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Author Archives: barrydean

Decisions, Decisions.

I will definitely admit I am far from being in a position to be asked to participate in any forum where I would be speaking in front of hundreds of people. I am truly not trying to be critical of those who are and the choices they make. I am just trying to think through these things as I listen to some of my favorite speakers and some of the forums they are invited to. Today’s case in point, Michael Horton speaking in at forum in Saddleback Church on June 10th as part of the “12 Cities 12 Conversations” project hosted by the Lausanne Movement.

Earlier this week after watching the recorded web cast of the panel discussion I posed a question, via email, to many of my church leadership friends regarding Horton participating in this panel discussion at Saddleback Church. I received many responses, from simply “dumb” to a short rebuttal in the use of the phrase “reformed infatuation” from a popular blogger brother. But included in this blogger’s response was a point made to him by Mark Dever a few years ago. The point being that if anyone opened their platform or pulpit to him (Mark Dever) he would gladly take the opportunity to present the true gospel. In some cases it may be the only time they audience would hear it.

After watching the panel discussion, I now know why Horton was there. I have included the link below and in the body of this post. If you haven’t seen it please notice the term “gospel” thrown around quite a bit, Horton addresses this later. But the term is used in such a way as to infer that the gospel is the same as the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. This is the law, but it is NOT the gospel. This would fall in line with some points made by my senior pastor in a recent sermon found here.

If you watch the video of the panel discussion, the real discussion doesn’t really get cranked up until about 16 minutes in, so you may want to push the feed forward and bypass all the posturing and introductions. Around the 45 minute mark Horton brings up the term “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism”, this term is mentioned many times in his book “Christless Christianity“. (Catch Kay Warren chanting Burger King after Horton finishes speaking as if saying have it your way) But my favorite part of the discussion is when Michael Horton addresses the question “How do we make sure that the proclamation of Jesus doesn’t get lost among the feeding of the hungry and the care for the widows and orphans?”. This comes right at the tail end of the first video (there are two parts), which is around the 60 minute mark. Horton zooms right in on what the gospel is. Very cool. Glory to God.

The web cast panel discussion at Saddleback Church (again the real discussion doesn’t get going until about 16 to 20 minutes in)

Patrick Abendroth on “The Dechristianization of Christianity”

The gospel in about a minute by John Piper.

I would encourage any and all comments on this discussion in particular on the subject of decisions to participate in these venues. Did Horton get his point across or was he marginalized? If you are a preacher given the opportunity to speak at a venue, like say the Crystal Cathedral, would you use it to preach the gospel?

The Marks of a Godly Man – Mark 2: Pursue godliness.

19 Feb

In Mark 1 of a godly man we learned that a man of God is to flee from the lust of money and it’s influences on our life. The apostle Paul follows up this command with an exhortation to:

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. (1 Tim. 6:11b)

This is the the topic of my second posting in this series and the second mark of a godly man. These marks can be found in a sermon by John MacArthur called “4 Marks of the Man of God“. The structure of this verse in 1 Timothy is perfect because after a don’t command is given we are given a do command. If we are command to flee from something we, in turn, should be running after something. The greek verb for “pursue” actually tranlates to “follow after”. We are commanded to flee from the temporary lures of this world and to follow after the eternal in righeousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. In his sermon John MacArthur focuses on the godliness in these attributes we are to pursue, and so will I.

Godliness is about thinking rightly. We need to allow God to sanctify our minds and hearts and cultivate godliness. The apostle Paul obviously considers godliness to be critical to the man who desires to serve God as a church leader. So much so that he mentions godliness nine times in the pastoral epistles known as 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. The godliness Paul was pursuing influenced him to write:

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Cor. 9:27 ESV)

The NIV replaces the word “discipline” with “beat”. Paul’s attitude was to beat back the natural desires of the flesh in order to keep from being disqualified as a preacher and bring shame on the Lord. This is serious business. I’ll leave this posting with a quote MacArthur uses to conclude this mark. It is a quote from Charles Bridges. (circa 1794 – 1869):

If we should study the Bible more as ministers than as Christians, more to find matter for the instruction of our people than food for the nourishment of our own souls, we neglect to place ourselves at the feet of our divine teacher. Our communion with Him is cut off and we become mere formalists in sacred profession. We cannot feed ourselves by feeding others.

