CROSS Purposes

Rob Bell and the nature of Arrogance

2012-02-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

That ONE Sin We Can't (Won't) Quit

2012-01-27T07:55:00.001-05:00

Most Christians know how easy it is to become blinded to their own sin. We may do well in many other areas, but there seems to be within most of us that one pesky sin that will not leave us. Truth be known, we have to answer the very hard question, "Do I love that sin?" Before we answer, we need to step back and become quite honest. Indeed, such honesty, such candor is a necessary component to victory. Spurgeon culled out of the writings of English Puritan Thomas Manton some of his more poignant illustrations. See if this one helps with regard to your own sin. It's a picture that has stuck in my mind to a good end.

Bird Tied By A String

“A bird that is tied by a string seems to have more libertythan a bird in a cage; it flutters up and down, and yet it is held fast.”

When aman thinks that he has escaped from the bondage of sin in general, and yetevidently remains under the power of some one favored lust, he is woefullymistaken in his judgment as to his spiritual freedom. He may boast that he isout of the cage, but assuredly the string is on his leg. He who has his fettersknocked off, all but one chain, is a prisoner still. “Let not any iniquity havedominion over me” is a good and wise prayer; for one pampered sin will slay thesoul as surely as one dose of poison will kill the body. There is no need for atraveller to be bitten by a score of deadly vipers, the tooth of one cobra isquite sufficient to insure his destruction. One sin, like one match, can kindlethe fires of hell within the soul.

The practical application of this truthshould be made by the professor ["one who professes faith in Christ"] who is a slave to drink, or to covetousness, orto passion. How can you be free if any one of these chains still holds youfast? We have met with professors who are haughty, and despise others; how canthese be the Lord’s free men while pride surrounds them? In will and intent wemust break every bond of sin, and we must perfect holiness in the fear of theLord, or we cannot hope that the Son has made us free. O thou who art the freeSpirit, break every bond of sin, I beseech thee. (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). Flowers from aPuritan's garden, distilled and dispensed (7–8). Bellingham, WA: LogosResearch Systems, Inc.)

Satan's Tactics to Tempt Us by John Bunyan

2012-01-23T11:38:00.001-05:00

Need any help against sin? Here it is. The editor to the original edition (1684) recommended it especially to the youth. Would that we all absorbed these lines! I agree that the best place for this whole poem is in our Bibles and/or on the refrigerator. I know . . . it's a poem. And it's too long for a blog post. Who has time for that? PLEASE, MAKE TIME!! You'll see why once you start into it. If necessary, only read some each day. And God bless you richly!

John Bunyan

Thefirst eight lines one did commend to me,
Therest I thought good to commend to thee:
Reader,in reading be thou rul’d by me,
Withrhimes nor lines, but truths, affected be.

8 April 1684

CAUTION TO STIR UP TO WATCH AGAINST SIN

Sin will at first, just like a beggar, crave

One penny or one half-penny to have;

And if you grant its first suit, ‘twill aspire,

From pence to pounds, and so will still mount higher

To the whole soul: but if it makes its moan,

Then say, here is not for you, get you gone.

Forif you give it entrance at the door,

Itwill come in, and may go out no more.

Sin, rather than ‘twill out of action be,

Will pray to stay, though but a while with thee;

One night, one hour, one moment, will it cry,

Embrace me in thy bosom, else I die:

Time to repent [saith it] I will allow,

And help, if to repent thou know’st not how.

Butif you give it entrance at the door,

Itwill come in, and may go out no more.

III

If begging doth not do, sin promise will

Rewards to those that shall its lusts fulfill:

Penny in hand, yea pounds ‘twill offer thee,

If at its beck and motion thou wilt be.

‘Twill seem heaven to out-bid, and all to gain

Thy love, and win thee it to entertain.

Butgive it not admittance at thy door,

Lestit comes in, and so goes out no more.

If begging and promising will not do,

‘Twill by its wiles attempt to flatter you.

I’m harmless, mean no ill, be not so shy

Will ev’ry soul-destroying motion cry.

‘Twill hide its sting,‘twill change its native hue,

Vile ‘twill not, but a beauty seem to you.

Butif you give it entrance at the door,

Itssting will in, and may come out no more.

Rather than fail, sin will itself divide,

Bid thee do this, and lay the rest aside.

Take little ones(‘twill say) throw great ones by,

(As if for little sins men should not die.)

Yea SIN with SIN a quarrel will maintain,

On purpose that thou by it might’st be slain.

Bewarethe cheat then, keep it out of door,

Itwould come in, andwould go out no more.

Sin, if you will believe it, will accuse,

What is not hurtful and itself excuse:

‘Twill make a vice of virtue, and ‘twill say

Good is destructive, doth men’s souls betray;

‘Twill make a law, where God has made man free,

And break those laws by which men bounded be.

Lookto thyself then, keep it out of door,

Thee‘twould entangle, and enlarge thy score.

VII

SIN is that beastly thing that will defile

Soul, body, name, and fame in little while;

‘Twill make him, who some time God’s image was,

Look like the devil, love, and plead his cause;

Like to the plague, poison, or leprosy

Defile ‘twill, and infect contagiously.

Whereforebeware, against it shut the door;

Ifnot, it will defile thee more and more.

VIII

SIN, once possessed of the heart, will play

The tyrant, force its vassal to obey:

‘Twill make thee thine own happiness oppose

And offer open violence to those

That love thee best; yea make thee to defy

The law and counsel of the deity.

Bewarethen, keep this tyrant out of door,

Lestthou be his, and so thy own no more.

SIN harden can the heart against its God,

Make it abuse his grace, despise his rod,

‘Twill make one run upon the very pikes,

Judgments foreseen bring such to no dislikes

Of sinful hazards; no, they venture shall

For one base lust, their soul, and heav’n and all.

Takeheed then, hold it, crush it at the door,

Itcomes to rob thee, and to make thee poor.

SIN is a prison, hath its bolts and chains,

Brings into bondage who it entertains;

Hangs shackles on them, bends them to its will,

Holds them, as Samsongrinded at the mill,

‘Twill blind them, make them deaf; yea, ‘twill them gag,

And ride them as the devil rides his hag.

Whereforelook to it, keep it out of door,

Ifonce its slave, thou may’st be free no more.

Though SIN at first its rage dissemble may,

‘Twill soon upon thee as a lion prey;

‘Twill roar, ‘twill rend, ‘twill tear, ‘twill killout-right,

Its living death will gnaw thee day and night:

Thy pleasures now to paws and teeth it turns,

In thee its tickling lusts, like brimstone burns.

Whereforebeware, and keep it out of door,

Lestit should on thee as a lion roar.

XII

SIN will accuse, will stare thee in the face,

Will for its witnesses quote time and place

Where thou committedst it; and so appeal

To conscience, who thy facts will not conceal;

But on thee as a judge such sentence pass,

As will to thy sweet bits prove bitter sauce.

Whereforebeware, against it shut thy door,

Repentwhat’s past, believe and sin no more.

XIII

SIN is the worm of hell, the lasting fire,

Hell would soon lose its heat, could SIN expire;

Better sinless, in hell, than to be where

Heav’n is, and to be found a sinner there.

One sinless, with infernals might do well,

But SIN would make a very heav’n a hell.

Lookto thyself then, to keep it out of door,

Lestit gets in, and never leaves thee more.

XIV

No match hast sin save God in all the world,

Men, angels it has from their stations hurl’d:

Holds them in chains, as captives, in despite

Of all that here below is called Might.

Release, help, freedom from it none can give,

But he by whom we also breathe and live.

Watchtherefore, keep this giant out of door

Lestif once in, thou get him out no more.

Fools make a mock at SIN, will not believe,

It carries such a dagger in its sleeve;

How can it be (say they) that such a thing,

So full of sweet, should ever wear a sting:

They know not that it is the very SPELL

Of SIN, to make men laugh themselves to hell.

Lookto thyself then, deal with SIN no more,

Lesthe that saves, against thee shuts the door.

XVI

Now let the God that is above,

That hath for sinners so much love;

These lines so help thee to improve,

That towards him thy heart may move.

Keep thee from enemies external,

Help thee to fight with those internal:

Deliver thee from them infernal,

And bring thee safe to lifeeternal.—AMEN.

London: Printed for N. Ponder at thePeacock in the Poultrey.^{^[1]}

^{^[1]}Bunyan, J. (2006). Vol. 2: A Caution to Stir up to Watch Against Sin.(575–576). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Breaking from "i-Age" into Rest with God

2012-01-17T11:09:00.000-05:00

Andwhen He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself topray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.--Matthew 14:23

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wisely pointed out in his classic Life Together that for people to know how to get along well with others, they need to know how to be alone. (He also said that the opposite is true). But I focus on first part, knowing how, yes, enjoying being alone with God. A. W. Tozer highlights this deep need in light of now nearly archaic gadgetry of the early 60's in such a way as to leave us sighing at the prospect of his knowledge of today's electronic idols.

Modern civilization is so complex as to make thedevotional life all but impossible. It wears us out by multiplying distractionsand beats us down by destroying our solitude, where otherwise we might drinkand renew our strength before going out to face the world again.

"The thoughtful soul to solitude retires,"said the poet of other and quieter times; but where is the solitude to which wecan retire today? Science, which has provided men with certain materialcomforts, has robbed them of their souls by surrounding them with a worldhostile to their existence. "Communewith your own heart upon your bed and be still" is a wise and healingcounsel, but how can it be followed in this day of the newspaper, thetelephone, the radio and the television? These modern playthings, like pettiger cubs, have grown so large and dangerous that they threaten to devour usall. What was intended to be a blessing has become a positive curse. No spot isnow safe from the world's intrusion. (OfGod and Men, 125)

"Intrusion." Indeed! The advent of smartphones, iPods, iPads, ebook readers, and a myriad computers only underscore the urgent need today for each of us to halt the unending onslaught of information so that we might actually learn something in the stillness. Where is such silence to be found is the question of the hour. Even while on sabbatical for a month, I am writing this on my iMac. Blessings are these contraptions. Yet, they like all good things must be conquered and not allowed to rule our lives. Be still in order to know that God is God (Ps. 46:10).

Ah-h-h, relief. Stillness. Quiet. Tranquility.

Speak, Lord, in the stillness,
While I wait on Thee;
Hushed my heart to listen,
In expectancy.

Speak, O blessed Master,
In this quiet hour;
Let me see Thy face, Lord,
Feel Thy touch of Power.

Of Racism and Savannah, Georgia

2012-01-16T07:44:00.000-05:00

I'm in downtown Savannah at 6:30 AM on Martin Luther King, Jr Day. Further, I'm in the Thunderbird Inn, a refurbished kick-back to the old outdoor hotels I remember from the sixties. We spent the night here because it got good ratings and it was cheap. Yesterday, my wife and I enjoyed visiting with two fellow ministers and plan to meet them later this morning for breakfast here at J. Christophers.

"Precious In God's Sight" AND Ours?
The old song we sang in Sunday School saw racism rightly. "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red, and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight." Yes, they are. But many of the same churches that had their children singing this song were practicing segregation!

There's to be a march today at 10:00 in honor of MLK, Jr. Streets will be blocked off (including ours it seems). Good thing we can walk to our restaurant! One cannot be a true believer without thinking hard about all the cultural "Christian" inconsistencies, the evils perpetrated, or at least tolerated by the church over the years. Down south, one still feels latent tension from the days of segregation. Last night, while talking over a nice chicken salad sandwich, Phyllis (my wife) reminded us of Morgan Freeman's comment about racism. He said something to the effect that racism would likely be reduced much if we'd just stop talking about it. Well, being African-American himself (and having lived a little bit of life) it would seem he has justification for what he says. Still, I understand why we suffer from such cultural maladies and it's not because one group is better than another. It's because the heart of man is as Jeremiah said long ago, "sinful above all things and desperately wicked; who can understand it?" (17:9) We have an almost insatiable need to vaunt ourselves over others, to laud ourselves as superior to someone else, or to another group of people. It evidences itself as we all know in racism as well as in nationalism. How many wars would've been averted had there been no nationalistic spirit prompting it?

Well, I remember working construction one summer in the early 70's and an old black gentleman labored alongside this college-aged student. Shelton (never forgot his name) called me "sir." Yep, left-overs from former days. I turned red and told him that he was my senior, and if anyone was to be called "sir" it would be him, not me! At that I think he felt as awkward as did I. But I couldn't allow that. It wasn't right. Now his son was of a different nature. He was "black and proud." I don't think he liked white people very much at all. Neither attitude was healthy. I just wanted to scream out, we're people. That's it! Years of abuse had taken their toll. I know it affected all of us just the same. Racism becomes ingrained without thinking.

Things are better today. At least I think they are. Yes, we can overcome a lot of this foolishness, as Morgan Freeman said, by simply not talking about it all the time. But more importantly, vastly so, we must see all peoples through the eyes of the Creator. He created us all. And when Jesus came into this world, he suffered, bled, died and rose again from the dead in order to save whoever would call upon him. "Red, and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight." Indeed. Then we best not call the precious anything but what the Lord calls them, precious. No one deserves saving. No one! So, if any is ever saved, it will have been by the sheer grace of God. And it is incumbent upon those who have received God's rich grace to most show that same grace to others. That should be obvious to every true Christian. Perhaps it IS understood by TRUE Christians. So, which are you?

We enjoy staying in this kick-back of a hotel. They even have Krispy-Kreme doughnuts! But I don't want to go back to the days of racial hatred. That's one thing we best leave behind, but not forget entirely. Let's remember how frail is our flesh, how prone to exalt ourselves over another human being made in the image of God! Let us humble ourselves in His sight. As Paul said to the Corinthian church, "Who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7). Good question. How we answer it will indicate far more than just our attitude, it may also indicate our eternal destiny!

The Bible - Forever Current

2012-01-14T20:32:00.002-05:00

“I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.” (Psalm 119:96)

All the best things in life have a limited shelf life. See the last two posts . . .

