"The Confusion of law and gospel has been and still is one of the principle causes of all the abuses in the church." Theodore Beza
After 25 years of serving as a pastor, I would have to say brother Beza was right. Most people are still struggling over getting the Gospel right.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Best of 2010 - Top 6 Movies
It is hard to find a worse year for good movies at the theater. More and more we see the kind of eye trash that is targeted at 13-15 yr.olds and is forcing more discerning families to stay home and rent a video. Since we don’t have cable, this is what we tend to do anyways. The good news is that Christian backed productions are coming to the fore in quality and content.
1. The Dawn Treader
2. The Secret of Jonathan Sperry
3. Toy Story 3
4. Secretariat
5. The Legend of the Guardians
6. The Clash of the Titans
Thursday, December 23, 2010
source for Christmas gifts
My idea for Christmas gifts, was something I adapted from William MacKenzie of Christian Focus Publishing in Scotland. All credit for originality goes to my Scottish friend.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Best of 2010 - Top Ten Books
Best Reading (not what was published this year, just what I found good)
In our ipod and digital age, the art of reading books is rapidly declining. Just consider how this past year Barnes & Noble has filed for bankruptcy and Borders Books is shutting down stores. All point to the growing illiteracy in our culture- which has always been a sign of spiritual darkness. Wherever the Gospel permeates a culture, it brings the power of the Word in written form, because the Word is what gives life. The Reformation brought the fire of truth to the masses through the publication of books. It is why Reformed Churches stress the ministry of books and the value of reading. I know this list seems a little cerebral, but only reflects what stands out in my mind as good literature I’ve enjoyed this last year.
James Boswell, The London Journal, was a surprise find at a Library sale. Boswell is known as the biographer of the great Samuel Johnson who wrote the famous Dictionary of the English language back in the 19th Century. This journal records the year Boswell lived in London and his first meeting with Johnson, a larger than life man of the town, yet deeply religious. Johnson was the antithesis of Boswell, who was raised in a strict Presbyterian home in Scotland and had come to London to escape the watchful eye of his father, who hoped his son would pursue a nobler calling than a literary one. Embedded in the detailed account of his days and reflections of his diary, one gets a sense that Boswell grew more and more distant from his childhood faith, while at the same time sporadically attending various churches and chapels near his flat in central London. He grew in his skepticism and unbelief, while very respectful of Johnson. What this book shows us is the sad descent into unbelief is even more common today among the new atheists who, unlike Boswell, see nothing good in faith.
C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength, is the third of his so called sci-fi trilogy. It is really not about aliens and space travel, but about the nature of evil at work in the ordinary scheme of life. At the center of this story is a married couple and how evil seeks to destroy their marriage and how the Gospel seeks to restore the original design of a man and woman in holy matrimony. This was the first time I understood that this book is really about marriage.
Lewis, The Discarded Image, was a book by C.S. (Jack) that was one I’ve never read, till now. It is part of his literary critical work, in which he put forth his argument in the value of medieval models of thinking and art for Modern consideration. This work shows how Lewis was writing all his work from a vantage point that was pre-modern and yet not uncritical. In other words, he could see the problems of modern man in rejecting the Supernatural with unequaled intelligence and accuracy. He was a prophet from another epoch, looking into our own time pointing us to the enduring standard of God’s truth.
Timothy Keller, The Reason for God. The pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City shares his insights and shows years of wisdom in dealing with skeptics and unbelievers. This is a valuable example of actually doing apologetics (defending the Gospel) and commending the Faith to our unbelieving society.
God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades, by Rodney Stark. We have been taught that the Crusades were all bad from root to fruit and how we should carry the guilt of Western Civilization on our collective shoulders. Stark likes to shake the established view and does it with this book. Looking at the historical and fundamental military reasons for these wars, it becomes apparent that the fight for protection from Islamic tyranny, while not always offering a better solution, was a key motivation for these “religious” or cultural wars. I don’t agree with him on all points, but it is a good alternative to popular political correctness.
“Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens of C.S. Lewis”, by Michael Ward, is making the case that he has the golden key to understanding the scheme behind all that Lewis wrote. And he is right. Scholars dedicated to Lewis’ work might have laughed him off the stage, if they did not come to agree with Ward. They do agree with him. Most of us, including me find the medieval world too distant to understand it. Ward does understand this world and helps us all understand Lewis (a professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature) a bit more.
The Westminster Assembly, by Robert Letham, shows some of the thinking behind the Confession that would become the English speaking Reformed Church’s key theological framing document. We owe much to Letham’s work as a historian and writer to give us this much needed work.
Risking the Truth, by Martin Downes, has many contributions from various theologians and pastors on the danger of heresy in our day, when even among conservative evangelicals there is a desire to tolerate diversity at the risk of losing the truth.
The Young Calvin, by Alexandre Ganoczy, is a careful study of the early influences in the life of Calvin from his days in Paris and his struggle to come to terms with the need to break from the Church and make a clear stand for the Reformed faith. This is a good and fair treatment of Calvin, even though it was written by a Roman Catholic scholar.
Packer and Mark Dever, In My Place Condemned He Stood. Here two respected leaders and thinkers representing Anglican and Baptist confessions come together around the centrality of the Subsitutionary Atonement. Many today are rejecting this basic evangelical doctrine (like Emergent leaders such as Brian McLaren) and this book is a clear and beautiful call to return to the Cross for the vitality of the Gospel and the life of the believing Church.
In our ipod and digital age, the art of reading books is rapidly declining. Just consider how this past year Barnes & Noble has filed for bankruptcy and Borders Books is shutting down stores. All point to the growing illiteracy in our culture- which has always been a sign of spiritual darkness. Wherever the Gospel permeates a culture, it brings the power of the Word in written form, because the Word is what gives life. The Reformation brought the fire of truth to the masses through the publication of books. It is why Reformed Churches stress the ministry of books and the value of reading. I know this list seems a little cerebral, but only reflects what stands out in my mind as good literature I’ve enjoyed this last year.
James Boswell, The London Journal, was a surprise find at a Library sale. Boswell is known as the biographer of the great Samuel Johnson who wrote the famous Dictionary of the English language back in the 19th Century. This journal records the year Boswell lived in London and his first meeting with Johnson, a larger than life man of the town, yet deeply religious. Johnson was the antithesis of Boswell, who was raised in a strict Presbyterian home in Scotland and had come to London to escape the watchful eye of his father, who hoped his son would pursue a nobler calling than a literary one. Embedded in the detailed account of his days and reflections of his diary, one gets a sense that Boswell grew more and more distant from his childhood faith, while at the same time sporadically attending various churches and chapels near his flat in central London. He grew in his skepticism and unbelief, while very respectful of Johnson. What this book shows us is the sad descent into unbelief is even more common today among the new atheists who, unlike Boswell, see nothing good in faith.
C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength, is the third of his so called sci-fi trilogy. It is really not about aliens and space travel, but about the nature of evil at work in the ordinary scheme of life. At the center of this story is a married couple and how evil seeks to destroy their marriage and how the Gospel seeks to restore the original design of a man and woman in holy matrimony. This was the first time I understood that this book is really about marriage.
Lewis, The Discarded Image, was a book by C.S. (Jack) that was one I’ve never read, till now. It is part of his literary critical work, in which he put forth his argument in the value of medieval models of thinking and art for Modern consideration. This work shows how Lewis was writing all his work from a vantage point that was pre-modern and yet not uncritical. In other words, he could see the problems of modern man in rejecting the Supernatural with unequaled intelligence and accuracy. He was a prophet from another epoch, looking into our own time pointing us to the enduring standard of God’s truth.
Timothy Keller, The Reason for God. The pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City shares his insights and shows years of wisdom in dealing with skeptics and unbelievers. This is a valuable example of actually doing apologetics (defending the Gospel) and commending the Faith to our unbelieving society.
God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades, by Rodney Stark. We have been taught that the Crusades were all bad from root to fruit and how we should carry the guilt of Western Civilization on our collective shoulders. Stark likes to shake the established view and does it with this book. Looking at the historical and fundamental military reasons for these wars, it becomes apparent that the fight for protection from Islamic tyranny, while not always offering a better solution, was a key motivation for these “religious” or cultural wars. I don’t agree with him on all points, but it is a good alternative to popular political correctness.
“Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens of C.S. Lewis”, by Michael Ward, is making the case that he has the golden key to understanding the scheme behind all that Lewis wrote. And he is right. Scholars dedicated to Lewis’ work might have laughed him off the stage, if they did not come to agree with Ward. They do agree with him. Most of us, including me find the medieval world too distant to understand it. Ward does understand this world and helps us all understand Lewis (a professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature) a bit more.
The Westminster Assembly, by Robert Letham, shows some of the thinking behind the Confession that would become the English speaking Reformed Church’s key theological framing document. We owe much to Letham’s work as a historian and writer to give us this much needed work.
Risking the Truth, by Martin Downes, has many contributions from various theologians and pastors on the danger of heresy in our day, when even among conservative evangelicals there is a desire to tolerate diversity at the risk of losing the truth.
The Young Calvin, by Alexandre Ganoczy, is a careful study of the early influences in the life of Calvin from his days in Paris and his struggle to come to terms with the need to break from the Church and make a clear stand for the Reformed faith. This is a good and fair treatment of Calvin, even though it was written by a Roman Catholic scholar.
Packer and Mark Dever, In My Place Condemned He Stood. Here two respected leaders and thinkers representing Anglican and Baptist confessions come together around the centrality of the Subsitutionary Atonement. Many today are rejecting this basic evangelical doctrine (like Emergent leaders such as Brian McLaren) and this book is a clear and beautiful call to return to the Cross for the vitality of the Gospel and the life of the believing Church.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Great Christmas Gift Ideas
Turn Christmas time giving into a sharing your faith gift: Give away a Christian book.
Who to Give To?A new believer to encourage them
Your next door neighbor
The person in your office.
A new person at Church
Your car mechanic
Your dentist or doctor
Your child’s teacher
Your boss
Your mailman
Your secretary or someone at work
To a missionary
To your barber or hairdresser
To the checkout clerk at the market
Your children
Your spouse
To any one – a random act of love!
Good books to Give Away
The Valley of Vision (Puritan Prayers)
J.I. Packer’s “Knowing God”
Sproul’s “The Holiness of God”
C.S. Lewis, “Mere Christianity”
Jerry Bridges, “Transforming Grace”
Phil Ryken’s, “The Prayer of our Lord”
John Stott’s, Basic Christianity
Francis Schaeffer’s “The Mark of a Christian”
Quotes on the value of books.“The person who desires to grow spiritually and intellectually will be constantly at his books.” Oswald Saunders
“One of the acid tests of a really fine book is that while you are reading it you put it down and start to think.” A.W. Tozer
“After studying the challenge of world evangelism for more than 50 years, the only plan I have that would result in the fulfillment of the Great Commission is a literature distribution ministry.” Oswald J. Smith (Canadian pastor)
“Reading on wise and virtuous subjects is, next to the Bible and prayer, the best improvement of our hearts. It enlightens us, it calms us, it collects our thoughts and prompts us to better efforts.” William Law
“ Paul is inspired yet he wants books: he has been preaching nearly thirty years, yet he wants books: he has a wider experience than most people, yet he wants books: he has been caught up into heaven and heard things which it is unlawful to utter yet he wants books: he has written the major part of the New Testament, yet he wants books.” Spurgeon on 2 Timothy 4:13
“If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth is not diffused, error will be. If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his work will gain the ascendancy.” Daniel Webster
There you have it. The best Christmas gift idea ever. Give away books!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Children of the Covenant Part 2
1. What does baptism represent? When we seek to describe the sacrament of baptism, it is God’s Word that provides our only rule. Calvin wisely taught that if we cannot show from Scripture why we believe some thing to be true, then we should abandon that belief as not resting on the sure foundation of the Word of God.
Christ commanded his disciples to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mat.28:19). So we baptize not on our authority, but on the authority of Jesus Christ.
Baptism in the Bible represents many truths about what God does in our salvation. It is not merely a public testimony of what we have done or what we believe.
Baptism portrays our dying to sin and new life in Christ. It pictures our entrance or adoption into God’s family. It portrays our washing from sin and the cleansing of forgiveness. It primarily is a picture of what God is doing for us in salvation. It is not tied to a specific time in our life, but tied to the reality of Christ’s work on the Cross.
2. What makes baptism effective? In fact, when baptism becomes just a testimony or expression of a person’s faith, then it only has meaning when the faith is real. It is true we must as evangelical believers be leery of empty rituals and religious observance where no true faith is required. God condemns such empty worship.
The church has experienced much damage by nominal Christians who have the false notion that they are true Christians because of some ritual they have had. Baptism without a serious commitment of faith and active obedience in a church family turns covenantal baptism into a lucky charm, ritualism or family tradition.
But, the danger of empty ritual, does not mean we correct the abuse by requiring something unbiblical – or extra-biblical.
