Use working definitions [with your children]:
1. Obedience is doing what someone says, right away, without being reminded.
2. Honor is treating people as special, doing more than what’s expected, and having a good attitude.
3. Perseverance is hanging in there even after you feel like quitting.
4. Attentiveness is showing people you love them by looking at them when they say their words.
5. Patience is waiting with a happy heart.
6. Self-discipline is putting off present rewards for future benefits.
7. Gratefulness is being thankful for the things I have instead of grumbling about the things I don’t have (Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller).
Home Improvement, The Parenting Book You Can Read to Your Kids, National Center for Biblical Parenting, 76 Hopatcong Drive, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, www.biblicalparenting.org, 1-800.771.8334, email [email protected].
Day by day, dear Lord, of Thee three things I pray: To see Thee more clearly, To love Thee more dearly, To follow Thee more nearly (Richard of Chichester).
Quoted in: Sinclair Ferguson, A Heart for God, 1987, p. xi, by permission Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA.
The key to trials is to get out of them all that God intends for us (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 168. Used by Permission.
Praying a prayer is never offered in Scripture as a ground of assurance, nor is sincerity. Jesus tells us not to look at prayers and sincerity for assurance, but at our actions – the fruit of our lives (Matt. 7:15-27; John 15:8; 2 Pet. 1:5-12). The New Testament tells us to look at the holiness of our conduct, the love we have for others, and the soundness of our doctrine as the key indicators of our assurance (1 Thess. 3:12-13; 1 John 4:8; Gal. 1:6-9; 5:22-25; 1 Tim. 6:3-5) (Mark Dever and Paul Alexander).
Doing Responsible Evangelism, taken from The Deliberate Church, © 2005, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, p. 52-53, www.crosswaybooks.org.
Idols never satisfy, but always demand increasingly more, constantly adding to the burdens of our lives and in the end giving nothing of lasting value (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 62. Used by Permission.
We are all worshipers, and whatever we worship we rely upon and serve. For many men, success is the god they worship and serve. For others, it is fame or pleasure. Women often worship beauty or falling in love. Whatever it is, we worship it because we think it will make our lives work. It will secure us against a hostile world, it will give us satisfaction – in short, it will be our Savior. Thus, when an idolater says, “I love you, “what he means is, “You are a means for getting what I want. You are serving my needs and securing my hopes (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 59. Used by Permission.
My favorite explanation of idolatry is John Calvin’s: “The evil in our desire typically does not lie in what we want but that we want it too much” (W
Pastoral Leadership for Manhood and Womanhood, Crossway, 2002, p. 197.
Genuine repentance consists of more than outward sorrow and tears (2 Corinthians 7:9-11). Repentance will be considered genuine when the offender not only leaves his sin, but also confesses it to all who are affected by it (even to the general membership of the church if necessary, as determined by the elders), and makes restitution when appropriate (Jim Elliff and Daryl Wingerd).
Restoring Those Who Fall, Christian Communicators, 2006, p. 13, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
Job had been talking as if he knew exactly how God should run the world. His sense of integrity had been the basis of his presumptuous claim that God should have treated him better. Outraged that he could not square his innocence with his fate, Job had dared to challenge and judge his Creator…(therefore) Yahweh’s answer came in the form of a rebuke – an overwhelming reminder that the first religious obligation of the creature is to acknowledge and glorify the Creator.
The Old Testament is not our testament. The Old Testament represents an Old Covenant, which is one we are no longer obligated to keep. Therefore we can hardly begin by assuming that the Old Covenant should automatically be binding upon us. We have to assume, in fact, that none of its stipulations (laws) are binding upon us unless they are renewed in the New Covenant. That is, unless an Old Testament law is somehow restated or reinforced in the New Testament, it is no longer directly binding on God’s people (cf. Rom. 6:14-15) (Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart).
God also places a man in a relationship with a woman so that she will grow spiritually within the safe confines of his loving care. This is masculine love, as defined by God: to nurture and to protect. Men are to show a protective and nurturing concern for women that equals (or surpasses) their instinctive concern for their own bodies. As Christian men do this, the women in their lives will shine with the spiritual beauty that is precious to God (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 73. Used by Permission.
We must never forget the thief of the cross (Lk. 23:39-43). He is often used as an encouraging example of a deathbed conversion, but certainly much more is involved. Instead of seizing his last opportunity to be saved, perhaps it was his first opportunity! And think of the courage needed to confess Christ openly before that derisive mob. However one interprets the passage, one thing is clear: where there is life, there is hope. We never know what transpires between the soul and God as that soul is about to enter eternity (Warren Wiersbe and David Wiersbe).
