Easily A Muse

New Living Translation Giveaway

2011-12-08T11:14:00.001-06:00

Tyndale Publishers is giving away copies of the New Living Translation as well as offering a chance to win an iPad 2. All that is required is to "like" their Facebook page.

Book Review - When God Created My Toes by Dandi Daley Mackall

2011-11-30T14:54:00.001-06:00

When God Created My Toes
Written by Dandi Daley Mackall
Illustrated by David Hohn
WaterBrook Press, 2008
Category: Children
ISBN: 978140073153
Hardcover
36 Pages
MSRP: $9.99

Recommended

As a new dad who is relatively clueless about children’s books, I decided it was time that I begin to research the scene before haphazardly stocking my son’s bookshelves with termite fodder. At seven months, he is still a little young to be keen on the Kindle so the hard copy, illustrated editions will need to suffice. At least until they develop an e-reader that can project a hologram on the wall. Now there’s your million dollar idea! So, WaterBrook Press was kind enough to provide a copy in exchange for an honest review (see FTC Disclaimer below).

When God Created My Toes is a short children’s book reminding its readers that God has been intimately involved in every facet of creation. Looking at various parts of the body, Mackall (through the illustrated young girl) asks simple questions about what was going on in the mind of God when he chose to create those various parts. “Did he have to hold his nose when God created my toes?” “How I wonder what he said when God created my head?”

David Hohn’s illustrations cause the author’s words to leap from the page. They are life-like and believable. This is not a cartoon book where the characters are able to leap small buildings. This is a book that will relate to a real kid with real questions and I love it. As any individual who has spent more than ten seconds with a child will attest: kids ask questions. Lots of questions. Strange questions. Funny questions. And sometimes these questions are seemingly ridiculous but carry a great weight of repercussions. When a child is asking about the character of God how we answer is of immense importance. This book does not provide the answers to these questions; it only illustrates the reality of there presence and our need to be prepared for when the time arises. If the time has never come for you, reading this book with a child will provide the occasion.

Employing short rhymes for short attention spans, this little book teaches a big truth: God is “intimately acquainted with all [our] ways” (Psalm 139:3). And there is no body part too small in which his hand did not play a part in creating. And while it is true that When God Created My Toes will be helpful for the child to begin to identify his head, shoulder, knees, and toes, more importantly; it will help him think about the God who knows his heart.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group Press in exchange for an honest review. I am under no obligation to provide positive feedback and do so willingly of my own accord.

Our Son at 20 Weeks

2011-02-04T13:35:00.001-06:00

This is Watson Chase Armstrong (our son). This video was taken December 10, 2010 when he was just 20 weeks old. He is not a fetus, a sack of cells and tissue, or a blob of unrecognizable DNA. He is a baby. In the state of Alabama, he still has another four weeks until he could be legally aborted--no questions asked.

"Jane Roe" Speaks

2011-02-04T13:22:00.000-06:00

Norma McCorvey, also known as "Jane Roe", was the plaintiff in the infamous Roe v Wade Supreme court Case of 1973. This is her take on the decision.

Planned Parenthood: Pro-Choice and Pro-Pimp

2011-02-04T12:59:00.001-06:00

Planned Parenthood (PP) is obviously a "pro-choice" organization. That is, pro-choice unless you are a 15 year old girl caught in human sex trafficking, slavishly bound to a pimp who desires to protect his "investment." Apparently, according to PP, she is not entitled to a "choice."

Live Action is a pro-life "youth led movement dedicated to building a culture of life and ending abortion." This is an undercover investigation at a PP clinic in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. This video was recorded January 13, 2011; nine days prior to the 38th anniversary of Roe v Wade.

WARNING: This video is VERY troubling. There are no graphic depictions and the language has been edited, but the nonchalant conversation should disturb you. Or, at least it should.

Usher's Body of Divinity - $5!!

2010-12-16T11:08:00.001-06:00

One of the best deals on the web currently: James Usher's Body of Divinity on sale for $5 (regularly $50.00).

Thanks to Mike Gaydosh and our friends at Solid Ground Christian Books who are "uncovering buried treasure one title at a time."

From the publisher:

A BODY OF DIVINITY: Being the Sum and Substance of the Christian Religion
Archbishop James Ussher, New Introduction by Dr. Crawford Gribben

"Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656) was a leader par excellence among the Irish Puritans. His colorful history is inseparable from that of Irish Christianity and from major events transpiring simultaneously in England and Scotland. Ussher's range of achievements are outstanding, including ancient languages, patristics, ancient and Irish history, theology, and chronology. Though he is best known for his biblical chronology, I believe that his Body of Divinity is his most valuable legacy. This volume, long overdue to be reprinted, was once regarded as a classic in the field of Reformed systematic theology and deserves to be so regarded again. Here is pristine Irish Puritan theology, presented to us in a captivating question and answer format." --Joel R. Beeke, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan

"Raised in a Bible-believing Calvinistic environment, Dr. Ussher soaked himself in the Holy Scriptures without ceasing. He also read the Early Church Fathers - systematically, every day, for eighteen years. Head of Ireland's foremost Theological Faculty, Ussher was internationally the greatest Anglican antiquarian and theologian of his age - if not of all time." -Dr. Francis Nigel Lee, Professor-Emeritus of the Queensland Presbyterian Theological College

"Among those volumes that are most useful for understanding British Reformed theology of the 17th century and especially that of the Westminster Assembly few are as valuable and therefore welcome in republication as Ussher's Body of Divinity." -R. Scott Clark, D.Phil., Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Westminster Seminary California

"Archbishop Ussher remains a theological giant upon whose shoulders many Reformed believers have unkowingly stood. Ussher penned the Irish Articles published in 1615. The terms and theology of that confession are found in the Westminster family of confessions. Westminsterian Presbyterians, Congregationalists who look to the Savoy Declaration and confessional Reformed Baptists all owe their theological heritage to Ussher, humanly speaking. Publishing the The Body of Divinity will help many in our generation to recover or reaffirm the faith of the Reformation--the greatest revival of true religion ever." - Dr. Mike Renihan, Heritage Baptist Church, Worcester, MA

Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656), author of the newly reprinted "Annals of the World," wrote his Body of Divinity in a way that would make it useful to the family. Long out of print, used copies regularly bring $400.00 and more on the used market. This edition is newly typeset and will be a smyth-sewn hardcover volume with a full color dusty jacket that will endure for generations. A new Introduction by Dr. Crawford Gribben and a complete Bibliography on Ussher make this the most valuable edition ever produced.

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

Click here to order.

It's Official

2010-12-15T08:11:00.000-06:00

It's been official for a few weeks now so I guess I can begin to link here as well.

I would like you to meet Malcolm.

Super Spiritual Dog

2010-09-24T23:27:00.000-05:00

August 6, 1945

2010-08-06T08:57:00.002-05:00

"In the following waves [after the initial blast] people's bodies were terribly squeezed, then their internal organs ruptured. Then the blast blew the broken bodies at 500 to 1,000 miles per hour through the flaming, rubble-filled air. Practically everybody within a radius of 6,500 feet was killed or seriously injured and all buildings crushed or disemboweled." -- From the article "Atom Bomb Effects," LIFE, 3/11/1946. Above: Hiroshima, 1945, by Bernard Hoffman. To this day, of course, historians, politicians, and military men and women the world over argue whether the American use of atomic weapons in WWII was, in fact, justified. That the bombs hastened the end of the war is, on the other hand, something that even the United States' fiercest critics generally concede. One week after the obliteration of Nagasaki, Japan surrendered.

From LIFE.com's never before published pictures of the aftermaths of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

My Hope Begins and Ends with The Gospel - 1 Timothy 1:12-20

2010-07-30T15:44:00.000-05:00

1Tim 1 12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. a Amen. 18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Vine's Topical Commentary on Christ

2010-06-25T20:42:00.001-05:00

Here's another one from our friends at Thomas Nelson

MacArthur Study Bible NASB - Gospel of John Flip Book

2010-06-25T20:31:00.002-05:00

A pretty cool little tool from out friends at Thomas Nelson.

Free "Then & Now" Bible Map from Rose Publishing

2010-06-25T19:30:00.002-05:00

Thanks to the good folks at Rose Publishing you can receive a free copy of an abridged version of their "Then and Now" Bible Map pamphlet. It is essentially a one page layout of the Middle East with modern boundaries drawn. Sign up for their newsletter and receive another free e-chart every month.

What’s in a Name? – A Sermon from 2nd Timothy - Part 6

2010-06-25T09:21:00.002-05:00

The following is Part 6 of a series prepared for an ordination service in the life of the church based on selected texts from 2 Timothy. You can access the other parts here:

I. Introduction

II. Fan

III. Guard

IV. Entrust

V. Preach

VI. Flee and Pursue

VII. Conclusion

Flee and Pursue

2Tim 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

So how does our fanning, guarding, entrusting, and preaching play out in real life? In one practice of ministry that has two commands: flee and pursue. We see in 2 Tim 2:22 one of the other commands that Paul has given to Timothy. “Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.” This is a brilliant statement because we are always doing one or the other. We are always fleeing something while we pursue something else. In your education, you are fleeing from Kindergarten as you move close to the next goal. In a race, the runner is fleeing from the starting line as he pursues the finish. And for the Christian, he is to flee from the world and pursue Christ Jesus. Yet you cannot flee the world and pursue the world at the same time. You cannot flee Christ and pursue Christ at the same time. As I stand in this room I am about half-way in between these two side walls. If I take two steps to the left I have decided to pursue the left and flee from the right. On the other hand, if I decide to turn around and go the other way, I am now fleeing from the left and pursuing to the right. The same thing is true between the cross and the world. As I take one step towards the cross I am fleeing the world. But if I choose to flee the cross I am then pursuing the world. Let us flee the world! Let us flee the wisdom that it attempts to offer! Instead, let us pursue Christ! Let us pursue all that he has for us! Let us pursue not the gifts but the Gifter himself! This is how Paul can say in Philippians 3 that he has forgotten what lies behind and is pressing forward toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. He is fleeing what lies behind and pursuing what lies ahead – Christ Jesus himself. Let us pursue him.

But notice one tiny but important clause that Paul tacks on to this. He does so, I think, because he knows how Lone Ranger prone we are, how individualistic we can become, how “my ministry” we can get. He says that we are to flee and pursue “along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” The Christian’s ministry is not one that is to be conducted in isolation. We need people. We need each other. We need each other to help us flee these youthful passions and to flee the things of the world. We need others to hold us accountable so that we are continually pursuing our Lord Jesus. We are to encourage each other as we collectively pursue the Lord Jesus Christ. “Two are better than one,” says the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, “for if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who falls and has not another to lift him up! (Eccl 4:9-10).

There are many of you here today who may not necessarily be called to a full-time vocational ministry. You may have other gifts that God has chosen to employ for his kingdom in the business world or in the health sector. Praise God for those who have been obedient to do precisely what God has called you to do. However, be warned that these verses that address the Christian minister specifically also apply to the Christian generally. You are a part of the “along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” It takes the entire body of Christ functioning together to cultivate a healthy Christian community. The eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of you (1 Cor 12:21). Instead, we all need one another: preachers, deacons, accountants, stay-at-home moms, elementary school teachers, doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, contractors, elected officials, police officers, and the list goes on and on. Wherever you find yourself employed (or unemployed) today, know that you are a vital part of the Christian ministry. Christian ministry is not just for those who get to bear the title “minister” it is for all of those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. And if you are in Christ today, then he has given you a pure heart by which you may call upon him.

From Sea to Crying Sea

2010-06-25T08:57:00.000-05:00

The Gulf Coast of North America is not the only place in the world where an oil spill has occurred.

According to the Jordan Times, the oil spill began last week, and "was caused by a leak from an offshore oil platform in Jabal Al Zayt, north of Hurghada, and has polluted about 160 kilometres [about 100 miles] of coastline including tourist beach resorts, according to news agencies."

According to Bloomberg, the oil spill was caused by a passing oil tanker. However, the AP is reporting that "Oil company officials in the port city of Suez said the spill was caused by a leak from an offshore oil platform in Jebel al-Zayt north of Hurghada and has polluted about 100 miles (160 kilometers) of coastline including tourist beach resorts. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media."

A Muse Upon Amman

2010-06-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

Some initial impressions of my arrival to Amman:

City
I am amazed at how westernized this city is (at least the few parts that I have seen). I knew from reading that Amman has progressed greatly beyond much of the two-thirds world, but I did not expect it to be like a walk through The Summit or Brookwood Mall. Across the street from our Guest House is the California based Safeway store. They operate mainly in the West, Rocky Mountain, and Mid-Atlantic states but have over 1700 locations in the US alone. They operate the Randall and Tom Thumb brands in Texas if you might be familiar with them. For those not, Safeway is like a supped up Wal-Mart. You thought that was Target? Keep supping. This has a full blown grocery store on one level and electronics, appliances, furniture, clothing, etc. below. Like Wal-Mart and Target – just bigger and better. It also has a fine restaurant with coffee and juice bar. This is not what I was expecting in a two-thirds world country.

Just down the road and around the corner is an outdoor lifestyle center mall. This is the Summit on steroids. High end retailers galore and many open-air restaurants line this shopper’s paradise and provide yet another surprise for this westerner in the Middle East. No one is dressed shabbily in this area but decked out in designer jeans and chic footwear. Many of the women are dressed in head coverings, but they are the type that would make a derby wearer in Kentucky jealous. Gleaming with color and varying in texture from the head up many of these women are Muslim, from the shoulders down they have just stepped out of Vogue magazine. It’s an interesting compilation. Many women do not wear the headdress at all and I have yet to ascertain if this says anything of their status or relationship with Islam.

People
The people seem very warm and friendly and forgiving of the language barrier. Many speak English but many do not which would lead me to believe that it may be an optional course of study in school. Given the generally negative opinion of the West by many in the region, it has been comforting to know that (at least in our presence) we have not openly rejected. I may have a different perspective after we visit the Al Hussani Mosque tomorrow (aka King Hussein Mosque).

Climate
This is the desert. It is 95 degrees in the daytime. At night, I am cold. I made the conscious decision not to bring a jacket to the Hashemite Kingdom. Wrong decision!! On our walk home from dinner this evening I was shivering and inundated with goose bumps. During the day there has been a slight breeze that makes 95 degrees (with no humidity) feel like 75. It is wonderful to say the least. It is only supposed to be in the mid-80s the rest of this week...I might need to buy a jacket! There is a 0 percent chance of rain until August which is part of the reason that this is a “water poor” country.

See Amman Weather Here.

Christianity
During chapel this morning, the gentleman who was leading the devotion preached (in Arabic with a translator for us) from Mat 4:23-5:12. It was a wonderful sound to hear the local believers read The Beatitudes together in Arabic. But the preacher focused on the earlier parts of this section of Scripture. First, there was a clear emphasis to these believers that they could identify with Mat 4:25: “And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.” Here we were, “beyond the Jordan,” surrounded by a group of followers who together form a crowd that mirrors the description Matthew gives us.

The speaker then moved on to discuss the blessedness of the one who knows of his own poverty. He made a clear distinction between economic poverty and spiritual poverty. He noted that Jesus’ concern was for those who knew they were morally and spiritually bankrupt knowing that they had nothing to come to him to offer that could considered an equal exchange for their salvation. Jesus then and now desires that we maintain our poverty. When we come to the point that we believe we have enough to do without Jesus, we no longer hold to the poverty of the blessed ones. The speaker pointed out that when we think we have had enough Scripture teaching, theological training, or moral disciplining and we surmise that we can now “move on from Jesus” we are sorely mistaken. It is at this point that we find ourselves further from the cross and nearer to our own security which is really of no security or substance whatsoever. This was a passionate and personal plea offered by the preacher “to continue the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel” (Col 1:23).

He then (brilliantly I might add), connected the blessedness of the one knowing his own poverty before the Lord with the blessedness of the one who is “persecuted for righteousness' sake” (Mat 5:10). This one who is persecuted for righteousness’ sake will be the one who knows his own poverty for the one who knows not his own poverty may suffer for wrongdoing (as discussed in 1 Pet 2:19-25) but this is not suffering for righteousness’’ sake. This is suffering for his own sinfulness which he is unaware of, because in his mind he is rich and does not need to recognize his poverty before the Lord. As I sat and listened, I looked around to the men and women who have forsaken all others because of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These have acknowledged their poverty before the Lord and called upon his riches for an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and kept in heaven for them (1 Pet 1:4). These also have suffered persecutions for righteousness’ sake. This persecution has come at the hands of family members, the state, and the society.

This is how I would describe my first impressions of biblical Christianity being practiced by our brothers and sisters in the Middle East. Yet they have embraced this life with joy because he is the Joy that is set before them (Heb 12:2), in fact, their “exceeding joy” (Psa 43:3-4) by whom many have found themselves surprised. It is only in the economy of the gospel that one can become rich by becoming poor, and by becoming poor one can become rich.

