Sinaiticus

The Codex Sinaiticus project is now on-line. Mark is the only NT book on the site so far. There will be major updates in November and by July next year the site should be complete. Sinaiticus once contained the entire Bible. Unfortunately parts of the OT are forever lost. The codex is the only known copy of the Greek NT in majuscule script.

The site is fairly easy to navigate once you get the hang of it. It is exciting that this major manuscript is now on-line for all to see and study. I will be sending my students to it in the fall so they can learn how to transcribe and collate.

Sinaiticus is basically Alexandrian in the NT, but John 1:1-8:39 is Western.

http://www.codex-sinaiticus.net/en/

On the Sea

Steph and Laura on the Aegean Sea. To say the least, it is beautiful.

Greece Trip

Andrew and Steph on Mars Hill overlooking Athens. Mars Hill is where Paul preached in Acts 17.

My kids go to Greece and all I get is a T-shirt and a hat!!

The Paint Queen

Steph doing what she does best on a World Changers trip--PAINT!

Greece Trip

Here's a great pic of Steph in Athens!

The "Bema" Seat

This is the "Bema" Seat where Paul stood before Gallio in Acts 18. I've got some great pics for my next 1 Corinthians class!

Andrew and Steph in Corinth

Andrew and Steph were part of our International World Changers group to Greece. Here they are in Corinth.

NGU Damage

The North Greenville University campus was hit Monday night with a severe storm that caused extensive damage. Two of the main classroom areas were particularly hard hit. Please pray for NGU. There is a record enrollment headed here in three weeks!

Heaven and Hell

Baptist Press has three articles on heaven and hell that are very good. It seems to me that one reason why baptisms are down in the Southern Baptist Convention is that we have lost our belief in both. Intellectually we still believe. Dogmatically we still believe. Practically, I'm not so sure. For far too many of us, the here-and-now gets so much of our attention that we've lost our way as an eschatological people. A primary difference I think between early believers and us is the fact that they always had one eye at least on heaven. Our eyes our firmly focused on the earth. Thus for the most part I believe we've lost the hope of the Gospel.

Read these and see what you think. I'll try to comment on them a bit more later.

http://www.baptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=28492

http://www.baptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=28489

http://www.baptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?id=28491

Josh Hamilton

Baptist Press has a great story on Josh Hamilton of OUR Texas Rangers. It needs to be said that my son, Andrew, had this pegged back in spring training. He kept telling me: "Watch this Josh Hamilton; he's going to be great." He also knew about his story. Way to go Andrew!!

www.baptistpress.org

Greece

45 folks from Fairview headed to Greece today for International World Changers. Our two, Andrew and Stephanie, are part of the team. We'd appreciate your prayers. Hopefully when they return on July 19, we'll have some pictures. The group is worshiping Sunday at Mars Hill in Athens. Of course, that is where Paul preached in Acts 17. What a great opportunity!!

Happy Birthday Lesa!

Another Happy Birthday for Lesa!

In Action

I love no tie Sundays! Taken last Sunday during our worship service at Fairview. Everyone looks Red, White, and Blueish don't they!

New Day for Apologetics

Here's a neat article from Christianity Today concerning the upswing in interest in apologetics, especially among young people. Oh the constant irony of the postmodern world!

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/july/14.29.html

USA and Moab

Last Sunday I preached a message entitled, "When a Nation Ignores God." The Lord drew me to Jeremiah 48. Chapters 46-51 of Jeremiah contain a collection of messages against nine foreign nations. They teach the sovereignty of God; no nation can escape his judgment.

I was drawn to the message against Moab because it so parallels what is happening in America. The country faced God's judgment because of materialism [v. 7], complacency [v. 11], idol worship [v. 7], and pride [vv. 29, 42]. When you read this chapter it feels like you're reading an American newspaper, news magazine, or Google News.

America is like Moab. We are given over to the same sins for which Moab was judged. Who is to blame? It is easy to blame the politicians or the corporate giants. They should shoulder their share, but I blame the church. I believe one reason Moab was in the shape Jeremiah described was due to Israel's refusal to be a light to the nations. I believe America is in her shape because the church has also refused to be God's light.

When 57% of Christian Americans according to The Pew Forum on Religion are willing to accept that Christianity may not be the only way to God, the church is in bad shape. At least one reason so many are confused about salvation is that too many preachers refuse to stand on the truth of God's Word. As in the days of Ezekiel, the shepherds are misleading the sheep. There are so many conflicting signals given by preachers in America's churches, it is no wonder people are confused, dazed, and living for themselves.

So my prayer this July 4th is for a spiritual renewal in America. It does not begin with Obama or McCain. It begins in the pulpits and pews of American churches. If we'll start believing and then living truth, perhaps America has a chance.

Jeremiah 48 ends with a note of hope: "Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days," declares the Lord. There is hope for America. God is full of grace and loves us. Pray for repentance, renewal, and revival. If we see neither, all we have to look forward to is what happened to Moab--judgment.

The sermon can be heard at http://fairviewgreer.net/page2619.php