Author Archives: Clark Bunch

Biblical Survey, Again

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bible-pagesIt’s been about a month since I said that I was going to begin a survey of the Bible.  I promised that the next thing I posted would be about the creation and the fall.  One blogger even linked my site, saying how excited he was as this was a topic of interest to him.  I offer my sincere apologies, and now once again am announcing that I’m about to start my Biblical survey.

A couple of notes:

1) This will be a survey.  A survey sort of maps out the lay of the land.  I believe Bible study should be done verse by verse, chapter by chapter through a book of the Bible.  To cover the entire Bible in this manner would take years.  Continue reading →

The Gospel is Offensive

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communion-bread-and-cupThe Gospel is good news.  It is the power of God unto salvation.  It is the story of God with us.  As Christians, we believe all these wonderful things, and more, about the Good News of Jesus Christ.  But the vast majority of people will say “Thanks but no thanks,” and some will get defensive first and then angry.  For better or worse, hearing the good news offends people.

Jesus has a long conversation with some Jews that “had believed him” in John 8:31-59.   In verse 39, the Jews respond to Jesus that Abraham is their father.  In 41, they say that God is their only father.  Jesus’ final statement, “Before Abraham was I am,” is the Gospel.  Jesus is using language that only God would use (i.e. the burning bush), and seems to make a play on words with God’s name.  It was not only blasphemy to use God’s name this way, he is saying that in fact he is God; God with us.  That’s good news.  But on this occasion, it’s not good news for Jesus.  They were picking up stones with which to kill him as he escaped from their midst. Continue reading →

Seeker Sensitive

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willow-creekI’m debating whether I should explain what is meant by the Seeker Sensitive movement, or just assume my readers know what that is. In short, Seeker Sensitive churches take care not to offend with the gospel message, but make sure they are warm and inviting. In the name of being Seeker Sensitive, the pulpit has been done away with, the band plays for half the service, the preacher has been all but replaced by the “worship leader”, and the cross and anything resembling it are gone. Continue reading →

Get a Master’s Table Button

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Go to The Master's Table

Making the button was easy; getting the html to display as code (so that you can copy it) instead of translating the image, that was hard.  I worked on it for several hours, and had some help in the WordPress.com Forum. 

If you would like to add the Master’s Table button to your blog or website, copy the html code below into your blog template or a text widget.  You will also find the new button and it’s coding at the bottom of the left hand sidebar.  And hey, thanks for the linkage!

<a href="https://themasterstable.wordpress.com"><img src="https://themasterstable.blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/last-supper4.jpg?w=128" alt="Go to The Master&#39;s Table" title="Go to The Master&#39;s Table" width="128" height="53" class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1199" /></a>

The God We Wouldn’t Make Up

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God made man in his own image.  And man, in his infinite wisdom, returned the favor.    -Mark Twain

In my last post, I argued that if Christianity were a lie, we would have told a better lie.  A similar line of thinking applies to God.  Many gods have been invented by people.  The God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, the Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, isn’t one of them.  Here’s why no one would make up such a god:

God requires perfection.  We would make up a god that settles for good enough.  Our imaginary god would be happy with 70%.  That’s good enough to pass.  The best you can do is the best you can do.  Who would ask for more than that?  The God we wouldn’t make up, that’s who. Continue reading →

Christianity, Truth or Fiction

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jesus_crossThere is an old saying that is Christianity were a lie, they would have made up a better lie.

Think about it. The basic tenants of the Christian faith are that a carpenter from a small town in Israel was crucified by the Roman Empire, buried, rose again from the dead, and that faith in these events is what gets one into heaven. These are just the basics. We could make a long list. To be a faithful Christian, one must believe: Continue reading →

Jesus in the Wilderness, a short film

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Thank you Noel Heikkinen for sharing this video.  Noel is doing a series on the Old Testament, and reminds us that each time Jesus resisted Satan he quoted from (what we call) the Old Testament scripture.

What do you think?

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the-computer-demands-a-blog

One of the most read bloggers on the internet gave me a good piece of advice back when I first started blogging.  He said “Find a theme and a design that works for you and leave it alone.”

I have tried to do that.  The Master’s Table has not had a face lift since the doors opened in May of 2008.  I’ve been wanting to switch to a 3 column theme for some time for a couple of reasons.  One is that the sidebar ran so far down the page on my 2 column theme, and the design was just so narrow.  My Other Blog is done in Andreas 9 which I love except for one thing; the headers above each widget are too close to what’s above them, and not close enough to what they are meant to label.  It’s a small thing, and I don’t want both blogs to look alike anyway.  BTW, find some other blogs in Digg 3 and then ask me how I got the title to look like that.

So, to make a short story long, this is the new look of The Master’s Table.    What do you think?

p.s.  If you’re in a reader, jump over to the actual site for a minute.  Thanks a bunch.

Ash Wednesday, Lent, (and p.s. Mardi Gras)

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ash-wednesday

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday occurs 46 days before Easter, 40 days if you don’t count Sundays.  This year it fell on February 25th.  This marks the beginning of Lent, a time of preparation for Holy Week.  At an Ash Wednesday service, part of the ceremony is placing ashes on the forehead as an outward symbol that you will be observing Lent.  During the 40 day period something is given up, anything typically important to the individual, and more time spent in prayer, worship and meditation.  Lent is about preparing ourselves spiritually to observe Holy Week, the days between Palm Sunday and Easter. Continue reading →

Tips for Creating MP3’s

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faith-by-hearingI have to thank Challies Dot Com for sharing this link, so that I can share it with my audience.

Faith By Hearing is the first 4 column blog I’ve ever seen.  Digital Etiquette for MP3 Creators gives some tips on how to do a better job of turning sermons and lectures in MP3’s that are both easy to find and of a manageable size.  I appreciate the advice, and perhaps many of us would do well to heed it.

Faith By Hearing has an extensive catalog of sermons and teachings by many well known speakers, some of whom may surprise you.  Their site will be added under the Useful Resources links, and I highly recommend spending some quality time there.