1 Comment

Posted by barrydean on February 19, 2010 in 1 Timothy 6:11, Charles Bridges, godly man, John MacArthur, manning up, Omaha Bible Church

The Marks of a Godly Man – Mark 1: The running man.

20 Jan

I am not sure how many marks I am going to have, but I do know there will be at least four. I am basing this post on a sermon I heard recently from John MacArthur and he outlined at least four marks. I felt compelled to do this topic due to the upcoming weekend Men’s Conference called “Manning Up: in church, home, and culture“. Our local church is hosting the conference during the weekend of Feb. 19th. I am very excited about the conference so I decided to do some pre-conference research and study.

The marks of a godly man can be found in 1 Timothy chapter 6. This text is the basis of John MacArthur’s sermon “4 Marks of the Man of God“. The first mark that a godly man is known by is what he flees from.

But as for you, O man of God, flee from these things. (1 Tim. 6:11a ESV)

In MacArthur’s sermon he points out the greek grammer used here in this verse. The context of flee is a continuial action that is commanded here. We get the word running man or fugitive. We are commanded to be running relentlessly all the time. What is the man of God to flee from? The previous text in the chapter helps me answer this question. It is the lust of money found in verses 9 and 10. If you go all the way back to verse 3 we find that Paul (the author of the text) is referring to those who are deprived of the truth and assume an air of godliness and religion for personal gain. We are instructed by God, through this letter of Paul to Timothy, to flee from the draw and lust of money and it’s influences on our life for all of our lives. Never ceasing. We are never to put a price on our calling. Never put a price on your ministry. John MacArthur forms the following into a statement, but I like the question form. If you do put a price on it, will you have prostituted your calling of God into personal gain? We are to flee I say, flee. Desire to be a running man.

Running Man sketch courtesy of The Digital Sketchbook.

1 Comment

Posted by barrydean on January 20, 2010 in 1 Timothy 6:11, godly man, manning up, Men's Conference, Omaha Bible Church

Pornography and the Male Brain: What’s Really going On?

14 Jan

I’ve been away for a few months and I’d like to apologize to my reader. By God’s grace alone there might be more than my one loyal reader, my lovely wife, and I apologize to them as well. My lovely wife has been prodding me to write more postings but I just haven’t been personally motivated to do so. Especially since Facebook provides a quick and easy way to post some brief thoughts. FB is nice but it doesn’t provide a very large posting media. So at my wife’ s encouragement and the added motivation from my latest commentor, I am back.

Earlier today while eating my lunch at work I listened to a recent broadcast from Dr. Albert Mohler’s radio program. The subject of the broadcast was one that has peaked my interest as one who has experienced the draw of this sinful industry in the past. Though this sin can have devasting consequences, the Lord Jesus Christ offers real hope and forgiveness to those who seek freedom from it.

The guest of Dr. Mohler’s program was Dr. William M. Struthers who has recently written a book titled “Wired For Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain“. There were three questions proposed concerning this subject by Dr. Mohler, they are as follows:

Why is the male mind so attracted to pornography?
What effect does it have on the male mind?
Why does this matter?

These are very important questions. they are not fully answered on the radio program but the conversation does peak your interest for reading Dr. Struthers new book. There is one important piece of dialog Dr. Mohler had, and it really hit home with me. The young male response to viewing the image of a naked woman for the first time, if unchecked or misdirected, can set him up for an incorrect response to the same later in his life. Especially if the viewing is prolonged and repeated many times throughout his young life. The markers and wiring are connected in a distorted way.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, (2 Cor. 10:5)

I would recommend this book to every male believer of Christ. In the age that we live in and the amount of visual stimulation that we encounter on a daily basis it’s necessary to understand the process that goes on in our mind.

2 Comments

Posted by barrydean on January 14, 2010 in Dr. Albert Mohler, Dr. William M. Struthers, lust, pornography, Wired For Intimacy

Those humanistic naysayers are at it again.

13 Oct

Today I read a Facebook posting that reminded those who follow Kevin DeYoung’s blog that his blog address had Overpopulation moved. He is now under the Gospel Coalition domain. Anyway, as I went to check out the new location I read his latest addition to the blog. The article is about a reincarnation of failed theories by Thomas Malthus resurfacing under the British group Optimum Population Trust or OPT. They are concerned about the effects of overpopulation of planet earth. It is great stuff when he refers to the biblical mandate that man is created in the image of God and “have an incredible knack for creating”. Man doesn’t just create problems on the earth he also solves them. I don’t want to rehash what DeYoung does quite well in his article, so you should go to the link here and read it for yourself.

