Tonight -- Live White Horse Inn Taping @ Biola University

White Horse Inn is Taping in Front of a Live Audience

Here's the scoop:

Greetings Friends,

Have you ever wanted to join the conversation? On Friday, February 12, 2010 White Horse Inn is taping in front of a live audience and you are invited.

We trust you are benefiting from the 2010 series "Recovering Scripture" and we hope to see you soon.

White Horse Inn Live Taping in La Mirada

When - Friday, February 12, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. (Seating begins at 7:00 p.m. and is first come first serve).

Who - Mike Horton, Ken Jones, Kim Riddlebarger, Rod Rosenbladt and you.

What - Live taping and Q&A regarding the topic of "Contending for the Faith" – How did the apostles contend for the faith in the book of Acts?  Did they appeal to the practical benefits of living life Jesus’ way?  Did they share their testimonies or inner experiences?  Did they encourage bland faith?  On this special live edition of White Horse Inn, the hosts will walk through the apologetic sermons in the book of Acts in order to discover the proper way to both defend, and contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.

Where/Sponsor – Calvary Chapel at Biola University sponsored by Associated Students of Religious & Academic Relations – 13800 Biola Ave. La Mirada, CA  90639 (562.903.6000)

Registration - no registration required (free event) 

I Had Almost Forgotten . . .

As you may know, I grew up in the Christian bookstore industry.  I have long since repented for all of the Christian trinkets we sold throughout the years.  But one of the most vivid memories from my bookselling past was listening to the latest sales pitch from someone trying to hawk a brand new "testimony book" from some current "Christian" celebrity.  I can't imagine how the Zondervan sales rep will pitch Kate Gosselin's new book.  I truly hope the woman is a believer and that book is of some value . . .  But I've seen one too many of these to have very high expectations.  Eight was enough!  Gosselin Book

Having trouble with self-denial?  To help the faithful, Dutch Catholics have identified Lent as "Christian Ramadan."  Apparently the average Dutch citizen knows more about Muslim holidays than Roman Catholic practices.  Amazing.   Christian Ramadan instead of Lent

As if I needed another reason to hate state-sponsored two-kingdom confusions like the National Prayer Breakfast, here's a gem from Obama from this year's gathering.  “God’s grace is expressed by Americans of every faith, and no faith, uniting around a common purpose, a higher purpose.”  And I thought God's grace is supremely expressed in the cross of Jesus Christ . . .  Theologian in Chief?

The 4000 year-old remains of a man who lived in Greenland were recently discovered.  His DNA showed he had male pattern baldness.  I'll bet he had a 4000 year-old "comb-over" to boot.  The only thing worse than being bald is trying to look like you are not.  The Old Bald Guy

"To the Saints Who Are in Ephesus" -- Ephesians 1:1-14

The First in a Series of Sermons on Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was said to be John Calvin’s favorite book of the Bible.  I know that a number of you would likewise answer “Ephesians,” should someone ask you to identify your favorite portion of Scripture.  I am choosing to preach on this epistle not only because it is an important letter in terms of its rich doctrinal content, but also because of the fact that Paul sent this circular letter to the churches in western Asia Minor including Ephesus.  Ephesus is the same city which was the home of the Apostle John who composed his three epistles about thirty years after Paul wrote this letter.  Therefore, this is an important letter for us to study on its own terms, but a study of this epistle fits well with our previous series on the three Epistles of John.

F. F. Bruce once called this letter the “quintessence of Paulinism.”  I couldn’t agree more.  While it is difficult to discern any single theme in Ephesians, this epistle is loaded with doctrinal content which would have been very important for any number of the congregations scattered throughout western Asia Minor.  Paul discusses his two-age eschatology (how the end-times unfold), the Lordship of Christ over all things (including death), he offers a powerful declaration of salvation based upon God’s gracious and eternal decree, which is worked out through the person and work of Christ and received by faith alone (the famous declaration in Ephesians 2:8–“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God).”  Paul also discusses the role of Jews and Gentiles in God’s redemptive purposes, and as well as setting forth how the church comprises a new society, one in which God turns all other fallen human societal structures (i.e. racial division, social status, etc.) on their head.

Given the somewhat impersonal tone of this letter–which is surprising in light of the fact that Paul spent several years in the city of Ephesus and certainly knew many of the members of this church–this may be an indication that this epistle is a sort of circular letter which eventually became associated with the church in Ephesus.  In light of this possibility, a number of commentators have argued that Ephesians was a theological tract, which originally circulated in the form of a letter.  One writer even calls Ephesians a commentary on Paul’s letters, picking up on the fact that the letter lacks a central theme and doesn’t address any specific controversy, as is typical of most of Paul’s letters.  While it is probably not the case the Ephesians is a summary of Paul’s other letters, it is clearly a revelation of the mystery of Christ, set forth by Paul, as the wisdom of the age to come.

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here

Who Said That?

"Gospel music is the purest thing there is on this earth"

Leave your guess in the comments section below.  Please, no google searches or cheating.  Answer to follow in one week.

Update on Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 05:22PM by Kim Riddlebarger

This is a quote often attributed to Elvis, who loved gospel music, and recorded several gospel albums.

"The Suffering Church" -- Friday's Academy Lecture Now Posted

Here's the audio from Friday Night's Academy lecture.  I address the subject of a "golden-age" millennial reign upon the earth before the return of Christ (postmillennialism).

