Bible Burgh

The Proverbs 31 Woman

2012-01-31T17:38:00.003-05:00

Have you READ Proverbs 31 lately??

It was nice to hear our pastor recommend that we read a "Proverb a Day" since there are 31 Chapters in the Book of Proverbs ... AND ... most months have 31 days.

I have been doing this off and on for a number of years ... 2012 is back ON ... so I did read Proverbs 31 today.

Ladies ... do you want to know what God expects from you?? GUYS ... do you want to know what kind of lady to LOOK FOR?? PROVERBS 31 DESCRIBES IT!! :-)

It is an AWESOME and GODLY resume for women. Some people mistakenly argue that this is an "amalgamation" of a bunch of women. INCORRECT. Why do I know that??

Well, FIRST ... God's Word sometimes is fairly straight forward if we read it with "common sense" in mind. This is NOT impossible for one woman to attain. May not happen in a week, month or year ... but OVER TIME, this should describe the woman who strives to be a goldy picture and example.

The second reason I know this to be true??? I married a woman who has EXHIBITED these qualities ... I have SEEN IT first hand!!

Now ... go START your "Proverb a Day" TODAY ... Don't wait until tomorrow.

Blessings!

Pastor Tom Lemmon, Donald Whitney and Steve Lawson!

2012-01-29T13:50:00.004-05:00

Another PACKED night on Bible Burgh tonight at 9:00pm on WORD FM 101.5!!

We'll start an interview with Pastor Tom Lemmon from Faith Community Church Lakeside, and host of the daily program "Faith in Progress" that will include Church Planting.

We'll also spend time with Donald Whitney of Biblical Spirituality DOT ORG and professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He will be in Pittsburgh on February 3 and 4 for "Prayer in the Church and Family", the spring conference for the Reformation Society of Pittsburgh, held at Christ Bible Church of Cranberry. Find out more at www.rpts.edu!

THEN ... we will conclude the awesome Bible Burgh University message that was begun LAST week by Stephen Lawson, from the Shepherd's Conference 2011 ... "A Famine in the Land".

DON'T FORGET ... next week is "RPTS NIGHT"!! We'll feature Dr. Dennis Prutow and Jonathan Watt.

Blessings!!! Hope you can JOIN US!

Jimmy Caraway on Galatians, Bill Bruinsma on the Word of God, Steve Lawson Famine in the Land, The Gettys When Trials Come

2012-01-20T16:04:00.000-05:00

This Sunday night Mikes interview with pastor Jimmy Caraway of Christ Bible Church in Cranberry continues as they share from the letter to theGalatians.....we'll catch up with pastor Bill Bruinsma of theProtestant Reformed Fellowship in Forest Hills in a talk on the truthof the Word of God and more.......Dr and pastor of of ChristFellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, Steve Lawson conductsBible Burgh University from the Shepherd's Conference 2011 on Famine inthe Land, a message so powerful we'll have to share it over twosuccessive weeks..... the Gettys offer us a LOGOS Interlude singingWhen Trials Come and our own Mike Howard shares with us from Hebrewsand from this month's Ligonier Ministries Tabletalk "Coram Deo”!

Join us for Bible Burgh, 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in PittsburghPA, streamed live online at Wordfm.com, and you can also subscribe to thepodcast at this link. Bible Burgh, that the Bible might be the foundation forPittsburgh and beyond!

I Saw Adam Brock for .5 Seconds!!

2012-01-19T21:15:00.003-05:00

Our lead singer from the Trinity Jazz Orchestra's Christmas Concert brought to you by K and D Ministries and Bible Burgh ... ADAM BROCK!

Yes ... I saw him at the VERY END of American Idol tonight ... it "appeared" to me that he was holding a YELLOW TICKET to Hollywood, but it flashed through SO fast!

IF SO ... May God be WITH you, my brother, to deal with all that comes with that advancement. We'll keep you in our prayers ... AND ... as they say:

We KNEW YOU when ... :-)

The Sovereignty of God: HE!!

2012-01-17T21:55:00.002-05:00

Another look at the sovereignty of God has me going back to Romans 8, where I read this a few days ago.

Verse 28 is WELL known, but the "sovereignty" aspect REALLY jumped out at me. Look at verses 28-30 and NOTICE how much WE as men and women have to do with these great theological concepts ... predestined ... called ... justified ... glorified. I'll just let the scripture do the talking!

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

GOD: Creator and Sustainer!

2012-01-14T09:57:00.004-05:00

ONCE AGAIN ... the Lord amazes me with His "Combo" study effect ... reading one scripture, maybe through a reading plan of some sort, and then moving on to something you are studying, and seeing a clear link between the two.

Psalm 74:12-17 gives us some great "creation" truths. Verse 16: "Thine is the day, Thine is the night; Thou hast prepared the light and the sun." - NASB

The other verses are wonderful specifics, but interesting that verse 16 comes as a reminder that it is ALL covered by God.

THEN ... I have just begun this year a study of the Book of Hebrews, using F.F. Bruce, John Calvin, Rick Phillips, and of course, John MacArthur. The MacArthur commentary just had me in Hebrews 1:1-4 ... MAGNIFICENT verses of the magnitute of Christ in the creation AND sustaining of the earth. TALK ABOUT "SUSTAINABILITY"!!! :-)

"He upholds all things by the Word of His Power." MacArthur tells us:

Christ not only made all things and will someday inherit all things, but He holds them all together in the meanwhile. The Greek word for 'upholds' means 'to support, to maintain', and it is used here in the present tense, implying continuous action."

Great stuff in and of itself. Then MacArthur makes THIS comment:

Everything in the universe is sustained right now by Jesus Christ."

It seems the buzz word in the business and economic world, especially in the food, manufacturing, and "green" communities, is "sustainability".

TODAY ... we have seen the Ultimate Sustainer ... and His name is Jesus Christ!

Blessings!

Listen ... OBEY ... and Be Blessed!

2012-01-10T05:41:00.002-05:00

Alright ... so I am a DAY LATE again on the memory verse. So, sue me! Oh, wait, You CAN'T!! :-) (1 Corinthians 6)

Proverbs 8:32 tells us something eerily simple:

Now, therefore, listen to me, my children, for blesssed arethose who keep my ways."

Want blessing from God?? KEEP HIS WAYS.

Let's leave JUST THAT simple, shall we?

Dr. George Scipione, pastor Bill Bruinsma, Rick Phillips, Mercy Me

2012-01-08T20:39:00.002-05:00

Join us tonight at 9 Eastern for our next show featuring a look back at some very helpful interviews featuring Dr. George Scipione, director of the Biblical Counseling Institute at RPTS......pastor Bill Bruinsma of the Protestant Reformed Fellowship of Pittsburgh discussing the Heidelburg Catechism......pastor Rick Phillips of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and 2nd Presbyterian Church Greenville, preaching from First Baptist Church Wheeling on the Masculine Mandate.....and Mercy Me sings Hungry from the CD Worship Sessions!

Join us for Bible Burgh, 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in PittsburghPA, streamed live online at Wordfm.com, and you can also subscribe to thepodcast at this link. Bible Burgh, that the Bible might be the foundation forPittsburgh and beyond!

Why did Jesus Preach the Sermon on the Mount?

2012-01-05T08:43:00.004-05:00

That is the question asked by John MacArthur at the end of the Daily Reading for today, January 5th, in the MacArthur Daily Bible from Grace to You Ministries (www.gty.org).

MacArthur comments:

The Sermon on the Mount is a masterful exposition of the law and a potent assault on Pharisaic legalism, closing with a call to true faith and salvation (Matthew 7:13-29). Matthew is keen to show the arror of the Pharisees for the benefit of his Jewish audience - not for personal or self-aggrandaizing reasons."

One of the things that strikes me about scripture overall, and The Sermon on the Mount specifically, is that if you really consider the tone, focus and context ... MAN could not and would not have written it. This is just not the way humans think or talk. (Read The Sermon on the Mount sometime through that "lens tint" and see for yourself.)

MacArthur continues his comments with that very thought and intent:

Christ expounded the full meaning of the law, showing that is demands were humanly impossible (Matthew 5:48). this is the proper use of the law with respcet to salvation: it closes off every possible avenue of human merit and leaves siners dependent on nothing but divine grace for salvation (c.f., Romans 3:19-20; Galatians 3:23-24). Chrst plumbed the depth of the law, showing that its true demands went far beyond the surface meaning fo the words (Matthew 5:28, 39, 44) and set a standard that is higher than the most diligent students of the law had heretofore realized."

Where then DOES that leave the "religions" of today that stress or emphasize ANY personal merit to achieve heaven, salvation, or forgiveness?? It leaves them woefully short ... and leaves man "dead in his trespasses and sins".

Let The Sermon on the Mount be BOTH edification for the believer, and an unmistakable witness to the unbeliever that there is NOTHING that he/she can do to earn salvation.

NOTHING ...

Christ Does God's Will ... We Get Sanctified Through Faith

2012-01-02T07:48:00.002-05:00

I think a GOOD place to start the New Year is in SANCTIFICATION! Remind yourself, if indeed you ARE in Christ, that His sacrifice for our sins was planned, WILLED, completed and is SECURE for those of us in FAITH.

Here is our FIRST Monday Memory Verse of the New Year:

Hebrews 10:10

By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

The "will" spoken of is in the previous verse, and an Old Testament quote, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God."

We as believers need to concur with that statement taking Romans 12:1-2 as OUR guide: "...that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God ..."

START the New Year off HERE ... and you will find your life alligned with God, doing His will, no matter your earthly circumstances.

Christ died for us ... ONCE FOR ALL! Let us do the same in giving our lives for Him, to Him ... and ultimately THROUGH Him.

Blessings!!

Does Christ Get Offered Over and Over?

2011-12-30T06:57:00.004-05:00

There is at least one group that says "YES ... Christ is sacrificed EACH time the eucharist (Lord's Supper) is taken."

But Hebrews 9:28, the first part, tells us otherwise (and other scriptures as well).

So Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many ..."

OFFERED ONCE ... basically that MEANS what it SAYS. Jesus Christ is the PERFECT sacrifice to appease the wrath of God ... which must be appeased if we are to have LIFE and FELLOWSHIP again with our Creator. Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23 are the verses that let us know WITHOUT QUESTION that the "wages of sin is death" and that "all have sinned and FALL SHORT of the glory of God."

Jesus Christ "paid the wage" for us in essence with His ONCE FOR ALL sacrifice. When we partake of the loaf and the cup, it is done IN REMEMBRANCE of that ONCE FOR ALL sacrifice.

Let our minds and hearts think on this ... have faith in this ... and ROLL into a New Year of service AS "DOULOS" ... SLAVES to CHRIST ... living out our faith in Christ before the world ... before our families ... before our co-workers.

May we be "unavoidable witnesses" ... that the unbeliever might see the Risen Savior in our lives by both our deeds and our words.

Blessings ... and safety ... for this New Years weekend! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my son, Jonathan, who has helped our ministry out much by his labor this year ... he'll be 13! :-)

WHO Wrote the Book of Hebrews??

2011-12-29T08:08:00.001-05:00

WHY ... The Holy Spirit, of course!! :-)

Blessings!

Surrounded by God ... FOREVER!

2011-12-28T08:39:00.002-05:00

This verse is GOOD Wisdom for a Wednesday, and a solid Memory Verse ... even though it isn't Monday.

Psalm 125:2

"As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.

