All posts filed under: Blog Series

Edging God Out – Episode Four

Published by

Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Ephesians 5:14 Today we are going to talk about the fourth lesson in the story of a prophet going down. Jonah not only refuses to share his faith, cultivate intimacy with God in his presence, care deeply for the welfare of others, but today we see him edging God out of his prayer life. The bible tells us that Jonah was asleep at the bottom of the ship. Someone may say well, hold it right there, Jonah prays in the belly of the fish.. That’s prayer! You are right, that is prayer – but that is not a prayer life. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, the only time they pray is when they are in trouble or when they want God to do something for them. They seem to have no use for God or no relationship with him when things are going great. Prayer is more than just coming to God for something – it is …

Edging God Out – The main thing!

Published by

Good morning everyone! This morning I feel compelled to set my outline aside and share a very important message in Jonah. I know it all seems like Jonah is on the way down, but the beauty of God is his amazing grace, his unfailing love and his longsuffering. Here are a few statements I think you will find uplifting: Even in their rebellion, God is still working in our lives of unbelievers… See verse 15, 16 of chapter 1 Even in our rebellion, God still deals graciously with us… He doesn’t punish us according to our sin… See verse 17 of chapter 1 He still listens to us… As deep as we can be in our rebellion, when we turn to him in faith and repentance he hears us… See chapter 2 verse 1 He always gives us a second chance to make things right… See chapter 2 verse 10 and chapter 3 verse 1 were he hears the voice of the Lord again and is re-commissioned Like Jonah, some may  say to you today, …

Edging God Out – Silly and Senseless

Published by

As we try to understand Jonah there is only but one place to look to give us a glimpse of who exactly this guy is and why is he behaving in such erratic way. His name: Jonah means “dove,” a symbol for Israel as silly and senseless (Hos. 7:11) In this book he is acting without sense. The word dove means – easily deceived. Like a bird fluttering about, confused and without direction. He thinks he can escape God by running to another nation. Here is the problem: The problem with  doves is that they do not lament the loss of their young taken from them, but will make their nest again in the same place leaving it expose to danger… 1. Doves doesn’t learn from their mistakes… just like doves, we return to our own vomit… making the same bad choices, bad decisions, abusive relationships, foolish spending etc…  Don’t be silly and senseless – learn from your mistakes. The second problem is that the dove is easily enticed they have no heart, no understanding, as many other fowls do, Proverbs 1:17; Proverbs 7:23. 2.  Doves lack the ability to discern danger… just like doves, …

Edging God out – Second Episode

Published by

Ego part 2 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. Jonah 1:3 In our last post we said that usually an egotistic person will have no room for God, he readily, easily edges Him out. This couldn’t be more clearer in Jonah’s attitude toward to presence of the Lord. The #2 lesson we learn here in the book of Jonah is – that God desires intimacy with you all the time… In good times, bad times and ugly times. That we need to value his presence in our lives all the time. The mistakes we make over and over is to take the Holy Spirit or presence of God for granted. He is in us, with us and for us – not sometimes – but  all the time. We long for him, ask for him to …

Edging God Out – Sidebar

Published by

 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” (Jonah 1:9 ESV) This is one of the most awkward verses in the book of Jonah. a vivid example of how sometimes our talk really doesn’t match our walk. Jonah is claiming to be a God fearing person at the same time living in rebellion. I know the sailors were going awhhh, Mr., this is weird – why are you running from Him? Related articles EGO – Edging God Out (waltbrite.wordpress.com) Edging God Out – Episode Four (waltbrite.wordpress.com) Edging God Out – The main thing! (waltbrite.wordpress.com) Edging God out – Second Episode (waltbrite.wordpress.com)

