Crossway Church

Battling Doubt

2012-01-31T09:00:00.002-05:00

by Jared Wilson

Who hasn't experienced doubt at one time or several? Most of us doubt the Lord's promises, the Lord's goodness, the Lord's faithfulness, or even the Lord's existence in small ways every single day.

Here's an edited version of something I wrote in the wee hours of the morning on how to battle doubt in a practical way.

1. Concentrate on the historical fact of the cross.

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
-- John 20:27

Press into Jesus. Read the Gospel accounts of the Passion. Read scholarly works about the cross. Reflect intellectually and devotionally on what the man Jesus of Nazareth did and why he did it.

2. Do not seek refuge or advice with those who would shame you for doubting as if they never did.

Be merciful to those who doubt.
-- Jude 1:22

Do not worry that doubt is sin, but view it as a wavering you wish not to have. In other words, acknowledge it is not desirable and refuse to feel victimized by it. Acknowledging that you do not wish to doubt is a big first step in humbling yourself before the gospel.

3. Pray. Or, more specifically, hurl yourself at God.

“I believe; help my unbelief!”
-- Mark 9:24

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
-- Luke 17:5

Philip Yancey once called this sort of thing "Acting as if." You may doubt God is there or doubt his love for you, but as a combative measure against the discomfort of doubt, push back, and act as if he is there and that he does love you. Throw yourself at him. Cry out to him honestly and humbly.
If you approach the throne boldly, you will find grace there for your time of need.

4. Re-focus your doubts toward your own failings and inability. Doubt yourself, in other words.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
-- 1 Corinthians 1:25

This is counter-intuitive to some, and it sounds like bad advice in this age of “Believe in yourself” and self-help and the therapeutic gospel of human potential, but we will not believe God more fully until we despair of ourselves more fully.

In this sense, the counter-attack is not to “stop doubting God” – telling someone awash in doubt to simply “stop doubting” is like telling a drowning man to thrash harder – but to start doubting yourself. It is telling a drowning man to stop thrashing, to doubt his own ability to thrash his way into safety. And in fact, when a drowning man relaxes and stops “fighting,” giving up trust in his ability to save himself, his rescuer is better able to swim him to safety.

If you think God can’t be trusted, think about yourself. How together are you? How well do YOU have it figured out? How in control are you? How are your plans coming together for a great life? How is “following your heart,” which is deceitful above al things, working out for you?

If we are honest with ourselves, we will realize our utter dependence and feebleness. And when we doubt ourselves, we are ready to trust God.

He must become greater; I must become less.
-- John 3:30

5. Read your Bible. More specifically, meditate on Scriptural promises related to your area of doubt.

“Promise books” found in the gift section of most Christian bookstores and even big discount stores like Wal-Mart can be helpful in this regard. Or do a key word search in a concordance or an online Bible. Read God’s promises to you in your areas of doubt.

Your doubt will wither and fade, but the word of the Lord lasts forever.

Remember that God is bigger than your doubt, that your "disagreement" with your doubt is an indication you are known by him. Remember that Christ's perfect work even covers our wavering faith. You only need a mustard seed.

HTW: The Gospel Driven Church Blog

Dealing with Doubt - Part 3

2012-01-26T11:06:00.003-05:00

This is the third and final installment from Michael Patton's post on helping those who struggle with doubt. It was originally posted at the Gospel Coalition blog.

6. Realize there is no timetable.

Each person is unique. Just like with depression, the length of this faith crisis has no timetable. For some people, due to personality and life circumstances, their crisis will last a very long time. The more contemplative (and compulsive) might suffer with this intermittently for their entire lives. I know that it is a long time to teeter on the edge of unbelief, but this is sometimes God's method.

Who knows how long Job endured his faith-defining crisis, but one thing is for sure: it was not over quickly. So be patient. Join with the doubting in prayer for as long as it takes. Be kind, knowing that such problems are not uncommon to man.

7. Help people work through their sin.

I intentionally saved this one for last. Often this is the first place Christians go with a loved one in crisis. I think it helps us to mentally put doubt into a discernible box. It also helps us to find a quick solution. "Oh, you are doubting your faith. Okay, then quit sinning. Next!" Sometimes the problem is this easy. Personal sin is a faith drainer. Before long disobedience to God takes a significant toll on our faith.

However, keep in mind that we're all sinners, and sin is usually deliberate. Therefore, we are all in deliberate sin. But God deals with us in different ways. Some sins, in order to stay in them, take a toll on our mind and worldview as we attempt to justify them. For example, a Christian living in homosexuality is one thing. This is a definite sin and will take its toll in many ways. But a Christian living in homosexuality and trying to justify this biblically another thing. The toll here is not only moral, social, and physical, but it also corrupts the mind. The mental task of trying to re-interpret the Bible will not remain isolated to this incident. Sooner or later, the mental paradigm that you set up to make your sin viable will corrupt everything else.

In short, if there is something that we know we are supposed to be doing, and we are not doing it, doubt will soon spread, and the crisis of faith will be hard to overcome. We need to gently ask these type of questions when the time is right. Simply accusing people of some deep-rooted personal sin right from the gun can be judgmental and embarrassing. Ask if there is any sin that might be causing this. If they say no, and you cannot identify anything that is sure to be the cause, then don't push this issue.

Assume the Best

Though a Calvinist, I am not interested in the question, "Was this person ever really saved to begin with?" It is an important theological question but does not have any practical relevance when dealing with the doubting. I treat those who confess the faith as believers and work from there. I also treat this as if this person can truly lose his or her faith. After all, there is a faith that does not save, and we need to hold this out as a real option. We may eventually find out that this person was not a believer, but we should cross that bridge when it becomes evident to all parties.

I am a perpetual doubter learning to live with it. I don't rejoice in my doubt and don't wish it upon anyone else. However, I have come to realize that it almost always makes my faith stronger in the end, so long as I am not apathetic. This perspective can help us deal with others in their doubts.

Dealing with Doubt - Part 2

2012-01-24T20:27:00.004-05:00

This is a continuation of Friday's post on Doubt, written by Michael Patton, originally posted at the Gospel Coalition blog.

4. Help them to focus on the things that make or break their faith.

It could be something as small as someone at school ridiculing them for believing that a donkey talked, discovering an apparent discrepancy in what Christ said in Matthew compared to Mark, or hearing a science class presentation on the theory of evolution. However, for those who have never been prepared for this crisis, they cannot discriminate between essentials and non-essentials. For many, everything is essential. Their theology is a house of cards. Once one card falls, no matter how small, the entire house comes tumbling down.

We can do much to lessen the effects of this crisis if we can help those going through it gain some perspective. Someone may be questioning the legitimacy of his belief in the rapture, whether to include the Apocrypha in the canon, whether hell is eternal, whether God changes his mind, whether Christ can work through other religions, or the inerrancy of Scripture. Whether the crisis of faith is brought about due to intellectual or emotional reasons, start by encouraging doubters to consider core issues of the faith and then move out from there. I think the primary core issue of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Christ. All dominoes fall from there. It is also the easiest to rest our intellectual head on. I have yet to meet someone who was going through a prolonged crisis of faith who was well established in the historicity of Christ's resurrection.

5. Encourage them to live according to the faith they still have.

Doubt is not unbelief. Doubt is the bridge that connects our current faith to perfect faith. That bridge will stand until death or Christ returns. However, those who are going through a faith crisis don't naturally see things this way. Once doubt come in and infects their life on a conscious level, they interpret it as outright unbelief. They don't know how else to process it. They think that they are on an inevitable road to complete unbelief.

Unfortunately, because they think this way and many Christians treat them as if they had a plague, they begin to immediately live as unbelievers. If sin were not the instigating problem before, it definitely becomes the chronic problem now. It is important for those who are struggling with doubt to not let their doubt influence their lives so that they start living as if they are unbelievers. Encourage doubters to continue to live as Christians, even if they don't feel like one anymore.

HTW: The Gospel Coalition

Dealing with Doubt - Part 1

2012-01-20T11:14:00.007-05:00

by Michael Patton

I deal with many people doubting their faith. To be more specific, these are Christians going through some sort of faith crisis where they no longer believe with the simplicity that once characterized their belief. This is becoming more common in a world where sheltered or isolated beliefs are impractical and antiquated. However, most of us really don't know how to deal with doubt. We don't know how to deal with it when it comes to our own doubts, much less other people's.Nevertheless, here is some general counsel for those seeking to help loved ones through this crisis in a positive way.

1. Have mercy on them.

Jude 22 is quite neglected. It says for us to "have mercy on some who are doubting." If we don't approach people with genuine mercy and love, we cannot expect to be Christ for them in what might very well be the biggest struggle that they have ever been through. This time is truly traumatic for the doubting. If you have never been through it, you will have an extremely hard time understanding. In fact, we default to judge and condemn those who are doubting. When they endure such treatment from the community of faith, it intensifies and prolongs the problem. You would not believe how many Christians who are going through this crisis and seriously considering suicide. From their perspective, their entire worldview is collapsing beneath them.
I won't get too much into the story, but I have been through this crisis at the deepest level. It nearly killed me. Simply to have someone there having mercy on me, not waiting for the other shoe to drop, but fully supporting me in love, was so important. Those in doubt need to know that you are not ever going to leave or forsake them. That is being Christ to them (Heb. 13:5). Be as understanding as you can even if you have not been through this.

2. Realize that these are often the birth pangs of deepened faith.

I almost put "these are the birth pangs of true faith," but that is saying too much. You see, when we are children, we receive faith from our parents in a mediated way. This does not mean that this faith is false. But, for the most part, it is untested. Trials, temptations, and the suffering of life tests our faith (Job; Rom. 5:3-4; Luke 8:5-15; Jam. 1:3).
For those of us with children who are going through this, we cannot panic . . . please don't panic. Yes, it is incredibly difficult to watch your child (or friends or other loved ones) go through this. Just like when your child is hurt, you want so much to vicariously take their pain. When our children are going through this faith crisis, we also want God to shift the burden to our shoulders. We can bear this burden with them, but we cannot (and should not want to) bear this burden for them. Our faith must be tested if it is to grow. Periodic faith struggles are the norm of the Christian life. When I am at my best, I worry most for those who have never been through any faith crisis. To me, this normally means that they don't take their faith too seriously. But for those who do take their faith seriously, the crisis is sure to come.

3. Be ready but don't manufacture answers.

The last thing the doubting need are cliché answers. In fact, these will almost always make the crisis worse. People normally go through these trials because they are thinking deeply about their faith. They are critically examining it, possibly for the first time. Sound-bite answers only reinforce a naive picture of the faith. People in the crisis have a new ability to tell if you are being fake, even when you don't know it yourself. Be ready. Be honest about your faith. Enter into the crisis with them and find answers together.

I remember when my mother had a ruptured brain aneurysm at age 56. This came just on the heels of my sister's death. We were all at the hospital groping for hope and wondering why God was attacking us (as we saw it) in such a way. My little sister was in the deepest crisis of us all. When my cousin came in to offer spiritual support, he said, "While the pain you are going through is bad, you have to remember that God lost his own son." My sister would have none of it. She responded without hesitation, "Yeah, but at least he got his son back after three days." Now, my cousin could have stuck to his guns and continued to promote the validity of his wisdom. He did not. He joined with my sister and said, "By God, I never thought of that." He then remained silent. That meant a lot. It meant that he was not just trying to offer advice that he had never thought through himself, but that he was willing to shoulder the burden that unexpected difficulties bring to our faith.

HTW: The Gospel Coalition

Know a Christian Who Seems to Love Movies More Than Jesus?

2012-01-11T12:47:00.003-05:00

by John Piper from his blog at Desiring God

"What should you do if you know someone who seems to be more excited about movies than Jesus?

Many professing Christians give little evidence of valuing Jesus more than the latest movie they have seen. Or the latest clothing they bought. Or the latest app they downloaded. Or the latest game they watched. Something is amiss.

We are not God and cannot judge with certainty and precision what’s wrong. There is a glitch somewhere. Perhaps a blindness going in, a spiritual deadness at heart, or a blockage coming out. Or some combination. Christ doesn’t appear supremely valuable. Or isn’t felt as supremely valuable. Or can’t be spoken of as supremely valuable. Or some combination.

Here’s my suggestion. Instead of dampening their enthusiasm for movies, clothing, apps, and events, let that go as an expression of God-given personality. Instead, model expressive joy in Jesus. Over time, if there is no resonance from their heart with your joy, query them humbly:

I love your enthusiasm for the things you get excited about. You’re so free and expressive about good movies and nice clothes and cool apps. It seems odd to me that you don’t seem to be as expressive about the way you feel about Jesus and what he’s done for us. Have you thought about why that might be?

The point of this query is to help them see that the problem is not joyfully loving good created things. The problem is the apparent absence of similar affections for Christ.

If similar affections for Jesus are not possible, then the specter of idolatry becomes serious. But they may sense this themselves without your having to start with that indictment, if you draw their attention not to the excitement that’s there, but to what’s missing.

We don’t want them to lose their exuberance about anything good. We want Christ to be supreme in their hearts so that all their exuberance comes under him and for his sake. When Jesus is felt as supremely valuable in our hearts, all other values gradually become properly ordered and purified.

May the Lord give you great courage and wisdom as you help people awaken to the supreme value of Jesus."

At All Cost, Get This

2012-01-06T09:11:00.002-05:00

From Tony Reinke's blog Miscellanies

…but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21

Martyn Lloyd-Jones,Romans: Assurance (Banner of Truth, 1971), pages 299–300:

"What grace has done is not merely to counteract exactly what sin has done. If grace had done that, and that alone, it would still be something wonderful. If the effect of grace had merely been to wipe out, and to cancel, all that had happened on the other side, we should have had a theme for praising God sufficient to last us through all eternity. But, says the Apostle, it is not an exact counterbalance; what I have on the right side does not exactly tally with that I have on the left. In fact there is no comparison; it is a superfluity, an abounding, and engulfing, it is an overflowing on the side of grace. We must hold on to this truth at all costs and get it clear in our minds. The point is that grace does not merely exactly balance, it does not just undo what sin has done; it does much more."

Bible Eater

2012-01-04T17:19:00.006-05:00

I am always on the lookout for Bible reading plans that help me treasure Christ more. Our friends at the Gospel Coalition shared this, and it looks fantastic. It would be challenging but perhaps with the help of a friend, doable. I hope you think so. - Bauer

Bible Eater: A Plan for Feeding on Christ in 2012 by Trent Hunter

"After 40 days without food, Jesus could still say, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Jesus also said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger" (John 6:35).

I take it that Christ would have us to think about the Bible as food, and to think about exposure to the Bible as eating. We cannot truly live without the Bible because true life comes to us through the Christ revealed across its pages.

Plan for Reading the Bible

With 2012 upon us, I put some time into refreshing a tool I designed for reading the Bible through in one year. It's called Bible Eater: A Plan for Feeding on Christ in the Whole Bible in One Year.

Here's a quick overview followed by an explanation of its features:

Read 2 to 3 Old Testament chapters per day and take 4 days off per month, or use those days to catch up.
Read 1 to 2 one-sitting designated Old Testament books in each 3-month period, indicated in blue.
Read 1 New Testament chapter per day, 5 days per week.
Features:

Flexible Format: This plan has a balance of daily reading at a pace of about 2 to 3 and sometimes 4 chapters a day, and 4 days off per month. In addition, 1 to 2 Old Testament books are designated by blue highlighting for a one-sitting read during each 3-month period, including Deuteronomy, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Isaiah. These books were chosen because they are the right length to keep the reading plan simple, but also because these books can be helpfully read in a single sitting for the big picture.

Reading Both Testaments Together: Some annual reading plans assign the first ten months to the Old Testament and the last two to the New Testament. Others get you in both testaments but have you in four different places every day. Since we read the Old Testament from the perspective of our New Testament position, it is good to read both together, but this plan keeps it simple with one track in each testament at a time.

Redemptive Historical Highlights: Every chapter in the Bible is important since every word in the book is from God. But some chapters are more crucial for helping us understand the overall narrative of the Bible's salvation story. Red highlights indicate these kinds of chapters. Some contain promises of a prophet, a priest, a king, a new exodus, a new creation. Others show the need for this One in the unfolding drama of God's grace to a rebellion-wrecked, suicidal humanity. New Testament highlights show the fulfillment of these great expectations in Jesus Christ.

Why Plan to Read the Bible?

The eating imagery certainly helps us understand the nature of the Bible's importance to our lives. But that picture also helps us think through how we might act on the Bible's importance.

Like eating, it makes sense to plan for when and how often we will read the Bible. In my own experience, both of these can suffer without a plan, and more so for the Bible because of the artificial filling effect of sin. And like eating, it makes sense to plan for what and how much we will read. We can survive on an unplanned nibble of food here and there, but that wouldn't be good for us and it wouldn't make sense if we had a magical grill with an eternal supply of steak.

Plenty of people stay alive without a plan for eating, but they aren't usually healthier for it.

If you haven't decided yet on a plan for reading the Bible because you've decided that having a plan isn't important, I'd encourage you to read John Piper's excellent and persuasive article, "A New Year's Plea: Plan!"

God is a God who plans, and he always plans for things that are good. For that reason, we can reflect the glory of God by exercising dominion over our time with a plan to enjoy the greatest privilege we have as humans: eating the bread of life and living."

**********

Download Bible Eater:A Plan for Feeding on Christ in the Whole Bible in One Year.
Trent Hunter serves as pastoral assistant to Ryan Kelly at Desert Springs Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is married to Kristi, and they have three children, Carson, Madalyn, and Shae. Trent blogs at Above All Things.

A Prayer about Grace upon Grace upon Grace

2011-12-23T14:57:00.002-05:00

A Prayer about Grace Upon Grace Upon Grace
Scotty Smith

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This was the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. John 1:14-16

Dear Lord Jesus, it’s easy to understand why John’s account of your birth is never chosen as the script for Sunday school Christmas pageants. After all, what parts would the children play? What cute costumes could they wear? There’s no manger, no Joseph and Mary, no shepherds and angels or wise men and lowing cattle. But there certainly is you. You’re are the only star on the horizon in this nativity scene, and how you shine. Meditating through John’s Advent narrative is like standing under a waterfall of glory and grace.

We praise you, Lord Jesus, for becoming flesh and “tabernacling” among us for just the right amount of time. Though equal to, yet distinct from the Father, you didn’t consider your glory something to be tightly grasped or held onto selfishly. Rather, you emptied yourself by becoming a man—but not just any ordinary man, but a servant-man—the Servant of the Lord, the second Adam, our Savior . . . my Savior.

In your thirty-three years of incarnate life, you accomplished everything necessary to redeem a pan-national bride for yourself, but you also secured the restoration of the world you created and love. Be magnified, adored, regaled, worshiped, and loved, Lord Jesus. What a wonderful, merciful Savior you are—what a LORD, so merciful and mighty to save.

“Joy to the World”, indeed! For you are presently ruling the world with your grace and truth—the the grace and truth of which you are full. You are actively making the nations prove the wonders of your love, as the gospel runs from heart to heart and nation to nation. We fall before you in humility, we dance before you in delight.