The question to ask is NOT whether God loves, saves, SURROUNDS forever ... that is CLEAR here in this Old Testament verse.

The question is ARE YOU ONE OF "HIS PEOPLE"??

Blessings!

Christmas Drama, Ligonier Ministries Word Became Flesh, Jack Kinneer, Michael W. Smith

2011-12-18T13:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight on Bible Burgh Dr. Jack Kinneer of RPTS and EchoHills Christian Study Center returns to conclude his eye-opening lesson to us on the truths of theChristmas story, dispelling a lot of long-standing myths……Ligonier Ministriesand R.C. Sproul present the Word Became Flesh…….Mike reads from J.M. Boice onthe Christ of Christmas in our fireside chat…….in our LOGOS Interlude MichaelW. Smith sings Christmas Angels…….and in our second hour enjoy the Bible BurghChristmas drama, featuring a reading of the Scriptures surrounding the birth ofChrist, poetry, and music!

CHRISTMAS: Grace or Glitz? ... Getting Christ Centered!

2011-12-16T08:07:00.005-05:00

JESUS CHRIST ... manifest ... born and raised to die and rise.

The story of Christmas is the story of the redemption of mankind ... redeemed from the slavery and tyranny of sin. John the Baptist said of Jesus, "BEHOLD! ... The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." - John 1:29

I would STRONGLY recommend you link on to GRACE TO YOU with John MacArthur and listen ... OR DOWNLOAD FOR FREE! (how cool is THAT??) ... "The Best of Christmas" series.

John gives SUCH GREAT insight and theology into the who/what/why/how of our Savior's birth. Here is that link: http://www.gty.org/radio/

We are LESS than 10 days away from Christmas ... are you more worried about your SHOPPING list? ... or your Spiritual situation? Is Christmas just a "good, warm, fuzzy" feeling about food, family and presents?? (and there IS a place for that I believe!)

OR ... Does the priority of Christmas FOR YOU center around the One Who came to earth ... CONDESCENDED to our level ... PUT ON FLESH ... dwelt among us ... and snatched us out of the darkness and into the light?? (John 1:14; Colossians 1:13-14)

ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS ... "examine yourself" if you will, about your heart and mindset of CHRISTMAS! It is a glorious time to celebrate ... it is an AWESOME and opportunistic time to witness!!

DON'T MISS THE GRACE OF CHRISTMAS because of the GLITZ of Christmas!

BLESSINGS, brothers and sister! ... join us SUNDAY NIGHT for "A Bible Burgh Christmas" ... I promise the show will help you achieve a more Christ Centered Christmas.

P.S. ... if you NEED a REALLY GOOD musical selection idea for yourself ... or a GIFT .... might I suggest the NEW release from Keith and Kristyn Getty, "JOY: An Irish Christmas" available at: http://www.gettymusic.com/

STAY SATURED WITH THE WORD!!!

Jack Kinneer, Eric Andrae, Ligonier Ministries, Christmas special!

2011-12-09T21:45:00.001-05:00

Join usfor the next edition of Bible Burgh as our lessons of Christmas continue … Dr.Jack Kinneer of RPTS with more on the truths of Christmas, a serious look at dispellingthe myths … pastor Eric Andrae of First Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and the LutheranStudent Fellowship drops by the studio to share teachings on Christmas time …we’ll hear the Ligonier Ministries special presentation in spoken word (by R.C.Sproul!) and song, the Word Became Flesh … and taking our first hour will bethe Bible Burgh Christmas drama, a time of music, Scripture and poetry, incelebration of Christmas!

BibleBurgh, Sunday nights from nine til eleven on 101.5 WORD FM in Pittsburgh PA,streamed live online at Word FM dot com! Subscribe to the podcast here; it’seasier than hanging icicles on your Christmas tree to stay up to the minutewith Bible Burgh each and every week!

Great Thought on Unity in the Church!

2011-12-08T08:43:00.002-05:00

UNITY IN THE CHURCH ... wouldn't we LOVE THAT!! But HOW do we get it??

"Submit to one another!" ... Yes .... "LOVE one another!" ... Certainly!

But in WHAT context? How do we "set the stage" so to speak? How do we look, not at others, but at OURSELVES?

John MacArthur, near the end of his book, "Slave", said something that makes REALLY GOOD sense in setting the context for having unity in the church.

Not only is slavery to Christ the way to true freedom; it is also the path to reconciliation and unity within the body of Christ. When believers realize that they are all slaves, called to model the humility of the ultimate slave (Philippians 2:5-7), it becomes obvious how they ought to treat others: 'Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.' "

Now, we have ALL heard that LAST verse ... but sometimes we need some "context" to help us act out spiritual truths ... in this case, for CHURCH UNITY, the context, I believe, as REMEMBERING that we are SLAVES TO CHRIST. We are NOT our own. We have been BOUGHT with a price. A very HIGH price, I might add.

Blessings!!

A video sampler of the Trinity Jazz Orchestra

2011-12-05T19:43:00.001-05:00

Here's a taste of the what the Trinity Jazz Orchestra can do!

Trinity Jazz Orchestra Christmas concert!

2011-12-05T19:14:00.001-05:00

Mike and I hope you'll be able to come enjoy the Trinity Jazz Orchestra especially if you haven't heard their music before. They are great and will brighten your Christmas season! Bible Burgh/K&D Ministries presents the Trinity Jazz Orchestra! Call 800-965-9324 to order your tickets by phoneor click here to order online. Here are directions to the church.

Facebook Users: Register your attendance here!

Jack Kinneer, Jimmy Caraway, JM Boice, Christmas music and drama

2011-12-04T15:36:00.001-05:00

Join us tonight as we reair the excellent teaching series from Dr. Jack Kinneer of RPTS as he unfolds the truths about Christmas and debunks the myths that are held even in some churches........pastor Jimmy Caraway of Christ Bible Church of Cranberry stops by our studios to talk Christmas stuff........Mike reads to us from JM Boice on the Christ of Christmas......and in our 2nd hour we'll present to you the exciting Bible Burgh Christmas drama, something we look forward to every year!!

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night 9 -11PM on 101.5 WordFM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at WordFM.com. Subscribe to thepodcast ... and prevent missing even a minute of another show!

Good Slave, Bad Slave

2011-12-02T08:43:00.004-05:00

As we continue our look at John MacArthur's book, "Slave", I am personally coming to the end of the book. The last chapter of the appendix is "The Riches of the Paradox".

Our minds see many paradoxes in the Bible, and I suppose this can be ONE of them ... until you look DEEPER (and this is the case with MOST biblical paradoxes).

MacArthur calles slavery "a metaphor commonly associated wtih scorn, oppression, and abuse, slavery has been gloriously transformed, in Christ, to signify honor, liberty, and eternal bliss."

YES ... like typicaly slaves we are OWNED ... possessed now by Christ. We are not our own, we HAVE been bought with a price. BUT ... what an OWNER!!!

And WHAT A SAVIOR ... from our former "slavemaster". MacArthur tells us that "our study of slavery has reminded us that we were once the wrethed slaves of the cruelest master imaginable - sin."

Stay tuned for a POST on SIN from David Martyn Lloyd-Jones ... and in the meantime work out your salvation ... your glorious "slavery" to the one true Lord and King ... Jesus Christ.

Blessings!

Keith and Kristyn Getty IN PITTSBURGH TONIGHT!

2011-12-01T09:12:00.001-05:00

The Getty's are in town for JOY: An Irish Christmas Concert ...

7:00pm tonight at St. Stephen's Church in Sewickley, PA ... and YOURS TRULY has the honor of introducing them.

Tickets are CLOSE TO GONE ... check out iTickets or call St. Stephens directly.

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!!

Sound Doctrine and Christian Authority

2011-11-29T04:38:00.004-05:00

Let's COMBINE the Monday Memory Verse AND Tuesday with Titus, shall we??

The verse is:

Titus 2:1

But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine." - NKJV

John MacArthur, in the MacArthur Study Bible, tells us that SOUND means "healthy"! He also tells us:

Paul uses this word 9 times in the pastoral epistles (5 times in Titus), always in the sense that the truth produces spiritual well-being."

While this decree is to Titus, while he is setting up the elderships of the churches of Crete, I believe this falls to ALL of us in God's Kingdom ... Pastor, Elder, Teacher ... Mother, Father, Children ... co-worker, boss, etc. WE ALL should be speaking things which are FITTING for sound doctrine.

In MacArthur's commentary, "TITUS", he tells us that in chapter two "the subject changes from pastors to congregations, from leadership to laity. He says "SPEAK" is a present imperative which refers to "ordinary conversation". THAT IS EYE OPENING, isn't it?? OUR ORDINARY CONVERSATIONS should be fitting for sound doctrine!!

I am reminded of a BIZ BURGH (I sometimes host that show on WORD FM 101.5) that I recently recorded with the City Mission of Washington. The guest, known as Steel, talked about how the Lord CLEANED UP his language ... vulgarity had been dealt with ... and this verse in Titus 2:1 gives us that same implication.

Ted Bigelow, in "The Titus Mandate", makes a GREAT statement, I believe, in the whole thought of biblical authority in the church. He says

...consider the authority that God has granted to you as priest of Jesus Christ. Every believer-priest has the right to demand that God's Word be completely honored without hinderance by his church. To honor God's WORD is to honor God."

Have a VERY blessed day in the Lord ... and be WISE unto His Word ... and unto your SPEECH this day.

Theological Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:25:00.002-05:00

Reading a little every day in Titus is BOUND to give one some "posting thoughts". TODAY, being the day we celebrate THANKSGIVING with friends and family (AND GOD!), this section I read stuck out to me as something to be ETERNALLY thankful for ...

Titus 2:11-15

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak there things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you." - NKJV

HOW RICH AND FULL OF TRUTH ... full of SO MANY things to be thankful for.

Today ... just think about the basics here ... GRACE ... SALVATION ... HOPE ... and the return of Christ. We could obviously look at our benefits ... redemption ... and the ABILITY to live righteous and godly lives, because WITHOUT salvation, redemption and regeneration, this would not be possible. We would be giving thanks TODAY without any basis for doing so, because we would STILL be lost in sin, miserable, and unrighteous, heading STRAIGHT to hell when we die or when Christ would return, whichever came first.

BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE for the CHOSEN, REGENERATED believer (Titus 1:2-3)!! We REJOICE and GIVE THANKS today for the GREAT work of God IN Christ on our behalf, ALL to His Glory and NONE to us.

He TRULY IS our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ! Give Him ALL the thanks that is in you today if indeed you are His. AND IF YOU ARE NOT ... surrender yourself to Him TODAY, and allow His perfect sacrifice on the Cross to PAY YOUR SIN DEBT TO GOD! The freedom from sin is un explainable and unimaginable ... until you HAVE IT in Christ! Then you spend the rest of your life on earth learning about Christ and serving Him, constantly giving thanks for what He has done, is doing, and will do, in your life.

Blessings for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, CHURCH!!!

God vs. Man in Church Government

2011-11-22T08:21:00.005-05:00

If the Bible teaches us to "obey God and not man", then WHY are we so apt and ready to do the "man made" things when it comes to church government and church leadership??

Tuesday with Titus has us thinking about a quote in Ted Bigelow's book, "The Titus Mandate" when he quotes from "A Plural-Elder Congregationalist's Response" by Waldron:

The church is the house of God. It is unthinkable that God has left its government up to the traditions of men."

Robert's Rules of Order came from, well, ROBERT! Stunningly it came out of a Baptist church!! ... and now it is GOSPEL for how many churches are run.