SDG from Amman
كل المجد إلى حسن مستقل

Ease Drops - Muses to My Ears

2010-06-24T08:27:00.002-05:00

An interesting spattering of a few quips overheard (or underheard) from my herd.

“If its yellow, let it mellow” – regarding water preservation at the Guest House

In an attempt to describe a Birmingham suburb to someone unfamiliar with the area: “Well, a lot of people drive a truck…”

“I think I’ll go back in now…since I was just called a little girl.” Statement from a 30-something male who was just told by an Australian Sharkologist that his intense fear of sharks based on the movie “Jaws” and a traumatic childhood beach trip was “stupid and silly.”

From Alabama to Amman by Way of Paris

2010-06-23T16:15:00.000-05:00

4 cities, 3 countries, 3 continents, 2 bad meals, and 26 hours later I am in Amman, Jordan. The trip has been relatively uneventful and all arrived safely with luggage in tow. I experienced by first taste of "Turkish Coffee" this evening around 11:00pm Amman time (+8 hours from Birmingham) and I am hoping that this will not keep me up through the night. Unfortunately it is only 4:00pm at home so my clock is far from being adjusted.

Our schedule begins at 8:00am tomorrow as we begin to explore Christianity in the Middle East.

What’s in a Name? – A Sermon from 2nd Timothy - Part 5

2010-06-21T00:05:00.004-05:00

The following is Part 5 of a series prepared for an ordination service in the life of the church based on selected texts from 2 Timothy. You can access the other parts here:

I. Introduction

II. Fan

III. Guard

IV. Entrust

V. Preach

VI. Flee and Pursue

VII. Conclusion

Preach

2Tim 4 ¹I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:²preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Paul charges Timothy to not only fan, guard, and entrust but now to preach. And what is he to preach? The word – Jesus Christ himself who became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We are to preach Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 1:23). We are to preach the foolishness of the cross in the face of the wisdom of the world (1 Cor 1:18). This gospel does not make sense to those whom God does not grant the repentance that leads to eternal life (2 Tim 2:25) but our duty is to preach the word. But how are we to preach the word if we do not know the word?

We must know the word in both written and physical form. We know the written word by studying, as Paul tells Timothy in 2:15, in order to present ourselves before God as one who has been approved, without having the need of being ashamed. This means that we are to study our guts out until we can get the tiniest grasp of understanding capable to our frail human minds. This means that we are to use our training times wisely as we seek to further our awareness of the entire corpus of Scripture. And this also means that we must spend time in prayer and communion with the Divine Word who has created all things and ordained us for such a calling. How can we preach the word if we don’t know him?

What’s in a Name? – A Sermon from 2nd Timothy - Part 4

2010-06-20T23:41:00.002-05:00

The following is Part 4 of a series prepared for an ordination service in the life of the church based on selected texts from 2 Timothy. You can access the other parts here:

I. Introduction
II. Fan
III. Guard
IV. Entrust
V. Preach
VI. Flee and Pursue
VII. Conclusion

Entrust

2Tim 2 ¹You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,²and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Timothy is not only called to fan his gift(s) into flame and to guard the deposit of the gospel, but he is also called to entrust these things to faithful men (and women) who are able to teach others also. The gospel is not ours. Yes, we are benefactors and recipients of gospel grace but we are not exclusive owners to it. The gospel was given so that it would be freely given away. And this is why the gospel ministry is a ministry of multiplication. Timothy was charge to multiply those who follow Christ by sharing the gospel with others who would share the gospel with others who would…

Jesus, the author of our faith, modeled this for us first hand. Jesus called out twelve individuals who would spend three years with him in intense teaching and discipleship. Yes, one of them was the son of perdition and did not endure to the end. But the other eleven, after deserting Jesus in his hour of need were called back together after his resurrection. He said, “Go get my brothers!” Jesus committed these disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit who would descend on them in power so that they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. And what happened? The Holy Spirit came in power and they became witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. And as the gospel message spread, individuals entrusted the message to individuals, who eventually entrusted the message to us as we have gathered here today at this very moment. We did not come here out of the blue. We have come here because the gospel was entrusted to faithful men and women who entrusted it to others and we are now called to continue the ministry of multiplication and entrust it to others as well.

The Gospel According to Southern Seminary

2010-06-18T13:06:00.003-05:00

Here is a pretty nifty little video explaining the gospel in brief from our friends at Southern Seminary. Nuts and bolts brief. But pretty cool doodling in the process...

What’s in a Name? – A Sermon from 2nd Timothy - Part 3

2010-06-15T13:48:00.000-05:00

The following is Part 3 of a series prepared for an ordination service in the life of the church based on selected texts from 2 Timothy. You can access the other parts here:

I. Introduction
II. Fan
III. Guard
IV. Entrust
V. Preach
VI. Flee and Pursue
VII. Conclusion

Guard
2Tim 1:14 “By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”

Paul then tells Timothy that he is to “guard the good deposit” that has been entrusted to him. What is this “good deposit?” Most simply put: the gospel. Timothy is the recipient of the gospel truth which he must guard against false teaching and perversions. The gospel was not given to make people rich, get them a better job, or even to make them happy. The gospel was given to reveal the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the pathway to reconciliation that has been made available through Jesus Christ. And as ministers of this gospel, we are called to be gatekeepers of truth and guardians of gospel fidelity. Nothing must encroach upon these magnificent truths. Nothing should be used for one’s own personal gain, but the true gospel begins and ends with Jesus Christ. Anything that falls short of this is a false gospel. And a false gospel is a non-gospel and a non-gospel will send people to hell.

BiblicalTraining.org Has a New Website

2010-06-15T01:19:00.003-05:00

Biblical Training.org is a ministry committed to the education of the Church. Their mission statement is as follows:

The mission of BiblicalTraining is to provide world-class educational resources for making new and fully-formed disciples within the context of the local church.

We hope to accomplish this through providing a free online seminary for advanced students and discipleship resources for new believers. We also provide a certificate program that allows a mentor to monitor the progress of an individual or group as they take courses in spiritual foundations, biblical foundations, or leadership development.

Our desire is to help develop the whole person with the goal of forming believers into the likeness of Christ. We offer courses that will develop the head (believing like Christ), heart (becoming like Christ), and hands (behaving like Christ). "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ" (Col. 1:28).

They have just unleashed their new site and it is incredibly user friendly and navigable (I think that is a word). Check out their new website today and you can even hear several of my professors that I have the privilege to study under.

What’s in a Name? – A Sermon from 2nd Timothy - Part 2

2010-06-15T00:12:00.004-05:00

The following is Part 2 of a series prepared for an ordination service in the life of the church based on selected texts from 2 Timothy. You can access the other parts here:

I. Introduction
II. Fan
III. Guard
IV. Entrust
V. Preach
VI. Flee and Pursue
VII. Conclusion

FAN

2Tim 1:6 "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands"

Paul tells Timothy that he must “fan into flame” the gift of God that has been given to him. It is not good enough for Timothy to simply rely upon the gifting that he has received and never work at it at all. If he does this, Paul warns that he will lose his effectiveness. Rather, he says to Timothy: “What is your gift? What is your passion? Fan these into flame.” Paul does not tell Timothy that he needs to take one hundred different spiritual gifts surveys, the Meyer-Briggs or Keirsey-Bates temperament indicator. (These things are not bad in themselves, but let us not dismiss the Holy Spirit’s placement of passions within our life in order to drive us in pursuit of gospel ministry.)

What is your gift? Is it teaching? Preaching? Mercy ministry? Hospitality? Whatever it is, fan it into flame. Firefighters know that if they can remove an oxygen source from a fire it will quickly dwindle out. Every year we hear of forest fires in California consuming thousands of acres of land. And the worst report we can hear is that there is no rain in sight but there are strong gusts of Santa Ana winds coming from the Pacific Ocean. These winds, fan the fire into flames. These flames are what once began as a tiny campfire can become an all-encompassing, all-engulfing, massive swath of power and uncontrolled fire. Is it not interesting that our God is referred to as a “consuming fire” (Dt 4:24; Heb 12:29). Identify the gift that God has given you, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, fan it into flame.

What’s in a Name? – A Sermon from 2nd Timothy - Part 1

2010-06-14T23:54:00.009-05:00

The following is a series prepared for an ordination service in the life of the church based on selected texts from 2 Timothy. In an effort to reduce the size of these posts, these will be broken up into five separate posts. Each post will have links to the others as they are developed.

What's in a name anyway? Many parents will ponder long and hard over the potential names for their young children and there are even "books of names" that are devoted to the subject. "This one means 'warrior'" or this one means "beautiful. Oh, I like that one." My name is KC which stands` for Kenneth Chase. My name has somewhat of a story that is not very interesting, but a little long. To give you the Reader's Digest version: I am the youngest of three children. When the first child was born my parents agreed that if it was a girl my mother would name her and if it was a boy my father got the honor. Well, mom named the first child. The second child came along and they decided that since mom got to name the first one then dad could do this one. And then the third child came along and they decided they would do this one together. Bad idea.

In truth, my parents were separated when my mother was six months pregnant with me so to think that they were in total agreement on anything is utter foolishness. So what happened? Well, I was without a name for the first two weeks of my life and was only known as the "Armstrong Baby." At one point I was going to be "Brandon Kenley" and at another I was going to be Kenneth Leroy, Jr (after my father of course). A name that made the short list was "Winston Salem" because my father smoked Winstons and my mother smoked Salems. Sad but true. It finally came time for me to come home from the hospital and I had to have a name to put on my birth certificate. So I became known as Kenneth Chase; "Kenneth" after my father and "Chase" after the Chase Manhattan Bank.

Companies understand the importance of a name. Coca-Cola is the most recognized brand in the world yet the still spend a billion dollars a year in advertising. If I were to ask you to search for something on the internet you would "Google" it. Regardless of whether you used Bing, MSN, or Yahoo! you would still "Google" it because they have associated their name with internet searches. Or what if I wanted for you to send me something overnight? I would ask you to FedEx it, regardless of whether or not you used UPS, DHL, or even the US Postal Service. But the name "FedEx" has come to represent an overnight, next-day delivery shipment. But what's in a name anyway?

Did you know that when your name comes up in conversation there is something that comes to mind of those speaking. Your name has come to symbolize your character and your reputation so that at the sound of it you are instantly identified. Paul. Timothy. Paul is a Roman name given to Saul after his conversion because he was called to preach to the Gentiles. Timothy. A Greek name that means timid or fearful. But when you hear these names there are images conjured up in your minds that may or may not agree with what they literally mean.

Paul is writing from a Roman prison different than the house arrest arrangement of Acts 28-31. This time he is in a dungeon-like facility literally chained to a Roman guard. This is Paul's last written communication as he sees that the end of his life is drawing near. He hopes to remind Timothy, the next-generation minister, of a few things prior to his departure. Throughout Second Timothy there are at least twenty-eight direct imperatives given by Paul. Over twenty-eight times Timothy is told to do this, don't do that, focus on these things, ignore these. But today as we think of ordination for the gospel ministry we will focus only on four of those commands which can be summed up as fan, guard, entrust, and preach. If we are to be faithful ministers of the gospel we must at the very least fan, guard, entrust, and preach. If we don't we will neglect the true gospel to which we have been called and we will attempt to rely upon our own strength void of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Forgotten God by Francis Chan - FREE Download

2010-06-01T14:03:00.003-05:00

Once again the folks at Christian Audio have offered another great resource for FREE. Through the end of June, you may download Francis Chan's Forgotten God for free. This is his sophmore effort following the enormously received Crazy Love .

Enter coupon code JUN2010 to start your download.

$5 Fridays at Ligonier Ministries

2010-05-28T14:47:00.002-05:00

RC Sproul and the generous folks of Ligonier Ministries have introduced $5 Fridays where selected resources are available for, you guessed it, $5...on Fridays. Kudos to the marketing man on that one.

Stop by and say a quick thanks. Tell 'em KC sent ya...it won't do you any good, but tell them anyway. It'll at least be good for 5 bucks.

Is This Thing ON?

2010-05-27T12:17:00.004-05:00

Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Barack Obama, George Bush (Sr and W), Joe Biden (all too often), and untold others have experienced the shocking horror of thinking out loud or musing with another individual within earshot of a microphone that was left "ON" unbeknownst to them. This is then followed by the dreaded "my words were out of context" diatribes as attempts are made to cover over such gaffes. Not so in the virtual (yet still synthetic) world of blogging.

If you do not write, it will not be recorded. When you do, you have the opportunity to place things within their respective contexts which unfortunately are still often aborted from their full life spans. I have missed the idea of the discipline that I had hoped blogging would bring. I say the “idea” because that is all it ever came to be – an idea lost within the annals of great intentions, best laid plans, and somewhere squashed beneath a pair of mice and men. I bet Lenny did it.

I come to surprising realize that this blog has become known for three primary posts, none of which I ever intended to be the attention grabbers. A review of Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger’s Simple Church by far tops the charts of hits from search engines. And tied for a close second and third are a muse concerning the question of whether or not John Piper is a charismatic (**warning: spoiler – I neither make the statement nor argue against it, only link to a neat piece of writing that he produced that I have read with great intrigue on many occasions), and the lyrics to Travis Cottrell’s song "My Passion". Why this is I have no idea, but maybe, just maybe, I might actually produce something here in the coming weeks that may rival their attention.

But I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Super Bowl Ad You Didn't See

2009-02-12T19:09:00.003-06:00

The NBC Super Bowl Ad you didn't see because it was "too politically charged."

Read more here

Purification

2008-10-07T14:12:00.003-05:00

Lord Jesus,

I sin – Grant that I may
never cease grieving because of it,
never be content with myself,
never think I can reach a point of perfection.
Kill my envy, command my tongue,
trample down self.

Give me grace to be holy, kind, gentle, pure,
peaceable,
to live for thee and not for self,
to copy thy words, acts, spirit,
to be transformed into thy likeness,
to be consecrated wholly to thee,
to live entirely to thy glory.

Deliver me from attachment to things unclean,
from wrong associations,
from the predominance of evil passions,
from the sugar of sin as well as its gall,
that with self-loathing, deep contrition,
earnest heart searching
I may come to thee, cast myself on thee,
trust in thee, cry to thee,
be delivered by thee.

O God, the Eternal All, help me to know that
all things are shadows, but thou art substance,
all things are quicksands, but thou art mountain,
all things are shifting, but thou art anchor,
all things are ignorance, but thou art wisdom.

If my life is to be a crucible amid burning heat,
so be it,
but do thou sit at the furnace mouth
to watch the ore that nothing be lost.

If I sin wilfully, grievously, tormentedly,
in grace take away my mourning
and give me music;
remove my sackcloth
and clothe me with beauty;
still my sighs
and fill my mouth with song,
then give me summer weather as a Christian.

From Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett

When Does Life Begin?

2008-10-04T12:55:00.001-05:00

Learn more here

Book Review: Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? by Timothy George

2008-10-03T09:57:00.007-05:00

Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? Understanding the Differences Between Christianity and Islam
By Timothy George
Zondervan, 2002
Category: World Religions, Evangelism
ISBN: 0310247489
Paperback
140 pages
Indexes: Further Reading List, Key Terms for Islam, Historical Timeline
$12.99 MSRP

Timothy George was raised in a family that was “a little charismatic,” emphasizing the experience of emotion in worship rather than the stimulus of the mind.(1) Although not encouraged to attain higher levels of education or to pursue formalized training for ministry, in God’s good providence, George was afforded an opportunity to study at Harvard Divinity School where he was “the only evangelical Christian.”(2) George now serves as the dean of Beeson Divinity School, an interdenominational, evangelical institution (and seminary home for the present author). His commitment to evangelicalism includes a high view of the sovereignty of God as well as the trinitarian nature of the Godhead. Beeson’s affirmation of this trinitarian nature is evident in its admissions application(3) requiring each potential applicant to interact with the Apostles’ Creed, which is explicit in its trinitarian understanding.

This trinitarian understanding also lies at the heart of Timothy George’s book Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? as it “is the necessary theological framework for understanding the story of Jesus as the story of God.”(4) George’s impetus for writing the book came in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. In an effort to help others understanding the basic tenets of Islam in light of orthodox Christianity, he has offered this book as a tool. He is quick to say that “this book is not a vigorous apologetic against Islam and its many controversial practices…[but] the doctrine of God is at the heart of both Islamic theology and Christian faith. All other issues, however important, are secondary and derivative.”(5) George argues that Islam rejects the Christian doctrines of the Trinity, the incarnation of Christ, and salvation by grace(6) and any effort to evangelize Muslims must inevitably deal with these issues.(7) Oftentimes these issues are misunderstood by Muslims and these misunderstandings have found their way into the Qu’ran. George suggests avoiding the perils of Muslim-Christian debate as it is highly possible to “win and argument and lose a soul.”(8)

The author primarily uses both the Qu’ran and the Bible to outline the basic beliefs of Muslims and Christians. He also quotes Muslim and Christian scholars showing a great balance of research. The author interestingly shows many of the compatibilities between the two holy books as though passages from the Qu’ran could feasibly have been written as passages in the Christian Scriptures.(9) However, it is not sufficient in any evangelism effort to simply point out the similarities between Christianity and any other religion. We must go one step further and preach Jesus Christ as “crucified, risen, and coming again.”(10)

Throughout the book, the author is attempting to answer the question posed by its title: Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? George cautiously answers both “yes” and “no” while he illuminates the need for us to examine and explain the use of terminology that may be misleading.(11) The “yes” comes from the fact that “the Father of Jesus is the only God there is” and therefore he is the God over every other person who has ever lived, including Muhammad.(12) He responds with a “no” because Christians and Muslims “have radically different understandings of the character and nature of God.”(13) However, because of the “yes” answer Christians should have a passion to resolve the “no.” This should not lead us to a prideful contempt of our Muslim neighbor; rather, it should compel us to shed “evangelical tears”(14) for those who are trusting in their own works-based righteousness and not in the atoning death of Christ. A reading of this important and informative book will help each of us to do so.

