My Testimony: Faith in God's Provision

Ever hear a testimony and conclude (falsely), "That's great! But it'll never happen to me?" I had certainly heard my quota of God-blessed testimonials. But it happened to me as well.

I'm a bit remiss that I've never shared the following provision of the Lord from our seminary days in Philadelphia. So here goes. May it encourage your faith!

In 1986, God led Phyllis and me to move to Lansdale, Pa, north of Philly in order to attend what was known as The Conservative Baptist Seminary of the East (now Bethel Seminary of the East) in Dresher, PA. He provided wonderfully through my sister, Christine and her husband, Gerry and numerous others to get us there. But, back up just a week . . .

INTERVIEW
In late summer, after everything had ended in Richmond, Virginia, that is, my job and all bills were paid off, we took a short trip to Ohio to visit my sister and brother-in-law, Kathi and Tom. Then we visited Phyllis' bridesmaid in Cincinnati. While there, we received a call from Christine in Philadelphia. Would I consider coming next week to interview with the Dean, Dr. Spruance? "Sure!" Excitement ensued (I had applied but sort of forgotten about it). Quick drive back to Richmond, then up to Philly. Same day we were scheduled to meet Dr. Spruance, we met Phil Ashley who agreed to hire me for construction, and my brother-in-law, Gerry said that we could live in a large farm house for FREE as caretakers until the property could be decided on (13 months). Yikes! God was throwing so much at us we could hardly handle it! Met the Dean and had a great chat re: my call to ministry which has always been abundantly clear. All issues discussed, everything was a go. Spruance asked, "Is there anything else you'd mention as a possible hindrance?" "Well," I said, "we don't have any money." Not that kind of money. (See, we figured if God was in it he'd work it out. Old Bob Jones senior used to say, "If God ordered it, he'll pay for it"). "Money?" Dr. Spruance didn't miss a beat, "Is that all?" he asked minimizing our obvious concern. I said, "Yes," He replied, "Well, then come on." OK. That was it. 

But school started next week! Yep. NEXT week!

Phyllis was extremely supportive, desirous and excited. She knew God's call on my life, on OUR lives. Our parents were very supportive as well, even though it meant they'd lose the close proximity of two of their young grandchildren. We called home with our decision, and immediately Phyllis' Mom and sister-in-law, Kim made tracks to our house in south Richmond to begin packing up pictures, etc. Mom "managed" to secure a moving van on (of all weekends) Labor Day! In short, within one week we were all packed up and heading out to Lansdale, north of Dresher, north of Philly. God was manifestly in all this.

INTERNSHIP
Part of a ground-breaking education (one-third to be exact) was an internship/mentoring program through a local church. Normally this was done through your own church. But since we were "transplants" to the area, we were at the behest of a hitherto unknown but welcoming church. Thus, God directed us to First Baptist Church in Newtown, PA. 

A RECORD OF GOD'S GRACE
The pastor then was David Ridder (now Dean of Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, MN). He recommended that I keep a financial record of all the gifts that we received in our time at seminary. I did, and am very thankful for it. While I did construction work, and Phyllis whatever jobs we could squeeze in while not neglecting our two young children, we still depended on God's gracious provision through others. The people of the church were very generous. We have precious memories of their love. After a year, they agreed to give toward our tuition with voluntary offerings through the church. We tried to earn our housing through jobs. All this was strictly on a voluntary basis, mind you. Still, from that point on, we never missed another school payment! All debts were paid by graduation!

RESULTS?
By the end of our time in Newtown, I tallied gifts and the total came to an amazing $21, 900! So, if you're doubtful of God's ability or willingness to provide, take it from our record. God does "exceeding abundantly above all we could ask or think" (Eph. 3:20). God provided in such a way, that I could not, yes, would not ever believe but that he would do this for any child of God who exhibited the least bit of faith. Is your faith weak? The puritan, Thomas Watson helps, "Faith, though it hath sometimes a trembling hand, it must not have a withered hand, but must stretch." And stretch it did! Oh, listen, dear saint of God. You already have the greatest gift in Jesus that anyone could ever have. Will you not because of him, pursue even more? Think not of the hurdle, but of the legs of faith that will clear all hurdles. He will do exceeding abundantly above all that you could ask or think!

The True Church - J. C. Ryle, Part 2

This is the only Church which possesses true sanctity. Its members are all holy. They are not merely holy by profession, holy in name and holy in the judgment of charity; they are all holy in act and deed and reality and life and truth. They are all more or less conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. No unholy man belongs to this Church.

This is the only Church which is truly catholic. It is not the Church of any one nation or people: its members are to be found in every part of the world where the gospel is received and believed. It is not confined within the limits of any one country, or pent up within the pale of any particular form or outward government. In it there is no difference between Jew and Greek, black man and white, Episcopalian and Presbyterian, but faith in Christ is all. Its members will be gathered from north and south and east and west and will be of every name and tongue, but all one in Jesus Christ.