From the fullness of your grace we keep receiving grace upon grace upon grace: The grace of your imputed righteousness, the grace of perpetual favor with God, the grace of your intercession and advocacy, the grace of your Spirit’s work in our lives, the grace of citizenship in heaven, the grace of knowing the good work you have begun in us will be brought to completion, the grace of inheriting the new heaven and new earth… and that’s just for starters! Hail the incarnate deity, indeed! Joy, great joy, to the world, and to me. So very Amen we pray in your most gladsome and winsome name.

HTW: The Gospel Coalition

A Prayer About Jesus' Many Advent Names and Offices

2011-12-06T16:39:00.002-05:00

As we consider the Advent season, a post from Scotty Smith at The Gospel Coalition.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Isa. 9:6-7

"Lord Jesus, you are the one of whom Isaiah was speaking hundreds of years before a manger became your first bed in this world. Every name, appellation and office the prophet gives you in this Scripture underscores the greatness of your glory and the wonders of your love. Knowing the government of the whole world already rests on your shoulders profoundly gladdens me. It fills me with a joy second only to knowing your shoulders fully bore the sin of the world, including mine. As this day begins, I raise my face to bask in your beauty and I lift my hands to offer you praise.

You are Wonderful Counselor, for in you are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. You teach me everything I need to know about great mysteries and things eternal, but you’re also the one to whom I look for counsel about old wounds, fresh hurts and unfulfilled longings. You care about everything.

You are Mighty God—the one who created and sustains the entire universe; the one who upholds all things by the power of your Word; the one in whom all things are being summed up. But you also marshal your might to help me humble myself when I’d rather stay proud; to boast in my weaknesses when I’d rather be self-sufficient; to run to you, rather than just run away.

You are Everlasting Father, for to see you is to see the Father and to know you is to know the Father. You tenderly care for the needs of the world—even the flowers of every field and the birds in every sky; but you also care about me. You didn’t leave me as an orphan, Jesus. Through your work, I’m not only declared righteous in God’s sight, but also secure in his embrace. I now cry, “Abba, Father!”, with certainty and joy.

You are the Prince of Peace, for you paid the price of peace on the cross. Indeed, your cross was my Judgment Day. Because of you, God is at peace with me and his peace is ruling in my heart. We’re no longer enemies; there’s no more enmity left between us. You are my peace, Lord Jesus. There will never be an end to the greatness of your government and peace, for even as you are making all things new, they will stay new forever! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! So very Amen I pray, with humility and elation."

The Devil's Playbook

2011-11-29T10:56:00.002-05:00

It is always a good reminder to realize Scripture teaches we have an enemy, and God's word exposes his devices. Read Ray Ortlund's article below found at The Gospel Coalition.

"Ray Ortlund suggests four ways that the devil seeks to defeat Christians. Here’s number three:
*A spirit of accusation. In Revelation 12:10 the devil is exposed as “the accuser.” Another of his designs is to pierce our hearts with accusing thoughts about our sins – or even sins we haven’t necessarily committed, but we fear we have, or others say we have. He spreads a mist of vague anxiety within ourselves and dark suspicion of others. How to defeat this defeat? Run to the cross for all our sins, and refuse to counter-accuse against our accusers. A calm explanation might help at the interpersonal level. But if the negative emotions are really intense, the only thing to do is not make the feeding-frenzy worse. Wait on God to vindicate you."

Read the whole thing.

Making the Most of Turkey Time: Thanksgiving on Mission

2011-11-22T15:59:00.004-05:00

"What if God had more for our kin this Thanksgiving than the Macy’s parade, tryptophan-induced naps, and NFL football? What if we saw our gatherings with extended family not as a chance to check out, but as an opportunity for Christian mission?

It should be good news to us that we don’t have to be Jedi-master evangelists to be agents of gospel advance among those whom we know best. In fact, it may be better if we’re not."

by David Mathis, Desiring God

Continue reading this great post from Desiring God blog - Enjoy!

Even Then He Prayed - William Bridge

2011-11-15T17:08:00.002-05:00

"Oh, you reply, but there lies my grief, for I have not kept His commandments, and God, I fear, is displeased and angry with me.

Be it so, and did Jonah keep His commandments, when he fled to Tarshish? And was not God angry with him when He threw him into the sea? Yet even then he prayed, and the Lord heard his prayer."

Taken from the book A Lifting Up For The Downcast by William Bridge 1649

My Happy Confession of Having No Merit

2011-11-01T10:51:00.003-04:00

An excellent post by John Piper on Desiring God blog. Enjoy!

"This is my confession:

I was born into a believing family through no merit of my own at all.

I was given a mind to think and a heart to feel through no merit of my own at all.

I was brought into the hearing of the gospel through no merit of my own at all.

My rebellion was subdued, my hardness removed, my blindness overcome, and my deadness awakened through no merit of my own at all.

Thus I became a believer in Christ through no merit of my own at all.

And so I am an heir of God with Christ through no merit of my own at all.

Now when I put forward effort to please the Lord who bought me, this is to me no merit at all, because

...it is not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

...God is working in me that which is pleasing in his sight. (Hebrews 13:21)

...he fulfills every resolve for good by his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

And therefore there is no ground for boasting in myself, but only in God’s mighty grace.

Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:31)"

As posted by John Piper on Desiring God blog;August 17, 2009

Devote Yourselves to the Word and Prayer (Part 3)

2011-10-26T09:38:00.002-04:00

Part 3 from Tim Kerr at Desiring God blog.

"Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God." (Colossians 4:12)

"It appears that Epaphras planted the church at Colossae (Colossians 1:7). Part prophet and part priest in his ministry, he spoke to others on God’s behalf and spoke to God on their behalf. Like Paul, and like Jesus before him, Epaphras was a model pastor. He shows us the simple (but certainly not easy) rhythm of preaching to people and praying for people. It is essential that we regain this sacred rhythm once again.

Last post we discovered that the power for this was found by praying in the Spirit using the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17-18). All intercession should be done under the Spirit’s direction using Scripture as the basis of our appeals to God. If we can compare the Spirit to a train engine, then the railway lines are the Word of God that the Spirit travels along. 2 Peter 1:4 tells us that one of the great provisions of God for our sanctification is his “precious and very great promises”. Now we are getting to the heart of the matter.

Follow the logic:

1. God’s great purpose in his secret providence is to conform us to Christ-likeness (Romans 8:28-29). Christ died for us that we may be like him and live for him. (2 Corinthians 5:15)
2. One of the “means” God uses to make us like Christ are his “very great promises” which are given to help us “become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4)
3. We are told that prayers offered “according to God’s will” can expect a full answer from God (1 John 5:14). And this most certainly includes God’s promises.
4. God tells us that all his promises are “yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). The death and resurrection of Christ unlocks the promises of God for the people of God.

This means that the promises of God form the backbone of intercession for others. When we use the promises of God as the basis of our intercession, we are calling God to be faithful — to fulfill his character.

God sent his Son to give us unique access to himself and he sent his Spirit to give us the gift of prayer (Galatians 4:4-6). As our lungs fill with the fresh oxygen of communion with God, let’s use them to breathe life into others by interceding for them.

Pastor, praise God for faithful preaching! But let us also remember the calling and privilege to faithfully intercede for others. Let us again surrender ourselves to this great work: “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4)"

Tim Kerr is the pastor of Sovereign Grace Church Toronto and author of Take Words With You (PDF). Tim grew up in India and lived in Japan as a church planter for 12 years wit

Desiring God Blog

Devote Yourselves to the Word and Prayer (Part 2)

2011-10-21T17:25:00.002-04:00

by Tim Kerr at Desiring God | September 29, 2011

"Intercession is not a ministry done from a place of strength and competence, but always as a desperate sinner praying for fellow desperate sinners. We identify with those we pray for because we are just like them.
And yet if we don't pray for ourselves (or even pray at all), how shall we even know how to effectively pray for others?

Consider an ordinary house lamp: we can furiously flip the light switch on and off and have no effect if the lamp is not plugged into the wall outlet. Sheer willpower will not propel intercession any more than flipping a switch can power a disconnected light bulb. But how different it is when we plug the lamp into the outlet!

What we need is to find an external resource that will effectively power our intercession.

In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul shows us where to find the power outlet for a life of intercession. In describing the spiritual armor of a believer, Paul says:

Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:17-18)

In these verses Paul clearly ties “praying in the Spirit” to the use of God’s Word when interceding for others. When the Spirit is active the Word will be present. When the Spirit is inactive, the sword stays in its sheath. Earlier in Ephesians this “Word” is revealed to be the gospel promises available to all “in Christ” through the powerful work of the cross (Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:8-10; 2:14-22; 3:6-12).

This then brings us to a vital question we need to ask ourselves: are our times of prayer for others guided by and filled with the word of God? It seems that if our prayers for others are to have real traction, we will need the fuel of Scripture to power our prayers.

The Spirit-filled believer who uses the Word of God in prayer, is a believer whose lungs are made strong for the work of intercession.

Tim Kerr is the pastor of Sovereign Grace Church Toronto and author of Take Words With You (PDF). Tim grew up in India and lived in Japan as a church planter for 12 years with his wife, Joanne. They moved to Canada in 2000 where they currently live with their four children.

HTW: Desiring God Blog

Pastors, Devote Yourselves to the Word and Prayer (Part 1)

2011-10-14T14:52:00.003-04:00

Excellent blog by Tim Kerr from Desiring God. Enjoy!

Rediscovering the Priority of Pastoral Intercession

"In his profoundly helpful book Wisdom Words, pastor Harold Burchett teaches us that praying is a lot like breathing. In order to have the strength to continue breathing, one needs to breathe. So also the strength to pray comes from praying. Now if personal prayer is breathing for oneself, then intercession is like breathing for others."

Read the entire entry here.

Better Than Any Fish Story: Tchividjian on the Gospel in Jonah

2011-09-27T15:49:00.003-04:00

Our church is currently studying the book of Jonah and reading Tullian Tchividjian's book, Surprised by Grace. The following post is is an interview Colin Hansen from The Gospel Coalition did with Tullian Tchividjian regarding the Gospel in Jonah. Excellent reading - enjoy!

Interview - Better Than Any Fish Story: Tchividjian on the Gospel in Jonah

The Gospel According to Jonah

2011-09-27T14:35:00.008-04:00

The Gospel According to Jonah
Stephen Witmer

An Unexpected Place for the Gospel

There are even clearer hints of the gospel in another perhaps unexpected place: the Book of Jonah. I say unexpected because the events described in Jonah took place about 800 years before Jesus, there is no explicit mention in Jonah of any Messianic figure, and the main character of the book is a recalcitrant and sinful man. But Jesus himself invites us to look for hints of the gospel in the Book of Jonah.

He does so by referring to his own death and resurrection as “the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 12:39) and by comparing Jonah’s experience with his own (“for just as Jonah . . . so will the Son of Man”). This suggests that the shape of Jesus’ experience is roughly similar to Jonah’s experience. If we know the stories of both Jonah and Jesus, we can immediately see the similarities. The raging sea and the cross are both places of desperation and death. The fish and the tomb (in which both Jesus and Jonah lie for “three days and three nights”) are (quite unexpectedly in each case) a step along the way toward life after death. In both cases, God is the one responsible for this new life—he tells the fish to deposit Jonah on dry land (Jonah 2:6, 10) and he exerts his great power to raise Jesus Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20).

Jesus sees Jonah’s experience as analogous to his own. You might say that in this case, the New Testament’s use of the Old Testament (i.e. Jesus’ reference to Jonah) actually points to the Old Testament’s use of the New (i.e. Jonah’s story embodying hints of a greater story to come—the redemptive events most central to the gospel itself).

Are there other hints of the gospel in Jonah’s experience? Jesus’ self-comparison with Jonah invites us to ask this question. I think the answer is yes. Most of these hints, however, come by way of contrast between Jonah and Jesus rather than comparison. This is not surprising. It’s easy to imagine that the story of a wayward and disobedient servant of God would more naturally point by negative example toward the perfect servant of God who perfectly fulfilled his mission. Jesus himself says he is “greater than Jonah” (Matthew 12:41). The similarities between Jonah and Jesus show us the glory of Jesus and the gospel, but the differences cause the gospel to shine even more brightly.

And the differences are many. For instance, although Jonah describes his experience in the sea and the fish in terms that sound like death (Jonah 2:1, 5-7) he didn’t actually die in the raging sea or the hungry fish. That’s because his mission was to preach, not to die. By contrast, Jesus’ mission was to preach and also to die. Thankfully, Jesus had more than a near-death experience. He really did die (John 19:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3). Because he did, there’s a gospel to preach.

Moreover, the reason Jonah came close to death was because of his own sin. He himself says this to the sailors on his ship: “I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you” (Jonah 1:12). In fact, throughout the book of Jonah, we see the pagans in the story acting more honorably and righteously than the prophet. The prophet who despises non-Jewish peoples and wishes them harm (Jonah 4:1-2) is the recipient of their sacrificial kindness (Jonah 1:13). The prophet who is slow to experience a change of heart (and it’s not clear that his heart has changed even by the end of the book) sees pagan sailors (Jonah 1:16) and pagan Ninevites (Jonah 3:10) repent and draw closer to God. Jonah’s near-death experience is clearly because of his own sin. The cause of Jesus’ death is utterly different. He dies not because of his own sin but because of the sins of others (2 Corinthians 5:21). The righteous dies for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18).

Jonah didn’t willingly choose to enter the raging sea or the belly of the fish. He was thrown into the sea by the hands of the sailors (Jonah 1:15), but he knew it was actually God casting him into the sea (Jonah 2:3). And it was God’s decision, not Jonah’s, that Jonah would enter the fish: “And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah” (Jonah 1:17). In the case of Jesus, it is clear that God sent him to the cross (Acts 4:27-28; Romans 3:25; 8:32). But it is equally clear that Jesus willingly chose the cross: “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:17-18).

Jonah grudgingly obeyed God after his near-death experience in the fish and went to Nineveh to preach, although his heart still wasn’t in it (Jonah 4:1-3). Jonah’s almost-death was intended by God to win his obedience. But Jesus’ death was his act of obedience: “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). After the fish, Jonah’s work was just beginning; God gave him a second chance to fulfill his commission (compare Jonah 1:1-3 and 3:1-3). But at the cross, Jesus could say his work was finished (John 19:30). God’s redemptive plan was accomplished through Jesus’ obedience. With less-than-ideal material to work with in the person of the prophet Jonah, God sovereignly used Jonah’s disobedience to draw people to himself (Jonah 1:16).

What happened to Jonah and Jesus after the fish and the grave? Jonah’s “resurrection” left him in an inglorious pile of fish vomit on the shore (Jonah 2:10). Jesus rose gloriously from the dead (Romans 1:4) and ascended into heaven, to the right hand of God (Ephesians 1.20-23). So although Jesus went lower than Jonah (he actually died), his ascent was infinitely higher.

Different Preachers, Different Responses

All these differences make surprising the very difference between Jonah and Jesus that Jesus himself highlights: the responses they received. The people of Nineveh accepted Jonah’s post-fish preaching humbly, immediately, and completely. They repented when they heard his warning. Not so the people of Jesus’ generation. “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:42). Although Jesus doesn’t say it explicitly, the implication is clear: his own generation by and large did not heed his message.

Why does this comparison between Jonah and Jesus matter? It matters because it points us to our perfect Savior, a Savior who willingly died for our sins (rather than his own) and was then raised from the dead by God into unimaginable and eternal splendor. He was rejected by many of his own generation, but will be praised forever by his people. This is the gospel according to Jonah.

Stephen Witmer is the pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship in Pepperell, Massachusetts. He serves on the editorial board of Themelios and is author of the Good Book Guide to Jonah. Enter 'gbgj' at checkout, and you will get a 40 percent discount when you order five or more copies.

Not Faith, But Christ

2011-09-20T10:12:00.001-04:00

"Faith is not our physician; it only brings us to the Physician. It is not even our medicine; it only administers the medicine, divinely prepared by Him who "healeth all our diseases." In all our believing, let us remember God’s word to Israel: "I am Jehovah, that healeth thee" (Exod. 14:26). Our faith is but our touching Jesus; and what is even this, in reality, but His touching us?"
Horatius Bonar

HTW: Monergism.org

William Carey

2011-08-24T15:29:00.004-04:00

From Timothy George at The Gospel Coalition - good read! Enjoy!

William Carey at 250

"Earlier this week, William Carey’s 250th birthday arrived. Born on August 17, 1761, he was the son of a poor school teacher in the tiny village of Paulersbury. Taught to patch shoes in a cobbler’s shop, he was converted to Christ as a teenager. Soon he was gripped with a passion for sharing the gospel with those who had never heard the name of Christ.

In those days, missions was a naughty word, something obsolescent, restricted to the days of the apostles long ago. But Carey read the Great Commission differently. “Go ye,” he said, “means you and me, here and now.” He challenged his fellow Baptists to respond to this call, to “expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God.” The result was the first missionary society organized by evangelical Christians with the aim of carrying the Good News of Christ to all parts of the world.

So on June 13, 1793, William Carey, his wife, Dorothy, and their four children—including a nursing infant—sailed from England on a Danish ship headed for India. Carey never saw his homeland again. He spent the rest of his life in India as a pastor, teacher, linguist, agriculturalist, journalist, botanist, social activist, and statesman of the world Christian movement. He died in India in 1834 with the words of a hymn by Isaac Watts on his lips: “A wretched, poor, and helpless worm, on thy kind arms I fall.”
Carey Today

Now, two and one-half centuries after his birth, what can we learn from Carey today? There are many lessons to be gleaned from the life of the father of modern missions, but I place these seven principles at the top of the list:

1. The sovereignty of God. Carey knew that true missionary work is rooted in the gracious, eternal purpose of the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Today, more than a new program of missionary training or another strategy for world evangelization, the church of Jesus Christ needs a fresh vision of a full-size God—eternal, transcendent, holy, filled with compassion, sovereignly working by his Holy Spirit to call unto himself a people out of every nation, kindred, tribe, and language group on earth. Only such a vision, born of repentance, prayer, and self-denial, can inspire a Carey-like faith in a new generation of Christian heralds.

2. The finality of Jesus Christ. Sadly the message Carey preached—Jesus Christ and him crucified, risen, coming again—has become marginalized even within large sectors of the Christian community. The uniquely divine nature of Jesus Christ and the cruciality of Christian conversion have both been called into question. Carey’s life and witness encourage us to resist the seductive power of cynicism, relativism, and syncretism, and to remain faithful to the only gospel that can deliver lost men and women from the power of sin and death.

3. The authority of Holy Scripture. Like Wycliffe, Luther, and Tyndale before him, Carey believed that everyone should be able to read the Scriptures in their own native language. He poured his life into mastering the difficult languages of India and the East until he had either translated or personally supervised the translation of the Bible into some 40 distinct tongues. Carey’s plan to evangelize India included a three-pronged approach: preach the gospel, translate the Bible, and establish schools. Proclamation, translation, education. Carey knew that, as the letter to the Hebrews (4:12) puts it, the Word of God is “alive and powerful.” He knew firsthand the transformative effect the Bible had on those who read, cherished, and obeyed it. Today Carey’s legacy goes forward through the work of the Wycliffe Bible Translators and many others committed to sharing the life-giving Scriptures with all peoples everywhere.

