Good Friday Tenebrae Services

Here are some resources for Good Friday Tenebrae services. In 2010 we used Scriptural highlights from the Gospels tracing the Last Supper through the Garden, continuing with Christ’s trial and crucifixion, and concluding with His death and burial. In 2009 we used devotional readings considering eyewitnesses of Christ’s death at the foot of the cross. In 2008 we used devotional readings considering what Christ has accomplished for us through his life, death, and resurrection. In 2007 we used devotional readings on the seven sayings of Christ from the cross. I pray these will be a resource and blessing to you.

These scripts were prepared by the pastoral staff of ODBC.
© Open Door Baptist Church. Raleigh, NC.

For the 2010 “Gospel Highlights” service,
click here: gospelhighlightsgf10.pdf

For the 2009 “Eyewitnesses” service,
click here: eyewitnessesgf091.pdf

For the 2008 “Accomplished” service,
click here: accomplishedgf08.pdf

For the 2007 “Sayings from the Cross” service,
click here: sevensayingsgf07.pdf

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by ODBC.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: © Open Door Baptist Church. Raleigh, NC. Websites: www.opendoorbaptistchurch.com and www.joshberrus.com.

Class Notes: Decision Making & God’s Will

Pastor Dwayne Milioni and I are teaching a discipleship class entitled, “Knowing the Will of God in Matters Big and Small.” We pray this will help Christians to understand and discern God’s will for their life.

Class Notes:
1. What is the will of God? God’s will of decree, desire and direction.

2. Decision making and the will of God.

3. Decision making and doubt.

4. How God guides us (by Kyle Smith).

5. God’s “calling” on a person’s life.
Bonus: Risk-Taking and the Cause of Christ (by John Piper).
Bonus: When to Leave Your Church (by Dwayne Milioni).

6. Knowing God’s will in work and at home.

7. The way of wisdom: prayer, Scripture and godly counsel in discerning God’s will.

Our main textbook is:
Just Do Something: How to Make Decisions Without Visions, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Wet Fleeces, etc. by Kevin DeYoung.

We are also referencing the following books:
Borgman, Brian S. Feelings and Faith: Cultivating Godly Emotions in the Christian Life. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009.

Frieson, Garry. Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View. Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 1981.

Guinness, Os. The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purposes in Your Life. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003.

Guinness, Os. God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt. Wheaton: Crossway, 1996.

Jensen, Phillip D. and Tony Payne. Guidance and the Voice of God. Kingsford NSW, AUS: Matthias Media, 1997.

Okholm, Dennis. Monk Habits for Everyday People: Benedictine Spirituality for Protestants. Ada, MI: Brazos, 2007.

Petty, James C. Step by Step: Divine Guidance for Ordinary Christians (Resources for Changing Lives). Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 1999.

Piper, John. Don’t Waste Your Life. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.

Veith, Gene Edward, Jr. God At Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life. Wheaton: Crossway, 2002.

Waltke, Bruce K. Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

Wingren, Gustaf. Luther on Vocation. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2004.

Some Thoughts on Decision-Making

Below is a recent letter I wrote to a friend seeking advice for wisdom in decision-making. I pray these thoughts are helpful.

Generation X tends to often struggle with doubt and indecision, and that has been my story. I have regrets of hopping churches and dabbling in dating over the past 10 years and had developed a reputation of being indecisive and uncommitted. It took most of my 20’s to conquer doubt and indecision with church ministry and dating relationships. I’m so glad the Lord restores, gives substantial healing, and uses us in spite of ourselves.

These 2 books have been very helpful to me:
1) God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt by Os Guinness
2) Just Do Something: How to Make Decisions Without Visions, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Wet Fleeces, etc. by Kevin DeYoung

Os Guinness’ book helped me identify that struggles with doubt and decision-making were linked to sin issues of ungratefulness, lack of commitment, and fear/running from pain/difficulty. I am learning to be grateful where I am, commit long term, and embrace suffering through Christ.

This may sound crass . . . God doesn’t care where you live or where your paycheck comes from. Yes, he cares because he loves you, but ultimately, He cares more about HOW we live than WHERE we live. God’s will is clear in the Bible: rejoice, give thanks, pray, love God, love people, be holy, commit to and serve in the local church, make disciples, share the Gospel, marry a Christian, etc.

