Bogroll Rambling

Out of the Bloo is wonderful. Want proof? Here's a recent example:

God means what He says. He swears to it by His holiness (what greater thing could He swear by?). I praise Him for that iron determination of His, established in beautiful, beautiful truth, and for the sovereignty and Lordship that God exerts over His creation. There have been times in my life when the thought that God really is in control seemed an unfair thing. I can't fathom now what I was thinking - what a comfort it is to know that He simply will not lose, He will not let His promise return void.

Aslan is On the Move is new to my blogroll. You gotta like that title! Recently he quoted Patricia Heaton, who stars in one of my favorite TV-shows, Everybody Loves Raymond. Heaton said,

I can only believe that salvation is a process—from our perspective… I mean, from God's view it's been done. It was finished on the cross. From our view, it's a process. You know, you have a great day one day and the next day you're really struggling. To me, the Christian life is a journey, and thank God that he is merciful to us. I mean, his mercy is the only thing we really have.

Finally, I direct your attention to another fine post at 21st Century Reformation. Brad's preparing to preach from Romans 6, and in doing so he has allowed the text to read his own heart. This is an example of encountering the Scriptures as they were meant to be encountered. Even as we study the Word, the Word shines its piercing light deep into us. Specifically, in Brad's case, Romans 6 has prompted a key question:

This morning I was contemplating my next sermon on Romans 6 and "no longer letting sin reign in your mortal bodies". My sermon is on the "How to do this".

My thought was that the church doesn't teach often how to do this putting off. Paul later explains the process as "if we by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh". The question is:

Has anyone ever explained this process to you? Do you think the leaders in our churches know how to teach others how to do this putting off and ultimately bring others to victory? If an addict came to you, could you lead him to victory and liberation? If a person was struggling in their marriage with arguing, could you teach them, over say 6 months, how to find self-control and the means to be delivered from the impulse to anger?

If we can't do these basic discipleship tasks, are we making disciples?