It is getting exciting!!
What great things are happening at church….
Archive for August, 2008
A.W. Tozer
Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image.
The Lord of all being is far more than the Lord of all beings. He is the Lord of all actual existence. He is the Lord of all kinds of beings–spiritual being, natural being, physical being. Therefore, when we rightly worship Him we encompass all being.
God’s redemptive revelation in Scripture is necessary to saving faith and peace with God. Faith in a risen Savior is necessary if the vague stirrings toward immortality are to bring us to restful and satisfying communion with God.
The self-sins… dwell too deep within us and are too much a part of our natures to come to our attention till the light of God is focused upon them. The grosser manifestations of these sins — egotism, exhibitionism, self-promotion — are strangely tolerated in Christian leaders, even in circles of impeccable orthodoxy. They are so much in evidence as actually, for many people, to become identified with the gospel. I trust it is not a cynical observation to say that they appear these days to be a requisite for popularity in some sections of the Church visible. Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice.
Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible. It wears us out by multiplying distractions and beats us down destroying our solitude, where otherwise we might drink and renew our strength, before going out to face the world again. “The thoughtful soul to solitude retires,” said the poet of other and quieter times; but where is the solitude to which we can retire today? “Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still,” is a wise and healing counsel; but how can it be followed in this day of the newspaper, the telephone, the radio and television? These modern playthings, like pet tiger cubs, have grown so large and dangerous that they threaten to devour us all. What was intended to be a blessing has become a positive curse. No spot is now safe from the world’s intrusion. The need for solitude and quietness was never greater than it is today. What the world will do about it is their problem. Apparently the masses want it the way it is, and the majority of Christians are so completely conformed to this present age that they, too, want things the way they are. They may be annoyed a bit by the clamor and by the goldfish-bowl existence they live, but apparently they are not annoyed enough to do anything about it.
What is exegesis?
For those in our Deeper Walk class i found this and thought it might help:
This is a Latin term relating to correct Biblical understanding. It means literally ’to lead out’. In the context of studying the Bible it means to get out of the text what the text is saying. This may include a number of things to aid the process such as reading the context in the chapter, in the particular book as a whole eg. Jeremiah or Matthew and even where it fits within the whole Bible. It may also include cultural awareness, the timing of the writing, and identifying the author and even the target audience.
The term eisexegesis is often used to contrast with exegesis. This means to ‘read into’ the text something that is not there and may often include the practice of de-contextualization or out of context quoting. In relation to the Bible (or any other piece of writing), the former is of course the correct method to achieve understanding, while the latter is not as it imposes a bias or personal view from the outside, rather than letting the document speak for itself.
One thing that needs to be clarified is the difference between exegesis and interpretation. The former is really letting the text, or the author speak, the latter often introduces the opinions of the person doing the interpreting.
A good example would be the way in which Genesis 1 is exegised. Many would claim it is an allegorical story, while others claim it is meant to be taken literally. Both of these could be interpretations based on a persons pre-conceptions about origins.
The question is what did the author intend to say or convey to the readers. In this case, much turns on the understanding of the Hebrew word ‘yom’ (day) and how it is to be understood in the context. Quite a number of those who ‘exegise’ yom to be an indefinite period of time actually admit that the text itself clearly indicates a 24-hour day but that their own presuppositions lead them to interpret it differently. They are thus being honest in admitting that they are imposing a view on the text which is not there.
Ultimately exegesis is not an argument of ‘my opinion versus your opinion’ or anybody elses opinion except the author of the text in hand. It does not help to then push this back further to say that it is my opinion about what the author says versus your opinion about what the author says.
Words have meaning in the context in which they are written. If we aren’t prepared to listen to what the words say, what the author intended to convey, then we are imposing our view on the scripture, or any other work we ‘exegise’. In many cases the type of literature in question would be relevant. It could be, as many are, a historical account. It may contain teaching, or personal reflection. It may be apocalyptic, or poetic. This will relate to how it is exegised as a historical passage will not usually contain instructions for living, except to relate instructions that were given to a person or persons, or nation as part of the historical record.
Similarly, in passages which give instructions we need to know to whom they are addressed and to whom they apply. For example, the law of Moses, especially the ceremonial religious laws were for the nation of Israel, and as such cannot easily be applied to other nations and times.
Passages which are prophetic in nature may relate to events in the near or more distant future as well as a message directed to the present. With predictive prophecy, the fulfillment may be partial, with a more complete one to come or totally in the future, as is the case with the Messianic prophecies.
Understanding the nature of the literature with which we are dealing can assist in correct exegesis, as can the correct understanding who it applies to.
10 Steps for re programming your Mental Attitude
Here are the ten steps for choosing your mental attitude
1. Shut up!
For the next twenty-four hours, deliberately speak hopefully about everything, about your job, about your health, about your future about your family, about your weight, about the country, the economy, everything.
Go out of your way to talk optimistically about everything.
This will be difficult, for most people because our habit is to talk pessimistically.
You must refrain and start to retrain yourself.
2. Speak out!!
After speaking positively for twenty-four hours, continue this practice for one week.
At the end of 7 days you are allow a 2 day break.
These are called your “getting back to reality days”.
Now in these two day you can be as “realistic” as you want your allowed to drop your guard and not watch your words.
But you will notice a change with in you. What was realistic a week ago, you now understand was just plain negative and depressing self-talk!
3. Make a true assessment, not just a positive confession
Make a true estimate of your own ability, then increase your goals by 10 percent.
Do not become egotistical, but develop a wholesome
self-respect. Believe in your own God-released powers.
450 workout…because we are tougher than Spartans!
5 -10 mins treadmill warm up to start. Followed by stretching
You have 2 mins to complete each exercise and you have 30 sec break between each exercise. This time is used to set up for the next exercise.
You will probably have to work up to the total number. So record how many of each you can do and then over the coming weeks try and increase the number
Set One
25 Pull Up
assist (you can get someone to help you up - but you must do 25)
25 Standard Push Ups
25 Arm Curls
25 Side Raises
25 Floor Sweeps
25 Lunges
Set Two
25 Rows
25 Wide Push Ups
25 Hammer Curls
25 Front Shoulder Raises
25 Ball Sit Ups
25 Dead Lifts
Set Three
25 Australian Pull Ups
25 Narrow Push Ups
25 Close to Body Curls
25 Overhead Shoulder Raises
25 Roll Outs
25 Sideways Squat
Henning’s Testimony
Hey y’all!
I want to encourage you to have a look at the Henning’s Testimony on the CLC website.
It is really encouraging. Thanks Jon and Jen!!
A survey I took in church this week….
In preparation for the series I will be preaching in church over the next 8 weeks, I took a survey.
I asked people these questions:
1) Write down the one thing you want to achieve in your life. The thing you want to spend the rest of your days doing.
2) I want you to list the 3 reason why you are not doing it, the 3 things that are keeping you back from your dream.
Here are the responses:
• Personal discipline
• Low self esteem
• Living in the past
• Knowledge
• Confidence
• Really wanting it
• Fear of failure
• Fear of success
• Laziness
• Lack of preparation
• Money
• Wasting time
• Fear of man
• Not prepared
• Procrastination
Not one of the people I asked said that they didn’t have the ability to do what they wanted.
Not one of them said that they did not have the capacity to do what they wanted.
Only two of them said money was an issue and it was always a…. “I don’t have the money now”, not I will never get the money.
The one thing that was standing in the way of them and their life-time goals and ambitions was themselves.
Not the devil.
And certainly not God.
The biggest limit was the way they were thinking and the strategy they felt they lacked in order to obtain their goals.
This issue we shall tackle together over the next 8 weeks