During our vacation last month, my family and I visited Redeemer Community Church, a nondenominational Bible church in Little Rock, Arkansas. I have been listening to their minister Bob Lepine's online sermons and reading his blog for some time now. Although we were unable to meet Mr. Lepine during our visit since he was away on vacation at the same time, we enjoyed our time with the church. Our son Christopher loved it because the guest speaker was an Army chaplain.
A couple of Sundays ago, I was listening to Bob Lepine online as he was preaching through the twenty-first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, a text focusing on the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the coming of Jesus Christ in power and glory.
In the introduction to his multi-part lesson on this text, the preacher presented the four major views of the end times: historic premillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism. He explained that your view of the end times will influence the way you interpret Luke 21.
Then the pastor said something that I found extremely interesting. He warned the congregation to hold their views softly, with a large dose of humility, because there is a good chance that you are wrong.
He pointed out that many biblical doctrines are very clear and need to be held firmly. For example, every Christian would affirm that Jesus is the only Way to the Father. "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" (John 14:6). However, some biblical doctrines are less clear and more difficult to understand. Bob Lepine reminded the church that whether they chose to believe the historic premillennial view, the dispensational premillennial view, the postmillennial view, or the amillennial view, they had a 75% chance of being wrong. However, that is not an excuse to ignore difficult passages in the Bible. Mr. Lepine encouraged the assembly to wrestle with such passages, but to do so with humility.
I had not thought of it in such a way before, but I found Bob Lepine's advice to be wise. We should hold on to clear biblical teachings firmly, but hold on to less clear understandings of the Bible softly. We may be wrong, and we need to be open to correction.
Showing posts with label Bob Lepine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bob Lepine. Show all posts
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, April 04, 2010
A Good Way to Relate to People Who Don't Share Your Christian Convictions
In addition to co-hosting the FamilyLife Today radio program, Bob Lepine serves as a pastor of Redeemer Community Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Each week, he writes something for the church's blog (http://redeemerlr.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=8&Itemid=50). This is a portion from his excellent post on March 31, 2010:
"After I had finished speaking last week at the TrueWoman10 conference in Chattanooga, I had a wife come up to me seeking counsel. It was obvious that God had been stirring in her own heart at this event. But as she contemplated going home, she was discouraged.
"Her husband, she said, professes faith in Christ, but his life doesn't match his profession. She finds herself conflicted between wanting to live a life that is wholly consecrated to Christ and a desire to live in oneness with her husband. What should she do?
"I gave her some general counsel about not compromising her faith, while seeking to win her husband without a word. Mary Ann and I prayed for her, and we were done.
"Later, I thought about what I wished I had told her.
"I wish I had told her that her holiness matters to God and she should seek to live a life that is righteous, morally upright and blameless. At the same time she should be careful not to parade her holiness before her husband. God cares about her obedience to Him. But her desire for holiness isn't what will make her walk with Christ attractive to her husband.
"Instead, it is as her life manifests the fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control--that her husband will see in her qualities that he desires to be true in his own life.
"God does indeed care about her moral convictions and standards, but her husband won't. He will not be impressed by the things she says 'no' to.
"But as she kindly, compassionately, humbly loves and serves him, looking for ways to bless him and support him and encourage him, he'll find himself being drawn to the Christ he sees in her.
"I believe that principle is true in all of our relationships with people who don't share our spiritual convictions. They won't be drawn to Christ primarily because our arguments for the Christian life make sense to them. And they won't be drawn to Christ because we live lives with a commitment to a higher moral standard than they do.
"Ultimately, the only thing that will draw them to Christ is the Spirit of God working through the word of God. Faith comes by hearing a message about Christ.
"But when we live lives marked by self-sacrifice and love for others, we show the power of Christ at work in our own lives. And that can help soften the soil of a human heart to make it more ready to receive the seed of God's word when it comes.
"Would the people who know you best--a spouse, your children, family members, co-workers--would they say that you are a person who radiates love? Joy? Peace? Patience? And all the rest?
"The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you. It is His power at work in you that makes it possible for you to live the kind of life that puts His glory and grace on display."
"After I had finished speaking last week at the TrueWoman10 conference in Chattanooga, I had a wife come up to me seeking counsel. It was obvious that God had been stirring in her own heart at this event. But as she contemplated going home, she was discouraged.
"Her husband, she said, professes faith in Christ, but his life doesn't match his profession. She finds herself conflicted between wanting to live a life that is wholly consecrated to Christ and a desire to live in oneness with her husband. What should she do?