This is the only Church which is truly apostolic. It is built on the foundation laid by the Apostles, and holds the doctrines which they preached. The two grand objects at which its members aim, are apostolic faith and apostolic practice; and they consider the man who talks of following the Apostles without possessing these two things to be no better than sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.

This is the only Church which is certain to endure unto the end. Nothing can altogether overthrow and destroy it. Its members may be persecuted, oppressed, imprisoned, beaten, beheaded, burned; but the true Church is never altogether extinguished; it rises again from its afflictions; it lives on through fire and water. When crushed in one land it springs up in another. The Pharaohs, the Herods, the Neros, the Bloody Marys, have labored in vain to put down this Church; they slay their thousands, and then pass away and go to their own place. The true Church outlives them all, and sees them buried each in his turn. It is an anvil that has broken many a hammer in this world, and will break many a hammer still; it is a bush which is often burning, and yet is not consumed.

This is the only Church of which no one member can perish. Once enrolled in the lists of this Church, sinners are safe for eternity; they are never cast away. The election of God the Father, the continual intercession of God the Son, the daily renewing and sanctifying power of God the Holy Ghost, surround and fence them in like a garden enclosed. Not one born of Christ’s mystical Body shall ever be broken; not one lamb of Christ’s flock shall ever be plucked out of His hand.

This is the Church which does the work of Christ upon earth. Its members are a little flock, and few in number compared with the children of the world: one or two here, and two or three there, a few in this parish and a few in that. But these are they who shake the universe; these are they who change the fortunes of kingdoms by their prayers; these are they who are the active workers for spreading knowledge of pure religion and undefiled; these are the life-blood of a country, the shield, the defense, the stay, and the support of any nation to which they belong.

This is the Church which shall be truly glorious at the end When all earthly glory is passed away then shall this Church be presented without spot before God the Father’s throne. Thrones, principalities, and powers upon earth shall come to nothing, dignities and offices and endowments shall all pass away; but the Church of the first-born shall shine as the stars at the last, and be presented with joy before the Father’s throne, in the day of Christ’s appearing. When the Lord’s jewels are made up, and the manifestation of the sons of God takes place, Episcopacy, and Presbyterianism, and Congregationalism will not be mentioned; one Church only will be named, and that is the Church of the elect.

Reader, this is the true Church to which a man must belong, if he would be saved. Till you belong to this, you are nothing better than a lost soul. You may have the form, the husk, the skin and the shell of religion, but you have not got the substance and the life. Yes, you may have countless outward privileges: you may enjoy great light and knowledge, but if you do not belong to the Body of Christ, your light and knowledge and privileges will not save your soul. Alas, for the ignorance that prevails on this point! Men fancy if they join this church or that church, and become communicants, and go through certain forms, that all must be right with their souls. It is an utter delusion; it is a gross mistake. All were not Israel who were called Israel, and all are not members of Christ’s Body who profess themselves Christian.

Take notice; you may be a staunch Episcopalian or Presbyterian or Independent or Baptist or Wesleyan or Plymouth Brother, and yet not belong to the true Church. And if you do not, it will be better at last if you had never been born.

The True Church - J. C. Ryle, Part 1

Don't overlook the Church. It may seem obvious what it is, but nothing is obvious any more. Or, at least, we should not think it is if for no other reason than it will help us to study honestly. Please do that with this post on the nature of the Church from an old and well-seasoned veteran, J. C. Ryle. I present this in two parts, today and tomorrow. Ryle writes:

"I want you to belong to the one true Church: to the Church outside of which there is no salvation. I do not ask where you go on a Sunday; I only ask, “Do you belong to the one true Church?” Where is this one true Church? What is this one true Church like? What are the marks by which this one true Church may be known? You may well ask such questions. Give me your attention, and I will provide you with some answers.

The one true Church is composed of all believers in the Lord Jesus. It is made up of all God’s elect of all converted men and women of all true Christians. In whomsoever we can discern the election of God the Father, the sprinkling of the blood of God the Son, the sanctifying work of God the Spirit, in that person we see a member of Christ’s true Church.

It is a Church of which all the members have the same marks. They are all born again of the Spirit; they all possess “repentance towards God, faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,” and holiness of life and conversation. They all hate sin, and they all love Christ. They worship differently, and after various fashions; some worship with a form of prayer, and some with none; some worship kneeling, and some standing; but they all worship with one heart. They are all led by one Spirit; they all build upon one foundation; they all draw their religion from one single book, that is the Bible. They are all joined to one great center, that is Jesus Christ. They all even now can say with one heart, “Hallelujah”; and they can all respond with one heart and voice, “Amen and Amen.”

