andrew dodson

This week’s PCG was a little difficult to nail down. With such a sweeping passage of Scripture (seventeen verses in all), it was tough to get through the seven questions. But, our group eventually succeeded, and I think came up with some good answers.

Luke 7:18-35 (Listen)

18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

24 When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. 26 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’

28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, 30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

1. What is the will of God?

We can trust that Jesus is the Messiah (v. 22)

2. In light of God’s will, what is He like?

(v. 29) - God is just; (v. 34) - A friend to tax collectors and sinners; a miracle worker, healer, loving, gentle (v. 22)

3. What are practical ways we can apply God’s will?

(v. 23) - do not be offended by Jesus - accept who He says He is in faith; We can approach God in honesty to ask questions, just as John asked questions of Jesus

4. What are ways we blow God’s will?

(v. 30) - we can be like the Pharisees and lawyers who rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not being baptized by Him; (vs. 31-32) - we can be unresponsive to the gospel; (v. 33) - we can declare the work of God’s people as false; (v. 34) - we can see Jesus hypocritically as being a sinner, when His target audience are sinners

5. What thoughts are revealed by our actions?

Matthew Henry says, “They made a jest of the methods God took to do them good. This is the ruin of multitudes; they are not serious in the concerns of their souls.”

6. What beliefs about God are revealed by these actions?

If people aren’t concerned with their souls, then to them God is not real; heaven and hell are not real; They probably feel Jesus was a myth or made up story; Or, they believe in a false gospel based on works to get them to heaven, instead of accepting Jesus for who He says He is and placing their faith in Him.

7. How are you doing in this area?

Personally, it’s not just a matter of accepting Jesus for who He says He is. For me, it’s difficult to find my ultimate satisfaction in Him. We live in a consumerist society that forms many idols in our lives. This is very true with me. Not just wanting all the latest “toys,” but trying to find satisfaction in the material things of life, when my ultimate satisfaction should be Jesus.

The content for this week’s link was pretty simple. I just attended the Resurgence Conference - Text & Context. My head is crammed full of things I heard at this conference - a wealth of information. In honor of my college band director - a “plethora” of material. All of the audio & video is available, so go check it out:

> Resurgence Conference 2008: Text & Context

I also wanted to direct you to an article on the New Attitude blog that I found very helpful. It’s really just an excerpt from Mark Dever’s new book.

> Why Don’t We Evangelize?

Greetings from Seattle!

As I type this, I’m sitting in the auditorium of Mars Hill Church’s Ballard campus. Currently, there is a speaker from Acts 29 on stage. Should I be listening? Eh. I’m a part of a church plant, but I’m not a church planter.

Anyway, the trip so far has been great! Seattle is a beautiful city with a wealth of culture. I suppose everywhere has a wealth of culture, but I guess the diversity here is what’s interesting. The architecture is extremely interesting. The terrain here is interesting. The landscape is interesting. The food is interesting. The people are interesting. We did some sight-seeing this morning, which mainly consisted of going to the Pike Place Market. I have seen the space needle, but I won’t be able to go up in it before we leave. Fortunately, that just gives me a reason to come back here someday.

The MHC Ballard campus is great. It’s a remodeled warehouse, that actually isn’t very big (or, at least smaller than I thought it would be). The main auditorium seats 1,000 and is a fairly simple, rectangular room. But, the lighting, paint, and technology makes it ultra-modern. The auditorium takes up much of the building’s footprint. Aside from it, there is a good-sized, open lobby. There is a small theater that is used for youth events and overflow. There is a small cafe area for drinks & refreshments. Lastly, there is a small lobby in the back of the building that also serves as their bookstore.

My head is hurting from all of the information I’ve taken in this week. Mostly, thanks to John Piper. CJ Mahaney brought a great message, and I enjoyed seeing him “live” for the first time. I was fortunate enough to meet him one evening, as well. He’s been fairly visible around the conference, as he originally intended on just attending the conference (until he was also asked to speak). From seeing him interact with conference attendees, I can safely say his humility is as true as the book he wrote on the subject.

It might be a “conference high,” but I have a lot of ideas bouncing around in my head right now. Being here and experiencing Mars Hill in person has been inspiring. I’ve been brainstorming on what I can do additionally to serve The Point.

A surprise of the trip has definitely been the food. Seattle takes their restaurants very seriously. Fast food restaurants are actually rare in the areas we’ve visited. We’ve eaten good this week.

As usual, I will be posting pictures from the trip after we return. We fly out late tonight and will land in Louisville tomorrow morning. Please pray for our safety in traveling.

