Taking Back Counsel From the Halls of Babylon--Competent to Counsel

In our era, one doesn't have to look too far to find a 'therapist' for just about anything. The Halls of Babylon have transformed our society from one that sought the Scripture for wisdom into one that selects popular fads off of the buffet of pop psychology.

However, we need not succumb to the wisdom of the world. Jay Adams started to push back against this several decades ago, and since then a revival of true Biblical counseling has emereged. The Bible is sufficient for training, correction, and reproof; we do not need the wisdom of Babylon to evangelize, disciple, and grow in Christ.

Here is the book that confronted the idols of pop psychology when few were willing to do so: Competent To Counsel by Jay Adams.

Shepherding a Child's Heart

Any attempt to raise a child in the fear and admonition of the Lord is blasted today in Halls of Babylon. The humanists detest spanking, and they hate that we teach our children absolute truth, yet God' truth abideth still. We have found great encouragement in a book entitled Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp.

Perseverance of the Righteous without Bitterness

The Lord commands us to persevere through trials to His glory, yet we often times endure with much bitterness in our hearts. Our plans have not worked as we desired, and, from our perspective, doors may have even closed at the last minute.

However, it is during these times that we are tried and tested the most, and how we react to these trials exposes the disposition of our hearts. During these circumstances, the theology of our hearts is borne out. It is one thing to preach the Sovereignty of God, yet is another to actually embrace God's Sovereign perfect and good will from the heart.

Therefore, when we go through trials, let us cling to Christ and know that He is Lord of lords and King of kings. His love endures forever, so we have no excuse to tread into bitterness. Rather, let us rejoice as did the Apostles that we are given the privilege to suffer for His Name.

The Cure for Anxiety: Resting in God's Sovereignty

Many people are controlled by anxiety, and there are vast numbers who are unable to function because of it. Anxiety is brought about by our fear of what may or not happen given the current circumstances. For example, when funds are low and bills are high, anxiety escalates. For this reason, man will turn to something or someone to deal with anxiety, including medication.

Pills are popular because they are a quick fix, and, for that reason, this has become a multi-billion dollar industry. The great danger is that anxiety medication can be quite strong, so, when a person wants to get off of it, one has to be extremely cautious because death or serious injury could result.

How then should we deal with anxiety Biblically?

First of all, the spiritual answer to anxiety is to trust in the Sovereignty of God. Does not God provide for the flowers in the field and the birds of the sky? Will He not provide for that which was created in His image all the moreso? Repentance and submission to Christ is the only true answer to curing anxiety, and that takes the work of a Sovereign God because of our hardness of heart. When God is working upon the heart and convicting your heart, repent and cling to Christ. Do not be as the fool and chase after the vain idols that cannot see, hear, taste, touch, or speak.

Second of all, if one is on axiety medication, anti-depressants, etc., then coming off of those pills should be under the supervision of a physician. However, one must be careful because the facilities that are availble to 'detox' someone will also give unBiblical advice about how to deal with the anxiety to begin with. If a facility is used, it must be stressed that one is there to seek treatment for the physical withdrawal issues and not to gain unBiblical advice.

As you can see, the world's answer makes the problem far worse than it originally was. Therefore, seek Christ and rest in Him, lest you find yourself entrapped by the deceitfulness of the world's short-term bandaid idols.

Perseverance: When Life Is A Fog

At times we find ourselves in a fog of unknown trajectories. We don't know which way to go as clearly as we once thought. For this reason, God is truly a light unto our path and lamp unto our feet. Often times, all we know is the very next step as we faithfully trust the Lord with our lives.

When I'm in fog, I think of Joseph. God gave him great visions of the future, yet things seemed to go from bad to worse. What was once clear becamed muddled. However, in God's time, His glory shone forth in grandeur as Joseph was made viceroy of Egypt and later saved his family from starvation! To God be the glory!

Three Under Three: The Sacrifice of Parenting

As many of you have already found out, we had our third daughter on August 17th. We named her Shiphrah as a testimony to life against the backdrop of our culture of death where abortion, infanticide, and euthansia are exalted.

As I reflect upon our increased parental responsibilites, I have chewed upon something my wife said yesterday. She stated that you really don't know what it means to be totally selfless until you've had children. I would include in that picture anyone who has ever had to sacrifice to the extent that it cost them an enormous amount of their own free time. Taking care of someone who is sick or who is incapacitated falls into that category.

In no way do the above statments negate the incredible sacrifice made by those without children who are still single or who are barren. Rather, what she was getting at is how aware we become of our selfishness by having children. They consume every ounce of energy and every moment of time. Small children must be watched constantly, and they have little or no capacity to take care of themselves.

