Reminiscing

I found some more of my old blog-type entries and began adding them on here. Some of these date back to 2000. What really interests me is how deep they were compared to much of what I write now.

Some things I noticed:

• A falling away of the Bible quotes after I got a full time job
• I seem to have some favorite books in the Bible (check out the tag cloud on the right side of the blog for hints)
• I’m going to back and reread those books soon…
• My faith has been a tremendous anchor for me through some wildly dramatic events (such as my tumor saga)
• As I read the blogging I did during my second year, I realize that I thought I was a much better than I was
• I know a lot more now about theology and about the Bible and about prayer; but I don’t know that I practice much of any of them any more now than I did when I was in school
• I know I don’t pray as much as I did then
• I spend way too much time on the computer and way too little time on my knees seeking FIRST the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33)
• I currently do a whole lot of fake praying

Calvinism vs. Christianity?

My friends Junior and Ryan have been having a civil discussion on their blogs about the differences between Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism, traditional Christianity, and all sorts of other things. It is an interesting discussion to say the least.

Unfortunately, I have only recently discovered their blogs and my time is very limited with work, mariachi, church, and everything else going on in my world. In an effort to read the discussion in its proper order, I have undertaken the task of finding each of the posts in their conversation and listing them here in chronological order. That way, as my time permits, I can go and read each argument in order and hopefully not get too lost…

• Ryan: Christianity vs. Calvinism: Post A 9/21/08
• Junior: Christianity vs. Calvinism: Is Scrupture Sufficient? 10/13/08
• Ryan: Calvinism vs. Christianity: What is Calvinism? 10/15/08
• Junior: Christianity vs. Calvinism: What is Calvinism (1 of 2) 10/20/08
• Junior: Christianity vs. Calvinism: What is Calvinism (2a of 2) 10/24/08
• Junior: Christianity vs. Calvinism: What is Calvinism? (2b of 2) 10/26/08
• Junior: Christianity vs. Calvinism: What is Calvinism (2c of 2) 10/26/08
• Ryan: Reformed Theology Conversation 11/1/08
• Junior: Christianity vs. Calvinism: Chicken or Egg 11/6/08
• Ryan: Competitive Christianity and Elitism 11/10/08
• Ryan: Competitive Christianity and Elitism: Responding to Comments 11/11/08

Have I left any out? Needless to say, this will be interesting reading as I actually get some time to set aside and read through the conversation (including comments). Thanks to you two for posting this. Whether we agree completely or not, the discussion of these kinds of things are great and it’s always beneficial to get other viewpoints so we can find where other people come from.

Do You Have To Go To Church?

Keith Green says it well:

Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you hamburger.

That’s all well and good. We know that those people who go to church are not all saved. Salvation is the result of dying to self. It is the result of becoming alive in God through Christ.

So when you’re saved, you have to go to church, right?

NO!!!

The whole concept of “going to church” is not in the Bible. You don’t go to church, you are the church. The Greek word for church is transliterated eklesia and it means those who are called out.

So if we’re called out of the world (Revelation 18:4), then we should be a separated people. But that doesn’t mean we need to “belong to a local church.” On the contrary, it means that we, as saints, should be in ongoing fellowship with one another, serving each other, and encouraging each other.

That doesn’t have to happen in a local church fellowship. It can, though.

I think that when we “go to church,” too often we run the risk of thinking that simply punching the time card is enough. Before the world was formed, God prepared good works for us to do (cf. Ephesians 2:10). “Going to church” just to sit there and passively listen to someone else tell us God’s word is not a Biblical concept.

I want to challenge you to stop sitting on your blessed assurance and start living for the Lord God Almighty. Live your life. Quit being a spectator.