Amen, steve. Of course, how many people really know that catechism who are not reformed? Very few. Great post. ------------------------------------ Wallers Baptist Church Pastor derick@... PO Box 95 Partlow VA 22534 tel: 540-582-5703 mobile: 540-894-1772 www.thedickensfamily.org ------------------------------------ > -----Original Message----- > From: Steven G. Rockhill [mailto:revrock@...] > Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 9:50 PM > To: pastorsforum@... > Subject: Re: [PastorsForum] Do we have to have 40 days to > have purpose? > > > Jeff, > As I was reading this my thought was - why doesn't he (RW) mention > Jesus - and then I hey it does - I was just getting ahead of > him. I am > assuming that this email is commenting on RW's Purpose Driven > Life and > 40 Days campaign. My response is that yes discovering your purpose > doesn't have to take 40 Days - we can know it in an instant. But it > takes a whole lot more than 40 Days to pursue - like a lifetime. I > always liked the way the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it in the > first Question and Answer - > > Question 1: What is the chief end of man? > Answer 1: Man's chief end is to glorify God,[1] and to > enjoy Him for > ever.[2] > 1. I Cor. 10:31 > 2. Psa. 73:25-26 > Short sweet and to the point. I was going to preach on this > theme (i.e. > glorifying God and enjoying Him in our lives) this week but decided > earlier today to preach on Romans 12 instead. Isn't that > interesting. > Thanks for the article. > > Oh and one criticism of it - I don't know if the Scripture > qoute of Rom. > 12:2 in the NLT is from RW or from the guy writing the > article but it is > a little misleading as the NLT full translation of Romans 12:2 says - > > NLT - Romans 12:2 2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of > this world, > but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you > think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know > how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. > > It appears as though the quote in the article chopped off the > beginning > and ending of the verse which makes it sound a whole lot > worse than it > actually is. > > Peace, > Steve > > > Bro. Jeff wrote: > > > > Greetings from the TRUE NORTH STRONG AND FREE.... > > > > This came to my email box, I read with interest. I know men > are busy > > and > > might not get much reply. But here goes. > > > > > > > > Rick Warren states: > > > > "Don't you think it would be a wise use of time to set aside 40 of > > those days to figure out what God wants you to do with the rest of > > them"? "Whenever God wanted to prepare for someone for his > purposes, > > he took 40 days." > > > > Response: > > > > Who determined, and by what authority, is 40 days required to > > determine your purpose in life? All who heard the message of > > repentance throughout both the Old and New Testaments and responded > > found out IMMEDIATELY God's purpose for their life. Those who heard > > the message of the Gospel in the New Testament became saved > instantly > > upon hearing it. Paul received his calling and knew > immediately what > > he was supposed to do the rest of his life. So Rick Warren's whole > > premise of purpose is fatally flawed. The events Rick > Warren describes > > in the Bible transpired in 40 days. But that does not mean > > transformation took the entire 40 days. I was most eager to > determine > > what Rick Warren really meant by the term "transformed." So > it is safe > > to assume that he means what he quotes in Romans 12:2 NLT > and attempts > > to then apply to various characters in the Old and New Testament: > > > > "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you > > think. Then you will know what God wants you to do." Romans 12:2 NLT > > > > Now let's see what that verse really says: > > > > Rom 12:2: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye > transformed > > by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] > that good, > > and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." KJV > > > > Verse 1 of this chapter Paul states unequivocally whom he is > > addressing when he says: "brethren." So the transforming can only > > apply to those who were already saved and at that point had already > > determined their purpose in life. So the renewing of the > mind Paul is > > talking about is the renewing of the minds of Christians or > believers. > > Rick Warren applies the term "transformed" to BOTH believers and > > non-believers in the Biblical examples he