Click here

"The Spirit of God" -- 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon, the fifth in a series on 1 Corinthians

Click here

This Week's White Horse Inn

The Book of Galatians (Pt 3)

How does one qualify for God's heavenly inheritance? Does it come by obedience to the law, or by trusting the promise? In their continuing survey of Paul's letter to the Galatians, the hosts further outline the distinctions between the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, and point to Christ alone as the ground of our acceptance before a righteous and holy God.

http://www.whitehorseinn.org/

The Academy Returns Tonight!

Series Title:  Amillennialism 101

Lecture Title:  "The Suffering Church"

Lecture Contents:  Does the New Testament anticipate a golden age on the earth for Christ's church before the Lord's return?  How does the presence of persecution by the state, the warnings regarding schism and division, as well as the ever-present danger of heresy impact our understanding of the course of this age?

Instructor:  Dr. Kim Riddlebarger

Textbooks:  A Case for Amillennialism (Baker 2003), The Man of Sin (Baker, 2006)

About the Academy:  The Academy meets at Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim.  The lectures begin at 7:30 p.m., are free of charge, and are followed by a time for questions and answers, as well as a time for fellowship and refreshments.

For more information, click here

Scott Brown Is Christian Reformed?

Did you know that Scott Brown, the newly-elected US Senator from Massachusetts, attends a Christian Reformed Church (New England Chapel--Scott Brown and New England Chapel)?  One member describes New England Chapel as "a church for people who have given up on religion but not on God."  Back in the day when Christ Reformed was still a CRC church plant, they pushed us to go in this direction.  We didn't.  But good to hear about Senator Brown.  Lets hope he gets the distinction between the two kingdoms!

Talk about strict church discipline!  Here's a story about a pastor who pulled a gun on his son because of the son's poor church attendance.  People in circles like that ought to be careful.  The son might just draw on pa, and I'll bet the son is quicker.  Packin' heat

The Archbishop of Canterbury was recently in New York near Wall Street.  Given the proximity to money and power, Rowan Williams was asked, "what does the good life look like according to Jesus?"  His answer:  “The Gospels give us a good picture of what the good life looks like,” Archbishop Rowan said.  It resembles, he said, the disciples, extended family and devoted followers who surrounded Jesus during his ministry — a group of people united by “a common identity shaped by the fact that each depends on all others.”  That's about what I would expect from Williams--nothing remotely related to the actual content of the four gospels.  Why can't we just all live together in harmony and sing Lennon's Imagine?  Williams on the "good life"

Here's another lame attempt to reach out to people during the Super Bowl.  An L.A. megachurch (Mosaic) catering to twenty-somethings, many of whom are in the film-making industry, tries a bit of light-hearted humor centering on Dorritos and the resurrection.  What am I missing?  Christianity is not "cool" and it never will be.  Megachurch commercial

"The Elder to the Elect and the Beloved" 2 John, 3 John

A Sermon 2 and 3 John

In Second and Third John, we actually get to read an apostle’s mail.  The Second Epistle of John was written to a church with which John was intimately familiar, some time in the last decade of the first century.  Very likely, this was a congregation located near the city of Ephesus, where John was an elder and the last living apostle.  John personifies this church as the “elect lady” and speaks of its members as her children.  The Third Epistle of John was written to a man named Gaius.  Since Gaius was the most common name in Asia Minor at that time, and since there are several men with that name mentioned in the New Testament, it is impossible to identify this person with any specificity.  But in any case, these two short letters tell us a great deal about both the apostolic church and the apostle John.  The contents of Second and Third John remind us of the importance of sound doctrine, as well as the role of Christian charity in the lives of God’s people.

We now conclude our series on the epistles of John by turning our attention to the two shortest letters in all of the New Testament, 2 and 3 John.  These letters contains less than 300 hundred words each, and from their contents, it is clear that John composed each of them on a single sheet of papyrus.  Since the ink of that period was made of soot and water thickened with gum (resin made from tree/plant sap), John filled up a page, and then quit so that it could dry before being folded and then sealed with wax.  A number of the same issues John has addressed in his first epistle reappear in these two epistles, although in greatly abridged form.  Both are typical of letters from this period–they follow the classic epistolary style–in which John introduces himself through the use of his title–elder–not his name.

I debated about whether or not to even preach on these letters.  I concluded that since God saw fit to include them in the canon, it is important that we treat them as Scripture–and they do have several interesting and important points for us as a church.  Given the brevity and nature of these personal letters–there are no Old Testament citations or echoes in either of them–I thought it best to treat both of them in one sermon–hence, a first lesson and second lesson, as opposed to our usual practice of an Old Testament and a New Testament lesson.  We’ll go through each of these letters rather quickly, and then we’ll draw some conclusions as we wrap up.

The immediate context in which these letters were written reflects the typical problems associated with traveling missionaries in the apostolic era.  If nothing else, the Romans were great civil engineers.  They managed to connect much of their empire through a series of well-constructed roads which made travel much easier than it had been previously.  Christian missionaries took full advantage of that infra-structure provided them by Rome–a common language and a network of good roads.  In fact, Christianity had spread throughout most of the Roman empire by the end of the first century.  In the providence of God, Roman roads and the Greek language had much to do with the rapid spread of the gospel. 

To read the rest of this sermon, click here