Oh, the Possibilities...

So, today I was talking to one of my friends over a delicious peanut butter & jelly sandwich and our dialogue turned to the newest exoplanet that has been discovered as of late.

Well, we are both Bible teachers, so you can imagine where the conversation started to float...

We started talking about the possibility of another planet being discovered that supports sentient, soul-possessing beings. What kind of implications does this have for Christians? My friend holds the position (though we both admit it is nothing more than speculation lacking any biblical evidence whatsoever - but hey, it's fun to talk about) that because of the nature of who God is, it is no doubt possible that he could have created other "worlds." I mean, He can do whatever pleases Him. I then mentioned what this might mean about an Incarnation of the Son of God, redemptive history, etc. My friend noted that it is possible for this/these other world(s) to be sinless and to have never experienced a Fall.

To me, this seems to raise all sorts of questions about the nature of God's revelation - but I guess Edwards' ideas of how "proper and excellent" it is to behold God's "awful majesty" through moral and natural evil in order to better know who God is wouldn't be too applicable to Zaxquod and Numbio in the Garden of Yexherti137 that never were tempted by the evil unicorn and didn't partake of the moon fruit from the forbidden tree.

But what if they did sin? What does this mean for their redemption? I could type for WAY longer, but I have to head to class, but have fun chewing on this.

Live Long and Prosper,
Brandon

Who Do You Work For?

Currently Hearing: Of Dangers and Ditches by Matt Chandler
Currently Hoping: I Don't Get Sick by A Plea to My Immune System

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

What is the reason you do the things you do?
Do you do them for yourself?
Do you do them for the glory of God?
Is self promotion your motivation?
Do you seek to proclaim Christ in all things you do?

Chances are, the answers are usually as follows:
Myself.
More often than not.
Not normally.
Often.
Rarely.

It seems that almost daily I am further convinced of the depravity of humanity, and it is quite beautiful that in the midst of my certainty regarding the inherently sinful nature of mankind and the misappropriation of glory and worship on creation rather than Creator that I can find such graditude and praise for Christ welling up in the deepest parts of my heart.

I am a sinner.
I am guilty of glorifying myself or created things rather than Creator.

This is why I need the gospel.
This is why the Spirit tears off the blinders covering my eyes to show me my sin.
This is why Christ crucified frees me from fear and gives me joy unspeakable.
Now I am freed from sin, death, and punishment for my rebellion.
Now I am free to live a life that gives God glory and to pray that all the false security of earthly things would be stripped away.

May We Throw Ourselves Before the Cross of Christ,
Brandon

Were You There?

Currently Hearing: The Atonement by Shai Linne
Currently Reading: Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem
Currently Preparing For: A 10K on Sunday by the Annual Ban Ki Moon Marathon

It is so amazing and embarrassing to me that it wasn't until the past year or so that I realized that the whole story of the Bible/creation is about Jesus and his soul-saving work for his sheep.

What was I doing for 20-something years?
Does this seem problematic for anybody else?
What was I thinking? Has anyone else had a similar experience?
When I reflect on this, it sort of makes me short-circuit...
Sheesh...
Mmm - thank you Reformed theology

Slowly Being Conformed,
Brandon

Hablo Espanol...

I think this is one of the greatest things I have ever seen...
I can't even think of what to say to preface this...
As 238 says, the song will write the words...
Enjoy...

Partaking or Peddling?

It is my firm belief that as a minister of the gospel, I should live a life that is full of partaking in the glorious riches of the grace of God so that I am so engulfed in passion that I can do nothing but herald the beauty and all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

It is so easy to fall into the temptation of peddling Christ and preaching a message that I sometimes fail to delight in. May my love for Christ always be the driving force behind my proclamation.

"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.... For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (2 Corinthians 5: 11a, 14-15 NIV).

Depravity, Stay the H#ll Away from Me...

Currently Viewing: My Class Completing a Writing Assignment on the Whiteboard
Currently Hearing: The Unicorn EP by Colour
Currently Wishing: My Brain was a Computer Hard Drive so I Could Remember Everything I Read and/or Hear

I came to a realization today that I think has been in formation for a while.

Often, those that seem least affected by the gut-wrenching yet awe-inspiring gospel aren't the ones who spit in the face of evangelists or those who perform the Blasphemy Challenge. Rather, it is the kids who were raised in church their whole lives and are infected with morality-based religion.

In other words - my students. Today, this hit me really hard, so hard it felt crushingly discouraging and convicted me as their teacher. Getting these students (and people in general) to see their utter "lostness" is such a brutal task.

But, Paul puts it like this:
"For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one;no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one'" (Romans 3:9-12 ESV)

Pretty clear.

This whiteboard and front of the classroom is my pulpit, and because of the lack of zeal flowing from some jaded kids who would rather shop online for Dolce & Gabbana eyeglasses in their $175 shoes, sometimes I sin, lose patience, and give up. Sometimes I lose patience and energy in spreading the beauty and necessity of the gospel, and for that I had to repent. At times like this, I am thankful that it isn't by my ability that people accept the claims of God through his Word and the testimony of the biblical text. I can only pray that the Holy Spirit opens everyone's hearts to understanding the utterly lost state that we are all in. So, I will do my part to speak the truth and present these crucial ideas in a way that reaches these students, and pray that God touches their hearts.

John Piper says:
"...the big problem is not getting people saved but getting them lost. People who really feel lost reach for the gospel."

So, that is my task, and this is my ministry.

Trusting in God to give growth to that which I water,
Brandon