Now, let's consider the antithesis found in the second half of the verse, "but your commandments are exceedingly broad." In short, whatever limits even the best things of this life suffer, these do not affect God's Word. The Bible rises above, yes, supersedes all the best things man can know on this side of eternity. It goes beyond all attainments, intellectual prowess, physical strength, or national superiority.

Scripture Teaches It's Own Boundlessness

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8). Then Peter reinforces this truth, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” (1 Peter 1:24–25). Jesus also taught, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Mark 13:31). There is an endurance in the Bible not to be found even in the existence of heaven and earth. Men tend to live as if all that we see is eternal and God's Word dispensable. But the opposite is true. This life is transitory. The Word is eternal, without bounds.

What does this mean for the Church, for the Christian?

1. Devotions. At least that's what so many of us call it. Believing God's Word to be boundless should change the way we view "reading" the word of God. At New Years many are prompted to read through the Word of God, and rightly so. Preachers encourage, perhaps even cajole their congregations because so few know the Book. And why? Is it not important? Well, you would think that this should be a fact beyond argument? And if so, would that not be enough to spur the brethren to be readers of God's Word? Still, that doesn't even come close to the kind of motivation that we find in this consideration, viz., that God's Word is boundless. My wife and I noticed as we were driving into Charleston, SC that there was a business named "European Hand Reader." Admitting ignorance re: what constitutes a "European" versus other kind of hand reader, we remarked how people really want to know the future. And they'll do just about anything or go anywhere and pay any price in order to know what is coming. But why won't they read the Book whose Author knows the end from the beginning? God's Word is boundless. Apparently most do not really believe that. And even the so-called Church does not seem to be immune to this tragedy.

2. Authority. Whatever lasts the longest, whatever endures naturally deserves to be heard. Many espouse the motto carpe diem, so they neglect Scripture and bank on today, its pleasures, its goals, its supposed solutions. One of the purposes of fulfilled prophecy in Scripture is to corroborate God's claims. No ones knows the future except God alone. God says of himself that he is One “declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ . . . I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it” (Isaiah 46:10–11). Once that has been established, then it is incumbent upon thinking men (or Spirit empowered men) to pay attention to the truth.

3. Worship. That the Eternal chose, yea invented language to communicate, that He placed all we need to know for salvation in relatively few words between two pieces of leather, and that its effect is not bound by time or restricted like a fashion should prompt our unending admiration of God's magnificent wisdom and glory!

Let me close with this consideration. Boundlessness signifies superiority to time, to place, to meaning and therefore to application. So rich is the import back of this term that it is hopeless to excuse our failure at reading, meditating and believing God's Word. The depth of God's eternal Word goes well beyond the pale of any pretender to last days wisdom. Let us bow in humble reverence before the One who gave us his commandments that are exceedingly broad.

Seeing the Limits of This-World Pursuits

2012-01-12T07:55:00.004-05:00

(Continued from thelast post)

“I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment isexceedingly broad.” (Psalm 119:96)

We’ve All Seen Limitations

“I have seen a limit toall perfection, . . .” The best things for which men seek all their lives, areat best still only fleeting and limited. They may pursue great wealth orknowledge or possessions. So some say, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I add, they still die! Much money is spent in advertising products that makes us look better oryounger, diet and exercise programs to help us live longer and feel better,clothing to improve our looks, or put us into the “in” crowd or perhaps fit inwith the styles at work. We all know (certainly in America) how very importantthese external things are for the average person.

But there is a limitisn’t there? Money and knowledge do not guarantee happiness. The health anddiet crazed cannot be assured beyond doubt that they will not suffer fromdevastating disease or keel over from a heart attack. It still can happen eventhough exercise is a profitable thing to do. Indeed, as Paul tellsTimothy, “bodily exercise does profit a little, but godliness profits unto allthings” (1 Timothy 4:8). There are limits that no man can know. But experiencehas taught us all that we cannot depend upon these things. “You’ve got to stopand smell the roses.” Truly. And many overlook this bit of wisdom in theendless pursuit of things or health? Have we seem the limit to all perfection?

Pursue True Contentment

Thomas Manton writesthat even the best of attainments will be lacking for they cannot truly make ushappy. In the midst of those things we are still empty. “Carnal affections mustbe mortified [put to death] before they can be satisfied. Grace must do that foryou; it is godliness that brings contentment to the heart of man” (1 Tim. 6:6).Contrary to popular belief “the way to contentment is not to increase oursubstance, but to limit our desires.”

Further, the pursuit of“perfection” cannot make us more acceptable to God. Isn’t this after all therub? Is this not wherein the battle lies? We fight within ourselves over whom we willplease. Truly it is said of the wicked, that “God is not in all his thoughts” (Ps.10:4, KJV). Of how many Christians might this also be said at least to some degree? Do true believerssee the limits of great pursuits? What bling does God desire of us? “The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit isin the sight of God of great price” (1 Peter 3:4). Remember, says Manton, “Godloves his people for the grace he puts into them, not for the outward gifts hebestows upon them.” It is grace that makes us acceptable and beautiful to God,HIS grace.

I’ll stop here. More tocome on this subject . . .

God's Word Never Outdated; It's Boundless

2012-01-09T19:09:00.000-05:00

"I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad" (Psalm 119:96).

This is a meditation, a series of thoughts that germinated in my mind some years ago, but about which I cannot hope to comprehend. So, why bother? Well, when we consider God in any fashion we can never hope to have a full understanding of him. Still, to meditate on this very Subject is the essence of knowing God. So, it IS worth it.

Let me put a word before you. Plenitude. Simply put, it refers to the condition of being full or complete. In reference to God, it refers to one of his attributes, viz., his fullness, his total completeness, or his inability (if you will) to ever be lacking in any fashion. The above verse caught my attention some years ago, and it seems time to write something about it.

Perfection Is Limited
"I have seen a limit to all perfection, . . ." The Hebrew for this word (tiklah) can mean "finished, completed, accomplished, or fulfilled." We praise those of whom we can say they are "accomplished at something." Absalom, though the most handsome and charismatic in the land, had his great weaknesses. And though Solomon was the wisest of all time, even he fell dreadfully low due to his weaknesses. The best fade.

To do a good job, we describe with this saying: "You have to work hard at it." How many of us have heard or said, "Practice makes perfect?" It is an honorable thing to finish a job for sure. We admire men like Edison who labored fastidiously over the invention of the light bulb. He failed over a thousand times. But to him, those weren't failures. He said that they showed him a thousand ways it wouldn't work. Again, we admire his tenacity, his "sticktoittiveness." But at their very best, even the best things in life will all have a terminus.

Let me mention one more analogy. Think of a perfectionist. Know one? My Mom was that way. I have some tendencies that way. A job is never quite good enough for a perfectionist. They may have done a marvelous job, but they don't think so! Brahms threw music away, or didn't publish it if it didn't meet up to his high standards. The point? Even a perfectionist can only go so far. They will inevitably do marvelous work, far better than most, even to those in their own field who'd know the difference. Still, they are not happy. But they have to be finished some time. Even the best things in life will all have their terminus.

Enter Scripture.

God's Word Is Without Limits
The Psalmist continues, ". . . but your commandment is exceedingly broad." The NIV uses "boundless." What does that mean? Well, in stark contrast to perfection, it would mean that whereas the most glorious gifts have inherent flaws built within; the most fastidious labors may produce great results and still their best can only go so far. On the other hand, God's commandment (viz., his Word) is very broad, boundless. What strikes me about this comparison is that there are definitely limits to God's Word. I mean that there are only so many chapters and verses and words in the Bible. All of the words fit within a defined limit, that is between two pieces of leather. So, what amazes me is that even though there are a set number of pages, the reach of the Bible is limitless . . . boundless.

Now, what does this mean to us? Tune in tomorrow or Wednesday for how this applies to you and me.

Happy reading!

When Good News Becomes Bad News!

2012-01-04T09:39:00.002-05:00

Even the important truth re: the conviction of sin can be overdone IF it forces the knowledge of God out. But what comes first? What do I mean? Well, I think John Newton explains it quite well in small paperback book entitled "A Pen Dipped in Love." He writes in a letter:

We commonly speak as if conviction of sin was the first work of God upon the soul that he is in mercy about to draw to himself. But I think this is inaccurate. Conviction is only a part, or rather an immediate effect of that first work; and there are many convictions which do not at all spring from it, and therefore are only occasional and temporary, though for a season they may be very sharp, and put a person upon doing many things.

This insight is in itself enough to garner at least some respect for Newton's grasp of the work of God in salvation. But he goes further to make the larger point:

In order to a due conviction of sin, we must previously have some adequate conceptions of the God with whom we have to do.

J. C. Ryle also sees this issue: "If you do not love Christ, let me plainly tell you what is the reason: You have no sense of debt to Him." For me to know that I have offended someone, it is evident that I must know that person. Newton goes on:

Sin may be feared as dangerous without this; but its nature and demerit can only be understood by being contrasted with the holiness, majesty, goodness, and truth, of the God against who it is committed. No outward means, no mercies, judgement, or ordinances can communicate such a discovery of God, or produce such a conviction of sin, without the concurrence of this divine light and power to the soul.

What does this mean to the Gospel message? Everything. Men by nature have a natural disinclination toward God and especially Jesus Christ. But he is exactly whom we must preach. It seems that these days, we are finding a tendency arising that wants to skirt the person of Jesus Christ in deference for his gifts. But who can want the gift he offers unless he sees his own need? And how will one see his own need until he sees how far short he comes from the absolute and majestic holiness of him whom Paul describes as a God, “who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:16) To the Jews who had a great knowledge of Scripture, Jesus responded, but "you will not come to me that you might have life." Do you not see it? The knowledge of the person of Jesus is at the heart of salvation, both in its proclamation and its experience.

Ask not, "How will people receive this?" That is not our problem. That belongs rightly to the work of the Holy Spirit who does his job perfectly. Just like Job, men who truly come into contact with God will say, "I thought I knew you, but now I see you and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5-6).

Maybe We Really Don't Want to Overcome Our Lusts!

2012-01-03T22:11:00.003-05:00

Thomas à Kempis tells the truth but strikes a real nerve when he writes:

"We are too occupied with our own whims andfancies, too taken up with passing things. Rarely do we completely conquer evenone vice, and we are not inflamed with the desire to improve ourselves day byday; hence, we remain cold and indifferent. If we mortified our bodiesperfectly and allowed no distractions to enter our minds, we could appreciatedivine things and experience something of heavenly contemplation.

The greatest obstacle, indeed, the onlyobstacle, is that we are not free from passions and lusts, that we do not tryto follow the perfect way of the saints. Thus when we encounter some slightdifficulty, we are too easily dejected and turn to human consolations. If we tried,however, to stand as brave men in battle, the help of the Lord from heavenwould surely sustain us. For He Who gives us the opportunity of fighting forvictory, is ready to help those who carry on and trust in His grace.

If we let our progress in religious life dependon the observance of its externals alone, our devotion will quickly come to anend. Let us, then, lay the ax to the root that we may be freed from ourpassions and thus have peace of mind.

If we were to uproot only one vice each year,we should soon become perfect. The contrary, however, is often the case—we feelthat we were better and purer in the first fervor of our conversion than we areafter many years in the practice of our faith. Our fervor and progress ought toincrease day by day; yet it is now considered noteworthy if a man can retaineven a part of his first fervor.

If we did a little violence to ourselves at thestart, we should afterwards be able to do all things with ease and joy. It ishard to break old habits, but harder still to go against our will.

If you do not overcome small, trifling things,how will you overcome the more difficult? Resist temptations in the beginning,and unlearn the evil habit lest perhaps, little by little, it lead to a moreevil one.

If you but consider what peace a good life willbring to yourself and what joy it will give to others, I think you will be moreconcerned about your spiritual progress."

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ(Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1996), 17-18.

Why Resolve NOW?

2011-12-31T18:54:00.002-05:00

I wonder what would happen to many who make New Year's Resolutions if such were not allowed? I don't mean anything political or something like that. I am posing the question for the sake of determining why it is we make them at all, and why we make them on the last day of the year? A couple of brief thoughts:

Failed Resolutions Can Prevent Future Commitment?

First, it would seem that the humor so often associated with our proverbial failure to keep our NYRs might actually work against our making any at all. You know what I mean don't you? How often have we heard it said (or said it ourselves), "Well, if I make a resolution, I know I'll just break it, so why bother?" Perhaps, we should recognize that, humor aside, resolutions are not so bad to make per se. It was Socrates who first said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." I think he was partially right. Mankind by nature is cognitive, and therefore must exercise some judgment in their choices. It will happen. He is partially wrong (if I rightly understand him), in that one may live a very organized and thoroughly self-examined existence and still live outside of God. I would suggest many do. In such cases, then, we might add, "the examined life does not necessarily result in a worthy life, unless it yields to truth as it is revealed in Jesus Christ." So, let us make resolutions, but be careful that they conform to the dictates of Scripture. Remember, it was Jesus who asked most poignantly, "What shall it profit a man if he were to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or, what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26). Examine your life. Yes. Make resolutions? Yes, if they meet the Jesus criteria.

Why Resolve Now?

Second, why make resolutions only at year's end? This admittedly is less serious than the first concern. But I was thinking . . . maybe this fits into that class of things that make you scratch your head and go "hm-m-m." I mean consider, if something were truly worthy of our making a resolution, then why would we wait until New Year's Day in order to commit to it? Just a thought. That's all. If something is worth doing, isn't it worth doing now?

Now, what will you do?

I'm resolving to get this posted before year's end! Whew, I think I'll make it.