EGO – Edging God Out – introduction

Published by

The Parable of a prophet on his way down. The primary purpose of the book of Jonah is to engage readers in theological reflection on the compassionate character of God, and in self-reflection on the degree to which their own character reflects this compassion, to the end that they become vehicles of this compassion in the world that God has made and so deeply cares about. The book is a parable, I believe, to teach believers not to be like Jonah and it does  a great job in seven episodes about the dangers of edging God out (EGO) What I want to do in this blog series, is to break these seven episodes down  into five. Five mistakes to avoid, five pit holes to beware of, five traps to escape, five reason not to be like Jonah.  Before I tell you why you should not be like Jonah, let me tell you what Jonah did or didn’t do: He deliberately refused to share the love of God with a dying world He deliberately walked away from the …

The Ethics of Birth Control. Part 4

Published by

  This post concludes our four-part series on the ethics of birth control. Here, Mark Driscoll discusses five “levels” of birth control and the biblical and scientific amorality of each of them. Adapted from Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions. There’s no doubt the Bible says children are a blessing, but the Bible doesn’t seem to address the specific topic of birth control. Is this a black-and-white topic, or does it fall under liberties? Level 1: No Birth Control At the very least, every Christian married couple should cover every aspect of their marriage with prayer, including future children God may bless them with. Through prayer, the Christian couple is demonstrating faith in the goodness and sovereignty of God over all of life, including the womb. Some Christian couples determine to use only prayer in their family planning. As a result, they simply enjoy normal marital sexual relations and trust that if God desires that they have children, he will provide according to his timing. When a Christian couple chooses this approach, trusting that whatever happens …

The Ethics Of Birth Control. Part 3

Published by

  Content adapted from Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions by Mark Driscoll. There’s no doubt the Bible says children are a blessing, but the Bible doesn’t seem to address the specific topic of birth control. Is this a black-and-white topic, or does it fall under liberties? Mark Driscoll provides some thoughtful responses to common anti-birth control arguments. Does God command people to have children? It is argued that God commands his people to have children, yet in Genesis 1:28 we read, “God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.’” Children are a blessing, not a command. Were we commanded to have children, then those who never marry, like Jesus, and those who are barren would be in sin for not obeying God’s command. To turn a blessing into a command is a common error of legalism, which twists something we get to do in delight into something we have to do in duty. Christian married couples typically should desire and pursue children, either on their own or through adoption or fostering, and …

The Ethics of Birth Control Part 2

Published by

Today we’ll continue the conversation with insights from Mark Driscoll, looking at 16 biblical truths that impact how we should view this issue: The Bible says children are a blessing, but the Bible doesn’t seem to address the specific topic of birth control. Is this a black-and-white topic, or does it fall under liberties? Nowhere in the Bible do we find terms such as contraception, birth control, or family planning. Still, the Bible does speak to those issues in principle. Therefore, to best answer these and other questions, we have to begin with a Christian worldview and then explore how the Bible principally establishes ethical guidelines by which contemporary birth control questions can be answered. The biblical worldview necessary for answering this question is comprised of sixteen truths. Truth 1: God is the Creator and author of human life. (Genesis 1–2; Deut. 32:39; Ps. 139:13–16) Truth 2: God made humanity in his image and likeness, which means that human life is unique and sacred. (Gen. 1:27; James 3:9) Truth 3: God intends for human beings to fill the earth. (Gen. 1:28; 9:1) Truth 4: …

The Ethics of Birth Control. Part 1

Published by

Today I would like to introduce a subject that has been in the news for the past week. A subject of utmost importance that I think every believer must be aware of. It is the Ethics of Birth Control. Crossway Blog has a Series on the ethics of birth control and I would like to share their thoughts here. Adapted from Ethics for a Brave New World, Second Edition, by John S. Feinberg and Paul D. Feinberg The twentieth century saw major changes in humankind’s understanding sexuality—the sexual revolution, the rise of varying understandings of sexual orientation, and of morally permissible sexual activity. The methods of conceiving and gestating a baby have also dramatically expanded. During the last half of the twentieth century there has been a steady increase in the use of birth control devices—for Christians and non-Christians alike. Despite a long tradition of hesitation in regard to birth control, both pragmatic and biblical considerations have led many Christians to conclude that birth control is morally acceptable. Before jumping into the ethics of birth control, it’s …