The parent is left exhausted, yet, when done for the glory of God, patience is developed and selfishness is exposed and sanctified out. Ultimately, it makes one quick to serve and slow to self-absorption. It is hard to see the positive end of such difficulties when you're in the situation and feel entrapped, yet God is working all the while. In the same way, God put Joseph in prison to train him for Viceroy of Egypt! What seems mundane to us is God's was of molding His people for greatness in His kingdom to His eternal glory! Amen!

Taking Back The Rainbow: The Insult of Gay Marriage to the LORD God

If marriage is not defined as between one man and one woman for a lifetime, then it can mean anything. Gay marriage is only the tip of the ice-berg. Why not polygamy, or two men and three women, or four animals and a woman, or two boy and and five men, etc? It just becomes that insane. Believe me, there are plenty of people waiting to jump on that crazy roller coaster of sin.

My greatest beef with the homosexual community is how they have hi-jacked the rainbow. The rainbow is one of the most beautiful pheonomen when it appears in the sky, and it is the great sign of God's grace to humanity as displayed before Noah after the Flood. Now it is a symbol of rebellion and hatred towards the LORD God! It's so bad that if you put a rainbow on your car, people think you are gay! What blasphemous times we live in! Amen!

However, like dinosaurs and every other created thing, we are taking them back as Ken Ham would say. The godless have stolen the things of God and claimed it for themselves, but God will not let His Name be trashed forever. We shall reopen the old wells and led the glory of God shine forth! Amen!

Therefore, may ye who are opposed to the LORD God repent while His grace is exteneded to you. Ye need not face the wrath of God and continue in your mire of vanity. This world of sin cannot bring satsifaction; it only brings judgment and personal disaster. Repent and be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen!

To Him be the glory! Amen!

Book Review---In God We Trust: Why biblical authority matter for every believer--by Steve Ham

A Book Review by Jeramy Anderson, President and Founder of The Jeramy Anderson Evangelistic Association, Inc. For further info, see http://tjaea.blogspot.com/

Ham, Steve. In God We Trust: Why biblical authority matters for every believer. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, April 2010.

Use of Apologetics

First and foremost, this book exposes the reality of biases when it comes to interpretation of anything. The idea that man can be neutral is only an illusion. The author strives to demonstrate that the Biblical text is not merely probably true but is certain. Though the book is not attempting to go into deep apologetic detail, I would reccomend that the author bring out one of the harshest consequence of rejecting Biblical authority: nihilism. By rejecting Biblical authority, we reject any ability to be certain about anything. The Triune God is not only reasonable; He is the very foundational axiom for reason.

I would also add that 'anti-theism presupposes theism', as described by Van Til. Even the atheist must steal/borrow from Christianity to make his worldview work. We must especially expose the agnositic fallacy, for he shrouds himself in a guise of humility because he claims that one cannot know anything for certain. Such is not humility but pride, for that statement is an absolute certainty used by him to insulate himself from Biblical offense. Once the agnostic is unmasked, then all the insulation in the world will fail to protect his deceptive position.

The only real criticism I have of the author's use of presuppositional apologetics is that it can be a little evidential at times. For example, in his refutation of Dawkins (p110-111), he does use evidences as 'confirmation' of the Scripture. This is a problem because it sets the evidence as superior to the text itself. I understand what he is trying to say, but it would be better to say, "Scripture alone makes sense of what we see." This kind of statement is used in other parts of the book, but, at times, his statements do become somewhat evidential without realizing it. In saying that, I applaud his use of the evidence, but it is far more formidable to consistently speak of it in relation to how God's Word alone makes the evidence understandable to begin with. For Dawkins in particular, I love to point out how he has no foundation for the reasoning by which he reasons against Christianity!

Applied Theology

Magnifying the implications of rejecting Biblical Authority is at the heart of the book. After explaining the authoritative role of the Trinity in Creation and Redemption, the author expounds magnificently on the application of the Biblical text. It does no good to claim Biblical Authority and then never live out the Bible's teaching in all facets of life.

Likewise, Steve was not afraid to assert man's purpose: the absolute worship of God. Self-esteem is promoted even within the Church sadly, yet it is God-esteem (as Piper would say) that we need. One's value must be centered upon God in Christ and not man for humanity to have any value at all.

The breakdown of the family unit and all of its ramifications shows how compromising Biblical authority effects the Church and society in general. The rejection of the Genesis creation account sets the gospel up for failure from the outset, and this is why it should be no surprise that so many claim to reject Christ because of evolution and millions of years (p210).

