Another name

NAMES, APPELLATIONS, AND TITLES OF JESUS: (taken from Naves Topical Bible)

• Adam - 1Corinthians 15:45

• Advocate - 1John 2:1

• Almighty- Revelation 1:8

• Alpha and Omega - Revelation 1:8

• Amen - Revelation 3:14

• Angel - Genesis 48:16; Exodus 23:20,21

• Angel of his presence - Isaiah 63:9

• Anointed - Psalms 2:2

• Apostle - Hebrews 3:1

• Arm of the Lord - Isaiah 51:9,10

• Author and Finisher of our faith - Hebrews 12:2

• Beginning and end of the creation of God - Revelation 3:14; 22:13

• Beloved - Ephesians 1:6

• Blessed and only Potentate - 1Timothy 6:15

• Branch - Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 3:8

• Bread of life - John 6:48

• Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15

• Bright and Morning Star - Revelation 22:16

• Brightness of the Father’s glory - Hebrews 1:3

• Captain of the Lord’s host (army) - Joshua 5:14

• Captain of Salvation - Hebrews 2:10

• Carpenter - Mark 6:3

• Carpenter’s son - Matthew 13:55

• Chief Shepherd - 1Peter 5:4

• Chief Cornerstone - 1Peter 2:6

• Chiefest among ten thousand - Solomon 5:10

• Child - Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:27,43

• Chosen of God - 1Peter 2:4

• Christ - Matthew 1:16; Luke 9:20

• The Christ (Messiah) - Matthew 16:20; Mark 14:61

• Christ, a King - Luke 23:2

• Christ Jesus - Acts 19:4; Romans 3:24; 8:1; 1Corinthians 1:2,30; Hebrews 3:1; 1Peter 5:10,14

• Christ Jesus our Lord - 1Timothy 1:12; Romans 8:39

• Christ of God - Luke 9:20

• Christ, the chosen of God - Luke 23:35

• Christ the Lord - Luke 2:11

• Christ, the power of God – 1Corinthians 1:24

• Christ the wisdom of God - 1Corinthians 1:24

• Christ, the Son of God - Acts 9:20

• Christ, Son of the Blessed - Mark 14:61

• Commander - Isaiah 55:4

• Consolation of Israel - Luke 2:25

• Cornerstone - Ephesians 2:20

• Counselor - Isaiah 9:6

• Covenant of the people - Isaiah 42:6

• David - Jeremiah 30:9

• Daysman - Job 9:33

• Dayspring - Luke 1:78

• Day Star - 2Peter 1:19

• Deliverer - Romans 11:26

• Desire of all nations - Haggai 2:7

• Door, the - John 10:7

• Elect - Isaiah 42:1

• Emmanuel - Isaiah 7:14

• Ensign - Isaiah 11:10

• Eternal Life - 1John 5:20

• Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:6

• Faithful and True - Revelation 19:11

• Faithful Witness, the - Revelation 1:5

• Faithful and true witness, the - Revelation 3:14

• Finisher of faith - Hebrews 12:2

• First and last - Revelation 1:17; 2:8; 22:13

• First begotten - Hebrews 1:6 Continue reading »

The man Dawkins won’t debate

William Lane Craig is one of the worlds leading defenders of the Christian faith. Author of 16 scholarly books including The Kalam Cosmological Argument, Philosophy of Religion: A Reader and Guide and The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology.

Craig holds two doctorates (one from Birmingham University!) and is Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California.  He is a member of a number of societies including the American Philosophical Association.

Bill Craig has debated a number of leading American atheists but Dawkins won’t debate him! It was a surprise to both of them when they found themselves on opposite sides of a debate between three theists and three atheists on the question of ‘Does the universe have a purpose‘ in Mexico in November of 2010.

In conversation with Justin Brierley on Premier Radio Prof. Craig gives his take on Dawkins and the debate.

If you want to watch the whole thing you can below. For Lane Craig’s own website click here.

We saw two million people die

Tomorrow the four million, mostly-Christian, population of Southern Sudan will vote on whether to separate from the mostly-Muslim North under the conditions of a peace agreement signed in 2005 after decades of civil war in which two million died. The referendum lasts for 7 days.

In an article in the December edition of Evangelicals Now Jason Boyd of AIM comments on the referendum;

It’s part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005; it’s very important. The Southern Sudanese will exercise their right to determine whether they want to be in one Sudan or to be a different country, and I think that’s going to happen. The whole world is looking for that, and they have agreed; the Sudan government, which is composed of the National Congress and SPLM, also have agreed on that.

It’s a challenging time in the history of Sudan and everybody’s worried, and even right now people in Sudan are confused because they don’t know the future of the country. How are these things going to happen? Is it really going to be a peaceful referendum or is it going to be a violent one? If it’s peaceful, how is it going to be in terms of economy in the North, in terms of stability in the South? People are asking a lot of questions.