It is a Church which is dependent upon no ministers upon earth, however much it values those who preach the gospel to its members. The life of its members does not hang upon church membership or baptism or the Lord’s Supper, though they highly value these things, when they are to be had. But it has only one Great Head, one Shepherd, one chief Bishop and that is Jesus Christ. He alone, by His Spirit, admits the members of this Church, though ministers may show the door. Till He opens the door no man on earth can open it, . . . Once let a man repent and believe the gospel, and that moment he becomes a member of this Church. Like the penitent thief, he may have no opportunity of being baptized; but he has that which is far better than any water-baptism, the baptism of the Spirit. He may not be able to receive the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper; but he eats Christ’s body and drinks Christ’s blood by faith every day he lives, and no minister on earth can prevent him. . . .

It is a Church whose existence does not depend on forms, ceremonies, cathedrals, churches, chapels, pulpits, fonts, vestments, organs, endowments, money, kings, governments, magistrates or any act of favor whatsoever from the hand of man. It has often lived on and continued when all these things have been taken from it. It has often been driven into the wilderness, or into dens and caves of the earth, by those who ought to have been its friends. Its existence depends on nothing but the presence of Christ and His Spirit; and they being ever with it, the Church cannot die.

This is the Church to which the scriptural titles of present honor and privilege, and the promises of future glory especially belong; this is the Body of Christ; this is the flock of Christ; this is the household of faith and the family of God; this is God’s building, God’s foundation and the temple of the Holy Ghost. This is the Church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven; this is the royal priesthood, the chosen generation, the peculiar people, the purchased possession, the habitation of God, the light of the world, the salt and the wheat of the earth; this is the “holy catholic Church” of the Apostles’ Creed; this is the “One catholic and apostolic Church” of Nicene Creed; this is that Church to which the Lord

Jesus promises “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” and to which He says, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”-(Matthew 16:18; 28:20)."

This is the only Church which possesses true unity. Its members are entirely agreed on all the weightier matters of religion, for they are all taught by one Spirit. About God and Christ and the Spirit and sin and their own hearts and faith and repentance and necessity of holiness and the value of the Bible and the importance of prayer and the resurrection and judgment to come, about all these points they are of one mind. . . .


Tomorrow, Part 2 . . .

Comfort That God Controls All Things-J. Newton

"I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths!" Psalm 135:5-6

[We are studying the Providence of God in our Wednesday and Saturday morning Bible studies to great profit. This follows along those lines. If we had a better handle on this doctrine we would be better able to cope with and and rise above the trials that come into our lives]

God rules all! And though He is concealed by a veil of second causes from common eyes, so that they can perceive only the means, instruments, and contingencies by which He works, and therefore think He does nothing; yet, in reality, He does all according to His own counsel and pleasure, in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth.

Who can enumerate all the beings and events, which are incessantly before His eye, adjusted by His wisdom, dependent on His will, and regulated by His power! If we consider the heavens, the work of His fingers, the moon and the stars which He has ordained; if we call in the assistance of astronomers to help us in forming a conception of the number, distances, magnitudes, and motions of the heavenly bodies--the more we search, the more we shall be confirmed, that these are but a small portion of His ways! He calls them all by their names, upholds them by His power, and without His continual energy upholding them--they would rush into confusion, or sink into nothing! They are all dependent upon His power, and obedient to His command.

To come nearer home, and to speak of what seems more suited to our scanty apprehensions--still we may be lost in wonder. With respect to mankind, He reigns with uncontrolled dominion over every kingdom, family, and individual. Before this blessed and only Potentate, all the nations of the earth are but as the dust upon the balance, and the small drop of a bucket--and might be thought (if compared with the immensity of His works) scarcely worthy of His notice! Yet here He presides, pervades, provides, protects, and rules! All changes, successes, and disappointments--all that is memorable in the annals of history, all the rising and falls of empires, all the turns in human life--take place according to His plan!

In Him His creatures live, move, and have their being. From Him is their food and preservation. The eyes of all are upon Him--what He gives they gather--and can gather no more! And at His word they sink into the dust! There is not a worm which crawls upon the ground, or a flower which grows in the pathless wilderness, or a shell upon the sea-shore--but bears the impress of His wisdom, power, and goodness! He preserves man and beast, sustains the young lion in the forest, feeds the birds of the air, which have neither storehouse or barn, and adorns the insects and the flowers of the field with a beauty and elegance beyond all that can be found in the courts of kings!

All things serve Him, and are in His hands--as clay in the hands of the potter. Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of saints!

This is the God whom we adore! This is He who invites us to lean upon His almighty arm, and promises to guide us with His unerring eye!