4. Contextualization. Contextualization refers to the need to communicate the gospel in such a way that it speaks to the total context of the people to whom it is addressed. Carey knew the countercultural pull of biblical faith. He had great respect for the antiquity and beauty of the cultural legacy he encountered in India. Indeed, his translations and critical editions of the ancient Hindu classics contributed to what has been called an “Indian Renaissance.” At the same time, he was quite sure that devotion to those writings and the religions they had spawned could never lead to eternal life anymore than being born in England or America automatically made one a Christian. Carey’s ability to contextualize the gospel without compromising the nonnegotiable essentials of biblical faith provides a balanced model for a truly evangelical missiology in our own age of social upheaval and cultural disillusion.

5. Holistic missions. Carey knew that the gospel had both a propositional and an incarnational dimension. He refused to divorce conversion from discipleship. He knew that Jesus had given food to hungry people on the same occasion that he presented himself to them as the Bread of Life. Undoubtedly, he would have been in hearty agreement with the great Methodist missionary E. Stanley Jones: “A soul without a body is a ghost; a body without a soul is a corpse.” The gospel is addressed to living persons, soul and body, in all of their broken humanity and need for wholeness.

6. Christian unity. The modern quest for Christian unity was born on the mission field. Carey pointed the way by working closely with believers of many denominations in India and by calling for an international conference of missionaries to develop a common strategy for evangelism and witness. What would Carey think of contemporary ecumenical efforts today? He would likely be wary of an uncritical ecumenism which would sacrifice the distinctiveness of the Gospel in the interests of a bland togetherness. But he would surely rejoice in the coming together of Great Commission believers throughout the body of Christ in the task of world evangelization. Carey is a model for this kind of cooperation among Christian believers, one rooted in Richard Baxter’s great maxim: In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.

7. Faithfulness. Carey’s work in India was a catalyst for a great missionary awakening throughout the church. Today, 250 years after the birth of William Carey, the mandate for world evangelization still looms before us. The best lesson we can learn from Carey is the principle by which he lived and died: “You should think of us as Christ’s servants, who have been put in charge of God’s secret truths. The one thing required of such a servant is that he be faithful to his Master” (1 Cor. 4:1-2)."

Cast Your Deadly Doing Down

2011-08-19T15:23:00.001-04:00

Here’s a snippet of B.B. Warfield’s outstanding Philippians 3.9 exposition found in Faith and Life as posted on The Reformed Reader.

“All that he [Paul] is, all that he has sought after, all that he has done – though from a fleshly point of view far superior to what most men can appeal to – all, all, he counts (not merely useless but) loss, all one mass of loss, to be cast away and buried in the sea, ‘that he may gain Christ and be found in him.’ On the one side stand all human works – they are all loss. On the other hand stands Christ – he is all in all. That is the contrast.”

“The contrast is between the righteousness which a man can make for himself and the righteousness that a God gives him. And the contrast is absolute. On the one, in the height and the breadth of its whole idea – we cannot exaggerate here – Paul pours contempt, as a basis or, nay, even the least part of the basis, of salvation. On the other, exclusively, he bases the totality of salvation. The outcome is, that not merely polemically but alien righteousness, with the express exclusion of every item of our own righteousness. The whole contents of the passage demands this as Paul’s fundamental thought.”

“The gospel, to Paul, consists precisely in this: that we do nothing to earn our salvation or to secure it for ourselves. God in Christ does it all.”

“It must be faith or works; it can never be faith and works. And the fundamental exhortation which we must ever be giving our souls is clearly expressed in the words of the hymn, ‘Cast your deadly doing down.’ Only when that is completely done is it really Christ only, Christ all in all, with us; only then, do we obey fully Paul’s final exhortation: ‘let your joy be in the Lord.’ Only then do we renounce utterly ‘our own righteousness, that out of law,’ and rest solely on ‘that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness of God on [by] faith.’”

The Present Power of Christ’s Justifying Work

2011-08-05T15:34:00.002-04:00

Pastor & Author Tullian Tchividjian reminds his blog readers of this gospel truth. He is quoting author Richard Lovelace. You can read his whole post at his blog at The Gospel Coalition.

"Only a fraction of the present body of professing Christians are solidly appropriating the justifying work of Christ in their lives. Many have so light an apprehension of God’s holiness and of the extent and guilt of their sin, that consciously they see little need for justification. Below the surface, however, they are deeply guilt-ridden and insecure. Many others have a theoretical commitment to this doctrine, but in their day-to-day existence they rely on their sanctification for justification….drawing their assurance of acceptance with God from their sincerity…their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience. Few start each day with a thoroughgoing stand upon Luther’s platform: you are accepted, looking outward in faith and claiming the wholly alien righteousness of Christ as the only ground for acceptance, relaxing in that quality of trust which will produce increasing sanctification as faith is active in love and gratitude."

Forgiveness

2011-07-29T15:28:00.002-04:00

Paul Tripp recently did a 2-part series on his blog about forgiveness. They are excellent - enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

How the Gospel Makes Us Generous and Content with Our Money

2011-07-28T15:24:00.002-04:00

Great post from The Gospel Coalition blog, written by Zach Nielsen.

Enjoy!

"The danger of wealth has been a prominent theme in the teaching of several pastors in recent years. John Piper’s chapter on money in Desiring God has shaped me and many others to a great degree. More recently, authors David Platt and Francis Chan have championed a similar message with their books Radical and Crazy Love.

Their message has met considerable resistance with counter warnings against embracing a “poverty theology.” Should we not rejoice in what God has given? Shouldn’t we want to take care of our families and provide for them? Shouldn’t pastors be paid well so their wives don’t have to work and they are not continually stressed out with financial pressure?

I’m afraid the framing of this discussion leads us to ask the wrong questions. Like the junior high boy who wonders how “far is too far” with his girlfriend, we are quickly caught up in questions about how rich is too rich, how poor is too poor, and the like. Where is the line? Do I feel guilty for having too much? Do the kids have enough? What does “enough” even mean? Should I feel guilty about not giving as much as so and so? If I give more, does that mean I am more spiritual? The hamster wheel of comparison, propelled by our spring-loaded legalism, keeps spinning unto exhaustion. We are all tempted to be prideful about what we give or feel guilty about what we don’t. Neither response befits the gospel, which crushes pride and erases guilt.
Financial Peace

Still, the question remains: how should we handle money? I’ve learned a lot from Dave Ramsey, an extremely popular radio host, author, and speaker who teaches people how to manage money so they can attain “financial peace.” He is also a Christian who loves to motivate people to cease being a “slave to the lender” (Prov. 22:7) and manage their money so that their money doesn’t manage them.

Ramsey markets his successful 13-week program, Financial Peace University, to churches, schools, military institutions, and others all over the world. My wife and I used his program a few years ago to pay off all her graduate school debt and our minivan (total: about $50,000) in roughly four years. We have lived in the past with big debt. Now we are living with zero debt, as we rent a house. The debt-free lifestyle has given us freedom and removed the stress of money from our our marriage, even when times are tight.

When counseling young couples, we plead with them to obtain a plan for their money. If we would have heard about Ramsey when we were 22 instead of 30 years of age, our financial outlook would be much better today. But there is a point of grave danger that I always communicate when we talk about Ramsey. If you follow his principles, most likely you will have more money. You will perhaps get really rich. In fact, Dave emphasizes this every day on his radio show when he regularly says, “Debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has replaced the BMW as the status symbol of choice.” Is it wrong to be rich? No, but it IS dangerous.

When I read the Bible I don’t see the pursuit of riches as a worthy goal to pursue as an end in itself. I don’t think Ramsey believes this, either, but I wish he would state this clearer and more often.

Think of all the warnings from Jesus about money:

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matt. 6:24)

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. (Matt. 13:22)

Even so, we shouldn’t respond to these warnings by resolving to be dumb with our money to make sure we remain poor. Rather, pursuing a biblical perspective involves three things: 1) financial wisdom, 2) contentment, and 3) generosity.
Seek Financial Wisdom

Said plainly, I would get Ramsey’s book and do what he says to get out of debt and manage your money. You might not agree with everything he says, but most of us need a much better financial plan.
Pursue Contentment

Contentment is a more biblical goal than getting rich. Paul writes about this 1 Timothy 6:6-10:

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

This is where I have a problem with Ramsey’s emphasis on getting rich. It doesn’t seem to square with what the Bible teaches. Is it wrong to be rich? No, and “rich” is a very relative term. No one thinks he is rich, because everyone knows someone who is WAY wealthier. Ramsey is a millionaire many times over, but his wealth doesn’t hold a candle to Bill Gates or Michael Jordan. So what is “rich” anyway? Who knows, but however you slice it, the Bible tells us to be content with what we have and pursue simplicity (Heb. 13:5). The goal needs to be freedom with contentedness, not a yearning for more stuff.
Be Generous

To Ramsey’s credit, he frequently emphasizes the joy of extravagant giving. Look at how Paul exhorts the rich in 1 Timothy 6:17-19:

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

If you have the ability to make lots of money, maybe you should. But as you do, be sure to constantly check your heart along the way. Jesus’ words cannot be trifled with. Be constantly on the lookout for how you can be a blessing and how the kingdom of God can be furthered in our day through your resources.
Gospel Emphasis

Rather than debating between “radical” living for God and the dangers of “poverty theology,” we learn from 1 Timothy 6 that contentment and generosity should be our emphasis in light of the gospel.

God has already provided all that we will ever need (Rom. 8:32). He cares for grass (Matt. 6:28-30) and birds (Matt. 10:29), so we can be content with or without stuff. God has been infinitely generous with us in Christ so, rich or poor, we can be joyfully generous in a way that makes our neighbors scratch their heads and say, “Who are these people?”

Generosity is not a poverty theology. Contentment with thankfulness is not a prosperity theology. The gospel motivates us to be generous and gives us ultimate contentment."

Zach Nielsen is one of the pastors at The Vine Church in Madison, Wisconsin, where he serves in the areas of preaching, leadership development and music. He is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and Covenant Theological Seminary and blogs at Take Your Vitamin Z.

The Gift of Friendship and the Godliness of Good Friends

2011-07-14T10:48:00.003-04:00

Kevin DeYoung's fourth and final post on friendship.

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That means the greatest friend is the one who laid down the most for his friends. No question who this is.

To be sure, Jesus is more than a friend, but not less. He is the Divine Friend better than any other. He is never a fake friend, but always seeks our best. Neither is he a foul friend. He is slow to anger instead of quick to criticize. He is thoughtful and tender instead of annoying. He’s always trustworthy and never lets us down. Best of all, Jesus is a faithful friend. He not only sympathizes and comforts you in trouble, he delivers you from your greatest trouble, which is sin. Not only does he speak the truth and handle conflict, he made peace through his blood when were at enmity with him. And he doesn’t just make us better, he makes us new. What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to him in prayer."

Part 4

The Gift of Friendship and the Godliness of Good Friends

2011-07-13T10:13:00.004-04:00

Kevin DeYoung has been blogging about what it means to be a friend.

He writes, "We talk a lot about relationships in the church. There are scores of marriage seminars, retreats, and conferences. There are video series and books for newlyweds and engaged couples. Most every church offers marital counseling and most every pastor preaches somewhat regularly on marriage. And the same is true for parenting. There are dozens of books on raising children. There are Sunday school classes, blog sites, and ministries that focus on the parenting relationship. All this is good.

But have you ever noticed we seldom study friendship? It is the most important-least talked about relationship in the church."

Check out his four-part series over at The Gospel Coalition.

Enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Tim Keller on Contempt

2011-07-07T14:47:00.003-04:00

By Tim Keller from the City to City blog. Dated May 24, 2011

"I have always found Jesus’ words in Matt 5:21-22 to be shattering. He begins by reminding his listeners that anyone who murders will be judged. But then he gives three case studies of actions that seem far less serious than murder. “I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” To be bitter and angry in your heart toward someone can lead to great evil, so that makes some sense. But the term "raca" means only something like "you air-head!" and the word translated "fool" is likewise not an outrageous or cutting insult. Jesus’ listeners would likely have been smiling as they heard these terms and would have been shocked as he ended the sentence threatening them with hell-fire! What was Jesus’ point? “The deliberate paradox of Jesus’ pronouncement is that ordinary insults may betray an attitude of contempt which God takes extremely seriously.” (R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, p. 201)

This passage helps me understand Numbers 20. As in Exodus 17, the children of Israel are in the desert wilderness facing parching thirst. They charge Moses with being, at worst, evil or, at best, an incompetent leader. Again, God tells Moses to go to “that rock.” This time however he tells him to speak to it, and the rock will pour out water sufficient for everyone (v.8). Moses gathers everyone at the rock, but instead of speaking to the rock, he angrily upbraids the people. “Listen, you rebels!” he cries. “Must we bring you water out of this rock [again]?” (v.10) Striking the rock with his staff in his fury, the water comes out. God, however, tells Moses that he now would not enter the Promised Land, because Moses “did not trust me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites.” (v.12)

What did Moses do wrong? Of course he failed to follow instructions. He struck the rock instead of speaking to it, and that is disobedience. Nevertheless, God’s rebuke goes deeper. In calling them “rebels” Moses set himself up as their judge. In saying, “Must we bring you water?” he set himself up as their deliverer. Everything Moses did pointed away from God toward himself.

It is not hard to understand why. Leadership brings a steady drumbeat of criticism and misunderstanding, even when things are going well. When things go poorly, people vent their frustration and anger on those in charge. A newly ordained pastor once said to me, “I didn’t know that, once you become a leader, there’s always someone mad at you!”

This makes sense of Moses’ reaction. “His response is not only the striking of the rock, it is the answer of a man who under pressure has become bitter and pretentious.” (D. Carson, For the Love of God, vol 1, May 11th reading.) God was ready to be gracious, but Moses was in no mood for that. The relentless criticism had made him self-righteous. He held them in contempt. He had wrath but no compassion, and that is the mark of a man who is becoming less like God, not more. (See Isaiah 15-16 where God grieves even as he speaks in judgment.) Moses is a man who has forgotten grace, and the sign of it is a sanctimonious spirit along with words of denunciation without humility and compassion.

Leadership always involves conflict. John Newton’s famous letter on “controversy” observes how easy it is for criticism to create Pharisees. “Whatever it be that makes us trust in ourselves that we are comparatively wise or good, so as to treat those with contempt who do not subscribe to our doctrines, or follow our party, is a proof and fruit of a self-righteous spirit.”

All leaders, and especially Christian leaders, must be on guard against this inevitable temptation and this terrible sin. It is natural, when under criticism, to shield your heart from pain by belittling the critics in your mind. “You stupid idiots.” Even if you don’t speak outwardly to people like Moses did, you do so inwardly. That will lead to self-absorption, self-pity, maybe even delusions of grandeur, but the great sin is that the growth of inner disdain leads to pride and a loss of humble reliance on God’s grace. Moses treated God with contempt when he became contemptuous toward his people.

This is what leaders face. Is there any hope for us? Yes, because we are in a better position than Moses was for understanding the grace of God. Don Carson writes: “In light of 1 Corinthians 10:4, which shows Christ to be the antitype of the rock, it is hard to resist the conclusion that the reason God had insisted the rock be struck in Exodus 17:1–7, and forbids it here, is that he perceives a wonderful opportunity to make a symbol-laden point: the ultimate Rock, from whom life-giving streams flow, is struck once, and no more.”

The Ten Commandments Are About God

2011-06-17T13:31:00.003-04:00

Trevin Wax is a blogger I am enjoying more and more. From Christ centered cultural engagement to posts where he shares nuggets from books he is reading, I recommend you read him regularly. Good stuff!

The Ten Commandments are about God

From James Hamilton’s new book of biblical theology - God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment:

“Yahweh is the most significant thing about the Ten Commandments. When he gives voice to the inauguration of this covenant, the first thing he does is announce his own identity: ‘I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery’ (Ex. 20:2).

No gods before him.
No carved images of him.
No misuse of his name.
No work on the day he hallowed and blessed.

“These first four commandments obviously pertain to Yahweh, but perhaps the centrality of Yahweh to the last six commandments is less apparent – on the surface, anyway. These commands come with Yahweh’s authority. They reflect the way that he has created the world. They are to be obeyed because he has spoken them, because he created this world by his word, because this world is made to work according to his word (cf. James 2:11).

Fathers and mothers are to be honored because God is a Father to his people, and God is to be honored (Ex. 4:22-23; Eph. 3:14-15)
No murder because God alone gives life (Deut. 32:39), and people are in God’s image (Gen. 1:27; 9:6).
No adultery because God made man male and female, that the two might become one flesh (Gen. 2:23-24; Matt. 19:4-5).
No theft because God makes poor and rich (1 Sam. 2:7).
No false witness because GOd does not lie (Num. 23:19).
No coveting because God alone is to satisfy, and at his right hand there are pleasures evermore (Ps. 16:11).

“The authority and majesty and identity of Yahweh are central to all ten of the commandments, and ‘moral action is inseparably bound up with the worship of God.’”

- God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment, 99.

He Thinks Of Us, When We Forget Him

2011-05-12T10:23:00.000-04:00

I read this post on Covenant Fellowship Church's blog this morning - enjoy!

He thinks on us, when we forget him
Posted May 6, 2011
Jacob

Our home has been a little crazy lately (for reasons enumerated at my wife’s blog), so I’ve been sparse in reading and posting. So when these sort of times come up, I go to the bare basics. In times like these I need something that going to easily instruct and encourage me to love Jesus, so I turn to my good friend John Flavel. I’ve been working through the last quarter of Volume 1 of Flavel’s works, which is a collection of sermons he preached on the glory of Jesus Christ, his person and work. (Side note: Isn’t it telling about the center of the Puritan’s theology that both Owen and Flavel had an entire volume – the first in their works – devoted to the glory of Jesus Christ?) I’ve been working on a few sermons here or there from this volume over the last few years, and have always found it deeply edifying.

As I was reviewing some of what I’d underlined earlier in the volume, I came across this gem:

He thinks on us, when we forget him. The whole honor and glory paid him in heaven by the angels, cannot divert his thoughts one moment from us; but every trifle that meets us in the way, is enough to divert our thoughts from him. Why do we not abhor and loathe ourselves for this? What! Is it a pain, a burden, to carry Christ in our thoughts about the world? As much a burden, if thy heart be spiritual, as a bird is burdened by carrying his own wings. (Works of John Flavel, 1:268)

I’ve shared this with a couple friends and each responded that it was convicting. I agree, it is convicting, but the encouragement I drew from it was two fold:

The King of the Universe bothers to lovingly fix this thoughts on me. I can think of a lot things more preferable to think upon than this weak heap of a man… But then again, God’s wisdom isn’t my thinking. I think this is what they call grace.

Though I do not think and rest my thoughts upon God as I ought through the day – being diverted by every little thing, whim, preference, tweet, hint of an e-mail, etc. God designed my soul to think upon him without burden as a bird isn’t burdened by its wings. As naturally as a bird spreads it wings to get its desire, so my soul was designed to think upon God to get its happiness in God through every moment of the day.