Comforting the Bereaved, Moody, 1985, p. 111.
Sin is the rejection of God’s authority. Sin is based on a denial of God’s goodness and truth. Sin involves idolatry (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 39. Used by Permission.
The practice of comprehensive forgiveness overcomes our love of being right, our actual enjoyment and treasuring of our sense of being wronged… The constant practice of forgiveness leaves no room for self-righteousness. Frustrated condemnation of others and treasuring of old wrongs are not part of the artillery of God, but the slithering, slimy, deadly creatures of the Prince of Darkness (John Miller and Barbara Miller Juliani).
Come Back, Barbara, P&R, 1997, p. 79-80.
Compatibility is not the key to marriage… It is our conviction, based on experience in ministry and God’s Word, that two Christians who share an attraction, who are committed in faith to God through Christ, and who are determined to obey the Bible’s teachings will be able to love each other in marriage (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 158. Used by Permission.
Instead of considering those women who are most physically attractive, and then trying to restrain your flesh so as to give at least some thought to Christian character, you ought first to focus on those women who give evidence of fearing the Lord. Feminine wiles are deceiving, says God’s Word, and men easily fall prey to this very thing. Therefore, a wise Christian man will protect himself from the entrapment of beauty and will desire above all else a godly, growing Christian woman (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 93. Used by Permission.
A Christian woman is to seek a man who is: 1. Regular at church… A believing man who often cannot make time to faithfully attend and to be a contributing member of a church is not a likely candidate for the obligations and challenges of marriage. 2. A man of the Word of God, a man of prayer, and a man who delights in worship. 3. A man after God’s own heart. 4. [A possessor of] specific character traits [such as] industry… integrity…self-control…[and] kindness (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 105-109. Used by Permission.
A redeemed woman is one who has entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through faith. Her sins are forgiven, and she knows God’s love. She fears the Lord realizing that blessing for her comes through obedience to His Word. His commands are not burdensome to her and her heart is not set on worldly treasures. She attends regular worship and approaches her life with prayer. She enjoys healthy fellowship with other believers and bears observable fruit in ministry to others. She answers God’s calling in her life while single, not waiting for marriage to give her happiness or purpose (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 78. Used by Permission.
Take a look, then, at what you are presenting to men and ask what kind of man you will attract. If you are relying on charm and outward beauty, setting them forth in your dress and flirtatious conduct, then realize that it is only the foolish man who will fall into your trap. Especially if you are loud or contentious, realize that the Bible specifically warns men against falling for you. The godly man, the man who will make a loving and faithful husband, sees you and turns away. How much better for you to trust the Lord and cultivate those spiritual beauties that are calculated to draw a man of godly character and real wisdom and, better still, that are certain to make you precious in the sight of our loving Lord and God (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 104. Used by Permission.
What matters most is not finding the one right person but becoming the person that God wants you to be. Before judging the man or woman you are with – scrutinizing and appraising every attribute and characteristic, as if you were buying a horse – you ought instead to scrutinize your own heart. Here are some questions to ask before an engagement to marriage:
1. What would it mean for me to love him or her in accordance with the Bible’s teaching?
2. Am I willing to commit myself to anyone “for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health?”
3. Can I be steadfast in fidelity and servant-hearted in ministry?
4. Is God leading our lives in similar directions?
5. Do we have similar goals and ideas about children?
The issue is not whether you can find someone worthy of your love, but whether you are ready to give a love that is worthy of marriage (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 154-155. Used by Permission.
It seems ironic at first, but trading in size for faithfulness as the yardstick for success is often the path to legitimate numerical growth (Mark Dever and Paul Alexander).
The Four P’s, taken from The Deliberate Church, © 2005, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, p. 40, www.crosswaybooks.org.
Pity the home and church where fathers, finding in their hearts no love for their sons, cast them off without benefit of discipline. And pity the sons who grow up yearning for this proof of their sonship (Wayne Grudem and Dennis Rainey).
Pastoral Leadership for Manhood and Womanhood, Crossway Books, 2002, p. 126.
There’s a big difference between punishment and discipline. Punishment gives a negative consequence, but discipline means “to teach.” Punishment is negative; discipline is positive. Punishment focuses on past misdeeds. Discipline focuses on future good deeds. Punishment is often motivated by anger. Discipline is motivated by love. Punishment focuses on justice to balance the scales. Discipline focuses on teaching, to prepare for next time (Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller).
