nothing is more damaging to cross-cultural missions, short-term or long-term, than a patronizing, paternalistic attitude.  Paul came determined not to present himself, but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  As for Paul, he wanted to be known as Christ's bondservant. A servant's spirit starts in the home church or group with a willingness to do whatever is asked. It is reflected in the team life where all members are willing to take their share of the workload. It means esteeming others, particularly national Christian workers, as better than ourselves.

As we prepare to go and serve this summer, let’s humble ourselves and ask the Lord to change our hearts as we meditate on his sacrifice for us.

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:3-8)

May God grant you fruitful and joyful service in short-term missions!

So Operation Mobilization does have some thinkers after all. No seriously, I love OM, but I often wonder if we've forgotten that people have gone before us and have things to teach us. I really recommend Mike's seven principles. They may appear obvious, but their not. Nope not even for you. Thats right, you.

Tim Keller's Gospel for the Post-Modern

This Sunday, every church member is going to give their testimony in 59 seconds. It's part of an attempt to think more clearly about the Gospel, our salvation and the meaning of it all. While doing my research on the Acts29 website, I found this interesting quote by Tim Keller. In context, he's just explained his gospel for the religious. Now he explains the Gospel he preaches to the areligious (Post-Modern). Remember that Keller is a New York City pastor :

"However, Manhattan is also filled with ‘post-modern’ listeners who consider all

moral statements to be culturally relative and socially constructed. If you try to

convict them of guilt for sexual lust, they will simply say, “you have your standards

and I have mine.” If you respond with a diatribe on the dangers of relativism,

your listeners will simply feel scolded. Of course, postmodern people

must at some point be challenged about their mushy views of truth, but there is

a way to make a credible and convicting gospel presentation to them even before

you get into such apologetic issues.

I take a page from Kierkegaard’s The Sickness Unto Death and define sin as

building your identity—your self-worth and happiness—on anything other than

God. That is, I use the Biblical definition of sin as idolatry. That puts the emphasis

not as much on ‘doing bad things’ but on ‘making good things into ultimate

things.’ Instead of telling them they are sinning because they are sleeping with

their girlfriends or boyfriends, I tell them that they are sinning because they are

looking to their romances to justify and save them, to give them everything that

they should be looking for from God. This idolatry leads to anxiety, obsessiveness,

envy, and resentment. I have found that when you describe their lives in

terms of idolatry, postmodern people do not give much resistance. Then Christ

and his salvation can be presented not (at this point) so much as their only

hope for forgiveness, but as their only hope for freedom. This is my ‘gospel for

the uncircumcised.’"

You can find the whole PDF manuscript of the Dwell conference here. 

 

Francis Chan Says: Don't Be Stupid, Live For the Rope

Ok, that title doesn't make any sense. Unless you do as I did and listen to Francis Chan's recent sermon:
Living a Life That Matters: Living Eternally 
The sermon starts from the 4th minute. If you want to download the sermon or listen to others, go to Cornerstone Church Simi. 


It was good and I would love to hear what you thought of it. I heard the name of Francis Chan for the first time last month. Since then I've ploughed through his excellent book Crazy Love  (it's about lukewarm Christians, such as myself). I recommend it to all of you. It's brilliant!


Love you guys… Let's stick close to Jesus.

Celebrating God's Death

Every year at Easter, we celebrate the death of God. But how few of us know this? Again today, in English class, the teacher asked the students what they did at Easter and what it was about. Notice that I was in class on Good Friday. In France we don't even get a holiday.

These past two weeks I've read through the gospel of Mark with a friend. Our goal was twice each week. There are so many mentions in Mark about the deity of Jesus. I would encourage us all to read through a gospel this weekend and stand amazed at Jesus.

Below is Mark's account of the crucifixion of God.

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whol battalion. ¹⁷And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. ¹⁸And they began to salute him,^(X) "Hail, King of the Jews!" ¹⁹And they were striking his head with a reed and^(Y) spitting on him and^(Z) kneeling down in homage to him. ²⁰And when they had^(AA) mocked him, they stripped him of^(AB) the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they^(AC) led him out to crucify him.

 ^21(AD) And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. ^22(AE) And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). ²³And they offered him wine mixed with^(AF) myrrh, but he did not take it. ²⁴And they crucified him and^(AG) divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. ²⁵And^(AH) it was the third hour^[d] when they crucified him. ²⁶And the inscription of the charge against him read,^(AI) "The King of the Jews."

What is the Prosperity Pseudo Gospel?