"I gave her some general counsel about not compromising her faith, while seeking to win her husband without a word. Mary Ann and I prayed for her, and we were done.
"Later, I thought about what I wished I had told her.
"I wish I had told her that her holiness matters to God and she should seek to live a life that is righteous, morally upright and blameless. At the same time she should be careful not to parade her holiness before her husband. God cares about her obedience to Him. But her desire for holiness isn't what will make her walk with Christ attractive to her husband.
"Instead, it is as her life manifests the fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control--that her husband will see in her qualities that he desires to be true in his own life.
"God does indeed care about her moral convictions and standards, but her husband won't. He will not be impressed by the things she says 'no' to.
"But as she kindly, compassionately, humbly loves and serves him, looking for ways to bless him and support him and encourage him, he'll find himself being drawn to the Christ he sees in her.
"I believe that principle is true in all of our relationships with people who don't share our spiritual convictions. They won't be drawn to Christ primarily because our arguments for the Christian life make sense to them. And they won't be drawn to Christ because we live lives with a commitment to a higher moral standard than they do.
"Ultimately, the only thing that will draw them to Christ is the Spirit of God working through the word of God. Faith comes by hearing a message about Christ.
"But when we live lives marked by self-sacrifice and love for others, we show the power of Christ at work in our own lives. And that can help soften the soil of a human heart to make it more ready to receive the seed of God's word when it comes.
"Would the people who know you best--a spouse, your children, family members, co-workers--would they say that you are a person who radiates love? Joy? Peace? Patience? And all the rest?
"The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you. It is His power at work in you that makes it possible for you to live the kind of life that puts His glory and grace on display."
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Legalism, Grace, Holiness, and Service
This is an excerpt from Bob Lepine's blog on September 30:
"I'm afraid that in our desire to steer clear of legalism today, we have tuned out the call of Christ to holy, set apart living. We can and should celebrate our freedom in Christ. But we must remember, as Paul says in Galatians 5:13: 'do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.'
"Your friends, your co-workers, your children, and everyone with whom you come in contact today will be observing your conduct, your aim in life, your faith, your patience, your love, and your steadfastness. They will be looking carefully to see if your holiness and your willingness to serve others authenticates what you say you believe is true about Jesus and the gospel."
You may read the rest of Bob Lepine's post from September 30, 2009 on his blog. Please click on his name on my Blog Roll at the right to find his blog.
His thoughts reminded me of the apostle Paul's words to his friend and co-worker Titus: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good" (Titus 2:11-14).
"I'm afraid that in our desire to steer clear of legalism today, we have tuned out the call of Christ to holy, set apart living. We can and should celebrate our freedom in Christ. But we must remember, as Paul says in Galatians 5:13: 'do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.'
"Your friends, your co-workers, your children, and everyone with whom you come in contact today will be observing your conduct, your aim in life, your faith, your patience, your love, and your steadfastness. They will be looking carefully to see if your holiness and your willingness to serve others authenticates what you say you believe is true about Jesus and the gospel."
You may read the rest of Bob Lepine's post from September 30, 2009 on his blog. Please click on his name on my Blog Roll at the right to find his blog.
His thoughts reminded me of the apostle Paul's words to his friend and co-worker Titus: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good" (Titus 2:11-14).
Monday, May 25, 2009
Confessions of a Fundamentalist
I liked Bob Lepine's blog entry on May 20 (http://redeemerlr.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=8&Itemid=50). Here is a portion of his post:
"I have a shocking revelation to share with you this week. A confession of sorts.
"I hope you won't think less of me or hold it against me.
"I am a fundamentalist.
"There. I said it.
"I remember several years ago when my parents were attending a Sunday school class at the mainline denominational church they attended. The subject of the class was Understanding the Fundamentalists. During a phone conversation one afternoon, my mom told me about the class and I asked what they had learned in the class.
"'They're just explaining the things fundamentalists believe.' she told me.
"I answered, 'You mean things like the inerrancy of scripture, the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection, and His literal, physical coming again?'
"There was silence on the phone. Finally my mom stammered with horror in her voice, 'Are you a...a...fundamentalist?'
"Guilty as charged.
"The term fundamentalist was first used about 100 years ago. That's when liberal Bible scholars were beginning to undermine some of the things that the Bible teaches and that Christians throughout the centuries have always believed and affirmed. Things like the list I recited for my mom in our phone conversation...
