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Showing posts from January, 2011

Forsaking all known sin for eternal life? A discussion on degrees

We started a new semester at the school I teach at as an adjunct (the newly renamed Arizona Christian University).  I am teaching Acts-Revelation and have a new batch of bright-eyed students, ready to delve into their New Testament and explore it.  In that class I have a student who came to the class staunchly Reformed and perhaps turned off by the free grace position. (I invited her to follow this blog too!) We discussed on Facebook some of her concerns with the free grace position on eternal life; some of the concern was more perception than reality, more a caricature of what we believe than an interaction with what we really stand for. (it’s almost like we were talking politics or something!)  She was gracious in our discussion and we will have a fun semester of learning together, I am sure. Funny enough, after having this discussion with her I saw a blog entry from Michael Patton over at Parchment and Pen.  Michael was Dan Wallace’s intern at Dallas Theological Seminary and is

“I’m with Him!”

By Ryan Lambros   When I was 9 years old, my family went to California for a jump-rope tournament (yes, I was a competitive jump-roper…but that’s another blog discussion). While staying at the hotel near Coronado Island, we met 2 young Naval officers who were on a brief stay from the USS Kitty Hawk. My dad, being the talkative, I-can-befriend-anyone type guy, got them to see if we could go on board the aircraft carrier that night and tour the incredible ship. They pulled some strings and got my family and the whole jump rope team passes to tour the carrier.   When we arrived at the dock to enter the hugest ship I’d ever seen, we were each given passes that identified us as being with the two young men, thus giving us authorization to board the ship. I remember my dad telling me, “Ryan, if anyone asks who you are or why you’re here, you show them your pass and say, ‘I’m with him’ (pointing to one of the guys).” We continued the tour and I stayed super close to the two guys. They ga

President's Letter - January 2011

                                                                            “ T each us to number our days that we might present to you a heart of wisdom.” These are the ancient, wise words of Moses to Israel and to all of God’s people in any dispensation. We find ourselves with a new year before us with all the opportunities that the Lord will present to us. Might I suggest that we not only prioritize our schedule, but also and more importantly, schedule our priorities? Whether it is in our own spiritual lives or in the ministries that we serve, we all need a map or a matrix that we use to guide us to our desired goals. In 2011 the FGA has a three-fold ministry matrix by which we hope to help further our mission. First, we want to be involved in Equipping/Education . We wish to accomplish   this by an exchange of information through our website, blog, and through networking with our members. We also will provide more theological and ministry articles published by our members throu

Counseling Carnal Christians (Part 2: The Pattern)

By Dr. Fred Chay   Having dealt with the predicament many ministers face in the church today in Part 1 of this series , we turn now to finding a biblical pattern for approaching people who are living carnal lives in order to help them repent and live eternally significant lives.   It is a well documented fact of history that the church at Corinth in the mid fifties of the first century was shot through with serious issues of divisions, a spirit of selfishness, and immorality.  To navigate the twisted estuary of issues that existed at Corinth required all the skill the apostle Paul had gained and an abundance of the grace of God to the church. Paul approaches his task with a clear strategy which reveals a biblical pattern for counseling carnal Christians.   (1) Paul Affirms Their Position   The apostle Paul begins by affirming their position in Jesus Christ. He begins at the outset of his first epistle by reminding them of their true position and personhood by God's grace.