AUTHORS » Joe Anady

“How God Became Jesus” – Recommended Podcast Episode

Brothers and Sisters,

Do you remember how a few Sundays ago I spent a good bit of time introducing the Gospel of John, talking about different views concerning authorship and the dating of the book? All of that eventually lead to the comment, by way of application, that “we Christians need to learn to think critically about the ideas of those who think critically about the Bible.” In other words, we should not blindly buy into the ideas of these liberal scholars who seek to undermine the authority of scripture simply because they have written best selling books, or teach at prestigious universities, or appear on television. They may be brilliant, but that does not meant they are correct. They may have high IQ’s, but do not forget that their hearts may be at war with the living God, and their intellect used, not for the glory of God, but for the defamation of his name. 

I would like to recommend an episode on the Reformed Forum podcast in which a number of Christian scholars do this very thing – they think critically about the ideas of those who think critically (in this case, the ideas of Bart Ehrman). 

This episode will give you a glimpse into the kinds of debates that take place in scholarly circles in regard to the trustworthiness of the Bible and orthodox Christian belief. This episode is particularly timely in that it deals with the subject of the early churches view of the deity of Christ, John 1:1-14 being a central text in that conversation. 

I hope you can listen in. Enjoy!

Pastor Joe

http://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc351/


GCG Questions for Sermon on 09/07/14

Text: John 20:30-31

Notes: emmauscf.org/sermons

1. What is the benefit of looking at the big picture of a book of the Bible before studying the details?

2. Who do you think wrote the Fourth Gospel? Does knowing the author of a book of the Bible matter, ultimately?

3. Why was this gospel written?

4. If the emphasis of the Gospel of John important today? Is it important for new believers? Is it important for seasoned believers? Why?

5. Have you read through John from beginning to end? If so, what insights were gained from that experience?

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Register Today for Emmaus Essentials – Reformation Profiles

Hello Church,

Just a reminder to register for Emmaus Essentials, Reformation Profiles. This study will run 6 weeks starting September 14th. You can engage online, in class (Sundays at 8:30am), or both. Each lesson is about 30 minutes long. If you plan to engage online then please set up an account today. The process should only take a few minutes. This system works well on mobile devices as well as personal computers. Please let us know if you need any help!

Joe

https://emmausrbc.org/essentials

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Read Through the Gospel of John

Brothers and Sisters,

As you know we will be starting a sermon series through the Gospel of John in the next couple of weeks. I’d like to encourage you all to read through this wonderful book once or twice in preparation for the series. I’ve attached a preaching series outline which also serves as an outline of John’s Gospel. Please read being mindful of the question, “who is Jesus?” That, indeed, was the one question that John was seeking to answer when he wrote – a question that, without a doubt, still needs to be addressed in our day.

Blessings,

Pastor Joe

Preaching Series Outline – Gospel of John 

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Why do we do what we do with children and youth ministry?

Hello Emmaus,

I don’t do this very often, but I would highly recommend (almost beg) that you take the time to listen to a recent episode on the White Horse Inn Podcast, entitled Youth Ministry in Crisis. There are also two other more recent episodes that would be worth listening to (The State of Youth Ministry and Keeping our Kids), but I would ask that you at least take the time to listen to the first one I mentioned.

Why do I want you to listen to this? So that you can better understand why it is that we are doing what we are doing with our children, youth, and parents! We are odd in our approach to children’s and youth ministry, there’s no doubt about that. Understanding why we are taking this approach will go along way in strengthening our commitment to having our children in the worship service, catechizing our children, and engaging our children in deep and meaningful conversations about the scriptures and spiritual things.

I look forward to hearing feedback from you!

Blessings,

Joe

Access online

Access on iTunes


Know the Truth – A 13 Week Overview of the Christian Faith

Brothers and Sisters,

I would like to invite you all to a new class offered by Emmaus entitled, Know the Truth – A 13 Week Overview of the Christian Faith.