"Flash forward 100 years, and the term fundamentalist has come to mean something very different than it did when the term was coined. Today a fundamentalist is used to refer to legalists who have added their list of theological preferences to the essential doctrines of the faith. These hyper-fundamentalists or neo-fundamentalists are angry, intolerant, lacking in grace or kindness or gentleness or love. In their minds, the only 'pure' church is the one where 'biblical absolutes' include things like reading only the King James version of the Bible, not going to movies, not drinking alcohol, the appropriate length of a woman's hemline and the appropriate length of a man's hair...
"The danger posed by the neo-fundamentalists and their legalism, rebuking, separating and arrogance is that they are giving those of us who stand firm on the fundamentals of the faith that were articulated a century ago by the original 'fundamentalists' and continue to be articulated by theological conservatives a bad name.
"I want my name back. I want to be able to call myself a fundamentalist without my mom thinking I've joined the dark side.
"It's probably not going to happen in my lifetime. So instead, I'll just call myself a theologically orthodox Christian. And if someone asks 'what does that mean?' then I'll have an opportunity to tell them. :)"
I was reminded of an incident from several years ago. Janet and I visited Tulsa Bible Church one Wednesday evening because the noted conservative Bible scholar John MacArthur was speaking. He explained that he used to be called a fundamentalist, but he had to change. He found that the term fundamentalist did not accurately describe him or the people with whom he was associated, because others saw fundamentalists as having too little fun, being too quick to damn, and being mentally deficient. So he started calling himself an evangelical instead.
I must admit that I fit the classic definition of a fundamentalist since I believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, Christ's virgin birth, his deity, his substitutionary atonement, his bodily resurrection, and his literal physical coming again. If someone wants to call me a fundamentalist, I won't get too upset. I have been called much worse. I don't mind being called an evangelical or theologically orthodox Christian, either. However, I prefer to be called a Christian. It may be a little generic, but I still like it.
"I have a shocking revelation to share with you this week. A confession of sorts.
"I hope you won't think less of me or hold it against me.
"I am a fundamentalist.
"There. I said it.
"I remember several years ago when my parents were attending a Sunday school class at the mainline denominational church they attended. The subject of the class was Understanding the Fundamentalists. During a phone conversation one afternoon, my mom told me about the class and I asked what they had learned in the class.
"'They're just explaining the things fundamentalists believe.' she told me.
"I answered, 'You mean things like the inerrancy of scripture, the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection, and His literal, physical coming again?'
"There was silence on the phone. Finally my mom stammered with horror in her voice, 'Are you a...a...fundamentalist?'
"Guilty as charged.
"The term fundamentalist was first used about 100 years ago. That's when liberal Bible scholars were beginning to undermine some of the things that the Bible teaches and that Christians throughout the centuries have always believed and affirmed. Things like the list I recited for my mom in our phone conversation...
"Flash forward 100 years, and the term fundamentalist has come to mean something very different than it did when the term was coined. Today a fundamentalist is used to refer to legalists who have added their list of theological preferences to the essential doctrines of the faith. These hyper-fundamentalists or neo-fundamentalists are angry, intolerant, lacking in grace or kindness or gentleness or love. In their minds, the only 'pure' church is the one where 'biblical absolutes' include things like reading only the King James version of the Bible, not going to movies, not drinking alcohol, the appropriate length of a woman's hemline and the appropriate length of a man's hair...
"The danger posed by the neo-fundamentalists and their legalism, rebuking, separating and arrogance is that they are giving those of us who stand firm on the fundamentals of the faith that were articulated a century ago by the original 'fundamentalists' and continue to be articulated by theological conservatives a bad name.
"I want my name back. I want to be able to call myself a fundamentalist without my mom thinking I've joined the dark side.
"It's probably not going to happen in my lifetime. So instead, I'll just call myself a theologically orthodox Christian. And if someone asks 'what does that mean?' then I'll have an opportunity to tell them. :)"
I was reminded of an incident from several years ago. Janet and I visited Tulsa Bible Church one Wednesday evening because the noted conservative Bible scholar John MacArthur was speaking. He explained that he used to be called a fundamentalist, but he had to change. He found that the term fundamentalist did not accurately describe him or the people with whom he was associated, because others saw fundamentalists as having too little fun, being too quick to damn, and being mentally deficient. So he started calling himself an evangelical instead.