Tuesday has become music day around here.  I’m currently in Seattle for the Resurgence Conference, which so far, has been very good.  But, I, unfortunately, didn’t have time to write a theology post today.  The band performed “It is Well With My Soul” tonight during worship.  The lyrics to this song, penned by Horatio Spafford, are so powerful and moving.  I wanted to post them with the hope that they will bless you:

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
What ever my lot you have taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

Though the devil will ruin, though trials may come
Let this blessed assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And He shed His own blood for my soul

It is well, with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul

It is well, with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

And Lord haste the day when my faith shall be sight
And the clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend
Even so, it is well with my soul

It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

Luke 7:11-17 (Listen)

11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

1. What is the will of God?

The will of God is to help us in our time of need. To extend His grace and show compassion. To bring us from death to life.

2. In light of God’s will, what is He like?

He is compassionate; able to help us in our time of need. Even when we don’t ask Him to help, he offers His grace to us to bring us from death to life.

3. What are practical ways we can apply God’s will?

We can respond in faith to His grace. In this story, Jesus’ actions are uninvited. The crowd responds by glorifying God. We can glorify God daily for the blessings in our life, which are only a result of His grace toward us. The dead man responds to being brought back to life by talking. We can proclaim God’s grace in our life.

4. What are ways we blow God’s will?

Many days, we fail to recognize God’s grace in our lives. Waking up in the morning, having a job, friends, family - all the good things in our lives are a result of God’s grace. All too often, we take these things for granted and fail to glorify God for these things.

5. What thoughts are revealed by our actions?

By nature, we are self-centered. When we take God’s grace for granted, we’re proving our self-reliance to handle our own affairs. These people were content to mourn the death of this man until Jesus came to bring him back to life. Sometimes, we’re more content to be dejected than to look for God’s grace.

6. What beliefs about God are revealed by these actions?

When God extends His grace to us, it’s sometimes hard to understand. How could God want to help a self-centered sinner? His grace is so undeserved that we can only be thankful for His compassion in our time of need.

7. How are you doing in this area?

My self-centeredness gets in the way of proclaiming God’s grace in my life. I have a tendency to pat myself on the back for my “accomplishments” on a daily basis. I fail to recognize the Holy Spirit’s work in my life, working through me to accomplish these things. I need to remember God’s grace in more of my daily conversations and proclaim His grace to others.

Lots of good blogging going on this week! Enjoy…

• Josh wants us to articulate well and I agree. Definitely something I need to be more aware of.
• I caught up with a former Georgetown classmate this week on Facebook - Ryan Coatney. He has a great post dealing with the church at his blog. I’ll definitely be checking his blog regularly.
• Over at the New Attitude blog, there’s a good post on remembering the Gospel in our everyday conversations.
• Challies has a review of Mark Driscoll’s new book - Vintage Jesus. He’s not sure if he recommends it or not.

Look for a double helping of posts tomorrow evening (Friday) to kick-start the new blog schedule. I’ll be posting several links to other articles to cover today’s post (yes, a day late - sorry!), and I will be posting PCG notes. Due to the icy conditions outside, our PCG didn’t meet tonight, but I still plan on answering the questions (again) on my own. I’ll be posting these tomorrow evening from home as I do laundry and pack for my Seattle trip.

Our flight leaves very, very early Saturday morning, and we should be in Seattle early enough to enjoy the day and do some sight-seeing. The conference doesn’t start until Sunday.

I’ve been kicking around the idea of having a blog schedule, as I mentioned in the “Work Remains” post.  The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.  I want to say “effective immediately,” but with my Seattle trip coming up, it might be tricky (although we have internet at our hotel, so I’ll give it a shot).  Here’s the new schedule:

Sunday - no posts!  I’ll probably spend this day preparing for Monday.

Monday (Theology Day) - I will either write a post dealing with a theological topic I’m wrestling with, link to posts on other sites that deal with the issue, or a combination of both.

Tuesday (Music Day) - new music gets released every Tuesday, and I’m always adding to my collection.  This day will be for album reviews, talking about new artists, or posts about some of my favorite artists.

Wednesday (Random Blogging) - more of a “personal” day.  I’ll post what’s going on with me and things in my world.

Thursday (Link Day) - since it’s toward the end of the week, I’ll post some links to other blogs I read or come across with good articles.

Friday (PCG Notes Day) - I’ll post the study notes from my PCG as I’ve done the last couple of weeks.

Saturday (YouTube Video Day) - I thought a good, easy way to post on  Saturdays would be posting an interesting or funny YouTube video each week.

There you have it.  I’m also working on having one guest blogger per month.  I have several people in mind for this, and would probably publish their posts one Sunday per month.  More on this as it works out (if it works out).

I thought this was funny.