One point of contention that I do bring out is in the area of schooling. I applaud the author's willingness to critique what his children are learning in a Christian school. However, this is why many have become so passionate about promoting homeschool. Not only is it the the parent's role to educate and teach from a Biblical foundation, but many of our 'Christian' schools have been infected by naturalism, especially in the hard sciences and Biblical counseling. For this reason, I do find it surprising that the author does not homeschool.

Concluding Remarks

Overall, it was a great book that is far more God-centered than most 'Christian' resources. Finally, may God bless Steve Ham for the hard work that was done in crafting this book.

Why Men Believe Evolutionary Lies

Men believe in marcro evolution, which is to say molecules to man, because they detest the True and Living God in their suppression of the truth in unrighteousness (Rom 1). In spite of the absurdity of materialism, which is the philosophy that matter is all there is, men like Richard Lewontin stated himself that he cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door because of a prior commitment to this materialism.

I use the word believe because materialism is a religious system of thought. It is a worldview with no foundation at all, yet men embrace it with all their heart. Men would rather believe in the unfounded absurd than submit to the One True Triune God Who demands their repentance and worship.

Even moreso, men who call themselves Christians act like practical materialists when they pray little, teach much secular psycology, and refer people to godless therapists and counselors in time of need.

Repent you fool! If you are enslaved to this godles system, turn from your evil, and cast yourself upon Christ, Who is the Perfect Lamb of God! Amen!

Gossip and its Evils

Gossip is a despicable sin that each of us succumbs to. The human heart is deceitfully wicked, and we are constantly attempting to build ourselves up by tearing others down. Even if we are not the ones speaking the gossip, our ears often perk up just to listen to it, and, by attentively listening, we endorse it.

Ironically, the same measure we use to judge others (done quite a bit through gossip) is the same measure others will judge us. In this way, if one gossips about someone to another, that same person is most likely to then gossip about the gossiper. In a vain attempt to build oneself up through demeaning another, one has actually torn oneself down even further as the next man gossips to others about the gossiper!

Prayer gossip is a more subtle form, for, we often make a prayer request about someone not because we care but because we want to tear someone down. "Please pray for such and such; they have a bad marriage, and I heard that Jim's been drinking again." Now if the person asks for prayer and also asks that it be made known to others, then that's legit, but we must be careful in handling such sensitive matters.

When confronted with gossip, it is important at once to immediately change the conversation to something more fruitful. If tempted to gossip, then take that thought captive to Christ, and think upon Him and His glory and refuse to gossip.

To Him be the glory! Amen!

"People Might Say"

Have you ever heard the question "What will people think?" or something to that effect. Do we strive to receive praise from God or man? We consume ourselves with what other people think about us yet give little thought to what God thinks. This is because we want the approval of man and not God. It is hard to have a backbone in a godless age where false accusations run rampant. The truth is that the Apostle Paul dealt with the same thing, for his 2nd letter to the Corinthians is dealing with just that. There is nothing new under sun.

Our response flows from our heart. We are not to be fake on the hand, yet we are not to act rudely on the other. Blessing those that curse us and who make false accusations about us is quite difficult. Every fiber of our being wants to lash out, yet we must let the strength of the Lord keep us calm. For many years, I always gave a retort when falsly accused, yet now I leave room for the vengeance of God, for He will always enact a better judgment than I could ever conjure up.

As painful as such gossip may be, in time you really find out who is trustworthy and who is not. You begin to notice who has your back and who doesn't. At times, those who become the most trustworthy are those that you may even once had a serious beef with before. I have seen this is on my own life. Biblically, we are not to be doormats but rather confront those with whom we have a difficulty with. When both sides acknowledge their sin, then an incredible reconciliation occurs to the point where both people think highly of each other and become true friends and/or comrades.

Some refuse to admit their sin, and reconciliation becomes bleak, yet we must not harbor bitterness towards such people. That does not mean we have to act as if we have not been wronged, and it does not mean that we are to regard the person with a high level of trust. However, we are to still love the person, which means that we are willing to come to their aid should aid be needed. In doing so, we heap burning coals upon their head (Rom 12). I have been on both ends of that as the Lord's vengeance is given. Verily, it is far better to repent and seek reconciliation if at all possible, for it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God when we live with bitterness and resentment! Amen!

A common confused and twisted text: "Doesn't the Bible say don't judge lest you be judged!"

Don't judge me you hypocrite! How often are we told that from others and how often do we reply in the same manner! It is our sinful nature to justify our rebellion against a Holy God. The great irony is that each of us makes moral judgments all the time. When we discipline our children, we are judging them because we have declared their actions to be unjustifiable and evil at heart. However, when oneself's sin is exposed, one tends to become defensive all of a sudden and break out the Mathew 7 rebuttal. I admit that I may not do this explicitly, but I do this implicitly all the time when I try to justify my sin. We all do.