From: Letters of John Newton

MY MOST IMPORTANT POST

I join with John Angell James in underscoring the following as of the greatest importance. Few posts of mine are issued with a deeper and more profound sense of awe at the weight of what is discussed as is this one. If the stats are true that 1500 ministers leave the ministry per month due to moral failure, discouragement or burn-out, then we MUST read and HEED these words of wisdom! He writes:

I trust our churches will consider piety as the first and most essential qualification in their pastors, for which talents, genius, learning, and eloquence, would and could be no substitutes. 

Warning!

And then James gives this warning: "It will be a dark and evil day when personal godliness shall be considered as secondary to any other quality in those who serve at the altar of God." But I fear that this is exactly what has occurred. Try to discuss among Christian leaders (perhaps even Pastors) their love for God and you may just get a "deer-in-the-headlights" look. Sometimes it seems as though the intimate pursuit of God is just something from bygone days. Well, if that is so, please for Christ's sake let us bring back those days! As it is, it seems abundantly evident that we are living, as James says, in "a dark and evil day."

Deep Earnestness

But still there is something else wanted in addition to natural talent, to academic training, and even to the most fervent evangelical piety, and that is, intense devotedness. This is the one thing, more than any or all other things, that is wanting [lacking] in the modern pulpit, and that has been wanting in most ages of the Christian church. 

NO MINISTRY WILL BE REALLY EFFECTIVE, WHATEVER MAY BE ITS INTELLIGENCE, WHICH IS NOT A MINISTRY OF STRONG FAITH, TRUE SPIRITUALITY, AND DEEP EARNESTNESS. (British Quarterly Review)

Here, then is the heart of our problem in the ministry today. It is not effectively any different than it was in James' day (19th C), for the issues remain the same, sin and faithlessness. 

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6). Evermore let this be the light that shines forth from each of us who names the name of Christ, ESPECIALLY we who are called ministers of the gospel!

Amen.

What Ministry Ministers Minister?

Therefore, as ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

"The design of the ministry," according to James Angell James, "is to bring sinful men into actual reconciliation  with God, on the ground of that system of mediation through Christ which God himself has devised and proclaimed." In other words, God conceived of man's existence, his inevitable fall, and his reclamation via God-sacrifice. He wrote the book on Gospel. It is, therefore, not to be conceived of in any way as man's concoction, and therefore must not be tampered with by frivolously altering it's tenets. On the other hand, since God created the good news and empowers it through the Holy Spirit, we have every reason to go forth in confidence knowing that as we proclaim the ministry of reconciliation, God WILL DRAW all men unto himself (John 6:44 & 12:32).

James describes in his own nineteenth century words what Paul was meaning in the above verse:

Wherever we go, we find men in unprovoked hostility, inveterate enmity, and mad rebellion, against God's holy nature, law, and government: we carry with us, as his ambassadors, the proclamation of mercy through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ: we tell them that we are appointed by God whom they have offended, and who could overwhelm them with the terrors of his justice, to call upon them to lay down their arms and accept the offer of eternal pardon and peace: but we find them every where so bent on their sins, and the enjoyment of their worldly occupations and possessions, that we are compelled to use the language of the most vehement entreaty, and to beseech and implore them in God's name, and in Christ's stead, to come into the a state of reconciliation.

So, please pardon the somewhat whimsical title of this post. The real question today (as it has been from the beginning) is will we who know Christ, so proclaim him that others might enter into the message and pattern of reconciliation? Oh, the sheer beauty of a soul set free! Let us become enamored of that truth again and so go forth unapologetically with this message of peace!

Incidentally, the man on the cover above is William McKendree, pioneer Methodist preacher in the United States and a true representative of the earnestness which John Angell James calls 'the want of the times.' (taken from the back flyleaf)

Why Did Jesus Keep the Scars?

In The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey surfaces issues about Christ that we may overlook or simply never consider. 

One detail in the Easter stories has always intrigued me: Why did Jesus keep the scars from his crucifixion? Presumably he could have had any resurrected body he wanted, and yet he chose one identifiable mainly by scars that could be seen and touched. Why?

I believe the story of Easter would be incomplete without those scars on the hands, the feet, and the side of Jesus. When human beings fantasize, we dream of pearly straight teeth and wrinkle-free skin and sexy ideal shapes. We dream of an unnatural state: the perfect body. But for Jesus, being confined in a skeleton and human skin was the unnatural state. The scars are, to him, an emblem of life on our planet, a permanent reminder of those days of confinement and suffering.

Such scars serve as a constant reminder of the mammoth pain sin caused and to the very Son of God at that! We tend to underrate, or time softens the travesty, the horror of sin. We therefore, lose sight of the marvelous but ugly truth of what a shameful, ingloriously tragic event this was. But it must at least give us serious pause before we dismiss our many and various types of suffering and trial. Pressure is more than just the cause of making diamonds, it becomes the very force of God to form us into his gems of grace.