Radical Experiment-FBCW: 2011-05

2011-05-31

Secret Church

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY // WHY STUDY THE OLD TESTAMENT?

Posted: 30 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Why Study the Old Testament?

(The following excerpt was taken from the Secret Church transcripts for "Survey of the Old Testament" by David Platt. You can find these transcripts and other resources by going to DiscipleMakingIntl.org.)

"Why is it important to spend time studying the Old Testament? Here are some common myths we throw out:

The Old Testament is insignificant. Many times we think this is just background material for the New Testament. Why would we want to pay attention to the first half of the game if we already know the result of the second half of the game? Why would we want to sit in the stands with a blocked view when you can already see on the field what unfolds in the New Testament? The Old Testament is insignificant. It is really not that significant for us in the 21st Century.

The Old Testament is irrelevant. It contains a lot of things we don’t observe or seem to relate to our lives any more. There are a lot of people (even in Christianity) who say that the Old Testament is more for Israel and not for us. Let’s be honest. What relevance does an ancient animal slaughtering religion that talks about God in a portable tent have for Christianity in the 21st Century?

The Old Testament is inconsistent. It doesn’t make sense in light of the New Testament. This is where a lot of people disconnect the Old Testament from Christianity as a whole. They look at the Old Testament as a Jewish book. There are cults that use the Old Testament as well, such as Mormons. Even Muslims use parts of the Old Testament as part of their scripture. The most commonly asked question is, “Why would the God of grace, love, mercy and compassion we see unfold in the New Testament, pour out judgment, wrath and punishment of sin in the Old Testament?” How do they go together? How do you reconcile the judgment that we see in the Old Testament, whether it is of forty-two poor youths or of whole nations that are being wiped out? How do you justify that with the God of love and grace and mercy? It seems inconsistent?

Well, these are myths I hope will be dispelled by one central message: The Old Testament is invaluable. If we abandon the books of the Old Testament then we abandon the revelation of God. More than that, we hinder our ability to understand the New Testament’s revelation of God. If we abandon the Old Testament, we will never get the picture that the New Testament is trying to teach us. "

2011-05-28

Secret Church

PERSECUTED COMMUNITY // SOUTHEAST ASIA

Posted: 27 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

The simulcast on Good Friday was viewed around the world and we had the opportunity to talk with one group from Southeast Asia. This is a great example of how we should take what God has revealed and share it with others. The viewpoint is from the perspective of a messenger currently sharing with Southeast Asian believers. The names and locations have been removed for their protection.

SECRET CHURCH (SC) :: How did you hear about the simulcast

T (Name removed for security reasons) :: I first heard about Secret Church from Thom Rainer’s blog. More information about it was easy to obtain. You guys had great websites and informative advertising.

SC :: Describe the group that participated.

T :: Our group was a group of advanced ESL students who are local believers. Most of them participate in a year-old church. There were a few seekers at the event who have been hanging out with the church members as well.

SC :: What was their biggest take-away?

T :: If you asked them, they would say being part of an international-worship event was the biggest take-away. If you ask me, I would say that our biggest, long-term take-away was that the pastor and some other key leaders in the church are going back over the study guide again and again with a mentor here on the field. Understanding the material in a way that they can teach it in their language will reap tremendous fruit for generations!

SC :: How is the group applying what they have taken away?

T :: We constantly encourage people to be diligent in sharing the gospel. We started prayer meetings every morning. We are trying to be even more intentional to share with the people who are in our spheres of influence. Also, as I referenced earlier, several people are reviewing the material again and again until they feel like they have a good understanding of it. This is all very exciting to me!

Thanks so much for the simulcast. It was obviously not only good for locals, but it greatly encouraged me also!

2011-05-27

Secret Church

PRAY FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA

Posted: 26 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Cambodia is not the only country in Southeast Asia. In fact Southeast Asia is made up of 12 countries over 1.9 million square miles. Other countries include Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Follow this link to a specific prayer request from a group of missionaries on the field in Thailand. Click HERE.

