Thankful Thursday

One of the advantage of doing these posts of thanksgiving every week is that it causes me to look in the ordinariness of my life for good gifts from God. This is an exercise that helps me be content with God’s providence for me, and an exercise that brings me joy. The first item on the list of things for which I’m thankful, then, is Thankful Thursday.

Today my oldest daughter and youngest granddaughter daughter spent the afternoon with me. We made a double batch of sourdough naan bread, enough for each of our families and a little more to share. So I’ve been thinking about yeast as one of God’s gifts. I’m thankful he created it and caused someone, way back in history, to discover that it could put to good use. I’m especially thankful that it helps us make light and tasty breads.

While I’m thinking of it, I’m thankful that I can google just about anything I feel like making, food-wise, and find a recipe that’ll work. I’m thankful for the internet and for people who share their recipes.

I’m thankful for lots and lots of new snow. We usually get our snow a little bit at a time, but last night, we got a 8 inches or so. It made my mid-January world beautiful and my mid-January dog walk a fun adventure. I thank God for new snow—and for my son and son-in-law who shoveled the walk and driveway for me. Twice in one day.

I’m also thankful for a slow morning to catch up on reading. 

I’m thankful that God’s providence for me teaches me to trust him, even when things are difficult.

I’m thankful that “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved [me], even when [I was] dead in our trespasses, made [me] alive together with Christ….”

Round the Sphere Again: What Not to Say

Christian Peer Pressure
Suggesting ways to try to fix things is not always the best way to help. Sometimes the best we can do is give encouragement to “bear long and patiently endure“ (Wendy Alsup at Practical Theology for Women).

Arguments Against Abortion
Some arguments against abortion are not ones Christians should use.

[T]he utilitarian view of human life has no place in the Christian worldview, and we should give it no place in our efforts against abortion, as powerful or convicting as we think those argument are.

Read the whole piece at Jared Wilson at Gospel Driven Church.

Theological Term of the Week

visible church
“All those who profess faith in Christ and give evidence of their faith with their lives”;1 all those who profess faith in Christ, submit to baptism, and place themselves under the preaching and authority of the a local church, along with their children.2 

• From scripture:

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours … . (1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV) 

• From Keach’s Catechism: 

Q. 105. What is the visible church?
A. The visible church is the organized society of professing believers, in all ages and places, wherein the Gospel is truly preached and the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper rightly administered.

• From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem:

The visible church is the church as Christians on earth see it. In this sense the visible church includes all who profess faith in Christ and give evidence of that faith in their lives.

…

The visible church throughout the world will always include some unbelievers, and individual congregations will usually include some unbelievers, because we cannot see hearts as God sees them. 

Learn more:

1. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry: What is the church?
2. Brian Schwertley: The Visible vs. The Invisible Church
3. John Calvin: Invisible and Visible Church
4. Harmony of the Reformed Confessions: Visible/Invisible Church

Related terms:

• invisible church

Filed under Ecclesiology

1From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem. This is a baptistic definition.

2See The Visible vs. The Invisible Church by Brian Schwertley. This is a more paedobaptist (or Presbyterian or Reformed) definition.

Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.