When it comes down to it, man does not want to submit to any other authority source besides himself. This is why his position on judgment becomes so arbitrary. He judges but then doesn't want to be judged. When you multiply this over several billion people, you get sevaral billion different philosophies of life. These are just like the days of old in Judges 21 when there was no King in Israel and each man did what was right in his own eyes.

What then was Jesus saying? When understood in its proper context, Jesus was exposing the hypocrisy of judging with a proud heart as if we never sin either. Truly, we shall judge angels, so judgement is not evil; just remember the case mentioned above with child dicsipline. The difference is in how we judge. We are to rebuke with humility knowing that each of us is capable of the most heinous of acts. Concurrently, we are to rebuke in this life with the intent of seeing someone repent and come to the Lord for redemption.

Therefore, let us expose the false humility that is used to justify sin, but let us also confront and rebuek sin with all humility, mercy, and grace as God our Father does unto us.

When Marriage Is Tough: Endure

When things get difficult in marriage, one must remember the covenant one has made to God and spouse. This is the only thing that will sustain a godly loving marriage. Marriage is a covenant that is sacred before the Lord. It is not to be flippantly put aside or rejected when difficult times come around.

Many people will then ask: But what about this or that? Our response should not be one of seeking how we can get out but rather one that seeks how we can keep the relationship together. Often times we are looking for ways to leave our committment, but that angers the Lord.

There is much debate with regard to abandonment and adultery, but even then the Lord does not require a divorce. The truth is that it is far better to beseech the Lord for a solution by which trust can be regained. That certainly does not mean that one must remain in a home where safety is at stake (usually the case for the woman who is being abused), but separation for an indeterminate amount of time should seek to make mends and not necessarily to jump to divorce. Where sin exists in adultery and such, repentance must be first and foremost if trust is to ever be regained.

Marriage is important to me because it is important to God, and I pray to be able to faithfully communicate that to my children. Though she cannot quite understand it yet, I tell my daughter what my wedding ring means. It means that Daddy won't leave unless the Lord returns today or takes me home.

Love Your Enemy!

Love your enemy is the critical statement made by the author of Son of Hamas. He stated that many religions speak of loving family and even neighbor, but only Christianity explicitly commands to 'love your enemy'. Loving your enemy is hard and downright opposed by the sinful flesh. When we are hated by those who seek to ridicule, slander, or even murder us, the flesh immediately wants to hate right back. However, that is the opposite of what Christ commands, and, remember, while we were still enemies Christ died for us. As Christians, we are not merely encouraged to love our enemy; rather, we are commanded to do so!

Therefore, when we are reviled, cursed, and beaten down, let our first reaction be that of restraint. This does not negate justice, of which we are commanded to execute as well, but vengeance is the Lord's and not ours.

When "I Love You" is Hard to Say

In light of the sermon from Chris today on love, I thought I'd write out a specific reflection as it pertains to a Biblical marriage. In this fallen world, even a Biblical marriage can be tough. Both the husband and wife understand what Biblical love is in this case, yet it can still be hard to say "I love you." This tends to occur the most when we find ourselves at odds for various reasons. It is in these moments that we are given the opportunity to demonstrate Biblical love in a beatiful way. Why is this? It is easy to say "I love you" when everything is going well, but it's not so easy when things aren't going as we have planned or when we've been wronged. This never excuses sin, but we must be mindful of our dispositions before God and man, lest we cease to love as God commands. Therefore, let us be long-suffering and patient with our spouses by telling them with a good attitude that we love them whether in good times or ill.

A Culture of Dependence

Due to the push of evolutionary marxism and its adopoted variations, most of the world has ushered in an era of dependence upon the state in an effort to create a utopia. One of the chief goals of this utopia is to end poverty. However, the track record is dismal and its outlook is bleak. The Soviet Union is one of the greatest failures within this worldview as it bankrupted itself. Why does world poverty continue to rise in spite of a century's effort to end poverty through the means of the state?

The answer is a simple theological one: The Doctrine of Original Sin. Man is born into sin, so he is naturally lazy and prone to idleness if given the opportunity and the means. For this reason, if someone is taken care of by someone else with minimal input themselves, they are inclined to take advantage of this more and more with each passing day until one party works while the other party does nothing. Eventually, the working party becomes exhasted in his labor and opts to do the same thing as he depends on someone else. Now one has two parties in idleness with a third party supporting both. Multiply this many times over, and one has a socialist state run amock very quickly where very few have any desire to produce anything of value, for all incentive and advocacy to work has ceased.