Weekly Prayer Updates Update 05/27/2011

vom groups

weekly prayer updates

"Prayer is the pulse of life; by it the doctor can tell what is the condition of the heart. The sin of prayerlessness is a proof for the ordinary Christian or minister that the life of God in the soul is in deadly sickness and weakness." - Andrew Murray

"praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" - Ephesians 6:18

VOM-USA Prayer Update for May 27, 2011
On Wed. May 25 2011 at 12:12 PM Moderator wrote:
China--Government Imposes New Regulations on "Illegal" House Churches
VOM Sources

Ephesians 3:10

The pastors of some of China's house churches are facing new restrictions, according to VOM workers. The pastors must provide police with weekly reports detailing their whereabouts and how many people attend their meetings. If pastors travel outside their city, they must report their plans, and they are restricted to short trips. If the pastors fail to report and police are unable to contact them, they are arrested. VOM workers say these regulations primarily target large house churches that organize under a specific name, advertise and meet publicly. House churches, which operate outside the official state church, are illegal under Chinese law. But because of the house church movement's rapid growth in recent years, the government is struggling to deal with these churches. Pray for the house churches in China, especially those that have been targeted by these new regulations, and ask God to grant their leaders wisdom.

Chiapas--Evicted Christians to Return to Community
VOM Sources

1 Corinthians 4:10–12

Thirty-two Christians in Chiapas, Mexico, say they are ready to return to the community where their neighbors torched their homes and stole their livestock. The group fled the area in January 2010 after being forcibly evicted by a mob of 200. The Christians had been worshiping in a believer's home for almost a year because the same mob had destroyed their church. Members of the community were unhappy that the Christians would not contribute to or participate in religious drinking festivals held in their town. The Christians filed a court case requesting compensation for their burned homes, but they have seen no progress since the government loaned them the use of a large home in another city. The 32 believers have decided they will return to their community on June 15, with or without government help. "It is time to go home," they say, "and win the others to Christ, whatever the cost." Pray for these Christians and others who have been run out of their communities because of their Christian faith.

Azerbaijan--Fines and "Preventative Talks" for Praise Church
Forum 18 News Service

Psalm 31

Two Christians from the Praise Church in the city of Sumgait were fined for attending an "illegal" meeting on Sunday, May 15. Elchin and Afar Pashaev were fined $190 under Azerbaijan's Code of Administrative Offenses for attending a religious meeting at a location other than the Praise Church's registered address. About 40 church members had gathered at the "Blue Lake" restaurant for their Sunday meeting, but it was interrupted by the police raid at about 11:30 a.m. "Police wrote down the names of all those present; then all were taken by bus to the police station," a Christian told Forum 18 News. Only Elchin and his wife, Afar, were fined, but the Interior Ministry reported that police conducted "preventative talks" with other church members. In recent years, state control of religious activity has sharply increased in Azerbaijan. Amendments to the religion law in 2009 established penalties for religious activities not specifically authorized by the state. Pray for the church in Azerbaijan.

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2011-05-26

Zondervan Blog

Enter to Win the Berenstain Bears Holy Bible & Brother Bear Tote

Posted: 26 May 2011 01:25 PM PDT

Enter the Giveaway

The Berenstain Bears are hosting a giveaway. Ten winners will receive a Berenstain Bears Holy Bible and a Brother Bear Tote! Enter now, because the giveaway closes on Saturday morning, May 29, 9:59AM EDT!

Enter the Giveaway

Illustrated by Mike Berenstain, the Berenstain Bears Holy Bible is in the New International Reader's Version (NIrV), written at a third-grade reading level and specifically designed to help early readers discover the Bible for themselves.

Each winner will receive a Brother Bear Tote and the Berenstain Bears Holy Bible

The features of The Berenstain Bears Holy Bible include:

Book introductions that provide each book's main themes, plus an outline of the contents
Dictionary that defines key Bible words for quick reference
Reading plan for 150 famous stories of the Bible
Presentation page for personalization and gift giving
18 full-color pages that highlight virtues taught by God's Word, such as respect, courage and friendship. Here's a sample:

This giveaway reminded me of how much I loved the Berenstain Bears books when I was a kid. So after you enter the giveaway, I'd like to swap stories about lessons we learned from the Berenstain Bears books we read as children.

A Lesson I Learned from the Berenstain Bears
I was 6 when I read The Berenstain Bears and the Double Dare. If you haven't read it, it's a good book about dealing with bullies and peer pressure. In this story, Brother Bear falls in with a gang of cruel but charismatic bullies. They pressure Brother Bear to steal a watermelon from Farmer Ben's patch, and while Brother Bear knows this would be wrong, he really wants to impress his new friends. Brother Bear caves, gets caught in the act, and his new "friends" run away. Fortunately, Farmer Ben has grace on the young cub and shares some wisdom about how Brother Bear can stand up for what he knows is right.