"Cookie-Cutter" Christianity

2011-12-23T13:31:00.000-05:00

In Mushrooms on the Moor, Frank Boreham (1871-1959) of Kent, England and best known in New Zealand, writes of Henry Drummond's disdain for "ready made clothes." This may seem anachronistic to those of us who know rarely anything else these days! Now, many of us have heard of Drummond as an evangelist during the days of Dwight Moody. But his predilection toward well-fitted clothing is just one other aspect of this man of God. Boreham, in his manner, utilizes this very real issue in Drummond's life as an appropriate allegory for the way in which we Christians proclaim or live out the Gospel. In our day, one way to describe this tendency would be with the term "pigeon-holing," or "forcing one into a box," or "cookie-cutter Christians." No two born-again believers will be just alike in the manner in which they absorb or display the truth of the Gospel. Assuredly, the Gospel itself is not, as they say, "up for grabs." Oh, no. Truth remains unchanging. However, there are as many ways in which we may "grow up into Christ in all things" as there are believers. At least that is how I take Boreham's thesis.

What is the point? The "ready-made" mentality affects us in various ways. For example, it prevents mission agencies from falling prey to the tendency of colonialization, the practice of forcing upon a native population the moors of the sending country. As Drummond would aver, no two men are built the same, thus neither should their clothing be the same. Tailors must have loved this man! But another more common example of this problem is found in the philosophy called legalism. We may not perceive it a philosophy, but it certainly projects itself in such a manner. Legalistic people in legalistic churches often hold to good doctrine, but they lead the way in the selling of "ready made clothes." They expect everyone to sort of look the same, and talk and act the same. One's orthodoxy is judged by the individual's adherence to a commonly held set of standards, standards mind you that are not delineated in Scripture.

For the individual such a mind-set is important too. It is not necessarily that they will set out to be different, per se. To pursue such may tend toward "ready-made" rebellion, a sort of "gang" mentality. There is a certain freedom in Christ that allows each to seek his own knowledge of God. No one can do that for me. In helping others find peace with Christ, or power through the Holy Spirit, it is most certainly the case that it cannot be sold in a can. The hart yearns for the water brook (Ps. 42), but each hart must drink for itself. When my daughter and her husband sat with me through premarital counseling, I felt compelled to help Rachel seek out her own faith. It's not that she tended to be a blind follower. Of course, I don't mean seek out a separate OBJECT of faith. No, that's Jesus Christ. But to seek it on her own and not because her Dad was a Pastor. During the week before our discussion, a term came to me. I don't know that it's been used before but I called what she needed, "original grace." Original grace simply put is God's reaching out to (in this case) Rachel in way separate from myself or my wife or her fiance. Granted, we are not alone in this world, nor unaffected by those with whom we consort all of our lives. We very much affect others. At some point, however, each must be convinced in his own right of the verities of Scripture. We as parents should so raise our children that that is their heritage. We, as Pastors, need to do as much for the people in our flock. No two are alike. Treat each as he deserves. Some are saved very young, and others out of a grossly sinful lifestyle. Only God really knows why it occurs this way. To each we proclaim, "Seek the Lord while He may be found."

That's enough for now. You get the point. God bless you richly throughout the days ahead!

Putting Weight Behind Waiting

2011-12-16T09:38:00.000-05:00

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exaltshimself to show mercy to you. For the Lordis a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 30:18)

The setting is Israel turning to Egypt for help against her enemies. God is rebuking them for not seeking Him. This has been their pattern; it is the pattern of all of us when we faithlessly turn elsewhere for help.

Verse 18 is loaded. "The LORD waits to be gracious to you." Endemic to God is his desire to reveal his grace. God wants to manifest it. But isn't it the very nature of grace to do this? Isn't grace by definition God showing love and care and kindness toward the rebellious, the recalcitrant? God gives when we do not deserve his gifts. That's grace. Of course, the pinnacle of God's rich grace is the cross. But he shows it in innumerable ways for all of us and always. As Paul puts it so well, "The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It [viz., the same grace] teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age" (Titus 2:11-12 NIV). In other words, the same exalted grace that provided the amazing atonement for mankind continues affecting change in the believer, causing him to achieve Spirit-filled fruits, "self-control, uprightness," etc. Indeed, Jehovah waits to be gracious.

Thus, Jehovah "exalts himself to show mercy." God, by all rights, should let the ax fall on all of mankind who have turned radically against him. Israel should not become the whipping boy of sin. We all fit the same pattern. Point? When by all rights God should bring down justice on our pate, and he refuses to do so, then that magnifies his grace, and his mercy. He cannot but be just. Such is God's very nature. So, for the everlasting Judge of all the earth to stay our execution is one thing. Marvelous indeed! But to go well beyond that and effect such a genetic change in us rebels that we then exhibit the DNA of God . . . well, . . . that is a mercy beyond the pale of human expression.

Upon whom does such grace and mercy land? The answer is found in the bookend statements in this verse. "Jehovah WAITS to be gracious to you." That's the first. Then the second is, "blessed are all those who WAIT for him." Waiting is the key. It is wait of kindness and patience on God's end; it is a waiting of faith and dependence on ours.

Let us learn to wait for God's grace and mercy and kindness and love. He delights to show it. He is exalted to offer it. We are thrice-blessed to receive it!

Acquiring Peace & Zeal at Christmas

2011-12-14T08:10:00.001-05:00

The Christmas season has a way of driving us perpetually to distraction. This entry from Thomas 'a Kempis hits the nail on the head. Read it, pursue what he says, and find rest to your souls (Mt. 11:28). But please read this slowly, thoughtfully. It will pay great dividends.

WE SHOULD enjoy much peace if we did not concern ourselves with what others say and do, for these are no concern of ours. How can a man who meddles in affairs not his own, who seeks strange distractions, and who is little or seldom inwardly recollected, live long in peace?

Blessed are the simple of heart for they shall enjoy peace in abundance.

Why were some of the saints so perfect and so given to contemplation? Because they tried to mortify entirely in themselves all earthly desires, and thus they were able to attach themselves to God with all their heart and freely to concentrate their innermost thoughts.
We are too occupied with our own whims and fancies, too taken up with passing things. Rarely do we completely conquer even one vice, and we are not inflamed with the desire to improve ourselves day by day; hence, we remain cold and indifferent. If we mortified our bodies perfectly and allowed no distractions to enter our minds, we could appreciate divine things and experience something of heavenly contemplation.

The greatest obstacle, indeed, the only obstacle, is that we are not free from passions and lusts, that we do not try to follow the perfect way of the saints. Thus when we encounter some slight difficulty, we are too easily dejected and turn to human consolations. If we tried, however, to stand as brave men in battle, the help of the Lord from heaven would surely sustain us. For He Who gives us the opportunity of fighting for victory, is ready to help those who carry on and trust in His grace.

If we let our progress in religious life depend on the observance of its externals alone, our devotion will quickly come to an end. Let us, then, lay the ax to the root that we may be freed from our passions and thus have peace of mind.

If we were to uproot only one vice each year, we should soon become perfect. The contrary, however, is often the case—we feel that we were better and purer in the first fervor of our conversion than we are after many years in the practice of our faith. Our fervor and progress ought to increase day by day; yet it is now considered noteworthy if a man can retain even a part of his first fervor.

If we did a little violence to ourselves at the start, we should afterwards be able to do all things with ease and joy. It is hard to break old habits, but harder still to go against our will.

If you do not overcome small, trifling things, how will you overcome the more difficult? Resist temptations in the beginning, and unlearn the evil habit lest perhaps, little by little, it lead to a more evil one.

If you but consider what peace a good life will bring to yourself and what joy it will give to others, I think you will be more concerned about your spiritual progress.

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1996), 17-18.

What Motivates You to Get Out of Bed?

2011-12-12T11:30:00.000-05:00

OK, the real question should be, "What motivates us to do anything?" James Emery White posted this on his blog, Church & Culture. Please read my comments at the end of White's article, because I believe even his conclusion can become misconstrued.

“Whatgets you up in the morning, and powers you through the day?” It’s an interesting question someone recently asked me, and for somereason, it made me reflect. It’s not that I hadn’t heard the questionbefore, or answered it…it had just been a while. Or maybe it was the wayit was phrased. What really does get me up in the morning? What really does power me through a busy day of work, responsibility andchallenges?

What drives anyone?
As I reflected on my own life, and the lives of other leaders I’veencountered, it struck me that most of us are motivated by one of four things:
1.      Adrenaline
There are people who, if they weren’t building a church, closing a dealor beating a deadline would be racing cars and jumping out ofplanes. They are adrenaline junkies, and live for the rush and the thrillof adventure.
There is certainly a need for a bias for action, but neither a churchnor a business should be merely a facilitator for a personal rush. Further, adrenaline alone will often cause a leader to drive an organizationinto the ground, not to mention themselves.
2.      Ego
I know an older, seasoned leader who had a new church planter in hiscity tell him that he wanted to pastor a big church. That was what he wasin the game for – a big church. It was rather shocking to hear it put sobaldly. But there are many who, whether conveyed in subtle tones or not,seem driven to gain a platform for their life. They want to be aChristian celebrity, to write and speak, and to be famous.
We all have pride and enormous egos.
All of us.
Many times our ego is what allows us to have confidence (such as anathlete who, in the fourth quarter, says “Give me the ball.”). Butunchecked, ego is among the most deadly and destructive of pitfalls. Andwhen our egos run amuck - leading us to create cults of personality, minimalaccountability, and the church or organization all about you and your name/fame- then it ceases to be a God-thing. You’ve moved from Spirit to flesh,regardless of the “success” you might be achieving in the eyes of the world.
3.      Personal Fulfillment
In recent years I’ve sensed a new motivating force, particularly amongchurch planters. They don’t feel called to plant a church as much as theyhave in mind a particular life and ministry, and planting seems the quickestand most direct way to achieve it. They know where they would most liketo live, the position they want to fill, and the kind of church they want tolead…so they start it.
So they pick their chosen city, place themselves in their desiredposition, and design the structure and style according to their sensibilities;often with very little sense of calling, much less of willing sacrifice.
If you’re going to be a church planter, some of this isunavoidable. But if your motivation for starting a church is simply tocreate a dream life, dream job, in a dream location, in a dream context, thenit’s simply a means to an end.
And the end is all about you.
4.      Cause
Then there is being motivated by the cause. Meaning, the cause ofChrist. And yes, this is what I believe all of us should aspire to.
Many of you will be familiar with the writings of Jim Collins, andspecifically his description of a “Level 5 Leader.” This is someone who“blends extreme personal humility with intense professional will.” Theyare often very strong leaders – Collins highlights Abraham Lincoln as a classicLevel 5 leader – but “their ambition is first and foremost for the institution,not themselves…for the company and concern for its success rather thanfor one’s own riches and personal renown.”
This is why I hold the pastor of a church that has been builtfamily-by-family, in rented facilities and then land and then construction,sticking with it over a long period of time, in the highest regard.
They have been tested and found faithful.
If it had all been about adrenaline, those early months and years ofmodest growth would have led them to pursue something that would give a moreimmediate rush.
If it had all been about ego, the lack of fame and renown while theylabored – often for years – in obscurity would have led them away to whateverwould promise them their fifteen minutes of fame.
If it had been about their own personal fulfillment, the enormous pricenecessary to build a church over time would have led them to laziness,short-cuts, or simple abandonment after a season or two.
Their life and ministry tells me they are driven by something deeper.
The cause of Christ.
And that’s the kind of power that will get you through any day.

Now, this may seem picky, but for the sake of truth, I would suggest that even the "cause of Christ" could be misunderstood. It seems that an ego-driven person could claim such, as well as the adrenaline junky. Perhaps a better way to phrase it would be as Paul did, for the love of Christ constrains or controls me (2 Cor. 5:14). Causes, though good, can easily devolve into an objective pursuit, where love cannot. Again, perhaps picky, and perhaps this is what White had in mind. But I just wanted to state it plainly.

Soft, Effeminate Christianity (Re-Post from Challies)

2011-12-11T16:35:00.001-05:00

This is too good to pass up, a word of advice from a seasoned believer. I re-post this thanks to Tim Challies. Tim writes:

I came across this quote by Horatius Bonar and thought it was worth sharing.Bonar is warning against a kind of soft and, in his word, effeminateChristianity, that may come about when Christians are too afraid to fight forwhat is right and to protest against what is wrong.

And now, Bonar's words:

For there is some danger of falling into a soft and effeminate Christianity,under the plea of a lofty and ethereal theology. Christianity was born forendurance…It walks with firm step and erect frame; it is kindly, but firm; itis gentle, but honest; it is calm, but not facile; obliging, but not imbecile;decided, but not churlish. It does not fear to speak the stern word ofcondemnation against error, nor to raise its voice against surrounding evils,under the pretext that it is not of this world.

It does not shrink from giving honest reproof lest it come under the chargeof displaying an unchristian spirit. It calls sin ‘sin,’ on whomsoever it isfound, and would rather risk the accusation of being actuated by a bad spiritthan not discharge an explicit duty. Let us not misjudge strong words used inhonest controversy. Out of the heat a viper may come forth; but we shake it offand feel no harm.

The religion of both Old and New Testaments is marked by fervent outspokentestimonies against evil. To speak smooth things in such a case may besentimentalism, but it is not Christianity. It is a betrayal of the cause oftruth and righteousness. If anyone should be frank, manly, honest, cheerful (Ido not say blunt or rude, for a Christian must be courteous and polite), it ishe who has tasted that the Lord is gracious, and is looking for and hastingunto the coming of the day of God.

I know that charity covereth a multitude of sins; but it does not call evilgood, because a good man has done it; it does not excuse inconsistencies,because the inconsistent brother has a high name and a fervent spirit.Crookedness and worldliness are still crookedness and worldliness, thoughexhibited in one who seems to have reached no common height of attainment.

It Is Not Said in Heaven, "Moral, Moral, Moral Art Thou, O God!"

2011-12-09T07:03:00.000-05:00

How many true Christians fall prey to the temptation to settle for morality, when God demands holiness? The Church for all her blessings, must not allow this to be her purpose, to make their country a moral place in which to live. Christians indeed should be the most moral of people, but one may be moral and still go to hell. Thanks to DGM for emphasizing this in the following article.