When true faith is seen as a requirement to be a proper recipient of the blessings of baptism, then it is the experience of faith that becomes the foundation of Baptism, rather than God’s grace. What often happens then is a continual rebaptism – a person can have several baptisms, if they believe that they have a “true spiritual” experience that supersedes what they had before. This seems to me, to be a gross distortion of what Baptism represents.
There is nothing quite like the picture of infant Baptism that symbolizes the grace of God that chooses us and claims us, before we are able to acknowledge our need for God. In short, it is a picture of the Gospel, which is what defines the nature of a sacrament. They are visible pictures of God’s provision for us in Jesus Christ. Again, this is just as powerfully displayed in an adult believer’s baptism. An adult conversion from unbelief to accepting what Christ did and seeing a life transformed is a powerful testimony of God’s grace. May we see much of this in our church as well. But we believe God does not limit this sign to just adults. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Marvin Rosenthal, writing in Israel, My Glory, tells about a mother who was asked by a census taker how many children she had. She responded, “We’ll there is Billy and Harry and Martha and…” “Never mind the names,” the man interrupted, “Just give me the number!” The mother became indignant and replied, “They haven’t got numbers, and they’ve all got names.”
That is the way God sees his covenant children. He knows each of us by name and he knows those who truly belong to him. Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:19, “the Lord knows those who are His.”
Baptism does not make us Christian, it is God’s grace that does that. We belong to God, because God in his mercy gives us what we could not do for ourselves. We come; no we are brought to Jesus like helpless infants, for we are – incapable of doing anything, apart from God’s sovereign power (John 6:44). Baptism is a sign of what God is doing. It is not a sign like we might see on the side of the road that reads, “Men at Work” rather it is a sign that declares “God is at Work”.
We Come to Christ like Children
“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them”. Mark 10:15-16
The puritan writer Chadwick reflects on the weak condition of children as a model for approaching the Lord. He writes, “A child is not humble through affectation, it never professes nor thinks about humility. But it understands, however imperfectly, that it is beset by mysterious and perilous forces, which it neither comprehends nor can grapple with. And so are we”.
Matthew Henry, the esteemed Bible teacher notes the manner of our coming to Christ. “That there must be something of the temper and disposition of little children found in all that Christ will own and bless. We must receive the kingdom of God as little children (v. 15); that is, we must stand affected to Christ and his grace as little children do to their parents, nurses, and teachers.” (Commentary on Mark)
Covenant children are brought to Christ, because they cannot come on their own. It is a reflection of the Christian parent to trust in God’s covenantal promises for us in our salvation and our children. The theologian J.I. Packer asserted pointedly that, “The Gospel of God is not properly understood till it is viewed within a covenantal frame.” Like all redemptive covenants, which are by nature covenants of grace, the pledges and signs are given to God’s people not on the basis of rewards but in the sovereign mercy of a God whose grace precedes our faith.
My prayer, dear parent is that you would understand that at the heart of covenant baptism is the picture of the Gospel of Grace. And that this sacrament would lead you to greater faith and love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and finally for your child as he or she grows up in the covenant community always hearing and receiving the means of grace. As Paul wrote, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” Romans 10:17 (ESV).
Dr. Todd Douglas Baucum
First Presbyterian Church
Enterprise, AL
Christ commanded his disciples to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mat.28:19). So we baptize not on our authority, but on the authority of Jesus Christ.
Baptism in the Bible represents many truths about what God does in our salvation. It is not merely a public testimony of what we have done or what we believe.
Baptism portrays our dying to sin and new life in Christ. It pictures our entrance or adoption into God’s family. It portrays our washing from sin and the cleansing of forgiveness. It primarily is a picture of what God is doing for us in salvation. It is not tied to a specific time in our life, but tied to the reality of Christ’s work on the Cross.
2. What makes baptism effective? In fact, when baptism becomes just a testimony or expression of a person’s faith, then it only has meaning when the faith is real. It is true we must as evangelical believers be leery of empty rituals and religious observance where no true faith is required. God condemns such empty worship.
The church has experienced much damage by nominal Christians who have the false notion that they are true Christians because of some ritual they have had. Baptism without a serious commitment of faith and active obedience in a church family turns covenantal baptism into a lucky charm, ritualism or family tradition.
But, the danger of empty ritual, does not mean we correct the abuse by requiring something unbiblical – or extra-biblical.
When true faith is seen as a requirement to be a proper recipient of the blessings of baptism, then it is the experience of faith that becomes the foundation of Baptism, rather than God’s grace. What often happens then is a continual rebaptism – a person can have several baptisms, if they believe that they have a “true spiritual” experience that supersedes what they had before. This seems to me, to be a gross distortion of what Baptism represents.
There is nothing quite like the picture of infant Baptism that symbolizes the grace of God that chooses us and claims us, before we are able to acknowledge our need for God. In short, it is a picture of the Gospel, which is what defines the nature of a sacrament. They are visible pictures of God’s provision for us in Jesus Christ. Again, this is just as powerfully displayed in an adult believer’s baptism. An adult conversion from unbelief to accepting what Christ did and seeing a life transformed is a powerful testimony of God’s grace. May we see much of this in our church as well. But we believe God does not limit this sign to just adults. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Marvin Rosenthal, writing in Israel, My Glory, tells about a mother who was asked by a census taker how many children she had. She responded, “We’ll there is Billy and Harry and Martha and…” “Never mind the names,” the man interrupted, “Just give me the number!” The mother became indignant and replied, “They haven’t got numbers, and they’ve all got names.”
That is the way God sees his covenant children. He knows each of us by name and he knows those who truly belong to him. Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:19, “the Lord knows those who are His.”
Baptism does not make us Christian, it is God’s grace that does that. We belong to God, because God in his mercy gives us what we could not do for ourselves. We come; no we are brought to Jesus like helpless infants, for we are – incapable of doing anything, apart from God’s sovereign power (John 6:44). Baptism is a sign of what God is doing. It is not a sign like we might see on the side of the road that reads, “Men at Work” rather it is a sign that declares “God is at Work”.
We Come to Christ like Children
“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them”. Mark 10:15-16
The puritan writer Chadwick reflects on the weak condition of children as a model for approaching the Lord. He writes, “A child is not humble through affectation, it never professes nor thinks about humility. But it understands, however imperfectly, that it is beset by mysterious and perilous forces, which it neither comprehends nor can grapple with. And so are we”.
Matthew Henry, the esteemed Bible teacher notes the manner of our coming to Christ. “That there must be something of the temper and disposition of little children found in all that Christ will own and bless. We must receive the kingdom of God as little children (v. 15); that is, we must stand affected to Christ and his grace as little children do to their parents, nurses, and teachers.” (Commentary on Mark)
Covenant children are brought to Christ, because they cannot come on their own. It is a reflection of the Christian parent to trust in God’s covenantal promises for us in our salvation and our children. The theologian J.I. Packer asserted pointedly that, “The Gospel of God is not properly understood till it is viewed within a covenantal frame.” Like all redemptive covenants, which are by nature covenants of grace, the pledges and signs are given to God’s people not on the basis of rewards but in the sovereign mercy of a God whose grace precedes our faith.
My prayer, dear parent is that you would understand that at the heart of covenant baptism is the picture of the Gospel of Grace. And that this sacrament would lead you to greater faith and love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and finally for your child as he or she grows up in the covenant community always hearing and receiving the means of grace. As Paul wrote, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” Romans 10:17 (ESV).
Dr. Todd Douglas Baucum
First Presbyterian Church
Enterprise, AL
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Why Join a Church?
From time to time there are people I meet who think that membership to a local church is optional. I can't say it enough...there is no such thing as a Christian without the Church; no lone believers; no rugged individualist...
So, I wrote this for our people and those who come visit us on Sundays, warm pews and might just be wondering what's all the fuss about putting one's name on paper.
What we really hope for is that you will come to know and love Jesus more and more. This is why we are here, because the Church is all about making Jesus known to the world. Notice how we talk about the Church – there is “one Church” and it was formed by Jesus Christ, he died for it and rules over it as Lord (Eph.1:18-22). So, it is hard to believe in Jesus and not love His Church. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that we cannot do without it (Col. 2:6-10). Our local expression (First Presb.) is a part of this “One Church” and we share in the unity of this Body in baptism, faith and witness. As Presbyterians we are part of the Presbyterian Church in America, a biblical denomination, which is a called to live in obedience to Jesus Christ, following a biblical pattern of “presbyters” or elders who oversee the work and ministry of the congregation. Every believer is called to be a part of a visible fellowship, because the Holy Spirit has appointed offices and gifts to build up the Church for God’s glory (1 Cor. 12:27-31). This is why it is important to join a Church. Does this mean you should join us? Only if you think we are faithful to the Scriptures, preach the whole Gospel and encourage people to love Jesus more and more. If you do, we gladly welcome you.
Monday, December 6, 2010
How churches lose the plot, Part II - Reformation21 Blog
How churches lose the plot, Part II - Reformation21 Blog
Carl Trueman shows us why the battle for truth is usually lost from the rear guard. I highly recommend this post from Reformation 21. Of course the battle for truth when it comes to challenging someone's views does not necessarily follow that it be nasty or vitriolic. Published views either in books or blogs by officer bearers in Confessional churches are fair target, so long as the aim is fair.
Carl Trueman shows us why the battle for truth is usually lost from the rear guard. I highly recommend this post from Reformation 21. Of course the battle for truth when it comes to challenging someone's views does not necessarily follow that it be nasty or vitriolic. Published views either in books or blogs by officer bearers in Confessional churches are fair target, so long as the aim is fair.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Children of the Covenant
I've been working lately on a concise and pastoral statement on the nature of baptism in the framework of covenant theology. That right there may turn off some readers, but I trust this will be helpful. I decided to put this on the blog just to see if people find it clarifying. (for the one or two out there who read this!) This will be in two parts.
Children of the Covenant
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Mark 10: 13-15
Children are a wonderful blessing, not only to families, but to churches as well. It is a great joy to see in our church a nursery that is full. An empty nursery in a church is a sure sign that the church has no longer the same attitude toward children that Jesus had, when he welcomed little children and said, of such is the kingdom of God. The Bible clearly teaches that children are a precious gift from God.
PR 17:6 Children's children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
Secondly, it is the God appointed responsibility of parents to teach their children God’s commands and to lead them to the knowledge of His grace revealed in the glorious gospel. This faith is always expressed and nurtured in the context of a believing community – the covenant people of God, called the Church.
DT 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
PS 78:6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
The Bible views children with infinite value and not as something to shut away until they can be more responsible or contribute to society. God gives us many promises that our faith and God’s blessings run through families to effect future generations. Righteousness gives a wonderful legacy to our children and grandchildren. Something we would want to pass along. But, we know that none are righteous and that it is Christ’s perfect righteousness found in faith alone that we desire to be passed to our children.
PS 103:17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children--
So, does this mean we should wait until our children have faith before we welcome them into God’s family? One Puritan stalwart answers this in saying, “But Christ never meant to say that the kingdom of heaven was only for the immaculate and stainless. If converted men receive it, in spite of many a haunting appetite and recurring lust, then the frailties of our babes shall not forbid us to believe the blessed assurance that the kingdom is also theirs” (Chadwick).
Do Not Hinder Children from Coming to Christ
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Vs. 14
The question about this passage is whether it gives us any indication that the Bible sanctions the baptism of infants. Objections concerning this passage not having anything to do with baptism, point to the fact that Jesus did not baptize these children, nor was there any reference to water. This was a simple blessing and Christ was placing his hands on the children.
Again, the proof of the biblical validity of baptism both for believers and their children belong to the whole testimony of scripture. Certainly here Jesus is not baptizing children or anyone else. In fact Jesus never baptized anyone in the Bible. Secondly, the use of baptism as a sign of belonging to Christ was used after his resurrection and ascension (Matt. 28:18-20).
What this passage clearly shows is the same attitude toward children that God reveals in the Old Testament. God knows our children even before birth and claims them. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.” Ps. 139:13
Children of believers were always included in the covenantal blessings of God (Acts 2:39). The children of Israel were not considered pagans until they reached some mysterious age of accountability. What an unbiblical thought that somehow children are not accountable for their sin. They come out of the womb as rebellious sinners, telling lies, the Psalmist tells us (Psalm 58:3). By nature they are all “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3), not a sweet Precious Moment kind of picture we imagine, even though they bear the indelible mark of God’s image.
To believe that baptism as a New Testament sign of God’s forgiveness and new life only belongs to those who exercise a professed belief, is to introduce something new and out of character with the whole Bible.
John Calvin was right when he said that the only difference between circumcision of the Old Testament Church and the baptism of the Church under Jesus Christ is only in the externals.
It is true that we have no command in the New Testament to baptize children of believing parents. But, the burden of proof does not lie on those who believe Scripture teaches us to do so. The burden of proving otherwise falls on those who say, “Now God acts differently and the sign of God’s covenantal family belongs only to adults or to those who can sufficiently make the appropriate response of faith”.
