Tuesday, October 14, 2008

two ways to live: the choice we all face

Two Ways To Live www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wt  is a memorable summary of the Christian gospel. Or to put it more accurately, it is the Christian gospel including some of its necessary presuppositions and background.

In the New Testament, the word 'gospel' usually refers to the proclamation of Jesus Christ crucified. It is the announcement that God's kingdom has arrived in the person of his Son, the powerful Messiah, who inaugurates his worldwide reign by dying and rising again so that repentance and forgiveness can be preached to all nations. This Jesus Christ now rules at God's right hand, from where he will come again to judge.

In other words, Jesus himself is the focus of the Christian message or 'gospel'. However, Jesus does not arrive in a vacuum. He arrives as the culmination of God's plans, and their outworking in history. He comes and dies and rises, "according to the Scriptures". He arrives in the context of all that God has already revealed about himself and humanity.

All this is part of the background or 'worldview' that the biblical authors took for granted, but which many modern (or postmodern) people do not share. If we are to know and tell the gospel in a world where these basic assumptions about God and human guilt are no longer shared, or even common, then we need to fill in some of the rest of the story. We need to provide some of the background.

This is what Two Ways to Live seeks to do. It fills in some of the wider story of the Bible, some of the biblical theology, so that the message about Jesus makes sense. If you want to see the Two Ways to Live Gospel presentation you can do so below.



Thursday, October 9, 2008

Why Blog?

I confess it's the last thing I wanted to do.  It's hard enough keeping fresh every Sunday.  My wife questioned by sanity.  "Do you really want to be responsible for writing something EVERY WEEK?"  But then  I bumped into a web post--6 Reasons Pastors Should Blog.    Here is a quick take on that post.  Why Pastors' Should Blog...  1)... to write.  Writing has value for thinking.   If you strive to write well, you will strive to think well.  2)...to teach.  A blog is a perfect place for 30 second nuggets of truth that can't be shared in other venues.  3)...to recommend.  Blogs are great places for for suggesting and recommending.  4)...to interact.  It is a great way to stay abreast of people's opinion's and questions.  5)...to develop an eye for what is meaningful.  A blog nurtures a habit of looking for insight and wisdom and value in every situation, no matter how mundane.  If you live life looking for what is worthwhile in every little thing, you will see more or what God has to teach.  6)...to be known.   A pastor is far more then his ideas.  He is a husband and a father, someone's friend and other people's enemy.  People need some access to you as a person.  A blog is one of them.   

So there you have it.  I'm in!  I'm officially part of the blogging world.  YAHOO!