Hear these words from C. H. Spurgeon:

"Holiness excludes immorality, but morality does not amountto holiness, for morality may be but the cleaning of the outside of the cup andthe platter, while the heart may be full of wickedness. Holiness deals with thethoughts and intents, the purposes, the aims, the objectives, the motives ofmen. Morality does but skim the surface, holiness goes into the very caverns ofthe great deep—holiness requires that the heart shall be set on God and that itshall beat with love to Him. The moral man may be complete in his moralitywithout that.

I think I might draw such a parallel as this. Morality is asweet, fair corpse—well washed, robed and even embalmed with spices—butholiness is the living man, as fair and as lovely as the other, but havinglife! Morality lies there, of the earth, earthy, soon to be food for corruptionand worms—holiness waits and pants with heavenly aspirations, prepared to mountand dwell in immortality beyond the stars! These two are of oppositenatures—the one belongs to this world, the other belongs to that world beyondthe skies.

It is not said in Heaven, “Moral, moral, moral are You, OGod!” But, “Holy, holy, holy are You, O Lord!” You note the difference betweenthe two words at once. The one, icy cold. The other, oh, how animated! Such ismere morality and such is holiness! Moralist—I know I speak to manysuch—remember that your best morality will not save you! You must havemore than this, for without holiness—and that not of yourself, it must be givenyou of the Spirit of God—without holiness, no one shall see the Lord."

My Mother's Faith: Strength Out of Depression

2011-12-07T06:56:00.001-05:00

Mostof my readers already know that my mother went to be with the Lord last Fridayat 8:30 AM. She was 90 and her health had been failing. Yesterday was thefuneral. My brother Carl videoed everything per my Dad's request since he ishard of hearing and would miss so much of the service. Two grandsons gave theirtake on Mom's affect on them. My sisters (Kathi & Christine) each gavereminiscences of our mother that were both humorous and lovingly indicative ofthe kind of mother she was. People seem to enjoy those memories eventhough they do not apply but to the family. They really did do a good job. Ihad the privilege of speaking about Mom's faith. Below is what I said. Each ofus felt compelled to write everything out, for composure's sake as well as trying to keep to the time-frame allotted.I believe that while the following pertains to my mother, the truths aboutwhich I speak apply well beyond her to all, especially to those who suffer fromdepression like my Mom.

A Meditation on Our Mother's Faith

Maria Bowers Nelson

February 21, 1921-December 2, 2011

Itis true that Mom could be quite humorous. She also appreciated the arts:classical music and even opera. I remember as a 5-year old sitting in a wingchair listening to a record of Beethoven's Fifth and Haydn's 104th and beingenamored. I don't remember being as excited about opera though I have listenedto them as well because of her influence. But, it is equally true that Mom hadto deal with depression. And this made her hold her faith more firmly thansomeone who does not feel this trial. One thing you cannot say about her isthat she was a cookie-cutter woman. But neither was she a cookie-cutterChristian. Mom could be somewhat private about her spirituality. But it wasthere. It came out in different ways. I have found that people who live outtheir Christianity through the heaviness of depression tend to cast offsuperficiality and exhibit a rather no-nonsense faith. There isn’t room forpious platitudes. It’s useless if it doesn’t meet me in my pain. One of theverses that Mom came to love years ago and that is emblazoned on my memory isthis one from Joel 2:25:

“Iwill restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, . . .”

Iffamine and locust swarms represented the times of drought and depression, thento Mom this verse was a promise of restoration. She would say, “Oh, I LOVE thatverse!" And then she would repeat it like someone doing a reading of apoem before an adoring audience. She saw the value of such healing words. Andwho loves healing more than those who experience pain so very deeply? In theface of such a promise, crying would be exchanged for laughter; nightmares giveway to visions of joy, and laments would be replaced by praise to God. A couple of daysago, I had a chance to read what she had written in her Bible from years ago.She recorded this from Pastor Seume on March 24, 1963, “The mystery above mustbe lived out in the misery below. The misery below is where most people areliving.” And therein lies the battle. But you fight it. And you fight it byGod’s unceasing grace.

Inthe spirit of others who suffered deep depressions like the hymn-writer,William Cowper and the beloved prince of preachers, C. H. Spurgeon, Mom grabbedfor comfort wherever she could find it. Is it any wonder that one of herfavorite hymns (and mine), which Phyllis heard her affirm, is “Oh, Love ThatWill Not Let Me Go”? Perhaps without knowing it, Momma identified with thishymn because she identified with its author, George Matheson. Engaged to bemarried, Matheson knew he was growing blind. Upon relaying this fact to hisfiancé, she called off the marriage saying that she did not believe she could marrya blind man. In spite of this heartbreak, he found great help in his sister asblindness overtook him. Some time later, however, his sister fell in love andwas to be married. Now he would lose her too. On the afternoon of the day shewas to be married in the evening, and while alone in a room, he writes:

Somethinghappened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the mostsevere mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It wasthe quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression of havingit dictated to me by some inward voice rather than of working it out myself.I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equallysure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction.

Ibelieve the last two stanzas bespeak Mom’s faith and hopefully ours as well!

OJoy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

OCross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Idon’t think Mom would’ve understood that attitude so popular these days, thatGod never meant us to suffer or to have to endure trials, or even depression.She, like all of us did not particularly relish such depression, but I suspectneither she nor we could be what we are in Christ without those times. But thatis not the end of the matter. Mom loved to read of consolation in Scripture orto hear it in a hymn. It's verses like these from Paul that help us understandwhy:

Butwe have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power maybe of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; weare perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down,but not destroyed. –2 Corinthians 4:7-9

Momused to say to us children, “You can’t always have what you want.” Simpleadvice, but profound. In the end, however, we who love Christ will get far morethan we could ever want. The eternal joy of heaven vastly outweighs all thesuffering any of us faces. One thing is certain, no one knows that so well asMom, who has now had restored to her all the years the locusts had eaten.

Should We Argue with the Devil?

2011-11-29T09:07:00.001-05:00

Thereis therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do notwalk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. --Romans 8:1

Today, the Church of the truly redeemed waffles in her assessment of sin. On the one hand, accommodation to the culture and infection from the numerous media outlets have desensitized much of the church to her true need for confession and repentance. She has grown lax, numb to her own sinfulness. On the other hand, without a proper doctrinal base, she has grown ignorant of the great victory wrought for her by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. And for this cause she limps along without victory over sin, lost in the haze of truths loosely caught and even more loosely held. Therefore, she cannot truly enjoy Jesus Christ, properly worship Him, or experience the abundant joy he died to secure.

If we are to grab the life offered us in Jesus, we'll need to deal with our sin biblically. One way we can do this is to take sin as seriously as God and confront Satan when we feel the temptations mounting. A. W. Tozer taught this:

As for myself, I have learned to talk back to [the Devil] onthis score. I say, "Yes, Devil, sin is terrible-but I remind you that Igot it from you! And I remind you, Devil, that everything good-- forgivenessand cleansing and blessing-everything that is good I have freely received fromJesus Christ!"

Everything that is bad and that is against me I gotfrom the devil--so why should he have the effrontery and the brass to arguewith me about it? Yet he will do it because he is the devil, and he iscommitted to keeping God's children shut up in a little cage, their wingsclipped so that they can never fly! (I Talk Back to the Devil, p. 6).

Others do not believe that this is a solidly supported method from the Bible. I suppose it does have its merit in that it keeps the reality of Satan's nefarious labors ever before us. But we do not find such a confrontation taught in the letters of the New Testament. We are taught that we fight a spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6), and that Michael the archangel, when fighting over the body of Moses, cried out to the devil, "The Lord rebuke you" (Jude 9). While Scripture's main thrust is to make us aware of Satan's methods, we are not really taught to confront him face to face. Still, Tozer makes a good point. We need not be afraid of the evil one, though we should respect his power and wits. Certainly we can assert something without qualification, declare that you now are not under condemnation (not because we are so holy in ourselves), but most assuredly because we are made perfectly holy in Jesus Christ. There IS power in the blood. Be wary of Satan. Do not treat sin lightly. But make much of the grace of God which has turned our darkness into light through the finished work of Jesus. And be happy in Him!

The Best Way to Thank God Is to Ask for More!

2011-11-24T08:05:00.001-05:00

On this Thanksgiving Day, we who know the Lord Jesus as Savior are in the best of all spots to lift up praise to God from our hearts. Indeed, many outside of God's saving grace can be thankful, but I say none like the believer. One of Phyllis' and my favorite and poignant passages in Scripture that summarizes the essence of thanksgiving is found in Psalm 116:12-13:

“What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.”

If you're reading this today, you're probably suffering from post-turkey sluggishness, so I'll keep this brief!

Most of us upon having received something wonderful from God's hands want to "return the favor." At least that is our knee-jerk reaction. But it's not appropriate before God! That's right. God needs nothing from us, right? So, how do we rightly show our appreciation for all the benefits He has showered upon us? NOT by trying to pay him back, but rather by ASKING FOR MORE! "What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation" [which is God's doings, right?], "and call on the name of the LORD." I'll hold up the cup that He already filled and what? Yes, ask God to fill it again.

So, for those of us who have received richly from God's gracious bounty, the best way to show our gratitude to God is by holding up the treasured cup of salvation and asking God to do it again. FILL IT AGAIN, LORD. What does this reveal? It reveals that we know who it is who has provided for us all along. It reveals also our dependency upon the glorious Provider. And it also unveils the glorious ways in which God opens the windows of heaven and pours out his blessings upon the earth, upon mankind in general, and upon his children by faith especially.

The happiest of Thanksgivings to all of you. FILL IT AGAIN GRACIOUS FATHER!

AND AGAIN . . .

Praising God Before Christian Students

2011-11-22T15:52:00.001-05:00

Today, I had the privilege of bringing a devotional to the Christian Student's Union (CSU) at Genesee Community College (GCC) at the invitation of Jessica Parfitt, one of our young people. It was a true blessing to my heart to meet with these some 20 young folks and their leader. Per the norm, it was left up to the Spirit and me to speak on anything I wished. Never knowing if I'll ever "walk this way again," I was impressed to speak on the one subject which is above all other subjects, viz., God himself. It had to be brief, which for those who know me is quite a task especially given the gargantuan weight of the One with whom we have to do. Here is in brief what I said without any attempt to quote with exactness, just to relay in general my thoughts here in this post:

Quoting A. W. Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy:

The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man's spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of god. Worship is pure of base as the worshiper entertain high or low thoughts of God.

It is my opinion that the Christian conception of God current in these middle years of the twentieth century is so decadent as to be utterly beneath the dignity of the Most High God and actually to constitute for professed believers something amounting to a moral calamity.

Just a cursory consideration and one would have to agree with Tozer in the sense that if God is God, then what we believe about Him must rank highest of all things. We looked then, as a starting place, at Psalm 113, which is a "Hallelujah" Psalm, one of praise to God, for that is what hallelujah means. If God is over all things - earth, heaven, hell, all peoples and this throughout all time - then the most important subject we can study is God, and the most important Person we ought to know rightly is God. Now, in every sense of the term this is a truism (something which is most evidently true without need of proof). Here is a little of Psalm 113 unpacked:

God is to be praised.

By whom?
   By his servants (v. 1).

When and Where is He to be praised?
   Eternally, lit. "from this time forth and forevermore."
   Everywhere, "from the rising of the sun to its setting."

Why is God to be praised?
   He is without peer. "He is above all nations."
   He is without limits. "He is glorious above the heavens." (v. 4)
   God is Superior, without equal. He looks down on the heavens and the earth (vv. 5-6).
   He is merciful, and tender toward those in the "dust," and "ash heap" of life (v. 7). He demonstrates such mercy for those in the greatest of misery. They are in extreme misery and God shows extreme mercy.
   God shows rich grace by making those in such low position to be exalted like princes, and gives the barren woman a home (v. 8).

In short, God is great beyond explanation, yet not remote. He is near to all who call upon Him. He is concerned with every detail, and concerned inexhaustibly with the faithful.

Indeed, God is to be praised.

I hope to see these young God-fearers again.

Fighting Sexual Sin

2011-11-19T06:18:00.001-05:00

I have always loved the way Tozer phrases things. But it is his careful scrutiny and boldness that makes him stand out, especially in these days of wimpy "toleration." In the name of such toleration, those who should sound the battle cry have been badgered into leaving the front lines of the battle and slinking away to the rear eschelons in the name of love! What kind of love is that which leaves the world to duke it out with an evil devil without a godly witness empowered by the Holy Spirit? The following is certainly a subject that is no longer relegated to quiet little rooms. It must be broadcast from pulpits. We fight a serious fight, and a spiritual one. Well, let me quote Tozer one more time in an effort at least to bring to light the hidden secrets of darkness, and in exposing them to plea for hope in Jesus Christ. There's always hope through Jesus Christ, who is the Savior of all those who put their trust in him.

Spiritual Warfare and Sin: The Erotic Age

It isactually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexualimmorality as is not even named among the Gentiles-that a man has his father'swife! (1 Cor. 5:1)

The period in which we now live may well go down inhistory as the Erotic Age. Sex love has been elevated into a cult. Eros hasmore worshipers among civilized men today than any other god. For millions theerotic has completely displaced the spiritual....

Now if this god would let us Christians alone I for onewould let his cult alone. The whole spongy, fetid mess will sink some day underits own weight and become excellent fuel for the fires of hell, a justrecompense which is meet, and it becomes us to feel compassion for those whohave been caught in its tragic collapse. Tears and silence might be better thanwords if things were slightly otherwise than they are. But the cult of Eros isseriously affecting the Church. The pure religion of Christ that flows like acrystal river from the heart of God is being polluted by the unclean watersthat trickle from behind the altars of abomination that appear on every highhill and under every green tree from New York to Los Angeles.