Bigelow tells us:

Henry Robert wrote his famous book in 1876 after witnessing aparticularly painful Baptist church meeting in New Bedford, Massachussetts, USA."

Bigelow goes on to tell us Robert used the US House of Representatives for how orderly decisions could be made. THAT WAS HIS FIRST MISTAKE ... or maybe his second, behind not follwing the biblical design for order and leadership.

Many people wonder why biblical Christians (as opposed to "Non-Biblical"...think about THAT one) hold to "reformation theology" ... it is because SO much of church life NEEDS REFORMED. Solid and TRUE reformation always goes back to the Bible.

My friend, Grant Van Leuven, a pastor in San Diego, CA, once defined "Reformation" very simply for me: "THOROUGHLY BIBLICAL"!!

Thanks Pastor Grant ... and NO THANKS, Mr. Robert!

Forsake Not the Assembling of Yourselves ....

2011-11-20T08:59:00.001-05:00

AND LISTEN TO BIBLE BURGH TONIGHT!! :-)

Hebrews 10 in the vernacular would be: "GO TO CHURCH!" ... so DO THAT and lift someone up, be lifted up yourself in Sunday School, by worship and the preaching of the Word. AND if your church doesn't do THAT ... probably isn't a church ... FIND A CHURCH!

ON BIBLE BURGH TONIGHT ... continuation of last week's interviews ... and NEW interview with Keith and Kristyn Getty, some of their music and promotion of their December 1st concert in Pittsburgh.

See you at church ... see you at 9:00pm TONIGHT!

Blessings!

Give Earnest Heed to Hearing!

2011-11-14T12:32:00.003-05:00

Monday Memory Verse comes from the Book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 2:1

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away". - NKJV

What DID you hear yesterday at church? Opinions? Relevent nonsense? The Word of God?

I pray it WAS the latter ... but in this day and age, you NEVER know! Hebrews 2:1 reminds us to give EARNEST HEED to the things we hear ... OR ... we might DRIFT! Just another reason to not "forsake the assembling of ourselves". If we DO ... then we don't hear the proclaiming of God's Word from the pulpit which is what we NEED to KEEP from drifting, among MANY other things.

This Sunday and NEXT, we will give our Bible Burgh University to one of the "BEST of the BEST OF's" ... Dr. Bruce Bickel, from April 2008 and his message on "The Puritan View of the Pulpit".

NOT TO BE MISSED!!!! Take heed of this MEMORY verse ... and Dr. Bickel on Bible Burgh November 20th and 27th.

Blessings!

Jim Hamilton, Ligon Duncan, Jonathan Watt, Casting Crowns, Mercy me

2011-11-13T17:27:00.001-05:00

Tonight, more with Jim Hamilton of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Jonathan Watt of RPTS and Geneva College whospeaks on the Sermon on the Mount, LOGOS interludes from Casting Crowns withCourageous, and Mercy Me singing White Christmas/Winter Wonderland, we'll hearfrom a recent Table Talk magazine and find out more on the upcoming K&DMinistries/Bible Burgh Christmas concert featuring the Trinity Jazz Orchestraand Michael Dulin....J. Ligon Duncan teaches Bible Burgh University on Mercy'sGift and Mike will sit us around the hearth for a fireside chat.

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night 9 -11PM on 101.5 WordFM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at WordFM.com. If you subscribe to thepodcast ... you'll be subscribed to the podcast!

Wisdom is TALKING to US!

2011-11-09T19:52:00.003-05:00

Since it is Wednesday ... how about some Wednesday Wisdom!!

AND WISDOM IS TALKING TO US!!

Proverbs 8 starts out, "Does not wisdom call?". DO WE HEAR IT? Wisdom says that it dwells with prudence and finds knowledge and discretion.

All of those are important ... but before you GET to them ... via wisdom ... you must know WHERE and HOW to FIND wisdom.

And it is right where WISDOM CALLS! ... in the Word of God. "Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it" we hear from Proverbs 8:33.

WISDOM IS TALKING TO US!!

The QUESTION is ... ARE WE LISTENING?? Are we reading and understanding ... HEARING and APPLYING what WISDOM is telling us?

The Bible tells us "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge". Maybe the beginning of wisdom is LISTENING ...

Tuesday with Titus - 11/8/2011

2011-11-08T10:10:00.003-05:00

Looking once again at "The Titus Mandate" by Ted Bigelow (Bible Burgh interview COMING SOON!) ... we begin to enter into the thought, and importance of, biblical discipline. This is next to IMPOSSIBLE to do without biblical elders in place ... and EVEN THEN, it RARELY happens.

If churches would simply began to confront "DIVISIVENESS" in the church, we would see things getting better QUICKLY.

Bigelow says:

Refusing to operate in the arm of the flesh requires conscious and deliberate works of righteousness for a transition to eldership. This will include responding appropriately to the sins of others. If others in the church are creating division, are slandering and acting in ways inappropriate to 'the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3) and love for Christ and others, they are to be called to repentance."

EXAMINE your church this moment ... DOES THAT EVER HAPPEN, whether you have elders or not??

Bigelow then reminds us:

Jesus placed the responsibility of discipline on every one of us when He said, 'if your brother sins, go and reporve him in private." - Matthew 18:15 NIV

What great strides would be made for the Kingdom of God if we would just start there!

Blessings ...

Christ, The Body ... and YOU!

2011-11-07T08:16:00.003-05:00

A good memory verse for this Monday is one that comes from the middle school lesson I had the pleasure of teaching yesterday:

1 Corinthians 12:27

Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually." - NKJV

What a FUN discussion it was to talk about the "not so visible" parts of the human body, BUT how IMPORTANT they are for function over, say, the hands and feet.

FOR THE CHURCH ... each part is extremely important, because each MEMBER has been CHOSEN and SAVED BY GOD ... His creation and RE-CREATION ... UNTO good works.

Where are you serving in the body?? (Don't even THINK about not being a member!)

Blessings!

The Structure of Eldership

2011-11-03T16:30:00.003-04:00

You will be hearing MORE AND MORE from me on the Book of Titus and from the people I read and study, both here on the BLOG and on Bible Burgh ... and especially from Ted Bigelow from his book, "The Titus Mandate".

LIKE THIS ... on the structure of eldership:

The structure of eldership allows the Word of God to lead the church. Elders are merely qualified servants laboring to ensure that the Scripture has unfettered authority."

And if you read more of Bigelow's book, you will find that church votes, either congregationally, or otherwise, really have NO place in the church. The church is NOT a democracy. It is a DICTATORSHIP ... I think ... with CHRIST at the head, and the bride, the Church, in the "submissive" role. His Word tells us what to do, how to do it, and WHO has the authority (the elders) to oversee the SHEEPFOLD.

More on "voting" and "majority rules" down the road ... but my guess is ... most of you WON'T like it. :-)

Leadership vs. Submission

2011-10-31T08:54:00.004-04:00

This is PURELY off the top of my head ... partly because I am working through Ted Bigelow's book, "The Titus Mandate" .... and as MY church, and I am sure many others, struggle through leadership structure and hierarchy.

HERE IS MY TAKE ... while we DO need to do a better job as "leaders" in the church ... the FLOCK needs to do a better job of SUBMISSION.

Most important point I believe ... especially for churches with biblical elders ... DEACONS DO NOT HAVE AUTHORITY. Stop it! Drop it!! Deacons should be THE BEST example of submission, humility and service in the church ... that the other memebrs of the flock willl know EXACTLY how to behave.

AND if you HAVE a "board" of elders and deacons "voting" on things ... YOU DO NOT HAVE BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP IN YOUR CHURCH! Stop and START OVER .... And I mean that in the NICEST possible way! :-)

More on this LATER ... just a little VENTING today ... Have a BLESSED week.

Rut Etheridge, Bill Bruinsma, Phil Johnson, Eric Andrae, Carman, D. Martin Lloyd Jones, Oswald Chambers

2011-10-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

Mike wraps up hisdiscussion with RPTS professor and pastor of Providence RP Church inPittsburgh's Brookline neighborhood Rutledge Etheridge ....pastor Bill Bruinsma of the Protestant ReformedFellowship in Pittsburgh rejoins us with Contending Earnestly for theTruth.......pastor Eric Andrae of the Lutheran Student Fellowshiphere in Pittsburgh concludes on Justification.....Glory Grace andTruth is the message preached by pastor Phil Johnson of Grace to Youministries during his recent visit to Pittsburgh, at Christ Bible Church of Cranberry, and that message concludes in our Bible BurghUniversity hour......LOGOS Interludes tonight are provided by Carmanwith A Witches Invitation and Mike's reading of David Martyn LloydJones' Light of the World, Mike also shares a fireside chat fromOswald Chambers, the Key to the Missionary Message.

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night 9 -11PM on 101.5 WordFM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at WordFM.com. If you subscribe to thepodcast it's pizza for everybody!*

*Offer not valid in the United States, Great Britain, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Sweden, or any of the geologically fixed lands of the third planet from the Sun.

Monday Memory Verse

2011-10-24T12:24:00.000-04:00

Hey gang, since we haven't done these in a while, I figured we'd hit the ground running. Colossians 3:11-13

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

When we come alive in Christ, we enter on level ground. He saved us, we didn't earn it and there is no outward circumstance that anyone can point to which makes one more deserving than another. Once in Christ, we need to be like Christ, displaying the characteristics listed here in display of the new Spirit within us. Forgiveness should be a hallmark of our lives. We aren't going at full speed of maturity in these areas from the first moment of salvation, but like a car accessing the highway, we are a car, we are moving, and we are gaining speed as we approach our target speed and destination. Beware of sitting still; we've all seen video of what happens when a car stands still on the highway. When that happens, somebody gets hurt.

Don't let the length of this passage scare you; work to memorize it a bit at a time, day by day, and by Friday you may be reciting the whole thing! Even if you aren't, you'll have mulled it over several times, and that's the start of digging into God's Word.

Rut Etheridge, Bill Bruinsma, Eric Andrae, Phil Johnson, Michael Card, Casting Crowns

2011-10-23T15:33:00.001-04:00

On tonight’s show Mike continues his interviews with RPTSprofessor and pastor of Providence RP Church in Pittsburgh’s Brooklineneighborhood, Rutledge Etheridge speaking more from James and on Election…….andwith the pastor of the Protestant Reformed Fellowship of Pittsburgh Bill Bruinsma………he begins a newconversation (you just can’t stop a preacher from talking!) with pastor EricAndrae of the Lutheran Student Fellowship on Justification………..Bible Burgh University will be preached by PastorPhil Johnson (yes, that Phil Johnson) on the topic of Glory, Grace and Truth, a powerful message he preached here inPittsburgh when visiting Christ Bible Church of Cranberry……Mike gives us aspecial Psalm reading…..and we’ll present two LOGOS Interludes, Michael Card singing A World Turned Upside Down, and Casting Crowns sing The Well!

Join us tonight from 9 -11PM for Bible Burgh on 101.5 WordFM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at WordFM.com. If you subscribe to thepodcast you don’t have to worry about missing even a minute ever again!