NOTES:
(1) Conversation with the present author September 11, 2008.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Beeson Divinity School’s application for admission may be accessed here Accessed 9/25/08 for the purpose of this review.
(4) Timothy George, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? Understanding the Differences Between Christianity and Islam (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 59.
(5) Ibid., 16.
(6) Ibid., 41.
(7) Ibid., 132.
(8) Ibid., 128.
(9) Ibid., 71.
(10) Ibid., 74.
(11) "[We] cannot say that Christians and Muslims worship the same God without qualifying biblically what we mean by same and what we mean by God." Ibid., 131.
(12) Ibid., 129.
(13) Ibid., 130. Thoughts on the Trinity, the incarnation of Christ, and salvation by grace alone are the predominant distinctions between the two.
(14) Ibid., 90.

Healing Stripes

2008-04-13T16:01:00.002-05:00

Healing Stripes
by Thomas Doolittle

We should admire the wisdom and the grace of God that by the stripes inflicted upon Christ the wounds that sin had made in our souls should be healed. The wisdom of God is wonderful in this, to find out such a way, that the scourging of His Son should be the cure of our souls, and His wounding our healing.

And the grace of God is in this to be admired, that when He might have laid the strokes of His revenging justice upon us, He would accept the scourging of his Son for the punishment of our sins, that we might not be scourged forever. We deserved to be broken into pieces with His iron rod, and to be beaten with the rod of His wrath, but we are saved and delivered by the stripes that were laid upon His Son.

Our wounds were killing wounds, but the wounds of Christ are healing wounds. Oh what a surgeon is the Son of God that makes a balsam of His sores, to heal and cure ours! What manner of physician is this, that by His own blood fetched from his body, by cruel stripes and blows, makes a potion for diseased sinners, and thereby cures all their maladies!

Oh think of this till you do admire the wisdom and grace of God.

---Thomas Doolittle, Day by Day with the English Puritans, Randall Pederson, ed. (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004), p 108

"...O to grace how great a debtor...

Gospel Rhymes

2008-04-01T00:53:00.004-05:00

I do not like rap music. I never have and likely never will.

I once did not like the gospel. In fact, I was once an enemy of the cross and would still be to this day had not the the Holy Spirit accomplished his regenerating work to the glory of God.

I still do not like rap music, but I do like the gospel. And when the day dawns that the gospel can be communicated through a medium in which it might reach an entire generation, I am obligated to be willing to change my preferences. The day has dawned, and there is a rising generation of Christian, hip-hop artists who are using their talents to the glory of God to further his name throughout the nations. Lamp Mode is one of those artists and this video below reflects some of the most truth-filled lyrics that I have heard centered on the tri-unity of the Godhead.

Lamp Mode's mission statement says that they are intent on "highlighting the Character of God, while presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ and a biblical world view through hiphop culture." I believe that they have accomplished this purpose. At the recent Legacy Conference in Chicago, Paul Washer who was one of the speakers for the conference said "I came here thinking I would hear hip-hop. I heard preaching. I heard preaching."

I still do not like rap music, but I do like the gospel. And this is not rap music; this is true, biblical preaching of the gospel of the triune God.

Chorus
Glory to the Father
Glory to the Son
Glory to the Spirit
Three and yet One
One in your essence
Three in your persons
The same in your nature
Distinct in your working
Oh my soul- behold the wonder of the Trinity
Blessed be the Trinity, Oh, what a mystery!
I’ll stand amazed for the rest of my days
Pouring out my heart in Triune praise

Download Full Lyrics with Scripture References and Devotional Here

HT:Christ, My Righteousness

Monday is for Missions: China

2008-03-31T14:37:00.004-05:00

With over 1 billion people, China is home to roughly 1/6th of the world's population. China has been a breeding ground for Marxist philosophy and the communistic regime has attempted to filter out all forms of religion. However, as history has proved, the Christian church has experienced phenomenal growth under such oppression although true statistics can not be validated. Nonetheless, the true church is healthy (arguably more healthy than the western church) and is growing exponentially.

Such growth under opposition is impressive and encouraging, however, we should be careful not to lose sight of the still great need for evangelization. The majority of Chinese peoples have still never been exposed to the saving grace made available through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Most are either atheistic (as the government would prefer) and others still have strong ties to Buddhism, Daoism (or Taoism), or other Chinese ethnic religions. Since the staunch Buddhist denies the existence of evil altogether, the concept of an indwelling sin nature is even more foreign to them. Daoism is where the familiar Yin-Yang symbol finds its origins and the philosophy expressed is that of an intermingling of good and evil to the extent that there is no clear distinction. Although fun to draw, this philosophy has grave implications for the thinking Christian.

Our friends at Operation World have been focusing on China since March 24 and will continue to do so until April 5. Follow this link to Operation World for an excellent overview of the country, its geography, religion, and politics. This will also be helpful with tools on how to pray for China.

It is interesting that I probably have a personal association with more missionaries to this area of the world than to any other. I'm not sure why I find this interesting given the high density of the world's population, but it seems interesting nonetheless.

Monday is for Missions: Basic Philosophy of Islam

2008-03-24T11:38:00.005-05:00

Islam was founded by Muhammad in the year 610 after he received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel in a cave in Mount Hira.(1) This revelation was then memorized and dictated to others (since Muhammad could neither read nor write) and this collection of writing, or recitation, came to be known as the Qu’ran. This simple beginning has now become one of the largest religions in the world and is likely the fastest growing religion at the present time.

The basic philosophy of Islam may be divided into two categories: beliefs and obligations. The major beliefs are what Christians would refer to as “non-negotiable” in manners of doctrine. Muslims believe in “God”, whom they refer to as Allah, however, he is not to be confused with the Trinitarian God of Christian Scripture. Rather, it is said that Allah “has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but Him alone.”(2) Allah is also all-powerful and all-knowing, having planned creation’s events since the beginning of time. “He knows what has happened, what will happen, and how it will happen. No affair occurs in the whole world except by His will. Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is not and will never be.”(3)

The next major belief is the Muslim’s belief in angels. Since the angel Gabriel is said to have given the message of the Qu’ran to Muhammad, it is necessarily imperative that a Muslim testifies to the existence of angels.

The third major belief is the belief in God’s revealed books. These books include the Qu’ran, the Jewish Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospels. There are some groups of Muslims (Sunni Muslims in particular) who believe also in the authority of the Sunna which “includes the Hadith in which the sayings and conduct of Muhammad and his companions are recorded.”(4) Shi’ites, on the other hand, do not accept the Sunna as authoritative and prefer to view the Imam (a pope-like figure) as the final authority. Shi’ites still await the return of the twelfth Imam. Most Muslims agree, however, that the only book that remains in an uncorrupted state is the Qu’ran.

Another major belief for Muslims is to believe in the prophets who were messengers of God. “According to the Qu’ran, God has sent a prophet to every nation to preach the message of there being only one God. In all, 124,000 prophets have been sent…”(5) Many of these prophets are in the Christian tradition such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. It is uniformly believed, however, that “God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.”(6)

The final two beliefs for a Muslim are the belief in the Day of Judgment and the belief in Al-Qadar. On the Day of Judgment, “all people will be resurrected for God’s judgment according to the beliefs and deeds.”(7) Al-Qadar is the Muslim’s concept of predestination and it is required for the Muslim to submit to the will of Allah lest he not be considered faithful.

The next subcategory in the philosophy of Islam is the obligations which are also known as the Five Pillars of Islam. These are fairly straightforward and uniform throughout all of Islam. Some sects may add other obligations to this list, but none will come short of it. The first pillar is the “testimony of faith.” This is paramount to being a Muslim for it is here that the Muslim proclaims, “La ilaha illa Allahm Muhammadur rasoolu Allah” meaning “There is no true god [deity] but God [Allah], and Muhammad is the Messenger [Prophet] of God.”(8) The next obligation is to pray five times per day while facing Makkah (or Mecca). These prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night. I find it interesting that the Muslim, I.A. Ibrahim declares that, “in prayer, a person feels inner happiness, peace, and comfort, and that God is pleased with him or her.”(9)

Muslims are also required to give alms to the poor in the amount of 2.5% (or 1/40) of their income. During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim’s lunar calendar, all Muslims are required to fast during the daylight hours “as a method of spiritual self-purification.”(10) The final obligation for the Muslim who is physically and financially able is the make the pilgrimage to Makkah (or Mecca), which is known as the birthplace of Muhammad. In Mecca, there is a large black box in the center of the mosque which is known as the “Kaaba,” which is the “place of worship which God commanded the Prophets Abraham and his son, Ishmael, to build.”(11)

These are the six major beliefs and the five obligations which make up the basic philosophy of Islam. In short, the individual is never quite assured of his or her salvation for he is always in fear of the scales. The Muslim believes has two angels appointed to him to record his good deeds and his bad deeds. If the good deeds outweigh the bad then Allah is pleased and he will be able to enter into paradise. However, if the bad deeds outweigh the good, then he will be cast into an eternal hellfire separated from all that is good. This works-based system of salvation has spread rapidly throughout the world seemingly because of its outward appearance to “do good to others.”

The call for evangelism among Muslims has never been greater. Many parts of the world are enslaved to the system and diametrically opposed to the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which brings liberation from sin. The Muslim knows no such liberation as he lives in a constant fear of the scales. Pray that God may encourage the workers of his kingdom who work among Muslims in attempting to reach them with the gospel. Pray that he would be pleased to cause a burning hunger for truth within many who give blind allegiance to a god that they do not know and can not know personally.

Further resources:
Islam.com - Islam from an Islamic Persepctive
IslamWorld.com - Islam from an Islamic Persepctive
Go West Africa - an IMB website

END NOTES
(1) Dean C. Halverson, The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed Dean C. Halverson (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), p 104.
(2) I.A. Ibrahim, A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam, Second Edition, (Houston, TX: Darussalam, 1997), p 45.
(3) Ibid. p 46
(4)Dean C. Halverson, The Compact Guide to World Religions, p 105
(5) Ibid, p 106.
(6) I.A. Ibrahim, A Brief Illustrated Guide, p 48.
(7) Ibid, p 48.
(8) Ibid, p 65.
(9) Ibid, p 66.
(10) Ibid, p 67.
(11) Ibid, p 67

Paradoxes

2008-03-22T13:11:00.002-05:00

Another dead guys' prayer that breathes so much life for me...

"O Changeless God,

Under the conviction of thy Spirit I learn that the more I do, the worse I am,
The more I know, the less I know,
The more holiness I have, the more sinful I am,
The more I love, the more there is to love.
O wretched man that I am!

O Lord,
I have a wild heart, and cannot stand before thee;
I am like a bird before a man.
How little I love they truth and ways!

I neglect prayer,
By thinking I have prayed enough and earnestly,
By knowing thou hast saved my soul.

Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not an evangelical hypocrite, who sins mores safely because grace abounds,
Who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them
Who for reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved,
Who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives unholily.

My mind is a bucket without a bottom,
With no spiritual understanding,
No desire for the Lord’s Day,
Ever learning but never reaching the truth,
Always at the gospel-well but never holding water.

My conscience is without conviction or contrition, with nothing to repent of.
My will is without power of decision or resolution.
My heart is without affection, and full of leaks.
My memory has no retention, so I forget easily the lessons learned, and thy truths seep away.

Give me a broken heart that yet carries home the water of grace."

Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, ed Arthur Bennett, (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2003), p 128-129

Will Pray for Food?

2008-03-03T10:37:00.004-06:00

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isa 55:1)

It would appear as though a Catholic church in Croatia has taken these words of Isaiah and applied them not to Christ, but to their café. The church is attempting to reach the youth culture that has populated the area and the method they have employed is not uncommon to many western protestant churches. They chose to open a café that serves cappuccino, fruit juices, pastries, and other snacks hoping to draw more students back to the area following the local services. The best news…it’s all free…well, sort of.

The church has drafted a menu that does not require an actual exchange of dollar amounts (or whatever the applicable Croatian denomination may be), but all goods are based on the offerings of specific prayers. A standard cup of java will run you three "Our Fathers", but a Coca-Cola will require five "Hail Marys" plus an additional “Glory Be", “while a cappuccino ranks mid-way at four renditions of the Lord's Prayer.”

Now, although I would not agree entirely with the substance of the prayers, I can not fault this church’s ingenuity for encouraging its youth to memorize. Would it be better suited if the memory aid was based upon infallible Scripture such as the Isaiah passage mentioned above or any others? Of course. And judging from the menu prices it would appear as though Scripture is incorporated…you just have to order the cappuccino.

Read the whole thing

I Must Confess...

2008-02-28T22:44:00.004-06:00

There is another woman who has captured my heart!

This is our niece, Kayla. Since the day she was born (literally!) I have been trying to get her to say "Uncle KC is the coolest." The good news to report: she's almost there!

22 Words

2008-02-28T22:18:00.001-06:00

Everything said in only 22 words? This is absolute genius! I wish I could be as succinct as this all the time.

HT:Timmy Brister

Less Intense: A Follow Up

2008-02-28T10:13:00.002-06:00

Two weeks ago I wrote a brief little post that simply said “Intense: That is about all I can say right now.” Indeed, that was about all I could say at that point. Not often found for a loss of words when given the platform, the said juncture defied what I claim as normalcy. Since that point in time I believe that I have arrived at this new frame: Less Intense. [As a sidebar: just prior to writing that little post I completed my first exam in which I was given the tiny little task of handwriting the biblical story from creation to new creation (Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 for you non-biblical theology types ) in 49 minutes or less. You know that feeling that you have just after you vomit anything and everything that your body says is needed or not needed? Well, now you begin to understand.]

I received several e-mails immediately following the aforementioned post (much to my surprise, I might add – who knew people read this thing!) Thus, for those who were concerned let me shed a little light into the time of my life that can most easily be described as “intense.”

Although I took a Jan-term course last month, my “official” entrance into seminary began a little more than four weeks ago. And from the word “go”, it has seemed to be an endless stream of reading, assignments, tests, more reading, planning, arguing, critical-thinking, more reading, and more reading. Just thinking about the sheer volume of the workload has been overwhelming to say the least – and that’s before I even get to work! All said, it has been a difficult time of transition over the past month and I am quite thankful that I can say that the month has now passed! In previous days I would have likely testified that as a result of my procrastination I have brought undue stress upon myself. Oh how I wish this were the case today! Unfortunately, the academic rigors of seminary life are not intended for the faint at heart or the procrastinator. I have really attempted to make wise use of my time and prioritize assignments by devoting more time to those that carry more weight, etc. However, given life’s circumstances this is simply not good enough and that causes my perfectionist personality to quiver. Yes, perfectionist AND a procrastinator – a lethal combination.

So, how do I get from “Intense” to “Less Intense?” Perspective. True, I have found some sort of a groove in which to glide, but the groove itself is more like a cheese grater, so it is not exactly comfortable. Thus, the Lord has been kind a gracious to me to bring back to mind that I must maintain perspective in my life. I can not put my marriage on hold for the next three to four years (or more should a PhD be in the future). I can not neglect all other forms of relationships outside of those whom I come into contact with in the library. I still need to eat – even though one class assignment included a 48-hour fast. I still need to exercise and maintain my physical health – which again, a class assignment will require me to run 5k (can you believe this!). All said, our Father has caused me to understand that if I am too busy “preparing for ministry” to the point that I have no ministry – particularly in the life of my wife – then I have missed the point altogether.

So, where does this leave me? It leaves me at a point where I have decided that I need to be content with something less than straight A’s. God has called me to ministry and I have an obligation to be a good steward of all that he sets before me. Therefore, A’s may not be what is best for my life. My perfectionism does not like this – in fact, it’s killing me - but it is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of necessity. I need to understand that I have limitations and time constraints that will mean that I may not be able to read everything or put forth the amount of work required for the best grades. Does this mean that I am not taking seriously my call to ministry and thus a call to prepare? No. But what it does mean is that I am attempting to have a holistic view of life which does not relegate my educational aspect of my calling to its own dimension. My wife must be a part of my education which must be a part of my work which must be a part of me paying bills and mowing the lawn. In other words, life is that – life. It is all interconnected and therefore I would do well to merge all of its parts into one amalgam so that neither part is neglected or malnourished.

