DiG Recommended Reading for March 2012-Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World

"The nature of Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist. He announces a savior from Hell rather than a savior from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness."-A.W. Pink

For those that don't really know what the DiG Blog is all about, DiG outreach is a group of gamers looking to reach people with the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Being that we are gamers ourselves, we know first hand how enticing things of this world can be. The addictiveness, fun and appeal of playing video games is an extremely dangerous temptation. With many christian friends who are gamers and with the threat of losing ourselves in worldliness out there, I'm very thankful for this book! Gaming, as a form of worldly media, is just one distraction that can take our focus off of glorifying God in our lives. Anything that takes the place of God in your life is an idol. Dangerous business. Games, movies, and music are there to constantly whisper in your ear, "Hey, over here!" In the book, Worldliness edited by C.J. Mahaney, these issues are expounded upon by Mahaney and several others who are concerned about how we deal with media, music, modesty and stuff. These ideas are expressed in very biblical, non legalistic ways that are practical for living in a time when the world is overloaded with distractions. I absolutely love the quote by A.W. Pink at the top of this post. It's so true to what we see as we look around the world today. So many have the Savior Jesus but want nothing to do with the Lord part of "Lord and Savior." Please do yourself a favor and read this book. It will not only help those who are in the world see the dangers and flee but it can be a great wake-up call to those asleep at the wheel and drifting off of the narrow road.

1 John 2:15

English Standard Version (ESV)

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

There's Something About Mary

Ok so I'll start by stating that I am well aware of the differences and issues between Catholics and Protestants. Just know that I know I am not breaking new ground here with my thoughts as I humbly take on this hot button topic. I realize this is 2000 years of the equivalent of a religious pushing contest and a battle of authority and "Says who?" With that disclaimer out of the way, here we go!

My pastor has pointed out that as much as the Roman Catholic religion puts Mary on a pedestal(read: idolatry), Protestants are guilty of overlooking her as an example of great faith. I mean which one of us wouldn't want to say like Mary in Luke 1:38, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” That's not the only example of her trust in God. Just look at Christ's first miracle. Mary knew right where to go. John 2 tells us of the famous turning of water into wine. Let's read it:

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Like I pointed out earlier, it's great that Mary knew where to turn(Christ) but I think that there are a couple other examples in this text to take notice of. 1.) Mary didn't have the power to turn the water into wine herself. The number of people who pray to Mary daily has got to be, in the words of Luke Skywalker, "well more than you can imagine!". But why? Mary shows here in the gospel of John that she had no supernatural powers or abilities. She needed Christ to perform the miracle and turn the water into wine. 2.) Jesus' response to Mary is interesting here. He doesn't run to immediately fill her request. He let's her know that even though she was asking the right person, her request was wrong. She was actually outside of God's will for asking because "His time had not yet come".

If we are to have scripture as our authority for all faith and practice on Earth, that authority doesn't stop at, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life". We have to look at every verse as an example and as instructions from God for how he desires us to live. The word Christian, first used in Antioch(Acts11), means exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ; Christlike. God's desire is for us to be conformed to the image of His Son(Romans 8:29) so it makes sense that the way to do that is to follow His example from scripture. Let's take a look at a couple compelling examples from God's Word to see what Christ's actions and words are in response to Mary.

Luke 11:27-28 reads: As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Jesus doesn't allow Mary to be elevated by this woman in the crowd. Blessed rather, He says, are those who hear the word of God and keep it. If you are in the Word and living by it, you are more blessed than Mary according to Jesus. Let's look a couple more places.

Matthew 12:46-50 tells us of this incident with Jesus' family: While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

And again in Mark 3:31-34: And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

Lastly, Luke8:19-21: Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

Wow. Those verses have always stood out to me because of my Catholic upbringing. I always remember the importance Mary played in the religious life. But when we look at scripture, Jesus does everything He possibly can to keep us from worshiping His mother. These three passages alone are very clear that He holds her in no more esteem than anyone else who does the will of God or who hears the word of God and does it. Combined with Christ's rebuke of the woman in the crowd in Luke 11, we have a clear concise warning in scripture, the examples of Christ Himself, not to elevate Mary to a place of worship.

