We have been talking about the fact that almost every major religion makes exclusive claims to truth.
Some have said that it sounds arrogant for Christians to make the claim that Christ is exclusively the way to Heaven. While Christians certanly are capable of making arrogant statement (and capable of making a whole lot more mistakes too), that does not mean that it is not possible to make truth claims without being arrogant.
Aside from sounding arrogant, some making truth claims can be so narrow that to oppose them can be very dangerous. I know of no nation that has been heavily influenced by Christianity that puts a person's life at risk if he or she claims another religion other than Christianity. However, there are countries where it can be very dangerous for a person to convert to Christianity. Countries, such as, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran, are examples of places where a person can put himself or his family at risk if he were to convert to Christianity.
The bottom line is that it is possible to talk about the truth in a loving manner. That should be the desire of all Christians.
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Sorry, I didn't have anywhere else to post. The title of my course this time is GENERAL EPISTLES AND REVALATION. The instructor is Mr. Matthew McAffee. I will be watching three DVDs a week.
The first DVD is an introduction to the course. It also talks about canon. The word canon literally means a "measuring rod". The canon of the New Testament is what we consider important scripturally. The scripture is our rule of faith and practice.
Same here I need to post, this week I am reading chapter 7 of Haddon Robinson's book:"Biblical Preaching" and chapter 7 is titled "Making Dry Bones Live"
When I saw the title of this chapter I instantly thought about Ezekiel's vision of dry bones, but that is not the case in this chapter, it actually talks about the skeleton of a sermon, otherwise known as an outline, and it should appear like this,fill in the outline with supporting material, then explain,prove,apply,or amplify the points of that sermon. Too much stuff!!! God most certainly has to lead AMEN!!
Tyler, I don't mean to ask a stupid question but " What does a measuring rod have to do with scripture? I just don't understand. Thanks and God Bless.
Hey guys. Thanks for posting here. My internet cable met my lawn-mower blade, and it was not too happy about it. The company was supposed to send someone to fix it yesterday, but they never showed up.
Just keep posting here for this week, please. I will not be able to stay on very long because I am using a borrowed service right now.
I think a measuring rod is a way of making sure that what is there is authoritative. There must have been some other writings circulating in those days. This was a way to make sure that the true writings would be the only ones that were put in. There is certain criteria that was used by the early church that I will discuss in my next post. Simply put, it was a way to keep heretical writings from being taken in as scripture.
There are four criteria that was used in determinining what was going to be in the canon. First, it had to be a writing that the church was using. Next, it would have certain Old Testament quotes. It also had to have apostolic origin. Last, it had to fit into the rule of faith and practice in the church. I do want to say that these were done by God-inspired men who were acting under the authority of the Holy Spirit.
I like what you brought out about a skeleton of a message, Bro. Roger. I really like to use outlines for my sermons. I find them as a good guide for me. Other ministers don't need them at all. Do you like to use outlines or not?
Well Tyler, I try to use outlines but not with a great deal of success, I am so scatter brained at times I can't stay with them but I do keep a armload of notes close by. I think this book makes the reader aware of "must do" steps in delivering the message. The next chapter is the best for "must do steps" I'll comment them next week. Thanks for the question Tyler, I guess it is just you and me, keep the communication open God Bless!!!
Mr. Robinson also brought out the importance of "illustrations" in a sermon, stating that the best illustrations are personal experience illustrations. Why you ask? Because your audience can relate to personal feelings as well as making a connection about their own personal experiences as to the subject you are preaching on. Well Bless God.
This is a prayer request: My son Adam is in San Diego,Ca. for Marine training and he left last Sunday,which almost killed me, but today he will meet the Drill Instuctors that will train him over the next 12 weeks it is called" Black Friday" the request is that he will get the D.I. that God wants him to have because I believe Adam is in God's will, he had a peace about him that can't be understood with carnal minds, so pray for Adam. Praise God!!!!
I will be praying for your son, Bro. Roger. It is always harder on the parents when a child leaves than it is on the child themselves. I hope all goes well for him as he starts a new chapter in his life. God bless you and your family.
The next session is about the book of Hebrews. The genre of this book is an epistle or letter. There is no greeting, no author, no specific reciever, and no intro. It is very sermon-like and has a sense of urgency.
In making dry bones live, mr. Robinson makes a point that I should have commented on earlier in my study, and that point is " restatement", that is saying the same thing in different words in order to make a point more clear. This is important because if a reader is reading a book and loses train of thought he or she can back up a couple pages and refresh on that point but listening to a preacher and they lose the train of thought it is gone. Restatement is a great tool. God Bless
The next session gets into some of the text of Hebrews. The audience was probably Jewish Christians who are still "babes" in Christ. One of the points was that Jesus is greater than the prophets and angels. The author even says that Jesus is greater than Moses. This would be hard for the Jewish Christians to swallow.
The next session talks about why Jesus is greater than those. He is greater than the prophets because God speaks through Him. He is greater than the angels because God said " Let all the angel worship Him" and they are not begotten of God. He is greater than Moses because Jesus has more glory than Moses.
Another teaching Bro. Robinson brings out in " Making Dry Bones Live" is the use of illustrations. I like the use of illustrations, it can be a way to connect the audience with the sermon, and by actually seeing something makes the connection tangible. Make your illustration felt by your audience not just heard. AMEN!!
This is a prayer request, Shelby's cheerleading coach has had a son to pass away today, he was 24 years old. He had been through several heart related sugeries and my wife, Janet had been witnessing to her via text messaging. They were in a Las Vegas hospital. So pray for the Sanders Family and that Gods word did not go out void. God Bless
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