BornAfter Midnight, 36-37.

Anxiety v. Thankfulness . . .

2011-11-17T10:11:00.000-05:00

Familiar verses can often become the most astonishing verses. That's true for me of Philippians 4:6,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Anxiety Gets Our Attention
True enough. Just mention worry or anxiety in a church meeting and you'll get people to sit up and listen. Why? Well, I think it's one of those subjects which most feel all too well. Some imagine it's inherited looking at their family history. Others just accept it as a part of life with no real deliverance on the horizon. In the light of this, what's so amazing (in part) about this verse is that it tells--yes, commands--us not to be anxious about ANYTHING! Say what you will, that is the short of it. No worries, period!

Solution? Prayer WITH THANKSGIVING
Skipping the prayer and supplication for now, it's the "with thanksgiving" that jumps out at me. Note that it's not listed as an optional offer, if we think about it or feel like it. As a student of the Word of God, it is always a good idea to note the emphasis of a word or phrase first even before delving into its meaning. So, before knowing why "with thanksgiving" is listed, we can see from the sentence that it is included in the solution. Remove it and you change the verse.

I would suggest that thanksgiving represents a certain kind of faith without which we cannot expect to find (in this case) release from our worries. In other words, it's possible to pray in such a way that we should not expect an answer simply because, well . . . we do not expect an answer! We may come to God in selfishness, or faithlessness, or even willfulness, each of which will prevent our prayers from getting past the ceiling.

Positively, there are good reasons why thanksgiving must accompany our cries.

First, we know that when we appeal to God, we are calling out to our loving Father who has so much to give us. We do not come as paupers, but to One who will “open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (Malachi 3:10).

Second, we come with thanksgiving because we are permitted to pray. I know, we ofttimes wrestle within ourselves because we do not pray as we ought. But at least we know that we CAN pray. We CAN call upon God. We HAVE been commanded to do so. Thanksgiving unites our prayers to this free invitation to come to God in prayer.

Third, we come with thanksgiving because we know our own prayer history, that we have often come to Him before and our God has answered us. “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

Fourth, we come in thanksgiving because we know that even if we are suffering in a trial or an affliction, that it is our God who controls all such issues. “I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me” (Psalm 119:75).

So, you see the point of thanksgiving? It suggests HOW we come to God in our anxious moments, how we approach him in faith, a faith that trusts God's goodness, wisdom, power, and love. Prayer that does not believe these truths about the God from whom we seek help is really no prayer at all, but griping and complaining! Let us take care that we pray in faith WITH THANKSGIVING!

Want Power? Wait Expectantly for It.

2011-11-12T14:54:00.001-05:00

While it is certainly true that God has demonstrated his love for us in that WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS he died for us, it is not necessarily the case for Spirit-filling AFTER our redemption. God may come upon a believer when he is not prepared for it, but Scripture does show examples of when God blesses those who have been in a period of waiting. Saul waiting in Damascus, the apostles in the upper room before Pentecost, the church in Acts 13:1-4 when they sent out Paul and Barnabas are all examples of those who wait upon the Lord receiving special grace. Read this from Octavius Winslow for a further explanation. It makes sense does it not that the church is as weak as she is IF we are not praying and fasting for the Spirit's presence?

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” Luke 11:13

God has ordained that prayer should be the great channel through which His covenant blessings should flow into the soul. If it is your anxious desire to attain this sealing influence of the Spirit, I would quote for your direction a remark of that eminent servant of Christ, Dr. Goodwin, “Be sure of this,” says he, “that before God ever communicates any good to a soul, He puts that soul in a state of holiness to receive it.”

To confirm and illustrate this thought, let me ask—what was the state of the apostles, when the Holy Spirit descended upon them in His witnessing, anointing, and sealing influences? It is described in these words—”These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren,” Acts 1:14. What is the important lesson thus taught us? That God would have His child in a waiting, seeking, supplicating posture; and in this holy state, prepared to receive the high attainment He is ready to bestow.

Do you earnestly desire the sealing of the Spirit? “Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find.” As sure as you petition for it—sincerely, humbly, believingly—seeking it in the name of Jesus, through the cross of Christ, you shall have it. The Lord the Spirit is ready to impart it to you. It is the free gift of His love, without respect to any worth or worthiness on the part of the soul that receives it. It is a gift of grace—for the poor, the dependent, the unworthy—those that are little in their own eyes, and little in the eyes of others; and if this is your conscious state, then is it for you. And oh, the blessed results!—who can describe them? Sealed!

How will all your legal fears and unbelieving doubts in a moment vanish away! your soul, so long fettered and imprisoned, shall now go free; the cross you have so long looked at, not daring to bow your shoulder to it, shall now be taken up with a cheerful mind; Christ’s yoke, so long resisted, will now be easy, and His burden, so long refused, will now be light; and, with a heart enlarged with the love of Jesus, you will “run the way of His commandments,” esteeming His precepts better than life.

Prayer, importunate prayer, will bring the blessing we plead for into your soul. Seek it with your whole heart—seek it diligently, perseveringly. Seek it by day and by night—seek it in all the means of grace—in every way of God’s appointment—especially seek it in the name of Jesus, as the purchased blessing of His atoning blood. “Ask what you will in my name,” are His own encouraging words, “and it shall he granted unto you.” Then ask for the sealing of the Spirit. Ask nothing less: more you do not want. Feel that you have not “attained,” until you possess it—that you have not “apprehended that for which also you are apprehended of Christ Jesus,” until you have “received the Holy Spirit” as a sealer.

Our Insidious Old Man

2011-11-10T06:08:00.001-05:00

Spiritual Warfare and Sin: Our Old Nature

This is from A.W. Tozer's daily readings I have been following again this year. I mean"again" since I've used them before. Something about his words getsunder my skin. But it's a sinful skin that I can do without. Unfortunately,neither you nor I can get rid of our "skin" quite yet. So, we mustface up to our weaknesses and fight like mad to resist its tendencies. Butfight we must and win we can through Jesus Christ. Read this for it gets all ofus including myself as a pastor. One further word about prophets like Tozer,listen to them. God gives the church prophets who see more clearly than mostthe current situation and lay it out before the eyes of the rest of us in sucha manner that it cannot be avoided. We ought to give thanks for that instead ofrejecting it. Pray that God will raise up more prophets who see clearly andspeak frankly and lovingly to the real needs of the church. The glory of God isat stake. It is always the most important thing at stake isn't it?

Here is Tozer'sarticle:

Therefore putto death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness,passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. --Colossians3:5

There are a lotof people trying to get away with the old man. What do I mean by the old man? Imean your pride, your bossiness, your nastiness, your temper, your meandisposition, your lustfulness and your quarrelsomeness. What do I mean,Reverend? I mean your study, your hunting for a bigger church, beingdissatisfied with the offering and blaming the superintendent because youcannot get called. The reason you cannot get called is nobody wants you. Thatis what I mean, Reverend.

Deacons, what doI mean? I mean sitting around in board meetings wearing your poor pastor out,because you are too stubborn to humble yourself and admit you are wrong.

What do I mean,musicians? I mean that demeanor that makes you hate somebody that can sing alittle better than you can. I mean that jealousy that makes you want to playthe violin when everybody knows you can't, especially the choir director. Youhate him, wish he were dead, and secretly pray that he would get called toPunxsutawney.

That is what Imean. All of this may be under the guise of spirituality and we may havelearned to put our head over on one side, fold our hands gently and put on abeatific smile like St. Francis of Assisi, and still be just as carnal as theycome.

Success andthe Christian, 42-44.

Mystery in Gethsemane

2011-11-04T17:36:00.000-04:00

Prayer is a mystery. Sometimes.

The incarnation of Jesus is a mystery. Always.

Put together I have a couple of thoughts, one on praying, the other on the imponderable person of Jesus Christ.

A Promise We Hardly Believe About Prayer

I've been reading Paul Miller's "A Praying Life" where he is dealing with Jesus' blanket promise in John 14:13-14, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” Wow! Anything? Really? OK, so there are two extremes to avoid, 1) don't explain it away, and 2) don't turn such a promise into a genies lamp, rub and get anything you wish. But I tantalize, because today, I don't plan to delve into this precious and broad-ranging promise, but rather to focus on one aspect, balancing between NOT ASKING or ASKING SELFISHLY. Miller points out that James deals with this in chapter 4 and Jesus exemplifies it in Gethsemane. Simply, Jesus passed the first test by crying out to His Father, "Take this cup from me." Then he passed the other test by acquiescing, "Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done" (Mark 14). So, Jesus DOES ask, but in the next breath he relinquishes his own desire, planting it firmly in his Father's hands. This leads to a meditation . . .

Fix on the Imponderable Jesus
The above cry from the Incarnate One raises a question which to my mind can only be categorized as fathomless. Here are my thoughts "on paper." Jesus cries out in true angst. We cannot draw any other conclusion. He wouldn't fake it, even to teach us a lesson. Right? Of course not. His suffering was quite real. What he felt internally was simply incomprehensible. Why? He was/is the only one of his kind. Unique in the universe. What he was enduring at that moment no man could know much less understand. Jesus knew why he had come, "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Even Simeon and Anna at his dedication gave credence to this deep truth. Still, after having lived approximately 33 years on the evening of his betrayal Jesus is in great anguish of heart. So distraught was he that Mark says he was "very distressed and troubled." Then Marks says Jesus went a little farther and fell on the ground. The word "fell" is in the imperfect thus inferring repeated action. So, it could read, "he kept falling," which would indicate a sort of exhaustion that rendered him so beside himself that he could not even stay on his feet, but kept falling first on one knee and then the other as he made his way to the place of prayer.

I bring this out so that we might realize how very distraught Jesus really was. Incarnation means that Jesus took on human form with its restrictions. He could've reversed it at any time. Was he ever tempted to do so? I don't know any reason to doubt it. Understand, Jesus emptied himself in his humiliation (Phil. 2:7), and so had to learn (Luke 2:52; Heb. 5:8). So, limited of his own volition to operate with lessened divine qualities, he could take them back at any time. Here's eternity bound in human flesh, about to be tortured in a typically unbearable fashion. But greater than that is this separation from his Father. God divided! Frankly, that is total mystery, the depths of which defy human imagination. The struggle was of cosmic proportions.

What does this mean to you and to me? I stand amazed just at what I think I know of Christ, my Savior.

Being "Male" Is To REMEMBER

2011-11-01T16:16:00.001-04:00

Male & female.

Seems it's considered in bad taste these days to mention that there's actually a difference. Frankly, I don't like those taste buds! Listen to how the Creator summarized it:

"God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Gen. 1:27).

But it's not the difference so much that interests me here as the uniqueness of man. In "The Silence of Adam," Larry Crabb brings out that the Hebrew word used for "male" in this verse is zakar, which carries the meaning, "the remembering one." Not the typical word for male, at least from our viewpoint. You may ask, "Remember what?" Perhaps it would be better to ask, not "what," but "why?" Why put this term in the foundational verses of God's creating act?

Stories Stir Our Memories of Past Joys

Without looking any deeper into this word, we could surmise that man must have something worth remembering, or, at least that he has the capability of doing so. Crabb surfaced something with which I am familiar, reminiscing with old college buddies and greatly enjoying the repartee. What marks these times is not that we bring up new stories (necessarily), but that we resurface the old but familiar times we enjoyed way back when. Most of us know such fun, even silly times with family and friends, right? But what's the point of telling such stories? Referring to such sharing among former ministry colleagues, Crabb writes, "They remind us of another day, another time, year ago when we worked together in a student ministry." Those stories reminded them of days when God had worked through them. "Significant things happened, sorrowful things happened, miraculous things happened. God did a work in our midst, and we tell our stories to remind us of those days."

Remembering God's Acts in Salvation History

Ever notice how many passages in the Bible have to do with remembering or reminding either Israel or an individual of what God had promised? It usually pointed to a need to trust God again. Actually, the whole of Deuteronomy is a sort of narration of Israel's history with a focus on their theological bearings before they ventured into the Promised Land. It's a glorious recounting of God's works and a great boon to the soul of everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. Habbakkuk, the prophet who grew quite incensed at God for his apparent injustice in using a more evil people to rebuke Israel found hope when he remembers, Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy (3:2). When Samuel wanted to encourage Israel's faith, he pointed to the works of God and built an altar naming it Ebenezer, which means "hitherto the LORD has helped us."

What were they doing, and what therefore are we as males supposed to be doing in our day? We are supposed to pass along to the next generation not just history, but what God has done in that history. It is in age that man can see across his years and see things a younger person should not be able to see. We call this perspective. I would suggest that this is much of what is involved in the biblical term "wisdom." Memory is involved in both.

Memory of God Prevents Sin

When we are drawn away by our lusts and enticed (James 1:14), we will find that we must push God out of our minds if we to succeed in sinning. Know what I am talking about? If a man wants to focus on pornography, he must push the warnings of the Holy Spirit aside. If someone wants to gossip, they must do the same. Any sin we begin to entertain requires that we eject God from our thoughts. It's no surprise is it that Paul urges us "to take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5 ESV).

It should not be amazing to us to learn that salvation is not built around our escape from judgment or our gaining heaven as wonderful as are these things. No, Jesus says quite plainly that "this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Such knowledge, as many may realize, is more along the lines of intimacy. Hence, we see a deeper reason back of our communion services which are to done "in remembrance of me" says Jesus. Keep intimate love for Jesus front and center and you will gain far more than just escape from sin. You'll cultivate a God-entranced heart.

Idolatry

Turning from God to sin is nothing less than idolatry. "Such is the nature of idolatry--the seeking of something other than God to satisfy one's desires. Sinful choices require that God be forgotten. In this sense, forgetting is about more than just misplacing car keys. It is an active and willful choice--a refusal to remember" (Crabb, p. 84). And why do we turn away from God to our choice sins? It is because, in essence, we do not believe that God is enough. Crabb voices man's cop-outs: "This life I am living is not working. God is not treating me the way I deserve. Life just doesn't feel good. I want something or someone that either makes me feel good or places me in control. Trusting God is not producing the results I want. Therefore I must put him aside. I must choose to forget God for a time and to replace him with something more pleasurable."