John Calvin asked these questions to those who would deny baptism to little children:
“If it is right that children should be brought to Christ, why should they not be admitted to baptism, the symbol of our communion and fellowship with Christ? If the kingdom of heaven is theirs, why should they be denied the sign by which access, as it were, is opened to the Church, that being admitted into it they may be enrolled among the heirs of the heavenly kingdom?” (Commentary on Mark)
We must ask, “What does baptism represent?” And we must ask what makes baptism effective?
Children of the Covenant
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Mark 10: 13-15
Children are a wonderful blessing, not only to families, but to churches as well. It is a great joy to see in our church a nursery that is full. An empty nursery in a church is a sure sign that the church has no longer the same attitude toward children that Jesus had, when he welcomed little children and said, of such is the kingdom of God. The Bible clearly teaches that children are a precious gift from God.
PR 17:6 Children's children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
Secondly, it is the God appointed responsibility of parents to teach their children God’s commands and to lead them to the knowledge of His grace revealed in the glorious gospel. This faith is always expressed and nurtured in the context of a believing community – the covenant people of God, called the Church.
DT 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
PS 78:6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
The Bible views children with infinite value and not as something to shut away until they can be more responsible or contribute to society. God gives us many promises that our faith and God’s blessings run through families to effect future generations. Righteousness gives a wonderful legacy to our children and grandchildren. Something we would want to pass along. But, we know that none are righteous and that it is Christ’s perfect righteousness found in faith alone that we desire to be passed to our children.
PS 103:17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children--
So, does this mean we should wait until our children have faith before we welcome them into God’s family? One Puritan stalwart answers this in saying, “But Christ never meant to say that the kingdom of heaven was only for the immaculate and stainless. If converted men receive it, in spite of many a haunting appetite and recurring lust, then the frailties of our babes shall not forbid us to believe the blessed assurance that the kingdom is also theirs” (Chadwick).
Do Not Hinder Children from Coming to Christ
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Vs. 14
The question about this passage is whether it gives us any indication that the Bible sanctions the baptism of infants. Objections concerning this passage not having anything to do with baptism, point to the fact that Jesus did not baptize these children, nor was there any reference to water. This was a simple blessing and Christ was placing his hands on the children.
Again, the proof of the biblical validity of baptism both for believers and their children belong to the whole testimony of scripture. Certainly here Jesus is not baptizing children or anyone else. In fact Jesus never baptized anyone in the Bible. Secondly, the use of baptism as a sign of belonging to Christ was used after his resurrection and ascension (Matt. 28:18-20).
What this passage clearly shows is the same attitude toward children that God reveals in the Old Testament. God knows our children even before birth and claims them. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.” Ps. 139:13
Children of believers were always included in the covenantal blessings of God (Acts 2:39). The children of Israel were not considered pagans until they reached some mysterious age of accountability. What an unbiblical thought that somehow children are not accountable for their sin. They come out of the womb as rebellious sinners, telling lies, the Psalmist tells us (Psalm 58:3). By nature they are all “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3), not a sweet Precious Moment kind of picture we imagine, even though they bear the indelible mark of God’s image.
To believe that baptism as a New Testament sign of God’s forgiveness and new life only belongs to those who exercise a professed belief, is to introduce something new and out of character with the whole Bible.
John Calvin was right when he said that the only difference between circumcision of the Old Testament Church and the baptism of the Church under Jesus Christ is only in the externals.
It is true that we have no command in the New Testament to baptize children of believing parents. But, the burden of proof does not lie on those who believe Scripture teaches us to do so. The burden of proving otherwise falls on those who say, “Now God acts differently and the sign of God’s covenantal family belongs only to adults or to those who can sufficiently make the appropriate response of faith”.
John Calvin asked these questions to those who would deny baptism to little children:
“If it is right that children should be brought to Christ, why should they not be admitted to baptism, the symbol of our communion and fellowship with Christ? If the kingdom of heaven is theirs, why should they be denied the sign by which access, as it were, is opened to the Church, that being admitted into it they may be enrolled among the heirs of the heavenly kingdom?” (Commentary on Mark)
We must ask, “What does baptism represent?” And we must ask what makes baptism effective?
Monday, November 22, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Why I need Grace and not Free Will
For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 6:14
The biggest difference in most theologies and understandings about God is how one understands human freedom and divine grace. It is because of my own need for grace and my sense of the power of sin in my life that I find Calvin to win this debate every time. Calvin was indebted to Augustine and Augustine was indebted to Paul.
“He who is a slave to sin is free to sin” said St. Augustine. No one holds a gun to our heads and forces us to do wrong things. We choose them freely. And we do them because they hold an attraction to us. “Take away the love of sinning”, says the old hymn. We love it because it is our nature to do so.
Pop singer Tom Petty put this irony of human freedom, several years ago in his song, “Free Fallin”. It reflects the idea that sin has the “feeling” of being free. The problem however, is that a person who jumps off a tall building to assert their freedom suddenly submits themselves to a greater law, the law of physics, which says objects fall with increasing speed to the ground. Such freedom is short-lived.
She's a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus and America too
She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis
Loves horses and her boyfriend too
It's a long day living in Reseda
There's a freeway runnin' through the yard
And I'm a bad boy cause I don't even miss her
I'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart
And I'm free, free fallin'
Yeah I'm free, free fallin'
This is why we call the original sin of Adam and Eve as “the Fall”, because as a race we have been falling ever since. What appears to be freedom, or looks so innocent – “just a little sin”, is in reality another jump into a greater bondage, from which there is no escape. C.S. Lewis helps us to see how the Fall is relived in each of our lives on a daily basis.
“From the moment a creature becomes aware of God as God and of itself as self, the terrible alternative of choosing God or self for the centre is opened to it. This sin is committed daily….it is the fall in every individual life, and in each day of each individual life, the basic sin behind all particular sins: at this very moment you and I are either committing it, or about to commit it, or repenting it.” (The Problem of Pain.)
It is why on a moment to moment basis, I need to trust in the mercy of God and the grace He gives me in Christ Jesus. I am a bad boy, who needs grace in the form of Christ’s righteousness given to me freely. Falling into Christ is true freedom.
The biggest difference in most theologies and understandings about God is how one understands human freedom and divine grace. It is because of my own need for grace and my sense of the power of sin in my life that I find Calvin to win this debate every time. Calvin was indebted to Augustine and Augustine was indebted to Paul.
“He who is a slave to sin is free to sin” said St. Augustine. No one holds a gun to our heads and forces us to do wrong things. We choose them freely. And we do them because they hold an attraction to us. “Take away the love of sinning”, says the old hymn. We love it because it is our nature to do so.
Pop singer Tom Petty put this irony of human freedom, several years ago in his song, “Free Fallin”. It reflects the idea that sin has the “feeling” of being free. The problem however, is that a person who jumps off a tall building to assert their freedom suddenly submits themselves to a greater law, the law of physics, which says objects fall with increasing speed to the ground. Such freedom is short-lived.
She's a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus and America too
She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis
Loves horses and her boyfriend too
It's a long day living in Reseda
There's a freeway runnin' through the yard
And I'm a bad boy cause I don't even miss her
I'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart
And I'm free, free fallin'
Yeah I'm free, free fallin'
This is why we call the original sin of Adam and Eve as “the Fall”, because as a race we have been falling ever since. What appears to be freedom, or looks so innocent – “just a little sin”, is in reality another jump into a greater bondage, from which there is no escape. C.S. Lewis helps us to see how the Fall is relived in each of our lives on a daily basis.
“From the moment a creature becomes aware of God as God and of itself as self, the terrible alternative of choosing God or self for the centre is opened to it. This sin is committed daily….it is the fall in every individual life, and in each day of each individual life, the basic sin behind all particular sins: at this very moment you and I are either committing it, or about to commit it, or repenting it.” (The Problem of Pain.)
It is why on a moment to moment basis, I need to trust in the mercy of God and the grace He gives me in Christ Jesus. I am a bad boy, who needs grace in the form of Christ’s righteousness given to me freely. Falling into Christ is true freedom.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Presbyterians in Politics
Proverbs 24:21-22 (ESV)
My son, fear the Lord and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
for disaster from them will rise suddenly,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?
1 Tim. 2:1-2 (ESV)
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
For Christians, the Bible is clear that we ought to show respect to those in authority and to pray for our governmental leaders. This is true no matter what country we live in or what kind of leader we have. The advice from Solomon was to “fear the Lord and the king,” because we are called to be a people who live under authority and to recognize authority comes from God. Even in the New Testament, with the church living in a climate of persecution, the Apostle Paul admonishes believers to pray for their political leaders.
We are not given the option from Scriptures to check out of the responsibilities of citizenship, even though we recognize our final loyalty is in another King and another country. Christians in the tradition of the Reformed faith have taken this responsibility with utmost seriousness. John Calvin wrote his magisterially work of theology, the Christian Institutes of Religion as a defense of the movement’s legitimacy under the rule of King Francis I of France. Calvin’s preface is a letter addressed to the king. He wrote this, “The characteristic of a true sovereign is, to acknowledge that, in the administration of his kingdom, he is a minister of God. He who does not make his reign subservient to the divine glory, acts the part not of a king, but a robber.” His concern that the government of Geneva under the leadership of Protestant Reformers was not perceived as a heretical, rag-tag bunch of anarchists or revolutionaries bespeaks his view of government. The Reformers had their problem with a corrupt Church and an errant Pope who had left the true faith of the Bible, not with a legitimate king.
Our nation’s founding bears a direct line to this moral and theological understanding. Samuel Rutherford’s work on the problem of absolute monarchy in his explosive book Lex Rex, influenced the best of the legal minds of our early founders from the English jurist William Blackstone to John Witherspoon: the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence, and a Presbyterian. Samuel Rutherford was one of the commissioners of the Westminster Assembly in England. James Madison studied under Witherspoon at Princeton and with his Calvinist imprint was a principal author of the Constitution.
This tradition of the Reformed faith continued through our nation’s history. Consider that 10 of our Presidents have been Presbyterian or members of the Reformed Church. Some were:
John Q. Adams – a trustee at New York Ave. Presbyterian Church.
Martin Van Buren – from the Dutch Reformed Church and antislavery campaigner.
James Buchanan- eventually joined New York Avenue Presbyterian, after an initial probation, since he had moderate views on slavery.
Benjamin Harrison – A Presbyterian deacon, elder and S.S. teacher.
Theodore Roosevelt – Dutch Reformed Church.
Woodrow Wilson - One historian noted, “No one in the history of the White House could equal his master of the Bible, nor could anyone surpass his knowledge of theology.” His father and grandfather were Presbyterian ministers, and he left the presidency of Princeton University to lead our nation during the tumultuous times of the First World War. Notwithstanding all this, he was a progressive in his ideology.
Dwight Eisenhower – baptized into a Presbyterian church after being sworn into office. Attended National Presbyterian Church – got serious about faith in public life and during his time the motto “In God we trust” was imprinted on our currency.
Ronald Reagan – a member of Bel Air Presbyterian Church in California and the last U.S. president to be a Presbyterian (although not a regular attendee).
We also cannot forget Abraham Lincoln, who never officially joined any church and disavowed himself of organized religion did attend services at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in D.C. His wife, Mary Todd appeared to be a faithful Presbyterian.
So, if you add up the numbers of both Presbyterian and Reformed Presidents they outnumber any other denomination, with the Episcopalians coming in second at nine. A recent poll (now a year old) showed that our Congress had 9.7 Presbyterians compared to the national average of 1.7 who claim some type of Presbyterian membership. This is not to say these numbers show a large percentage of faithful believers at work in our government, but merely points out that our heritage has had a lasting influence in the way we think about our civil responsibilities. We ought to be about fearing God and honoring our leaders.
My son, fear the Lord and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
for disaster from them will rise suddenly,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?
1 Tim. 2:1-2 (ESV)
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
For Christians, the Bible is clear that we ought to show respect to those in authority and to pray for our governmental leaders. This is true no matter what country we live in or what kind of leader we have. The advice from Solomon was to “fear the Lord and the king,” because we are called to be a people who live under authority and to recognize authority comes from God. Even in the New Testament, with the church living in a climate of persecution, the Apostle Paul admonishes believers to pray for their political leaders.
We are not given the option from Scriptures to check out of the responsibilities of citizenship, even though we recognize our final loyalty is in another King and another country. Christians in the tradition of the Reformed faith have taken this responsibility with utmost seriousness. John Calvin wrote his magisterially work of theology, the Christian Institutes of Religion as a defense of the movement’s legitimacy under the rule of King Francis I of France. Calvin’s preface is a letter addressed to the king. He wrote this, “The characteristic of a true sovereign is, to acknowledge that, in the administration of his kingdom, he is a minister of God. He who does not make his reign subservient to the divine glory, acts the part not of a king, but a robber.” His concern that the government of Geneva under the leadership of Protestant Reformers was not perceived as a heretical, rag-tag bunch of anarchists or revolutionaries bespeaks his view of government. The Reformers had their problem with a corrupt Church and an errant Pope who had left the true faith of the Bible, not with a legitimate king.