Home Improvement, The Parenting Book You Can Read to Your Kids, National Center for Biblical Parenting, 76 Hopatcong Drive, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, www.biblicalparenting.org, 1-800.771.8334, email [email protected].
A great many Christian books and counselors hail compatibility as the key to a successful and happy marriage. In our view, this reflects the consumer model of our secular culture more than the sacrificial model found in Holy Scripture. Marriage, experts tell us, works only when our needs and desires are met. But no such teaching is found in the Bible. In Scripture, we find that marriage works as a man and a woman stand before God in obedient faith, giving instead of taking, and serving instead of demanding. This is our problem with the emphasis on finding a compatible companion: it turns the whole of the Christian life on its head. Jesus said of Himself, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Matt. 20:28), and surely marital love can be built on no other foundation (Richard and Sharon Phillips).
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 155-156. Used by Permission.
Praying God’s Word back to Him in the corporate assembly communicates that we want to approach Him in His terms, not ours, and according to who He has revealed Himself to be, not who we would prefer Him to be (Mark Dever and Paul Alexander).
Applying the Regulative Principle, taken from The Deliberate Church, © 2005, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, p. 83, www.crosswaybooks.org.
Believers may not often realize it, but even as believers we are either centered on man or centered on God. There is no alternative. Either God is the center of our universe and we have become rightly adjusted to Him, or we have made ourselves the center and are attempting to make all else orbit around us and for us (Vern Fromke).
The Ultimate Intention, 1964, p. 10.
Biblical humility is not some self-induced groveling or hang-dog attitude. Biblical humility is seeing ourselves as we are. Humility is a response to beholding the holiness of God (G.A. Pritchard).
Willow Creek Seeker Sensitive Services, Baker, 1996, p. 22.
It’s important to understand that anger is not good as a response to problems. It usually builds walls, increases tension, and contributes to distance in relationships. But we do believe that anger is good for identifying problems. Once you understand anger, you’ll be able to use it to your advantage to point out problems in life. Then you must move into another mode or plan to solve those problems (Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller).
Good and Angry, Exchanging Frustration for Character In You and Your Kids, National Center for Biblical Parenting, 76 Hopatcong Drive, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, www.biblicalparenting.org, 1-800.771.8334, email [email protected].
Five Causes of Anger: 1. Physical Pain. 2. Blocked Goals. 3. Violated Rights. 4. Unfairness. 5. Unmet Expectations (Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller).
Adapted from: Good and Angry: Exchanging Frustration for Character in You and Your Kids, National Center for Biblical Parenting, 76 Hopatcong Drive, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, www.biblicalparenting.org, 1-800.771.8334, email [email protected].
Old Testament narratives are not just stories about people who lived in Old Testament times. They are first and foremost stories about what God did to and through those people. In contrast to human narratives, the Bible is composed especially of divine narratives. God is the hero of the story – if it is in the Bible (Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart)
How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth, Zondervan, 1993, p. 81.
I initially examined Christianity in order to write a book making a mockery of it… After extensive research, however, I discovered that Christianity is not a religion of men and women working their way to God through “good works.” Nor is it obedience to a pattern of religious ritual. Rather, it is a relationship with a living God through His Son Jesus Christ. To my amazement, I was confronted with a person, not a religion. Here was a person who made staggering claims about Himself, along with profound claims on my life. Jesus was so different from what I had expected. Other religious leaders put their teachings out in front. Jesus put Himself out in front. Others would ask, “How are you responding to my teachings?” Jesus asked, “How are you related to Me?” (Josh McDowell and Bart Larson).
Jesus, a Biblical Defense of His Deity, Here’s Life Publishers, Inc., p. 9.
If a member shows prolonged negligence in gathering with God’s people, how can he say he loves them? And if he doesn’t love them, how can he say he loves God (cf. 1 John 4:20-21)? (Mark Dever and Paul Alexander).
Beginning the Word, taken from The Deliberate Church, © 2005, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, p. 47, www.crosswaybooks.org.
[Church] discipline has three primary purposes. The first is to restore fallen Christians to usefulness to God and fellowship with His church (see Matt. 18:12-14; 2 Cor. 2:5-11; 7:8-10; Gal. 6:1-2; Jas. 5:19-20). The second is to guard and preserve the honor of God (see Rom. 2:24; 1 Cor. 10:31). And the third purpose is to protect the purity of the church (see Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5:6; 1 Tim. 5:19-20) (Wayne Grudem and Dennis Rainey).