I thought I was taking this lesson to heart, but I was mistaken. I closed the book still thinking the bullies were really cool. I remember thinking, "Maybe if I just don't bully other people then I can still do bad things and everything will be okay." This sounded reasonable to me, so I created a new "cool guy costume" (complete with black fingerless gloves, which I made myself) and I went out looking for trouble. I did the baddest thing my six-year-old imagination could think of: I stripped some branches off of a tree.

Within minutes I began to cry. I remember thinking, "Farmer Ben was right!" I learned that day that being bad, even in secret, is not cool.

How about you, did you learn any lessons from the Berenstain Bears books?
(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)

Secret Church

PRAYING FOR THE LOST // CAMBODIA

Posted: 25 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

If you remember one of the groups watching Secret Church on Good Friday was from Cambodia. This video will give you insight into how you can pray for those in Cambodia. You can also find this video at Operation World.

Other Resources:
The International Mission Board
Voices of the Martyrs
Operation World
Joshua Project

2011-05-25

Zondervan Blog

Quiz: Am I a Christian Atheist?

Posted: 25 May 2011 04:35 PM PDT

The Book
Read an Excerpt

The title of The Christian Atheist may sound like an oxymoron, but I think author/pastor Craig Groeschel is on to something. (Groeschel defines Christian Atheist as "someone who believes in God but acts as if he doesn't exist.")

The Christian Atheist inspired me to create the quiz below. Take it to find out if your answers have anything in common with a Christian Atheist mindset. (Groeschel is a self-described recovering Christian Atheist, and after reading much of this eye-opening book, I see I have some recovering to do myself.)

Don't see a quiz? Click here

After you take the quize I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you find the term Christian Atheist helpful? Surprising? Offensive? Other?
(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)

Secret Church

SECRET CHURCH // THE GOSPEL, PROSPERITY AND POSSESSIONS

Posted: 24 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

The following was taken from Secret Church – 8 "The Gospel, Possessions and Prosperity"

Helpless and hopeless
By David Platt

The glaring reality of the Gospel is that apart from divine intervention, apart from the work of the spirit of God, we are helpless and hopeless to do anything about our spiritual condition on our own. And that's huge. It's huge because we dumb this down at every turn with the Gospel in our culture. We live in a land of self improvement and we say, "Well, the problem is you've done some wrong things in your life," but the beauty is God has a plan for your life. So a few easy steps, pray this prayer, say these words and you're in.And it makes sense. We live in a land of self improvement, where a dose of church attendance followed by a prayer, pretty good moral, decent life, seems to overcome our sinfulness. But the reality is we cannot manufacture salvation and we cannot program it. We cannot even initiate it. We need God to do this in us.

Now we're getting to the beauty of the Gospel, the sufficiency of Christ, because He has done it. In Christ, His life displayed the righteousness of God. We were slaves to sin, so we needed someone who was not a slave to sin, who conquered sin with their life. That's what 1 Peter 2, Hebrews 4, John 8 all say. "Fully man, fully God, He obeys the law perfectly. No deceit. John 8, He says, "Convict me. Show me where I have sinned." His life displayed the righteousness of God, his death satisfied the wrath of God.

Romans 3:24, "God put him forward as a propitiation by His blood." That's a great word. Like, let's say that one together, all right. So one – on three, propitiation. One, two, three, propitiation. Isn't that a great word? It means one who would turn aside wrath. Let the wrath do your sin and my sin from a Holy God.

His holy and good wrath, and His wrath is good. Like, we don't think of wrath as good, but it is a really good thing that God hates that which destroys us. And He poured out all of His holy wrath, threw your sin, my sin, upon His Son. And His Son turned aside His wrath from us. In my place, condemned He stood, and God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God.

That's propitiation. That's really good. His death satisfied the wrath of God, and His resurrection demonstrated the power of God. God vindicated the work of Christ and the cross for our sins by rising Him from the grave. I love the end of Colossians 2:9-15. "He set it aside, nailing it to the cross and disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in Him."

The character of God. Holy, just creator and savior. Sinfulness of man, dead objects of wrath, morally evil, sick. Christ comes. His life displays His righteousness, His death satisfies God's wrath and His resurrection demonstrates God's power.