Life is still intense, but that little “less” makes it seem all the more worthwhile.

Carl Trueman on Blogging

2008-02-25T15:43:00.002-06:00

Guy Davies has recently interviewed Carl Trueman. When asked "What, in your estimation are some of the strengths and weaknesses of blogging as a medium for theological reflection?" Trueman promptly responds:

Few strengths. It's all too anarchic. I think fun and information sharing are the best it can do. Weaknesses: feeds narcissism; allows any old nutcase to present themselves as a serious player in theological and ecclesiastical discussion.

I think he may be on to something. I may be that nutcase…

Read the entire interview here or check out Trueman’s writing here.

Wayne Grudem Meets John Travolta

2008-02-21T08:32:00.002-06:00

For those who have endured through Grudem's Systematic Theology this will make perfect sense. For those who haven't, but have seen Grease then at least you'll know the tune...

Why this man is thematic, he’s charismatic, he’s systematic,
Why he’s Wayne Grudem! (Wayne Grudem)
He did not author Scripture but provides a clearer picture - Oh Yeah!
(Keep reading whoa keep reading)
Wayne may not be Jesus but he writes mean exegesis- Oh Yeah!
(I’ll buy a copy, I’ll kill to buy a copy)
You put it on the flo-or and it props open your door,
Or if you need to sit- you can climb on top of it - With Wayne Grudem
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
--------
Refrain
Go Wayne Grudem with your intellectual writing style,
(Wayne Grudem go Wayne Grudem)
Go Wayne Grudem you make ha-rd doctrines less of a trial
(Wayne Grudem go Wayne Grudem)
You are extreme, but God’s supreme, oh Wayne Grudem
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
--------
(There are) many heresies which we-e now clearly see- Oh yeah!
(oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Despite him being bald, hundred-thousand copies sold - Oh yeah!
(oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
His six appendice-es leave you praying on your knees.
Although he’s not inerrant he’s a heresy deterrent - Wayne Grudem
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
--------
Refrain
--------
[Monologue: “He was once a research professor of Bible and Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. But is now research professor of Bible and Theology at Phoenix Seminar in Phoenix, Arizona. He holds degrees from Harvard (BA), Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv), and Cambridge (PhD).]
--------
Refrain
--------

HT: Said at Southern

Intense

2008-02-15T09:38:00.001-06:00

That is about all I can say right now.

How Jewish is Christianity?

2008-01-21T13:53:00.000-06:00

Many have referred to Judaism as one of the world’s oldest religions that is still in practice today. This line of thought stems from the idea that the Judaism practiced over the previous twenty centuries is the same as that which was practiced in the Biblical Old Testament times. However, upon closer examination, we can see that what is commonly referred to today as “Judaism” finds its beginnings around 200 B.C.(1) Distinctly different from Christianity by virtue of the respective positions on original sin, salvation, and most specifically the deity of Jesus Christ, modern Judaism may be classified in three major branches known as Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform but the basic philosophy is shared by all three.

AW Tozer has written that “what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”(2) and indeed this statement proves true when examining the basic philosophy of Judaism. For the Biblical Christian, God is presented as an infinitely holy(3) and personal God(4) whose justified wrath(5) falls on condemned sinners who are lost in their state of sinfulness(6) unless drawn out of such state by the gracious act of God to reveal Himself to them(7) so that they might enjoy eternal fellowship(8) with Him by way of the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ,(9) to redeem them from their state of sinfulness and restore them to a right relationship with God the Father(10). However, the basic philosophy of Judaism does not present God or man in this same light.

“Judaism rejects the doctrine of original sin, saying that sin is an act, not a state. Thus, man has the ability to live according to the Law. If he fails, he only needs to come to God in repentance. With this view of sin, Judaism has eliminated the need for a Saviour.”(11)

Thus, although Judaism may have a reverence for the God of their making, He is not the infinitely holy God of the Bible whose wrath must be satisfied. For the Jewish people, it is not so much a requirement that the wrath of God be satisfied, but rather and adherence to the 613 commands found within the Torah that will fit them for a healthy lifestyle. “Jewish believers are able to sanctify their lives and draw closer to God by keeping the mitzvoth (divine commandments).”(12) This belief, however, is not mere legalism, but is in fact the basic philosophy of Judaism: that the whole of life must be holy and the way to do so is by observing the commands.

The Jewish people also observe a cycle of holidays that they observe each year that help to define their “Jewishness.” Many of these holidays are derived from the Old Testament Scriptures such as the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), Feast of Tabernacles (sukkos), and Passover.(13) It will depend upon the individual’s adherence to the particular branch of Judaism as to what extent these holidays are observed. Unfortunately, too many adherents to Judaism miss the great significance of the holidays which, in the Old Testament, pointed to the future coming Messiah and that all things would be filled in Him. Many Jewish people will object to becoming a Christian not so much out of a doctrinal conviction but because they feel as though “they will cease to be Jewish if they believe in Jesus and that becoming a Christian means turning one’s back on one’s people, history, and heritage.”(14) This is the essence of the basic Jewish philosophy. Being Jewish has little to do with an understanding of doctrinal principles, a confession, or a statement of faith, but for most it is an ethic, simply a way of life.

END NOTES
(1) Richard Robinson, The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed Dean C. Halverson (Bloomington, IN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), p 122. The author adds, “It is best, however, to use the term “Judaism” to refer to the religion of the rabbis that developed from about 200 B.C. onward and crystallized following the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70. In this way Christianity is not described as a daughter religion of Judaism, but more correctly as a sister: both branched out from the Old Testament faith.
(2) AW Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1961), p. 1
(3) Lev 19:2
(4) God is seen as clearly personal through His active involvement in the Creation process in Genesis 1 (not through an impersonal, hands-off approach proffered by the evolutionist), and a myriad of times throughout the Bible where God is shown to speak directly with His people and to offer aid through sovereign intervention in their time of need (see for reference Gen 3:21, 22:8, 12-14, 50:20; Ex 19:4, 20:1-2; 1 Chron 29:10-19; Dan 3:8-30, etc).
(5) God’s wrath is justified because of His infinite Holiness. Since sin is anything that is contrary to the character of God, our sin is in direct opposition to Him as the Scriptures assert “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds…” (Col 1:21).
(6) The Bible is consistent in its declaration that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23, see also Gen 6:5-6, 8:21; 1 Kin 8:46; Psa 51:5; Is 53:6; Eph 2:1-3; Col 1:21-22, 2:13-14; 1 Joh 1:8, 10. The doctrine of original sin is specifically opposed in the basic philosophy of Judaism.
(7) John 6:44 is one of the clearest representations of this idea: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”
(8) John 17:3 defines “eternal life” for us: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Thus, the emphasis for eternal life is that we might know the “one and only true God” and to enjoy Him forever. The Westminster Confession declares that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
(9) Many passages throughout the Scriptures refer to Messiah as the ultimate sacrifice to pay the due penalty for sin. See for reference specifically Isa 53; and the testimony of John the Baptist who declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Joh 1:29).
(10) Especially in the Pauline epistles, man is represented as at enmity with God, hostile towards Him, but the joyous truth prevails that “He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him…” (Col 1:22) and later, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Col 2:13-14). This reconciliation made possible through Jesus Christ is what translates to the “peace of Christ” as dictated in Col 3:15.
(11) Kenneth Boa, Cults, World Religions and the Occult: What They Teach. How to Respond to Them (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 1990), p. 79.
(12) Mark Waters, ed Encyclopedia of World Religions, Cults, and the Occult (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2006), p. 337.
(13) See chart of Jewish Holidays in Richard Robinson, The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed Dean C. Halverson (Bloomington, IN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), pp 128-129.
(14) Richard Robinson, The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed Dean C. Halverson (Bloomington, IN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), p 131

Can I Get A Motion?!?!

2008-01-18T13:42:00.000-06:00

In The BookStore the other day I was confronted by a 3 foot tall trumpeter of theological truth.

“Can I get a new motion?!?! Can I get a new motion?? I want a new motion!!”

“A motion?” I said to myself. What could this kid possibly be requesting? I am not a parent, but I have come to understand that those who are who have this uncanny ability to decipher the hidden codes of their offspring. Call it a sixth sense, call it parental intuition, call it repetition, call it whatever. I call it weird. I decided I would do the spiritual thing and hide myself in my office from this booger as he whined his way through the store.

“Can I get a motion?!? I need a new motion?!?” He exclaimed again.

His handler eventually came to the young lad’s aid. “What do you mean, ‘a motion’” she asked. See, I’m not the only one who can’t understand child-speak.

“A motion,” he said, “one of these” as he pointed to the little 2-5 year old collections of devotions.

“Ohhh, a devotion” his elder retorted, sounding a bit relieved. I was too.

“Yeah, a motion.”

And then it hit me. This little herald had it, while I had it not. See, our devotions should always create a motion. Yes, we are called to diligently study the word of truth and to accurately divide it so that we may know what is good and pleasing and acceptable to the Lord. But if all we do is know then we have missed the point all together. I think I remember reading something that went a little like this:

“Be doers of the word” (James 1:22).

That sure sounds like a lot of motion to me. Devotion without motion is a potion for demotion. Or something like that…

Al Mohler Signs 2-Book Deal With Moody Publishers

2008-01-16T18:40:00.000-06:00

In case you have not been privied, Dr. Albert Mohler has signed a two-book deal with Moody Publishers. His two books are to be released some time in 2009. This comes on the heels of his new book Culture Shift: Engaging Current Issues with Timeless Truth which released January 15th. Unfortunatley, little Bookstores like ours have to wait awhile until our backorders come through the tube. So, we wait.

Below is the official press release from Moody concerning the next two books. The link may only work for the next week or so...

Moody Publishers signs Book Deal with President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers is pleased to announce a two-book contract with highly-esteemed Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President, Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. The first book is set to release Fall 2008, and will focus on preaching Christ in today’s postmodern culture. The second book will release in 2009 and the topic will be announced later in 2008.

Dave DeWit, Moody Publishers acquisitions editor, states, “We are grateful for this opportunity to partner with Dr. Mohler to provide these biblically-rich, practical resources which will equip the body of Christ for effective ministry. Dr. Mohler joins John MacArthur and others as a cornerstone author in our Church Life & Reference product line.”

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., is the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary-the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world. Recognized by influential publications such as Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals, Time.com called Dr. Mohler the “reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S.” The host of a daily live nationwide radio program on the Salem Radio Network, he also writes a popular blog and a regular commentary on moral, cultural and theological issues (www.albertmohler.com). He is a frequent guest on national and international news outlets and is a popular preacher, teacher and lecturer.

Dr. Mohler is represented by the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates Inc. of Orlando, Florida which negotiated this deal.

Janis Backing
Publicity Manager for
Moody Publishers/Northfield Publishing
820 N. Lasalle, Chicago, IL 60610
p: 312-329-2108
f: 312-329-4246

Full release can be found here. I first learned of its release from a CBA Industry Brief, however, I was unsuccessful in locating it online.

If only Al would just call me to give me a heads up it would make things much easier. He must have lost my number...

The Day the Real She Really Said “Yes”

2008-01-15T15:34:00.000-06:00

The day began like most other days back then. I rose early Saturday morning to the sound of, well - nothing. My two roommates were fast asleep in the comfort of their warm sleeping confines; it was too early and too cold for anyone to be consumed with yard work, and I found myself greeted with the warm sunshine coming through my front window. It was a little before 7:00 and I was aware that the warmth of the sunshine was only a guise, for it was likely no more than 40 degrees on the other side of that January window.

I delighted to wake early on the weekends, enjoy my cup (rather, cups) of java, spend time in the word, and simply enjoy the day even before it began. Somehow, life seems to make much more sense in the calm of the morning. Time seems slower, worries are a little more distant, and the freshness that welcomes us reminds us that His mercies are truly new every morning. When Kimberly and I were dating, we enjoyed capitalizing every waking moment of the day together. Therefore, early Saturday mornings, instead of me finding my way to the solitary comfort of my couch, we would rendezvous at a coffee shop, spend the morning reading together and enjoying the brew that was set before us.

This particular Saturday was no different and our agenda was set. When I arrived at our beloved O’Henry’s, I found Kimberly well engrossed in conversation with two older gentleman sitting at the table next to her. We exchanged pleasantries and then Kimberly and I retreated to another table with a little more room. With so much of the day set before us, I secretly wished that time would stand still. If for a moment, we could be lost in the essence of the succession of moments in order to laugh, converse, and live life together. It was always a thrill to run into older, wiser pilgrims who had traveled the path set before us. We would often glean a kernel of insight of experience through these encounters. This day proved to be the same, as the gentleman Kimberly and I were speaking with approached our table once again. The man the informed us of his son’s recent divorce that came as a a result of both husband and wife not focusing on the cross and seeking to honor the Lord in and above all things. I could sense the heartache that he had for his children, and by way of warning, this brother was telling these two kids to watch out, be on guard, and serve the Lord with all our hearts. It was indeed a prophetic moment. At least it was for me, Kimberly merely considered it to be an interesting interaction.

About 12:30 I spontaneously declared that we needed to leave. This was quite uncommon for me since I would likely find no qualm with wasting the entire day in our favorite coffee house, but this time, I had to go. When Kimberly asked what was the matter, I literally replied “I have to go!” Let me make sure you understand, I had “to go,” or so I told Kimberly. When confused as to why the current facilities were not worthy of my presence, I replied that this was an even number event and I needed more time to divide. (As a sidebar: our minds work in strange ways when we have an ulterior motive!) While driving down the road, I decided to call my friend Brian, who was to lead a devotion for 5th and 6th graders that morning, to “see how it went.” I was shocked to hear, “the eagle has landed, but the roommate is still home!” Oh what dreaded horror to my ears!! This eagle was now desperately endangered, quick, what do I do? “Turn here! Turn here! Turn here!” I exclaimed to Kimberly at the helm of her Honda. “I need to get some pink stuff.”

After purchasing a loaf of bread and the motherload of ice-cream I was able to create a diversion that lasted nearly twenty minutes. Pink stuff? Suddenly I was feeling better and thankfully, Kimberly was none the wiser. We meandered through the winding streets that led from that fateful Western Supermarket to her house with goods in tow. We pulled into the driveway and although I should have leaped out of the car with great joy for my eyes had seen the throne, I was calm and still. The next few moments were going to change the rest of my life forever. There are times when the providential events of our lives come to an incredible meeting place and after their crossing we are refused the chance to go back to normal. I am thankful for these crossroads and thankful of what awaited the other side of this street.

Kimberly stepped out of the car to find a mysterious plant figure growing out of her brick porch. She said “Did you put those there?” For the first time in the morning, I was to make one of the most honest statements that had come from my lips, “No, I did not put those there.” Indeed, this was the eagle which was to land thanks to our good friends Brian and Heather. The roommate had flown the coop as well and we found ourselves again in the stillness of the early afternoon. As she approached the vase to investigate the flowers she looked for the note to see who it came from (as though it really was not from me). Inside the note, Kimberly found a few little words that she had never heard me say, and apparently she did not have to audibly hear with her ears, for she knew exactly what it meant. The note simply read:

“I love you.”

I made it a point that I would not tell her all that was within my heart until this day finally dawned. “I really love being with you” was about as close as she or I ever came. After reading the note, she slowly turned back to me, not seeking an explanation, but in full knowledge of what was about to come. As I fell to one knee, I said, “I love you” and began to attempt to explain why. It has been three years since that day and I have still yet to come to an ability to express this truth. I gave her three things that Saturday afternoon: a Bible which all of our life and marriage is to be yielded in submission to, a ring to symbolize the eternal union of our bond together, and my name. I had given others a Bible and jewelry, but I had never given anyone else my name. I am still in awe that the woman I wake up to has the same name as me! I’m not sure why this amazes me the way in which is does, but in a way, it is a small reflection of the act of Christ. We have been called forth by His name (Acts 15:17), saved by His name (Acts 4:12), will bow at His name (Phil 2:10), and He has given us the name “Christians” because we are to be “Christ like ones” (Acts 11:26) and I desire to have her identified with my name with all the joy, privileges, and responsibilities that it brings.

January 15th, 2005 my life changed forever. It was 1:15 on 1/15 that the real she said “Yes.”

Kimberly, the Lord has granted more joy through you than in any other earthly relationship that I have ever formed. God is indeed a God of grace as your life is a testimony to such a profound truth. You love me with a love that is not human but divine. One that is not created, but inspired. I look to the future with a wondrous anticipation of what the Lord has in store for us. The “what” is not so much of my interest knowing that the “who” is you. When I proposed to you, I assured you that I would fail you, disappoint you, and cause you hurt and anguish. Unfortunately, this has proved true, but we are again reminded to fix our gaze on the one will never fail, disappoint, leave, nor forsake. We are to look to the Rock that is higher than I (Ps 61:2) to see His great deliverance, His great grace, and His great mercy which is indeed new every morning. Great is his faithfulness towards the children of man. I am abundantly thankful that in His great providence He has seen fit to grant me what I do not deserve. I prayed for you before I even knew your name and, thankfully, the Lord was pleased to give you my name instead.