Pastoral Leadership for Manhood and Womanhood, Crossway, 2002, p. 168.
The desired result of church discipline is always repentance and the restoration of the offender. Our private and public disciplinary measures should always be undertaken in a spirit of love, gentleness, and humility as we seek to bring about this positive end (Galatians 6:1-2). When restoration does not occur and expulsion becomes necessary, we are glad to see the purity of Christ and the church upheld, but we should be grieved, individually and corporately, that someone we loved as an apparent brother or sister in Christ is now understood to be an unbeliever (Jim Elliff and Daryl Wingerd).
Restoring Those Who Fall, Christian Communicators, 2006, p. 13, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
It is neither obedient to Christ, nor in the church’s best interest, to permit an expelled person to attend the meetings of the church so that he can be exposed to biblical preaching. He was expelled because he has already heard, and rejected, the biblical message of repentance. The determination to exclude such a person from all church functions is primarily based on the command for Christians not to keep company with those who are under the discipline of expulsion (1 Corinthians 5:11), which in turn is based on the principle that “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6). Leaven (sinful influence) can only be prevented from spreading throughout the whole lump of dough (the church) when the two are not allowed to come into contact with each other. It cannot be right, therefore, to give a person who is openly unrepentant the opportunity to exert an immoral and/or divisive influence on the other members of a local church (Jim Elliff and Daryl Wingerd).
Restoring Those Who Fall, Christian Communicators, 2006, p. 14, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
No church has a choice about obeying Christ, therefore our church must practice church discipline. But there is also beauty and value in disciplinary action that we may not immediately see. It is beautiful because it is about love. Our discipline toward a professing Christian in sin may be the most loving act he has ever experienced. However uninviting or difficult discipline might be, and however severely we must act, God has made church discipline valuable because it will either produce a holier life or a holier church, or both, when carried out obediently and harmoniously (Jim Elliff and Daryl Wingerd).
Restoring Those Who Fall, Christian Communicators, 2006, p. 18, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
No one can say: ‘Since I’m not called to be a missionary, I do not have to evangelize my friends and neighbors.’ There is no difference, in spiritual terms, between a missionary witnessing in his hometown and a missionary witnessing in Katmandu, Nepal. We are all called to go – even if it is only to the next room, or the next block (Thomas Hale).
On Being a Missionary
Disciples forsake the world and cling to Jesus ’till he comes. Converts don’t. Disciples aren’t engaged in a culture war. Converts are. Disciples cherish, obey, and share the word of God. Converts don’t. Disciples choose Jesus over anything and everything else. Converts don’t. Converts run when the fire comes. Disciples don’t (Unknown Iranian Church Leader).
Without the cross, the conflagration lighted on the earth by the presence of Jesus would very soon be extinguished, and the world would speedily fall back to its undisturbed level (Frederic Godet).
Luke, 1881, v. 1, p. 176.
A church leader who has to assert his authority doesn’t have much (Lynn Anderson).
They Smell Like Sheep, Howard, 1997, p. 33. Used by Permission.
Jesus left the comforts of heaven and came into our universe, our pasture, to smell like sheep! Jesus sweated like we do. He walked our pathways, braved our wolves, faced our temptations, and shared our struggles. The Holy One of Israel came in Jesus Christ to be our good shepherd (Lynn Anderson).
They Smell Like Sheep, Howard, 1997, p. 15. Used by Permission.|They Smell Like Sheep, Howard, 1997, p. 15. Used by Permission.
Good spiritual leaders are shepherds, not saviors, leaders not lords, guides not gods (Lynn Anderson).
They Smell Like Sheep, Howard, 1997, p. 74. Used by Permission.
When we don’t find positive mentors, by default, negative ones actually find us (Lynn Anderson)!
They Smell Like Sheep, Howard, 1997, p. 49. Used by Permission.
Good equippers do it like Jesus did it; recruit twelve, graduate eleven, and focus on three (Lynn Anderson).
They Smell Like Sheep, Howard, 1997, p. 88. Used by Permission.|They Smell Like Sheep, Howard, 1997, p. 88. Used by Permission.
Trust is earned, not demanded, and it is built over time (Lynn Anderson).
They Smell Like Sheep, Howard, 1997, p. 25. Used by Permission.
