Month: June 2015

From Pastor Jon’s Desk: #WhatReallyMatters

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doctrine

As I have expressed many times before, I am thrilled about this new sermon series we are going through. Most of my conversations in the past few weeks have started with the phrase, “So how do you like the new sermon series?” The reason I am thrilled is simple…I enjoy talking about theology and now that we are all studying it together, I can talk to you about it. I didn’t always love doctrine though. I remember as a sophomore in college, thinking in doctrine class, “Yeah, yeah. So what?!” Why is that though? Lately I have been pondering why my love for doctrine has grown over the years. Here are a few thoughts:

1) I learned to enjoy and ask hard questions. I had a teacher at Faith Baptist Bible College that would ask the craziest, off-the-wall questions; and not just about theology, but about everything. At first it was really intimidating, but eventually I learned to love these questions because it stretched my mind and made me think through concepts at a much deeper level than if I just listened to someone lecture about it.

2) I stopped feeling dumb if I didn’t know the answer. It took me a while to figure it out, but that same teacher didn’t always know the answer to the questions he asked. He simply thought it was fun to be able to discuss them as a group. After all, sometimes a good answer isn’t as fun as the best question.

3) I realized that doctrine really does matter. The way we act in life stems from what we believe. For instance, I believe that God is unchanging (i.e. immutable), therefore I can look at God in the Old Testament, and learn about His character, and know that I still serve the same God today. Thus, this impacts how I act or react to certain situations in life (good or bad) as I know that my God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

4) My love for the Lord grew as I studied doctrine. I really had to stop and ask myself the hard question, “Why do I think doctrine is so boring?” The answer was because I didn’t care about the truths of God. When I say that doctrine is boring, I am really saying that God is boring. God is so deep and I know that we will never know all that there is to know about God; but if we have one life to live (and we do) then why not spend it learning about Him! And as we do that, we will truly be able to love Him more deeply and enjoy Him more fully.

What has God been teaching you in this sermon series? Let us know in the comments section below or on Facebook and be sure to hashtag it as: #WhatReallyMatters.

 

 

Why Theology Is Important

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Below you will find a youtube video of Wayne Grudem (Professor at Phoenix Seminary) giving a lecture on the importance of theology (i.e. doctrine). Why is theology important? His answer is stunningly simple: Lest we be destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Prairie Flower, why do I preach and teach on doctrine for 13 weeks this summer? Answer: Lest you be destroyed…carried about with every wind of doctrine…and sink in your sins and think you’ve found ultimate joy. This is why theology matters. This is why I will always teach you good, strong, biblical theology. Check out the video below: 

#PFBC #DoctrineMatters

Summer 2015 Sermon Series Schedule

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pillars

Summer is upon us! It’s time to break out the swimming trunks, apply the sunscreen, and get ready to dive into the massive pool of doctrine! Yes, you heard me right, doctrine. Over the course of the summer (for 13 weeks), we will examine the essential pillars (or truths) of Scripture. We will explore the details of our faith and walk away from this series understanding the big ideas of Scripture. This will be an intensely fun and informative series.

Our summer series is entitled, Doctrine: What Really Matters.  And in order to better serve you and give you an idea of what we’ll be studying, a sermon series schedule has been provided for your viewing pleasure:

Doctrine: Some Preliminary Considerations (June 7) – In installment one of our series, we will ask some basic questions: What is doctrine? What’s the ultimate purpose of studying doctrine? Are the details of our faith really that important? Join us as we answer these questions and more, and discover the fact that understanding doctrine leads to loving Jesus better and enjoying Him more fully!

Pillar #1: Bibliology – The Doctrine of the Bible (June 14) – In this session, we will explore the difference between general revelation and special revelation. We will learn some fun, new terms like perspicuity and canonization. We will also explore some false theories of inspiration and highlight the truth.

Pillar #2: Theology Proper  – The Doctrine of God the Father (June 21) – In installment three, we will try to wrap our minds around the concept of the trinity. Yeah, I know, good luck…but we will try! We will also discover the difference between the communicable and incommunicable attributes of God…and no, this has nothing to do with a disease! We will also highlight some heresies regarding God the Father and hammer home the truth.

Pillar #3: Christology – The Doctrine of God the Son (June 28) – In this sermon, we will explore the person and work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We will discuss concepts such as the incarnation, virgin birth, the kenosis, hypostatic union, and propitiation. We will then connect all of this rich theology to the Monday-Saturday of our real lives.

Pillar #4: Pneumatology – The Doctrine of God the Holy Spirit (July 5) – Is He a force or a person? A who or a what?  What is meant by the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and is it truly the unforgivable sin? What’s the difference between the indwelling of the Spirit vs. the filling of the Spirit? Why does any of this matter? Join us as we delve into this highly misunderstood doctrine and discover a God who is not just WITH you, but IN you!

Pillar #5: Angelology – The Doctrine of Angels (July 12) – In our fifth installment, we will dive into the world of elect angels and fallen angels (aka. demons). We will explore the different classes of angels and discover their primary purpose and mission. In this sermon, we will also explore demon possession/oppression and walk away with a biblical (not sci-fi) understanding of these powerful beings.

Pillar #6: Anthropology – The Doctrine of Man (July 19) – In this session, Pastor Jon will explain the creation of man and what being created in the image of God really means. He will also highlight some false theories of the origin and propagation of the soul and explain his view (i.e. traducianism). Man…you’re not going to want to miss this session!

Pillar #7: Hamartiology – The Doctrine of Sin (July 26) – In installment seven, we will discuss the concept of total depravity and give an accurate, biblical definition of sin. In this session, we will also discover the origin of the first sin and dissect the anatomy of sin’s pull.

Pillar #8: Soteriology – The Doctrine of Salvation (Aug. 2) – In this sermon, we will explore the doctrines of grace. We will examine terms like regeneration, justification, and sanctification. We will also give a play-by-play of the process of salvation. This will be a wonderfully encouraging message as we remember what God, in Christ Jesus, did for us!

Pillar #9: Ecclesiology – The Doctrine of the Church (Aug. 9) – Here we will explore the difference between the local church and the universal church. We will also discover the importance of church membership and why the ordinances really matter. In this session, we will also highlight some movements that seek to undermine the true Church of God and what we can do to remain faithful.

Pillar #10: Eschatology – The Doctrine of Last Things (Aug. 16/23) – There is so much to discuss here that we decided to do this over two Sundays. In these sessions, we will outline the basic timeline of the end time events in the book of Revelation. We will also explore the difference between different rapture and millennium viewpoints.

Doctrine: Q & A (Aug. 30) – To wrap up our summer series, Pastor Dave and Pastor Jon will be answering your questions concerning all that we’ve studied up till this point.

#PFBC  #DoctrineMatters