Anthropomorphism humor
Start off your week with some animal humor…
The Bible in a sentence…
Dave Ortlund asks scholars and pastors to describe the message of the Bible in one sentence…
The OT storyline appears best to be summarized as: the historical story of God who progressively reestablishes his new creational kingdom out of chaos over a sinful people by his word and Spirit through promise, covenant, and redemption, resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to extend that new creation rule and resulting in judgment for the unfaithful (defeat and exile), all of which issues into his glory; the NT storyline can be summarized as: Jesus’ life of covenantal obedience, trials, judgmental death for sinners, and especially resurrection by the Spirit has launched the fulfillment of the eschatological already-and-not-yet promised new creation reign, bestowed by grace through faith and resulting in worldwide commission to the faithful to extend this new creation rule and resulting in judgment for the unfaithful, unto God’s glory.
God was so covenantally committed to the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him may have eternal life!
God is in the process of recreating the universe which has been corrupted by sin and has made it possible for all those and only those who follow Jesus to be a part of the magnificent, eternal community that will result.
The Bible tells how the loving Creator God restored a lost humanity and cosmos through reestablishing his rule through Jesus Christ and the provision of life to His honor.
Pray for Sudan
CNN, “Historic day ahead after decades of war”
“Several million people will decide in the next week or so whether to give birth to the world’s newest nation.
They will cast ballots on whether to declare independence at polling stations sprinkled across the vast, flat plains of Southern Sudan, an East African landscape long riven by chaos.
War and famine have ravaged generations in the south for as long as anyone can remember. Fighting forced more people from their homes than in any other nation on earth. Hope remained elusive.
Yet the vote has given many southerners the rare sense of exhilaration that is borne of new beginnings.
From January 9 to January 15, the black Christians and animists in the autonomous region of Southern Sudan will vote on whether to declare independence from a northern government dominated by Arab Muslims. The two sides fought a war that killed 2 million people from 1983 to 2005, when a peace treaty set the stage for the upcoming vote.
Nearly 4 million have registered to cast ballots. Few doubt the outcome.” Read More
6 ways to pray for Sudan (from His Voice Global Blog)
1. It is a foregone conclusion the South will vote for independence. Please pray that violence would not break out during the next six months. Even with the vote, it will not go into effect until July. Therefore, THE NEXT SIX MONTHS ARE CRITICAL.
2. Pray for the North. Many believers and also many Southern Sudanese live in the North. Pray against any type of persecution. Also, pray for the souls of all the Northern Sudanese. One thing that many people forget is the North. THIS CAN’T HAPPEN! Every man is created in the image of God. Therefore, our burden for the North must be immense.
3. Even in the face of Southern independence it is important to remember the North would be an immediate neighbor of the South. Please pray for working relations that would promote peace.
4. Both the North and the South have big obstacles to overcome internally. It is a viable option for different rebel groups to try and overthrow the government. Please pray this does not happen and that a modern day Somalia does not come to fruition.
5. Pray for a profound work of nation building to happen in the North and the South. It will take a variety of areas of expertise to help in this process. This can be an incredibly exciting time for Sudan and the Sudanese people. Please pray the Lord awakens the hearts of people to invest in the needed areas.
6. Please pray for the marginalized. The orphans, widows, and destitute have the attention of God in a profound way (James 1:27) and should have ours. One of my friends, Adam Thomason, is the founder of Collision Records. He produced a song with Swoope, Jai, Lecrae, Tedashii, and John Piper that helps to bring attention to the brilliant people of Sudan. If you go to iTunes and download the song, 100% of the proceeds will go to build the fourth orphanage. Also, if you are interested, you can give directly to the orphanage here.