Our nation’s founding bears a direct line to this moral and theological understanding. Samuel Rutherford’s work on the problem of absolute monarchy in his explosive book Lex Rex, influenced the best of the legal minds of our early founders from the English jurist William Blackstone to John Witherspoon: the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence, and a Presbyterian. Samuel Rutherford was one of the commissioners of the Westminster Assembly in England. James Madison studied under Witherspoon at Princeton and with his Calvinist imprint was a principal author of the Constitution.
This tradition of the Reformed faith continued through our nation’s history. Consider that 10 of our Presidents have been Presbyterian or members of the Reformed Church. Some were:
John Q. Adams – a trustee at New York Ave. Presbyterian Church.
Martin Van Buren – from the Dutch Reformed Church and antislavery campaigner.
James Buchanan- eventually joined New York Avenue Presbyterian, after an initial probation, since he had moderate views on slavery.
Benjamin Harrison – A Presbyterian deacon, elder and S.S. teacher.
Theodore Roosevelt – Dutch Reformed Church.
Woodrow Wilson - One historian noted, “No one in the history of the White House could equal his master of the Bible, nor could anyone surpass his knowledge of theology.” His father and grandfather were Presbyterian ministers, and he left the presidency of Princeton University to lead our nation during the tumultuous times of the First World War. Notwithstanding all this, he was a progressive in his ideology.
Dwight Eisenhower – baptized into a Presbyterian church after being sworn into office. Attended National Presbyterian Church – got serious about faith in public life and during his time the motto “In God we trust” was imprinted on our currency.
Ronald Reagan – a member of Bel Air Presbyterian Church in California and the last U.S. president to be a Presbyterian (although not a regular attendee).
We also cannot forget Abraham Lincoln, who never officially joined any church and disavowed himself of organized religion did attend services at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in D.C. His wife, Mary Todd appeared to be a faithful Presbyterian.
So, if you add up the numbers of both Presbyterian and Reformed Presidents they outnumber any other denomination, with the Episcopalians coming in second at nine. A recent poll (now a year old) showed that our Congress had 9.7 Presbyterians compared to the national average of 1.7 who claim some type of Presbyterian membership. This is not to say these numbers show a large percentage of faithful believers at work in our government, but merely points out that our heritage has had a lasting influence in the way we think about our civil responsibilities. We ought to be about fearing God and honoring our leaders.
Monday, October 25, 2010
2010 Mission Emphasis Week
“Declare his glory among the nations…” 1 Chron. 16:24
Sunday, Oct. 24 –Military Ministry International
9:30 am - Sunday School
10:30 am – Morning Worship – Rev. Hudson
5:00 pm - Evening Worship – Rev. Hudson
Doug leads Ministry to the Military International, which is planting PCA churches near bases around the world through our Presbytery.
Wednesday, Oct. 27th - Africa
5:30 pm – International Dinner (covered-dish) 6:30 pm - Matt Chancey
Matt Chancey serves on the board of Persecution Project, and has recently returned from Africa.
Friday, Oct. 29 - Mission Movie Night
This is a family night out with popcorn, pizza and must see movie about missions. Fellowship Hall at 6 pm.
Sunday, Oct. 31 – Latin America Focus
9:30 am – Wallace & Barbara Pouncy
10:30 am - Morning Worship – Rev. Baucum
5:00 pm - Evening Worship – Rev. Andres Garza
The Pouncys worked with New Tribes Missions in Bolivia and Latin America. They will share stories of their early work.
Andres Garza and the Northern Mexico Team with MTW will be sharing the vision of taking the Gospel to Monterrey and other key cities.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
True Worship or Baal Worship?
“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.” Ecc.5:1
God centered worship is aimed at the satisfaction of God – the One to whom all worship is due. Man centered worship is aimed at the satisfaction of the worshipper.
In the Bible we find that Canaanite worship of Baal was extremely engaging of the passions and the emotions so that the individual would always come away with a satisfying experience. Today, our culture defines worship according to the old pattern of the Canaanites. Baal worship is making a comeback under the new guise of freedom.
What is true worship? Biblical worship engages the whole person, heart, mind and body in a God-mandated, God-directed form for the corporate display of praise and satisfaction of our Triune God who is revealed as the Father who loves us, the Son who died for us, and the Spirit who fills us.
Weekly corporate worship of the called out ones (the church) is not optional, but the mark and vital sign of true authentic faith. We can no more absent ourselves from worship than we can cut off the vital beating of our heart or refrain from breathing. “You are not our own, you have been bought at a price…” (1 Cor. 6:19). Daily communion with God is always the daily supplement to the weekly essential sustenance of our souls.
God centered worship is aimed at the satisfaction of God – the One to whom all worship is due. Man centered worship is aimed at the satisfaction of the worshipper.
In the Bible we find that Canaanite worship of Baal was extremely engaging of the passions and the emotions so that the individual would always come away with a satisfying experience. Today, our culture defines worship according to the old pattern of the Canaanites. Baal worship is making a comeback under the new guise of freedom.
What is true worship? Biblical worship engages the whole person, heart, mind and body in a God-mandated, God-directed form for the corporate display of praise and satisfaction of our Triune God who is revealed as the Father who loves us, the Son who died for us, and the Spirit who fills us.
Weekly corporate worship of the called out ones (the church) is not optional, but the mark and vital sign of true authentic faith. We can no more absent ourselves from worship than we can cut off the vital beating of our heart or refrain from breathing. “You are not our own, you have been bought at a price…” (1 Cor. 6:19). Daily communion with God is always the daily supplement to the weekly essential sustenance of our souls.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Church Fathers and Calvin on Marriage
Chrysostom
“How, one may say, is there to be love when there is respect? Love is most powerfully present when accompanied by respect. For what she loves she also reveres, and what she reveres she also loves. She reveres him as the head and loves him as a member of the whole body. God’s purpose in ordering marriage is peace. One takes the husband’s role, one takes the wife’s role, one is guiding, one in supporting. If both had the very same roles, there would be no peace. The house is not rightly governed when all have precisely the same roles. There must be a differentiation of roles under a single head. (Homily on Ephesians: 5:33)
The Grace of Oneness
Tertullian
“What kind of yoke is that of two believers who share one hope, one desire, one discipline, one service? They enjoy kinship in spirit and in flesh. The are mutual servants with no discrepancy of interests. Truly they are ‘two in one flesh.’ Where the flesh is one, the spirit is one as well. Together they pray, together bow down, together perform their fasts, mutually teaching, mutually entreating, mutually upholding. In the church of God they hold an equal place. They stand equally at the banquet of God, equally in crises, equally facing persecutions, and equally in refreshments. Neither neglects the other. Neither is troublesome to the other.” (To His Wife 2.8, pg. 135 – Mark Commentary)
Calvin –
As Christ rules over his church for her salvation, so nothing yields more advantage or comfort to the wife than to be subject to her husband. To refuse that subjection, by means of which they might be saved, is to choose destruction. Eph. 5:22 – Commentary
Marriage was appointed by God on the condition that the two should be one flesh; and that this unity may be the more sacred, he again recommends it to our notice by the consideration of Christ and his church. …
Between a man and his wife there is a far closer relation; for they not only are united by a resemblance of nature, but by the bond of marriage have become one man. Whoever considers seriously the design of marriage cannot but love his wife.
(5:28)
“How, one may say, is there to be love when there is respect? Love is most powerfully present when accompanied by respect. For what she loves she also reveres, and what she reveres she also loves. She reveres him as the head and loves him as a member of the whole body. God’s purpose in ordering marriage is peace. One takes the husband’s role, one takes the wife’s role, one is guiding, one in supporting. If both had the very same roles, there would be no peace. The house is not rightly governed when all have precisely the same roles. There must be a differentiation of roles under a single head. (Homily on Ephesians: 5:33)
The Grace of Oneness
Tertullian
“What kind of yoke is that of two believers who share one hope, one desire, one discipline, one service? They enjoy kinship in spirit and in flesh. The are mutual servants with no discrepancy of interests. Truly they are ‘two in one flesh.’ Where the flesh is one, the spirit is one as well. Together they pray, together bow down, together perform their fasts, mutually teaching, mutually entreating, mutually upholding. In the church of God they hold an equal place. They stand equally at the banquet of God, equally in crises, equally facing persecutions, and equally in refreshments. Neither neglects the other. Neither is troublesome to the other.” (To His Wife 2.8, pg. 135 – Mark Commentary)
Calvin –
As Christ rules over his church for her salvation, so nothing yields more advantage or comfort to the wife than to be subject to her husband. To refuse that subjection, by means of which they might be saved, is to choose destruction. Eph. 5:22 – Commentary
Marriage was appointed by God on the condition that the two should be one flesh; and that this unity may be the more sacred, he again recommends it to our notice by the consideration of Christ and his church. …
Between a man and his wife there is a far closer relation; for they not only are united by a resemblance of nature, but by the bond of marriage have become one man. Whoever considers seriously the design of marriage cannot but love his wife.
(5:28)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
“A man who admits no guilt can accept no forgiveness” C.S. Lewis
“Nothing less than the Cross could have persuaded men that God does blot out their sin.” H.R. Mackintosh, Scottish theologian
“The Forgiveness of sins consists in this, that a man, notwithstanding his real guilt, is treated as if he had not sinned, or in other words, goes free from punishment.” George Smeaton, Scottish theologian
This petition of the Lord’s Prayer is the basis on which prayer is possible. Prayer implies a relationship with the God called Father, by those who through mercy have been made His children. It is the forgiveness of sins, which opens up the great relationship that unites what was broken by sin.
Sin in its most devastating destruction resulted in the broken relation of God and Man. Nothing is more descriptive of sin’s power than being cast out of the presence of God – which is what happened when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden.
Secondly, the reality of sin is always experienced in every heart by the presence of guilt. There are certainly degrees of what is called psychological or conscious guilt - but Moral guilt is that true sense in which all of us as sinners – rebellious law breakers possess.
The word debt is an economic term, and the Bible uses it to describe the reality of our guilt before a holy God. We are in debt spiritually before God. But, this does not mean God is simply keeping a ledger in heaven of our every sin. And that this is what is forgiven in our redemption through Christ.
The truth is that our sins are far greater than the sum of our rebellion and sin. What makes God’s forgiveness so marvelous and so astounding is that our debt is not just great – it is infinite. Our sins have been committed against an infinite holy God and nothing but infinite love can forgive them. This is why forgiveness cannot be understood apart from the Cross, because in the blood atonement of the perfect God/man, God the Father dealt with sin in a definitive and final way.
When we ask God to forgive us our debts, it is always predicated on the knowledge that God took infinite grace and satisfied divine justice by exchanging our sin for Christ’s righteousness.
This must be understood as the root and cause of our forgiveness – that we are justified –counted as righteous because of the Cross of Christ. 2 Cor. 5:21 (ESV)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
It is extremely important to understand the personal and relational application of the Atonement. Being justified, means we can have the experience of forgiveness. To put it another way, forgiveness is the experiential side of Justification.
To be forgiven is to know that an infinite debt was wiped out, by an infinite cost, through an infinite grace.
This realization and experience makes us instruments of forgiveness in being mirrors to others of reconciling love. As C. S. Lewis so aptly put, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
(the picture is a indulgence sold to cancel out sin by a medieval church)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Starting the Day
Over the years, I have received various questions about how I go about devotions or the order of my day, especially as it relates to being a pastor. Spending time with God in solitude and the Word is a high priority for the pastor and indeed for every believer. It is the source of power and personal holiness that is simply indispensible for daily living. Yet, daily communion with God is a struggle. I would not be honest if I did not admit that it is something that goes against the natural grain of our hearts. We are prone to being lazy and putting things off, even when we know them to be good and beneficial. Paul likened our spiritual growth to physical exercise, which by the way is something also struggle with and by analogy we find ourselves rather flabby and out of breath when it comes to physical exertion. Our souls need daily exercise if we would want to run and walk with Christ in true fellowship.
There is a great benefit given to pastors who are called in their vocation to spend time in prayer and the Word as a part of their daily work. Something that is neglected by many and often forgotten by church members is that ministers of the Gospel are not busy “shop keepers” maintaining the life of the church, but men who seek to be holy, finding in Christ the resources to bring the healing power of God’s Word to the people he is called to serve. There is too much work that needs to be done, too many people to minister to, and meetings to attend, to neglect the very heart of ministry.
About 15 years ago, the Lord impressed upon me the need to prioritize this truth in my life through daily solitude and prayer in the morning. I began to make it my practice to spend about 1 hour in prayer and Bible reading in the mornings. It was the outworking of a spiritual renewal that radically changed my idea of ministry. At first these morning prayer times were eagerly begun and one hour would turn to two in the sweet fellowship with God. Later, I found that even when I did not feel like opening the Bible, or that other things seemed too pressing, I committed to making this morning routine a priority, regardless of feelings. I felt a greater need to “be with God, before I could be with people.”
Here’s what I do just to give you a glimpse into a day of the life of your pastor (as it begins).
I typically get up around 5:30 am. I want the house to be quiet.