Should we be convicted of our little we think upon God, let us take hope that He who who never diverts His thoughts from us the very one”who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

___

Picture taken from Tony Reinke‘s flick feed.

Who is Jesus Really?

2011-05-03T15:04:00.004-04:00

May 3, 2011

Who is Jesus – really?

We began our new sermon series Sunday, entitled “Lost and Found.” Sunday’s message asked the question 'Who is Jesus?'

Luke’s gospel was written to help us answer that.

Every Sabbath people gathered at the local synagogue to worship God in the time of Christ. But during this particular worship service (see Luke 4:16-ff), Jesus attended, and the scroll of the prophet is handed to him to read. Following his reading, he had some astonishing news to announce.

"And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."" - Luke 14: 17-21

Did you notice what Jesus said about himself?

Having read what the prophet said 600 years before, in predicting God would send forth a Savior, Jesus applies the word of the prophet to himself! He announces that He is God’s promised Savior to the world.

That is astonishing!

What kind of Savior is he?

The key word in the passage he read is ‘proclaim.’ He uses it three times. Jesus was sent to proclaim good news, good news to the poor, good news to captives and those who are blind, and good news to those who are oppressed.

Jesus had come to proclaim good news which brings spiritual deliverance to all who believe it with their hearts. And it continues today. To those humble enough to acknowledge their need for a Savior, Jesus has the power to deliver you from the guilt, penalty and power of sin, and bring you back to God again.

Glory to God in the highest!

The Resurrection Gospel

2011-04-28T14:21:00.002-04:00

I like Kevin De Young. When he writes about the gospel, which is often, I love him!

A Resurrection Postscript: Saved by Justice
by Kevin DeYoung

Though few would put it this way, it’s easy for Christians to think the cross is where love overcame holiness. Or to put it more prosaically: God saved us because he loves us so much he decided to look past our sins. God is love and he loves to forgive our sins.

But that’s not exactly how justification works. We are not justified because God’s mercy triumphed over God’s justice. We are justified because in divine mercy, God sent his Son to the cross to satisfy divine justice. Mercy triumphs over judgment, but it does not remove the need for justice. We were saved not by the removal of justice, but by the satisfaction of it.

A Loud Declaration

The resurrection, then, is the loud declaration that there is nothing left to pay (cf. Rom. 4:25). Peter says in Acts 2:24, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” Why was it impossible for Jesus to remain dead? Because God is more powerful than death and the devil? That’s certainly true, but there’s another reason. The grave could not hold the Son of Man because it had no claim on him. The wages of sin is death. So when sin is paid for, there is no obligation to pay the wages of sin.

Here’s how Charles Hodge puts it:

Our sins were the judicial ground of the sufferings of Christ, so that they were a satisfaction of justice; and his righteousness is the judicial ground of our acceptance with God, so that our pardon is an act of justice.

Think about that. Our justification is not an act of legal fiction, but an act of justice. God would be unjust if he did not pardon those who belong to Christ. It would be a denial of his name, his character, his own justice.

I believe many of us have not begun to grasp just how good the good news is, just how secure our salvation is, just how completely and unalterably justified we are through faith in Christ. Mark this: God did not set aside the law in judging us; he fulfilled it. Christ bore the curse of the law so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Not because we possess this righteousness, but because God credits it to our account. So that, in one sense, at the moment when Christ died, it was what he deserved (by imputation). And now by faith, blessing and mercy and favor are what we deserve (by imputation).

Justice is shot through the entire plan of redemption. People go to hell because God is just, and people go to heaven because God is just. We are not forgiven and justified because God waved his magic wand and decided to whitewash your faults. He has not overlooked the smallest speck of your sin. He demands justice for all of your iniquities. He demands justice for every last lustful look and proud thought and spiteful word. He demands justice for all of it. But praise God: the resurrection of the crucified Son of God assures us the demands of justice have been met.

The Resurrection Gospel

The resurrection is not a sentimental story about never giving up, or the possibility of good coming from evil. It is not first of all a story about how suffering can be sanctified, or a story of how Jesus suffered for all of humanity so we can suffer with the rest of humanity. The resurrection is the loud declaration that Jesus is enough–enough to atone for your sins, enough to reconcile you to God, enough to present you holy in God’s presence, enough to free you from the curse of the law, enough to promise you there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Something objectively happened on the cross, and that objective work was broadcast to the whole world by an empty tomb. The good news is not a generic message of love for everyone or hope for all. The gospel is the theological interpretation of historical fact. You might put the good news like this: Faith will be counted to us as righteousness when we believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification (Rom. 4:24-25).

A Crucifixion Narrative

2011-04-22T13:56:00.007-04:00

Tony Reinke, from CJ Mahaney's "Cheap Seats" blog, at Sovereign Grace Ministries, shared the following 'crucifixion narrative' from his former pastor, Rick Gamache.

On Good Friday, Rick Gamache (senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Fellowship, Bloomington, MN) gathers with his church to read a short account he simply titled "A Crucifixion Narrative." For 23 minutes he retraces the biblical events of Thursday and Friday that culminate in the death of the Savior. The narrative opens with the weight of the crossbeam weighing on the shoulders of the Savior, then rewinds to previous events leading up to this point: the betrayal of Judas, Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the tears of blood that reveal the Savior’s physical and emotional distress. But as we know, this is only the beginning of the physical pain. Soon Jesus is tried and mocked, slapped, spit at, whipped, outfitted with a crown of thorns, and eventually laid on the ground where cold spikes are driven into his wrists and feet. The repugnant scene is informed by the biblical storyline and by research on the physical suffering of Roman crucifixion. As the Savior is lifted up on the cross the physical pain becomes even more excruciating—but it’s not the greatest pain. Near the end, the narrative takes a sharp and dramatic turn. There the focus shifts from the visible, physical pain to the invisible spiritual suffering Jesus bore on the cross. There in the crucifixion we see the Son, hanging guilty before God for the vilest of sins—our sins, all of them (2 Corinthians 5:21). There we face the scope of our personal sins, and there we see the hellish agony the Savior endured for us. Gamache’s narrative is available online.

You can download the audio recording here and read the PDF here: http://www.sovgracemn.org/_blog/20080321manuscript.pdf

Dazzled with Christ

2011-04-07T10:05:00.001-04:00

"Oh base nature, that we are dazzled by anything but that which we should most admire. How few of us spend our thoughts this way, considering God's wonderful and admirable mercy and grace in Christ, when there is no object in the world so sweet and comforting as this."

Taken from the book Glorious Freedom by Richard Sibbes 1639

Contributed by Jeff Haavisto

The God of New Beginnings

2011-04-01T22:05:00.004-04:00

This Sunday, we dedicate our new building in Franklin!

It is a new beginning for our church family, and a new beginning for the building we now call home. The construction of this building began almost 40 years ago by another church which we have had the privilege to finish.

I have dreamed about a home for Crossway for over 11 years.

While completing my church planting internship at Covenant Fellowship Church 11 years ago this spring, an internship I enjoyed because of the generosity of Sovereign Grace Ministries and Covenant Fellowship Church, I began dreaming about a church plant in southeastern Massachusetts that one day would have their own building.

You see, Covenant Fellowship had recently moved into their new facility after having been church planted 15 years before. One of their pastors knowing of my plans to relocate to the Boston area to plant Crossway Church, said, “Bauer, I prayed for you, your family, and your team this morning and I sense the Lord has a home for your new church family too, and sooner than you think.”

Those encouraging words have stuck in my soul and I recount them this April 1st as our congregation prepare to thank our God and dedicate our new building to His glory and grace.

Our God is the God of new beginnings.

We see that most elegantly in the gospel of grace, revealed in the cross and triumphant resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. We read new beginnings in Psalm 85, our text this Sunday, where we are told in God "...steadfast love and faithfulness meet, righteousness and peace kiss each other..." in order that by his power alone His righteousness makes His own footsteps in our lives. (Psalm 85:10-13)

By His grace, for His glory, for our joy, we are just beginning again because God is the God of new beginnings!

See you Sunday.

The God of Restoration

2011-03-18T11:01:00.004-04:00

“The God who repairs that which is broken and restores it to life and covenantal intimacy is the God of the Bible. And he is just the sort of God we fallen human beings need.” -Far as the Curse is Found, Michael D. Williams

What a beautiful description of Jesus Christ!

He is revealed in Scripture as the ultimate restorer of our lives. The one who is on the scene seeking what we lost, fixing what is broken, or restoring to life what is dead.

Think about it, during his earthly ministry Jesus...

*cleansed the leper of his leprosy (Matthew 8:1-4)
*restored the paralytic (Matthew 9: 1-7)
*delivers the demon oppressed (Matthew 8:28-24)
*raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead (Matthew 9:18-26)

Jesus' earthly miracles exhibited how God often restores our circumstances, sometimes dramatically. But the deepest restoration Jesus brings is the restoration of our hearts.

Whenever God puts things right that were wrong it is always a cause for celebration
(Psalm 126:1-3) Could there be a more powerful cause for celebration of God’s restoration than Jesus' sin-forgiving death on the cross?

The apostle Paul didn’t think so: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21

Have you ever seen God work of restoration in your life?

Those who know Jesus as restorer are guaranteed to experience restoration both now and in the age to come!

A Prayer for Japan

2011-03-16T12:52:00.001-04:00

Pastor, preacher and author John Piper helps us to pray in response to catastrophic events in Japan.

Watch the video, read his prayer, and then would you take a moment and pray?

A Prayer for Japan

A review from one of my favorite reviewers about one of my favorite authors …

2011-03-09T14:28:00.003-05:00

King's Cross
by Tim Challies
As posted on his blog challies.com/Informing the Reforming

"Tim Keller’s career as an author has been rather unusual. Ministries of Mercy, his first book, was published in 1997. It was 11 years before he wrote his second book, The Reason for God, a title that rocketed right onto the New York Times list of bestsellers. Since then he has averaged more than a book a year and each of those titles has garnered a lot of acclaim; within just a few years Keller has established himself as one of the most significant Christian authors. New for 2011 is Redeemer, a publishing imprint with Dutton (which in turn is an imprint of Penguin Publishing) and the first book published under that banner: King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus.

This is a book about Jesus—Jesus as he is portrayed in the Gospel of Mark. Keller says, “It is an extended meditation on the historical Christian premise that Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection form the central event of cosmic and human history as well as the central organizing principle of the world—and how we fit into it—is most clearly understood through a careful, direct look at the story of Jesus. My purpose here is to try to show, through his words and actions, how beautifully his life makes sense of ours.” Understand Jesus and you will understand the world: that is the central premise of the book.

King’s Cross is based upon a series Keller preached on Mark and the expository tone and structure remains. And yet somehow reading this book does not feel like reading sermons—it feels like meditation upon a text. Its style is pure Keller, probably closest to The Prodigal God, though certainly there are similarities with his other titles as well. This is not an exposition of the entire text of Mark, but rather an exposition of some of the more significant moments. And in that way it reads like a biography of Jesus, an account of his life, his death, his meaning, his purpose. While Keller inevitably turns to the parallel accounts of Jesus in the other gospel, his central focus remains Mark.

As you might expect, the structure of King’s Cross mirrors the structure of the Gospel—the first half is dedicated to Jesus’ life while the second half is dedicated to his death and resurrection. Most of the chapters are similar lengths and the writing style is geared very much for the layperson, and perhaps especially for a person with little theological background. And this is what Keller does so well—speak to unbelievers or to new believers. This is a book you could hand to just about anyone as a means of introducing that person to Jesus—to who he is and to what he has done.

One reviewer has said that this is the book where Tim Keller hits his stride as an author. I don’t see it quite like that; this book is very consistent with Keller’s previous titles and, at least in my assessment, does not represent a great leap forward. And I mean this as a compliment rather than an insult. I think he has already hit his stride. This is a good book offering a broad look at the Gospel of Mark. It draws the reader to the cross, to the great work of atonement accomplished there. Christ is the focus of every chapter, his work the thread that leads the reader from the first chapter to the last. This is a commentary for all of us, an exposition that is a joy to read.

Whether you read it devotionally at a pace of a chapter a day or whether you read it in a couple of sittings, King’s Cross will prove beneficial to you. It’s the Gospel of Mark laid out in plain language, explained in contemporary terms and applied to life. And that’s what good exposition is all about.

You can buy it at Westminster Books or Amazon."

Don't Worry

2011-03-02T10:35:00.006-05:00

The news is grim. Oil prices spike to $100+ a barrel. Gas prices will rise to $4 a gallon. Rising energy costs are hitting consumers hard.

On the ground, my son is starting thinking about colleges and I wonder, will he get into the right school? How will we afford that?

My day ends with a workout at the gym only to twist my ankle unexpectedly. If I get hurt during a routine workout, what am I going be like when I am older?

Believers worry. We worry because we face uncertainty every day. We have good reasons to worry. Those things that are most important to us - our kids, our health, our churches, our personal budgets, our retirement - all of these feel vulnerable in a fast, changing, and broken world such as ours.

Jesus tenderly speaks to our anxious hearts in Matthew 6:19-35. He gives us better reasons not to worry and reminds us to leave our anxieties with God by trusting Him.

Take a minute and read His reassuring words. Then consider over lunch or tonight after work, the following questions by David Powlinson[1] to help us weaken worry and bolster trust in Christ.

1. We always are worrying about something: What good reasons do you have to worry today?

2. How do you express your anxiety? How does anxiety show in your life?

-for some it is a feeling

-for some, a repetitive thought that won’t let go

-for others, they get easily irritated

-for some, tension headaches or some other bodily symptom

-for some, an overpowering craving to escape, through TV, eating, activity, exercise, etc.

3. Ask yourself: What does my treasure have to do with my worries (vs. 19-21, 25)?

If worry has a logic all its own, what do I fear losing or never getting? What treasure is preoccupying me that I pursue with all my heart?

4. Jesus gives us six better reasons not to worry in verses 25-34. Which one is most appealing to you?

5. Pray: Talk to your Father in heaven. If you are believer in Jesus Christ, your father cares about the things you worry about, and he knows you need them (vs. 32). Talk to Him about your fears because he cares for you. Leave your worries with him, because they are always outside of your control.

6. Seek first the Kingdom: give yourself to God and to others. Do and say something that meets anothers need.

Bottom line: You could worry, but you are free to serve God and serve others when we believe we have better reasons to trust God and not be anxious.

Let’s apply Jesus' words to our lives today and show the world the difference by loving, serving, and trusting in our Savior when we worry.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Powlinson, David, What Good Is Don’t Worry In Times Like These? (www.ccef.org)

The Forgiveness Kingdom

2011-02-22T11:27:00.002-05:00

Jesus teaches us to pray for forgiveness every day (Matthew 6:12)

We need to be forgiven of our sins, because we fall short every day.

God loves to forgives us every day. He is glorified in our forgiveness. He delights to shower his mercy upon us. He is not reluctant to forgive us, indeed he has promised to show us mercy every day. (Lamentations 3:14-15)

Jesus demands his people forgive others their debts from the heart (Matthew 18:35).

Forgiving others is hard, but it isn’t optional if the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:12) and the teaching in Matthew 6:14-15 and the parable of the unforgiving servant is taken to heart. Matthew 18:17-35)

What does genuine heart forgiveness look like?

Genuine forgiveness is as nearly possible the human equivalent of what God promises to us because of gospel - to remember their sin no more (Jeremiah 31:34)

Try this today: When you ask the Lord for mercy, and by faith rest in his forgiveness, remembering that he loves you and forgives you completely, ask yourself this question.

Who are you calling me to forgive from the heart in response to the mercy I have been given?

To Him Be the Glory

2011-02-16T10:44:00.003-05:00

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18

"Heaven will be full of the ceaseless praises of Jesus. Eternity! Your unnumbered years shall run their everlasting course, but forever and forever; "to him be the glory." Is He not a "priest forever after the order of Melchizedek"? "To him be the glory." Is He not king forever--King of kings and Lord of lords, the everlasting Father? "To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity." His praises shall never end.

That which was bought with blood deserves to last while immortality endures. The glory of the cross must never be eclipsed; the luster of the grave and of the resurrection must never be dimmed. O Jesus, You will be praised forever. So long as immortal spirits live--as long as the Father's throne endures--forever, forever, unto You shall be glory.

Believer, you are anticipating the time when you will join the saints above in ascribing all glory to Jesus; but are you glorifying Him now? The apostle's words are, "To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity." Will you not today make it your prayer? Lord, help me to glorify You. I am poor; help me to glorify You by contentment. I am sick; help me to give You honor by patience. I have talents; help me to extol You by spending them for You. I have time, Lord; help me to redeem it, that I may serve You. I have a heart to feel; Lord, let that heart feel no love but Yours, and glow with no flame but affection for You. I have a mind to think, Lord; help me to think of You and for You. You have put me in this world for something. Lord, show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose. I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two copper coins, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into Your treasury. I am all Yours; take me, and enable me to glorify You now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have."
Charles Spurgeon

Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. Copyright (c) 2003, Good News Publishers and used by Truth For Life with written permission.

We All Need God's Grace

2011-02-09T10:27:00.004-05:00

This was recently posted by Justin Taylor at The Gospel Coalition website.

Some great questions lest we think we are too good or too bad to receive God's grace.

You Are Neither Too Good to Need Grace, Nor Too Bad to Receive It as posted on Feb 2 by Justin Taylor.

"Here are some wise thoughts form David Powlison’s chapter “Who Is God?” in Seeing with New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition through the Lens of Scripture."

"Left to ourselves, we think we are either too good to need grace or too bad to receive it.

Are you too good to need a major redemption?

*Do you counsel someone or live with someone who is “above” needing Christ?

*Do you work with someone who lives for his or her desires: superiority to others, aggrieved self-pity, greedy cravings for more and better stuff, the insect of sexual lust, well-nursed grievances, chasing pipe dreams of success and happiness?

Grace pesters and pursues us—it is grace, after all, that makes me even aware that sin is my deepest problem.

*Are you a wife who has contempt for your husband?

*A husband who has written off your wife as a hopeless case?

*A teenager who feels justified in feeding dark thoughts?

*A parent who frets or seethes at your children?

*A single whose life is stained by disgruntlement because you’ve been shafted by life?

Grace wakes you up to your need for grace. You were dead and dark (2:1-3; 5:8). God made you alive (2:4-10). Don’t go back into darkness (4:17-19). Walk in light (5:9-20).

Perhaps you have been sinned against terribly.

Perhaps your own selfishness and sense of entitlement make you magnify minor offenses into capital crimes.

Perhaps your own sins provoked others to retaliate sinfully, reaping what you sow.

In any case, the riches of mercy for you can make you merciful to others.

Grace turns you upside down: the self-righteous and destructive become the grateful and constructive.

Are you too bad to receive grace?

Grace woos and comforts us when we think we are too far gone to be rescued.

*How could you be too bad to receive what is for the bad?

Perhaps you are tempted to despair about yourself.

Perhaps someone you counsel is tempted to give up: “God could not possibly love me or help me. My failures are too much, too often, too strong. My sins are incurable. My situation is hopeless. I’m stuck and will never change. God is as disgusted with me as I am disgusted with myself.”

