Mid Week Book Buzz 2/24/15

Another great week of book deals...You will notice that I do have quite a few repeats the week. I had to re-post them because they are such great deals. If you didn't have a chance to download JD Greear's Jesus Continued, you want to grab it this week. Also, another great deal is Kevin DeYoung's Crazy Busy.

Enjoy the FREEBIES!

THEOLOGY:

Five Views on Law and Gospel by Various $2.99

Understanding Biblical Theology by Edward W. Klink III $4.27

Better: A Study of the Christian Life in Hebrews by J. Ligon Duncan FREE

Covenant Theology by J.Ligon Duncan FREE

Defending Inerrancy by Norman Geisler $2.51

Jesus Continued by JD Greear $.99

Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart by JD Greear $2.99

Everyone's A Theologian by RC Sproul $3.99 and the audio version is FREE

The Holy Spirit by Kevin DeYoung $1.99

Redeeming Church Conflicts by Tara Barthel $1.99

What Is the Mission of the Church by Kevin DeYoung $2.99

Love Well by Jamie George $.99

Overrated by Eugene Cho $1.99

Franchising McChurch by Thomas White FREE

CHRISTIAN LIVING:

Divine Design by John MacArthur $2.51

Standing Strong by John MacArthur $2.51

Alone With God by John MacArthur $2.51

Each for the Other by Bryan Chapell $4.99

The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts $2.99

Big Love by Kara Tippetts $2.99

I Am Second by Dave Sterrett $.99

Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung $.99

Knowing Christ Today by Dallas Willard $1.99

Wellness for the Glory of God by John Dunlop $1.99

The Stories We Tell by Mike Cosper $1.99

Imagination Redeemed by Gene Edward Veith Jr. $2.99

CHURCH HISTORY:

The Daring Mission of William Tyndale by Steven Lawson $3.99

HERMINEUTICS:

Biblical Words and Their Meanings by Moises Silva $4.27

COMMENTARIES:

ZECNT James by Craig Blomberg $4.27

NAC The Letters of John by Gary Burge $4.99

NAC 1 & 2 Thessalonians by Michael Holmes $4.27

Open Your Bible Commentary: Matthew by F.F. Bruce $2.99

SOCIAL ISSUES AND APOLOGETICS:

Christ-Centered Apologetics by Joel Furches $2.99

Tactics by Gregory Koukl $1.99

God and the Gay Christian by James Hamilton Jr. $.99

Is the Bible Sexist, Racist, Homophobic, and Genocidal? by Jonathan Morrow $.99

Are the Gospels Full of Contradictions? by Jonathan Morrow $.99

The NT Documents: Are they Reliable? by F.F. Bruce $2.99

Mid Week Book Buzz 2/16/15

Sorry tonight's list is short and late, my day was crazy busy, but there are some great books on sale tonight. I reccomend you grab Mingling of Souls while it's on sale. I am heading down to the LIBERATE conference tomorrow, so I have to plug Tullian Tchividjian's book One Way Love...it will change your life. I am also looking forward to hearing from JD Greear this weekend and his new book, Jesus Continued is on sale. One of my new favorate authors is Sam Storms and he has a book on sale this week. I know some of these books are repeats, but they are great deals and great authors.

The Gospel As Center by D.A. Carson and Timothy Keller $2.99

Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners & Customs by Howard Vos $4.99

Gospel Wakefuness by Jared Wilson $1.99

Different By Design by Carrie Sandom $3.99

Counseling the Hard Cases by Stuart Scott & Heath Lambert $2.99

The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler $2.99

Mingling of Souls by Matt Chandler $5.99

To Live is Christ To Die is Gain by Matt Chandler $3.74

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart by J.D. Greear $2.99

Jesus, Continued: Why The Spirit Inside You is Better than Jesus Beside You by J.D. Greear $.99

The Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson $3.99

One Way Love by Tullian Tchividjian $3.74

Sense and Nonsense about Angels and Demons by Kenneth Boa $1.99

Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary: Romans, Galatians by Douglas Moo $5.98

Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary: 1&2 Thes., 1&2 Tim., Titus by Jarred Weima $5.98

The Singing God by Sam Storms $2.99

Everyone's A Theologian by R.C. Sproul $3.99

Politics According to the Bible by Wayne Grudem $4.99

Sins We Accept by Jerry Bridges $2.51

The Longview by Roger Parrott FREE

Left Behind Theology...A History of the Movement Part 2

Below is Part 2 of my series "Left Behind Theology...A History of the Movement." If you didn't read Part 1, you will be lost, so click here, and then come back and read Part 2.


Hold up, Hold up...we need to back track a little bit.

Who is Edward Irving and what exactly happened in his church? An utterance you say? huh?

Good question! Let me explain.

Edward Irving seems to have been a very popular preacher in England in the mid 1800's. He was known for his ability to take the customs of the time, mix them with satire and connect with individuals as he preached. One might say he wasn't as much a theologian (although he was extremely well educated) as he was a great communicator.

For quite a while, years even, Irving was consumed with the subject of prophecy. Irving was heavily influenced by a Jesuit priest named Manuel Lacunza. Lacunza lived a large portion of his life in exile due to the fact that King Charles the 3rd of Spain expelled the Jesuits in 1747.

We know that Lacunza ended up retiring to the outskirts of Imola, a town located on the Santerno River in the north central region of Italy. For the most part we know that Lacunza lived alone and spent countless hours in study, even to the detriment of his own health. His ideas about eschatology were first published in a 22 page tract called The Anonymous Millennium, which was widely circulated in South America. In 1790, he completed his 3 volume work entitled, The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty where he expanded his ideas of a future pretribulationl rapture and millennium.

Lacunza believed that human history ended at the second coming of Christ. At that time the living would be judged, the Jews converted, and Christ would establish his 1,000 year reign on earth. Lacunza also believed that before Christ returned and set up his millennial reign, there would be a general apostasy of the Catholic Church. Because of this belief, his work was eventually condemned by the Vatican.

Edward Irving was greatly influenced by the work of Lacunza, so much so that it is said Irving introduced Lacunza's theories to the early leaders of the Plymouth Brethren movement. One of these early Plymouth Brethren leaders was John Nelson Darby, who was attending the "prophecy conferences" at Powerscourt House around the 1830's.

So where did this so called "utterance" come from and how are all these people connected?

We know that these pretribulational premillenial ideas were floating around "prophecy circles" around Irving's church and the Powerscourt House. We also know that these ideas began to disseminate into the Plymouth Brethren movement as John Nelson Darby got a hold of them around the 1820's-1830's.

Margaret McDonald was part of a small charismatic sect in Scotland that was said to exhibit miraculous signs such as healing and speaking in tongues. Margaret McDonald is said to have been given a special prophetic "utterance" by God where she predicts a pretribulational rapture in Edward Irving's church.

You can read her "utterance" here.

After reading what Margaret McDonald said, I'm not fully convinced she was speaking about a pretribulational rapture or a posttribulational rapture. What is certain is that she was promoting a premillenial eschatological scheme in her "vision."

It is uncertain whether John Nelson Darby was influenced by Margaret McDonald, however we do know that Darby was a participant of the prophecy conferences at Powerscourt, and it is very likely he knew of Edward Irving's teachings and/or Edward Irving himself.

From this point on, we see "darbyism" spread to the United States.

So we will study "left behind" theology in America next time, I promise.

Be Edified.

A Special Valentine's Weekend Book Buzz

With Valentine's Day around the corner (tomorrow), I've been noticing a couple of great resources that you and that special someone can use as you dive deeper into conformity to Christ!

The first book is What Did You Expect? ($3.99) by Paul Tripp. This is a phenomenal book! Now, what's funny is that technically, I haven't read it, but this past summer we had a marriage class at our church and we walked through the entire curriculum of this book. This book will turn the table on you and help you see that the problems in your marriage start with YOU. 