1. The Bible before Breakfast. Several years ago I heard Richard Bewes (John Stott’s successor)say this was his motto for morning devotions. I took it as my own and find that spending time with God before I eat something makes me put into practice the truth that “man does not live by bread alone, but by the Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” I do however make a cup of tea and then open the Scriptures.
2. I usually use a Bible Reading plan or a book at a time. I read the Bible devotionally, that is, I spend time lingering on certain passages, re-reading them, and meditating on it and praying them. The point is to let the Bible speak so that one hears God speaking a needful and appropriate word. This will often lead to further study in a more formal way during the day or I mark it for later study. Too often, people jump into the “find the point of doctrine to discuss or debate” mode rather than tasting the sweetness of the honeycomb and finding personal refreshment. I love doctrine and theology, but I make notes on what to delve into later. I often find sermon material during the time I spend in the Word in the morning, after it has stirred in my heart for months. For example, I spent devotional time in John’s Gospel over a year ago, meditating and praying through it before it became a sermon series this year. When I preach the text on Sunday mornings, it first resonated in my heart months ago.
3. Don’t rush Bible Reading. David knew the importance of meditating upon God’s Word. It is a neglected practice today. Put this first – your time in the Bible and then proceed with a devotional book or something like “Table Talk”. Start with 15 minutes and then build on this.
4. My devotional helps come in the form of Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening”, Andrew Murray’s books, or sermons by Robert McCheynne. Prayer books like “The Valley of Vision” or the Book of Common Prayer aid me in priming the pump for personal prayer.
5. I follow my Bible time with prayer. I use a prayer list that I keep in the Bible. This helps me to remember people I’ve told I would be praying for and those I’ve added on my list over the years. I group it in areas like, family- Mary and the girls; extended family, praying for the lost and then personal intercession for church members, missionaries and so on.
An hour will go quickly and often runs into 2 hours. I don’t say this to boast, but to be descriptive of something that I find essential to my ministry. When I arrive at my office in the church, then my duties of the day take over and ministry is busy at times. But, the day began in quiet and solitude with the Father and it makes my ministry the rest of the day possible.
There is a great benefit given to pastors who are called in their vocation to spend time in prayer and the Word as a part of their daily work. Something that is neglected by many and often forgotten by church members is that ministers of the Gospel are not busy “shop keepers” maintaining the life of the church, but men who seek to be holy, finding in Christ the resources to bring the healing power of God’s Word to the people he is called to serve. There is too much work that needs to be done, too many people to minister to, and meetings to attend, to neglect the very heart of ministry.
About 15 years ago, the Lord impressed upon me the need to prioritize this truth in my life through daily solitude and prayer in the morning. I began to make it my practice to spend about 1 hour in prayer and Bible reading in the mornings. It was the outworking of a spiritual renewal that radically changed my idea of ministry. At first these morning prayer times were eagerly begun and one hour would turn to two in the sweet fellowship with God. Later, I found that even when I did not feel like opening the Bible, or that other things seemed too pressing, I committed to making this morning routine a priority, regardless of feelings. I felt a greater need to “be with God, before I could be with people.”
Here’s what I do just to give you a glimpse into a day of the life of your pastor (as it begins).
I typically get up around 5:30 am. I want the house to be quiet.
1. The Bible before Breakfast. Several years ago I heard Richard Bewes (John Stott’s successor)say this was his motto for morning devotions. I took it as my own and find that spending time with God before I eat something makes me put into practice the truth that “man does not live by bread alone, but by the Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” I do however make a cup of tea and then open the Scriptures.
2. I usually use a Bible Reading plan or a book at a time. I read the Bible devotionally, that is, I spend time lingering on certain passages, re-reading them, and meditating on it and praying them. The point is to let the Bible speak so that one hears God speaking a needful and appropriate word. This will often lead to further study in a more formal way during the day or I mark it for later study. Too often, people jump into the “find the point of doctrine to discuss or debate” mode rather than tasting the sweetness of the honeycomb and finding personal refreshment. I love doctrine and theology, but I make notes on what to delve into later. I often find sermon material during the time I spend in the Word in the morning, after it has stirred in my heart for months. For example, I spent devotional time in John’s Gospel over a year ago, meditating and praying through it before it became a sermon series this year. When I preach the text on Sunday mornings, it first resonated in my heart months ago.
3. Don’t rush Bible Reading. David knew the importance of meditating upon God’s Word. It is a neglected practice today. Put this first – your time in the Bible and then proceed with a devotional book or something like “Table Talk”. Start with 15 minutes and then build on this.
4. My devotional helps come in the form of Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening”, Andrew Murray’s books, or sermons by Robert McCheynne. Prayer books like “The Valley of Vision” or the Book of Common Prayer aid me in priming the pump for personal prayer.
5. I follow my Bible time with prayer. I use a prayer list that I keep in the Bible. This helps me to remember people I’ve told I would be praying for and those I’ve added on my list over the years. I group it in areas like, family- Mary and the girls; extended family, praying for the lost and then personal intercession for church members, missionaries and so on.
An hour will go quickly and often runs into 2 hours. I don’t say this to boast, but to be descriptive of something that I find essential to my ministry. When I arrive at my office in the church, then my duties of the day take over and ministry is busy at times. But, the day began in quiet and solitude with the Father and it makes my ministry the rest of the day possible.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
When the East Speaks to the West
A clear voice from the Eastern Orthodox Church came to the General Assembly of the PCUSA recently. Archpriest Siarhei Hardun of the Orthodox Church in Belarus was invited to speak as an ecumenical delegate. Words that all Americans should ponder, (even with the little barb towards those of us in the Reformed camp).
Fr. Hardun said: “I represent here the Orthodox Church of Christ – the church that has an unbroken, unchanged, and unreformed tradition. And our theology has never been changed or reformed for almost 2000 years.” Then he said: “Christian morality is as old as Christianity itself. It doesn’t need to be invented now. Those attempts to invent new morality look to me like attempts to invent a new religion – a sort of modern paganism.” Then he followed with these words: “When people say that they are led and guided by the Holy Spirit to do it, I wonder if it is the same Spirit that inspired the Bible, if it is the same Holy Spirit that inspired the Holy Orthodox Church not to change any doctrinal or moral standards. Is it really the same Spirit? Or perhaps there are different spirits acting in different denominations and inspiring them to develop in different directions and create different theologies and different morals.” Fr. Hardun concluded with these words: “My desire is that all Christians should contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints, as St. Jude calls us to do. And my advice as an ecumenical delegate is the following: ‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.’ Yes, the words of St. Paul.”
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Sabbath Day - the Lord's Day
In the Old Testament, violating the Sabbath day was a capital offense. Evidently, God took honoring His day very seriously. Aren’t we glad to be under grace and to know that Law has been satisfied by the offering of Christ’s righteousness for us sinners? I know I am. But, we also recognize that the “Big Ten” still apply to us. The Ten Commandments reflect God’s unchanging moral character and still shape the heart and intention of those under grace in the new covenant. It means God still takes his “Day” seriously. The reason is because the people he bought at a price have been given a great gift. The Lord’s Day is a gift and a respite in a crazy world and insane schedule. Missing it and neglecting it is in effect killing us. Consider the following quote from a retired Presbyterian missionary in his book, The Day God Made (new in our library).
“No nation has been permanently blessed and prospered that has disregarded the Fourth Commandment. In 1944 Prof. John Murray of Westminster Seminary preached a sermon, later judged one of the best preached that year, entitled ‘God and the War’. His text was: ‘When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness’ (Isa. 26:9b[KJV]). Murray said that, evil as the Hitler regime was, the war was also a judgment on the Allied powers, America included. He cited some of the sins for which America was being judged, among them the neglect of the Sabbath Day. Then the preacher made the amazing statement, ‘One well-kept Sabbath would end this war.’
“What can one person, one family, one church do? We can begin with the law of love and spare the Sabbath to other people so that they may have the freedom to enjoy this gift of God. If they do not make use of the Day as God intended, that is upon their own consciences, but if you or I take from them the precious privilege of meditating upon God and resting in His good providence on that Day, we shall answer for that to Him who is the Lord of the Sabbath.” (The Day God Made, by Glen Knecht, pg. 57-58).
Friday, July 9, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Links of Commentary on the GA
The two links below are different commentaries/perspectives on what happened at the G.A. of the PCA in Nashville, last week. They are there to stimulate thinking about some of the controversy and do not necessarily reflect my views. Just so you know.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Back from the Cumberland Frontier
The PCA General Assembly is over and we are back in Alabama. I need to reflect some more on all that transpired at this Assembly. In my humble opinion, some of it good and some bad. In the 19th Century, the fastest growing Presbyterian body of believers, broke away from the Presbyterian Church to form the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. At the time they were the most evangelistic, inclusive, and cultural relevant Presbyterians around. They flourished in the revivalistic frontier of Tennessee and later throughout the West. They are now very liberal,sidelined and gospel-less.
History can teach us. May the Lord grant us a vision of Gospel faithful ministry that keeps the balance between piety and doctrine.
History can teach us. May the Lord grant us a vision of Gospel faithful ministry that keeps the balance between piety and doctrine.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
New Moderator in the PCA
Last night was the start of the 38th PCA General Assembly and it was a glorious night. The worship was one of the best, with about 6,000 voices singing praise and being led to the throne of Christ's majesty with Gregory Wilbur and Nathan Clark George and a great choir. This was a model of historic, yet vibrant Presbyterian worship. The centrality of the Word and the primacy of the Gospel was powerfully demonstated in the preaching of Mark Davis of Park Cities P.C. of Dallas. I was challanged and encouraged, greatly.
Several old friends around. Lots of reading to do and meetings to attend.
Several old friends around. Lots of reading to do and meetings to attend.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Does Beck speak for Biblical-minded Christians?
The Commencement speaker for Liberty University, the self-acclaimed largest Evangelical University in the world, was TV political commentator, Glenn Beck. It should surprise no one that Liberty would choose an outspoken champion of conservatism at their school. It is in one sense a good thing that there is at least one large high profile school that would dare to risk such a controversial figure. In an era of progressive tolerance, the only thing liberals will not tolerate is a view that does not agree with them. This is not my beef. The picking of commencement speakers is a pretty much a game of politics – finding name recognition without expecting substantial wisdom. As a graduate of Liberty, I care more about the need to “conserve” the faith of the Bible, than the tenets of political conservatism. There is a world of difference between the two. What is the faith of Glenn Beck? Does he in fact speak for Christians committed to the Bible and the Supremacy of Jesus Christ? As a Mormon believer, he may agree with us on morality, but is there not a confusion of where our loyalties really lie?
On A Neglected Love
http://www.thirdmill.org/newfiles/tod_baucum/tod_baucum.Neglected.Love1.html
in case you missed this the first time.
in case you missed this the first time.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
A Prayer for Distressing Times
O LORD, be gracious to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress. Isa. 33:2
The nation of Judah had faced the onslaught of political bullying and acts of terrorism by the Assyrians. They lived under the threat of national survival, just as their northern brothers were toppled and exploited. But things were going from bad to worse. Isaiah’s prophetic ministry was constantly to remind God’s people of a coming kingdom – when nations would gather in Zion and the rivers of righteousness would fill the barren lands. Babylon and its great empire was yet to come and bring its terror, but this was not end of the matter. A righteous King will come to Zion. If, the book of Isaiah could be divided into two parts, then chapter 33 is right in the middle. Like the Bible, Isaiah has 66 books or chapters. So, smack in the center of this great book is a little prayer that is good for believers living in distressing times.
Fast forward many centuries and life is about the same. Distress and anxiety does not always come by way of sword and spear or earthly rulers. God’s people look forward the time when the righteous King will destroy all his enemies. We are reminded on every side of the struggles, the pain and the disappointments of this frail life. But, we can still sing the songs of Zion in a strange land. We pray realizing our dependence is not upon our outward security but upon the gracious deliverance of God. We pray with the certainty of being a redeemed people that our strength for living each day is found in Christ. It is a prayer for God to grant us the unmerited favor of his love for undeserving sinners. It means we acknowledge that our righteousness is not the basis of God’s goodness – it never is. Yes God desires obedience and blesses it, but never think we earn God’s blessings. At times we think our resources will be enough and that the strong arm of our abilities and talents are what will decide the day. This prayer understands that like small children we need the strong arm of a mighty Father to pick us up in life. Distress comes as a blessing in disguise, because it is then we run to the arms of our Father. “O Yahweh, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our arm of strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” Amen.
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress. Isa. 33:2
The nation of Judah had faced the onslaught of political bullying and acts of terrorism by the Assyrians. They lived under the threat of national survival, just as their northern brothers were toppled and exploited. But things were going from bad to worse. Isaiah’s prophetic ministry was constantly to remind God’s people of a coming kingdom – when nations would gather in Zion and the rivers of righteousness would fill the barren lands. Babylon and its great empire was yet to come and bring its terror, but this was not end of the matter. A righteous King will come to Zion. If, the book of Isaiah could be divided into two parts, then chapter 33 is right in the middle. Like the Bible, Isaiah has 66 books or chapters. So, smack in the center of this great book is a little prayer that is good for believers living in distressing times.