And that's the point. If we pray to or worship anything or anyone other than God, we are guilty of breaking God's Law against idolatry. Scripture is clear that idolators will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Somehow along the way, in spite of scripture's clear warning signs, Mary has become an idol or god in certain denominations of faith. She has become the 4th member of the Quadrinity. Perhaps it is because some hold to Mary's perpetual virginity. How on Earth people have come up with that idea is beyond me. We see in the above verses that Jesus' siblings were outside with Mary. Were they all immaculate conceptions? Let's look in scripture. Matthew 1:24-25 says, When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus(Emphasis added). I emphasized until because it necessarily indicates that Joseph did know Mary after she gave birth thereby eliminating her perpetual virginity.

The last thing I want to look at is Mary's song of praise in Luke chapter 1. Verses 46-47 she sings, "And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior," Like everyone else on the face of the Earth Mary was imperfect and born into sin. She denotes that in her song by indicating her need for God, her Savior. That goes a long way into showing her humility and also her helplessness in regards to her status before a holy God. Even she, by example in scripture, didn't elevate herself to a position worthy of any undue worship. She humbly praises God and admits her need for salvation! So what's the take away? What am I even trying to accomplish with this one? Sola Scriptura. If this article gets one person trapped in religious tradition to compare what they are told with what scripture actually tells us then it has done what I set out to do. There is so much freedom in Christ that is not found in the yoke of religiosity. My hope is that some would read this and be encouraged to be like the Bereans in Acts 17. The people in Berea didn't just believe Paul, but weighed everything he said in light of the Word. I pray that people would run to scripture to see if what I am saying is true here. I'm not asking anybody to just listen to me. I am nobody. Check it against God's Living Word. Do that with what you hear at church, from your priest, from your traditions. If what you are being told doesn't align with scripture, ask yourself "why am I doing this?"

The bottom line is if your focus is not on Christ and bringing glory to God then the mark has been missed already. To worship an idol, whether it is Mary or any other person or thing that takes the place of God in your heart, is a direct violation of the 1st Commandment. Mary could have been anyone...well, any female virgin, from the beginning of time until now. But Christ is eternal. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him and by Him. Jesus was the one prophesied about specifically to be born of a virgin(any virgin) and has been part of the plan from the foundation of all the universe. That's why He has to be our focus. Christ came as God in the flesh and died for the sins of the world. If we repent and trust in Him alone for salvation we will be saved.

The Grey: A Review and a Reminder to use Pluggedin.com

Warning: Spoilers and Discussion of Adult Themes/Content Below!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




For those of you who are interested in seeing the latest Liam Neeson flic, "The Grey", please take the time to read this before you plop down your 9 bucks. The Grey is a movie about oil workers from Alaska. Liam Neeson plays a man who's job it is is to kill dangerous wildlife that gets too close to the workers. Being up there has obviously taken it's toll on Neeson. Suicidal thoughts are nearly taken to their conclusion as he puts his high powered rifle in his mouth. A wolf howl in the distance somehow triggers him to stop the regrettable action.

The scene shifts and a handful of the workers, who must be on some sort of break, are then shown shuffling on to a small plane leaving the desolate work environment. This leads into an unforgettable crash scene in which only 7 people, including John Ottway(Neeson), survive. The first night under the dark, cold Alaska sky reveals that they are not alone. The group of men is visited by vicious wolves. Ottway is attacked by one of these monsters and another one of the men is killed during his watch of the night. Ottway, who has studied the habits of wolves for his job, assumes the role of expert and leader. He suggests that the group has somehow wound up somewhere within a 30-300 mile radius of the den of these wolves. He also feels that no one will come looking for them and that the men need to get moving and to get to the treeline in the distance.

One by one the men are picked off by the pack of wolves until it is just John Ottaway, kneeling in their den with a knive and broken bottles of alcohol taped to his hands. He recites a poem that his dad had wrote. The poem is probably the highlight of the movie.