We, as a church, are praying hard. The church is non-partisan; we don’t belong to a party. We’re only preaching the gospel, and praying that everything in Sudan will be peaceful. We are against war, we are against violence, and we’re promoting peace. With the referendum, let it take place in a peaceful environment, and let it also be fair and accepted by both parties, and let the Southerners exercise their choice, their freedom. We saw two million people die in the first war and don’t want to see that happen again, because the people in the South and those in the North are all precious in front of God; God loves them all, and for us as a church we value them all together. We want the generation after us to enjoy peace; we have suffered in a time of war and we don’t want any more to suffer; we want them to really, really experience peace and let them develop the country of Sudan, which is a blessed country with a lot of resources. As a church our stance is clear: we want peace in the whole country.

That’s why we as a church are trying to work hard with the international community to sustain the peace that was signed, and we want to create an atmosphere where the Southerners and Northerners can live together as brothers and sisters, as they believed a long time ago, and not let these political things affect their lives. We don’t know, if the South votes to become independent, maybe after some few years it’ll come back again and join the North, like Germany. Nobody knows, but we have to keep that relationship.

Please pray for the country and the church in Sudan in the week beginning 9th January.  For ideas on how to pray visit here.

For an insight into the church in Sudan:

God belongs in my city

2020birmingham: 20 churches by 2020

the conference (co-hosted with Acts29) 5-6th May 2011
speaker: mark driscoll
Birmingham Christian Centre
details to follow soon @ www.2020birmingham.org

True friendship?

Today’s i headline makes for sobering reading.

True friendship consists not in the multitude of friends, but in their worth and value – Ben Johnson

A man of many companions may come to ruin,but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother - Proverbs 18:24

Where God gives us opportunity let us be true friends today.

Anyone for a digital detox?

I’ve been taking my iPhone to bed with me for the past few weeks. Not because I’m expecting an urgent call you understand nor in case of emergency but because I simply have to keep a check on the cricket score. Having a 12 day old baby means you know you’re going to be awake a fair bit of the night so why not see how England are doing and whilst I’m at it I might as well check my e-mails, twitter account and blog stats…..

But if that is a temporary feature brought on by a crying baby and a decent English cricket team my need to be connected isn’t. The reality is that if I leave home without my phone it feels as if I’ve had a limb amputated.

Are you addicted to technology or can you live without it?

The Winter of Our Disconnect is a new book written by Susan Maushart in which she and her family undergo a ‘digital detox’. They pull the plug and put themselves through a six month experiment without laptop and games consoles.

In interview with the Daily Telegraph she comments:
‘It’s a push-pull, isn’t it. There is a part of me that feels suffocated when the train goes into a tunnel and I lose signal for 10 seconds. I write about this stuff in the book because I fuly identify iwth it. But you also know that this stuff can compromise your life hugely.’
I’ve been listening to a BBC radio 4 serialisation of the book this week. It’s well worth a listen.

As Christians we have even more reason to take a look at how we are using or being used by technology. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:12
“Everything is permissible for me”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”–but I will not be mastered by anything.
Or as ESV renders it
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.

How can I ensure I’m not mastered by my use of digital media?

Here are 6 actions that may help;
1. Take a break one day a week. If fasting from food is a helpful spiritual discipline for many fasting from technology might be even more beneficial.
An interesting article on one student’s attempt at a ‘Phone-free Friday’ can be found here.
2. Limit the time you (or your family) spend on computer games. Set yourself a maximum time eg. an hour a day?
3. Make an agreement with your family that you won’t check your phone or answer it when you’re having a family meal or meeting with someone or at church (!).
4. Don’t check your e-mails until you’ve addressed the more important matters of reading your Bible and praying in the morning. You could try and be even more radical and only check your emails between certain hours (it helps to let others know when to expect a reply).
5. Don’t see it as a chore but take note of all the benefits. Slow your brain down and see how much you gain.
6. Put the time you gain to good use. Reading, writing, praying, meditating, talking with friends.

the next big social networking tool

I’ve seen the future….

let me entertain you? 7 tips on making the most of what we watch

A good friend recently told me the story of how a mother could get her children to swallow anything by rolling bitter pills in butter and coating the butter in sugar. It tasted good to the kids and they swallowed whatever they were given.

Such deceitful behaviour doesn’t stop with medicene! Take entertainment for example. What we consume through TV. film and music is like a pill in sugar.  We end up swallowing allsorts of things unintentionally. What we might well spit out if served to us ‘Straight-up’ we swallow without a thought because it tastes so good.

ALL media contains a message, even entertainment, and like sugar-coating a pill the ideas that are absorbed have consequences on our thinking and living.

So Christian do you seek to be only entertained by what you watch or listen to or do you seek to engage with what you watch?