Rut Etheridge, Bill Bruinsma, Richard D. Phillips, Steven Curtis Chapman, John MacArthur

2011-10-14T23:52:00.001-04:00

!On the next Bible Burgh RPTS professor andpastor of Providence RP Church in Pittsburgh's Brookline neighborhood Rutledge Etheridge joins the show to continue discussing James, the Persecuted Church and more....pastorBill Bruinsma of the Protestant Reformed Fellowship returns to the studio aswell to continue the discussion begun last week...we're privileged to sharepastor Richard D. Phillips presentation from when he recently spoke at First BaptistChurch Wheeling on Jesus the Evangelist.......Steven Curtis Chapman providestwo LOGOS interludes in our first hour, singing For the sake of the call andalso, more to this life..........we'll also get a reading from our tirelesshost as he shares from the John MacArthur book “Slave” and then holds ourfireside chat using Spurgeon's Treasury of David!

Join us for Bible Burgh from 9-11 PM on 101.5 WordFM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com!Subscribe to the podcast... hear why we're touting Mike Howard for president!

Phil Johnson, Rick Phillips, Mark Dever, Rico Tice, GLAD

2011-10-02T16:52:00.001-04:00

Tonight Mike is joinedon the telephone by the executive director of Grace To You, assistant pastor toJohn MacArthur book editor and founder of the blog Pyromaniacs, Phil Johnson,as pastor Johnson prepares for his visit to Christ Bible Church of Cranberry.......….more with pastor Rick Phillips of the Alliance of ConfessingEvangelicals and pastor of 2^nd Presbyterian Church in GreenvilleSouth Carolina..........our newest Corner on the Nines Church Planting withMark Dever continues from last week's program.......Rico Tice returns to Bible Burgh University to conclude his message from the Basics Conference 2011, Letting Mark's Gospel tell the Gospel.................and in our LOGOSInterlude, GLAD sings A Mighty Fortress, is Our God.

Join us for Bible Burgh from 9-11 PM on 101.5 WordFM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com!Subscribe to the podcast... when you play it backwards you'll be surprised at what you hear!

Rick Phillips, George Scipione, Mark Dever, Michael Card, Rico Tice

2011-09-25T21:01:00.002-04:00

tonightMike's conversation with Pastor Rick Phillips of 2^ndPresbyterian church in Greenville SC and the Alliance of ConfessingEvangelicals continues….as does his time of sharing with Dr. GeorgeScipione director of the RPTS Biblical Counseling Institute as theyspeak on Titus and Biblical Counseling.......we'll begin anall-new Corner on the 9s segment, courtesy of the 9Marks at9marks.org with Mark Dever speaking on Church Planting.......Rico Tice preaches Bible Burgh University his subject “Letting Mark'sGospel Tell The Gospel”........Mike will bring us a Fireside Chatif there's time, tonight he'd like to share from Spurgeon's Treasuryof David: Psalm 121.....and our LOGOS Interludes feature 2 songs fromMichael Card!

Join us for Bible Burgh from 9-11 PM on 101.5 WordFM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com!Subscribe to the podcast... amaze your friends with your new wealth of knowledge!

Grace To You TRUTH Matters Conference ON LINE NOW!

2011-09-23T08:49:00.003-04:00

The first ever Truth Matters Conference, held at Grace to You Ministries, is NOW ONLINE at www.gty.org. You can purchase the CD's ... or DOWNLOAD the messages for FREE!

I am listening to "The Glorious Gospel", the first message at the conference by John MacArthur from 2nd Corinthians 4.

INCREASE YOUR LEARNING by getting these messages from Grace to You, as well as ANY sermon John MacArthur has preached at Grace Community Church and more. ALSO ... you can do THE SAME at www.truthforlife.org, the ministry of Alistair Begg. AND you can hear Rico Tice this Sunday on Bible Burgh, regarding Mark's Gospel ... from Alistair Begg's BASICS Conference 2011.

TAKE ADVANTAGE of great biblical teaching ... MAKE SURE you are IN a biblical church ... teaching and preaching the Word of God, primarily expositionally ... AND that you have biblical elders as outlined in scripture.

Blessings for a wonderful weekend and awesome Lord's Day this Sunday ... and remember Bible Burgh will help you close out the Sabbath at 9:00pm on WORD FM 101.5 or LISTEN LIVE at www.wordfm.com!

Who knows the Lord?

2011-09-22T14:15:00.000-04:00

This video is supposed to be of a Communion service in Dallas Texas. This ... is sickening. These people are being led astray by a wolf, and are making a joke of something holy. This is why those who love The Lord must be ready to stand, share, and defend at all times, because the truth is under assault and will continue to be so. Know the truth beloved, for the glory of God, for the sake of the sheep, for the salvation of the lost, and for your own soul. If you don't study to show yourself approved, this could happen to you too.

Rick Phillips A.C.E., Voddie Baucham, George Scipione, Michael Dulin, Mercy Me

2011-09-18T16:08:00.000-04:00

Joinus tonight as pastor Rick Phillips of the Alliance of ConfessingEvangelicals calls the show to chat with Mike for a while......pastorand director of the RPTS Biblical Counseling Institute Dr. GeorgeScipione is in studio to talk Titusand Biblical Counseling.........we'llhear Mercy Me sing There is a Fountain........Michael Dulin singsAway in a Manger (we'll have a special announcement concerning Mr.Dulin too!).......We'll have a Table Talk reading...........in BibleBurgh University we hear more from pastorVoddie Baucham as he explodes one of the most common myths inChristendom, "It must be God's will 'cause I have a peace aboutit", in a recent sermon titled Spiritualityand Your Mind,part two!

Join us for Bible Burgh from 9-11 PM on 101.5 WordFM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com!Subscribe to the podcast... well...go ahead!

Voddie Baucham and God's will, Jonathan Watt the Sermon on the Mount, Mercy Me, Spurgeon and Chambers

2011-09-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

Join us this Sunday night as we continue the conversation with Dr. Jonathan Watt of RPTS and Geneva College, discussing the deep meaning of the Sermon on the Mount.........we'll hear Mercy Me sing a couple of their best in our LOGOS Interludes........we'll share readings from Spurgeon's Treasury of David and from Oswald Chambers......in Bible Burgh University we hear for the very first time from pastor Voddie Baucham as he explodes one of the most common myths in Christendom, "It must be God's will 'cause I have a peace about it", in a recent sermon titled Spirituality and Your Mind, part one!

On the 10th anniversary of the mass murders of September 11th, 2001, join us for Bible Burgh from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com! Subscribe to the podcast ... and be reminded that no matter what any person does, our true enemy is not the flesh, but the spiritual forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12), and the weapons we fight with are not flesh, but spiritual (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) and capable of tearing down strongholds.

Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness

2011-09-07T09:10:00.002-04:00

This week on Bible Burgh we'll read a little from David Martyn Lloyd Jone's messages on the Sermon on the Mount ... specifically "Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness."

We will ALSO debut "Hungry" from Mercy Me's new "The Worship Sessions".

"Je-sus Your all this heart living for..." is one line from the song. It really makes us think ... do we REALLY hunger and thirst for righteousness ... DO WE HUNGER AND THIRST FOR CHRIST?? That IS what it all comes down to ...

ALSO ... when you get a chance, go to www.sermonaudio.com ... Search for "Pastor Darrin Wright" and LISTEN to his message on the same subject. This is THE pivotal "Beatitude", if you will ... it helps us transition from the first THREE to the LAST three.

Blessings as you study His Word ... and find that THIS VERY ACTIVITY helps us to Hunger and Thirst for EVEN MORE Righteousness.

Pastor Rick Phillips in Wheeling and Pittsburgh THIS WEEK!

2011-09-05T12:14:00.002-04:00

Pastor Rick Phillips of the PCA Church and the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals ... awesome author / preacher ... will be at First Baptist Church in Wheeling, Thursday, September 8th.

Registration at 6:30pm and preaching begins at 7:00pm ... with a second message at 7:45pm. Q and A to follow!

Messages will come from Pastor Rick's books: "Jesus The Evangelist" (awesome...just finished this past winter!) and "The Masculine Mandate". Ladies won't be left out either! (My wife and I saw/heard Pastor Rick at the Phila. Reformed Conference talk on femininity ... best "guy" message on the subject we have heard!)

COME ONE ... COME ALL! Wheeling FREE of CHARGE!

AND ... Friday and Saturday Pastor Rick will be at the WESTMINSTER CONFERENCE at RPTS in Pittsburgh ... with Joel Beeke ... get ALL the details at www.rpts.edu!!!

Blessings for a GREAT week ... hope to see you at the conferences!!

False Teachers and the Book of Titus

2011-08-29T05:32:00.002-04:00

It doesn't take long for Paul (or many of the New Testament writers) to LAUNCH into the warnings about False Teachers in the church.

WHY? Because they can be SO devastating.

READ Titus 1:10-16.

John MacArthur, in his commentary on Titus, tells us in the introduction to this section

One of Titus's major responsibilities in overseeing the churches on Crete was to PREPARE them to counteract the false teaching and immoral living of certain leaders. Parged Titus, and through him the churches, not simply to correct their false doctrine and denounce their immoral behavior, but to silence them and remove such spiritual cancers from the fellowship."

HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED AT FALSE TEACHERS AS "SPIRITUAL CANCERS"??

WE ALL SHOULD IN THE CHURCH ... and we will CONTINUE to do that and "discuss their cures" as we forge ahead on Bible Burgh, at this blog, and on our Facebook.

Blessings!

Jonathan Watt Sermon on the Mount, 9Marks church marketing, Jay Stoneking God has a plan for ME, Mercy Me Only You Remain

2011-08-26T12:44:00.006-04:00

Join us Sunday night, August 28th for RPTS and Geneva college pastor and professor Dr. Jonathan Watt with more on the Sermon on the Mount.....our newest Corner on the 9s, courtesy of 9Marks, concludes as we learn about the topic of church marketing …..Jay Stoneking of First Baptist Church Wheeling preaches Bible Burgh University on the question “God has a plan? For ME??”....and Mercy Me sings “Only You Remain” from their CD the Generous Mr. Lovewell...and we'll offer the beautiful hymn Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners!

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com! Subscribe to the podcast ... and get several free MP3s!!!!!*

(*of Bible Burgh!)

Jonathan Watt, John MacArthur, Eric Andrae, Bill Bruinsma, the Gettys, 9Marks +1

2011-08-20T15:12:00.003-04:00

This Sunday night on Bible Burgh we'll be joined by pastor Dr. Jonathan Watt as he talks with Mike about the Sermon on the Mount......pastor Bill Bruinsma (pronounced BRAINZ-muh) of the Protestant Reformed Fellowship of Pittsburgh returns with an update on his preaching and touches a few other topics with Mike,.......pastor Eric Andrae of First Trinity Evangelical Lutheran church returns with more on the timely topic How to study the Bible......proper vs. improper Church Marketing is covered in our Corner on the 9s segment........pastor John MacArthur preaches Titus in Bible Burgh University......the Gettys sing Across the Lands from their CD In Christ Alone.....Mark shares the story of a 4 Year Old Preacher??

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com! Subscribe to the podcast ... although we won't be there to see how people around you react when they hear you listening, we'd love to hear about it!

Great Continuations!!

2011-08-12T14:00:00.001-04:00

READ THE POST BELOW ... to find out what is on BIBLE BURGH this Sunday night!

BUT ... substitute Jonathan Watt, (RPTS) "Sermon on the Mount", in for Rut Etheridge this week ... Rut back SOON!

Blessings!!

Emergent Update, Sermon on the Mount, and the Heidelberg Catachism...

2011-08-07T17:24:00.005-04:00

... on TONIGHT'S Bible Burgh!