I love you.

Happy 3-year Proposalversary.

**If you are confused as to the real she and the not-so-real she, click here

A Minister's Prayer

2008-01-10T18:00:00.000-06:00

“A Minister’s Prayer”

O My Lord,
Let not my ministry be approved only by men,
Or merely win the esteem and affections of people;
But do the work of grace in their hearts,
Call in thy elect,
Seal and edify the regenerate ones,
And command eternal blessings on their souls.

Save me from self-opinion and self-seeking;
Water the hearts of those who hear thy Word,
That sees sown in weakness may be raised in power;
Cause me and those that hear me to behold thee here in the light of special faith,
And hereafter in the blaze of endless glory;

Make my every sermon a means of grace to myself,
And help me to experience the power of dying love,
For thy blood is balm,
Thy presence bliss,
Thy smile heaven,
Thy cross the place where truth and mercy meet.

Look upon the doubts and discouragements of my ministry
And keep me from self-importance;
I beg pardon for my many sins,
omissions, infirmities, as a man, as a minister;
Command thy blessing on my weak, unworthy labours,
And on the message of salvation given;
Stay with thy people,
And may thy presence be their portion and mine.

When I preach to others let not my words be merely elegant and masterly,
My reasoning polished and refined,
My performance powerless and tasteless,
But may I exalt thee and humble sinners.
O Lord of power and grace,
All hearts are in thy hands,
All events at thy disposal,
Set the seal of thy almighty will upon my ministry.

Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, ed Arthur Bennett, (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2003), p 338-339

Recalling the Hope of Glory

2008-01-08T13:35:00.000-06:00

I began reading this week, Recalling the Hope of Glory: A Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation by Allen P. Ross. As an act of providence, I had the desire to read this work by Dr. Ross when I first saw it last year, but alas, life occurred and I was prevented from doing so. This week, however, it is a required read for my Worship Leadership course at Beeson Divinity School. Dr. Ross, as professor at Beeson, has contributed greatly to the church’s understanding of worship through his influence on other staff and students. Now he has greatly contrbtured to the universal church’s understanding of worship throguh the publication of this work. If the first few chapters are any indiciation, the next 500 pages are going to challenge me to think biblically in regards to how God desires to be worshipped. Not in style or formate per se, but in spirit and in truth.

Enjoy.

“Our attention to the Lord must not be an ordinary part of life; our worship of him should be the most momentous, urgent, and glorious activity in our lives.” (35)

“For worship to be as glorious as it should be, for it to lift people out of their mundane cares and fill them with adoration and praise, for it to be the life-changing and life-defining experience it was designed to be, it must be inspired by a vision so great and so glorious that what we call worship will be transformed from a routine gathering into a transcendent meeting with the living God. When that happens, then we will be caught up in our spirits to join the heavenly choirs of saints and angels who even now are gathered around the throne of God. Thereafter, our hearts and minds will be filled with the hope of glory so that we may truly love and serve the LORD in this life.” (39)

“It is the greatness of God that makes his grace so amazing; or to express it in terms of his grace, the way to God in the highest heaven is through the lowest contrition, for those of a contrite heart may know that God dwells with them, and they will dwell with him some day in the highest holy place.” (44)

---Dr. Allen P. Ross, Recalling the Hope of Glory: A Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation, (Grand rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2006)

Welcome to the UK!

2007-12-30T00:32:00.000-06:00

I have decided that there are two things in this life that I absolutely love: sleep and coffee. Unfortunately, it does not square that you should have one with the other for it typically occurs that you have one without the other (or because you do not have one you have one you get the other). At this moment, I would prefer either and I am without both.

Traveling to London Friday evening, I did not sleep at all. Upon arrival, three hours after getting through customs, searching for lost baggage, and my first game of Crazy 8's, I was privileged to eek out roughly 45 minutes of quality nap time. About 9:00pm I was able to return to sleep and granted approximately three more hours. After that, however, there has come no rest for this weary traveler. Thus, I have spent the last six hours here in the hotel lobby as to not wake my roommate and be presented with the opportunity to study. Good times, I must say, although disturbing that the hotel staff has rendered me homeless.

God was gracious to provide two flights over that were coupled with great conversation and true fellowship. On a walkabout He again supplied the opportunity to converse with a Muslim man and a Jehovah's Witness concerning the condition of their souls. I trust that the Lord might be merciful to water any truth that I may have planted and erase any error that I may have caused.

Hopefully my baggage will arrive today and I will be comforted with a change for these now three day old garments. Also, it will come as a security knowing that twenty packages of McCormick's Mild Taco Seasoning have not come to desecration. Some things in life are more important than others. At this moment, I think my vote goes for coffee.

Don't Go to Hell, Go to Lourdes!!

2007-12-21T13:17:00.001-06:00

I read the strangest thing yesterday. Two things, actually, and I could not help notice the striking contradiction between each. One was in a book and written in allegorical fiction while the other was actual news story representing real events with real people. What strikes me as odd, however, is that what is supposed to be allegorical was actually truth and what was supposed to be truth is nothing more than man's made up tales.

Here is the run down, but I warn you - this really sounds like a bad infomercial:
According to this article from the London Telegraph, Pope Benedict XVI has issued a decreed mititagting the time spent in purgatory. And how much would you expect to pay for such an indulgence? One Million Dollars? $500,000? How about $19.95 plus shipping and handling? Neither actually. All that is required is a trip to a little town in France.

But wait, there's more!

"In August the Vatican opened an airline service offering pilgrims direct flights from Rome to Lourdes." Now that is what I call a seeker-friendly church! What service! What a way to make people welcome! What a way to make sure EVERY member has a false sense of security and instead of trusting in the cross to pay the penalty for sins they can now trust in a stamp on their passport! Wow, sign me up!

But wait, there's more!

As an act of full disclosure, The Vatican has issued a few other requirements to be sure that you receive the proper plenary indulgences that you so rightly deserve. You are to visit not simply the city of Lourdes, but rather

"devoutly visit the following places, preferably in this order -
1) the parish baptismal font used for the Baptism of Bernadette;
2) the house of the Soubirous family called the "cachot";
3) the Grotto of Massabielle;
4) the chapel of the hospice where Bernadette made her First Communion

- and pause to reflect for an appropriate length of time at each of these Jubilee sites, concluding with the Lord's Prayer, some legitimate form of the Profession of Faith, and the Jubilee prayer or some other Marian invocation."

But be sure to act now! This offer is not available in stores, and is only valid until December 8th, 2008!!

But wait, there's more!

For nine days, and nine days only, if you visit "a blessed image of the Holy Virgin Mary of Lourdes in any church, chapel, grotto or other suitable place in which it is solemnly displayed, and in the presence of that image perform some pious act of Marian devotion, or at least pause to reflect for an appropriate length of time, concluding with the Lord's Prayer, some legitimate form of the Profession of Faith, and the Jubilee prayer or some other Marian invocation" you are still eligible for the plenary indulgences. I am sure that a quick Google Search can produce an image within a fifteen mile radius of your house. But remember, this offer is not available in stores, nor is it good until the end of 2008. You must act only between the days of February 2nd and February 11th of this coming year if you want to get in on this extraordinary deal!

But wait, there's more!

If you happen to be elderly, disabled, or for some other reason can not make the travel required, have no fear! Thankfully, the Pope has made a way for you as well! Be advised that "if, between the days of 2 and 11 February 2008, they complete a "spiritual visit" (to the aforementioned places) in the desire of their heart, recite the prayers indicated above, and trustingly offer the pains and discomforts of their own lives to God through Mary." Be sure that you make a note in your day planner, alert your in-home nurse, set your Outlook Calendar - whatever you have to do - but do not miss the days February 2-11 if you plan to truly be a part of the faithful. You early birds, don't try to get in on Fenruary 1st. Forgiveness is not available that day. And for you tardy transgressors, don't make your attempt on the 12th either - no soup for you!

In all seriousness, I wish I was making this up. I wish this were not true. I wish that 1 billion of the Roman Catholic practicioners were not being led astray in such a manner. True, not all Roman Catholics subscribe to the official teachings of the Vatican and I sincerely believe that there are some Catholics who are Christians. I also sincerely believe that there are many so-called Protestants who are not Christians. This includes Presbyterians, Methodists, Non-Denominational, and yes, even Baptists. Further, even Southern Baptists! Unfortunately, our human nature wants us to trust in a works based system rather than to throw ourselves wholly at the mercy of the cross. We want to know that we have had some small part to play in our own salvation, or at least in the lessening of the purification which we must undergo. False doctrine, false teaching, false gospel - which makes it no gospel at all.

And after reading this startling article in the morning, I read what is supposed to be allegorical fiction later in the day. In John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress the main character, Christian, is on his way to the Celestial City after entering through The Wicket Gate. Up to this point he has been weighed down immensely by a heavy burden that has been on his back from the beginning of his journey. He has attempted to rid himself of the burden to no avail. Finally, he finds the answer to relieve him from this burden that has so easily entangled him and weigh him down. He finds his solution; he finds the cross.

"Thus far did I come laden with my sin,
Nor could anyone ease the grief that I was in,
Until I came here. What a place is this!
Must here be the beginning of my bliss?
Must here the burden fall from off my back?
Must here be the cords that bound it to me crack?
Blessed Cross! Blessed sepulcher! Blessed rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me."**

I will take this fiction any day.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2:8-9)

"But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace." (Rom 11:6)

**John Bunyan. Pilgrim's Progress (Lindenhurst, NY: Reformation Press, 1999), p 48

HT:Irish Calvinist

It is Finished

2007-12-14T12:42:00.000-06:00

Biblical scholars beware: this is not an attempt to make Scripture match my means, but the phrase is applicable nonetheless:

It is finished.

I have anticipated this day for the past ten years and I had an idea of the range of emotions that I would feel. However, as in many things in life, I am not really sure if I have lived up to any of those expectations. In fact I am a bit surprised by what has really captured my attention. As you can read in my testimony, in 1998 I was a part of the graduating class of Dover High School in Dover, DE and promptly whisked from Senior to Freshman again at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. And seemingly just as quickly as I entered the ranks of aspiring scholastics everywhere I exited without fanfare and without a degree. Today, however, I am given grace to say “it is finished.”

After a lengthy evening that merged with the morning that has yet to see an end, I entered my Church History classroom of Southeastern Bible College in order to make this part of the church, history. From Christ to Chalcedon was the subject of the exam and I believe I performed decently. This day marks a turning point in my educational career as finally it can be declared that my bachelor’s degree “is finished.” True, there are a few more steps to go, but this milestone is finished. Summa Cum Laude? Magna? How about “thank the.”

I thought that this day would bring about loud shouts of joy coupled with a hearty “hip, hip, hooray!” So far that has not been the case. Strange as it may be, I am quite humbled as I think of the grace that the Lord has provided to me in order for this day to come about. His grace was evident as He called me out of darkness and into light granting me the grace of repentance and a hope for a future. His grace was evident as He sovereignly orchestrated events in such a way that it was abundantly clear that the path of education was where I was to go. He gracefully opened doors, He gracefully closed doors, and He gracefully shed light little by little all along the way. If He had revealed it all at once, I would not have been able to take the full dose and my fears likely would have overwhelmed me. But He is gracious; He knows what He is doing. He provided, He provided, and He provided again. If this provision were contingent upon my obedience, my goodness, my faithfulness, my consistency, or my deservedness it would never have come to pass. I have failed in so many ways and at so many times and against so many people that this could not possibly be the reason. The only justifiable answer that will suffice is that in His infinite wisdom and according to His sovereign good pleasure He has deemed it good that this grace should fall to me.

“Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.” (Psalm 66:1-2)

This day has given me great reason for reflection and no matter which way I look at it, I must acknowledge that God deserves all credit and glory. That He would even let me learn the tiniest truth (for all truth is God’s truth) is an act of His grace. I was once an enemy of the cross and I was once alienated and hostile in mind doing evil deeds (Col 1:21). I am still at times hostile in mind and doing evil deeds, but His power subdues my will and bends it to His own despite my continual rebellion. For reasons only known to Him, He has graciously chosen to redeem me from destruction.

”Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.” (Psalm 66:5)

There are so many individuals and organizations that have contributed to the progression towards this day. Administrations, professors, friends, mentors, classmates, and the countless individuals who I will never recall their names but somehow in some way have made an impact on me for good. God is indeed sovereign.

However, as important as all these are, aside from the Triune God, there is only one who is worthy of mentioning by name – my wife Kimberly. No one has sacrificed as much as she has in order to see this day arrive. No one has endured more heartache, suffered the burden of financial stress, emotional anguish, and the fires of sanctification than she. I can not rightfully even include myself in this category. She has labored through sleepless nights which lead to irritability and distance on my part. She has had to endure through times of seeming separation as I was studying and preparing assignments. She has had to bear the brunt of my poor choices when I have wrongfully chosen to study rather than sit with her. And above all these, she comes in direct contact with my own sinfulness on a daily basis as she sees the unseen of who I really am. And by God’s grace, she still chooses to love me and is willing to come up under me and support the mission to which she believes that we have been called.

Kimberly, you are a trophy of His grace and I am abundantly undeserving of His provision. There is not a day that passes that I do not thank God for you multiple times, and to my shame, I do not make this clear to you. You have given so much of yourself and I trust that the Lord will reward you for such. You are “far more precious than jewels” and there is no other who I desire to make proud. The praises of men are fleeting, but the praises of a wife will last forever. I want to make you proud. “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”

I love you. This day is rightly more yours than it is mine. So together we say, “It is finished.”

How Deep the Father's Love For Us

2007-12-10T12:07:00.000-06:00

This song is quite powerful because it is quite true. To make a wretch His treasure. It was my sin that held Him there. Why should I gain from His reward? His wounds have paid my ransom.

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Col 2:13-15)

How Deep The Father’s Love For Us

Words and Music by Stuart Townend
©1995 Kingsway's Thankyou Music

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He would give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross
My guilt upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no powr's, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Paul Washer asks "How Do You Know?"

2007-11-27T04:32:00.000-06:00

"If you do not have a new relationship with sin, then you do not have a new relationship with God."

Paul Washer's ministry is HeartCry Missionary Society.

Go.

John Calvin on Prayer

2007-11-27T04:15:00.000-06:00

Commenting on the prayer issued by the psalmist in Psalm 118:25: “Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success!” John Calvin offers this insight:

“Instructed by their example, let us not fail to pray ardently for the restoration of the Church, which, in our day, is involved in sad desolation. Besides, in these words, we are also informed that Christ’s kingdom is not upheld and advanced by the policy of men, but that this is the work of God alone, for in his blessing solely the faithful are taught to confide...God can, indeed, of himself, and independently of the prayer of any one, erect and protect the kingdom of his Son; but it is not without good cause that he has laid this obligation on us, as there is no duty more becoming the faithful than that of earnestly seeking for the advancement of his glory.”

May I also seek to advance His glory through prayer among and for the nations.

John Calvin, Calvin's Commentaries, Volume VI, Psalms 93-150, trans. James Anderson (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, rpt 2007), p. 396

Free Download - Your Choice of 10!

2007-11-19T12:42:00.000-06:00

An extra offer this month from our friends at Christianaudio.com

Greetings!
Each year at Thanksgiving we like to do something to say "Thank You" to you, our customers. This year we got a little carried away. We asked some of the best publishers who provide audio content at Christianaudio.com to participate in our offer. The result is that you have a choice of any one of ten audiobooks for free. These are all premium audiobooks. It's a wonderful offer. Now this year we can say thank you to you, and also thank you to all the publishers who participate in this offer. That's a lot of thanks!

Browse the selection of audiobooks that you can receive for free. And also take time to click on the links that will take you to the websites of the publishers who joined us in this offer. They have many more wonderfully thoughtful books for you to enjoy.

You will need to enter coupon code THANKS2007 to begin the free download process.

Just in case you were curious, here is the one that I chose from the list:

Also, if you have not already taken advantage of ChristianAudio's Book of the Month for November, Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards, I would highly recommend it to you as well. You will need to enter coupon code NOV2007 at the checkout. Hurry, this offer will end at the end of the month.

DH Williams on Teaching Christians

2007-11-12T13:42:00.001-06:00

"We too often assume potential church members already know the fundamentals of their faith, whereas in reality they are usually incapable of explaining the basics of “the pattern of sound teaching” (2 Tim 1:13). This need for equipping cannot be displaced in favor of simply giving one’s own testimony any more than to say a personal experience of the faith can be substituted for a reasonable grasp of that faith. If it is the case that the church, as the apostle phrased it, "is the pillar and foundation of the truth" (1 Tim 3:15), then ecclesiastical leadership must not shirk from the critical and time-consuming job of imparting Christian truth or catechizing those who profess to be a Christian. Nothing can replace the formation of a theologically and biblically literate people. Nothing is more essential."