*Is there anyone whose badness exceeds the diagnosis God makes of each of us?

You were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (2:1-3)

If the diagnostic shoe fits, wear it. But then look at the wonderful, specific cure!

*Is there anyone whose badness is so bad that it exceeds the scope and power of the cure?

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (2:4f).

God lavishes grace on us in Christ."

Quotable

2011-02-08T13:16:00.003-05:00

From Jeff Haavisto as taken from the book The Best of EM Bounds, EM Bounds 1835-1913:

"Prayer is the divinely appointed means by which man comes into direct connection with God. By his own ordinance, God holds himself bound to hear prayer. God bestows his great good on His children when they seek it along the avenue of prayer."

What is the message of the Bible in 6 minutes?

2011-02-03T15:45:00.004-05:00

As posted by Tony Reinke at the Sovereign Grace Ministries blog:

"Don Carson is a scholar who for many years has devoted his life and ministry to helping Christians better perceive the unity of the Bible’s progressive storyline. He provides a brilliant summary of the Bible in this 6-minute video.

Speaking of Dr. Carson, he will again be joining us for the NEXT 2011 Conference in Orlando (May 28-31). This year’s conference theme is Christian worldview, and Carson is a leading Christian scholar on the topic." - Tony Reinke

What is a Christian?

2011-02-01T14:26:00.003-05:00

"A Christian is not a man who reads the Sermon on the Mount and says, “Now I am going follow Christ and emulate his example. There is the life I am going to live and I shall do so by my great willpower."

Nothing of the kind.

I will tell you what a Christian is - (they are someone) who has become a child of God and is in a unique relationship to God.

This is what makes them special. God has become a Father to that (person).

If God is your Father … and if the divine nature is in you, and has entered you through the Holy Spirit, you cannot be like anybody else: you must be different. The Holy Spirit is in him, filling him, working His mighty power in the depths of his personality, teaching him His will.

And above all the, the love of God has been shed abroad in his heart through and by the Holy Spirit.

The Christian loves God because he has come to know him as Father. He knows he is a holy, yet loving God, and he enters into a new relationship with Him. He desires to love Him with all his heart, and mind and soul and strength and his neighbor as himself.

- D. Martyn Lloyd Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, pg. 316, 319

Acknowledging Dependence

2011-01-25T10:24:00.003-05:00

"I believe that one of the chief characteristics of our sinful nature, or 'flesh' as it is called in most Bible translations, is an attitude of independence toward God. Even when we know and agree that we are dependent on Him, we tend out of habit to act independently.... Undoubtedly, one of the reasons God allows us to fall before temptation so often is to teach us experientially that we really are dependent on Him to enable us to grow in holiness.

One of the best ways, apart from those painful experiences of failure, to learn dependence is to develop the discipline of prayer. This forces us in a tangible way to acknowledge our dependence on the Holy Spirit. This is true because, for whatever else we may say about prayer, it is a recognition of our own helplessness and absolute dependence on God.

It is this admission of helplessness and dependence that is so repugnant to our sinful spirit of self-sufficiency. And if we are naturally prone by temperament to be disciplined, it is even more difficult to acknowledge that we are dependent on Christ and His Spirit instead of our own self-discipline."--Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace

HTW: joshharris.com

Living for Whose Approval?

2011-01-20T09:58:00.003-05:00

Our friend Rob Flood recently shared this on the Covenant Fellowship Church blog.

It is a keeper – enjoy!

Living for Whose Approval?
By Rob Flood

"When we are in our quiet times, standing in church on Sundays, or sitting in our Community Groups, we may be able to say, with intended integrity, that we live our lives to please the Lord. We know we ultimately answer to him. And we desire…truly desire in our heart of hearts…to please him. When we are firing on all cylinders, we live for an audience of One.

The problem, however, is not often found in our clearest moments. In our clearest moments, we decide with our minds. The problem lies in the haze of everyday life. Where the clarity of black or white seems a very difficult thing to find. The problem lies in the gray…where we often decide with our hearts.

While our minds are firmly committed to Christ and Christ alone, our hearts waver…not just with our own emotions but with the flux of circumstances and people around us. And when we “flux” with them, the audience for whom we live broadens…often greatly. We still live for Christ and his approval…just not for his alone. Our loyalties become divided along with our hearts…and the peace we desire in trying to approve others becomes ever-elusive.

The Center for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) has a blog post that captures this dynamic well. In particular, the post captures the dynamic in a woman’s life…from a woman’s perspective. It is posted by Katie McCoy.

When profiling what she calls an “approvaholic,” she captures more than the person who is overtly self-serving; she captures the Christian twist:

Ironically, an approvaholic may seem like they’re working for God and others, but the heart-motivation is often about their emotional security, their reputation, and their standing in the eyes of others. It’s not about God’s glory and obeying His Word; it’s about their own glory and others’ opinions.

She goes on to highlight four traits found in a person who lives this way…and these traits serve to help each of us begin to diagnose whether we might be found in this group.

*An Approvaholic confuses pleasing people with honoring God.

*An Approvaholic seeks to validate the leading of God with the opinions of others.

*An Approvaholic views the opportunity to serve God as an opportunity to gain personal praise.

*An Approvaholic’s self-worth is based on their performance and motivated by pride.

Truthfully, in one degree or another, we all struggle to find the balance between considering others as more important than ourselves and living for the approval of others. I feel it as a pastor, desiring the approval of those I counsel and preach to. I feel it as a husband and father, wanting my wife and children to think I’m wonderful. I’m feeling it right now as I submit this blog post, wanting you to think this wise and clever all at the same time.

But Katie McCoy ends her post in a way that helps me, and I trust in a way that helps you, too:

You don’t have to live in fear of being rejected, being punished, making a mistake or not living up to some perceived expectation. The same One that has already purchased your approval before your only Judge is the very One who said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). And in Him, you are completely – and already – accepted.

Thank you Katie McCoy for your helpful counsel.

Thank you Jesus, my only Judge, for taking my heavy burden and giving me…giving us…an easy yoke. And for being totally approved by God, so that we could totally approved…and accepted…too.

If you want to read all of Katie McCoy’s blog, and I encourage you to, you can find it by clicking here: Approvaholics Anonymous.

What happened to the apostolic team?

2011-01-18T10:46:00.002-05:00

What happened to the apostolic team?
Posted January 18, 2011 by Andrew Mahr at www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blog

"David and Marie, both members of Sovereign Grace churches, recently wrote to us asking essentially the same question: does Sovereign Grace Ministries' apostolic team still exist? Below is an expanded version of our responses to them, posted here in case others in our churches have the same question.

The apostolic team, for those of you new to Sovereign Grace Ministries, was for many years what we called the team of pastors who help us facilitate church planting, international ministry, and church care. But over time, we discovered the name confused more people than it helped, so now we’re considering alternatives. We’ve also gained a better understanding of the term "apostolic," which makes us even more careful in how we apply it. So for now, the team is more commonly just called the regional leadership team. (For more on the role of apostolic ministry in the church’s mission, see Dave Harvey’s blog post, "Apostolic Ministry and Church Planting.")

The "regional leadership" moniker comes from the fact that Sovereign Grace churches are currently grouped into eight regions, and each pastor on the team is responsible for serving the churches of one region. It’s a broad role, but primarily involves the following:

•Helping pastors develop and execute church planting plans
•Providing care and counsel for pastors when requested
•Facilitating cooperation among churches for regional events, mission trips, or other activities
•Coordinating the ordination process for new pastors
•Building relationships with other churches who are interested in joining Sovereign Grace Ministries
•Assisting in the assessment, training, and deployment of church planters
Below is a roster of the men currently on the team and a description of the regions they serve. If you’re a member of a Sovereign Grace church, please join us in praying for the man who fulfills this role in your area. They play a vital part in helping Sovereign Grace churches advance the Great Commission both locally and globally.

Dave Harvey, Covenant Fellowship Church (Glen Mills, PA)
Dave is responsible for church care, church planting, and international expansion for Sovereign Grace Ministries, so it is his responsibility to lead and coordinate the efforts of our regional leaders. You can read more about him on his bio page.

Aron Osborne, Metro Life Church (Orlando, FL)
Aron serves churches in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and the Caribbean. Danny Jones, who founded and led this region for several years, still serves as the senior pastor at Metro Life Church where Aron is based.
Craig Cabaniss, Grace Church (Frisco, TX)
Craig serves churches in Texas, Kansas, and Louisiana.

Gene Emerson, KingsWay Community Church (Midlothian, VA)
Gene serves churches in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

John Loftness, Solid Rock Church (Riverdale, MD)
John serves churches in Maryland and the Washington, DC, metropolitan area (including Northern Virginia). He is a recent addition to the team; Covenant Life Church pastor Kenneth Maresco used to lead this region, and still serves two churches in Africa because of his unique relationship with them.

Mark Prater, Covenant Fellowship Church (Glen Mills, PA)
Mark serves churches in Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and parts of Canada.

Pete Greasley, Christchurch (Newport, Wales)
Pete’s region is enormous—with the help of others, he serves churches in Europe, Australia, and parts of Africa and Asia.

Rick Gamache, Sovereign Grace Fellowship (Bloomington, MN)
Rick serves churches in Illinois and Minnesota.

Steve Shank, Sovereign Grace Church (Gilbert, AZ)
Steve serves churches in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, parts of Canada and Latin America, and because of existing relationships, the Philippines."

About Plant & Build Sovereign Grace Blog
"The blog, run by Sovereign Grace staff in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, is intended as a point of connection for pastors and church members in our family of churches. It’s also an ideal blog to follow if you want to hear about the latest events and resources we offer."

A Spiritual Classic

2011-01-11T12:44:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday we resumed our series on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

Among Jesus' teachings the Sermon on the Mount is perhaps the best known, and most loved, but also the least understood of all Jesus teachings.

It only takes about 10 minutes to read the entire sermon in Matthew’s gospel, but to grasp its profound implications for our lives, I have had to enlist the help of another teacher, indeed a pastor, to grasp the sermon’s contents and claim.

May I recommend you read D. Martyn Lloyd Jones Studies in the Sermon on the Mount.

This spiritual classic is made of 60 chapters, each a sermon but edited so as to serve as a devotional. Each chapter is only 10 pages long. The 60 studies provide clear expository preaching with practical illustrations and suggestions for fruitful application.

Having read most of this book I find myself more profoundly grateful for Jesus, his incarnation, death, triumphant resurrection, and for my salvation. I am also convinced the demands Jesus makes on our lives as his disciples goes far more deeply than mere externals afford.

What Jesus expects his disciples to be like is staggering because of the forgiving and enabling grace of the gospel.

You can order the book at Amazon or by contacting our church office.

Trading One Dramatic Resolution for 10,000 Little Ones

2011-01-05T10:47:00.003-05:00

By Paul Tripp from DesiringGod.org

"I've told the story many times of talking impatiently with my wife one Sunday morning and having my nine year old son interject—

Daddy, is this the way a Christian man should be talking to his wife?

Rather sarcastically I said,

What do you think?

and he replied,

It doesn't make any difference what I think, what does God think?

I went to my bedroom and two thoughts immediately hit me. First, my pride reared up. I want to be a hero to my son and I was embarrassed that he had been troubled by my attitude and words. But that didn't last very long. I soon thought, "How could it be that God could love me so much that he would give a twit of care about this mundane little moment in the Tripp bathroom?"

That's love at a level of magnificence that I am unable to capture with words. This was but one moment in one room in one house of one family, on one block on one street in one neighhborhood, in one city in one state in one country on one continent, in one hemishpere on one globe in the universe. Yet God was in that moment, working to continue his moment-by-moment work of transforming the heart of this man.

Rethinking the Annual Ritual
Why am I telling you this story? Well, it's that season once again. It's the fodder for blogs, newspaper articles, TV magazine shows and way too many Twitter posts. It is the time for the annual ritual of dramatic New Year's resolutions fueled by the hope of immediate and significant personal life change.

But the reality is that few smokers actually quit because of a single moment of resolve, few obese people have become slim and healthy because of one dramatic moment of commitment, few people who were deeply in debt have changed their financial lifestyle because they resolved to do so as the old year gave way to the new, and few marriages have been changed by the means of one dramatic resolution.

Is change important? Yes, it is for all of us in some way. Is commitment essential? Of course! There is a way in which all of our lives are shaped by the commitments we make. But biblical Christianity—which has the gospel of Jesus Christ at its heart—simply doesn't rest its hope in big, dramatic moments of change.

Living in the Utterly Mundane
The fact of the matter is that the transforming work of grace is more of a mundane process than it is a series of a few dramatic events. Personal heart and life change is always a process. And where does that process take place? It takes place where you and I live everyday. And where do we live? Well, we all have the same address. Our lives don't careen from big moment to big moment. No, we all live in the utterly mundane.

Most of us won't be written up in history books. Most of us only make three or four momentous decisions in our lives, and several decades after we die, the people we leave behind will struggle to remember the event of our lives. You and I live in little moments, and if God doesn't rule our little moments and doesn't work to recreate us in the middle of them, then there is no hope for us, because that is where you and I live.

The little moments of life are profoundly important precisely because they are the little moments that we live in and that form us. This is where I think "Big Drama Christianity" gets us into trouble. It can cause us to devalue the significance of the little moments of life and the "small-change" grace that meets us there. And because we devalue the little moments where we live, we don't tend to notice the sin that gets exposed there. We fail to seek the grace that is offered to us.

The 10,000 Little Moments
You see, the character of a life is not set in two or three dramatic moments, but in 10,000 little moments. The character that was formed in those little moments is what shapes how you respond to the big moments of life.

What leads to significant personal change?

10,000 moments of personal insight and conviction
10,000 moments of humble submission
10,000 moments of foolishness exposed and wisdom gained
10,000 moments of sin confessed and sin forsaken
10,000 moments of courageous faith
10,000 choice points of obedience
10,000 times of forsaking the kingdom of self and running toward the kingdom of God
10,000 moments where we abandon worship of the creation and give ourselves to worship of the Creator.

And what makes all of this possible? Relentless, transforming, little-moment grace. You see, Jesus is Emmanuel not just because he came to earth, but because he makes you the place where he dwells. This means he is present and active in all the mundane moments of your daily life.

His Work to Rescue and Transform
And what is he doing? In these small moments he is delivering every redemptive promise he has made to you. In these unremarkable moments, he is working to rescue you from you and transform you into his likeness. By sovereign grace he places you in daily little moments that are designed to take you beyond your character, wisdom and grace so that you will seek the help and hope that can only be found in him. In a lifelong process of change, he is undoing you and rebuilding you again—exactly what each one of us needs!

Yes, you and I need to be committed to change, but not in a way that hopes for a big event of transformation, but in a way that finds joy in and is faithful to a day-by-day, step-by-step process of insight, confession, repentance and faith. And in those little moments we commit ourselves to remember the words of Paul in Romans 8:32—

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us, how will he not also with him freely give us all things.

So, we wake up each day committed to live in the small moments of our daily lives with open eyes and humbly expectant hearts."

The Song Concludes

2010-12-26T10:17:00.003-05:00

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:13-14

"Good will towards men!" the song concludes. Now is come the time when God's kindness and goodwill towards guilty man is to be fully made known. His power was seen in creation. His justice was seen in the flood. But His mercy remained to be fully revealed by the appearing and atonement of Jesus Christ.

Taken from the book Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J.C. Ryle 1856

Luke 2:8-20

The Song Goes On

2010-12-25T11:40:00.001-05:00

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:13-14

"Peace on earth!" the song goes on. Now is come to earth the peace of God which passes all understanding--the perfect peace between a holy God and sinful man, which Christ was to purchase with His own blood--the peace which is offered freely to all mankind--the peace which, once admitted into the heart, makes men live at peace one with another, and will one day overspread the whole world.

Taken from the book Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J.C. Ryle 1856
Luke 2:8-20

From Jeff Haavisto, King of Grace Church

The Song Begins by JC Ryle

2010-12-23T10:25:00.003-05:00

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace, good will toward men.'" Luke 2:13-14

"Glory to God in the highest!" the song begins. Now is come the highest degree of glory to God, by the appearing of His Son Jesus Christ in the world. He by His life and death on the cross will glorify God's attributes--justice, holiness, mercy, and wisdom--as they never were glorified before. Creation glorified God, but not so much as redemption.

Taken from the book Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J.C. Ryle 1856

Luke 2:8-20

Who First Praised God

2010-12-22T12:17:00.002-05:00

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Luke 2:8-14

"Let us mark who they were that first praised God, when Christ was born. They were ANGELS, and not men--angels who had never sinned, and needed no Savior--angels who had not fallen, and required no redeemer, and no atoning blood. The first hymn to the honor of "God manifest in the flesh," was sung by "a multitude of the heavenly host."

Let us note this fact. It is full of deep spiritual lessons. It shows us what good servants the angels are. All that their heavenly Master does pleases and interests them. It shows us what clear knowledge they have. They know what misery sin has brought into creation. They know the blessedness of heaven, and the privilege of an open door into it.

Above all, it shows us the deep love and compassion which the angels feel towards poor lost man. They rejoice in the glorious prospect of many souls being saved, and many brands plucked from the burning. Let us strive to be more like-minded with the angels."

Taken from the book Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J.C. Ryle 1856
Luke 2:8-20

Posted by Jeff Haavisto

Never Since the World Began was a Birth so Marvelous

2010-12-21T10:53:00.003-05:00

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Luke 2:1-7

"We have, in these verses, the story of a birth-the birth of the incarnate Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Every birth of a living child is a marvelous event. It brings into being a soul that will never die. But never since the world began was a birth so marvelous as the birth of Christ. In itself it was a miracle--"God was manifest in the flesh." (1 Tim. 3:16.) The blessings it brought into the world were unspeakable--it opened to man the door of everlasting life." - JC Ryle

A Prayer about Treasuring Jesus

2010-12-15T12:59:00.003-05:00

I recently came across the writings of Scotty Smith, a Pastor whose Christ saturated blog is featured on The Gospel Coalition.

His postings this Christmas season have been refreshing and helpful as I ponder the incarnation.

Here is one … enjoy.

A Prayer about Treasuring Jesus
by Scotty Smith

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." -Luke 2:16-19

"Gracious Jesus, the juxtaposition of images in the nativity scene are almost too much to wrap my tiny heart around. Your mother, Mary, is just beginning to nurse and know you. Even as I write these words I realize what a holy mystery and immeasurable condescension your incarnation was. You, the very God who created all things… the Lord who sustains all things by the power of your word… the King who is making all things new… as a baby you drew life-sustaining nourishment from a young maiden’s breast. I’m stunned by your inconceivable humility—a humility that marked your life from cradle to cross.

Shepherds ran off to spread the word of your birth, while Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” “Hurrying off” like a shepherd to tell others about you has always been easier for me than sitting still and letting you tell me about yourself. It’s always been easier for me to do “productive” things for you, rather than spend undistracted, unrushed time with you. I confess this as sin, Jesus. This simply isn’t okay, for knowing about you is not the same thing as knowing you. An informed mind is not the same thing as an enflamed heart… by any stretch.