Rut Etheridge (RPTS) joins us for an update, or review of sorts, of the Emergent Church movement, and their key participants.

Pastor Bill Bruinsma, of the Protestant Reformed Fellowship of Pittsburgh, joins us to discuss preaching topics, especially the Heidelberg Catachism. Those catachisms can cause you to preach, teach and study in a VERY systematic way!

AND ... PART 2 of "The King's Speech", as Darrin Wright, First Baptist Wheeling, takes the helm on Bible Burgh University. He'll finish his introduction of "The Sermon on the Mount".

Time permitting we'll hear "By His Wounds", headed up by Mac Powell (with Chapman/Hall/Latrell), and have a "chat by the fire" with Ligonier Ministries and Table Talk Magazine.

Don't miss tonight's TWO HOUR Bible Burgh launching at 9:00pm on WORD FM 101.5. LISTEN LIVE at www.wordfm.com.

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com! Subscribe to the podcast ... somehow, fit Mike and Mark into your teeny wee little ipod or smart phone, nope, we can't figure out how that happens either!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK in the Lord!

Salvation, No Condemnation, and Oswald Chambers

2011-08-07T08:58:00.002-04:00

WOW! So much for starting August with "a post a day"!

WELL ... we'll just try and start NOW ... and give you one a little later about tonight's Bible Burgh!

Psalm 91:14-16 ... just use the "rollover" feature, google blog won't let me cut and paste ... gives a beautiful picture of salvation; God's deliverance as a man has set his love upon God. The Lord answers when the Psalmist calls!

Romans 8:1 tells us we have NO CONDEMNATION if we are in Christ Jesus. It points back to the wonderful, but sometimes difficult Chapter 7, that sin NO LONGER has the same effect on those who ARE saved in and through Christ Jesus.

AND a wonderful summary, in my opinion, comes to us from Oswald Chambers ... that makes all this possible and work together:

If we are in communion with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purpose, we shall no longer try to find out what His purposes are!"

Blessings for a WONDERFUL and godly week ... tune in to WORD FM 101.5 tonight at 9:00pm for Bible Burgh! LISTEN LIVE at www.wordfm.com!

June 5, 2011

2011-08-01T14:25:00.002-04:00

What is the significance of that date??

That is the date when John MacArthur, Pastor of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, CA, finished his 42 year trek of preaching the New Testament ONE VERSE at a time!!! Find out more about John and his ministry, "Grace to You" at www.gty.org.

As a tribute, Grace to You has developed a CD they are sending to their supporters marking this monumental milestone, dedicated to the expository preaching of God's Word. The sermon was from Mark 16:9-20 ... if you are NOT a supporter, I am sure it will be WELL WORTH IT to contact Grace to You and purchase this CD entitled "Building Your Confidence in Your Bible from an Unexpected Source".

We at Bible Burgh and K and D Ministries SALUTE Brother/Pastor John MacArthur for 42 years of perseverance in preaching THE WHOLE COUNSEL of God ... ONE VERSE AT A TIME!

We concur with Grace To You Executive Director, Phil Johnson, hoping that John will start ALL OVER AGAIN ... in the Gospel Of JOHN!! :-)

Many more years we pray ... that John and the folks at Grace to You will continue offering preaching and teaching that honors God's Word and edifies His people.

Blessings!

John MacArthur, Jonathan Watt, Sermon on the Mount and Christmas in July!

2011-07-31T08:23:00.004-04:00

We begin some GREAT interviews this week to take us into September ... with Jonathan Watt tonight on some of our most pressing Bible Burgh issues ... like the "Truth War", Expository Preaching, etc.

Then he and Rut Etheridge and Bill Bruinsma join us in August regarding things they are preaching and the Sermon on the Mount.

ALSO TONIGHT ... we conclude John MacArthur's "Long War on the Truth" message and FINISH "Christmas in July" which we hope you have enjoyed.

Bible Burgh University heads down to Wheeling to hear Pastor Darrin Wright, of First Baptist Church Wheeling, deliver "The King's Speech", part one of two messages introducing us to "The Sermon on the Mount" ... DO NOT miss THAT!!

Fasten your seatbelts!! Bible Burgh is rolling hard on in to our FIFTH year ... and hopefully another 200+ shows!

Listen tonight at 9pm for TWO HOURS ... WORD FM 101.5 ... LISTEN LIVE at www.wordfm.com ...

BLESSINGS!

Sovereignty versus Man's Ability to Choose ... from John 3:16!

2011-07-28T21:33:00.003-04:00

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/mans-ability-choose-god/

Check out RC Sproul's post on re-birth, God's sovereignty and man's ability to choose ... ALL OUT OF JOHN 3:16!!

WOW ... and Double WOW ... that is if Myron Cope would have been a Reformed Theologian!!
:-)

Blessings! Stay tuned to Bible Burgh for some GREAT interviews and teachings on the Sermon on the Mount (Jonathan Watt, Darrin Wright, Rut Etheridge, Bill Bruinsma) and TITUS, all the same men PLUS John MacArthur ... it's ALL on tap for August and September for Bible Burgh, 9:00pm Sunday nights, WORD FM 101.5 or Listen Live at www.wordfm.com ...

Evangelism, Edification and Encouragement

2011-07-26T09:30:00.005-04:00

These are the main things John MacArthur, and many others, talk about coming out of the book of Titus.

Titus was left in Crete "to set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you ... "

The proper biblical leadership was NECESSARY to have a properly functioning church. This is still critical, and quite frankly, MANDATORY, today.

And so "Evangelism, Edification and Encouragement" are to be a big part of the church ... but the proper carrying out of these is not possible if the leadership of the church is not SCRIPTURAL.

Stay tuned to Bible Burgh in the coming months as we dive back into the book of Titus! Hopefully this might get a few churches within "radio range" to change their thinking AND their leadership structure so that "Evangelism, Edification and Encouragement" will be prevalent and GROWING in our area.

Blessings!

PS ... pick up a copy of MacArthur's New Testament Commentary on the book of "Titus" ... and be READY for all the great teaching!

Jimmy Caraway, John MacArthur, Ray Heiple and Oswald Chambers

2011-07-21T13:18:00.002-04:00

Join us this Sunday night, July 24th, as Mike's conversation with pastor Jimmy Caraway of Christ Bible Church of Cranberry continues......pastor John MacArthur of Grace To You ministries continues describing the Long War on Truth........pastor Ray Heiple of Providence Presbyterian Church teaches class in Bible Burgh University on Galatians 1......and Mike shares with us the words of Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest.

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com! Subscribe to the podcast ... remember, once you listen, you can't unlisten, and you're on the hook!

Discernment and Love

2011-07-20T07:35:00.002-04:00

TUNE IN to "Grace to You" ... either linking through www.wordfm.com ... or directly to www.gty.org or www.oneplace.com ...

And CATCH John MacArthur talking about "discernment" and about "love" ...

He does an EXCELLENT job of differentiating today between the World's idea of love ... and GOD'S idea of love. AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN to DISCERN? Something the church does VERY little of anymore, that is for sure.

Catch John MacArthur and "Grace to You" EVERY morning, Monday thru Friday, on WORD FM 101.5 at 7:00am!

Blessings!

Sermon on the Mount and David Martyn Lloyd Jones

2011-07-18T10:50:00.003-04:00

Pastor Lloyd-Jones, in his "General View and Analysis" of the Sermon on the Mount, gives a plethora of GREAT comments and advice.

Here are TWO:

We shuold always be living and walking, distrustful of the flesh, distrustful of oursevles, knowing we have to appear before God and be judged by Him."

Sobering thought, heh? Especially in an appicable way ... NOW try this doctrinal thought on for size:

... we must always remember that the Sermon on the Mounth is a description of character and not a code of ethics or of morals. It is not to be regarded as law - a kind of new 'Ten Commandments' or set of rules and regulations which are to be carried out by us - but rather as a description of what we Christians are meant to be ... "

It is a paradox of action and doctrine, how we MUST live, but knowing FULL WELL we can NEVER do it on our own ... "must add Holy Spirit" ... would be the all important tag on the label!

Blessings this week! Check out the Bible Burgh podcast at www.wordfm.com ... go to "Advertisers" and scroll down a little to the Bible Burgh heading. Patience in the dowload!

THEN go to www.sermonaudio.com ... and SEARCH "Pastor Darrin Wright" if you can't wait until the July 31st Bible Burgh to hear his "The King's Speech - Part 1" sermon.

Where IS the Leader's Heart??

2011-07-13T09:57:00.003-04:00

You know ... like our President, or another country's President, or King or Queen or ruler??

The Bible says:

Proverbs 21:1

The King's heart i sin the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes."

Does that give us COMFORT? Any ASSURANCE? It should ... because we can "leave" those things to God ... the worries we have about what such and such a ruler might do. We can pray for our leaders (as the Bible actually commands us to do), but we MUST realize that even in those situations, GOD IS IN CONTROL. He will lead/steer/turn to fit His will and His wishes.

BTW ... He does that with US as well!

Blessings!!

PS ... don't MISS Bible Burgh this week ... Christmas in JULY starts!

Think POSITIVE???

2011-07-12T15:30:00.002-04:00

OK ... I'll try ... but NOT without THIS verse:

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

I think that MIGHT have been my very first memory verse ... but I have done a POOR job of remembering it lately ...

Eric Andrae, John MacArthur, Rut Etheridge, Casting Crowns...

2011-07-08T15:26:00.004-04:00

Sunday night on the July 10th edition of Bible Burgh listen as pastor Eric Andrae helps us learn how to study the Bible......a four part series with pastor John MacArthur begins in which he reminds us of the ongoing war on the truth.......pastor Rutledge Etheridge preaches Bible Burgh University from the letter "James" as he says wise up!......we'll have LOGOS Interludes from Steven Curtis Chapman and Casting Crowns and Mike will read from William Still's Feed My Sheep.....

All this and more as you join Bible Burgh, Sunday night from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh PA!

The show is streamed live online at wordfm.com and you can (and should!) subscribe to the podcast ... we ne4ver go on strike even though nobody is payin' us millions!

Preaching as the Priority

2011-07-03T18:40:00.003-04:00

You have probably guessed that PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD is the main focal point of K and D Ministries and the Bible Burgh radio program ... ON tonight at 9:00pm, WORD FM 101.5!

BUT ... you may have missed that we are going to push EVEN HARDER for that in these next weeks, months, and years ... as we just passed 200 shows!

This INCREASE was given in my reading of Al Mohler's book, "He is Not Silent", on the place and importance of Expository Preaching ... Verse by Verse through books of the Bible.

CHECK OUT THIS POST at www.teampyro.blogspot.com ... you may have to scroll down a little as the post is two days old ... a quote from Charles Spurgeon.

I would give you a taste now ... but my "cut and paste" won't work with google blogging. SO ... link/log on to the pyros ... you can link on this post or on the right side of our blog.

Blessings! Hope to have you with us tonight at 9:00pm ... LISTEN LIVE at www.wordfm.com.

Discipleship and Personal Devotion

2011-07-02T10:14:00.002-04:00

Today we turn to none other than Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest", on this very day, July 2nd. Chambers quotes from Luke 14 about "any man" coming to Christ "and hating not" ...

Chambers tells us:

If the closest relationships of life clash with the claims of Jesus Christ, He says it must be instant obedience to Himself."

HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT THAT?? How can we put that into action in those difficult "paradoxes" of this earthly life? ONLY with the power of the Holy Spirit can we stand against those IMPORTANT relationships that cause us the paradoxical quandries in and with our relationship to our Lord and Savior.