D. H. Williams, Retrieving the Tradition & Renewing Evangelicalism: A Primer for Suspicious Protestants (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1999), p. 77-78

I am still not sure whether or not I agree with Williams’ overall thesis in his book (to be determined by the end of the week), but his position on the doctrinal fidelity of the church being maintained in order to produce many generations of biblically astute congregants can not be denied. Without this “Tradition” as he calls it, we would not be who we are or believe what we believe.

The Call That Never Comes

2007-10-31T19:11:00.001-05:00

Today is a day like no other. Correction, today is a day that is unique unto itself compared with the previous 364 days in the year, but last year on this day, it was relatively the same as it has become this year. Today, October 31st, is a day marked by significance. Today is Reformation day, true. Today is Halloween, also true. Today also marks the day that caused a minor reformation (at least in my own household) when at 8:45am on the maternity ward of Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, IL I came bursting forth into glorious day to let the world know that I have finally arrived. That was twenty-eight years ago today. Sixty-six years ago today an event of similar proportions occurred in a small town in Missouri when Kenneth Leroy Armstrong was born. I am Kenneth C, my father is Kenneth L and therein lies the problem.

It was always a special occasion in my young life knowing that there was one thing in this world that I shared with my father alone and no one else. Others could have the same hair or eye color, his physical build, and his sense of humor (dry wit as it may be – OK, I got that one too). Others could share in his activities, his hobbies and interests, his business, his time, his affections, and even his home, but no one else could share his birthday. That is where I became uniquely special all to myself. This was not uniqueness in the sense of selfishness, but simply a uniqueness that allowed him and me to have something that no else could completely understand.

My family has an odd unspoken tradition that has been around for as long as I can remember. Every year each member of the family will call the birthday celebrant and sing – yes sing – “Happy Birthday” to them. Even if we get an answering machine, we still sing and make merry for the other. My wife thinks this rather peculiar; I am actually quite fond of the custom. And so, each year would pass with the multiple phone calls and multiple birthday celebrations being sung to my tune. However, there was always one call that was different and somehow a little more special than all the rest. Not that the others were not unique and valuable, but this one call was set apart because not only was I sung to, I also had the opportunity to sing. My father would call (or I him – whoever won the race) and the originator would sing first followed by the recipient. He was the only one in the world that would sing to me and then I him for the very same reason – we simply shared the same birthday.

I received my last birthday call from him on my eighteenth birthday, October 31st, 1997. He died eighteen days later at the age of fifty-six. It was not until I celebrated my birthday in 1998 that I really realized how special this call was, for it was this year that the call did not come. And since that time my birthday has never been the same. I cannot think about it without thinking about him. I cannot remember birthdays past without replaying the various phone calls and the dual singing. And now I think of the call that never comes. My mother will call, my sister, my brother, all singing “Happy Birthday” in the best off-key that they can (since no one in the world really sings the tune correctly). Other friends will call with well wishes and I appreciate each greatly. But I desire earnestly the call that never comes. To have him know my wonderful wife and the joy that she brings me. To have him know his future grandchildren should the Lord choose to bring such blessings into our lives. To have him sing to me. This day is like the days that have passed over the last ten years. I continue to wait for the call that never comes.

However, (and this is good news!) there is a call that has come and will continue to come for all time. This was the call of Christ bidding me come to Him for salvation. It was the call of the One who gives the dead life. Not to the dying, but the dead. He sent forth His word to break down the door of my heart and He called me to His side for all eternity. I wait for a call that will never come, but I wait with hope because of a call that has come - and will one day come again, knowing that “the LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zeph 3:17). And that is all the “Happy Birthday” singing I need.

Steve Lawson on the Church's Vison of God

2007-10-30T13:45:00.001-05:00

"Never has the need been greater for the truths of sovereign grace to be firmly established in the church. Her thinking about God desperately needs to be flowing in the right direction. As the church thinks, so she worships; and as the church worships, so she lives, serves, and evangelizes. The church's right view of God and the outworking of His grace gives shape to everything that is vital and important. The church must recapture her lofty vision of God and thereby, be anchored to the solid rock of His absolute supremacy in all things. Only then will the church have a God-centered orientation in all matters of ministry. This, I believe, is the desperate need of the hour."

--Steve Lawson, Foundations of Grace: A Long Line of Godly Men, Volume 1, (Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishers, 2006), p. 23.

Amen and Amen.

The Gospel According to Paul Washer

2007-10-29T14:37:00.000-05:00

This is Paul Washer who is the founder of HeartCry Missionary Society. Until last week I was not acquainted with this fervent preacher of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. As the weeks press on and if the Lord should choose to tarry, I hope for this to change.

HT: Puritan Fellowship located in Manchester, England which has several other Paul Washer videos and sermon links.

The Day She Said "Yes"

2007-10-25T14:10:00.001-05:00

We met for the first time a few years ago. I only noticed her from afar and never thought that I would quite get near. I had a friend who knew her well and detailed many of the desirable qualities that she possessed, but still, I did not know her myself. And so, thus remained the state of our relationship and continued as such for a lengthy period of time. During this time, I would check in on her progress, the comings and goings, just so that I could somehow be involved with the details of her world. Alas, I could only observe from the edge. I could only peer in through the gate or over the fence into a world in which I knew nothing about. A world that I desired to be apart of, but was prohibited access. In fact, access is only permitted to a privileged few and the rest, like me, could only ponder the mystery of the undiscovered.

As time wore on, eventually I had my first official encounter with her. We met, we spoke, we even exchanged our information. I already had her essentials, but now she had mine!! My hope was elevated, my expectation awakened, and my heart imagined the possibilities of our future together. Not just my future or her future – our future. This was exciting, but my excitement quickly diminished as my phone did not ring, my mailbox did not ding, and I assuredly had not been crowned king. I contemplated the possibility of pursuing another but the muse did not amuse and I found myself wanting the original all the more. Thus, I lingered at her door for what seemed to be eons until I finally decided to make contact. This would be my chance. My one opportunity to make the best impression I could, for in this business, the impression really does matter.

Before I could take my plunge of contact, I decided that I would choreograph this waltz in order to dance in concert with her rhythm. Timing being essential, I delayed as long as I was able. This may not seem to be the most orthodox of all tactics, but since this was my one shot, I decided I better make it count. I rehearsed. I wrote letters and I wrote more letters. I even had friends write letters and detail all of the best facets of this diamond we call me for it was matter of dire straits that she saw the best side glimmering in all its glory. (And since there is not much glory to glimmer, we had to set the polish just right!) I ordered my affairs, dressed in my best suit (of two) and marched past her gates into the very bowels of her being. I wanted her to know me and I her, so we sat face to face for the first time. Before we were mere amalgams of information; now we were personal, sharing information about ourselves that is reserved for those of the “in” crowd. And since this was a close encounter of the first kind, I pulled out all of the stops. Without further delay, I popped the question. "So soon?" you ask. Maybe for some, but not the case with me. All this observing from afar had proved beneficial and my studies had been confirmed. She was the real deal and I could not let this opportunity pass. “What next?” you say. Silence. Deafening Silence. Silence so thick no sound could pierce its being. Silence of the black hole variety. Silence that has a sound all too itself that can not be described because you can not hear it, only feel it.

And more silence.
And more silence.
And more silence. (Do you get that it was silent?)

I did not hear from her.
No phone calls.
No e-mails.
No fax.
No smoke signals.
Silence. Mystifying, doubting, silence.

And then yesterday, twenty-six days after I first dropped the question that would forever change the future course of my life (and possibly our life) the silence broke…. She said “Yes.”

No, I’m not getting married to another woman – my wife and I secured that everlasting knot June 4, 2005. No, I do not have a secret family, nor am I a covert operator for the CIA. The “she” referenced is more like an “it” or a “they” at least. This “She/It/They” is Beeson Divinity School, the graduate seminary of Samford University. I have been extended an invitation to begin graduate studies with her/it/them in the spring following my degree completion in December. It is quite an exciting time around the Armstrong household and we have much to be thankful for by means of God's sovereign grace. He has opened "to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ" (Col 4:3) and this calling includes the educational preparation needed to rightly handle the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). More updates to come...

In the meanwhile, if you would like to help support Beeson in their vision to see a fully-funded student body, click here.

Willow Creek Repents

2007-10-18T21:54:00.000-05:00

This article Willow Creek Repents is something that we truly do not see often. It is not common that one of the most influential churches in the country (for better or worse – you decide) stands up and says “we made a mistake.” But this is exactly what has happened with Willow Creek Community Church.

From the article:

”We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.”

Wow. This never happens. May Willow Creek be found faithful to the gospel and to the Church's growth, not simply church growth.

HT:Between Two Worlds

The Most Important Thing About You...

2007-10-11T14:42:00.000-05:00

In his book,The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: HarperCollins, 1961) AW Tozer asserts that “what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” (1). Everything about our worldview flows from who (or what) we think God (god or gods) is (or was – for those who think that he/she/it is dead). I have used this quote in many a writing jaunt over the years because it speaks so much truth. Well, somehow I am still amazed at the ability for others to conjure up the god of their making. Let me suffice it say, the God of the Revelation can beat up the god of your imagination.

The text reads:
Maybe you’re uncomfortable with the idea of God – or at least someone else’s idea of God. Yet maybe you yearn for a loving, spiritual community where you can be inspired and encouraged as you search for your own truth and meaning. This is a church, you ask? Welcome to Unitarian Universalism.

HT:Pyromaniacs which is simply an excellent blog if I've ever seen one!

Dr. Moore - To the Point

2007-10-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

Two articles that I read today are well worth your time. Both are encouraging and honest. Both attempt to address the reality of lives lived out in relationships. Both point us towards the cross of Jesus Christ, where real relationships begin. It was there that Christ made “peace by the blood of His cross” for those “who once were alienated, hostile in mind and doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in is body of flesh by His death in order to present [us] holy and blameless and above reproach before Him.” (Col 1:20-21). One is written by a great theologian to whom the church stands in great debt. The other is written about him.

The first is an article titled Commentaries and Character written by Dr. Russ Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary addressing the exemplary character of William Lane. Lane has written extensively and not the least of which is his two volume commentary on Hebrews from the Word Biblical Commentary Series published by Nelson. Dr. Moore references the work for its scholarly form and repute but of Lane he says "Still, it is a rare providence to read a commentary by a man his own disciples still revere, because he washed their feet, gave his time and energy away to them, and pointed them to Christ." Dr. Moore continues on to speak well of his Southern colleague and next-door-neighbor, Dr. Thomas Schreiner, who in Moore’s words, "His peace, joy, love, kindness, gentleness, and self-control might not cause him to conjugate Greek verbs any quicker. But these virtues point to a reflection on the Scripture that will lead to a body of work that is more than wood, hay, and stubble. They also remind me, as I read, that I believe in more than just total depravity. I believe in the Holy Spirit."

The first article is written by Dr. Moore. The second article is written about him. Written by Robert E. Sagers, who serves as special assistant to Dr. Russell D. Moore, Happy Birthday, RDM is a tribute from a Timothy to a Paul for the latter’s investment in the former. Sagers has had the privilege of developing a relationship with Dr. Moore over the last three years as they have lived life together. From Sagers’ ode:

"But in all these times the power and conviction with which he preaches the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ never ceases to amaze me. Perhaps when you are as immersed and saturated in the revelation of God recorded for us in Scripture as Dr. Moore is, the Holy Spirit of Christ cannot but be present and active in such proclamation."

"I have felt the pressure of sensing Dr. Moore's presence in the back of the room as I preach, even when he thinks he has hidden his face so well, because he cannot help but look up and smile. I have been on the receiving end of a stinging rebuke when Dr. Moore thought I was being foolish, and I have been on the receiving end of warm encouragement when he thought that I was feeling defeated…In other words, Dr. Moore has chosen to live life with me, a living of life that sometimes works itself out in 4 a.m. trips to the seminary…"

And my personal favorite of all, Sagers concludes,

"In all these things, Dr. Moore has shown me Jesus. His leadership is exemplified in his daily taking up of the basin and the towel. In fact, if I could characterize Dr. Moore's life and ministry in only two sentences, I would again borrow from Paul: "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" (Col 1:28-29).""

First read the article by Dr. Moore which will then help you appreciate the article about Dr. Moore.

I am thankful for Dr. Moore, his work at Southern Seminary, and the men like him around the world who are committed to adopting a “true child in the faith” (1 Tim 1:2; cf. 2 Tim 1:2; Tit 1:4). Happy birthday, Dr. Moore.

Athanasius on Looking Past Life

2007-10-08T12:46:00.000-05:00

“Christ alone, using common speech and through the agency of men not clever with their tongues, has convinced whole assemblies of people all the world over to despise death, and to take heed to the things that do not die, to look past the things of time and gaze on things eternal, to think nothing of earthly glory and to aspire to immortality.”

--Athanasius, On the Incarnation, translated and edited by A Religious of C.S.M.V. (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1996), p. 85. (Probably first written around 318ad.)

Bookstore Manager Gives His Life for The Gospel

2007-10-08T12:27:00.001-05:00

A fellow brother in the Lord, Rami Ayyad, gave his life on account of the gospel this weekend. This twenty-six year old manager of the only Christian book store in Gaza, The Teacher’s Bookshop, was found dead Sunday, October 7th.

From the Christianity Today article:

"At 6:25 a.m. Sunday October 7, Ayyad's body was found near the bookshop. "Signs of bullets and knife stabs could be clearly seen on his body," the Bible Society release said. Unconfirmed reports added that his head had been severely injured.

Ayyad leaves behind two young children and his pregnant wife, Pauline. Ayyad helped lead Gaza Baptist Church's Awana club and directed the church's summer children's camp."

AsiaNews reports that "He went missing Saturday October 6th in the afternoon and his body was found yesterday in a city street, tortured and with two bullet wounds to the head. Authorities from Shifa hospital confirmed that his body carried diverse knife wounds."

I also found this quote from a non-Protestant encouraging:

"David Maria Jaeger, an Israel Franciscan in the Holy Land said: 'Ayyad was an intrepid Christian, a glory for the entire community of believers in Christ who live in His homeland. The fact that he belonged to the Protestant community underlines that what unites us outstrips what divides us. And its not the first time in the Region that the protestant evangelicals enlighten us and teach us to have faith in Christ, free from conditioning, free from fear and a presumptuous “prudence”, which all too often burden so many of us Christians'."

I am a BookStore manager in Birmingham, AL and I doubt seriously that I will ever be threatened with my life because of the work that I do. There is another world out there that we – I - do not see.

Life of David Brainerd - FREE Audio Book

2007-10-03T15:32:00.001-05:00

Free Audiobook of the Month America's greatest Theologian, Jonathan Edwards, had a heart for missions. And Edwards deeply respected David Brainerd, who gave his life for missions to Native Americans. The Life of David Brainerd is an inspiring tale of one of the most notable missionaries in American history.

Use the coupon code OCT2007 to receive the Download Format of The Life of David Brainerd for free in the month of October.

Our Price: $0.00
List Price: $25.98

Click the picture or click here

Update from Desiring God

2007-06-28T14:21:00.000-05:00

As noted yesterday, Desiring God is offering seriously ridiculous discounts on all of their books but they are having troubles with their server. I have attempted several times today to get in but to no avail.

GOOD NEWS HOWEVER! I just received this e-mail from Abraham Piper of Desiring God:

We are now taking orders for the sale by phone. If you are having trouble
placing your order online, please call us at 1-888-346-4700. We will be
taking calls until 7:00 P.M. CT. If this doesn't work for you, you can of
course continue placing orders online for the rest of the day.

Thanks!

Abraham Piper
Web Content Editor
Desiring God

These guys are just too good!

Excuse me, I need to make a phone call.

Exciting Book News!!!

2007-06-27T15:44:00.000-05:00

Here is some extremely exciting news that I received Monday but have not had the chance to do anything with until now:

From Desiring God:

All Books $5
Every book in our store will be $5 on June 27-28, Wednesday and Thursday this week.

No limits, so spread the word.

(This sale is online only.)

Yes, that would include excellent titles such as:

And MANY MANY MORE all for only $5 each!! You do pay minimal shipping fees, but it will pay for itslef!

The bad news, however, is the DG servers are so completely overwhelmed that I can not get in!! I attempted to fill an order early this morning but failed when the "Proceed to Checkout" button was an invalid link. Kumbaya is what I have to say to that.

VOM Prayer Updates

2007-06-20T13:19:00.000-05:00

After reading these, I feel shame for my woeful self-pity that has lazily accepted the comforts of a Christian's life in Bible Belt Birmingham.