Fast forward many centuries and life is about the same. Distress and anxiety does not always come by way of sword and spear or earthly rulers. God’s people look forward the time when the righteous King will destroy all his enemies. We are reminded on every side of the struggles, the pain and the disappointments of this frail life. But, we can still sing the songs of Zion in a strange land. We pray realizing our dependence is not upon our outward security but upon the gracious deliverance of God. We pray with the certainty of being a redeemed people that our strength for living each day is found in Christ. It is a prayer for God to grant us the unmerited favor of his love for undeserving sinners. It means we acknowledge that our righteousness is not the basis of God’s goodness – it never is. Yes God desires obedience and blesses it, but never think we earn God’s blessings. At times we think our resources will be enough and that the strong arm of our abilities and talents are what will decide the day. This prayer understands that like small children we need the strong arm of a mighty Father to pick us up in life. Distress comes as a blessing in disguise, because it is then we run to the arms of our Father. “O Yahweh, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our arm of strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” Amen.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Augustine on Sonship Theology
God is the source of the new heart and Christian obedience
What does the putrid flesh of humanity have left to puff itself up with, and to refuse to glory in the Lord? Whatever it claims it has done to achieve virtue by its own effort, so that God must then reward it — against all such claims it shall be answered, it shall be exclaimed, it shall be contradicted, ‘I do it; but for My own holy name’s sake; I do not do it for your sakes, says the Lord God’ (Ezek.36:22). Nothing so overthrows the Pelagians when they say that the grace of God is given according to our virtues. (In fact, Pelagius himself condemned this view, although he did not embrace the correct one — he was just afraid of the Eastern judges.) Nothing so overthrows the arrogance of people who say, ‘We do it, that we may by our virtues establish a basis for God to work.’ It is not Pelagius that answers you, but the Lord Himself: ‘I do it, and not for your sakes, but for My own holy name’s sake.’ For what good can you do out of a heart that is not good? But in order that you may have a good heart, He says, ‘I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you’ (Ezek.36:26).
Can you say, ‘We will first walk in His righteousness, and will observe His judgments, and will act in a worthy way, so that He will give His grace to us’? But what good would you evil people d? And how would you do those good things, unless you were yourselves good? But Who causes people to be good? Only He Who said, ‘And I will visit them to make them good,’ and, ‘I will put my Spirit within you, and will cause you to walk in my righteousness, and to observe my judgments, and do them’ (Ezek.36:27). Are you asleep? Can’t you hear Him saying, ‘I will cause you to walk, I will make you to observe,’ lastly, ‘I will make you to do’? Really, are you still puffing yourselves up? We walk, true enough, and we observe, and we do; but it is God Who He makes us to walk, to observe, to do. This is the grace of God making us good; this is His mercy going before us.
Against Two Letters of the Pelagians, 4:15 (Thanks to Dr. Needham)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Books that Shaped Me
The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails--given by one Shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. Ecclesiastes 12:11
I decided to share such a list, not to say these are the best books, nor are they all the ones that continually resurface as books to reread, although one would be greatly rewarded to do so. Moreover, these particular books are ones that shaped me in my early years of theological development. After years of reading widely across the theological spectrum and the traditions of other denominations, I find a sense of gratitude for having had such a good start. These have been good bronze pegs driven in the ground to stabilize a windblown tent (Ex.27:19). Of course, this is a just a few.
Knowing God, J.I. Packer
I first read this while at Liberty in my college years. I still have my worn copy of this classic in Reformed theology, which I was able to use again as I sat under the teaching of Packer in my doctoral work 20 years later. That was a dream come true. The wisdom and theological insight of this book is needed more than ever in today’s anemic evangelicalism.
The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer
I was 17 years old when I picked up a copy of this book at a Baptist bookstore in Dallas. It introduced me to what it meant to be a follower of Christ and not just a believer who had “fire insurance.” This Lutheran drove a wedge into my small provincial world.
Foundations of the Christian Faith, by James Montgomery Boice
My first year at Liberty (distinctly Baptist) a professor of theology assigned two volumes of this series by the Presbyterian preacher who served many years at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. After reading this, I knew was a Calvinist. Thanks Dr. Beck.
C.S. Lewis – Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Problem of Pain
I have been greatly challenged and blessed by the many works of C.S. Lewis. He stands out from among the crowd as the greatest influence on me. He helped me and continues to help me see and think like a Christian about all kinds of issues.
Balanced Christianity, John Stott
Another evangelical Brit that has been among my favorites is John Stott, perhaps the greatest guardian of evangelical preaching in the 20th Century. His book on being a balanced Christian made me want to avoid the pitfalls of going to extremes in theological controversies, as well as practical matters.
Basic Christianity, John Stott
A concise and brief explanation of what it means to be a Christian. Very helpful to new believers.
The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, Jonathan Edwards
Brainerd was to be Jonathan Edwards’s son-in-law, but died of tuberculosis contracted while preaching to Indians in New England. He spent hours in prayer and gave himself body and soul, for the conversion of Native Americans. This book transformed William Carey and countless others in considering the missionary calling.
A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken
Vanauken was an atheist and English professor helped by C.S. Lewis, who then became a convinced Christian. Like Lewis, he lost his wife to cancer and wrote this book that tells the story of their young love while as pagans, then coming to Christ and the grief suffered in death, which Vanauken would discover was a “severe mercy”. I had the privilege of hearing him speak on a couple of occasions before his death.
Ephesians, Martyn Lloyd Jones
This Welch preacher and pastor of the Westminster Chapel in London until the early 1980’s had more of an influence on me and my preaching than I first realized as a young minister.
I decided to share such a list, not to say these are the best books, nor are they all the ones that continually resurface as books to reread, although one would be greatly rewarded to do so. Moreover, these particular books are ones that shaped me in my early years of theological development. After years of reading widely across the theological spectrum and the traditions of other denominations, I find a sense of gratitude for having had such a good start. These have been good bronze pegs driven in the ground to stabilize a windblown tent (Ex.27:19). Of course, this is a just a few.
Knowing God, J.I. Packer
I first read this while at Liberty in my college years. I still have my worn copy of this classic in Reformed theology, which I was able to use again as I sat under the teaching of Packer in my doctoral work 20 years later. That was a dream come true. The wisdom and theological insight of this book is needed more than ever in today’s anemic evangelicalism.
The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer
I was 17 years old when I picked up a copy of this book at a Baptist bookstore in Dallas. It introduced me to what it meant to be a follower of Christ and not just a believer who had “fire insurance.” This Lutheran drove a wedge into my small provincial world.
Foundations of the Christian Faith, by James Montgomery Boice
My first year at Liberty (distinctly Baptist) a professor of theology assigned two volumes of this series by the Presbyterian preacher who served many years at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. After reading this, I knew was a Calvinist. Thanks Dr. Beck.
C.S. Lewis – Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Problem of Pain
I have been greatly challenged and blessed by the many works of C.S. Lewis. He stands out from among the crowd as the greatest influence on me. He helped me and continues to help me see and think like a Christian about all kinds of issues.
Balanced Christianity, John Stott
Another evangelical Brit that has been among my favorites is John Stott, perhaps the greatest guardian of evangelical preaching in the 20th Century. His book on being a balanced Christian made me want to avoid the pitfalls of going to extremes in theological controversies, as well as practical matters.
Basic Christianity, John Stott
A concise and brief explanation of what it means to be a Christian. Very helpful to new believers.
The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, Jonathan Edwards
Brainerd was to be Jonathan Edwards’s son-in-law, but died of tuberculosis contracted while preaching to Indians in New England. He spent hours in prayer and gave himself body and soul, for the conversion of Native Americans. This book transformed William Carey and countless others in considering the missionary calling.
A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken
Vanauken was an atheist and English professor helped by C.S. Lewis, who then became a convinced Christian. Like Lewis, he lost his wife to cancer and wrote this book that tells the story of their young love while as pagans, then coming to Christ and the grief suffered in death, which Vanauken would discover was a “severe mercy”. I had the privilege of hearing him speak on a couple of occasions before his death.
Ephesians, Martyn Lloyd Jones
This Welch preacher and pastor of the Westminster Chapel in London until the early 1980’s had more of an influence on me and my preaching than I first realized as a young minister.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Banner of Truth Conference - May 25-27
I recommend going to this year's Banner of Truth Conference and I tip my hat for these guys going for a line up of men who are not "conference big names". I thank God for those gifted and blessed ministries that are doing kingdom work (we know them), but for those "unknown" Kingdom laborers whose giftings are no less impressive, especially to the heart of God, I am most grateful. Plus, one can avoid the silly groupies that hang out at other conferences. Come and be blest by the Word and the Spirit's ministry and the fellowship of fellow pastors, and servants "for Jesus' sake."
There is no financial kickback for this endorsement. It is however, an unashamed praise of a good friend who mentored me and many other men in their early years - a man in whom Christ's likeness shines forth and who preaches and lives the glory of the Gospel. Lowell Sykes is the retired pastor of Rivermont Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg - the place where a wavering lamb found refreshment in the well of Reformed faith and a pastor who gave me truth wrapped in love.
go and sign up : http://www.banneroftruth.org/pages/events/usconfexhib.php
Friday, April 2, 2010
Resurrection Reality
“I am the Resurrection and the Life.” (John 11:25) Jesus said these words against the doubt and uncertainty of life when death seemed to have the last word. On the human side, death’s pangs have a certain finality to it. The body goes back to the dirt it came from and the intense ache in the stomach of love’s bereavement is all too “real” to imagine anything different. This is the curse of sin, and the last enemy, which speaks so strongly to us mortals.
Yet, we are rooted in a greater reality, if we truly belong to Christ. Come Easter, we join the chorus of a sacred company that gives testimony to something grand and glorious. We will join the company of Job who longed to see his Redeemer in his physical body (Job19:24). We stand with Martha and Mary who saw and embraced a brother walk from a tomb, with the aroma of new life (John 11:44). We stand with the company of 500 witnesses who knew that Gospel was true because they saw the Resurrected Jesus (1 Cor. 15:6). This is the truth of what we embrace in the reality of Christ’s power and glory in His Resurrection. To many who’ve heard this story since childhood or listened with causal interest in countless sermons, the Easter message is old hat, or just another special day for family dinner. To such, the reality of this life-changing truth has not possessed their soul, nor captured their heart. For the same power that raised Jesus is promised to those who commit their lives to Christ (Eph. 2:4). This is resurrection reality as it bears relevance for our daily lives. It is as much a present and living experience as it is a future hope.
Think what Job had in being the oldest testimony of this precious hope. Job is considered by many scholars to be the oldest book in the Bible. The commentary of the English Standard Version of the Bible states:
“Considered both a theological and a literary masterpiece, the book of Job is an honest discussion of why God allows good people to suffer. The test of Job’s faith, allowed by God in response to a challenge from Satan, revealed God’s loving sovereignty and the supremacy of divine wisdom over human wisdom (personified by Job’s four friends). Believing that God is good despite the apparent evidence to the contrary, Job rested in faith alone. In the depths of agony he could still proclaim, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (19:25). In the end God silenced all discussion with the truth that he alone is wise” (chs. 38–41).
Join the company of those who know this power and long to praise their Redeemer this Sunday. For this is a good day as is every first day of the week to be reminded of this most important truth about what gives us hope and gives us power for living life, in the face of a world blindly pursuing the “dust of death.”
Yet, we are rooted in a greater reality, if we truly belong to Christ. Come Easter, we join the chorus of a sacred company that gives testimony to something grand and glorious. We will join the company of Job who longed to see his Redeemer in his physical body (Job19:24). We stand with Martha and Mary who saw and embraced a brother walk from a tomb, with the aroma of new life (John 11:44). We stand with the company of 500 witnesses who knew that Gospel was true because they saw the Resurrected Jesus (1 Cor. 15:6). This is the truth of what we embrace in the reality of Christ’s power and glory in His Resurrection. To many who’ve heard this story since childhood or listened with causal interest in countless sermons, the Easter message is old hat, or just another special day for family dinner. To such, the reality of this life-changing truth has not possessed their soul, nor captured their heart. For the same power that raised Jesus is promised to those who commit their lives to Christ (Eph. 2:4). This is resurrection reality as it bears relevance for our daily lives. It is as much a present and living experience as it is a future hope.
Think what Job had in being the oldest testimony of this precious hope. Job is considered by many scholars to be the oldest book in the Bible. The commentary of the English Standard Version of the Bible states:
“Considered both a theological and a literary masterpiece, the book of Job is an honest discussion of why God allows good people to suffer. The test of Job’s faith, allowed by God in response to a challenge from Satan, revealed God’s loving sovereignty and the supremacy of divine wisdom over human wisdom (personified by Job’s four friends). Believing that God is good despite the apparent evidence to the contrary, Job rested in faith alone. In the depths of agony he could still proclaim, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (19:25). In the end God silenced all discussion with the truth that he alone is wise” (chs. 38–41).