Chambers goes on:

Discipleship means pesonal, passionate devotion to a Person, Our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a difference between devotion to a Person and devotion to principles or to a cause.

This takes me DIRECTLY to "political activism". Read the Book of Jude ... he was more interested in our "Christ relationships" than our "pet" causes. Our job is NOT to make unbelievers in America (specific point here) ACT like Christians so we have a more COMFORTABLE America.

OUR JOB IS TO PREACH THE WORD ... SHARE THE GOSPEL . . . SOW SEED . . . PRAY FOR LABORERS INTO THE HARVEST.

None of the scriptures referenced above (nor any scripture for that matter) call us to FOCUS on an "earthly patriotism".

Chambers again:

Our Lord never proclaimed a cause; He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted love-slave of the Lord Jesus."

WOW! What intense language from Brother Chambers! ... DEVOTED LOVE-SLAVE! Doesn't leave room for much else.

Take some time to read John 14 ... then John 15 ... then John 16 ... and finally ... John 17. You will see SO much about our Lord and Savior ... so much about His love for US ... and His beautiful promises TO us.

Have a blessed 4th of July ... BUT REMEMBER where your TRUE ETERNAL INDEPENDENCE lies!! Be a faithful disciple ... with personal devotion ... singular devotion ... to Jesus Christ!

Dennis Prutow (RPTS), Eric Andrae and Great Music!

2011-07-01T17:10:00.002-04:00

This week's Bible Burgh will get you ready for the next day's fireworks!! :-)

We'll sit down with Pastor Eric Andrae of Student Lutheran Fellowship to discuss MISSIONS. AND ... our interview with Dennis Prutow (RPTS) concludes on his new book, "So Pastor, What's Your Point?"

Hope you'll join us for this and some excellent theologically rich music on the next Bible Burgh, Sunday night, 9:00pm - 11:00pm on WORD FM 101.5 ... of LISTEN LIVE at www.wordfm.com.

Blessings!

Good versus Evil

2011-06-28T05:11:00.002-04:00

Are things ALWAYS that polarized?? Is everything in life EITHER Good or Evil? And are they always in "contest" with each other ... in a perpetual state of "versus"??

One scripture I read today would lead us to think so ...

2 Chronicles 12:14 tell us that King Rehoboam did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord. It would "appear" that the action of NOT setting his heart to seek the Lord is implied as "first" ... but the ensuing result is ... "he did evil".

The Bible does teach that those who are not with Christ (and the church) are AGAINST them.

The author of the book of James (... I guess that would be ... JAMES! :-) ) tells us in Chapter 4 and verse 4:

You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world isis hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to make himself a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Stern words in both the New and Old Testament ... words that tell us that there are only TWO choices ... Good, which is GOD ... and evil, which is the dark world of Satan and his emmisaries.

IT IS THAT POLARIZING!

Jim Hamilton, Alistair Begg, Mark Dever, Dennis Prutow and Much More!

2011-06-24T09:44:00.003-04:00

... on this Sunday's BIBLE BURGH! Check it out from 9:00pm - 11:00pm on WORD FM 101.5 or Listen Live at www.wordfm.com ...

We'll talk DISCIPLING, PREACHING, and a whole LOT more ...

...pay a visit to JIM HAMILTON... read Dennis Prutow...

Bible Burgh University (10:00pm hour) welcomes Alistair Begg to the Lecture Hall ... "Preaching Evangelistic Sermons". DON'T MISS IT!!

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com! Subscribe to the podcast ... it's the one place the TSA fears to search!

Blessings ...

Preaching the Whole Counsel of God

2011-06-21T08:15:00.004-04:00

As we are either coming up on or have finished our 200th airing of Bible Burgh ... one thing remains in our focus ... and that is our name of K and D Ministries ... Greek words for Preaching (kerygma/kerusso) and teaching (didsasko) the Word of God. This is the focus not for US ... but for the Glory of God and His Kingdom.

NOW we hope to drill down on Expository/Verse by Verse preaching of the Word of God so NOTHING is missed from the whole counsel of God.

In Acts 5:19 the Angel of the Lord came to the prison at night, opened the gates, took the apostles out and said in verse 20:

Go your way, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life."

There is to be no "picking and choosing" through the scriptures for "pet doctrines" ... especially picking to AVOID the difficult or "undesirable" scriptures ... I affectionately call that "Booger Theology"!).

SO ... Hop on board as we CONTINUE to wage the Truth War and FIGHT for the Preaching and Teaching of God's Word! Join us THIS Sunday night on WORD FM 101.5 at 9:00pm!

Following God's Lead ...

2011-06-14T12:33:00.002-04:00

... can give you MAXIMUM results, or satisfaction, and ALWAYS JOY!

Just finished the Gospel of John in the MacArthur Daily Bible. It outlines the restoration of Peter among other things ... but TWO things of note today.

1.) One Hundred Fifty Three FISH! - Did I miss that or just forget it??

Christ tells the disciples that have fished ALL NIGHT and caught nothing, to "cast on the other side of the boat". They DO ... and do THEY CATCH!! A catch SO big, that the nets nearly broke. But for some reason I did not "catch" that the EXACT number was there. AND HONESTLY ... I don't know why! :-)

2.) I think we can glean from this as well that when we as the church, or even as individuals, go out on our own plans, or use the plans of men to grow the kingdom, we will "fish all night and still catch nothing". Or worse yet ... have "false catches" as is PREVALENT in the church today, especially in America. BUT ...

If we follow Christ's lead, we just might yield a catch for the Kingdom like those of the disciples fishing in John 21 as they follow Christ's lead and bidding.

Go where He calls, fish as He says fish ... meaning preach and teach as He says preach and teach, using HIS WORD ... HIS WAY.

This post ... as many more this summer ... has been dramatically affected by Al Mohler's book, "He Is Not Silent". So PREACH THE WORD ... Follow Christ ... and get some HELP for the NETS!!! :-)

Blessings!

God Bless our Troops and Their Families!!

2011-05-30T14:22:00.004-04:00

The crew at Bible Burgh and K and D Ministries would like to THANK our troops, veterans, and their families for their service and sacrifice to our country!! Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families who have lost loved ones in the service ... and in the "line of duty" as firefighters, police, etc.

WE LOVE YOU ... WE PRAY FOR YOU ... and we ask God's RICHEST blessings on you today as we give HIM glory for your lives and service.

Sincerely,

Mike Howard and Mark La Roi

Power Point for Christians!

2011-05-20T15:32:00.002-04:00

NO ... not a graphic computer program ... THE POINT wherewith we GET our power as believers ...

John MacArthur in his great little book, "How To Study the Bible", tells us

Sometimes we get hung up by our inabilities because we really don't know the power available to us. The Word of God will infuse us with power."

Then he gives THESE scriptures:

Hebrews 4 :12; Romans 1:16; Ephesians 4:23; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:3 - 3:20 (little longer!)

Take a little time this weekend to READ these great sections of scripture ... then MOVE OUT in God's Power from his "mentally ingested" Word!!

Blessings ... see you Sunday night on Bible Burgh! ... 9:00pm on WORD FM 101.5 or "LISTEN LIVE" at www.wordfm.com!

Church Growth Strategies

2011-05-18T07:58:00.004-04:00

ACTUALLY ... there are ONLY a couple ...

BIBLICAL PREACHING is the MAIN one!!!

Al Mohler in his book "He Is Not Silent" tells us:

It is no accident that the church was originally born and unleashed ino the first-century world chiefly through preaching. In fact, almost every time Luke made note of growth patterns in the early church, he expressed it in terms like this: 'The Word of God kept on spreading' (Acts 6:7; Acts 12:4; Acts 19:20) Clearly, preaching - specifically biblical preaching - is the main strategy God Himmself ordained for church growth and for leading and feeding His flock. Naturally, is the one strategy He has always truly blessed."

BEFORE YOU GO TO SOME CHURCH GROWTH STRATEGY SEMINAR ... pick up Al Mohler's book, "He Is Not Silent" ... AND ... pick up your Bible and read the Book of Acts a couple of times.

You will probably save yourself a LOT of time ... and money ... and ministry heartache.

Blessings! ... Strategy #2 later in the week ... :-)

Equality with God

2011-05-17T08:58:00.004-04:00

Is there ANYONE or ANYTHING equal to ... or equal with God???

Uh, yes ... there is SOMEONE ...

John 5:18

For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God."

When you stop and meditate ... REALLY THINK about that passage ... it is a SOBERING thought. EQUALITY WITH GOD.

That means all that God is, Jesus Christ is ... all that God demands, Jesus Christ demands. That means He is MOST CERTAINLY Savior ... and MOST CERTAINLY LORD!

Blessings ...

How Do We View God's Judgment?

2011-05-14T10:09:00.002-04:00

Dan Phillips, of Teampyro's blog, the Pyromaniacs, has me thinking about this with his May 12 post about Two Mothers and Hell.

When God's judgment is exercised against a non-repentant sinner, where does our mind go in how we think AND feel about it?

Read the blog .... and then think about it. AND REMEMBER ... our lives are to be about glorifying God.

www.teampyro.blogspot.com ...

Or access it through THIS blog on our links down the RIGHT HAND SIDE.

Blessings! See you tomorrow night at 9:00pm for Bible Burgh!

Watch Carefully Our Provoking!

2011-05-10T06:34:00.001-04:00

In Psalm 106.33, the Psalmist reminds us of the struggles of pastoring when the sheep might provoke, or say, or do something that would cause a pastor NOT to represent God appropriately. The verse says "because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips." SPEAKING OF MOSES ... we now turn our attention to the comments of Charles Haddon Spurgeon regarding this verse from "The Treasury of David".

Which seems a small sin compared that that of others, but then it was the sin of Moses, the Lord's chosen servant , who had seen and known so much of the Lord, and therefore it could not be passed by. He did not speak blashemously, or falsely, but only hastily and without care; but this is a serious fault in a lawgiver, and especially one who speaks for God. This passage is to our mind one of the most terrible in the Bible. Truly we serve a jealous God. Yet he is not a hard master, or austere; we must not think so, but we must the rather be jealous of ourselves, and watch that we live the more carefully, and speak the more advisedly, because we serve such a Lord. We ought also to be very careful how we treat the ministers of the gospel, lest by provoking their spirit we should drive then into any unseemly behaviour which should bring upon them the chastisement of the Lord. Little do a murmuring, quarrelsome people dream of the perils in which they involve their pastors by their untoward behaviour."

LET US WATCH CLOSELY OUR TONGUES ... OUR LIVES ... AND OUR DOCTRINE.

Blessings ... from the BASICS Conference at Parkside Church!

Dr. George Scipione, Jimmy Caraway, Phillip Ryken, Steven Curtis Chapman, the Gettys and more!

2011-05-06T16:42:00.002-04:00

This Sunday night on the Mother's Day edition of Bible Burgh join us as we reair a great interview Mike held with Dr. George Scipione of RPTS on Right To Life Counseling.........we'll introduce you to a great local pastor, Jimmy Caraway of Christ Bible Church in Cranberry Township.........Mike will engage us in the reading of a number of Psalms......we'll have LOGOS Interludes from The Getys, Steven Curtis Chapman, and GLAD.........and in our Fireside Chat enjoy from the Treasury of David by C.H. Spurgeon anothe Psalm, number 105!