The stakes in the current conflict over sex are more critical, more central, and more essential than in any controversy the church has ever known. This is a momentous statement, but I make it soberly, without exaggeration. Conflict over sex these days is not just challenging tradition, orthodoxy, and respect for authority in areas such as ordination, marriage, and gender roles. And it does not just affect critically important decisions like the sanctity of human life, the authority and trustworthiness of Scripture, the Trinity and the incarnation of Christ. Rather, war over sex among Christians is now raging over absolutely essential matters of faith without which no one can be a Christian in the first place – matters such as sin, salvation, the gospel and the identity of God Himself (Daniel Heimbach).
True Sexual Morality: Recovering Biblical Standards for a Culture in Crisis, Crossway, 2004, p.33-34.
The world has yet to see what God can do through a man wholly consecrated to Him (Henry Varley).
Here are 10 specific ways you can pray today for members of our persecuted family: 1. Pray they will sense God’s presence (Heb. 13:5). 2. Pray they will know we are praying for them (2 Tim. 1:3). 3. Pray they will experience God’s comfort (2 Thes. 2:16-17). 4. Pray they will see God open doors for evangelism (Col. 4:3). 5. Pray they will boldly share the gospel (Acts 4:29). 6. Pray they will mature in their faith (Col. 1:28-29). 7. Pray they will be granted wisdom in covert ministry work (Acts 9:23-25). 8. Pray they will remain joyful amid suffering (Acts 5:41). 9. Pray they will be able to forgive and love their persecutors (Matt 5:44). 10. Pray they will be deeply rooted in God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17) (Voice of the Martyrs).
Voice of the Martyrs, National Day of Prayer, May 2, 2019.
[Being forgiving is] not the ground on which God bestows forgiveness but the ground on which man can receive it (William Manson).
Gospel of Luke, Harper, 1930, p. 135.|Gospel of Luke, Harper, 1930, p. 135.
Biblical love is not primarily about physical attraction, but spiritual contentment (Tom Pennington).
Shepherd’s Conference, 2019.
Is your wife more like Jesus Christ because she is married to you (Tom Pennington)?
Shepherd’s Conference, 2019.
Nothing can ever be done in the name of love that is not done in the name of God (Austin Duncan).
Shepherd’s Conference, 2019.
Grace comes to those who have no other alternative than to accept it (Bernard B. Scott).
From Hear then the Parable by Bernard B. Scott, copyright © 1989 Augsburg (Fortress) Publishing House. Used by Permission. Page 31.
Violence is apparently an expression of strength, but the Israelite considers this strength a delusion, which can only exist for a time, because it does not draw directly from the source of strength, peace and its blessing, which rests in the divine forces (Johannes Pedersen).
Israel: It’s Life and Culture I-II, Oxford Press, 1926, p. 419.
[Discipleship] is not merely another commitment which we add to the long list of our other commitments, but it is the commitment – demanding a reordering of our lives from the bottom up (Robert C. Tannehill).
From The Sword of His Mouth by Robert C. Tannehill copyright © 1975, Fortress, p. 159. Used by Permission.
A well-trained soldier is not afraid of his adequacy in battle. In fact, in some ways he looks forward to the challenge of using his skills and equipment. It is not the fighting that scares him. It is the realization that out there somewhere may be a bullet with his name on it. But the wonder of the Gospel is that God promised there is no such bullet for the believer. Though we are in for the fight of our lives and may experience great loss – even of our lives – we know that the enemy is ours. God has promised that our souls are secure, and that He will ultimately defeat all our spiritual foes (John Murray).
Principles of Conduct, Eerdmans, ww.eerdmans.com, 1957, p. 236-237, 242.
No theologian in the history of Christianity held a higher or stronger view of God’s majesty, sovereignty, glory and power than Jonathan Edwards (Roger Olson).
The Story of Christian Theology, IVP, 1999, p. 506.
The glory of God was his supreme object, whether engaged in his devotional exercises, his studies, his social intercourse, the discharge of his public ministry, or in the publication of his writings. All inferior motives seem to have been without any discernible influence upon him (Sereno Dwight).
Memoir in Works, Vol 1, p. xi.
[Edwards] set the Lord always before him; encouraging upon all occasions an earnest concern for the glory of God, the grand object for which he desired to live both upon earth and in heaven, an object compared with which all other things seemed in his view but trifles. If this were attained, all his desires were satisfied; but if this were lost or imperfectly gained, his soul was filled with anguish (Sereno Dwight).
Memoir in Works, Vol 1, p. xxiii.