Second, is a book that I really want to pick up called Date Your Wife ($3.99) by Justin Buzzard. I'm ashamed to say it, but as I went shopping this week for my wife, I thought in my head, "Should I really spend money on flower, and candy when we could use that money for something else?" My wife and I have 3 children and we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary in November, so there are times when the business and stresses of life seem to battle your thoughts, but regardless of all that is going on around you guys, you need to DATE YOUR WIFE! She needs to know that even though life is crazy, YOU LOVE HER WITH ALL YOUR HEART! 

Third, here are a couple of books that talk specifically about God's Love for us. Loving The Way Jesus Loves ($3.99) by Philip Ryken. Philip Ryken was the pastor of the famous Tenth Presbyterian Church, following in the footsteps of James Montgomery Boice. In 2010, Dr. Ryken was asked to be the next president of Wheaton College, where he currently serves. God's Love ($3.03) by R.C. Sproul. R.C. Sproul is the founder and President of Ligionier Ministries based in Orlando, FL. He has written countless books and commentaries. He is also the pastor of St. Andrews Chapel in Sanford, FL. His ministry has touched thousands of lives with the Gospel. 

 

Fourth, is an author that I don't completely agree with on all points of Systematic or Practical Theology, however he has had a profound influence on my life and ministry. My mom used to play his radio show, Grace To You every weekend in our home. I have continued to study the works of John MacArthur and have come to have a deep respect for him and what God is doing at Grace Community Church in California where he is a pastor and president of the Master's College & Seminary. Johny Mac wrote a book called Divine Design where he discusses God's roles for men and women. You can download this book today for FREE. 

Fifth, Sex is a sticky issue among Christians. Some Christians struggle with this because they come from a very legalistic background and have the idea that it is just "bad." Others come from a life of hedonism and struggle with their past regrets. Daniel Akin has written a book called God On Sex ($.99) where he explores our distorted ideas about sex and what how God truly designed it for our good. Daniel Akin has lead over 300 marriage seminars and is the president of Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. His most recent work was a commentary on the book of Mark. 

Finally, My favorite preacher just came out with a new book. Mingling of Souls ($7.99) by Matt Chandler. Matt is the lead pastor at TheVillage Church in Texas. He has a unique gift of communication that is unmatched. On Thanksgiving morning in 2009, Chandler had a seizure at his home and was later diagnosed with anaplastic oligodendroglioma, a malignant brain tumor. Matt continues to trust the Lord and live his life holding nothing back from the Lord. He was given a clean bill of health in September 2010. Matt is also the president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network, which is the network BLDG28 Church belongs to. 

Mid Week Book Buzz 2/10/15

This week I have to reccomend a couple of books. First, my very good friend, Eric Bargerhuff's book The Most Misused Verses in the Bible is on sale. This is a must have in your library. It's a great quick reference to guide you through the REAL meaning of some verses that Christians commonly take out of context. Second, R.C.Sproul's Everyone's A Theologian is something you should grab. This book will give you a great introductory understanding of who God is and what He is all about. 

Also, don't forget to check out the FREE Christian audio downloads! 

Theology:

The Most Misused Verses in the Bible by Eric Bargerhuff  $1.99

The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper $.99

Finally Free by Heath Lambert $1.99

The Daring Mission of William Tyndale by Steven Lawson $3.99

The Trinitarian Devotion of John Owen by Sinclair Ferguson $5.76

Adoniram Judson: How Few There Are Who Die So Hard by John Piper FREE

Andrew Fuller: I Will Go Down If You Will Hold the Rope by John Piper FREE

David Brainerd: May I Never Loiter On My Heavenly Journey by John Piper FREE

John G. Paton: You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals by John Piper FREE