From Voice of the Martyr's (VOM) prayer update 6/12/07:

INDONESIA
Three Sunday School Teachers Released from Prison – VOM Sources/ Compass Direct News
Praise God! Dr. Rebekka, Mrs. Eti and Mrs. Ratna have been released after two years in prison. We rejoice and thank you for your prayers. According to Compass Direct News, a crowd had gathered to welcome the women as they walked free from Indramayu district prison in West Java. An eyewitness told Compass, "The women appeared happy and peaceful as they emerged from the prison gates. All three said they had no fear for the future and were convinced that God would protect and guide them forward." Psalm 46:7, 1 Peter 2:9-10, Psalm 32:7

CHINA
UPDATE: House-Church Leader Sentenced to Six Months – China Aid Association
On June 4, 2007, Beijing house-church leader Hua Huiqi was secretly sentenced to six months in prison at Chayang District People's Court. According to China Aid Association (CAA), Hua's wife and lawyer were not allowed to attend the trial which lasted about two hours. CAA expects Hua to be released from prison next month. Pray Hua and his mother are strengthened and encouraged in prison. Pray for their release and for God to heal Shuang Shuying. Psalm 103:1-5

INDIA
Two Christian Leaders Killed, VOM Coordinator Attacked – VOM Sources

UTTER PRADESH - On June 2, 2007, two Christian leaders were stabbed to death at a Christian school and orphanage in Etah District, Uttah Pradesh. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts, it is believed Samuel Masih and Aman Singh, leaders at the school, were brutally killed by anti-Christian Hindu extremists. "Aman Singh's body had more than 20 stab wounds, while Masih had been stabbed five times. Police are investigating. Robbery has been ruled out as a motive, and the family suspects that religion was a factor," the contacts said. Pray for the families of those killed. Pray believers in this area will be strengthened and encouraged despite the hardships they face.

BANGALORE – On June 8, 2007, a coordinator for The Voice of Martyrs was attacked at his home by Hindu extremists. According to VOM contacts, more than 150 extremists were bussed in from different areas and gathered at his house, which also serves as a house church. "Brother N hid in a room while other believers contacted the police. While the police arrived, the crowd grabbed him and beat him severely. He has cuts and bruises and was nearly unconscious when he was taken away to the police station and hospital." Pray for healing for Brother N's injuries and for believers in India who are experiencing an increase in persecution. Psalm 147:1-7, 1 Thessalonians 3:7-10

For more or to sign up for updates visit Voice of the Martyr's

Book Review - The Deliberate Church by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander

2007-06-05T13:49:00.000-05:00

The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry On the Gospel
By Mark Dever and Paul Alexander
Crossway Books, 2005
Category: Church Helps
ISBN: 1581347383
Paperback
202 pages
Indexes: General Subject and Scripture
$14.99 MSRP

Let me begin by stating what many may wait to share until the end: I loved this book. I have read and reviewed Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger, which is interestingly, the most visited page on my blog. Church leaders from all over the world have Google’d its title and landed on my page, however, I seem to be one of the few in the blogosphere that did not like the book. I presume folks have merely moved on until they found a more satisfactory review to suit them. I am curious if this review will spark as much interest. I suspect not for a few reasons: first, The Deliberate Church is over two years old (published in 2005) which signifies - by church-growth model standards - it is beginning to get info in the mail from AARP. Second, The Deliberate Church is not one of those books that will easily satisfy those who are looking for a church-growth model. Seemingly contradictory, let the author’s explain:

”We have called this book The Deliberate Church because we wanted a title that might serve to throw us into the fray of the church methodology debates. American evangelicalism is now dripping with the various kinds of churches: The Emerging Church, The Purpose Driven Church, The Connecting Church, The Disciple-Making Church, a critical assessment called The Market Driven Church, and almost any other kind of church you could possible want. We thought keeping the format of “The _______ Church” for a title might get our foot in the door of the debate. “Deliberate is the best word we could find to succinctly describe what we’re talking about (22-23).

And the title to this two hundred page work will not disappoint you because the subtitle really defines its intention “Building Your Ministry on the Word.” For Mark Dever and Paul Alexander, this is precisely what they have done.

Contrary to Simple Church, The Deliberate Church is heavy laden with Scripture which a quick glance at the Scripture index will prove. However, these Scriptures are not merely pulled from thin air in order to accomplish the author’s purpose, but rather, the author’s derive there purpose from Scripture. A competent and faithful expositor of God’s word, Mark Dever founded IX Marks Ministries with the hopes of helping other church leaders develop their ministry based upon what the biblical calling for ministry is – not what the next great statistician has to say about trends and growth models. Therefore, The Deliberate Church is not only heavy laden with Scripture, it is heavy laden with GOSPEL – the good news that the God of this universe Who is there has revealed Himself faithfully throughout the course of history, ultimately in the person of Jesus Christ, and is continuing to summon men to Himself as He seeks worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). From the introduction:

This Gospel, then, is that God is our holy Creator and righteous Judge. He created us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, but we have all sinned, both in Adam as our representative head, and in our own individual actions (Rom 5:12; 3:23). We therefore deserve death – spiritual separation from God in Hell (Rom 6:23; Eph 2:3) – and are in fact already spiritually stillborn, helpless in our sins (Ps 51:5; Rom 5:6-8); Eph 2:1) and in need of God to impart spiritual life to us (Ezek. 37:1-14; John 3:3). But God sent His Son Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man (Phil. 2:5-11), to die the death that we deserved, and He raised Him up for our justification, proving that He was God’s Son (Rom. 5:1; 1:4). If we would have Christ’s perfect righteousness credited to us, and the penalty for our sins accounted to Him, we must repent of our sins and belie in Jesus Christ for salvation (2 Cor. 5:21; Mark 1:14-15)

This Gospel alone (Gal 1:6-9) is the one we are commanded to preach (2 Tim. 4:2). This Gospel alone contains the theology that must drive our ministry methods. This Gospel alone is the one God uses to create a people for Himself. This Gospel alone both enables and informs our participation in God’s redemptive purposes. Consequently, this Gospel alone deserves to shape and evaluate both our methods and our ministries (28-29)”

A lengthy quote, yes, but an important one, for this theme repeats itself over Andover again throughout the book. The Gospel is what transforms enemies of God into worshipers. The Gospel is what transforms cultures enraged against the Truth to individuals who seek to love God and love neighbor. Without the Gospel, the true Gospel – the BIBLICAL GOSPEL – you do not have a church. You may have a quaint gathering of morally upstanding members of society, but you do not have a church. You may have a country club, a rotary club, lion’s club, or even the Red Cross, but without the Gospel you do not have a church. And without the Gospel, the church loses her purpose.

This book is divided into four major sections (following two forewords, two prefaces, and an introduction. With an intro like this – it better be good! And it is!) They are as follows:

1. Gathering the Church
2. When the Church Gathers
3. Gathering Elders
4. When the Elders Gather

Given that the final two sections of the book deal with the election and function of elders, I presume many will not give this book a second look (at least those coming from a Baptist background). However, I believe that Dever presents a balanced view of the elder polity. I will be the first to say that I am not fully equipped to formulate judgments as to which form of church government is the most biblical , but be sure that Dever’s thrust is not to accept elder polity, but rather promoting church unity.

Having said this, let me point to a few highlights from each section. Let me remind you: if you are in any position of church leadership – this book will be of benefit to you.

Dever says that there are four primary responsibilities of any pastor: Preach the Word, Pray for Your Flock, Develop Personal Discipling Relationships, and Be Patient. With these four in mind, a minister is set to begin to build his ministry on the Word. Preaching the Word may be a given, but not unless it is understood in Dever’s context. To “Preach the Word” means to preach the WHOLE Word. To preach expositionally, not topically, through the Scriptures is to let the point of the text be the point of the sermon, not to seek Scriptures to fit with the point you are intending to get across. Dever asserts (and is also a reoccurring theme throughout the book):

”What you win them with is likely what you’ll win them to. If you win them with the Gospel, you’ll win them to the Gospel. If you win them with technique, programs, entertainment, and personal charisma, you might end up winning them to yourself and your methods (and you might not!), but it is likely that they won’t be won to the Gospel first and foremost (44).”

The danger and pitfall of any ministry organization, but specifically a local church, is to fall into the snare that program’s are what win people. Sure, it is great to offer free pizza on Friday nights in an effort to provide a safe haven for the high school students to hang out, and it is good to provide “Mother’s Day Out” programs so that moms can have a safe place to leave their children while they run some errands. It is also good to offer workout facilities, Book Stores, and divorce care support groups. These are all “good” things that benefit the society as a whole. However, if there is no gospel, then they are not truly good things. If there is no gospel there is no life change. If there is no life change, there is no true Christian. If there are no Christians, there is no church. See the progression? Without the gospel, the church ceases to be the church and is no different than the aforementioned Lions and Rotary clubs. Thus, programs do not truly effect life change. The only thing that effects true life change is God’s word accurately preached under the Holy Spirit’s initiative. Therefore, programs may be used as an inroad to preach the gospel, but it can not serve as a substitute for it.

Dever then discusses his policies for taking in new members and doing what he calls “responsible evangelism.” What does he mean by this?

”The way we do evangelism will inform the way our hearers understand the Gospel. The way our hearers understand the Gospel will inform the way they live the Gospel. The way our hearers live the Gospel will have a direct bearing on the corporate witness of our churches in our communities. The corporate witness of our churches will in turn make our evangelism either easier or harder, depending on whether that witness is a help or a hindrance (51).

In other words, if we are to be “responsible” in our evangelistic efforts we are not allowing ourselves to rise to the level of the individual who is “responsible” for another’s salvation – only the Holy Spirit is capable of causing regeneration in the life of another. But, where we are “responsible” is in the way that we accurately present the Gospel. Do we clearly present that all creation is created by God and subject to His rule? If we truly are a random process of time plus chance, then where is accountability to anything? If we are indeed created, which we are because Scripture affirms such, then there needs to be a concept and understanding of sin or rebellion or estrangement from God. Then, and ONLY then – never before, do we offer the solution. Premature decisions are simply premature. Therefore, we should never feel the pressure to “close the deal” and attempt to bring an individual to a decision point at any given moment. We must be sure that the individual is responding to the Holy Spirit and the authority of God’s word – not our own personality or persuasiveness.

Section 2 deals primarily with the “how” and “why” the church gathers together. The church may gather at times for regular corporate worship, Bible study, budget meetings, discipline issues, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, etc. Dever then examines what he believes to be the specific role of the pastor in each of these gatherings. Before this, however, he does offer a brief synopsis of worship styles comparing the Regulative Principle to the Normative Principle. Simply, the Regulative says we will only worship in such a way which is commended to us in Scripture. The Normative says that we will not worship in such a way that is prohibited by Scripture. Thus, the Normative is much less stringent than the Regulative. Dever prefers the Regulative. In turn, he says that we must read the Bible, preach the Bible, pray the Bible, sing the Bible, and the see the Bible. He uses the “see the Bible” as a way that we partake in the Lord’s Supper.

“[Everything] that happens up front in a corporate worship gathering is part of the teaching ministry of the church. Everything teaches, whether you intend it to or not. The songs teach people doctrine and the proper affections for God. Your prayers (or lack of them) teach people how to pray themselves. The kinds of prayer you pray (or don’t pray) teach people about the important differences between prayer of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. The way you administer the ordinances teaches people about their meaning, and even the very meaning of the Gospel. Your preaching teaches people how to study and use the Bible appropriately. Everything from the call to worship to the benediction counts as teaching. Teaching is everything (90).”

This concept caused me to think about our worship services specifically and I began to see how true this really is. When we pray, how we pray, why we pray began to show up quickly. What we sing, how we sing, and when we (congregationally or led by a choir or soloist) began to teach me immensely how our church and its leadership viewed them (or at least seemingly). I say seemingly because the message that was conveyed may not be the message that was intended to be conveyed. But, much like every other conversation the intended message is often lost in the reception of the hearer. This caused me to think greatly but will have to wait for ruminations of another time.

Sections 3 (Gathering Elders) and 4 (When Elders Gather) were less intriguing to me, probably most due to the fact that I am not a church elder, nor am I in a position of governance in our church. Thus, it was good for informational purposes; however, I did not find much direct application. But, for the elder or pastor, this section will provoke great thought and possible change in structure if read thoroughly. Dever discusses the purpose and importance of a plurality of elders that leads a church. Being that his church, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, is a Baptist church, this is not a popular concept among many, but I believe one that needs to at least be considered. Dever makes his case for a plurality of elders from the familiar Biblical texts Acts 6:1-4; 20:17-38; and 1 Timothy 3:1-3. Dever says that the plurality of elders accomplishes six major goals:

1. It balances pastoral weakness
2. It diffuses congregational criticism
3. It adds pastoral wisdom
4. It indigenizes leadership
5. It enables corrective discipline
6. It diffuses “us vs. him” (133-135)

I have never bee actively involved in a local fellowship that practices the plurality of elders so I can not attest the practical validity or not. However, I do follow Dever’s argument for such an instance. Be clear, Dever does not say that this is the ONLY way to govern a church, but one he believes to be the most faithful to the Biblical model. Some who advocate for the single elder system state that it is not so much that the single pastor desires to have ultimate control, but that ultimately someone has to be the one to take final responsibility for the matters of the church. Someone has to be the Truman of the bunch to let the “buck stop here.” I can sympathize with both sides of the argument. Either way, the emphasis needs to be placed upon faithful shepherding of the local body – whatever form that takes. Elder boards and deacon boards have a tendency to be power hungry and attempt to throw their weight around on every issue of the church from the color of the carpet to how much should be spent funding oversees missions. This, I believe, is completely contrary to Scripture. Scripture is clear that deacons are not to run the church, they are to serve her. Thus, unity of the body is what should be strived for, not that which suits a few individuals. In some congregations this will mean plurality of elders, in some it will mean single elder.

Were I to return this book and reread it, which I am sure will happen at some juncture in my tenure, I believe I will read the conclusion first. Here, Dever and Alexander tie together several threads that seem to have been sown throughout the beginning of the book. Here is the main thrust of the book:

”The biblical hallmarks of church health – holiness, faith, love, sound doctrine – are cultivated in us as we are captivated, by Him.

What this means is that we want to build our churches in a way that makes this corporate captivation with Christ a normal part of our lives together…If people are transformed ever more perfectly into the image of Christ by gazing at Him, then the job of the pastor and evangelist is not to come up with more innovative or clever methods. It is rather to present people with the clearest picture possible of biblical truth. The more clearly we present Christ’s person and work to our local churches, the more clearly we will come to reflect His glory together as if in a mirror.

This is why it’s so important to begin (and continue!) a work by expositional preaching that clarifies the Gospel and makes much of God. This is why we want to present God and Christ clearly and frequently in evangelism. This is why we want to keep all our methods as plain as possible – so that we don’t obscure our message with our method…Nothing else has transforming power for the church but the Word of God plainly set forth in preaching and in living…What is needed most today is a commitment to being deliberate about setting forth the truth plainly, because the truth as we gaze on it is what transforms us, what builds us up and sets us free (John 17:17; Acts 20:32; John 8:36).” (195, 196, 197)

This is really what the Gospel ministry is all about: the Gospel. Nothing else transforms. The Deliberate Church will be a valuable edition for any church leader, pastor, elder, and even church member who desires to know how to help establish his ministry in the word. May we all be deliberate in our worship and seek to bring others to worship around the throne as well.

Lord, cause us to be the true “church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth” (1 Tim 3:15).

Today I Remember...Again

2007-05-30T10:43:00.000-05:00

The only words that would suffice are His...

“Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind- so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 52:12-53:12 ESV)

Today I Remember: Yesterday Was Memorial Day

2007-05-29T17:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Memorial Day. Yesterday; and today I thought of it. This may be one of those posts that leaves me looking a lot less spiritual than I really am, and a little more real than you (or I) would like me to be. But, the fact remains: it is what it is.

Yesterday was Memorial Day, and as mentioned above, I finally thought of it today. Sure, I looked forward to the extra day off in the week which provided more time to be with my wife. I was thankful that our favorite coffee shop was open until noon so that we could spend the morning hours with java to sip and talk satisfaction in Christ. I was thankful that our granny saved us some ribs and corn on the cob for us to indulge ourselves in. I was even thankful that Movie Gallery was still offering free rentals that extended through Monday (due back by Saturday) and Kimberly had capitalized on that “free”dom every day this weekend (which is an oddity in itself). However, it was not until the night hours that the thought even came to me that this day, Memorial Day, was not so much about me, but about those who died for me.

Over lunch we discussed the various wars of times past: WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and even the Iraq War and how it relates to a possible conflict with Iran. However, each of these were in context with my grandfather’s service in the Korean War, but not necessarily tied to “War” in the truest sense of the word. We discussed how many of his five brothers were called to service, his thoughts on the draft, and eventually ended up with the social security and the casinos. We always end up with the casinos. But the thoughts of men who gave their lives for the freedom of America, men who died to protect the families that they loved, or men who died in order to advance the gospel never entered into my mind. I wish this were not true, but I would not share it if it were not.