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com! Subscribe to the podcast ... it's more fun than a barrel of crickets! (I know, the phrase traditionally includes monkeys, but take it from me, a barrel of crickets is way more fun than a barrel of moneys. Especially after a couple of weeks, whew!)

Webinar on Rob Bell TOMORROW!

2011-05-04T17:36:00.003-04:00

Don't forget the WEBINAR, tomorrow, May 5th, at 3:00pm ... go to www.rpts.edu to find out all the details on Pastor Rut Etheridge's WEBINAR on Rob Bell's NEW book, "Love Wins".

Blessings! ... Jude 3 ...

Jesus Did No "Soft Shoe"

2011-05-03T17:34:00.004-04:00

As we continue to think about Heaven and Hell and the slippery Rob Bell ... we can always turn to the sayings and actions of Jesus Christ.

I am nearly finished (everyone cheers!) with John MacArthur's "The Jesus You Can't Ignore". In the last chapter, simply titled "Woe", he makes this statement:

"...the truth mattered more to Jesus than how people felt about it. He wasn't looking for ways just to make people 'like' Him; He was calling people who were willing to bow to Him unconditionally as their Lord."

THE TRUTH is what mattered ... AS WELL it should with us ... even when it is uncomfortable to us or those we l0ve. The problem is the Rob Bell and Brian McLaren can't decide what is truth ... to them that is too arrogant to suppose we know the truth (and yes, it is well documented that they believe this). That leaves them in a VERY precarious position compared to the man/God, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus says in John 17:17, "Thy WORD is truth".

AMEN, Lord Jesus ... AMEN!

Think There is NO Hell??

2011-05-02T05:35:00.003-04:00

MAY DAY ... MAY DAY ... A simple reading of the Bible disproves that notion. If only turning to Matthew 7 in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus posits two roads ... one broad and wide that leads to "Shangri La"? That leads to "eternal bliss"? NO ... that LEADS TO DESTRUCTION ... and MANY THERE ARE WHO FIND IT! Yes, sad. Yes, unfortunate. BUT YES TRUE!

The road to eternal life is NARROW ... and few they are who find it ... and the teachings of the likes of Rob Bell are most likely leading NO ONE down the narrow road. And there is only ONE alternative ... so noted above.

Oswald Chambers "POST IT!"

2011-04-25T07:23:00.003-04:00

"The proof that we are rightly related to God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not". - O.C., "My Utmost for His Highest", April 25th.

We OUGHT to WHAT???

2011-04-18T21:39:00.003-04:00

"Beloved ... if God SO loved us ... we also OUGHT to love one another"; 1 John 4:11, NASB In his book, "Finally Alive", John Piper tells us that "OUGHT" doesn't mean something like "should" but OUGHT as in "fish OUGHT to swim" because they are in the water, and birds OUGHT to fly because they are in the air. It is a part of their nature ... as loving one another should be part of ours since God so loved us through Christ. (and if all these sentences run together, you'll know why I haven't posted in a while ... BLOGGER protest!)

Heart and Centre of the Christian Gospel ...

2011-04-07T22:40:00.004-04:00

... according to David Martyn Lloyd-Jones:
What is it? Let look at it like this. The preaching of the cross, the preaching of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on that cross, is the very heart and centre of the Christian gospel and the Christian message."

We'll read a little more of this from "The Cross" by Lloyd-Jones this Sunday night, as we are just two weekends away from Easter Weekend. Lloyd-Jones reminds us that this way of preaching is never popular ... and that it is a stumbling block.

DOES THAT MEAN WE SHOULDN'T DO IT??

"May it never be!" says the Apostle Paul. We are to preach Christ and Him crucified. That is the mission and responsibility of the church and its shepherds/pastors. THERE IS NO "PLAN B" ... one will not "emerge" now or any other time in history. Pray for our pastors to bold and courageous NOW and ALWAYS ... but let us pray fervently NOW as more people come to church on Easter than any other Sunday ... and MOST of them are NOT saved.

SOW the seeds of truth, PASTOR!!! May we ALSO pray that a moving of the Spirit of God will anoint that preaching and that those hearing would come to a true and saving faith. MAY the FALSE teachers run and hide!! Do NOT back away from eschewing false teaching, PASTOR!!!

PREACH this cross which is FOOLISHNESS to men and unbelievers ... but to those of us who KNOW and BELIEVE ... it is THE POWER of GOD unto SALVATION! Praise to our King ... our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His wonderful gift, sacrifice and love!

A BIG Thank You!!

2011-04-02T20:37:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to say THANKS to all who bought tickets and HAVE PRAYED for the Tim Hawkins concert tomorrow night at the Bible Chapel. 7:00pm has been sold out for a few weeks and the 4:00pm matinee is CLOSE! I look forward to seeing/meeting many of you tomorrow. And don't forget to listen to Bible Burgh on the drive home tomorrow night at 9:00pm on WORD FM 101.5!! :-) Blessings!! PS ... THANKS to the now 9,000+ visitors to our BLOG!

The GOOD NEWS for Fools!

2011-04-01T06:32:00.005-04:00

JESUS SAVES!!!! NO FOOLIN' ... Check these THREE out when you have time ... and always remember the Psalmist says;

"The FOOL has said in his heart, 'There IS no God!"

Most FOOLISH thought in all of human history! BUT these THREE verses of Holy Writ show us THE TRUTH. Nothing like a GOOD dose of TRUTH on a Fool's Day!! :-) John 14:6 Acts 4:12 1 Timothy 2:5 The world will say we ARE fools for Christ ... SO BE IT!!!!

How to Find a Good Church! - Part 2

2011-03-29T17:37:00.007-04:00

Continuing the thoughts of author Mark Dever, from his book "What Is a Healthy Church?" ... we see points 4 and 5 on HOW to find a GOOD church:

4. Ask yourself diagnostic questions such as:

* Would I want to find a spouse who has been brought up under this church's teaching?

* What picture of Christianity will my children see in this church - something distinct of something a lot like the world?

* Would I be happy to invite non-Christians to this church? That is, would they clearly hear the gospel and see lives consistent with it?

*Does the church have a heart for welcoming and reaching non-Christians?

* Is this church a place where I can minister and serve?

5. Consider Geography. Would the church's physical proximity to your home encourage of discourage frequent involvement and service? If you're moving to a new area, try to locate a good church home before you buy a house. WOW ... that last one ... Number 5 ... I wonder what percentage of Christians have actually done that??

Don't forget ... the 9Marks Conference for a Healthy Church ... April 8-9, 2011 at First Baptist Church Wheeling ... log on ... www.9marks.org ... register under "EVENTS". God's Blessings ... for healthy churches EVERYWHERE!!!

How To Find a Good Church! - Part 1

2011-03-26T22:16:00.004-04:00

We look to "What is a Healthy Church?" by Mark Dever of 9Marks to help us with this post's title. (NOTE: Hopefully we will have Matt Schmucker, Executive Director of 9Marks on Bible Burgh Sunday, April 3rd to talk about this AND the 9Marks Conference coming to Wheeling, WV's First Baptist Church April 8-9, 2011 ... join the 100+ already signed up!)

In his book, Dever separates what he feels are the absolutley essential marks from the important marks, which we have mentioned here before and talked about on the show. And you guessed it ... there are 9 total! :-)

But between those sections he talks about "How to Find a Good Church!", and MANY right now are LOOKING ... and based on the criteria set before us by Dever ... MANY SHOULD BE!

Let's see the first 3 of 5 ...

1. PRAY ... he adds nothing more ...

2. Seek Counsel from a godly pastor (or elders).

3. Keep your priorities straight.

* The gospel must be truly affirmed, clearly preached, and faithfully lived out. A serious lack in any of these expressions of the gospel is very dangerous.

* The preaching must be fiathful to Scripture, personally challenging, and central to the congregation's life. You will grow spiritually where Scripture is treated as the highest authority

* Also very important is to consider how the church regulates baptism, the Lord's Supper, church membership, church discipline, and who has the final say in decision making.

GREAT book to get ... log on to 9Mark's website over on the right of our blog!

George Scipione on Marriage counseling, John Arnold on Matthew, Elisabeth Elliott on Denial, Discipline and Devotion

2011-03-20T10:35:00.005-04:00

On tonight's show join us as RPTS professor and head of the Biblical Counseling Institute Dr. George Scipione joins Mike to talk about marriage counseling, an excellent primer for the upcoming Complete Husband conference......we'll have a special reairing of pastor John Arnold's visit as he shared from Matthew 9:35-38......we'll have a Treasury of David reading.......Bible Burgh University class will be led by Elisabeth Elliott, widow of martyred missionary Jim Elliott, from the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology 1977, Denial, Discipline and Devotion!

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday nights from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com! Subscribe to the podcast ... more filling, tastes great!

Marriage and Family

2011-03-14T08:43:00.003-04:00

As a follow up to Thursday's post ... we HIGHLY recommend you get to www.gty.org ... that is Grace to You ministry's website ... where you can here, starting today, the MOST popular series in the history of the ministry, "The Fulfilled Family".

Offering and extremely biblical look at the human family, Dr. John MacArthur gives you, NOT his opinion, but a verse by verse exposition from Ephesians 5:22 - 6:4. He will also give you practical application that as husbands and wives you can use RIGHT NOW!

ALSO ... we will have a new interview with Dr. George Scipione of the RPTS Biblical Counseling Institute this Sunday night on Bible Burgh about Marriage and Biblical Counseling.

Blessings for a biblically wonderful week!

Marriage and Divorce

2011-03-10T22:58:00.002-05:00

It started Monday when I read the MacArthur Daily Bible ... it was Mark 10:1-13, which laid out the wonderful OT truth that Jesus RE-QUOTED ...

Then ... I got in my car to drive to work and on Grace to You (WORD FM 101.5, 7:00am) the series started on "The Truth About Divorce".

Maybe GTY timed it that way with the Daily Bible, but it certainly got my attention again to talk about things like marriage between man and woman, homosexuality and divorce.

Check out ww.gty.org and listen under radio broadcasts. You can also search out the scripture and download for FREE the entire messages from the series.

THEN ... listen to Bible Burgh this Sunday night at 9:00pm as I will discuss these issues in the first segment.

GREAT STUFF ... don't miss it!

Blessings!

Biblical Counseling, Kevin DeYoung, and Youthanasia...

2011-03-04T12:57:00.004-05:00

ALL a part of what is on the NEXT BIBLE BURGH ...

Dr. George Scipione, RPTS Biblical Counseling Institute (BCI) returns to discuss their upcoming BCI Conference ... find out more under "BCI" at www.rpts.edu.

We'll also sit down with the Youthanasia Conference task force ... FOUR Christ-devoted teenagers from First Baptist Church Wheeling!

AND ... "Corner on the 9's" concludes with Kevin DeYoung's interview, while Bible Burgh University goes to Wheeling, WV for Pastor Darrin Wright's New Year Kick Off message, "Windshields and Rearview Mirrors", preceded by a little Chris Tomlin.

JOIN US this Sunday Night, 9:00pm to 11:00pm on Bible Burgh, on 101.5 WORD FM ... or ... "LISTEN LIVE" at www.wordfm.com.

BLESSINGS!

"What IS a Healthy Church??"

2011-02-23T21:07:00.002-05:00

That is a GREAT question ... and you can HAVE IT ANSWERED ... in Wheeling, WV on April 8-9, 2011 as our brothers from 9Marks.org put on a TWO DAY seminar (for $15...what a steal!) regarding what makes a healthy church.