What To Do?

So, are we men supposed to sit down and have story time with our children at night to off-set this tendency? Would our memorizing Scripture do it? They may. They certainly are important and have their place. But if we stop there it will never be enough. In fact, it could do positive harm if all we end up with is an exterior, legalistic set of rules that leads to either pride or frustration (or both). No. As Crabb states, "Something more is called for: a change of heart. Unless men honestly face their stubborn delight in forgetting and their commitment to passions stronger their desire for God, lasting change will never occur."

God created them male so that they would remember what is most vital and cleave unto Him. It's at the very heart of the creative act. Designed to ponder God, man is at his best when he lives in wonderment of the divine beauty. Give us more freedom from this world's constrictive, chocking false loves and free us to see and to grasp tightly all that is glorious in God.

What About Halloween?

2011-10-31T11:51:00.002-04:00

Every year we seem to haggle about the validity or the place of Halloween in the Christian's life. Obviously--I hope--witches, ghosts and zombies do not comprise the fodder from which we believers derive our sustenance for a holy life! That being said, I really appreciate any emphasis that draws us back to the spiritual bottom line. In the case below, we see wherein lies the origin of one of the most important days in all of history. Set in the Reformation and the person of Martin Luther, we find grounding in that which is far more blessed and beneficial than--to say the least--candies and treats. Read and be blessed if you love Christ and his Church. Thank you James Emery White for your blog. Please see my closing comment at the end of his article.

All Saint’s Eve

"It was 1521.

A man by the name of Martin Luther stood in front of the Holy Roman Emperor, along with an array of other leaders representing the religious and political establishment of the day, to answer charges of heresy. “Martin, how can you assume that you are the only one to understand the sense of scripture? Would you put your judgment above that of so many famous men and claim that you know more than they all?” pressed the brilliant Catholic theologian Johann von Eck. “I ask you, Martin, answer candidly...do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain?”

The words poured, first from his heart, and then from his lips in his native German: “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. Amen.”

Martin Luther was born in Saxony in 1483. Schooled in Erfurt, he later fled to an Augustinian monastery. Literally. Caught in a thunderstorm, in terror before the lightning, he cried out, “Help, St. Anne, I will become a monk!” Despite this less than auspicious beginning, from that point on Martin Luther was a man of the church. And from this man of the church came the greatest reformation of the church in history.

The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century which altered the course of Western history in seismic fashion. As Graham Tomlin has written, there can be little doubt that Martin Luther ranks

“as one of the most influential European figures of the last millennium. Marco Polo and Columbus opened up new continents, Shakespeare and Michelangelo produced some of the most sublime pieces of art, and Napoleon and Hitler changed the political face of their centuries. Yet Luther and the Reformation he triggered have made a huge impact not just on Europe, but...throughout the rest of the world. Protestantism shaped a whole new way of life for countless people across the Western world and beyond, which coloured their approaches to God, work, politics, leisure, family – in fact, almost every aspect of human life...[including] the early development...of the United States, and in the emergence of democracy and economic and religious freedoms in Europe.”

And to think it all started with this simple monk nailing 95 thoughts on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

On October 31st, All Saint’s Eve.

The Reformation was more than theological; it was ecclesiastical. It was a reformation of the church. Even the famed 95 theses nailed onto the Wittenberg door say nothing about justification by faith, the authority of the Bible, the priesthood of all believers or any of the other well-known Reformation doctrines. Instead, they look like a treatise on church practice. And for Luther’s day, this meant a treatise on life itself. And it was revolutionary: Luther’s ultimate vision for reformation was for a church where each member could play an active and decisive part, the distinction between clergy and laity could be dissolved and every believer be seen as a priest, and thus be able to powerfully “espouse the cause of the faith” to a lost and dying world. . . .

Closing Comment

I would add that it is precisely when Christ is the true Head of his Church that individual believers are allowed by the Spirit to exercise their God-gifted graces of priesthood, growing in holiness as the same Spirit empowers them. Now, that's truly hallowed (holy) and leads to a sanctified (increasing in holiness) Church. We must be very, very careful not to allow religious heretics to wrestle away from the true church her divine inheritance. We repeat with Luther, "Here we stand. We can do no other."

Would You Call Yourself Godly?

2011-10-26T17:57:00.003-04:00

The Psalmist David says this, " . . . Preserve my life, for I am godly; . . . " Now this is certainly not ALL that he says. But he does say it, something which I believe few Christians would be willing to voice today. Right? I asked our Wednesday morning class this, and they all seemed to agree, that we are not prone to say such things. Yet, staring us in the face is this line in Psalm 86. It's not a misprint, and though we must always read a verse in its context, just quoting this line does not do the context any real harm.

So, what do we think about this? Was David an egomaniac? Hardly. It might be a bit of stretch to draw this conclusion without any further demonstration, but I think it is stated in such an unobtrusive manner that one cannot but imagine this to have issued from a normal spiritual frame of reference. If it was normal to David, why is it not normal to us? What are we afraid of? We think it sounds proud to make such a claim? Why? Again, I am probing here. Why would confessing that we are godly seem proud? I believe it is because we understand neither what constitutes a godly person, nor what constitutes pride.

Oxymoron?

An oxymoron is a "figure of speech whereby two apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction," like "falsely true," or the famous one from the Peanuts comic strip where Charlie Brown would emote, "Good grief!" So, isn't it an oxymoron to declare one to be a proud godly person? Really?! At the very heart of the matter isn't humility a requirement before someone could be considered godly? Again, I ask, what is the problem then? Are we to assume that only David could say this in the history of mankind?

Consider something else, we must be honest with our self-assessment. It is assumed in Scripture. For example, Paul urges the Galatian Christians, "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted" (6:1). Simply put, how could he make this appeal unless there were those in the church there who could look honestly at themselves in the spiritual mirror and find a spiritual person?

Self-Righteousness or False Humility?
You know what I think? I think we have either fallen for the trap of 1) self-righteousness, or 2) false humility. First, self-righteousness. Who among has not known such? Maybe we'd admit we've been there ourselves? So, in an effort to avoid such false and nauseating Christianity, we never allow such holy declarations to come from our mouths EVEN IF we have been laboring hard in Christ to grow up in every way . . . into Christ" (Eph. 4:15). So, the fault is an overreaction, and that is a false way to think, and most often leads us into an equal and opposite error. Second, false humility. My Dad worked on the railroad with an older uneducated black man, but one who had a deep knowledge of love of Christ. He once told Dad in his unique way, "Him what can brag without lying, let him brag." OK, so no one is going to make a theology of such a saying. But I think he makes a good point. How, you may ask incredulously? Well, is our goal as true believers to grow holier, to grow up in Christ, to go from faith to faith (all biblical phrases)? Then when will we be able to say that we are in fact holy? Never? Really?? So, it's not really possible? God is just leading us along unwilling to tell us the truth that we'll never arrive? Who said anything about arriving? Heaven's holiness is one thing; earth's another. And we can be holy on earth. God help us to use biblical patterns and not fall prey to culture's inhibiting and false assessments. And that's what I think we've done. "Be holy as I am holy" is Scripture's word to us. And we will unwillingly deny it outright by our claim that we cannot be holy!! Really?!

One closing comment on David in Psalm 86. I said at the beginning that the phrase "preserve my life, for it is godly" could stand alone in that no other qualifier would necessarily be necessary (like that?). But simply for argument's sake, look at the words just before and after it, "I am poor and needy." And right afterward, "save your servant who trusts in you--you are my God." These are hardly words of a proud man are they? Oh, no, they bespeak humility in the right place.

Let us walk in faith and say so if we are not lying!!

A Meditation--Strong Faith = Humble Fear

2011-10-20T09:37:00.000-04:00

“ . . . but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.” (Romans 11:20)

None of us is anything of ourselves, whether Jew or Greek, or . . . American! That brings it closer to home. A myriad ways exist whereby we may gloat, IF we don't see the larger picture--the true picture. All boasting is short-sighted, narrow-minded, ignorant. So, God came to the Jews, but more importantly, He came through the Jews. The intent was that all the world would be blessed through Abraham (Gen. 12:3). And that is indeed what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ.

POINT?

As the text above says, we "stand fast through faith," not through our good looks, or good works, or American heritage. Faith only, that is faith in the absolutely necessary finishing of the sacrifice of atonement accomplished only and completely by Jesus. If Jesus "paid it all" then, as the songwriter penned, "all to him I owe." No room here for boasting. Ever!

Fear? Yes. Even as faith emerges from the heart of the one who looks only to Christ for salvation, so too fear equally blossoms where one's respect finds grounding in the true Savior apart from anything on our part. Such fear can sing, "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling." And that is enough.

Where they "stand fast through faith" they will also humbly blossom in the fear of God. Such a blossom emits a sweet nectar before heaven, a pleasing aroma to God. That is peace. Enjoy it.

A Meditation on Romans 10:3

2011-10-19T07:58:00.000-04:00

For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. (Romans 10:3).

I am interested in the words, ". . . being ignorant of the righteousness of God, . . ." Of what were they (or any people) ignorant when they push past God's righteousness in order to establish their own?

They are ignorant of its existence.
Many do no know of the wonderful holiness secured in Jesus Christ. This is one purpose of the gospel message to the lost. Others, like the Jewish nation here mentioned, were willingly ignorant, for the truth had been proclaimed to them in the law of Moses and throughout the entirety of the Old Testament. Indeed, Paul had already established their advantage, “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.” (Romans 9:4).

They had access to the truth. But then so do so many in churches today. Oh, that we would relish the righteousness of Jesus Christ and not fight to gain what is already ours! Oh, that more would accept its work in their lives and not let our enemy beat us up over sins forgiven.

So, some are ignorant and need to hear. Others have heard and still remain ignorant.

They are ignorant of its perfection.
No man ever had a pure righteousness. Due to his own spiritual malady, any effort on man's part becomes tainted both in design and application. Man, at best, can only cover over some sins, but never remove any nor especially obliterate all. In Jesus' atonement, not just the noticeable sins, but sin in its issue has been eradicated. Only He who is Perfect can provide the perfect sacrifice. It is complete, it is perfect, and it is efficacious.

They are ignorant of its beauty.
Beautiful because of who secured it--the spotless Lamb of God. Beautiful because of who has been enabled to receive it--rebels worthy of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord. Beautiful for the completion each enjoys--forever sanctified in Christ.They who know their sin to be the worst find Christ's redemption to be the greatest. The shiny diamond of Christ's righteousness gleams brightest against the velvety black backdrop of sin.

The Raised Dead Sin Less

2011-10-14T09:03:00.003-04:00

Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead

Romans 6:12–14, 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Whom among the body of believers across this world has not admitted their own failure with regard to sin? Who doesn't need to confess often his own weaknesses? But what keeps the child of God from wanting to plummet down that long rabbit hole into the bazaar world of lawlessness? Shall we be moved by Jesus' self-sacrificing example? Perhaps. But sin so jades my heart that such an example doesn't stand out to me in that condition.

I like the phrase in Romans 6:13b, ". . . but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, . . ." What does that look like? Well, I imagine myself having died first. Then, Jesus comes along in my corruption and mercifully raises me from the dead. I had nothing to do with it. And I certainly had no power to enforce IF there were some way to think about it ahead of the act! No, I simply lie there, looking up into the kind eyes of him who immediately has rendered himself eternally dear to me and think, "I am speechless at the grace which overwhelms me and has raised me up from this body of stinking corruption." You see the way I am thinking? No longer am I considering the sin that had me preoccupied. I am now thinking holy thoughts, but not just holy, rather Christ-entranced thoughts. As I gaze into his eyes, being the first think that my renewed eyes set their focus upon, I am so overwhelmingly engaged in the beauty of the grace and kindness of the One who released me from bondage, that time will pass without my ever having considered sin of any kind.

Do you see then that the power to overcome our sinful tendencies emanates not from my running away from sin (though there is merit in it), but in my absolute absorption in the sense of deliverance, a deliverance undeserved, and therefore so greatly and increasingly appreciated. So, I present myself to my Master as someone who has been raised from death to life. This is victory out of awe. Meditate on that.

Is the Church Seeking Fame?

2011-10-09T05:34:00.002-04:00

Maybe Tozer wasn't all that popular in his day (d. 1965). I think he was. The following might explain why. Too often we are hearing the cry of accommodation from Christianity. But is it really Christian to do so? Read this and see how Tozer viewed it back in his day and see if much has changed.

Failure andSuccess: The Scramble for Popularity

Blessed are you when theyrevile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for Mysake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, forso they persecuted the prophets who were before you. --Matthew 5:11-12

PopularJudaism slew the prophets and crucified Christ. Popular Christianity killed theReformers, jailed the Quakers and drove John Wesley into the streets. When itcomes to religion, the crowds are always wrong. At any time there are a few whosee, and the rest are blinded. To stand by the truth of God against the currentreligious vogue is always unpopular and may be downright dangerous....

Christianity’sscramble for popularity today is an unconscious acknowledgment of spiritualdecline. Her eager fawning at the feet of the world’s great is a grief to theHoly Spirit and an embarrassment to the sons of God. The lick-spittle attitudeof popular Christian leaders toward the world’s celebrities wouldmake such men as Elijah or George Fox sick to the stomach....

Lot was a popular believer. He sat in the gates ofSodom. But when trouble struck, he had to send quick for Abraham to get him outof the jam. And where did they find Abraham? Out on the hillside, far away fromthe fashionable crowds. It has always been so. For every Elijah there have alwaysbeen 400 popular prophets of Baal. For every Noah there is always a vastmultitude who will not believe it is going to rain.

We are sent to bless the world, but never are we toldto compromise with it.