So how does this become a reality in our lives, the necessity of faith? Now, follow with me here. What we've just talked about, Christ is the basis of our salvation. Ladies and gentlemen, Jesus has done the work. Jesus has conquered sin, He has purchased righteousness for you and me, and what that means is there is no work for you to do. Like, none. Jesus has done it all. His work is the basis of our salvation. That's what Ephesians 2:4-7 are all about.

For more content regarding Secret Church #8 The Gospel Prosperity and Possessions click HERE.

2011-05-24

Secret Church

THE MONTH MY LIFE CHANGED

Posted: 23 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

The following is an excerpt from a blog post from Disciple-Making International.

By Jim Warren

January 2007 was the month that forever changed my perception of the "Christian life." Just one month before, my wife, Betty, and I had joined The Church At Brook Hills. This transition to Brook Hills was in response to God's leading us away from the church that we had called home for 30 years and toward a new adventure with a new faith family. The move was accompanied by a fundamental change in my relationship with Jesus – I had set my heart on a complete and unconditional surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Click HERE to continue reading.

2011-05-20

Secret Church

HONORING THE PERSECUTED // PRAY FOR LEADERSHIP

Posted: 19 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Many of those who are being persecuted around the world are face oppression from local governments. Take some time this week to pray for those who are in contexts where the gospel can’t be shared openly. Pray for the wisdom of leaders and elected officials. Pray also for spiritual renewal in these countries.

Weekly Prayer Updates Update 05/20/2011

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weekly prayer updates

VOM-USA Prayer Update for May 20, 2011
On Thu. May 19 2011 at 08:45 AM Moderator wrote:
Colombia--Violence Intensifies in Colombia
VOM Sources

Romans 1:16

VOM workers are on high alert as violence continues to increase in Colombia. On the morning of May 12, a bomb exploded in Puerto Lleras, killing several policemen and injuring bystanders. In addition, FARC guerrillas have openly murdered individuals on town streets and burned buses throughout the region. The guerrillas have reportedly been conducting an internal purge, killing many of their own and accusing them of being traitors to the communist cause. VOM contacts believe some of those killed were secret Christians. "In all our ... years in Colombia, we have never seen it this unstable," said a VOM contact. "Yet we believe that this is also the most opportune time that we have ever seen for the gospel." The contact said he cannot come close to supplying all the Bibles being requested by those turning to the Lord. Pray for Christian workers in Colombia as they struggle to sustain their various ministry efforts amid the increasing violence. Pray that many within the communist movement will turn to Christ.

Egypt--12 Killed in Religious Riots
Release International

Psalm 23

Seven Coptic Christians and five Muslims were killed during religious riots in the Imbaba district of Cairo on May 7-8. In addition to those killed, more than 230 people were injured and a church was gutted by fire. The violence broke out on Saturday evening after hard-line Salafi Muslims claimed the St. Mina Coptic Church was holding a woman against her will. Thousands of Muslims descended on the area, prompting Coptic residents to barricade the streets around the church. At about 7 p.m., attackers started throwing firebombs at Coptic-owned property, and Copts retaliated by throwing glass and stones. Police arrested 190 people in connection with the violence. Pray that Copts and moderate Muslims across Egypt will take a stand against further religious violence.

Arabian Peninsula--New Believer Avoids Forced Marriage
VOM Sources

2 Thessalonians 1:3–4

By God's grace, a new "secret" believer has avoided an arranged marriage with a Muslim man. In the tradition of her country, "Fatima's" father had selected a husband for her. She was worried about being forced to marry a man she didn't know, but Fatima's mentors encouraged her to pray for her husband-to-be rather than rebelling against her father. Recently, Fatima's family discovered that the man doesn't have a job, so the marriage will very likely be canceled. In Fatima's country, women must be completely covered in public, and they are often accompanied by a male family member. A woman cannot choose a spouse without her family's permission. Pray for Fatima. Another man could propose marriage, and she could be forced by her family to accept. Pray that Fatima will grow in faith before she faces further persecution.

