What’s the Gospel?

Posted on August 13, 2011 by jeff warren

At the core of our Message, our ministries, our lives, our hope, and life is the Gospel. The longer I preach the more convinced I am that I (we) have but one message: the Gospel of Grace found only in Christ. Surely all of Scripture is inspired by God and all of the Bible is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness- but it is the Gospel that is central. I’ve heard Christians through the years express a desire to go “deeper” in the Word. Sometimes this is a true desire to get beyond the surface preaching that seems to come from many of our pulpits. But most of the time this is a desire for more knowledge (and not a desire nor evidence of obedience to what is already known- i.e. kindness, compassion, care for the poor, the marginalized, a lack of grace and purity, etc..).

I ask, “What’s deeper than the Gospel?” How can we ever tire of studying, scrutinizing, exploring, and- indeed- applying the Gospel to every aspect of life. The Gospel is the well that never runs dry. Jesus is eternal and the exploration of His majesty is never-ending. Let’s preach, teach, and apply the Gospel. It is (HE is) the Only hope of salvation for those who believe.

Here Tim Keller (who is always Gospel-centered) answers the question: “What is the Gospel?”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0g-s4Qhtyk&feature=youtu.be]

The Silence of God- Andrew Peterson

Posted on November 28, 2010 by jeff warren

It’s enough to drive a man crazy; it’ll break a man’s faith

It’s enough to make him wonder if he’s ever been sane

When he’s bleating for comfort from thy staff and thy rod

And the heaven’s only answer is the silence of God.

It’ll shake a man’s timbers when he loses his heart

When he has to remember what broke him apart

This yoke may be easy, but the burden is not

When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God.

And if a man’s got to listen to the voices of the mob

Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they’ve got

When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross

Then what about the times when even followers get lost?

‘Cause we all get lost sometimes…

There’s a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll

In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold

And He’s kneeling in the garden, as silent as a stone

All His friends are sleeping and He’s weeping all alone

And the man of all sorrows, He never forgot

What sorrow is carried by the hearts that He bought

So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God

The aching may remain, but the breaking does not

In the Holy, Lonesome echo of the silence of God.

Mystery Solved: The Chicken or the Egg?

Posted on July 17, 2010 by jeff warren

Scientists in the UK say they have certain proof that the answer to the oft-posed question of whether the egg preceded the chicken or the chicken preceded the egg. The answer, say the researchers is… (drum roll here)… the chicken came first. There you go. You can sleep tonight.

According to the scientists a protein called “ovocleidin” (OC17) is the catalyst for the creation of eggs, and it’s created in the ovaries of chickens (and nowhere else). One news report noted that, “Some mysteries remain as it is still unclear where the chicken that came before the egg came from.” Okay, let me solve that mystery (and maybe I’ll make national news too). The Bible says God created all things- including the chicken. God created chickens so they could make baby chickens; that’s why the chicken comes with an ample supply of ovoleidin. Sheffield University´s Dr. Colin Freeman stated, “It had long been suspected that the egg came first but now we have the scientific proof that shows that in fact the chicken came first.”

This is further proof of God and the fact that He created all things. It is pure (and simple) Aristotelian logic: For every cause there must be an effect. The world and all that is (again, including chickens) is the cause and God is the effect. Let’s talk science: You can’t something from nothing! It is scientifically impossible. Living matter does not come from non-living matter. This is not improbable or unlikely; it is impossible. End the debate. God created everything that is. Let’s all be accountable to Him and steward this one and only life He’s given, for His glory.

“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:22

The Chicken or the Egg?

The Star of Bethlehem- myth or reality?

Posted on December 7, 2009 by jeff warren

If you’ve studied astronomy you know that the Universe is made up of billions of galaxies and within each of those galaxies are billions of stars. We also know that the universe is a like a giant clock- in other words the planets- for instance orbit in patterns that can be mathematically predicted. We know exactly where planets will be and where they’ve been. A common example is this: We know, for instance that Halley’s comet, last passed in 1986 and the next time will be in 2061. we know what’s happening with mathematical precision. And now, with computer tracking, we can see what the skies looked like from any place on earth at any time in history- on any date, from any spot on our planet, looking at any direction in the sky.

You would think then that we could go back to the point where the Magi were looking into the sky and we could see what they saw. So, modern day astrophysicists can re-create what took place at the time of Christ’s birth. (If we knew when the Magi showed up). Guess what? We can know pretty closely- based on Herod’s reign, which is referenced in Matthew 2. In fact, because of some challenges in calendars and dating through the years, it might be that the stars and the planets can get us closer to the time of Christ’s birth than our own calendars. Astrophysicists can go back and look at a window of time- (say a 5/6 year window and see if anything unusual happened in the skies that would have been unique. Matthew says the Magi came from the East- most likely Babylon (modern day Iraq) and they studied the stars. Many scholars believe that these Magi were descendents of those referenced in Daniel- many of the exiles stayed there.

So these Magi see a star move over Bethlehem and “stop”. Do stars stop? No. In fact, neither do they “move”. We know it’s not that stars move but the rotation of the earth causes them to appear as though they move. Stars don’t move, but planets do as they rotate around the sun. The Ancient Greeks called them “wanderers”- (planes) which is where we get our word for them: planets. They were called “wandering stars”. (Remember they didn’t have telescopes. All that they saw was with the naked eye- planets/stars, it was hard to tell the difference). In fact, planets weren’t known to be planets until relatively recently- Uranus was discovered in 1690, though first thought to be a star. Neptune in 1846, and Pluto in 1930- though earlier this year, poor Pluto was demoted in status. But do planets stop? Yes, they do- or they appear to. It’s called retrograde motion. Based on the rotation of the earth- a kind of moving platform, a moving observation deck and the movement or orbit of a planet, it would appear to freeze in the sky for period of time- amazing. And what we’ve discovered through computer tracking is- sure enough, Jupiter was in full retrograde motion and aligned with Venus, and they formed the brightest “star” any human alive would have ever seen. So bright, in fact, for anyone looking, with knowledge of the night sky (like the Magi), it would have been quite obvious. They followed it to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem.

But here’s what hit me, and this mind-blowing: When God flung the Universe into existence and set all things in motion (and remember- mathematically, you can follow the stars and the planets) it means that before anything was created, God knew exactly when His Son Jesus would be born. He knew when Venus would align with Jupiter (in full retrograde motion) and multiply their light together. He knew when the Magi would come, looking for the star of the Messiah. No wonder the prophets foretold His coming- it had been set in motion before anything was even made! No wonder Scripture says:

“He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.” 1 Peter 1:20

Check out computer animation of retrograde motion online. You can also learn more at sites like www.bethlehemstar.net