To know you is eternal life, and I do want to know you, Jesus… so much better than I already do. I want to treasure you in my heart and ponder who you are. I want to contemplate your joyful life within the Trinity, from all eternity. I want to marinate in everything you’ve already accomplished through your life, death and resurrection… and everything you’re presently doing as the King of kings and Lord of lords… and everything you will be to us in the new heaven and new earth—the Bridegroom of your beloved Bride.

O, blessed circuit board overloading and breaking glory… there’s so much to treasure and so much to ponder. It’s not as though I’m a stranger to treasuring and pondering. I treasure and ponder a lot of things, Jesus—things, however, that lead to a bankrupt spirit…an impoverished heart… and a spent body.

Jesus, this very Advent season, by the power of the gospel, slow all of us down… settle us afresh… center us on yourself, that each of us might say with awe and adoration, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And being with you, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Ps 73:25-26).” So very Amen, we pray, in your peerless and priceless name."

Does the Gospel Scare You?

2010-12-09T12:19:00.003-05:00

by
Tullian Tchividjian
As posted on The Gospel Coalition

("I wrote this article for my friends over at The Resurgence a couple months ago. I know that much here might sound repetitive. But here I tie my understanding of legalism to the gospel-centeredness that is gaining ground–thank God!–in the church today. I think this is really, really important material to consider. I hope it helps!")

I’m ecstatic about the resurgence of gospel centrality taking place in the evangelical church. The idea that the gospel is not only for those outside the church but also for those inside the church; that it not only ignites the Christian life but is the fuel that keeps Christians going and growing every day, may seem like a new idea, but it’s really old. I’m glad it’s re-gaining traction, but as far as we’ve come, we need to go further.

For all the talk of gospel-centeredness, there’s still some fear and trepidation fueled by a common misunderstanding regarding the radical nature of grace. Even amongst the proponents of gospel-centrality, I still hear talk about there being two equal dangers that Christians must avoid: legalism and lawlessness.

Legalism, they say, happens when you focus too much on law, or rules. Lawlessness, they say, happens when you focus too much on grace. Therefore, in order to maintain spiritual equilibrium, you have to balance law and grace. Sometimes, legalism and lawlessness are presented as two ditches on either side of the gospel that we must avoid. If you start getting too much law, you need to balance it with grace. If you start getting too much grace, you need to balance it with law. But I’ve come to believe that this “balanced” way of framing the issue can unwittingly keep us from really understanding the gospel of grace in all of its radical depth and beauty.

It’s more theologically accurate to say that there is one primary enemy of the gospel—legalism—but it comes in two forms. Some people avoid the gospel and try to “save” themselves by keeping the rules, doing what they’re told, maintaining the standards, and so on (you could call this “front-door legalism”).

Other people avoid the gospel and try to “save” themselves by breaking the rules, doing whatever they want, developing their own autonomous standards, and so on (you could call this “back-door legalism”).

In other words, there are two “laws” we can choose to live by other than Christ: the law which says “I can find freedom and fullness of life if I keep the rules” or the law which says “I can find freedom and fullness of life if I break the rules.” Either way you’re still trying to “save” yourself—which means both are legalistic because both are self-salvation projects.

So, it’s a mistake to identify the “two cliffs” as being legalism and lawlessness. The one “cliff” is legalism but it comes in two forms—what some call license is just another form of legalism. And if people outside the church are guilty of “break the rules” legalism, many people inside the church are still guilty of “keep the rules” legalism.

This is super important because the biggest lie about grace that Satan wants the church to buy is the idea that grace is dangerous and therefore needs to be “kept it in check.” By believing this we not only prove we don’t understand grace, but we violate gospel advancement in our lives and in the church. A “yes, grace…but” disposition is the kind of fearful posture that keeps moralism swirling around in our hearts and in the church.

I understand the fear of grace. As a pastor, one of my responsibilities is to disciple people into a deeper understanding of obedience—teaching them to say “no” to the things God hates and “yes” to the things God loves. But all too often I have (wrongly) concluded that the only way to keep licentious people in line is to give them more rules. The fact is, however, that the only way licentious people start to obey is when they get a taste of God’s radical unconditional acceptance of sinners.

The irony of gospel-based sanctification is that those who end up obeying more are those who increasingly realize that their standing with God is not based on their obedience, but Christ’s.

The people who actually end up performing better are those who understand that their relationship with God doesn’t depend on their performance for Jesus, but Jesus’ performance for us.

People need to hear less about what we need to do for God and more about all that God has already done for us, because imperatives minus indicatives equal impossibilities. If you’re a preacher and you’re assuming that people understand the radical nature of gospel indicatives, so your ministry is focused primarily on gospel imperatives, you’re making a huge mistake. A huge mistake!

Long-term, sustained, gospel-motivated obedience can only come from faith in what Jesus has already done, not fear of what we must do. To paraphrase Ray Ortlund, any obedience not grounded in or motivated by the gospel is unsustainable. No matter how hard you try, how “radical” you get, any engine smaller than the gospel that you’re depending on for power to obey will conk out in due time.

So let’s take it up a notch. Don’t be afraid to preach the radical nature of the gospel of grace. For, as the late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “If your preaching of the gospel doesn’t provoke the charge from some of antinomianism, you’re not preaching the gospel.”

New Songs for Christmas

2010-12-07T10:09:00.003-05:00

Each Christmas season, I am on the look out for worship music that will encourage my heart, and that of my families in their celebration of Christ’s incarnation.

Last year we listened to Chris Tomlin's new worship CD Glory in the Highest. This year, we are listening to Worship and Adore: A Christmas Offering from Integrity Music.

This worship album features 12 original songs interspersed with melodies from traditional classics.

My personal favorite is He Made A Way in a Manger performed by Vicky Beeching. The lyrics spin off of the traditional Christmas carol Away in a Manger with fresh gospel clarity and confidence.

Here is a sample:

Longing for a Savior
A hopeless world would wait
Sin demanded justice
At a price we could not pay
But God displayed his mercy
The greatest gift of love
When we could not reach Heaven

Heaven came to us
He made a way in a manger
A way thru the Son
Messiah the Promised
Before time had begun
For God so loved the world
Though He knew what love would cost
He made a way in a manger
To make a way to the cross

I love it, and I think you will too. If your celebration of Jesus' birth needs refreshing, pick up this Christmas CD.

It will move your heart to sing!

Prayer Requests for a Trip to India

2010-12-02T09:28:00.003-05:00

From Plant & Build
The Sovereign Grace Blog

by Andrew Mahr

This week, pastors and members from Grace Community Church (Souderton, PA) and Grace Community Church (Kingsville, MD) are visiting one of our partner ministries in India. While there, they'll be training and caring for 40 church leaders and their wives who represent a network of more than 500 churches. This type of international leadership training is part of what our annual Mission Fund makes possible, and is also a great example of how churches in Sovereign Grace can serve overseas. It’s amazing to think that we get to be involved with leadership training in different parts of the world.

Before the team left for India, they sent in some prayer requests. We're sharing them here to enlist your prayers and encourage you about the work that God is doing through our family of churches.

Please pray for these events:

*Teaching on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ
*Teaching and discussion on church membership
*Teaching and discussion for the wives of the leaders
*Six days of Vacation Bible School for more than 100 children living in slums

Please pray for these individuals:

*The 40 leaders and their wives wives who are being trained this week, and will then try to pass on the teaching to the hundreds of other pastors they serve
*The teaching team, who will need energy and clarity as they teach 20 sessions in five days, and hope to model biblical values throughout the trip
*The children attending Vacation Bible School, who desperately need the hope that only the gospel offers

Our New Sign

2010-11-30T13:40:00.003-05:00

Today our sign was installed at our new building.

Our neighbors in Franklin are being told who is moving in next door. One resident, upon seeing the sign, stopped in and asked, "When will Crossway start holding services?"

Isn't that exciting!

As each week passes, we see tangible expressions of God's faithfulness and your sacrifices on display as we complete the construction of our new home.

To God be the glory!

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! -"Psalm 115:1

PS: I hope to see you this Saturday, Dec 4th at 9 AM for our work day. We have a lot to do. Please sign up with the church office. Thanks!

PLANT!

2010-11-16T11:25:00.004-05:00

This March (24-26), Sovereign Grace Ministries is hosting a conference on church planting!

Here is what the conference organizers are saying:

"Plant! is about vision and action and ideas outside the box. Sovereign Grace Ministries is gathering church planting thinkers and doers from Acts 29, PCA, IX Marks, and the Southern Baptist Convention for conversation across the lines. It’s a conference, yes, but it’s so much more. Whatever your background, if you’re a church planter or ever hope to throw yourself into the mission of the gospel through church planting, you’ll love what you encounter at Plant!"

Sounds like quite a gathering. You can check out more of the details at the Sovereign Grace website.

If you are interested in traveling together, please e-mail our church office at office@crosswayma.org

I am hoping to attend PLANT with as many of my New England friends as possible.

The next few posts on this blog will be devoted to highlighting church planting efforts both in New England and beyond.

Praying for the Preached Word

2010-10-27T16:01:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday, our friend Aron Osborne preached from Nehemiah 8 on how we are to listen to the preached Word of God.

You can listen to it here.

Most of us share the reformed conviction that God speaks to us from His authoritative Word. But rarely, if ever, have I been asked by the preacher how am I listening to the preached Word of God! In fact, when I think back on the number of messages I have had the privilege to listen too, I can count on one finger and two knuckles how many of these messages I actually prayed that I might be careful how I listen to God speaking to me.

May God encourage each of us to pray this week for how we listen to the preached Word of God this Sunday.

Great preaching, accompanied by Spirit empowered listening will result in great living for the glory of Christ together.

Matthew Henry on Prayer

2010-10-20T12:35:00.001-04:00

"Those who live without prayer, live without God in the world."

~Matthew Henry 1662-1714

Contributed by Jeff Haavisto

Happy Days of Prayer

2010-10-13T09:54:00.003-04:00

Last night, my care group gathered to pray for our church and for each other. Paul’s prayer for the Philippians (1:9-11) was our guide.

This morning, as I reflected on our time, there was a real sense of satisfaction and calm in my soul. Perhaps this is because we had prayed according to God’s revealed will in Scripture, and we prayed focused on gospel priorities as exemplified by Paul. Perhaps it was simply that joyful sense of anticipation, that our heavenly Father will be answering our prayers for our church, and in our lives for the glory of His Son.

This quote arrived today in my inbox, and it captures the moment exactly!

"Tranquility is the happy fruit of true praying. There is an inner calm that comes to him who prays and an outer calm as well. Prayer creates quiet and peaceable lives "in all godliness and reverence."

-Taken from the book The Best of EM Bounds EM Bounds 1835-1913

Temptations - John Bunyan

2010-10-12T15:33:00.003-04:00

"Temptations, when we meet them at first, are as the lion that roared upon Samson;
but if we overcome them, the next time we shall find a nest of honey within them."

Taken from the book Biography of John Bunyan and George Herbert
By Old Paths Gospel Press
John Bunyan 1628-1688

~From Jeff Haavisto;if you want to subscribe to Puritan Quotes, email Jeff at jeffandmic to sign-up.

Keeping the "Us" in Personal Application

2010-09-30T11:01:00.003-04:00

The following is an outstanding post from Jacob Young’s blog “The Strasbourg Inn.” May it help “us” to read Romans 8 with us in view again. My thanks to Andy Farmer for highlighting this post on his blog recently.

No right to condemn

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Jacob

"Do you ever have those moments when you’re listening to a sermon and suddenly you get struck by lightening? I mean like an actual bolt of lightening coming down from heaven and sapping you in your chair? Personally that’s never happened to me, but I try to avoid wearing metal and standing in water.

A moment that was like that for me a while back was when I was in a sermon listening to Paul Tripp, and he said:

You have no right to condemn what God is redeeming.

I don’t know about anybody else in that room, but my audience with the God of the universe got pretty personal.

One of the great declarations of the Bible is Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Here was an all too powerful practical and theological point wrapped into one concise statement. I tend to not be easily deceived (it’s one of the distinctives of being a ninja), but I think what I had subtly begun to apply this truth in merely vertical terms: Jacob, there is now no condemnation for you because you are in Christ Jesus. But I had read this too narrowly and applied it in terms of American Individualism.

What Tripp was pointing out is that the declaration that there is “no condemnation” also applies in how we think about other people. God is in the process of redeeming people, changing them slowly over time, according to his timing and plan. So when I get all huffy about somebody offending me in whatever way (perceived or intentional), and laying on the guilt and condemnation (either mentally or verbally to them) then I am guilty of fundamentally misunderstanding what the Gospel of “No Condemnation for Those in Christ Jesus!” means.

Yea, that person in your church that really bugs you and does everything they do entirely different than you would – yea, they’re no longer under condemnation, and so you have no right to keep giving it to them. That’s right, the person who’s deliberately slighted you by hanging out with other people and not you – yep, they are no longer receiving complimentary condemnation packages, so you need to stop paying for the postage.

For me, it was a moment where I began to see my self-righteous, judgmental heart towards others. I like to condemn because it’s merely an application of “Jacob the King of the Universe” world I like to build. Last time I checked, I put my pants on like every other non-king-of-the-universe human around me.

The point Tripp was making was helpful though: That person you’re eagerly condemning (that God doesn’t anymore) is God’s personal glory story. They are God’s personal way with them of revealing his grace and redeeming a broken human being and making them whole in Christ. Are they going to annoy you? Sure. But is your annoyance really that important?

But Tripp’s point also speaks to love. Love so freely enjoys the glory and riches of Christ that it eagerly seeks to think about others the way Christ does. If you’re a person prone to condemn, consider how things would change if you took up your new right in Christ to “pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16). Apply “no condemnation” vertically and horizontally and you’ll begin to taste the rich grace of the Gospel that Jesus has freely given us."

You can find other outstanding posts at The Strasbourg Inn blog.

When A Soul Loves God

2010-09-23T12:22:00.002-04:00

"This I saw, that when a soul loves God with a supreme love, God’s interests and his are become one. It is no matter when nor where nor how Christ should send me, nor what trials He should exercise me with, if I may be prepared for His work and will."
David Brainerd 1718-1747

Attribution: Jeff Haavisto

On Burning Religious Books

2010-09-14T14:02:00.003-04:00

Last week's news was dominated with appropriate remembrances of ceremonies honoring those who died on 9/11. Unfortunately, these memorials were overshadowed by the news of an unwise and unhelpful plan of a pastor to use 9/11 as "Burn a Qur'an Day." Tony Reinke shared a thoughtful response asking how Christians should think about burning other people’s religious books.

Here is an excerpt:

"The Bible, as far as I can tell, mentions one account where religious texts are thrown to the flames (Acts 19:11-20). On the heels of the great work of God in Ephesus, the people had come to fear God and to trust in the Savior. As a result, “a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver” (v. 19). In modern terms they ignited a bonfire using very expensive magic books.

What were these books? According to Eckhard Schnabel, they were occultist documents that described how to make amulets to protect against demons and how to make love charms (Early Christian Mission, 1221). The books gave directions for casting spells on others, either for good or ill, and they would have been quite expensive, which highlights the effect of the gospel upon the wealthy inhabitants of Ephesus. That Paul went toe-to-toe with the owners of documents, which later led to a book burning, tells me they qualify as religious texts, and probably comprised the pop religion of the day.

From this account here are six points to ponder:

1. The Ephesian people burned their own books. These new believers renounced their past. This was not an act of Christians barging into homes to ransack libraries for kindling, or weeding out the public library, or buying up all available copies from the local bookshop. They gathered the valuable books from their own houses.

2. No Christian leader encouraged the book burning. At least the text doesn’t say it. Or would have been better for the books to be sold and the money given to the Apostolic ministry? Perish the thought. There there is no indication that Paul advised the people to burn (or sell) their occultist books.

3. The books posed no threat to the gospel. The gospel overcame the magic power of the books. The gospel is like a hurricane and nothing will stop its wind, certainly not a book of demonic spells.

4. God’s display of power convinced the people that their books were worthless. There was no need to address the value of the magic books directly. Once God’s power and his gospel were seen in the city, the matter was settled.

5. The book burning was a display of godly sorrow. The recently converted Christians wanted to confess their sin before “all.” The high value of the books (50,000 days wages worth!) made a strong statement. It was an act of personal sorrow for their own sin.

6. The burning illustrated the victory of the gospel. The magic books were burned because the gospel was spreading like wildfire: “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (v. 20).

These six points should make us very hesitant about burning other people’s religious books." - Tony Reinke, Micellanies

If you want to read the whole thing, click here.

Fuel for Worship

2010-09-07T13:57:00.008-04:00

Are you feeling ‘out of gas’ when it comes to worshipping God? Has your fellowship becomes ‘ho-hum’? Has personal evangelism been sidelined by a self-centered thoughts and cares?

My friend, when the our soul grows cold towards God, the gospel is like fuel in the furnace of worship!

I have been reading Greg Gilbert’s What is the Gospel?, and it is saturated in Scripture. The author has taken me to the places in Scripture where the gospel is clearly explained and exulted in again and again.

It has been just what I needed!

You can read a free chapter here.

After you read that chapter, you’ll probably want to read the whole thing.

May you discover fresh fuel for your worship in the Biblical gospel.

Self Control for the Sake of Prayer by Josh Harris

2010-09-01T09:24:00.002-04:00

From Josh Harris's blog - good read!

"I preached a message last Sunday from 1 Peter 4:7-11 called "Pray Love Serve." God's Spirit is really hitting me hard with the priority of self-control for the sake of prayer. 1 Peter 4:7 says, "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers." (ESV)

People who know that the end is imminent are acutely concerned with keeping a clear line of communication with God. They are dependent on God and they express this in prayer. And prayer is such a priority, they don't want anything to distract from or hinder their prayer.

Verse 7 can also be translated, "be self-controlled and sober-minded so that you can pray" (NIV). Wayne Grudem says the idea conveyed is "so that you can pray more effectively, more appropriately."

What I'm seeing is that many things--even good things-- can draw my heart away from a spirit of prayer. A lack of self-control and sober-mindedness kills prayer.

So if you and I aren't able to say "no" to and control our own desires, prayer will get pushed out of our lives. What feels good and what is easy and immediate will always take precedent. If we don't actively cultivate a watchful, sober mind, we lose our spiritual awareness and sense of need for God and prayer falls by the wayside.

What does it look like for you to cultivate self-control and sober-mindedness so that your prayer life is more effective? I'd like to hear if there are any ways that God has led you in this area. What hinders prayer? How do you exercise self-control and cultivate a sober-mind so that you can pray more effectively? How has God met you as a result?

And if you can, please pray for me and the people of my church that God will help us to grow in being people given to prayer." - Josh Harris, August 5, 2010

What is the Bible Really About?

2010-08-24T13:55:00.003-04:00

What is the Bible really about?

Is the bible really about me and what I must do, or is the bible basically about Jesus and what he has done?

Tim Keller answers this crucial question in 3 minutes. So if you have a few minutes to spare, watch - his answers may surprise you.

If you are interested in digging deeper, consider reading The God Who is There by D. A. Carson, a brand new resource from Crossway publishers that explains what the Bible is really about.

