A Fresh Look at Podcasts

It must be five years that I have listened to The Daily Audio Bible--four years blogging here. I love how they have helped me meditate on God's Word.

See http://www.dailyaudiobible.com/

In 2011 I recorded my Scripture highlights for the whole year. In 2012 I even got their Passages Bible on my Nook. It tracks with the Daily Audio Bible podcast so you don't have to turn pages in your Bible:

• Old Testament reading
• New Testament reading
• Psalms--goes through twice in a year
• Proverbs

If you have a goal, dare I say a resolution, to go through the whole Bible in 2013, you can do an iTunes download for Daily Audio Bible on your computer and then put it on your device. I have both an iPhone and an iPod, but just put podcasts on my iPod and can listen at home or in the car. Then if someone calls me, I can simply get off the road,  stop my podcast and take the phone call. Today I am at home and listened to the Daily Audio Bible on my computer. At times I also pick up on some of their prayer requests.

Every few days on my iPod I love to listen to

http://www.albertmohler.com/category/podcast/

Al Mohler delivers news from a Christian persective. His first podcast of 2013 includes:

• Story 1 - US Congress Passes Fiscal Cliff Deal, Financial Times (Richard McGregor); A Showdown Long Foreseen, New York Times (Jennifer Steinhauer); Wonkbook: Everything you Need to Know about the Fiscal Cliff Deal, Washington Post (Ezra Klein)
• 
  

  • 

  Story 2 - New year, new laws, and new challenges for constructive Christian thought  Measures to Rule the Land—From Marriage to Marijuana, Wall Street Journal (Dan Strumpf)
• Story 3 - The greatest threat to religious liberty in modern times:  Hobby Lobby to Defy Law on Contraception Insurance Coverage, Los Angeles Times (Shan Li)
• Story 4 - Christians need to pray for Hillary Clinton’s full recovery

I learn so much from Dr. Mohler. I also just ordered his book on the Ten Commandments, Words from the Fire and look forward to reading it.

You have to be careful, however, listening in your car. One day an officer stopped me.

"Sir, I didn't notice that STOP sign because I was changing podcasts."

"Show me your iPod," he said. I did and noticing "Safe Driver" on my driver's license he let me go with a warning.

These days some ministries have gone to YouTube, but that takes time to listen to on your computer, or smart phone. If I get a chance to listen to YouTube, I would listen to

http://www.youtube.com/user/NiceneCouncilcom

Nicene Council produced the most viewed posts of all time on this blog for their best-selling DVD Amazing Grace.

But for now, time wise, I get my daily Bible reading in on my podcasts. Listening causes me to go back and meditate and pray more--just a desire of my heart. Many reformed folks, I fear, just seem to read theology, but not the Bible. Many Christians do neither, I also fear.

What is your favorite medium for input--blogs, podcasts, books, serious Bible study? What books did you get recently to recommend to me?

I do not have the Bible as  a resolution, because it has become a habit now.

Amazing Grace DVD--Third Post

Election doesn't seem politically correct or fair to everyone. But what does Scripture say?

 

Part Two of the Amazing Grace DVD gives Scriptural support for election. Many Christians skip over terms in Scripture such as chosen.

As many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Acts 13:48

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. . . . Ephesians 1:4 

The film points out that we don't seem to have a problem with Jewish people being chosen in the Old Testament. We also see God chose Jacob over Jacob's brother Esau.  Why would God save anyone? God's plan to elect some to salvation doesn't include everyone. Signing on the dotted line or "going forward" and then living selfishly is not what it's about and neither is it penance or doing good.

J. I. Packer makes this contrast: "The Arminians say: 'I owe my election to my faith'; the Calvinist says 'I owe my faith to my election.'" Man does 1%, Arminians say, but C. H. Spurgeon points out

The doctrine of justification itself,

as preached by an Arminian,

is nothing but the doctrine of salvation by works.

So many modern churches have turned to works-righteousness--doing things for God. The DVD deals with Scripture that Arminians often use as proof and you just have to see this film which thoroughly examines those passages. The late D. James Kennedy is even humorous in the DVD when he explains ALL and EVERYONE.

