Featured John Piper

Van

Yes....i am sure John Piper is reading BB...hoping to read van's posts to help him understand his bible:laugh::laugh:

 

ROFLOL, scripture says men received the gospel with joy, but no one would receive Calvinism's version if presented accurately rather than in code.

I provided evidence for my observations, quoting John Piper, what evidence have you supplied? Nothing, zip, nada.

Consider this, if I had presented the John Piper quote without attribution, as if it reflected my view, each and every Calvinist would have said I was wrong, spiritually dead men cannot seek God and on and on. Bait and switch.

When I presented the "do your best" and if God credits your faith, flawed as it may be, He will save you, a Calvinist said I got it wrong. Calvinism speaks with forked tongue.

 

Christ died for all men, Jew or Gentile, thus He died for His people. Whoever God gives to Him becomes a member of His people, Jew or Gentile, a part of "all Israel." Limited Atonement is a complete work of fiction.

 

Wow, what a post! I respect your opinion.

 

Calvinism relies upon misrepresenting scripture, using unsound hermeneutics, and slicing and dicing it to alter and even reverse its meaning.

Case in point, John Piper's presentation of Romans 14:23. Here is how he presented it:

But here is the actual verse, unedited: "But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin." So the actual idea is if you are not sure God allows you to eat food that might lead to a brother stumbling, then to eat it is sin because you do not have faith it is in God's will. Thus the verse does not even address faith in Christ. John Piper lifts a partial quote, and then says it says what it does not say. Not a well to drink from.

 

You don't get out much;do you? And when you do get some air it is certain you do not frequent the track rack of Reformed Churches. You have a lot of temerity to state things so absolutely with absolutely no truth behind your charges. Name some Reformed churches you have visited. Just one even,if you are feeling caught in a trap by my question.

 

(A) I don't "kid" or lie, as you've implied, when I'm talking about anything relating to our Creator and Saviour.

(B) Books are like food. Good, healthy, food nourishes and strengthens our bodies to help us do what God has called us to do. Books, the Bible first and foremost, nourishes our minds and our souls. Secular books can teach craftsman's skills when a master craftsman is not available to give hands-on instruction, in the art of staining wood, for example. Since, the Master Craftsman, lives within us, we don't NEED any book, except HIS for guidance to do His will.

Books are like food. What does the Bible say about gluttony? What does the Bible say about moderation? Are we supposed to sit at the table and keep on eating everything from the menu that appeals to us? Amazon has a vast menu of dishes to choose from to grace the table before us. Their menu never ends, unless we push our chairs away from the table.

Whether books offering human opinions of God or meat and taters, at some point, we have to leave the table. If we don't and our gluttony grows, either one can be a negative in our lives. We are consuming the fruit of others, instead of producing fruit ourselves.

Your key words that tell, oh so much about you........ "already going to work".

"Going to work" vs "already working". How many times do I hear the phrase "going to" in the world around me? I'm "going to" start a diet tomorrow, while reaching for another serving of meat and taters. I'm "going to" mow the grass tomorrow, while sitting on a couch watching TV. I'm "going to" start coming to church on Sunday. I'm "going to" start reading my Bible.

Far too often, those "I'm going to" turn into vague empty promises. Diet, grass mowing, church attendance, Bible reading, etc. are postponed to yet another tomorrow. Excuses abound.

If there's no question about it, why did you say what you said in your reply? Implication is that you agree with the premise. Yet, the rest of your post implies the opposite. Brother -- think about it.

Interesting reply, especially in view of what those three letters say and don't say.

(A) Did God call you to leave SC?
(B) Working nights and Saturday's gave you the opportunity to open air preach during the day, during weekdays.
(C) God never promised that our lot in life, that our calling would be easy.
(D) Do you ever pray for God to put you where you can best do His will, regardless of the shift schedule? There are lost to be reached 24 hours a day. God wants willing workers, who put personal preferences aside, in order to do His will.
(E) What does the distance to Denver have to do with anything? I live an hour, each way, from the closest big city. Are there no small communities between you and Denver? Are there no opportunities, whatsoever, in your immediate vicinity to take the Good News of our Saviour?

Look for the "excuses" in your life. I have to do that very thing, everyday. It is far too easy to let satan's long list of excuses take priority. I know. I'm guilty, too. :tear:

You didn't read my post(s). :flower:
God hasn't called me to be a preacher. There are many ways to serve our Lord without having a "preacher" designation. Sometimes, it's picking up a mop to clean the floor in the Fellowship Hall. Sometimes, it's replacing a rotten bathroom floor in the home of a disabled person. Sometimes it's taking a person to his/her doctor's appointments. Sometimes it's making CD copies of sermons to be mailed to shut-ins living in nursing homes. Sometimes it's helping a neighbor, who's behind in his own work, because he has been helping someone else. Sometimes, it's simply extending a hand and an offer of help, regardless of the how, to someone truly in need.