The place you live doesn’t matter. There is no perfect job, and there is no perfect spouse. Life is hard. It has it’s challenges. But things usually get sweeter through longevity and stability. Yes, there is a time to leave and a time to stay. But our generation is poor at commitment and sticking it out for the long haul. Our grandparents’ generation did much better at this. They got married, got a job, and made it work. There’s something good about that. We have so many options available to us, and we grow idealistic. We also tend to overanalyze and consider the repercussions of every decision, which becomes paralyzing and leads to worry.

Psalm 46:10 says to be still, relax, let go, cease striving and know that He is God. Relax. God has promised to meet your needs. Jesus promised to be with you even to the end of the age. Christians will go through trials and suffering, but the Lord will not give more than we can bear. He will provide all that you need so that your faith will not fail.

The godly man/woman of Proverbs knows truth and is a wise, confident decision maker. Be careful to not overspiritualize your decisions. We cannot trust emotion, feelings, etc. Walk in confidence in Christ. Know the Bible, pray, get counsel, and make wise decisions. As you move forward, trust God to meet you on the other side of that decision. He appoints the very times and places that we live.

Another comforting thought . . . nothing is wasted. God uses even our mistakes and sins for His glory. As Paul said, “Forget what’s behind and press on to what’s ahead. I press on toward the goal of the prize” which is knowing Christ.

So what is the Lord’s will? Again, God’s will is clear in the Bible: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, love God, love people, be holy, commit to and serve the local church, make disciples, share the Gospel, etc. Do these things, and everything else will fall into place.

Press on. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Run the race with endurance. You are in my prayers.

Eschatology Need Not Divide Us

I would agree with Al Mohler and Mark Dever that our views on end times need not divide us. Any church that would divide over third-order issues such as eschatology or alcohol is in sin.

Al Mohler presents a theological triage in doctrinal discernment. He claims that theological seriousness and maturity demand that we consider doctrinal issues in terms of their relative importance. See Mohler’s article at: http://www.albertmohler.com/?cat=Commentary&cdate=2004-05-20.

Here is a quick overview of the theological triage:
First-order doctrines represent the most fundamental truths of the Christian faith (among these are doctrines of the Trinity, the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, justification by faith, and the authority of Scripture), and a denial of these doctrines represents nothing less than an eventual denial of Christianity itself. Second-order doctrines (such as meaning and mode of baptism) are distinguished from the first-order set by the fact that believing Christians may disagree on the second-order issues, though this disagreement will create significant boundaries between believers. Third-order issues (such as eschatology and alcohol) are doctrines over which Christians may disagree and remain in close fellowship, even within local congregations.

Mark Dever says that you are in sin if you lead your congregation to have a statement of faith that requires a particular view on end times. He makes a powerful charge regarding end times and church unity.
Listen to the sermon at: http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/audio/2009/07/12/the-end-of-death-revelation-20/
See the quote below from his Rev 20 sermon given on 7/12/09: http://ajgibson.org/blog/2009/07/13/its-a-sin-to-sever-cooperation-with-other-believers-over-eschatological-issues/.

Dever states:
“I think that millennial views need not be among those doctrines that divide us. . . . I am suggesting that what you believe about the millennium—how you interpret these thousand years—is not something that it is necessary for us to agree upon in order to have a congregation together. The Lord Jesus Christ prayed in John 17:21 that we Christians might be one. Of course all true Christians are one in that we have his Spirit, we share his Spirit, we desire to live out that unity. But that unity is supposed to be evident as a testimony to the world around us. Therefore, I conclude that we should end our cooperations together with other Christians (whether nearly in a congregation, or more at length in working together in missions and church planting and evangelism and building up the ministry) only with the greatest of care, lest we rend the body of Christ for whose unity he’s prayed and given himself. Therefore, I conclude that it is sin to divide the body of Christ—to divide the body that he prayed would be united. Therefore for us to conclude that we must agree upon a certain view of alcohol, or a certain view of schooling, or a certain view of meat sacrificed to idols, or a certain view of the millennium in order to have fellowship together is, I think, not only unnecessary for the body of Christ, but it is therefore both unwarranted and therefore condemned by scripture. So if you’re a pastor and you’re listening to me, you understand me correctly if you think I’m saying you are in sin if you lead your congregation to have a statement of faith that requires a particular millennial view. I do not understand why that has to be a matter of uniformity in order to have Christian unity in a local congregation.”

Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Check out my new Pumpkin Soup recipe at: http://allrecipes.com/PersonalRecipe/62214781/Joshs-Spicy-Pumpkin-Soup/Detail.aspx.