I must admit that I fit the classic definition of a fundamentalist since I believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, Christ's virgin birth, his deity, his substitutionary atonement, his bodily resurrection, and his literal physical coming again. If someone wants to call me a fundamentalist, I won't get too upset. I have been called much worse. I don't mind being called an evangelical or theologically orthodox Christian, either. However, I prefer to be called a Christian. It may be a little generic, but I still like it.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Walking With the Wise
"He who walks with the wise grows wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20).
Since I would like to be wise, I try to learn from wise people. Here is a list of some wise authors and some of their books:
Nancy Leigh DeMoss: Holiness: The Heart God Purifies
Tony Dungy: Quiet Strength, Uncommon
Bob Lepine: The Christian Husband
C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce
John Piper: Desiring God, Don't Waste Your Life
Dennis and Barbara Rainey: The FamilyLife Marriage Bible (New King James Version), Two Hearts Praying as One, Moments Together for Couples
Haddon Robinson: Trusting the Shepherd, Decision Making by the Book
Harold Shank: Children Mean the World to God, Up Close and Personal: Embracing the Poor
but a companion of fools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20).
Since I would like to be wise, I try to learn from wise people. Here is a list of some wise authors and some of their books:
Nancy Leigh DeMoss: Holiness: The Heart God Purifies
Tony Dungy: Quiet Strength, Uncommon
Bob Lepine: The Christian Husband
C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce
John Piper: Desiring God, Don't Waste Your Life
Dennis and Barbara Rainey: The FamilyLife Marriage Bible (New King James Version), Two Hearts Praying as One, Moments Together for Couples
Haddon Robinson: Trusting the Shepherd, Decision Making by the Book
Harold Shank: Children Mean the World to God, Up Close and Personal: Embracing the Poor
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Favorite Radio Programs
I listen to a variety of radio programs on a regular basis. However, I try to listen every weekday to two outstanding programs: FamilyLife Today and Discover the Word.
FamilyLife Today features Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine. Most of the time, the two co-hosts interview experts on family issues. Sometimes they present a message from a marriage conference or a sermon from a church, but most of the time, they interview people. Topics include:
*communication in marriage
*disciplining children
*grandparenting
*adoption
*leaving a legacy
*sex
*education
*balancing work and family responsibilities
*roles of husbands and wives
*finances
*and many other life issues.
Even when the topics do not directly affect me, I have found the programs to be interesting and useful. Most (if not all) of us need a little good advice from time to time. FamilyLife Today provides consistently biblical advice every weekday. It can be heard in Tulsa at 9:00am every weekday on 970AM and 95.1FM. Information about podcasts and broadcast times and stations in other locations can be found at http://www.familylife.com.
Discover the Word is a 15-minute daily program. It has a unique format. Gordon Conwell Seminary president Haddon Robinson, Gordon Conwell Seminary professor Alice Matthews, and RBC Ministries president Mart De Haan sit around a table and interact as a small group engaged in a friendly and informative Bible study. Since everyone in the group is knowledgeable and brings different life experiences to the table, I have learned to see things in the Scriptures that I had overlooked in my personal studies. They can move through a passage slowly--I think it took 4 years to cover the 10 commandments--but they keep it interesting, and they cover a passage or topic from many different angles. You can't help but learn more about God, the Bible, and life as you listen to this program on a regular basis. Discover the Word can be heard weekdays at 10:00am on 970AM and at 10:30am on 95.1FM in Tulsa. Information about podcasts and broadcast times and stations in other locations can be found at http://www.discovertheword.org.
If you are not a regular listener, I hope you will give these programs a try. Thanks for reading!
FamilyLife Today features Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine. Most of the time, the two co-hosts interview experts on family issues. Sometimes they present a message from a marriage conference or a sermon from a church, but most of the time, they interview people. Topics include:
*communication in marriage
*disciplining children
*grandparenting
*adoption
*leaving a legacy
*sex
*education
*balancing work and family responsibilities
*roles of husbands and wives
*finances
*and many other life issues.
Even when the topics do not directly affect me, I have found the programs to be interesting and useful. Most (if not all) of us need a little good advice from time to time. FamilyLife Today provides consistently biblical advice every weekday. It can be heard in Tulsa at 9:00am every weekday on 970AM and 95.1FM. Information about podcasts and broadcast times and stations in other locations can be found at http://www.familylife.com.