“Once more into the fray.

Into the last good fight I'll ever know.

Live and die this day.

Live and die this day.”

The movie ends with Ottway growling like an animal and lunging at the lead wolf. Epic ending.

Now reading this, you might be thinking The Grey sounds like a good movie. You would be right. The original story line is very refreshing in a watered down market of remakes and sequels. Even with a couple factual issues like not allowing weapons on planes and the mini alcohol bottles not being glass, the movie as a movie is really good. I mean who doesn't love a good man vs. beast flic? The problem is that the movie would have been easily just as good as a PG-13 move instead of an R. I won't go into detail of the gore which is here in plenty but that's not the biggest issue. The language is atrocious in this movie. I wouldn't have been able to keep track of the F bombs if I had tried. Now, to be fair it is a very accurate depiction of the language you would find amongst refinery workers. I should know lol. I had the worst mouth in the plant up until I got saved. The Grey is still, however, a never ending assault on the ears.

This is topped off at the end with John Ottway swearing at God and then asking Him for help. When God doesn't respond in the affirmative, Ottway pridefully says, "I'll do it myself". Neeson's character seemingly wants something to believe in based on an earlier interaction about faith when there were several characters still alive. Oh how far Aslan has fallen :/ You can't curse someone up and down and then ask them for help. It doesn't work with people, why would it work with the God who created us in His image?

As much as I did appreciate the films originality, I can't recommend this to anyone for viewing. I want to take this opportunity to remind you guys to do what I should have done. Check Plugged In from Focus on the Family before you go to the show(Click here to get the pluggedin.com review of The Grey). I could have saved my ears and my heart some unnecessary damage if I had visited their website prior to firing up the trusty Mazda 3. Thankfully I had passes and didn't waste any money on this movie. If you or anyone you know is wanting to see this, please pass this on. They can get the whole gist of the story by reading the above information. God bless. SaulBecomesPaul.

What I Really Meant to Say

Hebrews 9:27

English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁷ And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes love,

Now it doesn't take an expert in theology or hermeneutics to recognize what is wrong in the above scripture. But for the sake of those who are young in the faith, I'll give you a few more seconds....

Got it yet? Of course you do! Judgment has been replaced by the word love. That little four letter word makes all the difference in the world in that verse. Wouldn't it be great to die and then just be loved? Unfortunately, God's Word does, in fact say judgment in Hebrews 9:27. The Greek word used here is krisis. It means: decision(subjectively or objectively, for or against);by extension, a tribunal; by implication, justice(especially divine law):-accusation, condemnation, damnation, judgment.

No love to be found in this verse no matter how much we want it to be there. R.C. Sproul has a great quote. “You are required to believe, to preach, and to teach what the Bible says is true, not what you want the Bible to say is true.” Why all the fuss you might ask? Well more and more the gospel message is being watered down with a "love only" message and a "Love Wins" mindset. This dangerous line of thinking erases words like judgment and hell from peoples thoughts, cares, and fears. Granted, many get carried away with wrath and judgment, all the while ignoring love and grace. Of course there has to be a balance. But listen, if your child is running towards a speeding bus, you will not calmly say "Stop. We love you. Come back to us." I hope that you would run, frantically screaming, warning the child about the bus and their imminent death. I would. Charles Spurgeon said, "If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for."

And that's what we have to do with lost sinners. Implore them, warn them, pray for them. There is no reason to run from love to love. There is plenty of reason to run from judgment under the Law of God into the loving arms of Jesus Christ however. Let's look at another commonly overlooked verse in the gospel of John. See how fast you can spot the error.

John 3:36

English Standard Version (ESV)

³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the love of God remains on him.

The love of God does not remain on an unregenerate sinner no matter how much we want to believe that. The verse actually says that it is God's wrath that remains. How the church body has gotten so far away from the actual message is beyond me. We broke God's Law, Jesus paid our fine. False gospels abound in spite of the actual biblical message. Yet none of these false gospels do anyone any good for they are no gospel at all(Galatians 1:5-7). If we go around not giving people the whole story, we are no better than the cults, who by the way, are way more obedient to spreading their news than the church is of sharing the good news of Jesus.

