the hub

Characteristics of God
We can talk about/know God by understanding his attributes, his characteristics. One of the ways people have tried to discuss God’s attributes is to understand that their are some that he shares with (or communicates to) us. God loves — and we love. God shows mercy, and we too can show mercy. When we stand up for the poor or those who are being oppressed - we demonstrate justice. God is just. These characteristics aren’t exactly the same in both us and God - surely His justice, mercy, and love are purer and better than ours. But we have (or can have) these things.

Incommunicable Attributes
There are some attributes that are a lot less shared, a lot less “communicable” — the fancy adjective in theology for these attributes is “incommunicable”. Use that in a sentence this week! God’s eternity. His omnipresence. He is unchanging. Those don’t translate all the way into our lives - at least not 100%, not the same way (if at all).

God’s Independence / self-reliance / self-sufficiency
Consider God’s independence - everything in all of creation is dependent upon something, and dependent upon Him. The most Macgyver-ish, Man vs. Wild-ish, loner guy in the world is not truly independent. MacGyver needs that duct tape and hair pin (even if that’s all). Bear, the guy on Man vs. Wild, still depends upon finding a stream for water, a zebra carcass to get nutrition, or a tree for shade. God depends upon no one. That’s an attribute of God that we just can’t attain. It should be humbling to consider that God doesn’t need us. Or anyone.

Questions

• How should we respond to God in consideration of these incommunicable attributes?
• Are there any of God’s incommunicable attributes that we could come closer to attaining?
• If yes, would any of them be good for us, positive growth?
• If yes, would any of them be harmful to us, perhaps a temptation?

Source: Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem
Also see: Bible Doctrine, Wayne Grudem - a thinner, lighter version of Systematic Theology

Today’s word comes from 2 Samuel 9.  You can read it here.

David was friends with Jonathan when Saul was King of Israel.  Jonathan died before David became King, and David wanted to honor Jonathan by honoring somone in his family.  That is why David asks Ziba about Mephibosheth and brings Mephibosheth to Jerusalem.

But I want to focus on everyone’s attitudes in this story.  David’s focus was that Mephibosheth was a descendent of Jonathan and honoring him.  Ziba brings up in verse 3 that he is lame in both feet, as if that would matter somehow.  In verse 4, however, David doesn’t even acknowledge what Ziba said.  Instead, David just asks where Mephibosheth is and says to bring him to Jerusalem.  Even Mephibosheth asks in verse 8 why David would be interested in him, but David stays focused on what he wants to do.  In a final irony, David has Ziba’s family take care of Mephibosheth and his land.

As you read this story, ask yourself what attitude you have toward yourself and toward others.  Are you like David, who focuses on the kindness he wants to do for someone regardless of who they are?  Or are you like Ziba, who has a hard time seeing someone for who they really are?  Or maybe you are in Mephibosheth’s position — because of something that has happened to you, you don’t understand why others will want to show kindness to you?  What attitude should you have?

Coming this Sunday, April 13… a new Collision series! Start preparing your super hero costumes for the Super Hero Collision April 27!

One of the wildest videos on youtube that I’ve seen in awhile! It is a little long, but pretty sweet to watch all the way through! It makes me think about the power of community and that we often can be more together than we are apart.

(ht: gavoweb)

If you want to affect people’s lives, affect their understanding of who God is. Not what you say God is, but who you live God out to be every day.

Two forms are required for both adults and students for off-campus trips and overnight events at IBC — an Indemnification Form and a Medical Release Form.  In order to reduce the amount of paperwork required, we only ask that you complete the form once per calendar year (if you have updated medical or insurance information, please do let us know with an updated Medical Release form though!

The documents are in PDF format, simply download, print, complete, and return them to the Student Ministry Office or the Information Desk at any of our weekly events.

Thanks for helping us keep our trips as safe as possible!

Al Mohler (President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville) shares this commentary on some research from Po Bonsen of New York magazine. The topic: teaching our teenagers to lie.

Excerpt:

When adults are asked to keep diaries of their own lies, they admit to about one lie per every five social interactions, which works out to one per day, on average. The vast majority of these lies are white lies, lies to protect yourself or others, like telling the guy at work who brought in his wife’s muffins that they taste great or saying, “Of course this is my natural hair color.”

Encouraged to tell so many white lies and hearing so many others, children gradually get comfortable with being disingenuous. Insincerity becomes, literally, a daily occurrence. They learn that honesty only creates conflict, and dishonesty is an easy way to avoid conflict. And while they don’t confuse white-lie situations with lying to cover their misdeeds, they bring this emotional groundwork from one circumstance to the other. It becomes easier, psychologically, to lie to a parent. So if the parent says, “Where did you get these Pokémon cards?! I told you, you’re not allowed to waste your allowance on Pokémon cards!” this may feel to the child very much like a white-lie scenario–he can make his father feel better by telling him the cards were extras from a friend.
…
Christian parents should consider this analysis with care. Do we, along with other parents, effectively teach our children to lie? Have we traded off permissiveness for getting teenagers to tell the truth? Would we rather not know, if knowing means putting children and teens into situations in which they might lie?
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Is honesty “on the ropes” at your house?

Read the full article here.

The greatest cause in the world is joyfully rescuing people from hell, meeting their earthly needs, making them glad in God, and doing it with a kind, serious pleasure that makes Christ look like the treasure He is!

John Piper