gives. Secondly, > he presumes > > that at the beginning of 40 days, each of his examples were > still in a > > state of being conformed to this world...i.e., not yet > transformed. In > > which case the examples he > > cites: > > > > 1. Was Noah still conformed to this world at the beginning > the 40 days > > of rain? NO! See Genesis Chapter 7 to see if Rick Warren is telling > > the truth! > > > > 2. Was Moses still conformed to this world at the beginning > of 40 days > > at Mount Sinai? NO! See Exodus Chapter 24 to see if Rick Warren is > > telling the truth > > > > 3. Was David still conformed to this world at the beginning of > > Goliath's 40 day challenge? NO! See I Samuel 17 to see if > Rick Warren > > is telling the truth. > > > > 4. Was Elijah still conformed to this world the beginning > 40 days he > > receive a single meal to strengthen him for for 40 days? NO! See I > > Kings Chapter 19 to see if Rick Warren is telling the truth! > > > > 5. Were Jesus' Disciples still conformed to this world at the > > beginning of the 40 days commencing with Christ's Resurrection? NO! > > See Acts 1:3 to see if Rick Warren is telling the truth. > Finally, if > > at any time the Disciples were transformed it was at > Pentecost, which > > even Christ told them to wait for! Pentecost is 50 days not > 40 Days. > > That is when they received power, not before. > > > > Now Rick Warren's in example of Nineveh being conformed to > this world > > at the beginning of the 40 days would be true. But there is no > > evidence it took 40 days for them to be transformed. In fact, the > > evidence in Jonah points to immediate repentance and the wearing of > > sackcloth. There is no text to support 40 days of a process of > > transforming, assuming that this term can even apply to someone who > > was not a believer at the beginning or even during the 40 days. The > > text in Jonah simply states that the city would be destroyed in 40 > > days if it did not repent. See the Book of Jonah to see if > Rick Warren > > is telling the truth! > > > > In Romans 12:2, Paul addresses those who were already > brethren, so his > > command to be transformed did not mean they became a new > person. And > > certainly in none of Rick Warren's examples, except in Nineveh, did > > they become new persons. > > > > Probably the most glaring error is Rick Warren's statement: > > > > "Jesus was empowered by 40 days in the wilderness" is the most > > egregious. Jesus was not empowered for 40 days in the > wilderness, he > > was tempted. He was all powerful already. If anything, at > least in the > > flesh, he was weakened, then strengthened only at the very > end of the > > 40 days with food brought to him by angels. There is no > process of 40 > > days required to get Jesus "empowered!" At any point during even > > Christ's earthly ministry he had the power to even call down a > > battalion of angels. > > > > So I invite you to do a 40 day word search for each of the above > > Biblical passages in a Blue Letter Bible or other great > search engine. > > Type in "40 days." Read the entire text and context for > Noah, Moses, > > Elijah, Nineveh, and Jesus Christ. You will see that > nothing like the > > process of going from being conformed to this world to being > > transformed that Rick Warren describes even takes place at all, let > > alone a requirement of 40 days. > > > > So his book will transform our life? What if we are already a new > > person and we already have our purpose and we just need our minds > > renewed, which what Romans 12:2 is really saying? The reason people > > aren't transformed is not because of impatience to read the next > > chapter, as Rick Warren alleges, but because they didn't > read THE book > > (the Bible), and because they weren't convicted. Rick > Warren's quote > > of Romans 12:2 implies that you will not know what God > wants you to do > > until 40 days. But the fact is that in all of the Old and New > > Testament passages he cites, these men ALREADY knew what God wanted > > them to do BEFORE the 40 days, not during, and not at the > end! This is > > not a matter of opinion. The facts are not in dispute, as the > > Scriptures will easily verify, and you can verify yourself > by simply > > examining the passages for yourselves. > > > > There was more to the email but I'll stop there. > > > > > > Jeff > > > > > > > > -- > To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: > pastorsforum-unsubscribe@... > > "In essential things, unity; in non-essential things, > liberty; and in all things, charity." > >