Women of the OT by Abraham Kuyper $2.99

Everyone's a Theologian by R.C. Sproul $3.99

Grounded in the Faith by Kenneth Erisman $2.99

HCSB Harmony of the Gospels by Kendell Easley $2.99

Doxology and Theology by Matt Boswell $.99

The Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson

God So Loved, He Gave by Kelly Kapic $1.99

New Morning Mercies by Paul Tripp $4.99

Glimpses of Grace by Gloria Furman $3.99

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis $4.99

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer $3.65

One Way Love by Tullian Tchividjian $3.74


Apologetics:

Understanding the Book of Mormon by Anderson Ross $2.99

Truth Matters by Andreas Kostenberger $4.99

Commentaries:

Herein Is Love: Numbers by Nancy Ganz $4.99

Culture/Practical Theology:

Politics According to the Bible by Wayne Grudem $3.99

A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir by Collin Hansen $1.99

When Sinners Say "I Do" by Dave Harvey $1.99

Manhood Restored by Eric Mason $2.99

A Household Gospel by Matthew Sims $2.99

Preparing for Marriage by John Piper FREE

Unfaithful by Gary & Mona Shriver FREE

Compare and Contrast Different Theological Views:

Four Views on Moving Beyond the Bible to Theology $3.79

Three Views on the NT Use of the OT $3.79

Four Views on Divine Providence $3.79

Three Views on Creation and Evolution $3.79

Four Views on Eternal Security $3.79

Two Views on Women in Ministry $3.79

Five Views on Sanctification $3.79

Four Views on Christian Spirituality $2.99

Six Views on Exploring the Worship Spectrum $3.79

Christian Audio:

Everyone's A Theologian by R.C. Sproul FREE

You And Me Forever by Francis & Lisa Chan FREE

Thinking on Ephesians 1:11-12 Part 2

"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory."

-Ephesians 1:11-12. (ESV)

"according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will"

A couple nights ago, I was out with some friends, and we were discussing the sovereignty of God. When you discuss God's control over the world, the topic can get kind of mind-boggling.

Are you familiar with supralapsarianism and infralapsarianism? Well those words seemed to dominate our discussion. The more I study who God is, the more joy it brings my soul to study how great and powerful He is.

I remember walking out to my car after the discussion thinking, WOW! God is so much bigger than I can comprehend.

There are a lot of Christians out there today that would have you believe that God is not in total control of His creation.

Now, I'd like to splice this passage up and talk about 2 topics.

1. God's Sovereignty over Salvation

2. God's Sovereignty over Creation.

Let's begin with God's Sovereignty over Creation in today's blog. I know not everyone agrees with my view of things, but regardless if you agree with me or not, please note that I take my thoughts from Scripture.

I believe that God is sovereign over EVERYTHING in creation. I don't believe there is anything out of God's control. In fact, I think that God's sovereignty goes much further than simply being sovereign, I believe that he also maintains the properties of all that He created. In other words, He is actively involved in creation.

The Scripture passage where we see this is Hebrews 1:3 which says, "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power."

The Greek word for upholds in this verse is the word  pheron (φέρων) which is commonly used in the New Testament for carrying something from one place to another. You can check this out by looking up Luke 5:18, John 2:8, and 2 Tim. 4:13. My point is that Jesus carries the universe in the palm of his hand, and just to reinforce the idea here, The writer of Hebrews uses the "present participle" which carries the idea that Jesus continually carries the universe. Jesus is actively involved in all of creation.

Okay, that's enough GREEK for one blog, well maybe just a little more. You can go over to Col. 1:17 and also see that God "holds all things together in Christ."

Charles Spurgeon put it this way, "I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes - that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit as well as the sun in the heavens - that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses...the fall of sere leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche."

Now lets go back to our text...Eph. 1:11 which says that Christ "works all things according to the counsel of his will." The Greek word for works is energountos (ἐνεργοῦντος) which can be translated accomplishes or brings about. You could say that although God may not be directly causing everything to happen, you can still say he is the "directive cause" behind all that takes place.