This video is a beautiful work to describe an ugly face of "Christianity". Just in case you're wondering, prosperity gospel is NOT the Gospel.

Does Satan Exist? Bonus question: Who is Jesus Christ?

ABC's Nightline is hosting a debate on the existence of Satan. Nightline Face-Off opposes Mark Driscoll and Jenny Lobert to New Age guru Deepack Chopra and Bishop Carlton Pearson.  

You can watch a preview here.

You can watch the whole thing here.

Flyering in Recquignies, Again...

With the world in such a state of panic, you'd expect people to start behaving differently. In many ways, I think God will bring many people to ask themselves existential questions. Even in a stone-hard country like France, I'm praying that He will save my people.

Yesterday, we did our monthly flyering route. There are 950 mailboxes in my town and each month we distribute a small full color tract. Each month the topic changes, but the aim is always the same: to lead people to Jesus.

This time, we started early and it being Saturday (and sunny), many people were already out and about. That is probably why we faced some real opposition. No stoning or jail, but people tearing up the tract or telling us they don't want it anymore. Supposing that the person who said this was a staunch atheist, I asked her if she didn't believe in God. She answered with the ever-so typical, "it's a private matter!" I wonder who taught her that?

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.

Supposing Him to be the Gardener #6: Suffering, difficulties and bereavement

Continued from my reading. I hesitated before posting this. I know many that are suffering this very instant and I am in no way dismissing them. But still supposing Jesus to be the gardener, can we complain of our sufferings?

"The Lord has been pruning you sharply, cutting off your best boughs, and you seem to be like a thing despised that is constantly tormented with the knife. Yes, but "supposing him to be the gardener," suppose that your loving Lord has wrought it all, that from his own hand all your grief has come, every cut, and every gash, and every slip: does not this alter the case? Hath not the Lord done it? Well, then, if it be so, put your finger to your lip and be quiet, until you are able from your heart to say, "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, and blessed be the name of the Lord.""

Page 23, Supposing Him to be the Gardener ( Sermon #1699 )

Previous Spurgeon entries:
Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#1)

Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#2)

Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#3)

Supposing Him to be the Gardener #5: Regarding succession of leadership

Continued from my reading. Still supposing Jesus to be the gardener, must we worry when key people of our ministries leave? It's a rather long quote, but its worth the read for those who take the time. Remember, read out loud. It's beautiful.

"And then, again, there is that succession in the garden which we can not keep up. Plants will die down, and others must be put into their places or the garden will grow bare, but we know not where to find these fresh flowers. We say, "When yonder good man dies who will succeed him?" That is a question I have heard many a time, till I am rather weary of it. Who is to follow such a man? Let us wait till he is gone and needs following. Why sell the man's coat when he can wear it himself? We are apt to think when this race of good brethren shalt die of it that none will arise worthy to unloose the latchets of their shoes. Well, friend, I could suppose a great many things, but this morning my text is, "Supposing him to be the gardener," and on that supposition I expect that the Lord has other plants in reserve which you have not yet, seen, and these wilt exactly fit into our places when they become empty, and the Lord will keep up the true apostolical succession till the day or his second advent. In every time of darkness and dismay, when the heart sinks and the spirits decline, and we think it is all over with the church of God, let us fall back on this, "Supposing him to be the gardener," and expect to see greater and better things than these. We are at the end of our wits, but he is not at the beginning of his yet: we are nonplussed, but he never will be; therefore let us wait and be tranquil, "supposing him to be the gardener."

Page 21, Supposing Him to be the Gardener ( Sermon #1699 )

Previous Spurgeon entries:
Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#1)

Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#2)

Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#3)

Remarkable Spurgeon: Supposing Him to be the Gardener #4

Continued from my reading. A quote from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon. This one speaks of working without seeing fruit.

"While this relieves us of anxiety it makes labor for Christ very sweet, because if the garden does not seem to repay us for our trouble we say to ourselves, "It is not, my garden after all. 'Supposing him to be the gardener,' I am quite willing to work on a barren piece of rock, or tie up an old withered bough, or dig a worthless sod; for, if it only pleases Jesus, the work is for that one sole reason profitable to the last degree. It is not mine to question the wisdom of my task, but to set about it in the name of my Master and Lord. 'Supposing him to be the gardener,' lifts the ponderous responsibility of it from me, and my work becomes pleasant and delightful."

Page 20, Supposing Him to be the Gardener ( Sermon #1699 )

Previous Spurgeon entries:
Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#1)

Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#2)

Supposing Him to be the Gardener (#3)

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.

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.