People love themselves enough to last them a lifetime. It's part of our fallen state. To reinforce that they are loved by God in their current condition could only serve to uphold their own self-righteousness. Sinners need to be brought to conviction under God's Law so that they will be humbled and broken by their sin. They need to see their need for a Savior. They need a reason to run. Telling them that God loves them the way they are encourages them to nestle comfortably in their sin. It allows them to continue enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season. If they die in that sin, whether we want God's Word to say it or not, these sinners will end up in Hell. For an eternity they get to think about the person who told them that God loved them as they burn continually. Wow. What a thought huh? We don't have a lot of time on this Earth. For the glory of God, let's at least get the gospel right while we are here. The bus is coming. It's out of control. The child is running. Your choice. Tell him he's loved or tell him he's about to die an awful death. Think about it.

Hebrews 9:27

English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁷ And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

No If's, When's or But's

Ok this blog post is entirely written to myself as a reminder and as a help in an area where I really struggle at doing my best. Hopefully it will help others out there too. Multiple choice. Select the correct answer from the following:

A. Husbands love your wives if

B. Husbands love your wives when

C. Husbands love your wives. But

D. Husbands love your wives

The first three answers are not only wrong but they are dreadfully wrong and I am guilty of adding all of those conditional words to the simple command given to me. Maybe I'm the only one. If so, like I said, this one was written to myself. If there are other guys out there who struggle with this please remember this is the biblical command for us men who are married.

Ephesians 5:25

English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

Salvation, Evangelism and Humility

How does one get saved from his sin? Bible believing Christians should be able to get together on this one and come up with, "Repent and believe the gospel". At that point you may end up disagreeing on how that comes about. Is God sovereign? Is man's free will the ultimate deciding factor? Wherever you are in your Soteriology, we have to have the Bible as our final authority. Look at Noah for instance. Was he any better than all the other people who stood by mocking him as he built the ark? Probably not. But God chose him and his family to be saved. I doubt there was a line of people who had chosen to get on the ark and God was smacking these people off the door hinges. God may however, have given the rest of the world over to their own depravity. Just like he did with Pharaoh and just like the people described in Romans 9 who are "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction." Conversely, for those who are saved, remember that chapter 9 of Romans also states that "it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy". We are again reminded in Ephesians 2, "that by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." God has countless passages that remind us how humbling of an act salvation should be viewed as by saved people and as people looking for others to be saved. Let's take a look at a great example of God doing a mighty work in a very famous king's life.

I wanna stay back in the Old Testament for this one. A few days ago Kelli and I were reading the book of the Prophet Daniel. The portion of scripture we were reading in was about Nebuchadnezzar's second dream which Daniel, yet again, interpreted for him. King Nebuchadnezzar starts out by praising the Most High God. We'll get to how he gets to that point soon. He then goes on to explain his dream in great detail. Let's pick up after that and get into Daniel's(Belteshazzar's) interpretation. Chapter 4, Verses 19-26 read:

“My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules.

Daniel uses his God given gift to interpret the king's bizarre dream. But he doesn't stop there. Check out what he tells him in verse 27:

Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Many times in the Old Testament, prosperity was correlated to God's favor. We see that in Daniels warning to King Nebuchadnezzar. When I see those words that Daniel gave to the King, however, they remind me of Jesus saying plainly, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” over in the Gospel of Luke. But back to Daniel. Now, you would think that after Daniel had already correctly interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's first dream back in chapter 2, the king would listen to him on this one. Of course that doesn't happen. Look at the king's lack of humility in verses 28-33:

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.