Knowledge + Action = Wisdom

2010-08-17T11:33:00.005-04:00

"My son, do not lose sight of these,keep sound wisdom and discretion."
Proverbs 3:21

What is wisdom? It is more than knowledge. You can have memorized the entire book of Proverbs and not posess wisdom.

What is still needed? Action. Knowledge of God's Word becomes wisdom when we apply its truth to the specifics of our lives.

Did not our Lord say, "...everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man ..." (Matthew 7:24)

Knowledge + Action = Wisdom

Waiting + Prayer = Wisdom

2010-08-10T16:54:00.004-04:00

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:5-8

Waiting isn’t a popular activity.

You can learn a lot about someone by observing what he or she is willing to wait for? I recently waited 3 hours with my son for standing room tickets to a Red Sox game. Jacob waited 7 years for fair Rachel’s hand, and then worked 7 more to secure her father’s blessing. Now that is waiting!

We wait for what we value most!

James teaches believers to wait for God’s wisdom because wisdom is valuable for life. Why? The wisdom God gives reveals His purpose, presence and promises for the trials and troubles we face in a fallen world.

Have you noticed? Scripture is full of waiting. We are taught to wait for God to act (Psalm 25:3; 27:14; 37:7). We are to wait in faith, says James (vs. 6-9). We are told to wait with prayer (vs. 5).

Yet while we wait, our faith can rest secure in this undeniable promise (vs. 5) our ever generous, all wise loving heavenly Father is eager to give us wisdom when we ask for help.

Perhaps in reading this you realize you have become impatient toward God, and not asked for his wisdom.

Take a moment and ask God for his wisdom. Then share the wisdom God has given you in response to your prayers

The good news is that Christ is our wisdom (Col. 2:3) The wisdom we most needed has died and rose again that we might receive the wisdom of God unto salvation, and all of life!

The Gospel and Friendship

2010-08-05T11:36:00.004-04:00

What does it mean to be a friend? Recently I came across this post by Aaron Menikoff at The Gospel Coalition website. In his post, Menikoff reminds us what Jesus modeled for us as true friendship -
"..true friendship requires sacrifice."

Menikoff continues.."Friendship is sacrificial love. John 15:12-14: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” In other words, friends of Christ are those who love one another. Those who love one another are those who are willing to lay down their lives for one another. At the heart of friendship is love and sacrifice. Jesus, of course, was primarily concerned that his discples willingly endure the sacrifice and suffering that would come when they obeyed his commands.

The disciples, however, would not truly understand Christ’s teaching until they witnessed his death and were transformed by his resurrection. Jesus willingly laid down his life. He bore the excruciating pain of the cross and the wrath of God as he died in the place of sinners. We have never seen, nor will we ever know, a more profound and powerful act of love than this. As John put it in his first letter, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us."(1 John 3:16).

The import of this truth for a Christian understanding of friendship should not be missed. There is much wisdom on friendship throughout the Bible, and the best wisdom comes from the gospel itself. Look at your own friendships and ask yourself the following questions:

(1) “Do I take the initiative in my friendships?”
(2) “Do I sacrifice in my friendships?”
(3) “Do I appreciate my friends for who they are or what they can give me?”
(4) “Do I want close friends?”
(5) “Do I have godly expectations for friendship?”
(6) “Do I bear with my friends?”
(7) “Do I turn to God for friendship?”

Hard questions - but well worth the full read of this blog. May we never forget in the midst of all our relationships "...that God has befriended us in Christ. He is all we need. Though he intends some to marry and many more to have rich friendships, he alone satisfies. We can search for friends all day long, but we will never find anyone who loves us and helps us more that God had done and continues to do in Jesus Christ. Our quest for friendships should never outstrip, outshine, or outwork our quest for God. He alone will never, ever let us down." - A. Menikoff

The Blessing of Wisdom

2010-07-22T14:30:00.002-04:00

"Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold." Proverbs 3:13-14

Solomon knew a thing or two about earthly wealth. He amassed great wealth during his lifetime. He lived in a palace (1 Kings 7:1). He built a temple to Yahweh furnished with the best materials money could buy (1 Kings 6). The borders of his kingdom extended throughout the ancient world’s territories. His wealth and fame were renowned throughout all the world.

Yet Solomon says there is something more valuable than the wealth we could gain. What is more enjoyable than living in a palace or having your 401K investments return ten fold?

Wisdom. Biblical wisdom.

Why?

Because Biblical wisdom brings blessings into our lives.

"Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace."
Proverbs 3:16-17

Solomon’s portrait of the wise life is attractive - isn’t it? Whoever finds wisdom, gets wisdom, and lives the wise life by applying Biblical wisdom is going to have life, not only on this earth but long life in eternity forevermore.

Wisdom promises abundant life. Ultimately wisdom is received through a relationship with Jesus Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom for life. (Colossians 2:3)

Are you on the path of wisdom with Christ?

Tragedy Into Blessing

2010-07-08T10:26:00.001-04:00

"God, in his providence, has the power and the will to work all things together for good for his people. This does not mean that everything that happens to us is, in itself, good. Really bad things do happen to us. But they are only proximately bad; they are never ultimately bad. That is, they are bad only in the short (proximate) term, never in the long term. Because of the triumph of God's goodness in all things, he is able to bring good for us out of the bad. He turns our tragedies into supreme blessings." – R.C. Sproul

As quoted at www.joshharris.com

How to Read Proverbs

2010-07-06T12:06:00.006-04:00

It’s summer, its hot and at Crossway our current Sunday sermon series is taken from the book of Proverbs.

Known for its short, concise statements of wisdom, we are focusing our attention on Chapter 3, verses 1-12. Chapter 3 records a vital conversation between a father and his teenage son, during a milestone in his son’s life when he crosses from youth into single adulthood. Solomon’s words of wisdom, counsel and instruction have much to teach parents about parenting teens too. Proverbs has much to say to all believers who have God as their loving, heavenly Father through faith in the gospel.

Let’s consider the first 4 verses this morning:

"My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man." ~Proverbs 3:1-4

You can almost hear the passion intensifying in the father’s voice as he concludes vs. 5. Did you notice the pattern in these verses? Each instruction is followed by a promise. If you do this, then this will follow. Those who walk wisely, who don’t forget but keep the teaching and commandments of Scripture, find favor in the sight of God and men.

Now, the good news of Christianity is that the basis of our salvation is always Christ’s perfect obedience and crucifixion. Sinners like me never forget the gospel when we read a book like Proverbs. The ultimate blessing we receive is by faith; faith in the Holy One, Jesus Christ whose perfect life, substitutionary death, and resurrection secures our salvation forever. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Yet our loving heavenly Father calls us to trust Him. As we learn to trust the Lord and not lean on our own understanding; we will write His teaching on the tablet of our hearts.

In the biblical worldview, God calls us to store His wisdom in our hearts. How? First we bind them around our neck, like a expensive necklace. Next, we write them on the tablets of our hearts. In other words, God’s commands and teaching are to shape the character of our lives, the choices in our daily lifestyle, the perspective we live out of..

Have you ever thought about your heart as a tablet? What have you been writing on your heart lately? It always shows. What do you actions and words help you to see?

Here is a pattern we will read again and again and again in Proverbs. Children who seek to obey God and His word are blessed. Real benefits follow practical application of God’s wisdom as revealed in His word.

Is that your conviction? Does God’s wisdom pack such practical benefits that you seek to write it on your hearts and thereby live life by it?

I hope you do. I want to also. May the Lord, by His grace, help each of us to walk in the way of wisdom today.

Don't Confuse Law and Grace

2010-06-17T09:33:00.002-04:00

If you want to know what it means to follow Jesus, what better place to look than at the teaching of Jesus himself. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount equips his disciples with discernment by not confusing grace and law in our lives. Here I am using the term "law" in a more general way, not just to refer to the Old Testament but to any command or demand made of believers in Scripture.

Please notice what Jesus teaches his disciples about law and grace:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 5:17-20

Jesus came to fulfill the law in order that our salvation would be, as it always has been, by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The salvation we receive through faith in the gospel celebrates the gift of Jesus' life, substitutionary death, and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins, declared righteous and reconciliation unto God as our heavenly Father.

Don’t confuse grace.

Yet the demands of discipleship Jesus makes never ceases, nor do the standards of righteousness relax or lower with salvation. Jesus explains in vs. 19-20 that "greatness" in his kingdom involves knowing what he commands, and doing what he commands, in response to the grace we have so freely received.

Don’t confuse the law.

The older we get in the Christian life, the more important it will be to understand the difference between grace and law without lowering the standards Jesus makes of a grace-empowered disciple who wants to follow him.

Discerning Spiritual Drift

2010-06-15T16:35:00.004-04:00

D.A. Carson spoke at this year’s NEXT conference. His two volume devotional, For the Love of God, has been enjoyed by many who want to root their hearts and dependency in the storyline of the Bible, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This excerpt, taken from his devotional, was featured on Justin Taylor’s blog recently.

"May God by His Spirit help us to evaluate, identify and prayerfully address any spiritual drift caused by the sin that dwells within each of us." (Romans 7:18-20; 13:14)

D.A. Carson, For the Love of God, volume 2, Jan. 23 entry:

"One of the most striking evidences of sinful human nature lies in the universal propensity for downward drift.

In other words, it takes thought, resolve, energy, and effort to bring about reform.

In the grace of God, sometimes human beings display such virtues. But where such virtues are absent, the drift is invariably toward compromise, comfort, indiscipline, sliding disobedience and decay that advances, sometimes at a crawl and sometimes at a gallop, across generations.

People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, and obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.

We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance;

we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom;

we drift toward superstition and call it faith.

We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation;

We slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism;

We slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated."

Vision for the Summer

2010-06-10T09:54:00.002-04:00

The following was posted by Rob Flood at Covenant Fellowship Church.

"School is coming to an end and the summer awaits. Without school, much of their daily schedule has become open. How ought we fill that during a summer? The answers to that question are endless and varied according to each family. Here are just a few ideas on constructive and fun uses of time this summer:

Relational Education: Without the math books crying for our attention, there is opportunity to work more purposefully on relationships in the family. A book like The Young Peacemaker is a great place to start. But even in the absence of an actual curriculum, seizing opportunities to work on the relationships in your home can pay dividends for years.

Elective Education: Sometimes, the rigors of required classes don’t afford families the opportunity to pursue topics of personal interest…individually or as a group. Perhaps your child has a fascination with the weather or with a specific animal. Or, perhaps there is a skill he or she has wanted to learn. The summer provides wonderful opportunities for learning that will come more naturally and be more fun.

Home Projects: Even younger children can often handle an exciting project like painting their own room. If you have lots of newspaper and drop cloths, involving older toddlers can still be a wonderful use of summer time.

Bible Study: The summer also provides a great break from normal work flow and allows children (even parents) to pursue a biblical topic or Christian book they’ve wanted to know more about. Maybe it’s a certain book of the Bible, or a person from the Bible. Or perhaps it is a topic from church history or a specific doctrine. After some reading and research, sharing these things with the rest of the family can involve everyone in what each person is learning.

Fun: Perhaps more than any other time of the year, summer provides a break from pressure and deadlines and allows for free fun. Consider saying yes to more spontaneous ideas that the children come up with. They may want to do an unplanned bike ride or park visit. They may want to bake cookies or paint clay. There are less reasons during the summer to say no…which means there are more reasons during the summer to say yes.

School is coming to an end and summer awaits. How will you spend your summer? Consider filling it with planned fun…and spontaneous fun. And remember that the extra time summer affords gives wonderful time for spiritual conversation. Your children have spiritual thoughts…conversation can help you discover them. Even in the heat of summer."

Are You Salty?

2010-06-08T11:41:00.002-04:00

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet” Matthew 5:13

I do like a little salt on my food. But I have never been asked that question before. Jesus says in Mark 9:50 to have salt in ourselves. Jesus' words beg the question, don’t they.

Are you salty?

Salt in the ancient world had many uses but one primary function. Salt was used as a preservative. There were no ice-making machines or refrigeration so meat and fish had salt rubbed into them to prevent putrefaction and decay.

Are you salty?

Jesus declares when we display the character and blessedness of the kingdom of God Matthew 5:3-12)we will have a preserving impact on society.

How do we become salty?

We must be distinct from the world. In order to be distinct from the world, we must believe the good news of God’s purpose to save rebels from His wrath through the sacrifice of His son in the place of sinners. When our hearts are united to Christ’s by faith, we become a new person. The power and influence of the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. We begin to display the character and blessedness of a life changed by the gospel.

What is the effect of salty life on others?

Jesus says His followers will be the most powerful restraint on evil, injustice and selfishness in our world today. Government and families are vital, but when believer’s display the Christ-likeness described in the beatitudes (vs. 3-12), other people notice, evil is restrained, and our transformed lives create a thirst in our community for more of Christ.

Are you salty?

Practicing Discernment

2010-06-03T10:00:00.002-04:00

“The practice of discernment is simple. It involves only a single test that necessarily evoke one of two responses … that is all”. -Tim Challies

Tim Challies reassures us of discernment’s simplicity in his helpful book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, which we have been discussing on this blog.

First Thessalonians 5:21-22 describes the simple test Tim refers to, and the two possible reactions we should always take: Test everything; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

We necessarily take one of two actions when we apply this verse in everyday life: as we test everything, we either abstain from what is evil or we hold fast to what is good. We reject what is untrue, and hold fast to what is true. We turn away from what is darkness, and turn towards the light. We avoid what is bad and run towards what is good.

We will take the next few posts to unpack what the Bible means by test everything.

What Makes God Smile?

2010-06-01T10:44:00.002-04:00

Part of my devotions this morning was reading More Precious Than Gold, 50 Daily Meditations on the Psalms by Sam Storms. This excerpt is adapted from his devotional on Psalm 5. May the Lord put to work His Word as well as Dr. Storms encouragement when you pray today.
______
"Give ear to my words, O Lord
Consider my groaning
Give attention to the sound of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to you I cry"
~Psalm 5:1-2

“Listen to Solomon’s words in Proverbs 15:8: "The sacrifices of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him" or "...is His delight." (NASB) Although God is spirit, if he had a face he would display one of two looks when he prays. This text suggests that God frowns in disgust when the wicked hypocritically try to manipulate Him with their sacrifices. But He has a beaming, glowing smile of indescribable delight whenever His children pray.

Why? It certainly isn’t because He can learn something from them of which he had been previously unaware. Rather God smiles when we pray because the God of the Bible "..is the kind of God who delights most deeply not in making demands but in meeting needs. Prayer is his delight because prayer shows the reaches of our poverty and the riches of His grace. Prayer is that wonderful transaction where the wealth of God’s glory is magnified and the wants of our soul are satisfied." (John Piper, The Pleasures of God)

When we pray, what do we offer God? Nothing but our need.

And that is what makes Him happy, because it provides Him with an opportunity to demonstrate the infinite resources of the riches of His grace.

God issues the invitation: "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” ~Psalm 50:15

~Sam Storms, Devotional #5

Praying for Discernment

2010-05-26T16:42:00.002-04:00

I hate to admit it, but I stink at memorizing Scripture. I don’t seem to have any problem remembering scores, news headlines and lyrics to songs I like. Recently, some friends and I took the challenge to memorize Paul’s prayer for discernment, and pray for each other these words for an entire month!

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment, so as to approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:4-7

At first, writing out Paul’s prayer, and then memorizing it phrase by phrase, took some effort, and faith, overcoming my excuses, laziness and inertia of not doing this very often.

But last Saturday morning, when my friends met and we shared what we learned through this process … guess what … we are all growing in discernment! Our understanding of this particular Scripture, and our prayer for spiritual discernment in daily life was answered!

One friend had prayed that our marriages would be characterized by discernment for our spouses hearts. Another prayed for our diet of media, that we would discern the impact of media on our spiritual appetites. Finally, another friend shared how they prayed we would grow in applying Scripture to daily life.

Why don’t you try it?

Memorize Philippians 1:9-11, pray for yourself and others and then share with us how God is helping you grow in discernment.

Spiritual Discernment - Part 3

2010-05-20T10:05:00.002-04:00

Spiritual discernment is essential to spiritual maturity.

In the closing verses of Hebrews, chapter 5, the author makes this case as he warns his readers against unbelief caused by their lack of discernment.

"About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:11-14

The writer of Hebrews has much to teach the recipients of this letter but he cannot because of what has become of the recipients. They have become dull of hearing, they have forgotten the basic principles of the faith. They lack understanding, and as a result they have become immature.

Far too many Christians believe practicing spiritual discernment is a waste of time if it involves reading the Bible, studying theology, learning church history,or prayer. We live in the age of the casual, that of untucked shirts and unopened Bibles. It is not uncommon to hear even some pastors claim doubt is a mark of spiritual authenticity and contend biblical convictions reveal pride and division.

Yikes!

Not so the writer to the Hebrews. As Tim Challies points out: "...this letter draws a clear line connecting lack of discernment with spiritual immaturity so that those who lack discernment are those who are spiritually immature. Scripture makes it plain: if you are not a person who exhibits and exercises discernment, you are not a mature Christian.”

Friends, spiritual discernment is essential to biblical maturity. If we would please the Lord and grow, we must practice discernment daily. And we will need biblical convictions and faith in order to do so.

Pilgrim: Modern Musical Adaption of "Pilgrim's Progress"

2010-05-18T15:52:00.005-04:00

by Justin Taylor, to read his whole post visit his blog Between Two Worlds found at The Gospel Coalition

Our family has really been enjoying the DVD Pilgrim, a modern musical adaption of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress put on by the high schoolers at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD in the Spring of 2009.

The lead character is Christian/Pilgrim, played by Brett Jansen—who happens to be a dead-ringer for Michael Cera. Jansen is surprisingly, remarkably good. I hope the Lord continues to cultivate his significant gift.

One of the things I love about this DVD is the way it’s instructing our kids on multiple levels: the centrality of the cross, the sufficiency of the Word, the power of temptation, the beauty of humility and gratitude, the guidance and protection of God, the nature of true forgiveness, the importance of true friendship. It’s all done with excellence.

To read more of Justin's blog, please visit his blog Between Two Worlds

Why Do So Many Christian Feel Guilty All the Time?

2010-05-13T09:40:00.002-04:00

Written by Kevin DeYoung at The Gospel Coalition blog.

Are Christians Meant to Feel Guilty All the Time?

I imagine there are plenty of Christians who rarely feel the sting of conscience or the pangs of regret. But I also know many, many Christians (including the one I see in the mirror) who easily feel bad for all the things they are not doing or are doing less than perfectly. In fact, I’m convinced most serious Christians live their lives with an almost constant low-level sense of guilt.

How do we feel guilty? Let me count the ways.

•We could pray more.
•We aren’t bold enough in evangelism.
•We like sports too much.
•We watch movies and television too often.
•Our quiet times are too short or too sporadic.
•We don’t give enough.
•We bought a new couch.
•We don’t read to our kids enough.
•Our kids eat Cheetos and french fries.
•We don’t recycle enough.
•We need to lost 20 pounds.
•We could use our time better.
•We could live some place harder or in something smaller.
What do we do with all this behind the scenes guilt? We don’t feel stop-dead-in-our-tracks kind of remorse for these things. But these shortcomings can have a cumulative effect whereby even the mature Christian can feel like he’s rather disappointing to God, maybe just barely Christian.