This class is geared towards Christians who have never been given an overview of core Biblical teachings. I hesitate to call this a new believers class because, although I do believe it would be a wonderful study for those new to the faith, I believe it will also benefit those who have been in the Lord for some time, yet have never studied the scriptures in this systematic way. Also, I would imagine that this class would benefit those who, though they do not profess Christ, are interested in learning more about the teaching of Holy Scripture. Feel free to invite friends and family, though they may not consider Emmaus their home church.

We will be working through a book entitled, Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief by Bruce Milne. This book is divided into seven sections, which we will cover over the course of 13 weeks:

Part 1 – The Final Authority in Matters of Faith

Part 2 – The Doctrine of God

Part 3 – Humanity and Sin

Part 4 – The Person and Work of Christ

Part 5 – The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

Part 6 – The Church

Part 7 – The Last Things

Please order the book soon. If you’d like, you can read ahead in preparation for our June 8th start date.

While I highly recommend that you keep up with the reading, I have designed the lectures so that you will receive a fairly comprehensive overview of the book by simply attending the class.

You can either purchase the book on Amazon or pick one up from me on Sunday (I think I have about 5 left).

You can view the class schedule by clicking here.

I do hope that you will be able to join us!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Joe

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Recommended Podcast – White Horse Inn

About: “Who are we? White Horse Inn (www.whitehorseinn.org) is a multimedia catalyst for reformation. We believe that each generation must rediscover and apply the gospel to their own time. We long to see a second reformation take hold of our churches and return them to the God-honoring, Christ-centered, Spirit-wrought places of worship they should be. Over the past twenty years, we’ve grown more hopeful that such a reformation is possible. So, we’re putting our time and resources to work toward one. Our mission is to help Christians “know what they believe and why they believe it” through conversational theology. The conversations take place in talk show, magazine, event, book, blog and social media formats. Our vision is to see a modern reformation in our churches through a rediscovery of God, the gospel, and the classic Christian confessions proclaimed during the sixteenth-century Reformation. More than just a talk show and a magazine, White Horse Inn is a conversation for reformation. C. S. Lewis famously remarked that “mere Christianity” is like a hallway. In this hallway, real conversations between Christians of different convictions can begin and develop over time as we emerge from these various rooms to speak of Christ and his gospel to one another. For twenty years, White Horse Inn has hosted this conversation both on the radio (White Horse Inn) and in print (Modern Reformation) in the spirit of that great hallway of “mere Christianity,” bringing the rich resources of the Reformation to bear on American evangelicalism.

Our Six Core Beliefs:
1. The five “solas” of the Reformation are more than slogans to be recovered; they are the messages that will renew the church’s mission in our age.
2. Gospel-centered preaching that rightly distinguishes between law and gospel rescues the church from “Christless Christianity” while enabling Christians to grow in grace.
3. Word and Sacrament ministry realigns the church’s mission and identity from program-driven pragmatism to the means of grace that Christ has ordained for the creation, sustenance, and expansion of his kingdom.
4. A properly missional mindset will identify the church as distinct from but engaged with the world, encouraging individual Christians to pursue their God-honoring vocations.
5. In order to know what they believe and why they believe it, Christians need to be well catechized and grounded in the central doctrines of the faith.
6. Withstanding the onslaught of heresy and persecution requires a confessing church grounded in the witness of the ages and animated by deeds of loving service and witness.” READ MORE

Nerd Factor: Medium

Emmaus Staff Comments: This is one of the few podcasts that I (Joe) listen to regularly!

Access: Online, iTunes

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A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home by Jason Helopoulos

Publisher’s Synopsis: “Pastor Jason Helopoulos calls parents and church leaders to reclaim the practice of family worship. This indispensable means of grace directs our children to seek Christ daily, preparing them to go out into the world as fully functioning Christian adults, who love Christ and see all of life in relation to Him.”

Nerd Factor: Low

Emmaus Staff Comments:

Purchasing Options: Amazon, Monergism Books

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"Him we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
(Colossians 1:28, ESV)

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