So even though Nebuchadnezzar was given more then sufficient warning from Daniel, Daniel's words were not enough to break down the kings pride. He thought himself to be a self-made man and no mortal's words were about to change that. It took a miraculous work of God to get Nebuchadnezzar to humble himself. It took 7 years of eating grass like an animal when all he had to do was simply listen to a prophet who had never steered him wrong. He finally was humbled and as promised earlier in verse 26, his kingdom was confirmed after he knew that Heaven ruled. His kingdom was restored and glory was given to God by Nebuchadnezzar in verses 34-37:

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,

for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”

At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

All this to say that as evangelists we are to remain humble. After all, we are just being obedient to God's commands, leadings, and giftings. Daniel was all about obedience. He only did what he was called to do. He said all the right things to Nebuchadnezzar. His accurate interpretations along with the warning to repent should have brought the king to his senses but ultimately God did all the work in getting the king broken, then restored. Nebuchadnezzar finally went from glorifying himself to glorifying God. Daniel, though obedient, had nothing to do with it in the end. Like Paul Washer has said, "God saved you from Himself, God saved you for Himself and God saved you by Himself.” Nebuchadnezzar would have to agree with Paul Washer on that one. We see that in his response in verse 37. It tells as that he was humble. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that his restoration and new found praise for the Most High had nothing to do with any decision he had made. It was all of God. So whether you are saved or you are the person who is out in the world telling other people how to be saved, show some humility. To God alone be the glory for salvation and for the free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!!

I just want to leave you with a couple last thoughts. We may say all the right things to someone as we witness to them and, like Daniel, have nothing immediate come from it. Don't get discouraged, God is in the business of saving people. It could be that God has saved people that we have shared the gospel with but to keep us humble, perhaps we don't get to see those results in this life. Remember that it took Nebuchadnezzar 7 years to come to repentance! If someone does turn from their sins and put their faith in Jesus through our message that's great! Let us stay humble about it and give all glory to God. We just need to concentrate on continuing in our obedience to the Lord Jesus and His Great Commission by giving lost sinners the biblical message. I love what John MacArthur said in a sermon. "No one should be so humble. No one should be so meek as those who preach the gospel. Because, we're the only profession in the world where we can take absolutely no credit for everything we do." We see that in this story of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. We clearly see that salvation is a truly amazing gift of God. It came to me in a hospital room as my daughter was near death. I wasn't looking for it but He came looking for me nonetheless. Why? Sometimes I just have no idea. It still baffles me to this day how much He loves me no matter how much I fail Him. This beautiful information doesn't keep me nearly as humble as it should though. That God would write my name in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world and that He would take my place on a Roman cross is truly amazing grace(Ephesians 1)! So I write this to keep myself humble. If it works to keep you humble too, Soli Deo Gloria!! Let's humbly do the work of evangelists, God will take care of the rest.

Psalm 68:20

English Standard Version (ESV)

Our God is a God of salvation,
and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

Unteachability

In my previous post I reviewed a book titled, "Hazards of Being a Man". If you read the review, you know that I thought it was fantastic. One of the hazards mentioned in the book really caught me unawares. I never really thought of myself in that way but looking back it is very evident that I was very unteachable. Interestingly enough, just recently a friend of mine has had some issues with this trap. Not that he was unteachable but people who were over him in a church setting were. They had their views on something and would not budge even though what they practiced in no way lined up with the Scriptures. Nobody. Not pastors, priests, the pope, no one knows everything. It is dangerous to think that we do. Everyone can learn from many different sources; even it it's what not to do(I learned that at the refinery lol). All this to say is that I saw a shining example of teachability at my church this last Sunday in our Adult Bible Fellowship class. Dr. Jim Rosscup. This man has a B.A. from Arizona State University, a Th.D & a Th.M from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D., University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He has written books, he's an amazing teacher, he is smart beyond any and all of my comprehension. So with all this hype you probably think he was teaching the class and the question you might be asking is what did I teach him. Nothing. But watching this great, seasoned, knowledgeable man of God sitting in the same class as me, intently taking notes as our associate pastor spoke on a subject I'm positive that Dr. Rosscup could have schooled him on many a time over was a great example to me. I went up and thanked him after the class. He humbly and graciously accepted my thanks. What a great example. Thank you Dr. Jim Rosscup. If the Lord grants me another second on this Earth let me be as teachable as you sir.