Theology

This is part of a series in which I hash out my notes I have scribbled on my bulletin from the Sunday sermons. As such things may be messy and abruptly end. Context You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ...

John 12: The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 1 Cor 15: Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. ...

The gods must be snacking: People are drawn to Kaluapele, the sacred summit area of Kīlauea. Visitors are often compelled to leave offerings to pay respect to Pelehonuamea, the elemental deity of volcanism and creation. Native Hawaiians have honored deities at Kīlauea for centuries, and many express their reverence with hoʻokupu (offerings), personal pule (prayer), or oli (chants) to Pele. Others offer her hula kahiko (traditional dance) as a way of honoring this wahi kapu (sacred area). ...

Every so often I hear this phrase come up at the start of some conversations with certain Christians. I’ll say, “Hey, how’s it going?” and I typically will get the reply, “Oh, better than I deserve…”. I’ve heard it so often now that my internal BS alarm went off and I figure there’s no better time to dig into this saying than now. I’m not sure where the phrase originally came from, but as far as I can tell, it appears to at least been popularized by people like Dave Ramsey or pastor C.J. Mahaney of Sovereign Grace church. ...

Didact has three excellent post on the nature of ticket-taking (that is, the nature of the offers that Satan/his agents tempt mankind with). With a combination of ignorance, incredulity, and ‘Christian Materialism’ that I see both online and in real life interactions, it is imperative that anyone, especially Christians, gain at least some understanding of the spiritual battles we face. Taking the ticket will destroy you Link: At some point in your life, someone will give you an opportunity that seems too good to pass up. The cost to you will be small. You will simply have to make a small moral compromise. The reward, on the other hand, will be relatively high. ...