Join the company of those who know this power and long to praise their Redeemer this Sunday. For this is a good day as is every first day of the week to be reminded of this most important truth about what gives us hope and gives us power for living life, in the face of a world blindly pursuing the “dust of death.”
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Academy for Evangelism 24 Style
I am a fan of the tv series 24, but this is one method I will not be teaching at our evangelism training on Wednesday nights. Just in case anybody is worried.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Article on Postmodernism ala "Screwtape"
http://www.thirdmill.org/newfiles/tod_baucum/tod_baucum.Screwtape.html
The guys at Thirdmill have published my article on Postmodernism in the Church, tongue-in-cheek style of Lewis's Screwtape Letters. I first read Screwtape in High School and was the beginning of a long appreciation for Lewis's writings and thought. He still helps me think.
The guys at Thirdmill have published my article on Postmodernism in the Church, tongue-in-cheek style of Lewis's Screwtape Letters. I first read Screwtape in High School and was the beginning of a long appreciation for Lewis's writings and thought. He still helps me think.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Avoiding Temptation: Edward Griffin
Mark 14:38 (ESV)
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Edward Griffin (1770-1837) was a Presbyterian minister involved in the Second Great Awakening. He was pastor of several churches in New Jersey and New York, professor at Andover Theological Seminary and later President of Williams College. An outstanding preacher, his sermons were marked by spiritual warmth and theological depth.(cite. by “Fire & Ice” Sermon, “Enoch Walked with God”).
I came across this sermon by Griffin in my preparation for a sermon on Matthew 14:39, dealing with the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The theme of temptation was not the direction that I explored to great detail, but I found this excerpt of immense help to me and wish to share it with the grid readers this week. This first paragraph is my summation of Griffin’s points in my own attempt to translate to our contemporary struggles. But, Griffin, as was Jonathan Edwards before him, is as ever relevant to our life and times.
There are five things that we ought to attend to in avoiding temptation. First, we should know our enemy and his methods. The important thing to know is that the devil knows you well and knows where to direct his efforts. Secondly, it follows that you should know your own heart. Perhaps the greatest enemy to the progress of holiness is our own heart. Thirdly, be proactive for doing good deeds. Sloth leads to many sins, more so than being busy. Fourthly, be in tune with what God is doing in your life. Don’t let your work delude you into thinking you are in charge. Fifthly, learn to listen to the Spirit’s promptings. Cultivate the habit of spontaneity born out of a lovers delight. Obedience to God and avoiding sin is not so much a matter of giving something up, it is primarily about being getting more than we deserve: being the objects of God’s love.
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Edward Griffin (1770-1837) was a Presbyterian minister involved in the Second Great Awakening. He was pastor of several churches in New Jersey and New York, professor at Andover Theological Seminary and later President of Williams College. An outstanding preacher, his sermons were marked by spiritual warmth and theological depth.(cite. by “Fire & Ice” Sermon, “Enoch Walked with God”).
I came across this sermon by Griffin in my preparation for a sermon on Matthew 14:39, dealing with the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The theme of temptation was not the direction that I explored to great detail, but I found this excerpt of immense help to me and wish to share it with the grid readers this week. This first paragraph is my summation of Griffin’s points in my own attempt to translate to our contemporary struggles. But, Griffin, as was Jonathan Edwards before him, is as ever relevant to our life and times.
There are five things that we ought to attend to in avoiding temptation. First, we should know our enemy and his methods. The important thing to know is that the devil knows you well and knows where to direct his efforts. Secondly, it follows that you should know your own heart. Perhaps the greatest enemy to the progress of holiness is our own heart. Thirdly, be proactive for doing good deeds. Sloth leads to many sins, more so than being busy. Fourthly, be in tune with what God is doing in your life. Don’t let your work delude you into thinking you are in charge. Fifthly, learn to listen to the Spirit’s promptings. Cultivate the habit of spontaneity born out of a lovers delight. Obedience to God and avoiding sin is not so much a matter of giving something up, it is primarily about being getting more than we deserve: being the objects of God’s love.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Every Sunday Church?
The French Atheist, Voltaire said, "If you wish to destroy the Christian religion you must first destroy the Christian Sunday."
Exodus 31:13 (ESV)
"You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, 'Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.
Exodus 31:15 (ESV)
Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.
God instructed that Moses place a golden jar – with manna in the Ark of the Covenant. It was a perpetual reminder to Israel of God’s provision – and the Sabbath rest - one day when God rested – one day when He did not supply, because He had already supplied a double portion.
For us not to rest and enjoy His benefits is an insult to God. It is to say that I don’t need God’s help or provision. It is the utmost declaration of independence from God. When the faithless gatherers sought to hold on to more manna than was allowed it became spoiled with maggots. Their extra work and sense of self-preservation turned into a disaster. Can’t we see how this is the view that so many have about observing Sabbath today? We have many good reasons not to attend the assembly of the saints. We even tell ourselves we need the rest. We play hard on Saturdays and even work long hours and then when the first day of the week – which belongs to the Lord- comes, we think physical rest is needed. Just a couple of hours at church seem too laborious and too stressful.
Our attempts to find rest or an extra hour at work, apart from God’s provisions turns into maggot food, as we wake up Monday morning even more tired and depleted, perhaps not in body, but in soul. God seems distant and your spiritual well is dry. Well then we wonder, “Why God have you left me”? And God replies, “I have not left you my poor child, you did not come and drink from my fountain.” This is the secret, which is loudly declared in the Bible – there is no other fountain! Worship is not imitated on the golf course, the TV or in the quiet confines of one’s room. It ought to spill over into those areas, but it flows from the appointed means God has given us. I feel great sorrow for those that neglect worship on a regular basis. Can we turn into law enforcers and penalize those to whom something is more important than church? We ought to listen to the wife of C.S. Lewis on this issue - “Stop trying to force or terrify or bribe men into attendance. A forced churchgoer has no religion, a terrified churchgoer has no morals. We don’t want men who come to church because the golf course is closed, but men who prefer God to golf.” (Davidman, pg. 58). We can’t do anything to contrive a forced love for Christ. We desire above all that our people come, because they long to more than anything else. Nor can we draw people with mocha cappuccinos, good entertainment and fun. All we can do is to offer a place for lovers of God to come and pray and to hear Him speak. If that is not enough, then nothing is.
Exodus 31:13 (ESV)
"You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, 'Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.
Exodus 31:15 (ESV)
Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.
God instructed that Moses place a golden jar – with manna in the Ark of the Covenant. It was a perpetual reminder to Israel of God’s provision – and the Sabbath rest - one day when God rested – one day when He did not supply, because He had already supplied a double portion.
For us not to rest and enjoy His benefits is an insult to God. It is to say that I don’t need God’s help or provision. It is the utmost declaration of independence from God. When the faithless gatherers sought to hold on to more manna than was allowed it became spoiled with maggots. Their extra work and sense of self-preservation turned into a disaster. Can’t we see how this is the view that so many have about observing Sabbath today? We have many good reasons not to attend the assembly of the saints. We even tell ourselves we need the rest. We play hard on Saturdays and even work long hours and then when the first day of the week – which belongs to the Lord- comes, we think physical rest is needed. Just a couple of hours at church seem too laborious and too stressful.
Our attempts to find rest or an extra hour at work, apart from God’s provisions turns into maggot food, as we wake up Monday morning even more tired and depleted, perhaps not in body, but in soul. God seems distant and your spiritual well is dry. Well then we wonder, “Why God have you left me”? And God replies, “I have not left you my poor child, you did not come and drink from my fountain.” This is the secret, which is loudly declared in the Bible – there is no other fountain! Worship is not imitated on the golf course, the TV or in the quiet confines of one’s room. It ought to spill over into those areas, but it flows from the appointed means God has given us. I feel great sorrow for those that neglect worship on a regular basis. Can we turn into law enforcers and penalize those to whom something is more important than church? We ought to listen to the wife of C.S. Lewis on this issue - “Stop trying to force or terrify or bribe men into attendance. A forced churchgoer has no religion, a terrified churchgoer has no morals. We don’t want men who come to church because the golf course is closed, but men who prefer God to golf.” (Davidman, pg. 58). We can’t do anything to contrive a forced love for Christ. We desire above all that our people come, because they long to more than anything else. Nor can we draw people with mocha cappuccinos, good entertainment and fun. All we can do is to offer a place for lovers of God to come and pray and to hear Him speak. If that is not enough, then nothing is.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
A Neglected Love: Church Discipline, Part 1
Joe has not been in church for a while. When a church member told him he was missed, he complained about the stress of his job and the schedule of his kids. He did say he was to be there this coming Sunday. But, Joe was not there the next week.
Martha has a little habit that everyone seems to notice, except her. No matter who is talking or wherever she is, she interrupts others. It happens in Bible Studies, Sunday School and social gatherings with the members. Everyone pretends that it doesn’t bother them. New people are often offended, not knowing Martha’s other good points, tend to just avoid her. No one wants to offend her. A couple of women think the Elders should talk with Martha. She is beginning to notice that a few people will not talk to her. She is wondering why?
Terry is a new Christian, even though he grew up in a Christian home. He is growing in his faith and eager to know more about the Bible. There has been a noticeable change in his life as he has walked with the Lord. But he struggles with a sin that has had a long hold of his life. A few people in the church have noticed this “weakness”. But, since a few others in the church struggle with it, no one feels obligated to help or pray with Terry. Sometimes Terry feels alone, even though people are courteous and friendly.
How can we help Joe who has neglected the worship of God, see the value of regular worship? How can godly women help Martha to see something she can’t and encourage her? Why does Terry feel alone and who should help him? What all three of these fictitious persons need is for the Body of Christ to help them. All three are facing some struggle with sin. A reality of living in falling world is dealing with sin. If truth were known, just about everyone in the church is dealing with their own stuff – their own sin issues. They were too kind, too loving to say anything. After a while, “the issues” had to be dealt with in a formal way. The elders are notified; they meet and then have to confront the offender. What happens to Joe, or Martha or Terry?
This scenario is carried out again and again in so many churches. It points out a major misunderstanding of the role of church discipline. Biblically, the discipline of the Church is not a matter of the leaders dealing with the problems that no one else wants to, but the whole Body of Christ helping each other grow into maturity in Jesus Christ.
The Body of Christ is called to be a special type of people. Peter used such lofty labels as kings and priests (1Peter 2:9). It is not because they are no longer sinners struggling with temptations, bad attitudes and habits. It is because they are sinners that have been shown a love they could never earn, a forgiveness they could never buy and a grace they would never deserve. This grace has power to change lives (John 3:5-8; Gal.2:20). There are two parts to this life changing reality. Theologians call the first part of this reality, Justification. It is like a legal declaration by a Judge that a criminal is free, pardoned and his record cleaned. It is what God declares us to be on the basis of what Jesus has done. His righteousness is credited to our account (Rom.4:24). We are free, not just in a theoretical sense, but really and actually set free from the bondage and the penalty of our sins and all that is wrong with us. This is not legal fiction. But it is also not a statement on our moral transformation. It is sinners that need a Savior
The reality does not end there. It is ongoing, but not in the same sense that God has to justify us everyday – declare us pardoned. The problem is that the process of living in the reality of God’s free grace is precisely a process, meaning it is a long journey or walk in a certain direction. We call this Sanctification. It refers to this ongoing reality of the work of grace in the life of a believer to change our actions, habits and attitudes. This is the Christian experience of living in God’s already and not yet truth that is so much a part of biblical teaching of kingdom reality(the classic text that we look at is Romans 7:7-25).
When it comes to the Church we look at its present situation with the vantage point of this truth of God’s grace. The way I look at the Body of Christ that I am attached to is much like the way I look at my own life: A child of God, saved by Grace, but still a big sinner and if everyone knew what was in my heart they would kick me out. Groucho Marx, humorist of the silver screen used to say, “I don’t care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as a member.” There needs to a realistic assessment of our hearts and our sinful conditions. Such an acknowledgement can lead to either two things. In a negative direction we can deny the struggle and pretend to be something we are not. Just act real holy and self-righteous and better than the sinners around us. That’s the problem of being a Pharisee, which is about being long on holiness and right living, but short on humility and repentance. Yet, there is a positive way to grapple with what Paul called the “law at work in my members” which is the power of remaining sin in those who know the reality of God’s forgiveness (Rom.7:23). This way is the way of keeping two truths constantly in view. I am a big sinner, and I rest in God’s forgiveness offered freely in Christ.