Part Three of the Amazing Grace DVD answers questions about evangelism. If God elects, does the believer do anything? Do the Calvinists sit back then and let God elect? No! Historically Calvinists Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield have been outstanding evangelists as have John Piper and D. James Kennedy.  Like D. Martin Lloyd-Jones they start with the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man and the consequences of that sin. Easy Christianity lets you have it your way--you are okay and God loves you as you are--Christ is just something new to try. However, escaping hell is not what Christianity is about. It is about following willingly, persevering, because He has called his elect to righteous living and what He expects He enables. Ephesians 2 points out that by grace you are saved through faith not of works and no one can boast even about their 1%.

Theology is so very accessible in this film, and you just have to purchase it from NiceneCouncil.com or view it if you know someone who has it. Be prepared for over four worthwhile hours. Many view it several times as we have. Executive Producer Jerry Johnson has reported that upon viewing this film viewers have become believers, and Christianity has begun to make sense for others. It has informed my faith and my reading. 

                                                  

Amazing Grace DVD--Second Post

Postmoderns don’t need the history of the church, but the first part of the Amazing Grace DVD is about the history of the church. So if you are a postmodern, don’t bother viewing.

Why do we need to know the history of the church? It has been said we are doomed to repeat history if we don’t learn from it. The debates in history become quite interesting in this film. I will not give you the whole carefully crafted historical account written and produced  by Jerry Johnson and Eric Holmberg that includes the Council of Carthage, the Council of Trent and the Synod of Dort. Suffice it to say man either saves himself or God saves him--what the historic and  current debate is about.

Augustine prayed, Lord give us what though commandest, and command what thou wilt. Pelagius disagreed. He felt that man was born sinless and could cooperate with God in his own salvation, taking credit. If I ought, I can was the view of Pelagius--the beginning of  the free will concept.

Semi-Pelagian Erasmus believed that by free choice in this place we mean a power of the human will by which a man can apply himself to the things which lead to eternal salvation, or turn away from them.

Then came James Arminius of the Netherlands whose name is associated with Arminianism and of course in contrast the Martin Luther's beginning of the Reformation:

MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH AND NOT BY WORKS.

“Prince of Preachers” Baptist Charles Spurgeon quotes Martin Luther If any man doth ascribe aught of salvation, even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and he hath not learnt Jesus Christ aright.

Put all this in perspective as you view Part One of this DVD. Understand these concepts:

• Monergism-- Man is dead in trespasses and sin. Regeneration is the work of God alone.
• Synergism—God and man together for man's salvation.

Hear insights from leaders such as J. I.  Packer: Arminianism made man’s salvation depend ultimately on man himself, saving faith being viewed throughout as man’s own work.

The late D. James Kennedy says:  

Unregenerate man is free

to do what he wants to do, 

but 

not what  God wants him to do.

Human effort, doing God's work for Him,  has crept into the church  We need that prospective of history to evaluate this works/righteousness synergism.

Amazing Grace DVD--First Post

It has explained so many things,

all using the Bible as its foundation.

"Amazing Grace: The History & Theology of Calvinism" DVD starts out with a quote from C.S. Lewis:

The Christian does not think God will have us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.

I viewed this video when it first came out in 2004, all four hours and 17 minutes of it. Since then it has sold over 50,000 copies. It is worth watching again for me, and there is even a study guide. It is, by far, the best introduction to the Reformed faith that is out there in my opinion unless you want to read tons of books. I dare say it has helped the return to Reformed thinking and Reformed churches and on blogs I have read that people have come to Reformed thinking from this DVD.

Originally produced by The Apologetics Group, it can be purchased from NiceneCouncil.com who also put out "The Late Great Planet Church" on the carousel wheel above (and reviewed below on this blog). I cannot do justice to this Amazing Grace DVD here, so you will just have to order it from NiceneCouncil.com. Fortunately, there is a link where you can get an introduction:  http://www.amazinggracedvd.com/ 

As I have time I will blog a little about it this week to wet your appetitie. Six years later it is as new as ever for me and I am getting much more out of it in my search to appreciate my Christian faith and its history.