We have tended to turn the Christian faith into “a relationship through Christ with a God who is the divine vending machine in the sky, there to meet our every need. ‘Unhappy? Unattractive? Unsuccessful? Unmarried? Unfulfilled? Come to Christ and he’ll give you everything you ask for.” We forget God is not primarily in the business of meeting needs. When we make Him out to be, we squeeze Him out of his rightful place at the center of our lives and put ourselves in His place. God is in the business of being God. Christianity cannot be reduced to God meeting people’s needs, and when we attempt to do so, we invariably distort the heart of the Christian message (David Henderson).
Culture Shift, Baker Books, 1998.
God sometimes takes joy in using ordinary things for extraordinary purposes (Neil S. Wilson).
Taken from The Handbook of Bible Application by Neil S. Wilson). Copyright © 1992. Page 440. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Evil is no giant staggering through the world at his own whim; somehow, it accomplishes God’s will for purifying and disciplining His chosen ones (Carroll Stuhlmueller).
Deutero-Isaiah, Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, 1968, 1:373.
Love is the total giving of self for the welfare of another without requiring anything in return (Tony Hart).
The rule is a positive command that we should treat others as we would wish them to treat us. The negative form is well known in Jewish literature and in pagan literature… Jesus is, therefore, not saying something new here, but it is significant that He stresses the positive form of the rule. The negative form is merely a rule of prudence: do not hurt other people lest they retaliate. The positive form is not prudential but absolute: this is how you are to treat others (positively), regardless of how they treat you. Jesus thus goes beyond the negative form, citing the rarer and more demanding form (I. Howard Marshall).
The Gospel of Luke, Eerdmans, www.eerdmans.org, 1978, p. 262.
Gossip is bad news spoken behind the person’s back with a bad heart not aimed at helping (Tony Hart).
At the heart of this submission is the notion of “order.” God has established certain leadership and authority roles within the family; submission is a humble recognition of that divine ordering (Peter T. O’Brien).
The Letter to the Ephesians, Eerdmans, www.eerdmans.com, , www.zondervan.com, 1999, p. 411.
In one sense the body of Christ is already complete: it is a true body, not simply part of one. In another sense that body is said to grow to perfection, a process that will be completed only on the final day. The body metaphor reflects the “already-not yet” tension of the two ages. It is both complete and yet it grows. It is a heavenly entity and yet it is an earthly reality. And it is both present and future, with a consummation occurring at the Parousia (P.T. O’Brien).
Or consider Christmas – could Satan in his most malignant mood have devised a worse combination…than the system whereby several hundred million people get a billion or so gifts for which they have no use, and some thousands of shop clerks die of exhaustion while selling them, and every other child in the western world is made ill from overeating – all in the name of the lowly Jesus? (Upton Sinclair).
Why is work important? Not because by working harder we will get richer; there is no simple equation between hard work and wealth. We work essentially because we have been given gifts of creativity to use in God’s world. Work is our human activity which corresponds to the work of God in His providential care for the whole created order (David Atkinson).
Mention of the “schemes” of the devil reminds us of the trickery by which evil and temptation present themselves in our lives. Evil rarely looks evil until it accomplishes its goal; it gains entrance by appearing attractive, desirable, and perfectly legitimate. It is a baited and camouflaged trap (Klyne Snodgrass).
NIV Application Commentary-Ephesians, Zondervan, 1996, p. 339.
It is impossible to ask for too much since the Father’s giving exceeds [our] capacity for asking or even imagining (Peter T. O’Brien).
The Letter to the Ephesians, Eerdmans, www.eerdmans.com, www.zondervan.com, 1999, p. 266.
To give God glory is not to add something to Him; rather, it is an active acknowledgement or extolling of who He is or what He has already done (Peter T. O’Brien).
The Letter to the Ephesians, Eerdmans, www.eerdmans.com, , www.zondervan.com, 1999, p. 268.
It is profitable to me to know that for my sake Christ bore my infirmities, submitted to the affections of my body, that for me and for all He was made sin and a curse, that for me and in me was He humbled and made subject, that for me He is the Lamb, the Vine, the Rock, the Servant, the Son of a handmaid, knowing not the day of judgment, for my sake ignorant of the day and the hour (Ambrose).
Quoted by Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence, It Is Well, Crossway, 2010, p. 74.
When grace penetrates into the depth of an anguished soul, joy in the Lord anchors faith (William VanGemeren).
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Psalms, Zondervan, www.zondervan.com, 1991, p. 100.