Serving our Lord isn't just about preaching and handing out tracts. Serving the Lord isn't just about reading more books. Yes, God calls some to preach. Yes, handing out tracts can be worthwhile. (qualifier here) IMO, God gives most multiple gifts. Not always the same ones to each person. However, I believe that God expects us to use all of our gifts, everyday. Every time, the opportunity arises to use one or more of them.

In terms of serving our Lord, the most important thing that I might do this day, is to loan my truck to someone who needs to take trash to a landfill. If that arises, there's a choice to be made. Either find an "excuse" for not doing so, or hand him the keys. (The equivalent of that happened twice last week. Loaned my truck to someone in need.) ie practicing, as best I can, what I preach.

Again, please go back and read what I wrote, Brother. Since you gave those words an "Amen", apply them. What are you doing in the hours that you are not looking for a job? Since I've also done job hunting, have a decent idea of how much time it actually takes in an average day/week. What are you doing during the rest of your waking hours? This, in part, gets back to books, which is the topic of this thread. Are you sitting at the table consuming more books, when you have the opportunity to do so much more in the name of our Lord. Opportunity that will not exist once a new found job takes 40 hours a week from the time available to serve Him, in His calling.

You've included a "we" in your plan. Why do you need a "we" to "hit the streets"? Are you married, yet? Are you still "dating"? Think about it, Brother. If, God has called you to "open air preach" His word, are you scheduling your time based on her schedule or His?

What is God's ideal schedule for you to preach the Gospel of our Saviour? IMO, as a layman, reading your words, shouldn't you be saying, that you'll be doing this at every opportunity that God provides, each and every day of the month? Are you working on your timetable or His?

You either missed or ignored the point being made. I doesn't matter what content is in those 10 books. Is it time to leave the table and use what you've already learned? How many hours will it take to consume those 10 books? Hours that can be used to serve our Lord in other ways?

The same way that you would engage any other lost person. God, Himself, equips all He calls to preach, with all they need to take His message to the lost. As mentioned before, an "uneducated" pastor that I know, has never read all those books you mention, yet he is doing his part to help bring the lost to Christ. The evidence is in the fruit he bears. If you were to mention "New Spirituality" to him, I doubt that he'd have a clue as to what you're talking about. HE DOESN'T NEED TO HAVE THAT HEAD KNOWLEDGE. He has what God gave him, when God called him to preach.

I'm not "preaching" anything from the standpoint that you just mentioned. It doesn't matter what kind of label that you try to stick on me to try to justify yourself. To find excuses. Brother, you've just crossed a line that you shouldn't have crossed with another brother in Christ.

Perhaps it's time that I do what the scriptures, tell us to do with dust and sandals. For me to ask a question. raying: Lord, is there anything else that I can do or say before moving on and leaving this brother to his own destiny of regret for what might have been? :tear:

 

This is one of the books I readily recommend (The Gospel According to Jesus), so I would say this one. One of the things about it is it is almost more like commentary on scripture, so that while you read it you are still reading scripture.

It may be I am a little biased, as I believe MacArthur to be one of the best teachers out there (though we disagree on a few things, lol), and I am not familiar with Piper.

Give it a go, E, I would bet if you get through the first couple chapters it will be difficult to put down. And it is a very easy book to read, and doesn't take long to read it.

God bless.

 

I've listened to both, and while I respect them as preachers, there are more times when I see almost no distinction between them and most Arminian/semi-Pelagian preachers out there.

 

Considering the author being asked about us a Calvinist, you couldn't be more wrong.

 

I see two people who asserted I had not been to any reformed churches without a shred of evidence. This was a feeble effort to undercut the fact that Reformed Church Salvation tracks soft pedal Calvinism and present pretty much the Arminian gospel.

Here is one such tract:

Notice this could be presenting the Arminian gospel because it leaves out the if God chose you before creation and enables you to turn to God, then you will be compelled to turn toward God. Calvinism speaks with forked tongue.

No amount of attacks on my character will alter the obvious truth.

BTW, the church where I looked over the tract rack is " Emmanuel Reformed Church."

 

Actually... having read both books that the OP was actually about, I couldn't be more right. Just b/c Piper is a Calvie doesn't mean he harps on it in every book he writes. You guys are raising moot points. His views on LA have nothing to do w/ his outstanding books mentioned in the OP.

Thanks again for adding to the unhelpfulness just b/c you have an axe to grind against reformed theology.

 

Greektim has no clue, the issue is not that he harps on the 5 points, that is the opposite of what I claimed, he runs from and presents a deceptive gospel that reads like the Arminian gospel unless you recognize the code. Your post pointing to the Calvinist fictions of Irresistible Grace and Total Spiritual Inability was helpful, but your slanderous person attacks are devoid of truth.

 

Considering his books are written through the lens of Calvinism, I couldn't be more right. His entire theology is based on the premesis Calvinism is true. I don't care one way or the other, just pointing out you are wrong. No axe to grind. My axe is against pride.