2 Comments

Posted by barrydean on October 13, 2009 in God, Kevin DeYoung, Optimum Population Trust, Thomas Malthus

What Women Really Want? A biblical perspective.

01 Oct

In the process of trying to catch up on the audio from one of my favorite call in talk shows, The Albert Mohler Program, business-woman-thinking I came across a very interesting program from Friday September 25th this past week. In the program he commented and took calls about a recent article by columnist Maureen Dowd, a self-described feminist, in the New York Times. The title of the article was “Blue Is the New Black“. In the article Dowd points to some interesting data. She points to a survey by the General Social Survey, which has been tracking the mood of Americans since 1972, that indicates women have progressively been getting gloomier while men are getting happier. While the article doesn’t really come to any resolution for the funk women seem to be in, it does bring up some great observations. According to Dr. Mohler the article raises some questions that we should have an intellegent Christian conversation about. I agree.

One of Dowd’s observations is this:

When women stepped into male- dominated realms, they put more demands — and stress — on themselves. If they once judged themselves on looks, kids, hubbies, gardens and dinner parties, now they judge themselves on looks, kids, hubbies, gardens, dinner parties — and grad school, work, office deadlines and meshing a two-career marriage.

What this observation does is walk around a self-centeredness that is very common in our society today. Of course we know from a biblical world view the bottom factor is sinful pride, which has it’s affect on all of mankind. Aside from that, after three decades beyond the feminist revolution that promised women fulfillment, what have we really learned? What do women want, and why? What should make a woman happy or satisfied?

Dr. Mohler’s radio show is a call in show and many of his callers on this subject were women. Most of them commented about working towards a career early in their life and not finding real fulfillment until they quit the professional workplace and stayed at home to focus on the family and the home. One caller expressed when women are more driven toward a professional career they are going against what they were created for. I’m far from being an expert on women, but I have spoken with many who are godly and they all mention Proverbs 31 as a great biblical example of what a woman should want. Ultimately, as Dr. Mohler points out, the best response to the question is the gospel.

This is a great discussion that is of great importance and significance. I would encourage you to listen to the program, found at the link above and referenced at the link below.

What Women Want: A Response to Feminism

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Posted by barrydean on October 1, 2009 in Dr. Albert Mohler, feminism, gospel, Maureen Dowd, Proverbs 31

Commuting with Dr. S. Lewis Johnson

19 Aug

I have heard much admiration of Dr. S. Lewis Johnson from speakers at Shepherd’s Conference, including John SLEWISJOHNSON MacArthur, and Steve Lawson. So when I made the decision to listen to some sermons instead of listening to a book during my commute back and forth to work, I chose to check out some sermons by Dr. Johnson. I went to my primary resource of sermons (aside from my local pastors) at Monergism.com. There I found a series of sermons in the book of Isaiah. The series is an exposition of the whole book. I listened to the first one on Isaiah chapter one and then decided to download the whole series. After listening to the first sermon I found out that this series was done at Believer’s Chapel in Dallas, on a Monday evening in the fall of 1968. Lyndon Johnson was president of the United States. The audio was done as a special courtesy to those who wanted to follow along and not get left behind if they had to miss a sermon of two. There are 45 seperate audio files for this series. One for each sermon. So I now have an iPhone loaded with some great sermons to listen to for quite some time. For those who are not aquainted with this great preacher and teacher, I have provided some bio info below.

Dr. S. Lewis Johnson is considered by many to be one of the best expositors of the 20th Century. His impact continues today in the preaching ministries of many, including John MacArthur and Steve Lawson (just to name a couple). The depth of Johnson’s sermons and writings reflect his diligence in the study. Johnson was another preacher in the Reformed Dispensationalist camp (he was a Calvinist who maintained a distinction between the church and Israel and believed in a literal future kingdom where Christ will reign). ht – Shane Trammel

There is more bio info available at Theopedia.