When you look at the group of people you attend worship with in light of this truth it will give you a proper perspective on the nature of the Church. The already and not yet reality of the kingdom is ever present. This does not excuse bad behavior, ungodly conduct or sinfulness in the Church; it only explains why it is there. In other words, don’t pitch in the towel and drop out, whenever you see sin in the church. It is there, because that is the way of this walk of sanctification. Acknowledging this reality also, if we be true to what Scripture tells, means that we are doing something about it. “Go and sin no more,” means living in a redemptive way so that grace is being manifest in one’s life. This is no less true for the Church. This is the principle reason why the Bible teaches about Church discipline. It is not about keeping the sinners out of the fellowship of the saints. All attitudes about keeping “the Club” free from unsavory elements is out of harmony with biblical teaching. Church discipline is always about restoring, in the final analysis, making grace known and not about house cleaning. There is a corrective element to discipline, to be sure, but even that is done in love. It is about the love that reaches out to a stumbling brother or sister to reclaim them and redirect their life around the Gospel of Christ (Gal.6:1-2). It is living out truth that the “Lord disciplines those He loves” (Heb. 12:5)
Martha has a little habit that everyone seems to notice, except her. No matter who is talking or wherever she is, she interrupts others. It happens in Bible Studies, Sunday School and social gatherings with the members. Everyone pretends that it doesn’t bother them. New people are often offended, not knowing Martha’s other good points, tend to just avoid her. No one wants to offend her. A couple of women think the Elders should talk with Martha. She is beginning to notice that a few people will not talk to her. She is wondering why?
Terry is a new Christian, even though he grew up in a Christian home. He is growing in his faith and eager to know more about the Bible. There has been a noticeable change in his life as he has walked with the Lord. But he struggles with a sin that has had a long hold of his life. A few people in the church have noticed this “weakness”. But, since a few others in the church struggle with it, no one feels obligated to help or pray with Terry. Sometimes Terry feels alone, even though people are courteous and friendly.
How can we help Joe who has neglected the worship of God, see the value of regular worship? How can godly women help Martha to see something she can’t and encourage her? Why does Terry feel alone and who should help him? What all three of these fictitious persons need is for the Body of Christ to help them. All three are facing some struggle with sin. A reality of living in falling world is dealing with sin. If truth were known, just about everyone in the church is dealing with their own stuff – their own sin issues. They were too kind, too loving to say anything. After a while, “the issues” had to be dealt with in a formal way. The elders are notified; they meet and then have to confront the offender. What happens to Joe, or Martha or Terry?
This scenario is carried out again and again in so many churches. It points out a major misunderstanding of the role of church discipline. Biblically, the discipline of the Church is not a matter of the leaders dealing with the problems that no one else wants to, but the whole Body of Christ helping each other grow into maturity in Jesus Christ.
The Body of Christ is called to be a special type of people. Peter used such lofty labels as kings and priests (1Peter 2:9). It is not because they are no longer sinners struggling with temptations, bad attitudes and habits. It is because they are sinners that have been shown a love they could never earn, a forgiveness they could never buy and a grace they would never deserve. This grace has power to change lives (John 3:5-8; Gal.2:20). There are two parts to this life changing reality. Theologians call the first part of this reality, Justification. It is like a legal declaration by a Judge that a criminal is free, pardoned and his record cleaned. It is what God declares us to be on the basis of what Jesus has done. His righteousness is credited to our account (Rom.4:24). We are free, not just in a theoretical sense, but really and actually set free from the bondage and the penalty of our sins and all that is wrong with us. This is not legal fiction. But it is also not a statement on our moral transformation. It is sinners that need a Savior
The reality does not end there. It is ongoing, but not in the same sense that God has to justify us everyday – declare us pardoned. The problem is that the process of living in the reality of God’s free grace is precisely a process, meaning it is a long journey or walk in a certain direction. We call this Sanctification. It refers to this ongoing reality of the work of grace in the life of a believer to change our actions, habits and attitudes. This is the Christian experience of living in God’s already and not yet truth that is so much a part of biblical teaching of kingdom reality(the classic text that we look at is Romans 7:7-25).
When it comes to the Church we look at its present situation with the vantage point of this truth of God’s grace. The way I look at the Body of Christ that I am attached to is much like the way I look at my own life: A child of God, saved by Grace, but still a big sinner and if everyone knew what was in my heart they would kick me out. Groucho Marx, humorist of the silver screen used to say, “I don’t care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as a member.” There needs to a realistic assessment of our hearts and our sinful conditions. Such an acknowledgement can lead to either two things. In a negative direction we can deny the struggle and pretend to be something we are not. Just act real holy and self-righteous and better than the sinners around us. That’s the problem of being a Pharisee, which is about being long on holiness and right living, but short on humility and repentance. Yet, there is a positive way to grapple with what Paul called the “law at work in my members” which is the power of remaining sin in those who know the reality of God’s forgiveness (Rom.7:23). This way is the way of keeping two truths constantly in view. I am a big sinner, and I rest in God’s forgiveness offered freely in Christ.
When you look at the group of people you attend worship with in light of this truth it will give you a proper perspective on the nature of the Church. The already and not yet reality of the kingdom is ever present. This does not excuse bad behavior, ungodly conduct or sinfulness in the Church; it only explains why it is there. In other words, don’t pitch in the towel and drop out, whenever you see sin in the church. It is there, because that is the way of this walk of sanctification. Acknowledging this reality also, if we be true to what Scripture tells, means that we are doing something about it. “Go and sin no more,” means living in a redemptive way so that grace is being manifest in one’s life. This is no less true for the Church. This is the principle reason why the Bible teaches about Church discipline. It is not about keeping the sinners out of the fellowship of the saints. All attitudes about keeping “the Club” free from unsavory elements is out of harmony with biblical teaching. Church discipline is always about restoring, in the final analysis, making grace known and not about house cleaning. There is a corrective element to discipline, to be sure, but even that is done in love. It is about the love that reaches out to a stumbling brother or sister to reclaim them and redirect their life around the Gospel of Christ (Gal.6:1-2). It is living out truth that the “Lord disciplines those He loves” (Heb. 12:5)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Lancelot Andrews
Lancelot Andrews was one of the godly pillars of the English Church during its Reformation. He was made dean of Westminster in 1601 just two years before Queen Elizabeth, the Protestant monarch died. He served as her private chaplain and later served under King James I in various capacities and as Bishop of Chischester. In terms of piety and literary gifts, he is likened to John Donne and Hooker. Due to his ability with the ancient languages, he was one of the translators of the Authorized Bible. While he was a Reformer, he nonetheless stood along the side of the authority of the English throne over ecclesiastical matters. That should not prevent those whose sympathies lie with the rebellious Presbyterians to ignore him (he was known for praying every night, “O Lord, keep me from making a god of the King”!). He was Presbyterian and Calvinist in doctrine and while he was criticized for hard to understand sermons, no man could pray like Andrews. The secret of his prayer life is found in his “Private Devotions” which he compiled for personal use and never intended for publication. Twenty-five years ago a dear friend gave me a copy and I am glad that a new edition is being published now from Christian Focus publications in Scotland. Here is an example of one of his meditations. Use it as a way to prime the pump in your own prayer life:
The Hedge of the Law
To bruise the serpent’s head.
To consider my latter end.
To cut off occasions of sin.
To be sober.
Not to sit idle.
To shun the wicked.
To cleave to the good.
To make a covenant with the eyes.
To bring the body into subjection.
To give myself unto prayer.
To come to repentance.
Hedge up my way with thorns,
That I find not the path for following vanity.
Hold Thou me in with bit and bridle,
Lest I come not near to Thee.
O Lord, compel me to come in to Thee.
Lancelot Andrews (1555-1626)
The Hedge of the Law
To bruise the serpent’s head.
To consider my latter end.
To cut off occasions of sin.
To be sober.
Not to sit idle.
To shun the wicked.
To cleave to the good.
To make a covenant with the eyes.
To bring the body into subjection.
To give myself unto prayer.
To come to repentance.
Hedge up my way with thorns,
That I find not the path for following vanity.
Hold Thou me in with bit and bridle,
Lest I come not near to Thee.
O Lord, compel me to come in to Thee.
Lancelot Andrews (1555-1626)
Friday, January 22, 2010
A Witness to Life
Luke 1:41-44 (ESV)
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, [42] and she ex claimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43] And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? [44] For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
I have often wondered why there is such division among Christians over the issue of the sanctity of life – the need to protect the unborn. The Bible is unmistakably clear on the matter. But, I also know that people get swayed by the language of those who have made this issue a political one that gets batted around. I have stood in the picket lines at abortion clinics and I have also scrubbed the floors of a home for unwed mothers. As a pastor, I know that many women and parents who have secretly gone for an abortion feel tremendous guilt and unresolved anger. Abortion is more than a political issue; it is a tragic failure of a society to affirm that life is a glorious gift from God, even in the most difficult of times.
One of the things I have learned that the Church can do to witness to life, is to “speak the truth in love” and show the value of life in our homes through the vows we make in baptism. Not only are children precious, but special promises are given to the children of believers by our God (Acts 2:39). We make promises to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Bringing our children to Christ, who said “let the children come unto me and forbid them not,” is perhaps the best pro life message we can send.
Here’s one reminder from a pro life message that gets to the core.
She can hear the music of Mozart and the voice of her mother.
She can feel, touch and even suck her thumb.
She can not speak.
Only you can speak for the unborn!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A Year in the Bible
We are already in the second week of the New Year, but it not too late to begin something that will possibly be life changing. If you have never read the Bible all the way through, why not try to do it this year? There is a great benefit of finding a disciplined way of going through the entire Bible. It offers a certain perspective of seeing how everything hangs together in a single story of redemption. Secondly, it keeps one aware of the balance of seeing the unity of the Gospel as one single truth. We can become unbalanced in our thinking if we just stay in the New Testament and never look in the Old Testament. It is true if we look at only Paul’s letters and not John or live in the Gospels and not the Epistles. I know people who follow Paul, but not John and I know Christians who love John, but can’t stomach Paul. Reading the Bible with equal weight, equal authority and with balanced hearing, will save us from being a lopsided believer. A car needs four good wheels to run properly. We need the wheels of a balanced diet of the whole Scriptures to get along in this life. If your life seems out of balance, let me suggest you spend time in the Bible this year, as a major goal.
Here is a helpful guide that I have found.
Faith Presbyterian Church of Tacoma, WA make it available:
http://media.faithtacoma.org/pdf/FPC-ReadingPlan-2010.pdf
Here is a helpful guide that I have found.
Faith Presbyterian Church of Tacoma, WA make it available:
http://media.faithtacoma.org/pdf/FPC-ReadingPlan-2010.pdf
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Sancity of Life Prayer from the Eastern Orthodox Church
O Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son, Who are in the bosom of the Father, True God, source of life and immortality, Light of Light, Who came into the world to enlighten it: You were pleased to be conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary for the salvation of our souls by the power of Your All-Holy Spirit. O Master, Who came that we might have life more abundantly, we ask You to enlighten the minds and hearts of those blinded to the truth that life begins at conception and that the unborn in the womb are already adorned with Your image and likeness; enable us to guard, cherish, and protect the lives of all those who are unable to care for themselves. For You are the Giver of Life, bringing each person from non-being into being, sealing each person with divine and infinite love. Be merciful, O Lord, to those who, through ignorance or willfulness, affront Your divine goodness and providence through the evil act of abortion. May they, and all of us, come to the life of Your Truth and glorify You, the Giver of Life, together with Your Father, and Your All-Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Hate Speech
A poem by Todd Baucum
A great pestilence grew across the land taking life
bringing darkness wherever it came.
The dreaded threat that was perceived
was neither a cancer nor a disease.
Yet, it was feared and loathed by countless
Who knew the deadly course of this malady. The threat was Hate.
An emotion and inner working of the heart.
Love was the antidote to this ill, and it must be won out by ruthless force.
Hate must be stopped before all is lost.
But, who decides where and when?
How might we perceive when hate has encroached upon the heart?
Words they say, which incite and disprove my rights to do what I deem good and free. Yes, words are the expression of hate that must be stopped.
Pick and choose carefully, the new guardians of our creed,
we must be sure that all hate is erased.
And so it was finally ended.
All words of hate had been eliminated.
Yet, strangely the world looked far more evil and dark without hate.
There was no hatred of injustice,
no hatred of crime, no hatred of brutality,
no hatred of deceit and no hatred of impurity.
Love died in that land.
A victim of a zealous crusade.
Choose your words carefully.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A Year in Mexico
Our daughter, Suzanne is now in Monterrey for a year with Mission to the World. She will be helping the team there and also an orphanage. We are so thankful that God has given her a heart for missions and put in her a desire for Mexico 8 years ago. God is http://www.ayearinmexico.blogspot.com/faithful. See her blog and keep praying for fruitful ministry.
Melito of Sardis ( A.D. 169)
“For born as a son, and led forth as a lamb, sacrificed as a sheep, buried as a man, he rose from the dead as God, being by nature God and man. Who is all things: in that he judges, Law; in that he teaches, Word; in that he saves, Grace; in that he begets, Father; in that he is begotten, Son; in that he suffers, the sacrificial sheep; in that he is buried, Man; in that he arises, God. This is Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory to the ages of ages.” (from a sermon in 169 A.D., possibly the earliest preserved sermon we have outside the N.T. Melito was the pastor of the Church in Sardis, where we are reminded that John wrote that they had the appearance of being alive, but were really dead - so they needed to make alive the things that remained. I wonder if this is an example of new life being breathed into this church, at least for this generation).
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