What's the difference? Think of it this way...I am the director of admissions of a Bible College. While I don't make every decision directly in my office, I do direct my employees to act and make the decisions they do. This is a terribly fine line, and a difficult doctrine to understand in light of so many bad things that happen in life.

What about all the evil in the world? Is God the author of evil?  These are great questions, and as I take my beliefs from Scripture about God's sovereignty, I want to do the same thing with how evil fits into God's plan. So, we will have tackle that subject in subsequent posts.

Let me end by saying the following...The Christian can take great comfort in the fact that God is sovereign the universe he created. It gives me comfort to know that nature does not have free will to change at any moment.

Jesus specifically tells us in Matthew 6 to rest in the sovereignty of God over creation. Jesus tells us the way to battle anxiousness in your life is to rest in the sovereignty of God. Jesus specifically tells us that we can't add a "single hour to the span of our life." Scripture also tells us in Psalm 139:16 that every day of our life was "formed...before there was yet one of them."

Jesus wants us to rest in the fact that He is taking care of us. We may not know or understand all that is happening and why, but Jesus says, Don't worry, I am actively bringing about and upholding this world. You have nothing to worry about because I am your God and you are my child.

Rest in his sovereignty! Be Edified!

Mid Week Book Buzz 2/3/15

I have some great deals, and a bunch of FREE books for you this week. Two of my all time favorite authors have a number of discounted or FREE books available. In Bible College, I bought Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology to help me in class. It became the most influential book I read in Bible College. If you are interested in Systematic Theology, you can download Dr. Grudem's podcast here. He goes through his entire systematic in lecture style. It's great to listen to in the car during your commute.

Another one of my favorite authors of all time is John Piper. His ministry, Desiring God, impacts lives for the Gospel every day. Go here to learn more about Desiring God.

Theology:

HCSB Harmony of the Gospels by Kendall Easley $2.99

Faithful to the End: An Introduction to Hebrews Through Revelation by Kendall Easley $.99

Doxology & Theology: How the Gospel forms the Worship Leader by Matt Boswell $.99

Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem $1.99

Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem $3.99

Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem $7.99

Jesus, The Only Way to God by John Piper $4.61

Alive To Wonder: Celebrating the Influence of C.S. Lewis by John Piper FREE

Captivate To Glory: Celebrating the Influence of Johnathan Edwards by John Piper FREE

An All-Consuming Passion for Jesus by John Piper FREE 

Disability and the Sovereign Goodness of God by John Piper FREE

Doctrine Matters by John Piper FREE

Sanctification in the Everyday by John Piper FREE

Alone With God by John MacArthur $2.51

Standing Strong by John MacArthur $2.51

Found: God's Will by John MacArthur $3.82

God's Love by R.C. Sproul $3.03

One Way Love by Tullian Tchividjian $3.74

Apologetics:

The Darwin Effect by Jerry Bergman $3.99

The Dark Side of Charles Darwin by Jerry Bergman $3.49

When God Goes to Starbucks: A Guide to Everyday Apologetics by Paul Copan $1.99

Abortion by R.C. Sproul $2.99

Exposing the Dark World of Abortion by John Piper FREE

Church/Culture/Worldviews:

Christless Christianity by Michael Horton $3.99

Politics According to the Bible by Wayne Grudem $3.99

Churches Partnering Together by Chris Bruno $2.99

Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by J. Mack Stiles $3.99

The Friendships of Women by Dee Brestin FREE

Preparing for Marriage by John Piper FREE

Pastoral/Practical Theology:

The Pastor's Family by Brian Croft $1.99

To The Ends of the Earth: Calvin's Missional Vision & Legacy by Michael Haykin $2.99

Brothers, We are Not Professionals by John Piper $2.99

A Holy Ambition: To Preach Where Christ Has Not Been Named by John Piper FREE

The Marks of a Spiritual Leader by John Piper FREE