The little book by the same name is a great, easy read and you can both register for the conference AND buy the book at www.9marks.org.

We want to help spread the word on this conference, the book and 9Marks, because they truly both CARE and "Get It" when it comes to understanding and helping churches become healthy.

HEALTHY doesn't mean a bunch of numbers growth ...

HEALTHY doesn't mean your pastor has wild blogs (potential movie with Tim Allen and John Travolta?), swears now and then, and has a lot of Facebook friends ...

HEALTHY doesn't mean you have awesome music, lights, and a fog machine ...

HEALTHY is BIBLICAL ... and the first THREE of the 9 Marks ... the ESSENTIAL MARKS as the book by author/director Mark Dever outlines is:

* Expositional Preaching

* Biblical Theology

* A Biblical Understanding of the Good News

THAT is a FAR CRY from what you will here in the Emergent circles, the mega-church movement or any other liberal, man-centered movement (hate to even call them "churches").

SO ... Log On TODAY! ... www.9marks.org ... get pastor, elders, deacons, leaders, lovers of the Biblical church SIGNED UP and join us in Wheeling for this GREAT event April 8-9, 2011. Look under their "events" page.

Look forward to seeing you!!!

Alistair Begg, John MacArthur, Kevin DeYoung, Rut Etheridge, Brandon Heath

2011-02-18T19:40:00.002-05:00

Join us Sunday night as RPTS professor and pastor of Providence RP in Brookline Rut Etheridge chats with Mike and they discuss the Emergent Church Movement and a variety of hit topics ... enjoy the start of a new Corner on the 9s with Kevin DeYoung (I loved his recent blog post at The Gospel Coalition website discussing multi-site sermons)...Mike shares Psalms 100-103 with us ... Brandon Heath sings Love Never Fails from the WOW 2011 compilation ... in our Fireside Chat Mike discusses the new book by John MacArthur, Slave, and if you haven't heard the message as shared on Grace To You this past week, here's a video bite ... finally, teaching Bible Burgh University is Alistair Begg, continuing his teaching on To Marry or Not To Marry!

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com! Subscribe to the podcast ... you will subscribe to the podcast ... you will subscribe to the podcast ... you will...

Two Minute Warning!

2011-02-13T20:59:00.002-05:00

Bible Burgh starts in TWO minutes...so check out the line up to the right on FACEBOOK!

Nice Idea, Mark!! :-)

WPIT Rocks!...with Alistair Begg and Colin Smith!

2011-02-08T09:18:00.003-05:00

WORD FM's "Little Sister" station, WPIT 730AM ... Listen Live at www.wpitam.com ... ROCKS every morning with Colin Smith, "Unlocking the Bible" at 8:00am and Alistair Begg, "Truth for Life" at 8:30am. (Did I forget R.C. Sproul's "Renewing Your Mind" at 7:30am??)

WHAT A 90 MINUTE BLOCK OF PREACHING AND TEACHING!

TODAY ... Alistair Begg continues his astounding teaching on John the Baptist from Luke 3. I have heard Alistair in person on John the Baptist ... fantastic! God is using him MIGHTELY! This morning I caugth a point or two like this (paraphrasing a little):

"If a preacher or teacher attracts you to themselves rather than Christ ... take 50 paces BACK!" He used Jim Jones as a crystal clear example of the full ramifications of following a human being instead of Christ.

"Why was John so compelling even in Israel? ... 'there came a man SENT from God' ".

"A preacher's epitaph should be 'behold the Lamb of God".

Listen RIGHT NOW to this and other Truth for Life messages from Pastor Begg at the following link:

www.truthforlife.org

Colin Smith was equally compelling in from his study "Unlocking the Bible in Joshua, Judges and Ruth". He continues to bring solid and clear biblical teaching with unwavering and eye-opening application for our lives.

Find/listen to Colin, both today's message and Sunday's sermon (he preaches at The Orchard in the Chicago area, an EFCA congregation) at this link:

www.unlockingthebible.org

A number of GREAT resources exist at BOTH websites! AND THEN ... plan to TUNE IN tomorrow and listen with OTHER Pittsburghers on WPIT 730AM.

Blessings! May God's Word RICHLY Dwell in you TODAY!

The AWESOMENESS of God's Word

2011-02-07T18:21:00.002-05:00

Whenever this scripture pops up ... I JUST HAVE TO mention it!

And today ... it popped up as the reading from the Psalms in the MacArthur Daily Bible.

Psalm 19:7-9

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

These are SUCH great and awesome, PRACTICAL truths of God's Word!! Such awesome and wonderful attributes and qualities. The folly and foolishness of man (as I just read about in the early chapters of 1 Corinthians) COMPARED to this Psalm is mind-boggling ... mind-boggling at the thought that we think WE can offer something to the Word of God and its preaching. It is a challenge to the SUFFICIENCY of Jesus Christ our Lord!

Get in His wonderful Word ... many times DAILY!! Let it permiate your mind and soul ... share it with others ... at home ... at work ... and even in the church!

Let's not PASS on the next two verses, however ... referring again to the word

Psalm 19:10

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb, moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward."

It ALWAYS makes me think of "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you RICHLY!" ... may it be so for us ALL this week.

Super RPTS Sunday!

2011-02-06T16:07:00.003-05:00

Turn the volume down on tonight's game and listen to Bible Burgh, 9:00pm TONIGHT!

We'll have Jonathan Watt back to finish John 4, as well as Dr. Dennis Prutow, "So Pastor, What's Your Point?" ... and interview about his brand new book of the same name.

BOTH are awesome teaching representatives of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS), whom we honor tonight.

Listen Live at www.wordfm.com ...

Why is Preaching Worth Fighting For?

2011-02-01T05:51:00.002-05:00

THAT is the title of the series now airing on Grace To You, with Pastor/Teacher John MacArthur. THIS message series is what BIBLE BURGH is ALL about ...

Go to the website via the link below and listen, buy, or download for free ...

www.gty.org ... click on "Radio Broadcast" ... look for the link to the POST TITLE above.

AND THEN ... scroll down HERE and see Mark's post about JOEL OSTEEN ...

Props to Joel Osteen (I know, I'm surprised too!)

2011-01-31T16:47:00.004-05:00

We've pointed out the deep flaws in Joel Osteens preaching many times on Bible Burgh, but today I want to take a moment to give him credit for doing the right thing.

When you are backed into a corner, the real you tends to come out. When interviewed by Piers Morgan on CNN Wednesday night (which means according to the ratings, possibly 8 people saw it: and that includes the crew), the host pushed Joel Osteen into a corner and would not let him give a soft answer to a hard question which he's danced around in the past.

Most notable was Osteen’s new, or old, view on homosexuality. He responded to the question, “Is homosexuality a sin?”
“Yes, I’ve always believed it,” stated the megachurch pastor. “The scripture shows that it’s a sin.”
“I’m not one of those to bash homosexuals and tell them they’re terrible people and all that. Sometimes the church focuses on one issue or two issues and there are plenty of other ones. So I don’t believe homosexuality is God’s best for a person’s life. I mean sin means to miss the mark.”
He continued, “I say it’s wrong because that’s what the scripture says.”

So, while he might have tapped his toe a bit, he at least affirmed what Scripture says. I know some Christians who would go down swinging in order to avoid admitting realities like that! So, for finally admitting what the Bible says, kudos to Joel Osteen.

'Course, things went downhill quickly after that...

Morgan remarked that Osteen had never spelled out “sin” before now, and wondered if he was prepared to give an answer to the question on homosexuality.
“I think I’ve grown in my knowledge. This was all new to me…People say I don’t talk about sin but I do talk about how we live our life and [about] making good choices,” said Osteen.

...all new to him? Should he have been pastoring if he didn't even know homosexuality is sin?

Addressing the topic of good and evil, Morgan asked Osteen if he thought that Adolf Hitler was evil, or if there was any good in a man like that. Characteristic of the glass half-full pastor, Osteen deflected the question by pretending not to know it all.

...then the interview just went to the dogs...

Resurfacing the question of suffering, Morgan couldn’t understand how a just God could allow suffering to happen – especially in the case of the victims of the Arizona shooting.
“There are plenty of things we can’t understand. I don’t know if I could explain it right now. I just come back to the fact that I believe that God is good, that he gives us strength in these difficult times.”
Repeating many themes brought up from his first interview with Larry King on CNN, Osteen still believed that the spiritual state of America was at an all time high – based on the sheer numbers of church attendees; that people should take the high road and love the brethren and not condemn them; and that God wants you to be blessed, not just in material wealth but in physical and relational riches as well.

Well....there was that one high point!

Missions, the woman at the well, Casting Crowns, Deuteronomy and Romans

2011-01-29T17:50:00.003-05:00

On the next Bible Burgh join us as Mike interviews pastor Eric Andrae on missions…….keeping with the theme of that interview Casting Crowns sings Until the Whole World Hears…..sit by the fire twice as we get not one but two Table Talks….keeping in mind the name of the program, Mike reads from both Deuteronomy and Romans……and in the second hour, enjoy as we revisit Mike’s talk with RPTS and Geneva college professor Dr. Jonathan Watt and hear about the Samaritan woman at the well and more from John chapter 4!

Join us for Bible Burgh, Sunday night from 9-11 PM on 101.5 Word FM in Pittsburgh, streamed live online at wordfm.com! Subscribe to the podcast...and possibly change your life forever!!!*

*Mike Howard, Mark La Roi, K&D Ministries and the Bible Burgh program do not guarantee that your life will be changed forever by listening, only that the opportunity is there. The results are between you the listener, and God.

Forgiving Practically AND Spiritually!

2011-01-28T09:08:00.003-05:00

Remember the story from Matthew 18 where Jesus tells the story of how the king who went to settle accounts ... and how one servant in particular owed A LOT ... but he begged the king to forgive him.

The king had compassion, released him and forgave the debt!!

THEN ... the forgiven servant goes out and wants to collect (angrily) from all those who owed him!

WELL ... the king hears of it ... and calls the servant a "wicked" servant, and delivers him to the torturers until he can now pay what is owed.

And then Matthew 18:35 quotes Jesus as saying:

So My heavenly Falther also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

What struck me about reading that TODAY is ... not only are we to forgive the debt financially, or practically, WE ARE ALSO TO FORGIVE SPIRITUALLY ... FROM THE HEART!

To me that sounds like a FULL forgiveness to the point of NO animosity, care or concern ... a TOTAL FORGETTING in heart, mind and soul.

May we go forward with hearts like THAT! ... especially as we gather with our brothers and sisters this Lord's Day ... and live with family and co-workers just about every day.

The Heart of the Matter

2011-01-25T10:01:00.007-05:00

As you move on through Proverbs 4, you see these GREAT verses:

Proverbs 4:20-23

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your HEART; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your HEART with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."

Now aside from the fact that the Word of God may be telling us about the circulatory system long before we had cardiologists or hematologists :-), the HEART is a key area dealt with by Scripture that we need to ALWAYS be considering.

John MacArthur, in his Daily Bible tells us

The 'heart' commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason (Proverbs 3:3; 6:21; 7:3), but also includes the emotions (Proverbs 15:15, 30), the will (Proverbs 11:20; 14:14), and the, the whole inner being (Proverbs 3:5). The heart is the depository of all wisdom and the source of whatever affects speech (v. 24), sight (v. 25) and conduct (vv. 26, 27)."

GUARD YOUR HEART! ... and not just from high cholesterol, sugar and fat! :-)