A recent blog post by Mark Drscoll of Mars Hill Church (who incidently is speaking in Birmingham at a 2020birmingham / acts 29 conference 5/6 May) is a must-read for Christians.

A Missionary in culture

Driscoll regards himself not as a consumer of culture but a missionary in culture. What’s the difference?

As a missionary, I do not view culture passively, merely as entertainment. Rather, I engage it actively as a sermon that is preaching a worldview.

I teach my children to do the same. We watch shows with our children. Those shows are recorded on a TiVo so that we can stop and have discussions during them, helping our kids understand the ideology that is being presented and how to think about it critically. We want our kids to be innocent but not naïve. Naïve Christians are the most vulnerable to engaging culture ignorantly and unpreparedly. If a Christian kid does not know how to walk as a Christian in culture, it’s no surprise that once he or she leaves their parents’ home after graduation, they are statistically likely to fail continue walking with Jesus.

Church life

Driscoll as a pastor sees it as his responsibility to teach the church how to think critically about media.

Like our children, our goal is not to create a safe Christian subculture as much as to train missionaries to live in culture like Jesus.

As a missionary, you will need to watch television shows and movies, listen to music, read books, peruse magazines, attend events, join organizations, surf websites, and befriend people that you might not like to better understand people whom Jesus loves. For example, I often read magazines intended for teenage girls, not because I need to take tests to discover if I am compatible with my boyfriend or because I need leg-waxing tips, but because I want to see young women meet Jesus, so I want to understand them and their culture better.

7 tips for getting more engaged

1. Try listening to a different radio station for an hour a day each day for a week.

2. Watch, if only once, programmes that are most talked about at your work or amongst your friends that you’ve never watched. Think through why they are popular, what message they convey and how the gospel interacts with those ideas.

3. Use the web to read journalism from different perspectives. A short cut approach can be found by visiting the New Stateman which links to 10 different but interesting articles from the papers each day.

4. Watch a film with some Christian friends or better still watch with a mix of friends and chat about it afterwards (tell everyone this is what you plan to do BEFORE you watch the film). Do your research in advance. Try Damaris for some good resources.

5. Follow Christian blogs that engage culture. Tony Watkins and Krish Kandiah are great places to start.

6. Ask your pastor to preach on culture and engagement or ask for some church-based workshops on film, tv, etc.

7. Above all else remember that cultural engagement is essential for Christians.  It protects us from swallowing those bitter pills of untruth that undermine our faith or the faith of those around us. Understanding the world around us including it’s thought-forms and ideas enables us to build bridges with those around us.  The more engaged we are the more opportunities are provided to open up a conversation that leads us to a gospel conversation.

1,000,000 words

Read for just 15 minutes a day and even take a day off a week and you’ll have read a million words in a year. John Piper has done the maths;

Suppose you read slowly like I do – maybe about the same speed that you speak- 200 words a minute. If you read fifteen minutes a day for one year (say just before supper, or just before bed), you will read 5,475 minutes in the year. Multiply that by 200 words a minute, and you get 1,  095,000 words that you would read in a year. Now an average serious book might have about 360words per page. So  you would have read 3,041 pages in one year. That’s ten very substantial books. All in fifteen minutes a day.

Or, to be specific, my copy of Calvin’s Institutes has 1,521 pages in two volumes, with an average of 400 words per page, which is 608, 400 words. That means that even if you took a day off each week you could read this great biblical vision of God and man in less than nine months (about thirty-three weeks) at fifteen minutes a day. The point is: The words and ways of God will abide in you more deeply and more powerfully if you give yourself to some serious reading of great books that are saturated with Scripture. It certainly does not have to be John Calvin – or my favourite, Jonathan Edwards – but not to read any of the great old books when you have access to them may be owing to nothing better than what Lewis calls “chronological snobbery.”

Maximum Sex

Who would have thought that the Independent would have reported research that shows that:

Couples who avoid sex before marriage end up having happier, more stable relationships and a better time in bed, according to psychologists. An American study backs the straitlaced view that sex should wait until one’s wedding night.

Compared with those having sex early, couples who waited until they were married rated the stability of their relationships 22 per cent higher. They also claimed 20 per cent increased levels of relationship satisfaction, 12 per cent better communication and 15 per cent improved “sexual quality”. The findings appear in the Journal of Family Psychology.

One of the co-authors Dean Busby commented in businessweek  ‘the take-home message is that sex is a powerful experience. It really bonds us to one another and so it may be important before we go down that road to take the time to see if you can talk to this other person — see if you have similar personalities and similar directions in life — to see whether or not this is a relationship that can last.’

The warnings of God in the Song of Solomon seems to find its confirmation in this research

Chapter 8v4.

Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.

The context for sexual love is in the bonds of a permanent relationship – that of marriage;

Chapter 8:6

⁶ Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.