Middle East Imperialism
Who has controlled the Middle East over the course of history? Pretty much everyone. Egyptians, Turks, Jews, Romans, Arabs, Greeks, Persians, Europeans…the list goes on.
Top 10 Reasons Church Plants Fail
Summary from an article written by Jim Griffith and Don Nations:
- Lack of a clear definition of “success”
- Prematurely launching public worship
- Mismatch between the planter and the community
- Someone didn’t accurately assess the planter
- Lack of ongoing training and coaching
- Putting too much stock in one big event or campaign
- Taking on too much overhead too soon [eg: office space]
- The inability or unwillingness to recruit new people
- Inability to prioritize the right activities and investments
- Unwillingness to change the strategy when it doesn’t work
Happy Birthday ESV
The English Standard Version of the Bible (one of my Bibles of choice) turns 5 years old in a few days. Congrats!
Today, the ESV is available in more than one hundred formats, has seen nearly 3 million copies distributed worldwide, and is reaching the world in creative and strategic ways. ESV General Editor J. I. Packer recently stated, “I find myself suspecting very strongly that my work on the translation of the ESV Bible was the most important thing that I have done for the Kingdom, and that the product of our labors is perhaps the biggest milestone in Bible translation in the past fifty years or more.”
The English Standard Version (ESV) Bible is an essentially literal Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and readability. Believing that every word of the Bible is inspired by God, the translators of the ESV sought to be transparent to the original text so that the reader could see the structure and meaning of the original as clearly as possible. For more information on the ESV Bible, visit www.esv.org.
How did Jesus View Scripture?
He did not view as some fun made up story that can be interpreted into a million different conflicting morals depending on what he wanted it to say. To Jesus, Old Testament narratives were 100% truthful facts. Here is a list of some of his references.
Creation (Luke 11:51)
Abel (Luke 11:51)
Noah (Matthew 24:37–39; Luke 17:26–27)
Abraham (John 8:56)
Sodom & Gomorrah (Matthew 10:15, Matthew 11:23–24; Luke 10:12)
Lot (Luke 17:28–32)
Isaac & Jacob (Matthew 8:11; Luke 13:28)
the manna (John 6:31, John 6:49, John 6:58)
the wilderness serpent (John 3:14)
Moses as lawgiver (Matthew 8:4, Matthew 19:8; Mark 1:44, Mark 7:10, Mark 10:5, Mark 12:26; Luke 5:14, Luke 20:37; John 5:46, John 7:19)
the popularity of the false prophets (Luke 6:26)
Genesis 1 & 2 (Matthew 19:4–5; Mark 10:6–8)
In matters of controversy, Jesus used the Old Testament as his court of appeals (Matthew 23:23; Matthew 5:17–20; Matthew 23:2–3; Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24).
In times of crisis, Jesus quoted Scripture.
When tempted by Satan, (Matthew 4:1–11) Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, Deuteronomy 6:16, Deuteronomy 6:13.
At the moment of his death, (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34) he quotes Psalms 22:1 “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” and in Luke 23:46, he quotes Psalms 31:5, “Into thy hands I commit my spirit.”
Jesus also claimed that all Scriptures, including the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, were fulfilled in him (Luke 24:25–47).
Jesus also taught that the entire purpose of the Old Testament was to reveal himself (John 5:39).
Jesus taught that Old Testament prophecy had been fulfilled (Luke 4:21; Matthew 11:10 cf. Luke 7:27; Mark 9:12–13; Luke 18:31–33; Luke 21:22; Matthew 26:24; Mark 14:21; Luke 22:37; Matthew 26:31 cf. Mark 14:27; Matthew 26:53–56 cf. Mark 14:49; Luke 24:25–27, Luke 24:44–47; John 5:39–47, John 13:18 cf. Psalms 41:9; John 15:25 cf. Psalms 35:19; John 17:12).
Jesus taught that Scripture was authored by Moses (Mark 7:10), Isaiah (Mark 7:6; Matthew 13:14), David (Mark 12:36), and Daniel (Matthew 24:15).
Jesus taught that the Scripture could not be broken (John 10:35; Matthew 5:18; Luke 16:17).
Jesus also promised that the New Testament would come (John 14:25–26, John 16:23).
COTR Worship Sept 17, 2006
Here’s our worship music from Sunday the 17th, some of it’s a bit rough. Aubrey was having some issues with his loop machine.
1. Blessed be Your Name
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2. O Praise Him (All This For A King)
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3. God of Wonders
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4. Breathe
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