Revelation comes from God for the purpose of helping man to live in harmony with God’s will, whereas religion is man’s attempt to order his path and to explain the world around him. The godly in every age live in accordance with revelation (William VanGemeren).
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Psalms, Zondervan, www.zondervan.com, 1991, p. 54-55.
Religion says, “Attain”; the gospel says, “Obtain.” Religion says, “Attempt”; the gospel says, “Accept.” Religion says, “Try”; the gospel says, “Trust.” Religion says, “Do this;” the gospel says, “It is done” (John T. Seamands).
Taken from: Tell It Well: Communicating the Gospel Across Cultures by John T. Seamands, © 1981, p. 70, Used by permission from Beacon Hill Press.
Each congregation is a local manifestation of [the body of Christ], not a part of it (Peter T. O’Brien).
.
The Letter to the Ephesians, Eerdmans, www.eerdmans.com, , www.zondervan.com, 1999, p. 281.
[God’s wrath] is neither an impersonal process of cause and effect, nor God vindictive anger, nor unbridled or unrighteous revenge, nor an outburst of passion. Wrath describes neither some autonomous entity alongside God, nor some principle of retribution that is not to be associated closely with His personality. Furthermore, the wrath of God does not stand over against His love and mercy (P.T. O’Brien).
The Letter to the Ephesians, Eerdmans, www.eerdmans.com, , www.zondervan.com, 1999, p. 163.
Why would God put an evil ruler in power (Rom. 13:1)? 1. All men are evil so there are no good candidates to choose from. 2. Nations that work hard to reject God…deserve bad rulers. 3. No matter how bad our rulers may be they are never as bad as the hell we deserve. 4. God uses evil rulers for good and righteous ends (Jack Hughes).
Sermon, The Sovereignty of God In An Election Year.
Trying to make the Gospel relevant is like trying to make water wet (Matt Chandler).
To say that election took place before creation indicates that God’s choice was due to His own free decision and love, which were not dependent on temporal circumstances or human merit. The reasons for His election were rooted in the depths of His gracious, sovereign nature. To affirm this is to give to Christians the assurance that God’s purposes for them are of the highest good, and the appropriate response from those who are chosen in Christ from all eternity is to praise Him who has so richly blessed us (P.T. O’Brien).
The Letter to the Ephesians, Eerdmans, www.eerdmans.com, , www.zondervan.com, 1999, p. 100.
Christianity is not a series of truths in the plural, but rather truth spelled with a capital ‘T.’ Truth about total reality, not just about religious things. Biblical Christianity is Truth concerning total reality – and the intellectual holding of that total Truth and then living in the light of that Truth (Nancy Pearcey).
Total Truth: Liberating Christianity form Its Cultural Captivity, Crossway, 2005, p. 15.
Belief in luck and belief in a sovereign God are mutually exclusive, for if an omniscient, omnipotent Creator God exists then luck makes no sense. Things don’t “just happen.” Nothing – including the secondary causes operative in the universe (the “laws” of nature and human choices) – happens outside of God’s will and disposition. So belief in God not only dispels any idea of luck, it also rejects any idea of chance as a determining factor in natural events or people’s destiny… Any trust in luck rather than God is therefore a form of idolatry (Rex Rogers).
America’s New Love Affair with Gambling, CRJ, January-March 1998, p. 21, www.equip.org. Used by Permission.
Have you ever noticed that those who shout the loudest for tolerance are the most intolerant people in the world if you disagree with them (James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe)?
The Real Reason for the Push for Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe taken from What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, copyright 2004, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 40.
[Tolerance is] the last virtue of an immoral society (James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe).
Intolerance by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe taken from What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, copyright 2004, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 41.
If you say that two men living together can provide the same healthy environment as a mom and a dad, you are making a profoundly negative statement about women. You are saying that women, half of the human race, are irrelevant to the raising of children, that they make no unique contribution to the raising of the next generation. It is a profoundly derogatory statement about women. Flip it over on its head: You talk about two lesbians raising a child. You’re making a profoundly negative statement about men, half the human race, dads, fathers; you’re saying they’re unnecessary, irrelevant, children don’t need them. Well, we know from the data that both those statements are flat-out wrong, that kids need a mom and a dad. The data’s on our side. And it’s really those who are trying to destroy the family who should be apologizing for their selfish, self-interested efforts, to radically destroy an institution which has unique benefits for kids…the underlying thrust of the effort to destroy marriage is profoundly anti-child (Josh McDowll and Bob Hostelter).