Through the years I have listened to the preaching of S. Lewis Johnson far more than any other preacher. ~ Dr. John MacArthur

Other S. Lewis Johnson resources can be found at the following links:

The SLJ Institute

Faith By Hearing

Soli Deo Gloria

11 Comments

Posted by barrydean on August 19, 2009 in gospel, Isaiah, S. Lewis Johnson, Sermon Audio

Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings

15 Aug

It’s been quite some time since I did a music review and I’ve been meaning to review this album since it was released. Dream_Theater_-_Black_Clouds__Silver_Linings I guess the Dream Theater guys like the consistency of an album every other year. It’s been almost exactly two years since “Systematic Chaos” was released. You can read that review here. Much has happened with DT in the past couple of years. They have seen their song “Constant Motion” become available as a download for the video game Rock Band. DT headlined a successful 2008 package tour called “Progressive Nation Tour 2008. They also released a DVD of their previous tour called “Chaos in Motion”.

The newest album from the progressive aggressors known as Dream Theater is titled “Black Clouds and Silver Linings” is their tenth studio album. The album was released June 23rd of this year and on July 1st the album debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart. In addition to the standard CD, the album is available on vinyl LP, as well as a 3-disc Special Edition CD that includes the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six cover songs. The album I purchased from Amazon Downloads contains the new original material plus the six cover songs. The album was nominated for Album of the Year by Classic Rock Magazine and announced by the enduring heavy metal rockers Spinal Tap, seen here.

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Posted by barrydean on August 15, 2009 in Black Clouds and Silver Linings, Dream Theater

Book Review – Finally Alive

05 Aug

I called it perfect timing as I finished the last few sentences of “Finally Alive” by John Piper and at the same time pulled piper-alive into our driveway after another day of work and commuting to Omaha. In the forty-five minite trip each way, God has afforded me the opportunity to read (listen to) some excellent books. I have read seven or eight books since I made the decision to stop listening to so much talk radio. None of those books filled me with as much such joy as “Finally Alive“. I have read several books by John Piper. Some I’ve had difficulty with because of the way they’ve been structured. I’ve had to stop and re-read a chapter in order to fully grasp the concept he presents before I continue through the book. This was not the case with this book. Only once did I stop the audio and re-listen to the few sentences. I did it because the text had brought such a smile to my face that I wanted to experience that emotion again.

The book is wrtten about regeneration, and what it means to be born again. The term born again has been used in such diverse ways it is hard for anyone who does not know scripture to nail it down. It is used by the world to label fundamentalists or evangelicals. I was once asked during a religious discussion if I was “one of those born again Christians”. I replied with a question of my own, “What do you mean by the term “born again”? The word is indeed thrown around and used outside of it’s biblical context. It is used so much it is hard to distinguish those who claim to be born again and live like the world from those who do not. Piper helps the reader to examine this term and it’s meaning as it relates to scripture. He also shows us how to be certain our faith is genuine and our conversion real. Are you truly “born again”?

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Posted by barrydean on August 5, 2009 in 1 John, 1 Peter, book review, born again, Finally Alive, John 3, John Piper

Book Review – How Should We Then Live

17 Jul

Preface: This book, “How Should We Then Live, The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture“, is also the title of HSWTL an accompaning film directed by Schaeffer’s son Frank. I will be focusing on the book in this review. Since this is my first attempt at a book review, it may look like other reviews you’ve seen. I will have modeled the format from other book reviewers I’ve read. Like here and here. Lord willing I will be attempting other book reviews as I get more comfortable with my own format. So here goes.

Francis A. Schaffer (Jan. 30, 1912 – May 15, 1984) was an Amercian Evangelical Christian theologian, philospher, and Presbyterian pastor. Schaeffer authored many books and, along with his wife Edith, established the L’Abri community which now has locations all over the world.

I just finished reading this book (side note: My wife argues that it really isn’t reading since I am really listening to the audio version as I commute to work each day) which hasn’t given my comprehension the full time that it needs to digest all that I’ve read. But what I am comprehending continues to impress me. Schaeffer’s giftedness in philosophy and theology are evident throughout the book. As the book’s subtitle “The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture” indicates, Schaeffer takes us through marked times throughout earth’s history that has influenced much of what we call Western civilization. Each chapter is basically focused on these time periods.

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Posted by barrydean on July 17, 2009 in Ezekiel 33, Francis A. Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live, Western culture, Western thought