Check it out – should be pretty intense:

• 1/6 – #9 – There’s no doubt the Bible says children are a blessing, but the Bible doesn’t seem to address the specific topic of birth control. Is this a black and white topic, or does it fall under liberties?
• 1/13 – #8 – Why do you make jokes about mormon missionaries, homosexuals, trenchcoats wearers, single men, vegans, emo kids and then expect these groups to come to know God in the same sermon?
• 1/20 – #7 – Why does an all loving, all knowing, and all sovereign God will into creation people He foreknows will suffer eternal condemnation? Why does Romans 9:20 feel like a cop-out answer?
• 1/27 – #6 – Of all the things you teach, what parts of Christianity do you still wrestle with? What’s hardest for you to believe?
• 2/3 – #5 – How should Christian men and women go about breaking free from the bondage of sexual sin?
• 2/10 – #4 – If salvation is by faith alone, then why are there so many verses that imply works?
• 2/17 – #3 – How does a Christian date righteously; and what are the physical, emotional, and mentally connecting boundaries a Christian must set while developing an intimate relationship prior to marriage?
• 2/24 – #2 – What can traditional/established churches learn from “emerging” churches?
• 3/2 – #1 – Do you believe that the Scripture not only regulates our theology but also our methodology? In other words, do you believe in the regulative principle? If so, to what degree?

I’m looking forward to many of these.  #9 should be very interesting and insanely controversial.  #8 is personally interesting to me as I contemplate the place of humor in preaching.  #3 might just be the most needed out of all these.  And #2 and #1 have to do with church methodology and practice, which is also very interesting and useful for me…

-Ben

1. Pride is our greatest enemy.  Humility is our greatest friend.

2. Pride, in its origin and practice, is demonic and Satanic (Satan’s pride was the first sin).  Humility is Christ-like and Spirit-enabled.  Any human being who has any measure of humility is a miracle.

3. Pride is the encouragement to compare ourselves to other people.  We tend to pick people who are less than us.  Humility is continually comparing ourselves to Jesus.  If you struggle with pride, compare yourself to Jesus and that will help.

4. Pride covets the success of other people.  When they succeed, we become jealous.  This is why we critique them.  Humility allows us to celebrate the success of other people and the grace God has displayed.

5. Pride is about me…. about what I deserve.  Humility is about Jesus, and it’s about other people.  It allows people to be selfless.

6. Pride is about my glory – who I am, what I’ve done, do you like me?  do you want to be like me?  Humility is about the glory of Jesus – who is Jesus, what has he done, do you want to be like him?

7. Pride is “I am God”.  Humility is not about being God but about celebrating the fact that the real God has lovingly served me.

8. Pride leads to arrogance/cockiness/smugness, and is repugnant.  And leads to rejection of truth/teaching.  Humility leads to confidence (in truth), NOT compromise (of truth).

9. The point of pride is independence (look at Satan, look at our sin).  Humility is about dependence – acknowledging that we are created, God is creator, and we are dependent on God for everything.

10. “Pride is the mother of all sin” – Augustine.  Therefore, conversely, humility is the mother of all Joy.

11. Pride is something that we can achieve in this lifetime.  Humility is something we must continually pursue – it isn’t something we achieve fully.  Can’t say, “I am proud to report that I am now humble.”  Can say, “By God’s grace, I am a proud person pursuing humility.”