Most pumpkin soup recipes tend to be bland. This is a very tasty soup with plenty of vegetables and spices. It comes highly recommended from my family and friends.

Enjoy some soup over the holidays and please write a good review for me.

Thanks!

Advice for Apple MacBook Video Out: Mini DisplayPort

Apple is a great company with excellent products, and I am a loyal customer. One main criticism would be the lucrative monopoly Apple has in changing specialized video outputs of new products every few years.

iPod Video Out: Earlier versions of the video iPod allowed for many brands of adapter cables to connect and watch videos on a TV. In 2007, Apple locked the TV Out feature of video-capable iPods, preventing users from outputting iPod content to their TV sets with former adapter cables. Customers are now limited to 2 iPod video adapter cables for $50.00 thru Apple which carry the necessary computer chip. In 2008, Apple locked the charging function of new iPod models, preventing users from being able to charge without an Apple brand cable or docking station.

MacBook Video Out: Apple laptops formerly provided several video output options. As of 2009, all new MacBooks provide only the Mini DisplayPort video output. This is profitable for Apple as most folks will purchase adapters directly thru the company. Unfortunately, Apple only provides 2 video adapters for MacBooks at this point (VGA or DVI). The TV adapter cable only works with HDTV and will not work with older technology. This will encourage most folks to eventually upgrade to HDTV.

I contacted Apple Customer care to see if the company will provide any other video adapter options for the Mini DisplayPort in the future, but there is no news at this point. As for blogs and online forums concerning Apple video outputs, there seems to be some disagreement on what’s going on out there. It usually takes time for 3rd party companies to catch up with new technology.

I explored online and came upon some great options. The sites below offer more options than Apple currently for adapters/cables and at lower prices.

As for charging newer iPods, check out: http://www.handhelditems.com/ipod-touch-apple-ipod-touch-chargers-c-4_5289_5314.html

For Mini DisplayPort Video Output to a Monitor or Projector, you will need the following 2 items:
Mini DisplayPort to VGA Female Adapter Cable for $12.12.
VGA Monitor Cable (Male to Male) for $4.89.

For Mini DisplayPort Video Output to an older TV (RCA inputs), you will need the following 2 items:
Mini DisplayPort to VGA Female Adapter Cable for $12.12.
VideoSecu PC Laptop Mac Computor to TV Presentation Converter, VGA to Video VGA2TV 1L7 for $18.89 (unit requires a USB Power Adapter).

For Mini DisplayPort Video Output to HDTV, you will need the following 2 items:
PTC Premium Mini-DisplayPort Male to DVI Female Adapter Cable for $6.95.
DVI to HDMI Cable 6ft Male-Male for $1.99.

I hope this is helpful to you. Best regards.

Can a Woman be President But Not a Pastor?

David Julen wrote a Biblical Recorder article in March, “Can a woman be president but not a pastor?”: http://www.biblicalrecorder.org/post/2009/03/09/Can-a-woman-be-president-but-not-a-pastor.aspx.

My friend, Ted Manby, published an excellent response, “Handling the Bible properly on culturally hot topics”: http://www.biblicalrecorder.org/post/2009/04/14/Handling-the-Bible-properly-on-culturally-hot-topics.aspx.

Guinness on Schaeffer

Check out Justin Taylor’s recent interview with Os Guinness on the 25th Anniversary of Francis Schaeffer’s death: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/05/interview-with-os-guinness-on-25th.html.

I also recommend Guinness’ book review of Frank Schaeffer’s memoir, Crazy for God: http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2008/marapr/1.32.html.

Making Singleness Better

A new article on The Briefing, Making Singleness Better, is well worth the read.

The column begins: “There are those who say that singleness is better, but unfortunately that is not the experience of many who have been single long-term. Tim Adeney looks at why, and what we can do to love and serve the single people in our churches.”

You can also read some of my thoughts on singleness at: http://joshberrus.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/some-thoughts-on-singleness/

Benedictine Vow of Stability

I have been challenged by Dennis Okholm’s book Monk Habits for Everyday People where he challenges pastors toward solitude, listening, poverty (sharing the goods), obedience, humility, hospitality, stability (staying put to get somewhere), and balance (God in everything). By cultivating these disciplines, ministry leaders have great potential to change the world for Christ.

I’ve been especially blessed by chapter 8 considering the Benedictine monks who took a vow of stability to stay with one church community for life. This kind of consistency is rare for GenX who tend to lack commitment. I urge you to prayerfully read Okholm’s book as a reality check. It may help you re-think your future ministry.