TheNext Chapter After the Last, 20-21.

Walking In Soul Darkness

2011-10-06T16:31:00.002-04:00

I realize I haven't posted for a couple of weeks, but while this is only a re-posting, it is exactly appropriate to some questions that have come up recently, most memorably in our Wednesday night Bible study last night. It is from Octavius Winslow and can be found online HERE. What do we believers do when we don't desire God, or in soul darkness when heaven seems made of brass and we cannot get through? Please read on . . .

Are you walking in soul-darkness, beloved? Is God hiding His face? Has Jesus suspended His sensible presence? and is this shadow, deep and dark, resting upon your spirit? Cheer up! It is not the darkness of unregeneracy, but the passing shadow of Christian life, and before long it will dissolve and vanish. Listen to the language of your covenant God and Father: “For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you. In a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you, says the Lord” [Isaiah 54:7]. The ‘small moment’ will before long pass, and the shadow will disappear- and the joyous language of your soul will be, “O God! You were angry with me; but Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.”

With the shadow of adversity, in some one or more of its protean forms, all true believers are familiar. “The Lord tries the righteous,” and He tries them because they are righteous. Not more essential the knife that prunes the branch- not more necessary the fire that refines the gold- not more needful the storm that rarifies the atmosphere- than is adversity to the growth of the spiritual life of the soul. Is not the experience of every believer in harmony with that of the Psalmist? “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Your word.” “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Your statutes” [Psalm 119:67, 71]. To no discipline is the divine life of the soul under greater obligation than that which thus prunes and refines, and which thus fructifies and purifies.

Sweet are the uses of adversity; and never so sweet as when most bitter! “Out of the eater comes forth meat, and out of the strong comes forth sweetness” [Judges 14:14], and from an adversity that looked so consuming- from an event that threatened, as with lion-strength, to crush every fair prospect of life- there has issued some of the costliest blessings in the believer’s history.

God fashions graciously the hearts of all His children alike; “for what son is he whom the Father chastens not?” [Hebrews 12:7]. All are tried. The family provisions are “the bread and the water of affliction.” “Humble and scanty fare this!” exclaims the worldling; nevertheless, lowly and distasteful as it may be to those who are living upon ‘husks’- that which they call food- there is in it an element of sweetness, and a power of nourishment and growth, which the living soul only knows and fully tests. “The full soul loaths a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet” [Prov. 27:7].

Affliction times are fruit promoting times to God’s “trees of righteousness.” Afflictions deepen the roots, and clothe the boughs with the foliage and fruit of righteousness. Oh, who can fully estimate the real advance of the spiritual life of the soul in one hallowed trial, through one sanctified sorrow? The slumbering spirit of prayer is roused- the truant heart is recalled- trembling faith is strengthened- and the spirit shaded with sorrow and the soul bowed with calamity, turns to Jesus, and finds in the wounded and wounding hand of the Savior, the balm and the succor which ‘heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds’ [Psalm 147:3].

Evangelism Suffers from the "Tolerance" Doctrine

2011-09-19T07:42:00.001-04:00

Please read this. James Emery White hits the nail on the head. Consider at the end who is goal of our affections in the church's ongoing attempt to carry the good news to a dark world? Who receives the attention? Who gets the glory?

Church & Culture
Vol. 7, No. 79

Whatever Happened to Evangelism?

In 1973, psychiatrist Karl Menninger published a book with the provocative title, Whatever Became of Sin? His point was that sociology and psychology tend to avoid terms like “evil,” or “immorality,” and “wrongdoing.” Menninger detailed how the theological notion of sin became the legal idea of crime and then slid further from its true meaning when it was relegated to the psychological category of sickness.

It’s time someone wrote a book for the church titled Whatever Became of Evangelism?

The point would be how we tend to avoid terms like “lost” or “hell” or “salvation.” It would detail how the Great Commission became the Great Rhetoric and then finally fell into the category of the Great Community.

It wouldn’t take long to lay out how it all happened. It fits nicely into a short equation:

Virtue of Tolerance + Emphasis on Social Ministry = Diminished Evangelism

Let’s break the equation down.

First, tolerance.

There is little doubt that tolerance is our culture’s uber-virtue. Specifically, tolerance defined as “acceptance” of other people’s beliefs and lifestyle; then, defining acceptance as “equally valid.”

This flows from a confusion of the idea of tolerance.

When we speak of tolerance, we usually mean social tolerance: “I accept you as a person.” Or, at times, legal tolerance: “You have the right to believe what you wish.” We do not, however, tend to mean intellectual tolerance. This would mean that all ideas are equally valid. No one believes that ideas supporting genocide, pedophilia, racism, sexism, or the rejection of the historical reality of the holocaust, are to be tolerated. But it is precisely the idea of intellectual tolerance we find ourselves sloppily embracing under the overarching mantra of “tolerance.”

The dilemma with such a position, as T.S. Eliot rightly pointed out, is that “It is not enthusiasm, but dogma, that differentiates a Christian from a pagan society.”

Then there is our emphasis on social ministry.

In what is arguably a reaction against the previous generation’s emphasis on social morality - namely abortion and same-sex marriage - younger Christians (and now older ones as well) are giving renewed emphasis to matters of social justice, including a new interest in public policies that address issues related to peace, health and poverty.

The reason is not hard to understand. Few eras of American Christian history are reviled as much as the Moral Majority of the 1980’s and its attempt to impose Christian values on culture through political maneuvering. If we could only have Christians in the White House, congress, and the Supreme Court, or populating other leadership elites, then morality would be enacted and faith would once again find the fertile soil needed to establish its footing in individual lives.

The moral majority “won” through the election of Ronald Reagan as president, and his subsequent Supreme Court appointments throughout the 1980’s brought great anticipation for substantive change. Yet there has been little real change to mark as a result. Even the prime target – the striking down of the Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion – remains the law of the land to this day.

What was achieved was cultural division and Christians feeling more vilified than ever. The “culture wars” of the 1980’s and 1990’s is now widely viewed as one of the more distasteful episodes in recent memory, and many younger evangelicals want nothing to do with what was often its caustic, abrasive and unloving approach toward those apart from Christ.

So what is the result of tolerance coupled with a new emphasis on social justice?

We’ll buy Tom’s Shoes, but not witness to Tom.

Let’s get the necessary qualifier out of the way. Social ministry should not be paired against evangelism. We should extend the Bread of Life as well as bread for the stomach.

But we must never begin, and end, with the stomach alone.

I suspect some of this is tied to our need to be accepted by the secular culture. The scandal of the cross – and humanity’s desperate need for it – doesn’t play as well as the hip work of IJM or supporting Bono in Africa. We get a taste of doing something that plays well in culture, and we become like Sally Field at the Oscars: “You like me! You really, really like me!”

Lock eyes with the poor and the hungry, the sex-trafficked and the destitute. Care for them, deeply, and serve them in the name of Christ.

But do not forget to give them Christ.

Because once this life is over, the food we gave them for their stomach will mean nothing compared to the food we could have given them for their souls. How tragic it would be to have compassion for the immediate needs of this life, but not the eternal needs of the life to come.

So yes, buy a pair of Tom’s Shoes.

Just don’t forget Tom.

James Emery White

Sources

Karl Menninger, Whatever Became of Sin?

T.S. Eliot, Christianity and Culture.

Editor’s Note

To enjoy a free subscription to the Church and Culture blog, log-on to www.churchandculture.org, where you can post your comments on this blog, view past blogs in our archive and read the latest church and culture news from around the world. Follow Dr. White on twitter @JamesEmeryWhite.

Re-Post: Christ, the Church, and Pat Robertson

2011-09-17T08:30:00.000-04:00

The following post comes thanks to Russell D. Moore

Thursday, September 15th, 2011 —

This week on his television show Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson said a man would be morally justified to divorce his wife with Alzheimer’s disease in order to marry another woman. The dementia-riddled wife is, Robertson said, “not there” anymore. This is more than an embarrassment. This is more than cruelty. This is a repudiation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Few Christians take Robertson all that seriously anymore. Most roll their eyes, and shake their heads when he makes another outlandish comment (for instance, defending China’s brutal one-child abortion policy to identifying God’s judgment on specific actions in the September 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, or the Haiti earthquake). This is serious, though, because it points to an issue that is much bigger than Robertson.

Marriage, the Scripture tells us, is an icon of something deeper, more ancient, more mysterious. The marriage union is a sign, the Apostle Paul announces, of the mystery of Christ and his church (Eph. 5). The husband, then, is to love his wife “as Christ loved the church” (Eph. 5:25). This love is defined not as the hormonal surge of romance but as a self-sacrificial crucifixion of self. The husband pictures Christ when he loves his wife by giving himself up for her.

At the arrest of Christ, his Bride, the church, forgot who she was, and denied who he was. He didn’t divorce her. He didn’t leave.

The Bride of Christ fled his side, and went back to their old ways of life. When Jesus came to them after the resurrection, the church was about the very thing they were doing when Jesus found them in the first place: out on the boats with their nets. Jesus didn’t leave. He stood by his words, stood by his Bride, even to the Place of the Skull, and beyond.

A woman or a man with Alzheimer’s can’t do anything for you. There’s no romance, no sex, no partnership, not even companionship. That’s just the point. Because marriage is a Christ/church icon, a man loves his wife as his own flesh. He cannot sever her off from him simply because she isn’t “useful” anymore.

Pat Robertson’s cruel marriage statement is no anomaly. He and his cohorts have given us for years a prosperity gospel with more in common with an Asherah pole than a cross. They have given us a politicized Christianity that uses churches to “mobilize” voters rather than to stand prophetically outside the power structures as a witness for the gospel.

But Jesus didn’t die for a Christian Coalition; he died for a church. And the church, across the ages, isn’t significant because of her size or influence. She is weak, helpless, and spattered in blood. He is faithful to us anyway.

If our churches are to survive, we must repudiate this Canaanite mammonocracy that so often speaks for us. But, beyond that, we must train up a new generation to see the gospel embedded in fidelity, a fidelity that is cruciform.

It’s easy to teach couples to put the “spark” back in their marriages, to put the “sizzle” back in their sex lives. You can still worship the self and want all that. But that’s not what love is. Love is fidelity with a cross on your back. Love is drowning in your own blood. Love is screaming, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”

Sadly, many of our neighbors assume that when they hear the parade of cartoon characters we allow to speak for us, that they are hearing the gospel. They assume that when they see the giggling evangelist on the television screen, that they see Jesus. They assume that when they see the stadium political rallies to “take back America for Christ,” that they see Jesus. But Jesus isn’t there.

Jesus tells us he is present in the weak, the vulnerable, the useless. He is there in the least of these (Matt. 25:31-46). Somewhere out there right now, a man is wiping the drool from an 85 year-old woman who flinches because she think he’s a stranger. No television cameras are around. No politicians are seeking a meeting with them.

But the gospel is there. Jesus is there.

How To Describe God? Augustine's Attempt

2011-09-16T07:26:00.000-04:00

I read Augustine on God's nature with delight. It has become most evident that the modern church is very weak in this area of the knowledge of God. Of that we have many witnesses. A. W. Tozer surfaced it fifty plus years ago. And John Piper has made a ministry of pointing it out. And But when I read how Augustine describes God (below) I asked myself, "Would you come up with something like this on your own?" I'll leave that question unanswered. For now, let us enter into another's meditation on the most noble theme in the universe. And God help what we read to transfer to us.

THE MAJESTY OF GOD IS SUPREME, AND HIS VIRTUES INEXPLICABLE

What art Thou then, my God? what, but the Lord God? For who is Lord but the Lord? or who is God save our God? Most highest, most good, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful, yet most just; most hidden, yet most present; most beautiful, yet most strong, stable, yet incomprehensible; unchangeable, yet all-changing; never new, never old; all-renewing, and bringing age upon the proud, and they know it not; ever working, ever at rest; still gathering, yet nothing lacking; supporting, filling, and overspreading; creating, nourishing, and maturing; seeking, yet having all things. Thou lovest, without passion; art jealous, without anxiety; repentest, yet grievest not; art angry, yet serene; changest Thy works, Thy purpose unchanged; receivest again what Thou findest, yet didst never lose; never in need, yet rejoicing in gains; never covetous, yet exacting usury. Thou receivest over and above, that Thou mayest owe; and who hath aught that is not Thine? Thou payest debts, owing nothing; remittest debts, losing nothing. And what had I now said, my God, my life, my holy joy? or what saith any man when he speaks of Thee? Yet woe to him that speaketh not, since mute are even the most eloquent.

Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo and E. B. Pusey, The Confessions of St. Augustine (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996).

God's Immensity--Hopefully Humbling

2011-09-08T04:37:00.002-04:00

In this God-minimizing day when man is the measure of all things, we must be jolted into reality by considering God's immensity. And since God is too little considered, I think it necessary to make this the focus of this morning's blog post. In fact, this very issue impresses my heart since the very air we breathe seems filled with the noxious fumes of man's self-exaltation. Man's very existence--from the American political machine to the Hollywood film industry exude blasphemy. Sadly, it seems, the church is not far behind. We know facts about our God, but of Him we seem sadly ignorant. I read Augustine's Confessions and find myself in there throughout, not the least of which is this entry early on in the book. Contrary to all self-imposed ignorance, God is simply immense--infinitely so--beyond comprehension, surpassing decription and trumping man's best arguments to the contrary. Read this and see if the mere consideration of God's uncontainable-ness make you feel rightfully small. That were a blessed exercise to fulfill such a role!

Soli deo gloria.

CHAPTER III—EVERYWHERE GOD WHOLLY FILLETH ALL THINGS, BUT NEITHER HEAVEN NOR EARTH CONTAINETH HIM.