A popular straw man against personal responsibility is always regarding the aid of the orphan, widow, elderly, physically disabled, mentally ill, etc. This is where private charity steps in, of which the Church is commanded to be the chief. In a nation like America, if one honestly seeks help from a private organization like the Church, very few are turned down. That may mean that one lives in conditions that are sufficient but not luxurious, yet we ought not be envious when some are more blessed financially than others, for many of those same persons give much in support those in need. God gives to whom He wills and takes as He wills, even among those who work hard and are diligent in the labor. Job is case in point, yet God did not forsake Job as he rests in the arms of God for all eternity by His grace.

Sadly, personal responsibility has been on the decline in the world, even in areas that were once somewhat Biblical in their thinking. Nonetheless, as Christians, we must continue to take responsibility for our fiscal actions, for even high taxation does not give us the right to become lazy in our work and irresponsible in our spending. We testify to Someone greater than ourselves, Christ our Lord

Therefore, trust in the Lord and do as He commands with your finances, yet when one opposes
where Caeser spends his money, we must still submit and render to Caesar what is Caesar's, for our witness is to Him Who is greater than ourselves.

Glory to Him who anoints even a Caesar for a season to conduct His will in His time for His good pleasure to make His point to His glory! Amen!

Grace and Mercy Alone

In the midst of a great scare today, we were reminded how each moment is lived at the grace and mercy of God. When Moriah squirmed through the ballasters in our hallway and then summersaulted several times down the stairwell, death stared us in the face. We immediately called 911, and she was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Verily, the Lord was merciful and altogehther gracious, for she wasn't knocked out, and no major injuries were diagnosed at the hospital.

Therefore, let us be thankful for each day we have with our families and other loved ones, for it could be our last. Nonetheless, we who are in Christ do not weep as those without hope when death comes, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. To Him be the glory alone! Amen!

Happy New Year 2010!

Let us gaze upon Christ all the more this year as we seek to know Him with increasing vigor each day. May we desire to be holy as He is holy, lest we drift into the sinful pleasures residing in Egypt.

His elect are kept by His grace, and they were chosen to glorify Him in both word and deed. Let us therefore speak and conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel this new year.

To Him be the glory! Amen!

Is Verbal Communication Possible?

Despite what Postmodernism has espoused regarding verbal language, God created language as a primary means for human communication. Words are not a prison house as some postmodern philophers assert. On the contrary, by words we are able to effectively build, systematize, and communicate knowledge. Because God is the originator of language, we can trust that communication through verbal language is possible and reliable.

However, one may conceptualize something slightly different from another when an object is spoken of. For example, when one things of 'dog', a general concept is thought of, yet any number of people may immediately conceive of any variety of 'dog'. However, that does not negate the use of language, for it is sufficient to communicate the essence of what is being spoken of, which is why we can carry on a conversation and not simply talk past each other in constant confusion.

Though different conceptions of 'dog' will come to mind from person to person as mentioned previously, the fundamentals will not be different. The fundamentals of 'dog' would be something like 'four legged mammal that barks'. Nonetheless, this does not totally break it down because the words 'four legged mammal that barks' will bring to mind a variety of things also. For this reason, an alleged 'prison house' comes in to play, for we use words to describe other words ad infinitum. Nevertheless, there is enough understanding present to communicate in a meaningful way without talking past each other and being oblivious to what one is saying.

The irony of the debate is that those who deny language usefuleness must assume the reality of verbal language; otherwise, they would not make arguments against using words by using words!

The Biblical Worldview is the only worldview that substantiates the reality and understandability of this short piece of writing you are reading right this second. Because God is the fountain of language, we can trust the realiability of verbal communication, and by His very Word all things were made that came into being (John 1).

Why then do we have miscommunication? We live in a fallen world (Gen 3), and Adam's sin caused havoc on all facets of life, including communication. However, God grants enough grace to maintain verbal order while at the same time magnifying the destructive effects of sin.

Let us therefore thank God for verbal language and the grace he bestows upon us in all facets of life, espeically salvation! To Him be the glory alone! Amen!

Danger of the Sluggard

"How long will you lie down O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest--
Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
And your need like an armed man."
Proverbs 6:9-11

How often we become so lazy in a busy over worked culture! That's impossible one might quip. On the contrary, much time is spent gazing at the tv, internet, gaming, etc. for frivolous mind-numbing reasons.

Rather, gird your loins O sluggard, and exercise your mind O sloth! Read the Scripture, enjoy God's creation, build or sew something, talk to your wife, and enjoy your kids instead! Amen!