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2011-05-19

Secret Church

PRAYING FOR THE LOST // NORTH KOREA

Posted: 18 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

One of the groups participating in Secret Church was from South Korea. Please watch this video from Operation World as a guide to how to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Other Resources:
The International Mission Board
Voices of the Martyrs
Operation World
Joshua Project

2011-05-18

Secret Church

SECRET CHURCH // ANGELS, DEMONS AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Posted: 17 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

The following was taken from the transcripts of Secret Church 7 – "Angels, Demons and Spiritual Warfare"

The spiritual world and the reality of the Bible
By David Platt

Catch this. If you do not believe in the spiritual world, then you are denying the reality of the Bible. Even deeper, if you deny that there is a spiritual world around us, you are denying the truthfulness of Jesus Christ himself. Because Christ was inundated in the spiritual world from the very beginning; an angel announced his consummation as well as his birth. He was tempted by the devil – Matthew 4, Luke 4. He was served by angels after his temptation. He could've called down legions of angels from the cross. Angels were present at the tomb when the stone was rolled away. They were present when he ascended into heaven.

To undermine the reality of the spiritual world is to undermine the very reality of the birth, live, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ himself. So spiritualities are pervasive. We need to avoid two errors here. C.S. Lewis talked about it. There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence; the other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or magician with the same delight.

Error number one is empty rationalism. Either to deny the spiritual world as religious fancy or to compartmentalize it. And this is where we need to realize, particularly in this room, in this context, that we are far more secularistic, humanistic, and materialistic than we would like to think. And we tend toward this – the empty rationalism. The other extreme to avoid, though, is an excessive fanaticism. Yes, there are spiritual realities, but if we are not careful, we will overanalyze them and overreact to the spiritual world, causing all kinds of misunderstanding and misconception.

I wanna be point-blank honest here. After studying this for months in preparing for tonight, I am convinced that there is all kinds of fiction, superstition, fantasy, nonsense, nuttiness, and downright heresy when it comes to ideas about spiritual warfare in Christian circles. We need to be careful. Yes, not to confine ourselves to an empty rationalism that ignores the spiritual world – but we also need to be careful not to indulge ourselves in excessive fanaticism.

For more content regarding Secret Church #7 Angels, Demons and Spiritual Warfare click HERE.

2011-05-17

Secret Church

THE HUNGER FOR GOD’S WORD

Posted: 16 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

By Dr. Thom Rainer

God's people are hungry for His Word.

On Good Friday, more than 50,000 people participated in Secret Church, six intensive hours of biblical teaching and prayer for the persecuted church led by author and pastor David Platt of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala.  This special event is designed to call the church to greater awareness to biblical fidelity and build unity with the persecuted church worldwide. There have been nine prior Secret Church events, but after the first meeting The Church at Brook Hills was forced to start a reservation system due to the sell-out capacity.  While thousands gathered live at The Church at Brook Hills in Alabama, about 50,000 people from 1,300 churches, 42 states and 11 different countries participated via simulcast. They gathered in church sanctuaries, fellowship halls, living rooms, dorm rooms and even LifeWay's Ridgecrest Conference Center to hear the doctrine of salvation taught for six hours. Click HERE to continue reading.

2011-05-14

Secret Church

WHAT NOW?

Posted: 13 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Now that you have experienced 6 plus hours of Bible study specifically about the Crucifixion, Salvation and the Glory of God, what are you doing with what you learned? How are you living differently in view of what you learned? How are you sharing it with those around you?

We would like to challenge you to break down Pastor David’s messages and lead a small group of believers through the content.

The purpose of Secret Church is not just to learn what we can for ourselves. The purpose of Secret Church is to learn all that we can and then take what we have learned and share it with others. We encourage you to go back through your notes and take your time to work through the study again, thoroughly and deeply. Then, take what you learn and reteach it. You could lead a small group through the study or take someone through it one-on-one. For more Secret Church resources visit the DMI website.

2011-05-13

Secret Church

GOD IN TIMES OF TRIBULATION

Posted: 12 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Recently the US was hit with severe storms in the southeast that took hundreds of lives. In other areas of the world, natural disasters claimed lives recently in Japan and last year in Haiti. Where is God in the midst of these tragedies? How, as followers of Christ, do we respond to these disasters? How do we reach out to those who have been effected by these disastrous events? In the midst of crises we can turn to God’s Word and depend on it to help us respond. Natural disasters only highlight the urgency of our mission - to reach the nations for Christ. We recommend the following resource, a sermon by David Platt, “Tornadoes and the Trustworthiness of God” HERE.

4-27-11 Tornado Tuscaloosa, Al from Crimson Tide Productions on Vimeo.

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