Taken from The New Tolerance by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, Copyright 1998, p. 26-27. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Should we throw overboard an institution that has served our world well for thousands of years, just so we don’t offend a small but vociferous group? We think not. Marriage is the bedrock of any civilized society. Same-sex marriage contradicts a recorded tradition that goes back through all of recorded history and virtually all cultures (James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe).
The Top Twelve Reasons We’re Opposed by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe taken from What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, copyright 2004, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 56-67.
God’s lesson to history is, when He designed marriage in the Garden, He didn’t pick multiple mates, He picked one man and one woman as the perfect paradigm of what marriage is supposed to look like. That wasn’t by accident. That was by Divine Design (Craig Parshall).
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NIV) we read: “Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders [nor others]…will inherit the kingdom of God.” The Greek word translated as “homosexual offenders” is arsenokoites, taken from two Greek words: arsen “male” and coitus, “copulation.” The term means exactly and precisely “male intercourse.” It says nothing about attitude or lust at all. It is the act that is condemned – and those that do it. It says they shall not inherit the kingdom of God (James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe),
Entertaining Angels Unawares by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe taken from What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, copyright 2004, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 79.
What is the response of homosexuals and lesbians to anyone who says that homosexuality is a sin? They simply say this person is filled with hate; he or she is a homophobe; he or she hates homosexuals. Someone said this is like the Surgeon General’s putting this warning on each package of cigarettes: “Warning: Smoking may be dangerous to your health.” What did this prove? It proved only that the Surgeon General was a smokophobe and that he hated everyone who smoked cigarettes (James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe).
Entertaining Angels Unawares by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe taken from What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, copyright 2004, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 80.
Former Secretary of Education Bill Bennett, author of the Book of Virtues, contrasted tobacco use with promiscuous homosexuality: “So what does smoking do to your life?… Smoking takes six to seven years off your life. Very important, very serious; we should address that. Promiscuous male homosexuality takes maybe 20 to 30 years off your life.” He goes on to point out that we need to be honest about the dangers of this lifestyle: “One of the difficulties in this whole issue is that people have been less than candid, have been afraid to talk frankly about the costs of the promiscuous homosexual lifestyle… The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta have pointed out in interviews (through the interview process) that a typical, active male homosexual might have two or three hundred partners a year… The biggest problem faced by promiscuous homosexuals in this country is devastation. It’s not discrimination; it’s devastation. It’s death. It’s disaster (Transcript of an interview with Bill Bennett on location in Washington D.C., January 1998) (James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe).
Homosexual’s Deadly Lifestyle by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe taken from What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, copyright 2004, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 88-89.
A few years ago the former Surgeon General of the United States, David Satcher, reported that some twelve million Americans are infected by sexually transmitted diseases each year. Worldwide there are more than one hundred million cases of gonorrhea alone. In addition, there are cases of syphilis, chlamydia, herpes (millions of people have that), as well as the dreaded AIDS and twenty-one other horrible sexually transmitted diseases. So maybe God isn’t such a killjoy after all by forbidding sex outside of marriage. And maybe every good gift and every perfect gift does come down from above, and not up from beneath with a hook in it and Satan at the other end of the line (James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe).
Homosexual’s Deadly Lifestyle by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe taken from What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, copyright 2004, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 89-90.
The legalization of marriage is so important to homosexuals because in their mind legal means moral. We live in a society where God and His standards have been removed. If you do not go to God’s Word for the standards of right or wrong, good or evil, where do you go? To the law. You go to the law for all standards. So if the law says it’s legal, then you are OK. You are fine; you are no longer wrong. Even if your own conscience condemns you, it doesn’t matter because the law says you are legitimately married, and all is well (James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe).
The Real Reason for the Push for Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe taken from What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, copyright 2004, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 32.
So what is the real reason that militant homosexuals are demanding the right to marry? It is to force society to accept their lifestyle as is. Not only to accept it, but to embrace it. If you think that is an exaggeration, then consider the intolerance you will experience if you dare oppose their agenda, at the hands of those who shout the loudest for tolerance (James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe).
The Real Reason for the Push for Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe taken from What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage by James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, copyright 2004, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 40.
The attempt of the older liberal theologians to remove the miraculous from the life of Jesus was doomed to failure for they found that the miracles we so intertwined with the teaching and the supernatural with the natural, that they could not discard the one and retain the other (Norman Anderson).
Taken from Jesus Christ: The Witness of History by Norman Anderson, p. 26-27. Copyright (c) 1985, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. Used with permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515. www.ivpress.com, p. 77.