Do the heaven and earth then contain Thee, since Thou fillest them? or dost Thou fill them and yet overflow, since they do not contain Thee? And whither, when the heaven and the earth are filled, pourest Thou forth the remainder of Thyself? or hast Thou no need that aught contain Thee, who containest all things, since what Thou fillest Thou fillest by containing it? for the vessels which Thou fillest uphold Thee not, since, though they were broken, Thou wert not poured out. And when Thou art poured out on us, Thou art not cast down, but Thou upliftest us; Thou art not dissipated, but Thou gatherest us. But Thou who fillest all things, fillest Thou them with Thy whole self? or, since all things cannot contain Thee wholly, do they contain part of Thee? and all at once the same part? or each its own part, the greater more, the smaller less? And is, then one part of Thee greater, another less? or, art Thou wholly every where, while nothing contains Thee wholly?

Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo and E. B. Pusey, The Confessions of St. Augustine (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996).

To Test A Missionary Candidate

2011-09-06T07:35:00.001-04:00

There can be wisdom in the unorthodox. I have always loved the following illustration for its simplicity, thoroughness, and sagacity. It's not just about this young "candidate" is it? No, who among us cannot learn how to be more submissive? How difficult is it for us to deny ourselves. For those who've read this before, I hope it comes with a renewed interest. God humble us.

At 3:00 A.M. one cold morning a missionary candidate walked into an office for a scheduled interview with the examiner of a mission board. He waited until 8:00 A.M. when the examiner arrived.

The examiner said, “Let us begin. First, please spell baker.”

“B-a-k-e-r,” the young man spelled.

“Very good. Now, let’s see what you know about figures. How much is twice two?”

“Four,” replied the applicant.

“Very good,” the examiner said. “I’ll recommend to the board tomorrow that you be appointed. You have passed the test.”

At the board meeting the examiner spoke highly of the applicant and said, “He has all the qualifications of a missionary. Let me explain.

“First, I tested him on self-denial. I told him to be at my house at three in the morning. He left a warm bed and came out in the cold without a word of complaint.

“Second, I tried him out on punctuality. He appeared on time.

“Third, I examined him on patience. I made him wait five hours to see me, after telling him to come at three.

“Fourth, I tested him on temper. He failed to show any sign of it; he didn’t even question my delay.

“Fifth, I tried his humility. I asked him questions that a small child could answer, and he showed no offense. He meets the requirements and will make the missionary we need.”
—Selected

Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996).

Anyone Need a Rest?

2011-09-03T06:30:00.002-04:00

As Summer comes to a close, and overcome by activities and responsibilities, we often fall to fretting that we cannot get out from under the load. Young mothers no doubt come to this quite easily as do managers in companies. Too much "stuff" comes at you to get done what needs getting done. Or, too little time is left for these poor souls to get alone with their Lord. (As you can see, I am speaking of the true Christian believer). So, what is to be done? Where is this "rest?" Rest is a beautiful thought. For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15) Rest can refer to the cessation of labor. True. But it is not just what you cease doing, but in what you plan to do in which rest finds its greatest virtue. Rest in Scripture often refers to actively being still in God's presence so that one can hear him and respond in kind. It is a peaceful place. Tranquil. Don't you love that word? Ah-h-h. The sighing of a heart at rest before God is the longing of the soul after God. And such will never fail to find peace. Listen to Thomas a Kempis:

WHEN a man desires a thing too much, he at once becomes ill at ease. A proud and avaricious man never rests, whereas he who is poor and humble of heart lives in a world of peace. An unmortified man is quickly tempted and overcome in small, trifling evils; his spirit is weak, in a measure carnal and inclined to sensual things; he can hardly abstain from earthly desires. Hence it makes him sad to forego them; he is quick to anger if reproved. Yet if he satisfies his desires, remorse of conscience overwhelms him because he followed his passions and they did not lead to the peace he sought.

True peace of heart, then, is found in resisting passions, not in satisfying them. There is no peace in the carnal man, in the man given to vain attractions, but there is peace in the fervent and spiritual man.

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1996), 11.

Mafia Forced to Preach?!

2011-09-01T07:11:00.000-04:00

Man imagines that he is in control. When man is spiritually blind, he cannot "see" what is really going on in the spiritual realm. Just like Elisha's servant, many do not see that armies of heaven arrayed against the Syrians (2 Kings 6). But that doesn't stop God from carrying out his plans as He wills! Read this passage and see how many unwilling prophets there were. God turns man's plans right on their head.

20 Then Saul [Mafia "Don"] sent messengers [the hit-squad] to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Even King Saul, David's nemesis, did himself bow (unwillingly) under the power of the Spirit of God to prophesy, declaring praises to God and no doubt pronouncing self-condemning words along the way. My interest here is not to discuss how this is possible, or why God would do it this way. Rather, mentioning it simply surfaces a great reversal, an about-face for those who are in power and do not realize what kind of power they are up against!

This points out, how desperately wicked are men, who though forced to speak what is right, still choose not to believe it. It also points out how gracious God is who constrains men do what they ought to be willing to do, giving them, as it were, a second chance to come to their senses. Finally, such a story sheds light on the weakness of us sinners who could learn from their failure, turn to our Lord and find grace to help in time of need. Evermore, Lord, give us this truth, and a stomach to handle it with pleasure.

Who Are the Real Gay Bigots and Bullies?

2011-08-26T11:10:00.000-04:00

I appreciate this article for at least two reasons: 1) ironically, it refuses to be bullied by the opposition, and 2) it clarifies meanings and arguments so that the discussion works to a logical, and in Turek's case, biblical conclusion. It seems that this is increasingly rare these days. May God grant us wisdom to speak convincing words in these days! (See end of article for his address and TV show info)

By Frank Turek

8/26/2011

George Orwell said, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” When you tell the truth about homosexuality today, you can be sure that the central tools of deceit—name-calling and bullying—will be unleashed.

I recently was having a respectful conversation with a homosexual activist, but after I made a point he couldn’t answer he called me a “bigot.”

I asked, “What’s your definition of bigotry?”

He said, “Fear and intolerance.”

I said, “The definition of bigotry is not ‘fear and intolerance.’ It’s making a judgment without knowing the facts. I have written a book about the problems with same-sex marriage and the destructive medical consequences of homosexual behavior. So my convictions on those issues are based in fact not ‘bigotry.’ With all due respect, if anyone is engaged in bigotry it is you for judging my position as wrong without even knowing why I hold it.”

He was also falsely equating my opposition to a behavior as prejudice toward people who engage in that behavior. That’s the central fallacy in virtually every argument for homosexuality—if you don’t agree with homosexual behavior, you are somehow bigoted against people who want to engage in that behavior. How does that follow? If conservatives and Christians are “bigots” for opposing homosexual behavior, then why aren’t homosexual activists bigots for opposing Christian behavior? And if we are bigots for opposing same-sex marriage, then why aren’t homosexual activists bigots for opposing polygamous or incestuous marriage?

Everyone puts limits on marriage—if marriage had no definition it wouldn’t be anything. Recognizing that marriage is between a man and a woman is not bigotry, but common sense rooted in the biological facts of nature. That’s why the state recognizes marriage to begin with—not because two people love one another but because only heterosexual unions can procreate and best nurture the next generation.

Everyone also puts limits on behaviors. But opposing behavior is not the same as opposing or “hating” people. In fact, to really love people, we often have to oppose what they do! Parents know this, and all former children know it as well.

Celebrating behavior that leads to disease and an early death is closer to hate than love. According to the latest data from the Center for Disease Control, homosexual men comprise more than 80 percent of sexually transmitted HIV cases despite comprising less than 2 percent of the population. The FDA says that men who have sex with men have an HIV infection rate 60 times higher than the general population. Why should we be encouraging behavior that results in such tragic outcomes? If I have good reason to think you are on the road to destruction—if a truck is about to run over you—the only way to love you is to urge you to get out of the street. If I tell you to keep walking down that road—that I celebrate the road you’re on—how could I hate you more?

But isn’t homosexuality like race? No. Race has nothing to do with behavior, but homosexuality is a behavior! Skin color affects no one, but destructive behavior affects many. Moreover, sexual behavior is always a choice, race never is. You’ll find many former homosexuals, but you’ll never find a former African-American.

So if you don’t approve of a man because of his race, you are a bigot. But if you don’t approve of a man’s destructive behavior, you are wise.

The “born that way” argument doesn’t work either. Not only is the evidence for being “born that way” non-existent, even if it were true, it should have no impact on our marriage laws.

First, after many years of intense research, a genetic component to homosexual desires has not been discovered. Twin studies show that identical twins do not consistently have the same sexual orientation. In fact, genetics probably explains very little about homosexual desires. How would a homosexual “gene” be passed on? Homosexuals don’t pass on anything because homosexual unions don’t reproduce.

Second, while desires are not a choice, sexual behavior always is. So regardless of the source of sexual desires, people are certainly capable of controlling their sexual behavior. If you claim that they are not—that sexual behavior is somehow uncontrollable—then you have made the absurd contention that no one can be morally responsible for any sexual crime, including rape, incest, and pedophilia.

Third, the “born-that-way” claim is an argument from design— “since God designed me with these desires, I ought to act on them.” But the people who say this overlook something far more obvious and important— they were also born with a specific anatomy. We can’t know if our desires are inborn since we can’t remember anything from birth, but we are 100 percent certain that we were born with our anatomy. So why do homosexual activists choose to follow their desires rather than their anatomy? Ignoring your desires may be uncomfortable, but ignoring the natural design of your body is often fatal.

Fourth, being born a certain way is irrelevant to what the law should be. Laws are concerned with behaviors not desires, and we all have desires we ought not act on. In fact, all of us were born with an “orientation” to bad behavior, but those desires don’t justify the behaviors. If you are born with a genetic predisposition to alcohol, does that mean you should be an alcoholic? If you have a genetic attraction to children does that mean you should be a pedophile? What homosexual activist would say that a genetic predisposition to anger justifies gay-bashing? (Don’t blame me—I was born with the anti-gay gene!) Certainly, those that oppose alcoholism, pedophilia and gay bashing are not “bigots”—they are wise.

The bottom line is that the standard arguments for homosexuality and same-sex marriage don’t work. That’s why some homosexual activists will continue to smear conservatives as “bigots” in order to bully them out of the debate and even out of their jobs. In America today, it’s much easier to win with demagoguery than evidence. If you convince the majority that your opponents are “bigots,” then you automatically win even if you’re the bully actually practicing bigotry (read the bigotry and bullying by homosexual activists of conservative but suspended “Teacher of the Year,” Jerry Buell, here, and my own case here).

Will they get away with their bigotry and bullying? Not if Americans start thinking. Thinking people realize that equating homosexuality with race, though presently fashionable, is just as fallacious as calling marriage based in biology a form of bigotry. As G. K. Chesterton pointed out, “Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.”

Frank Turek

Frank Turek is the award-winning author or coauthor of three books including Correct, Not Politically Correct: How Same-Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone and I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. His TV show airs Wednesday nights at 9 pm and 1 am ET on DirecTV, Channel 378. To learn more visit www.CrossExamined.org.

Enjoy Jesus with All Your Senses

2011-08-25T12:29:00.000-04:00

I love the subject of faith. I really love it when faith is compared to or explained with our senses. "Taste and see that the Lord is good" hits home with all those who love biting into a delicious, well-grilled steak! Such comparisons open our eyes to truths that might otherwise be lost in abstraction. So, it is with joy that I send forth this very good word from Charles Spurgeon. Read it slowly, thoughtfully. It will reward you richly.

“Hisfruit was sweet to my taste.”—Song of Solomon 2:3

Faith, in theScripture, is spoken of under the emblem of all the senses. It is sight: “Look unto me and be ye saved.”It is hearing: “Hear, and your soulshall live.” Faith is smelling: “Allthy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia”; “thy name is as ointmentpoured forth.” Faith is spiritual touch.By this faith the woman came behind and touched the hem of Christ’s garment,and by this we handle the things of the good word of life. Faith is equally thespirit’s taste. “How sweet are thy words to my taste! yea, sweeter than honeyto my lips.” “Except a man eat my flesh,” saith Christ, “and drink my blood, there is no life in him.”

This “taste” is faith in one of its highest operations.One of the first performances of faith is hearing.We hear the voice of God, not with the outward ear alone, but with the inwardear; we hear it as God’s Word, and we believe it to be so; that is the “hearing”of faith. Then our mind looketh uponthe truth as it is presented to us; that is to say, we understand it, weperceive its meaning; that is the “seeing” of faith. Next we discover itspreciousness; we begin to admire it, and find how fragrant it is; that is faithin its “smell.” Then we appropriatethe mercies which are prepared for us in Christ; that is faith in its “touch.” Hence follow the enjoyments,peace, delight, communion; which are faith in its “taste.” Any one of theseacts of faith is saving. To hear Christ’s voice as the sure voice of God in thesoul will save us; but that which gives true enjoyment is the aspect of faithwherein Christ, by holy taste, is received into us, and made, by inward andspiritual apprehension of his sweetness and preciousness, to be the food of oursouls. It is then we sit “under his shadow with great delight,” and find hisfruit sweet to our taste.

Free of Worry?

2011-08-19T09:05:00.001-04:00

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote:

'Take no thought for the morrow,' means 'Do not be guilty of anxious thoughts about the morrow'. It does not mean that you do not take any thought at all, otherwise the farmer would not plough and harrow and sow. He is looking to the future, but he does not spend the whole of his time wondering and worrying about the end results of his work. No, he takes reasonable thought and then he leaves it.

Here again the whole question is where to draw the line. Thinking is right up to a point, but if you go beyond that point it becomes worry and anxiety and it paralyzes and cripples. In other words, although it is very right to think about the future, it is very wrong to be controlled by it.

The difficulty with people who are prey to these fears is that they are controlled by the future, they are dominated by thoughts of it, and there they are wringing their hands, doing nothing, depressed by fears about it. In fact, they are completely governed and mastered by the unknown future, and that is always wrong. To take thought is right, but to be controlled by the future is all wrong.

Spiritual Depression, 98.