Here’s the tricky part: we should feel guilty sometimes, because sometimes we are guilty of sin. Moreover, complacency as Christians is a real danger, especially in America.

But yet, I don’t believe God redeemed us through the blood of his Son that we might feel like constant failures. Do Peter and John post-Pentecost seemed racked with self-loathing and introspective fear? Does Paul seem constantly concerned that he could be doing more? Amazingly enough, Paul actually says at one point “I am not aware of anything against myself” (1 Cor. 4:4). He’s quick to add, “I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” But it sure seems like Paul put his head on the pillow at night with a clean conscience. So why do so many Christian feel guilty all the time?

1. We don’t fully embrace the good news of the gospel. We forget that we have been made alive together with Christ. We have been raised with him. We have been saved through faith alone. And this is the gift of God, not a result of works (Eph. 2:4-8). We can be so scared of antinomianism, which is a legitimate danger, that we are afraid to speak too lavishly of God’s grace. But if we’ve never been charged with being antinomian, we probably haven’t presented the gospel in all it’s scandalous glory (Rom. 6:1).

2. Christians tend to motivate each other by guilt rather than grace. Instead of urging our fellow believers to be who they are in Christ, we command them to do more for Christ (see Rom. 6:5-14 for the proper motivation). So we see Christlikeness as something we are royally screwing up, when we should it as something we already possess but need to grow into.

3. Most of our low-level guilt falls under the ambiguous category of “not doing enough.” Look at the list above. None one of the items are necessarily sinful. They all deal with possible infractions, perceptions, and ways in which we’d like to do more. These are the hardest areas to deal with because no Christian, for example, will ever confess to praying enough. So it is always easy to feel terrible about prayer (or evangelism or giving or any number of disciplines). We must be careful that we don’t insist on a certain standard of practice when the Bible merely insists on a general principle.

Let me give another example. Every Christian must give generously and contribute to the needs of the saints (2 Cor. 9:6-11; Rom. 12:13). This we can insist on with absolute certainty. But what this generosity looks like–how much we give, how much we retain–is not bound by any formula, nor can it be exacted by compulsion (2 Cor. 9:7). So if we want people to be more generous we would do well to follow Paul’s example in 2 Corinthians and emphasize the blessings of generosity and the gospel rooted motivation for generosity as opposed to shaming those who don’t give us much.

4. When we are truly guilty of sin it is imperative we repent and receive God’s mercy. Paul had a clean conscience, not because he never sinned, but, I imagine, because he quickly went to the Lord when he knew he was wrong and rested in the “no condemnation” of the gospel (Rom. 8:1). If we confess our sins, John says, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We aren’t meant to feel borderline miserable all the time. We are meant to live in the joy of our salvation. So when we sin–and we’ll all sin (1 Kings 8:46; 1 John 1:8)–we confess it, get cleansed, and move on.

This underlines one of the great dangers with constant guilt: we learn to ignore our consciences. If we are truly sinning, we need to repent and implore the Lord to help us change. But if we aren’t sinning, if we are perhaps not as mature as we could be, or are not as disciplined as some believers, or we are making different choices that may be acceptable but not extraordinary, then we should not be made to feel guilty. Challenged, stirred, inspired, but not guilty.

As a pastor this means I don’t expect that everyone in my congregation should feel awful about everything I ever preach on. It is ok, after all, for people to actually be obedient to God’s commands. Not perfectly, not without some mixed motives, not as fully as they could be, but still faithfully, God-pleasingly obedient. Faithful preaching does not require that sincere Christians feel miserable all the time. In fact, the best preaching ought to make sincere Christians see more of Christ and experience more of his grace.

Deeper grace will produce better gratitude, which means less guilt. And that’ s a good thing all the way around.

Spiritual Discernment - Part 2

2010-05-11T15:37:00.002-04:00

"Test everything; hold fast to what is good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21

I hated tests as a teenager, but here is a test I want to take … every day. The test of truth.

Spiritual discernment is above all else to test a matter by its truthfulness. Because God is truth, knowing God and knowing truth are inseparable. If we wish to know God, we must know the truth as revealed in the Scriptures. The more we know of the truth of God’s word, the more our ability to discern will increase. The less we know … you get the point.

Therefore, we practice discernment as we apply the truths of the Bible to our lives. Tim Challies writes, “...our goal in discernment is to see things through God's eyes in the Bible, and thus to see things as they really are.” (pg. 61)

This is a test I want to take everyday.

Let’s try it on for size by applying a similar Scripture to our life today.

“Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” Romans 12:9

Is there anything in my life that Scripture identifies as evil? Is there anything Scripture identifies as good? What does it look like to abhor (i.e. hate, detest) the former and hold fast (i.e. cling to, never let go) to what is good?

Here is another example: I am a parent and my teens regularly want to see movies. God wants me to help them evaluate the content of movies with biblical criteria in order to grow in discernment and battle worldliness. I review the content on www.screenit.com and then discuss the film’s content by asking some relevant questions:

What is good about this particular movie’s content?
What is being portrayed as evil and how should I respond?
Will seeing it cause me or someone else to be tempted or stumble?
How is God wanting me to grow in discernment and love Him more?

Taking the test of discernment is so important and practical. It is so important I may need help from a friend to apply it consistently, but living discerningly is essential if I want to please the Lord in everything (Eph. 5.10).

We will take up this topic next Tuesday …

Spiritual Discernment

2010-05-05T10:43:00.002-04:00

Big words. Important words. Biblical words.

But what exactly do these words mean?

What is spiritual discernment, and why is it important?

This morning we begin a new blog series entitled Spiritual Discernment. I have enlisted a "friend", author Tim Challies to help us along the way. His book The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, is a spiritual classic being devoured by my discipleship group and our singles in care group.

Before we define the word, let’s revisit two passages of Scripture from two different letters in the NT that urge believers to practice spiritual discernment in their daily lives.

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." - Hebrews 5:12-14

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12:2

Our Delight and Hope

2010-04-29T10:22:00.003-04:00

“The first device that Satan has to keep souls in a sad, doubting, and questioning condition, and so making their life a hell, is by causing them to be still poring and musing upon sin, to mind their sins more than their Savior; yes, so to mind their sins as to forget, yes, to neglect their Savior, that, as the Psalmist speaks, 'The Lord is not in all their thoughts' (Psalm 10:4).

Their eyes are so fixed upon their disease, that they cannot see the remedy, though it be near; and they do so muse upon their debts, that they have neither mind nor heart to think of their Surety. A Christian should wear Christ in his bosom as a flower of delight, for he is a whole paradise of delight. He who minds not Christ more than his sin, can never be thankful and fruitful as he should."
~Thomas Brooks

Spiritual Feasting

2010-04-27T12:34:00.002-04:00

Birthdays, holidays, and reunions are infamous in my family for their meals. These feasts are anticipated for weeks, and rarely disappoint. And the leftovers are pretty good too.

You know what? Each Sunday we get to feast on more of God’s Word! How?

Through the Word preached each Sunday. God has prepared a banquet each Sunday to nourish His children’s famished hearts through the preaching of His word.

Did not Jesus tell Peter, and through him, to all preachers who would follow, to "feed my sheep"? That is what a pastor is, a shepherd whose call it is to feed the sheep.

The 17th century Puritan John Owen wrote: “The first and principal duty of a pastor is to feed the flock by diligent preaching of the Word. It is a promise relating to the New Testament that God would ‘give unto his church pastors according to his own heart, which should feed them with knowledge and understanding'"(Jer. 3.15).

The leftovers of good, expository preaching are good too. By taking to heart what you hear on Sunday through note taking, prayer, personal reflection and application, you will discover "spiritual feasting" awaits again!

Spiritual feasting on God’s Word is a blessing to be enjoyed always!

What Do 7000 Pastors Have In Common?

2010-04-21T09:32:00.002-04:00

Gifts of the Spirit? Polity? What type of pulpit to preach from? Nah! Pastors are infamous for ‘dividing’ on all kinds of things related to church life and doctrine. What to wear, what kind of music to play, what style of preaching is acceptable … the list is endless.

But last week, 7000 pastors gathered in Louisville, Kentucky for Together for the Gospel,and there was remarkable unanimity. What brought us together was the gospel, the unadjusted gospel.

Unadjusted gospel you ask? Why unadjusted? Our age, like generations past, is tempted to add to the gospel human effort, minimizing the necessity of grace, or take away from the gospel God’s wrath for sin in order make it more acceptable to modern audiences.

This pastor’s conference, hosted by Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, and CJ Mahaney with guest speakers John Piper, RC Sproul, John MacArthur, and Thabiti Anyabwile reminded us of the simplicity and centrality of the unchanging gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We love the gospel because .."we love the God whose forgiveness is held out to us by sending his Son, Jesus, the Son he loves who is fully God, to live as man, identify with our human condition, demonstrate through his earthly life as a man what God is like, and then bear the weight of our sin in his own body on the cross." (J. Stiles) We love to preach the gospel because we love him!

As pastors' we still disagreed on matters of secondary importance,issues like the continuation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, a believers baptism or infant baptism, congregational polity or elder led. These matters are significant but pale in comparison to the simple message the apostle Paul declared was of first importance:

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures...."

Want to learn more about Together for the Gospel?

Check it out here.

True Words of Jesus' Enemies

2010-04-02T12:01:00.001-04:00

True Words of Jesus' Enemies

"So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 'He saved others; he cannot save himself.'" - John 27:41-42

Those who mocked Jesus could not understand how true their words of derision were. It was only by not saving himself--only by giving up his life and suffering God's wrath on the cross in the place of sinners--that Jesus could save others.

This is what he did for us. And this is what we remember and celebrate on Good Friday."

Posted at http://www.joshharris.com/
by Josh Harris

God Is Near When You Pray

2010-03-19T09:54:00.000-04:00

“God is near at hand when you do approach Him in prayer. Oh, comforting truth! A God at hand to hear the softest breath of prayer–to listen to every confession of sin–to every cry of need–to every utterance of sorrow–to every wail of woe–to every appeal for counsel, strength, and support. Arise, O my soul! and give yourself to prayer; for God is near at hand to hear and answer you.”

- Octavius Winslow

(RT: OctaviusWinslow.org)

Posted on the blog "Of First Importance"

Hard Thoughts about God in Parenting

2010-03-17T10:07:00.002-04:00

by Tony Reinke

In his recent sermons on Jude, C.J. spoke about the tendency of Christians to have an inaccurate view of God the Father and to have “hard thoughts about God.”

In the first message C.J. said, “I have interacted with many Christians over the years who are not certain of God’s love for them. They can be reluctant to admit it, but they aren’t convinced in their heart and mind that God loves them. In light of their sin and the holiness of God they wonder whether God does indeed love them.”

After the message C.J. received an email from a father who fears that he is unintentionally introducing to his children these hard thoughts about God. He wants to know what to do to model the grace and love of God to his children. Here is the email exchange between C.J. and John (not his real name).

---------------------

Hi, C.J.—

Thanks for your message from Jude on Sunday. It is always a privilege to hear God's Word through you. I am reminded of His grace to me through the truths preached by you over decades now.

When you noted how we often have hard thoughts of God and fail to appreciate His initiating love, I immediately thought of my example and communication about God to my kids. And when you asked at the end, "What are you most worried about?", I think it is that I will hinder my children from knowing that God not only rightly expects their obedience and submission—a bar they cannot possibly reach—but also that he loves them as a Father so deeply that He sent His son for them.

I am afraid they do have hard thoughts of God and that’s largely because of my own sinfulness (anger, impatience, anxiety), which I am eager to continue killing by the Spirit. But apart from that, the question I have is, how do we as parents insist that our children obey us in the Lord without cultivating hard thoughts of Him?

Grateful for any thoughts you would have on this.

John

---------------------

John,

This a great question that I can’t possibly cover fully in one email. But here are a few thoughts that I hope are helpful.

You have the privilege of introducing them to God the Father and describing the ways in which he is different from you, different from all sinful fathers, and how in any way you are like him it’s only because of grace that you reflect him. See Luke 11:11–13
Your honest confession of your sin to your children will protect them from having hard thoughts about you or God.

Communicating your affection for them—and joy when you are with them—promotes both good and accurate thoughts about God.
Initiate time with them at both planned and spontaneous times. Don’t leave them with the impression that they get most of your attention when they disobey. Let them know you are so grateful for them and love being with them as much as possible.

Bless your children with many gifts in many forms! See Luke 11 again. Study your children in order to discern what gifts would genuinely bless them and then purpose to surprise them as often as possible.

Requiring appropriate obedience does not promote hard thoughts about God. This only happens when we do so in self-righteousness or anger. See point 2 again.
Frequently preach the gospel to them (and not at them). Reveal to your children just how far God has gone to show his love for sinners like us.

My friend, if you follow the example of our gracious God, your children will not have hard thoughts about him. They will have accurate thoughts about him—and a deep love for you.

I hope these brief thoughts help, John.

C.J.

Are You Gospel-Shaped, or Just Religious?

2010-03-09T10:55:00.004-05:00

Jared Wilson suggests three ways to tell. Check it out!

1. Your reaction when things fall apart.

Do you catch yourself saying, "God, why is this happening? I've done x, y, and z?" Do suffering, difficulty, and obstacles provoke "why?" questions predicated on your goodness or effort? You've been working so hard, reading your Bible, going to church, serving others . . . why would God let this happen to you now? If that's your line of thinking, it reveals you believe God owes you. And that's religion.

2. Your reaction to others.

Do you compare yourself, bad or good, against others? Do you belittle, mock, condescend, even if just internally? Do you resent others' successes? Do you celebrate others' failures? Do you really wish people would get their act together, or do you really wish people knew Jesus? Are you frequently annoyed, put out, irritated, embarrassed, or inconvenienced by others?

3. Your appraisal of Jesus.

Is he your greatest treasure? That's the number one indicator of gospel-conformity. You may know right off the bat if this is true or not. For some, it's true only sentimentally or religiously. You may think it's true ultimately, but your time, talents, words, emotions, and bank account testify differently.

These are all heart issues. Anybody can get the behavior right. The Pharisees certainly did, and most of them went to hell. But this isn't even about looking Pharisaical or legalistic or churchy. There's a lot of Christian hipsters out there in coffee shop churches who have no idea they're just religious.

posted by jared at 10:52 am

Here is the link:

http://gospeldrivenchurch.blogspot.com/2010/03/are-you-gospel-shaped-or-just-religious.html

Sermon on the Mount

2010-03-03T09:20:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, we launched our spring series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. I encouraged our small groups to read the sermon in its entirety this week. It takes about 13 minutes - yes I timed it!.

I think you will discover that by reading the entire sermon in one sitting, rather than in bits and pieces will reveal the purpose of the sermon that may escape you when you only hear parts of the passage.

Here were some of the comments I heard after we read Mathew 5-7 in small group.

“You get the big picture, how life in Christ should be …”

“This sermon is astonishing … Jesus turned the expectations of the Mosaic law upside down!”

Here is my favorite: “The Sermon on the Mount is a picture of hope … we will be like Christ in His righteousness because of what He has done for us!.”

Enjoy reading, listening, and believing the Sermon on the Mount!

Reflecting on Christian African-American History

2010-02-26T09:23:00.004-05:00

February is African-American history month. Begun as “Negro History Week” in 1926, it was introduced by black historiographer, Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Woodson settled on the second week in February because it fell between the birthdays of what he considered the two greatest Americans, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. From its inception, there was recognition that Black history was inseparably tied to American history.

What do you know about the history of African-Americans?

Would you be aware of their legacy as innovators in education, science, or business? For example, did you ever hear of Alice Parker?

She invented and patented the heating furnace in 1919 – unheard of for a woman at that time, never mind a black woman.

Would you know their legacy as believers? “As those who were enslaved and oppressed by Christ-witnessing people, instead of becoming a bitter force against the gospel, [they] not only received the gospel in mass numbers, but advanced it with great power.” (John Ensor)

Why should we reflect and read about this part of American heritage?

Simple, as stated above Black history is inseparable to American history.

To know it “..mines the unknown riches of the African-American experience and lays hold on the truth that their suffering was not in vain.” (John Piper)

Thabiti Anyabwile states it succulently: “….as [we] celebrate African-American history month, the domestic parable so glaring and glorious is that African-American [history] offers the most compelling example of centuries-long persecution-triumphing trust in God.”

I started reading two books this month. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and The Faithful Preacher by Thabiti Anyabwile to glean these perspectives from history. One account is fictional; the other includes three biographies of African-American pastors spanning 150 years of history.

“We who are not African-American receive the multiple advantage of reading not only across a culture but across the centuries …there are treasures of biblical wisdom in centuries before our own and in cultures not our own.” (John Piper, forward for The Faithful Preacher)

Tolle Lege (take up and read!)

Another Promise To Pray By

2010-02-24T10:02:00.001-05:00

Learning to pray like a child of God means praying to God to help us. Remembering the promises God makes in His word helps our faith as we pray. I have a bad cold today, so I need help just to want to pray. Do you need help to pray? Are you tired, or feeling discouraged? Has weariness crept into your soul? Read the promise below and pray. And as you pray, remember God delights in you because Christ has died and been raised for you that you might be called children of the living God.

In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
He rescued me … because he delighted in me - Psalm 18:6-19

Words to Pray By

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"As to myself, I would tell you how it is with me if I could: at the best, it would be an inconsistent account…I am a sinner, believing in the name of Jesus. I am a silly sheep, but I have a gracious, watchful Shepherd. I am a dull scholar, but I have a Master who can make the dullest learn. He still bears with me, He still employs me, He still enables me, He still owns me. Oh for a coal of heavenly fire to warm my heart, that I might praise him as I ought!"

John Newton in a letter to D. West, Esq. (August 29, 1774)

Courtsey of Kevin DeYoung at The Gospel Coalition

Should Christians Pray for the Holy Spirit?

2010-02-16T10:31:00.003-05:00

This week our church is praying and fasting for our ministry. (Matthew 6:16-18;)Sunday’s messages drew upon Jesus' teaching on prayer, found in Luke 11:1-13, to teach us how to pray.

In the parable of verses 5-13, Jesus teaches Christians to ask the Father for more of the Holy Spirit.

Quite frankly, this raises a sticky question for some: should a Christian pray for more of the Holy Spirit? Should a gospel-centered church pray that God would give us more of the Holy Spirit?

Jesus’ answer may surprise you. His answer from Luke 11:13 is an emphatic yes!

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

This verse is a prayer to be prayed by believers and churches every day. It is true God has given us the Spirit if we are believers. We received the Spirit at our conversion (Galatians 4:4-7). But we cannot help but pray for more of the Spirit because we are weak and needy, and desperately in need of help.

In what areas of your life are you aware of your weakness and in need of help? “The spirit helps us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26). Let us ask our heavenly Father for more of the Spirit’s power, presence, and fullness as we pray for the coming year of ministry and mission together.

This is what believers long for. The Father is eager to bless his children with more of the Spirit when we ask!