Discover the Word is a 15-minute daily program. It has a unique format. Gordon Conwell Seminary president Haddon Robinson, Gordon Conwell Seminary professor Alice Matthews, and RBC Ministries president Mart De Haan sit around a table and interact as a small group engaged in a friendly and informative Bible study. Since everyone in the group is knowledgeable and brings different life experiences to the table, I have learned to see things in the Scriptures that I had overlooked in my personal studies. They can move through a passage slowly--I think it took 4 years to cover the 10 commandments--but they keep it interesting, and they cover a passage or topic from many different angles. You can't help but learn more about God, the Bible, and life as you listen to this program on a regular basis. Discover the Word can be heard weekdays at 10:00am on 970AM and at 10:30am on 95.1FM in Tulsa. Information about podcasts and broadcast times and stations in other locations can be found at http://www.discovertheword.org.
If you are not a regular listener, I hope you will give these programs a try. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Raising Godly Children
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, NIV).
On the FamilyLife Today radio program this week, Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine interviewed Ken Hemphill, an official in the Southern Baptist Convention and the author of Parenting With Kingdom Purpose. Dr. Hemphill made several good points about raising children in a godly way. He emphasized that we cannot make decisions to follow Christ for our children, but we can point them in the right direction. He pointed out that the least likely children to follow Jesus are children whose parents do not actually live out their faith, although they show up at church every week (sometimes even serving as elders and Sunday school teachers). Parents must live with faith, integrity, and love for God and for people if they want to give their children a better opportunity to know Christ. Dr. Hemphill also emphasized that Bible classes, sermons, and youth ministry cannot take the place of parents in teaching faith and biblical values to our children. While those aspects of church life can be helpful, godly parents who intentionally teach their children the principles of God are far more important.
The interviews may be found at http://www.familylife.com/fltoday/default.asp?id=9509&past=1 and http://www.familylife.com/fltoday/default.asp?id=9510&past=1. At those sites, you may either listen online or read a transcript of each program. Both programs are worth reviewing.
On the FamilyLife Today radio program this week, Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine interviewed Ken Hemphill, an official in the Southern Baptist Convention and the author of Parenting With Kingdom Purpose. Dr. Hemphill made several good points about raising children in a godly way. He emphasized that we cannot make decisions to follow Christ for our children, but we can point them in the right direction. He pointed out that the least likely children to follow Jesus are children whose parents do not actually live out their faith, although they show up at church every week (sometimes even serving as elders and Sunday school teachers). Parents must live with faith, integrity, and love for God and for people if they want to give their children a better opportunity to know Christ. Dr. Hemphill also emphasized that Bible classes, sermons, and youth ministry cannot take the place of parents in teaching faith and biblical values to our children. While those aspects of church life can be helpful, godly parents who intentionally teach their children the principles of God are far more important.
The interviews may be found at http://www.familylife.com/fltoday/default.asp?id=9509&past=1 and http://www.familylife.com/fltoday/default.asp?id=9510&past=1. At those sites, you may either listen online or read a transcript of each program. Both programs are worth reviewing.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Transracial Adoption
"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live" (Acts 17:26, NIV).
On most mornings, I listen to the radio program FamilyLife Today as I am preparing the mail for delivery. For the past two days, Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine have been interviewing a couple of guests about the subject of adoption. During the program, one of the guests, author Sara Dorman said, "You know---culturally, sometimes people do not want to adopt internationally---or adopt a biracial child or a mixed-race child because they feel like, 'Well, I can't raise a black child because I'm white.' They cry the same color tears; they really do."
Amen! Amen! Amen!
I am thankful that FamilyLife is promoting Christian adoption across cultural and racial barriers.
You may look at http://www.familylife.com for more information about the radio program. You will be able to listen online or read a transcript of each day's program:
"Who Will Care for the Children?" 3/14/2007
"So How Do I Adopt?" 3/15/2007
Any Christian who is interested in adopting a child should listen to the programs or read the transcripts. It's worth the time and effort.
On most mornings, I listen to the radio program FamilyLife Today as I am preparing the mail for delivery. For the past two days, Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine have been interviewing a couple of guests about the subject of adoption. During the program, one of the guests, author Sara Dorman said, "You know---culturally, sometimes people do not want to adopt internationally---or adopt a biracial child or a mixed-race child because they feel like, 'Well, I can't raise a black child because I'm white.' They cry the same color tears; they really do."
Amen! Amen! Amen!
I am thankful that FamilyLife is promoting Christian adoption across cultural and racial barriers.
You may look at http://www.familylife.com for more information about the radio program. You will be able to listen online or read a transcript of each day's program:
"Who Will Care for the Children?" 3/14/2007
"So How Do I Adopt?" 3/15/2007
Any Christian who is interested in adopting a child should listen to the programs or read the transcripts. It's worth the time and effort.
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