So, after my uneventful afternoon lazily being entertained by a World War II era movie (even now, this is the first time that I even thought to link this movie with the significance of the day!) and a great lunch, thoughts of service men and women who have given their lives for my freedom had not caught my attention. Then last night, I stumbled upon a documentary featuring the men who fought at Iwo Jima towards the end of WWII. The men featured in this documentary were real men; real men who loved Jesus and loved their families. They did not enter into their country’s service merely because they were drafted (though some of them were) or merely because this was something that the government told them they had to do (though this was true as well). Rather, many of these men who were featured went to Iwo Jima in an effort to defend their families. They went to Iwo Jima not to spread democracy, but to prevent the spread of an atheistic mentality to sweep across the Pacific and infiltrate their living rooms. They fought (and many of them died) after thirty-six agonizing days in brutal conditions of which I know nothing about. Many left wives and children at home. Some returned, more did not. Boys left fatherless, women without husbands; the war knew no favor. Brothers lost brothers, fathers said goodbye to their sons. Those days on Iwo Jima before the infamous raising of the American Flag have been lost to much of history and only remains in the minds of a select few. I can’t say that I have forgotten, to a certain extent, I never knew.

This documentary was incredible and with commentary on what it meant then and what it means now to be a father passionate about the gospel was moving. I did not see it until the end, but it gripped me from the beginning. There were men who returned to Iwo Jima for the sixtieth anniversary of the battle, many in wheelchairs, more with canes, all with heavy hearts. This little film helped put into perspective that these were real men, fighting in a real war, with real bullets, and real death. That meant that there were real boys and real girls who lost their fathers forever.

From the website:

"More than 406,000 Americans died during the Second World War, leaving an estimated 183,000 children fatherless. Hundreds of thousands of other fathers did return from war, some who tragically never connected with their children. But within the ranks of the survivors and the heroic dead were a remarkable collection of men who made it a life mission to speak the providences of God and the meaning of manhood to the boys who would fill their shoes. Through wartime letters and present-day pilgrimages to the bloody battlefields of their youth, the ancient warriors have spoken. Their thankful children rise to honor and surpass their legacy. They are “The League of Grateful Sons.""

I have never suffered a day in my life; the least I could do was give honor to their memory. Forgive me for forgetting.

The World Wide Web Operations of Operation World

2007-05-22T16:58:00.000-05:00

In our day of the high-tech, low-touch world, we often rely on electronic means of communication because they are more convenient than placing a phone call. Once upon a time, if you wanted to speak with someone you either: picked up the phone, wrote a letter, or high tailed it over to the location of choice in order to speak face-to-face. These days are long gone, thus any improvements to the methods of electronic communication are welcomed with open arms. I am often amused by the many web pages that have a “contact us” option somewhere hidden obscurely on a 4th click page just underneath an unrelated ad. Then, the “contact us” button merely leads you to either a generic e-mail address to which you can pray that someone will indeed read the e-mail, process it, and respond to you before Haley’s comet arrives again. Thus, when I experienced the electronic form of REAL customer service yesterday, I was shocked to say the least.

One of my new favorite websites is Operation World (whose link appears to the right). This website, along with the links it provides, is a wealth of resources for any individual seeking to pray for the nations. While perusing said website yesterday, I noticed two things:

1. The links to the CIA World Fact Book were not working (the CIA has moved the links to another server), and
2. I was not able to search for country specific information, only the country of the day was available.

Normally, I would let both of these alone since I can only imagine the amount of time and effort it takes to maintain this website and since it has been such a great resource for me, I did not want to log a formal complaint. However, since the CIA links were not working, and the Operation World website has a specific section to “Help improve Operation World links for Web Sites” I thought I would cordially inform them of the non-working link. I also decided to send an e-mail to request if the possibility of searching for country-specific information would be available as well.

Here’s where the e-service comes in. Would you believe that within one hour I received THREE e-mails not only acknowledging my inquiries but also received direction and answers! I could not believe it. The first came in and said, “Thank you for letting us know about the links” (or something of that sort – I have since deleted it). OK, form letter I thought, but there was a specific individual’s signature tag, not just “Customer Service”. THEN, the second e-mail came from a gentlemen who forwarded my e-mail to two other individuals saying “Dear Jen/Jason, please get back to KC on this…thanks…blessings, Anjali.”

A few things to note:

1. He said “Dear…” This is not a common introduction anymore for many of us have been trained to be “formal” in our introductions therefore translating “Dear Jen,” (note the coma) to “Jen:” (not the absence of “Dear” and the replacement of a semicolon). This struck me as odd, but refreshingly odd to say the least.
2. I found it interesting that he used my name in the reply, not simply “this guy” or “customer” or some other impersonal title. When I saw my name, I felt like I was a part of the team, working together for a greater purpose. Given the nature of the website is to promote global prayer for the nations, this should not strike me as completely unheard of, but frankly, it is not often heard of. Personal touch goes a long way.

Then, about fifteen minutes later I received a lengthy reply from none other than the co-author of the book Operation World, Jason Mandryk himself! He informed me of the purpose of the website and offered a suggestion of where I might find some other useful information. (He recommended 24-7 Prayer.com which seems to be what I was looking for!) I was absolutely floored to think that individuals within an organization would take so kindly to responding to a virtually anonymous web inquiry. There is hope for the redemption of our high-tech culture yet! I tehn responded to jason’s e-mail with this,

"Thank you for an extraordinarily expedient response! Honestly, I do not think that I have ever received two personal responses from one general website inquiry! This just furthers my understanding that the folks at Operation World take their work seriously for the glory of God. Thank you for your commitment to excellence."

I would highly commend the Operation World website to you for your use. And, having been a first-hand witness to the organizations commitment to excellence and the glory of God, I will sure to continue to visit!

***It must be noted that I do own a copy of Operation World in book form that rests no more than three feet from me (even as I type now), but my laziness prevented me from opening the book when I desired to search on the internet. Maybe there is even hope for me.

Monday is for Missions: England (Enlgish-Speaking Britons)

2007-05-21T12:15:00.000-05:00

The United Kingdom boasts a population of almost 60 million people derived from over 100 different people groups. The dominate people group is of course, English-speaking Britons which accommodate for 40 million individuals. Of these 40 million individuals, about 75% claim to be adherents to Christianity, however, surprisingly only 8.5% claim to be evangelicals. What does this mean? Well, in laymen’s terms: this is a country derived of people of a “spiritual heritage” who have been reduced to cultural Christianity without any true gospel accomplishing a life change. These 8.5%, however, are the third most evangelical people group within the country next to Jamaicans (24.72% - who’d of thought??) and the Ulster Irish (21.82%). These numbers would not classify the English-speaking Britons as an “unreached people group,” but there is still a great need for a strong, Biblical, gospel witness in their country.

The Muslim presence is increasing greatly in the country and, as the home of the 2012 Olympics, Islam is preparing for a global influx of visitors. This in itself presents great barriers to the gospel’s progress; however, I would say that the even greater barrier is that of nominal Christianity. When Christians do not impact their cultures with truth, truth becomes obscured, God is not glorified, and therefore, seldom do individuals make lasting decisions to follow Christ. Therefore, our greatest need for prayer is that the Lord would strengthen the existing church and send a fresh move of His spirit upon His people. Pray that these Christians would be burdened for their communities and that they would be given the boldness to share truth with their neighbors.

The Church of England is the dominant denomination among Christians and second is the Roman Catholic Church. The Church of England is largely Episcopalian and is the official state church, however as previously mentioned, makes a nominal impact among the culture. Atheism, agnosticism, and spiritualism (New Age) are increasing in popularity as secularism sweeps across Western Europe. This is a danger that will silently effect the United States as well in the coming years, long before many of us take notice. Many churches in England are now either bars or lofts, depending upon the district, and increasingly, many are becoming mosques for Muslim worship.

From the IMB’s Western Europe Website:

”Will you pray that the following strongholds of Satan will be demolished as Western Europeans come to know the Truth of Jesus Christ?
1. humanistic education
2. dependence on material comfort
3. pagan traditions
4. a sense of futility
5. depression and suicide
6. sexual promiscuity
7. Dependence on drugs, alcohol and tobacco

More,

”Intercede for refugees and immigrants living in Western Europe, many of whom are from countries closed to the Gospel. These are unreached people groups now living within Western European borders. The majority have fled their homelands seeking economic, political, and religious asylum. Many are at a point in their lives where they are very open to the truth of the Gospel message. Pray that God's Holy Spirit will speak to their personal Savior.”

********
For more info:
CIA World Fact Book
Joshua Project
IMB’s Tell Europe

Boice and Barnhouse on Jonah's Run

2007-05-16T19:22:00.000-05:00

"Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil a has come up before me." 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD." (Jonah 1:1-3 ESV)

Some thoughts on Jonah’s run from the Lord from James Montgomery Boice and Donald Grey Barnhouse:

“In his excellent preaching on Jonah, Donald grey Barnhouse often called attention to it by highlighting the phrase about Jonah “paying the fare.” He noted that Jonah did not get to where he was going since he was thrown overboard, and that he obviously did not get a refund on his ticket. So he paid the full fare and did not get to the end of his journey. Barnhouse said, ‘It is always that way. When you run away from the Lord you never get to where you are going, and you always pay your own fare. On the other hand, when you go the Lord’s way you always get to where you are going, and He pays the fare.’ That’s worth repeating [says Boice]: When you run away from the Lord you never get to where you are going, and you always pay your own fare. But when you go the Lord’s way you always get to where you are going, and He pays the fare.”

Boice then draws the parallel between Jonah and Moses infant life. Jochebed, Moses’ mother, hid him as long as she could until she was forced to put him in a basket of reeds and place him in the river. Miriam, the sister to Moses, watched to see what would become of him. When Pharaoh’s daughter discovered Moses, Miriam asked her “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.” (Ex 2:7-9)

Boice comments:

“I will pay you.” That is the point for which I tell the story. Jonah went his own way, paid his own far, and got nothing. Jochebed went God’s way. Consequently, God paid the fare, and she got everything. I repeat it once more: When you run away from the Lord you never get to where you are going, and you always pay your own fare. But when you go the Lord’s way you always get to where you are going, and He pays the fare.”

Boice then concludes this section drawing one last parallel and promise as written by the Apostle Paul: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Ph 1:6)

”Quite often we look at that verse merely as a statement of the “eternal security” of the Christian, which is all right. God will certainly continue His work with us, regardless of what happens, and will preserve us for Heaven. But this verse also means – we must not miss it – that God is so determined to perfect His good work in us that he will continue to do so with whatever it takes, regardless of the obedience or disobedience of the Christian. Will you go in His way? Then He will bless your life and encourage you. Will you run, as Jonah ran? Then He will trouble your life. If necessary, He will even break it into little pieces, if by so doing He enables you to walk in His way once again. If you disobey, you will find your initial disobedience easy. But after that the way will grow hard. If you obey Him, you will find the way paved with blessing.”

All too much like Jonah, I am.

*************
James Montgomery Boice. The Minor Prophets: Volume 1, An Expositional Commentary, Hosea-Jonah(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1983 rpt 2006), p. 267-268, 270

Monday is for Missions: Georgia

2007-05-14T10:37:00.000-05:00

As a new feature at Easily A Muse, I have had in mind to dedicate Monday's to missions awareness of the gosepel needs around the world. I would heavily recommend the website Operation World as a reference and one which I have heavily drawn from. A permanent link will appear at the right and all of these entries will appear in the category "Missions".
**************
Georgia

No, we are not referring to the state that lies between Alabama and South Carolina. We are referring to the country of Georgia which gained its independence in 1991 from the Bolsheviks after the fall of the Soviet Union. However, soon after gaining its independence, its first president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, became dictatorial and was overthrown by an armed revolution. Political unrest has been the general state over the last fifteen years marked by the Chechen Wars of the 90’s and increasing political strong-arming from the new Russia. Pray, that the Sovereign Lord of the Universe would establish a government based on truth and not power. Pray for His Lordship to be made known.

Georgia rests on the eastern edge of the Black Sea and has borders of Russia and Chechnya to the north and Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to the south. Georgia has immensely fertile soil and was at one time Russia premier suppliers of tea and citrus fruit, however, much of the population remains well below the poverty line as rebels have dominated any economic activity in recent years. Pray for opportunities to resent themselves for individuals who are seeking to provide fro their families may do so for the glory of God.

The Georgian Orthodox Church is the predominant religious establishment in the country and 62% claim Christianity as their affiliation. However, much like North America, there is merely a veneer of religiosity colored with Christian overtones, but few can indeed profess to have a saving, personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. For most, it is an expression of nationalism for “to be Georgian, is to be Georgian Orthodox.” Protestant denominations comprise about one half of one percent (.53% which equates to .0053 of the total population). Baptists and Pentecostals are the largest congregations of these Protestant groups, however, disunity amongst these two groups (imagine that) has proved to be a hindrance to the gospel work. Pray for unity among these brothers in sisters in Christ that they would, as Jesus prayed, “all be one, just as You, Father, are in me, and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me” (John 17:21)

This country is “open” to the gospel and as such, we ought to thank God for allowing this providential window to remain. As Georgia is the home for almost 1 million Muslims (about 20% of the population) this could provide a ripe harvest for the Lord to see multitudes of Muslims come to Christ and then act as missionaries to the neighboring, heavily populated Muslim countries. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest might send workers into His fields with a faithful Gospel witness.

For more info go to
Operation World
CIA World fact Book
Georgia’s Wikpedia Page

Marriage Retreat...for the Glory of God (1)

2007-05-11T15:49:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Kimberly and I had the privilege of attending a marriage retreat hosted by our church in Orange Beach, AL. Our speaker was Jason Allen, who is the Executive Assistant to Al Mohler at Southern Seminary and also is the interim pastor of a small church in Louisville. It was a joy to hear from him and his wife, Karen, rejoice in the things of God and His goodness that He has displayed towards them in their uncommon union. I was impressed with his ability to communicate biblical truth in a real, practical way and to seek to see the glory of God in all things. I was doubly impressed when I discovered that he dwells at the tender age of thirty.

Probably for my own posterity and the need to continue to reflect upon the truths that we discussed, I decided that I would provide a basic outline of each of his sessions based upon the notes that I took. I’m sure that I will not do his Christ-exalting preaching justice, but the attempt will be made nonetheless. The session headings were not given by Mr. Allen himself, but are also my attempts at summation. Here goes…

1st Session: The Sovereignty of God in Marriage
Jason chose as his text Romans 8:28-30 to begin our retreat and I found this remarkable to say the least:

Rom 8 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.

Jason chose this text because, in his own words, "This is a touchstone passage for the entire Bible, paradigmatic for all of Christianity." It is from this passage that we learn that God indeed has a plan even when life seems to be falling apart. When life simply can not be calculated we rest in the knowledge that God’s nature is good and that His plan is also good. As stated previously, I considered this to be a remarkable foundation from which to build a marriage retreat, for it is from this same foundation that Christianity finds its base.

If God is not 100% sovereign then He is not sovereign at all. He can not be 99.99% sovereign for this would indicate that there is some realm of nature (even the most minute) that does not operate under his control. For philosophers, this is where the Law of Non-contradiction comes in to play. In brief, the Law of Non-Contradiction says that something (whether or a person, place, thing, object, idea, etc) can not “be” and “not be” at the same time. That is to say a “table” can not “be a table” and “not be a table” at the same time. True, the table may function in different manners at different points in time, however, the table is still the table. In the same way, God can not “be sovereign” and “not be sovereign” at the same time, He is either one or the other, not both. Therefore, and moving all of the logic aside since Scripture teaches that God is sovereign over all of His creation, then we must also affirm that He is sovereign over all of creation.

Jason adds: “God, in His absolute sovereignty, absolute power, and absolute control, has a specific plan for this universe, His Church, and for my life.” This thusly includes (but is not limited to) my family, my job, my daily routines, my church fellowship, my suffering, and my marriage. I had a friend who once said that everything is “Father filtered,” meaning that nothing comes into our lives without first being ordained and approved by God. (The question is then begged as to the concept of evil and the fallen nature of humanity. This will have to wait for another post, if I wish to not clog the blogosphere. I will come back to this at a near point in the future, however, as this is also one of the “problems of philosophy” that I have been wrestling with from a Christian worldview perspective.)

Mr. Allen then included that a few points to take away from God’s plan is that it provides “assurance, confidence, sobriety, focus, and joy.” Assurance because we might rest knowing that the world is not dependent on man and his fallen ways, but on a God who is perfectly holy, perfectly just, and perfectly true in all His ways. Indeed, even the angels in Heaven who are predetermined to carry the bowls of God’s wrath gather around the holy throne and

“sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Rev 15:3-4 ESV)

Our confidence is therefore found in knowing that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). God’s plan also provides sobriety as we remember that there is indeed a coming judgment, and even before that, there is a day that has been appointed for every living creature to die. None of us will die one half-second before it was intended before the foundations of the world were established when the plan existed only in the mind of God.

This then, should lead us to focus as we understand that our days are but few, and that as image bearers of God, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and in submission to His Spirit we ought to seek to live each day for the fullness of God’s glory and for the praise of His name.

All this leads to what might be known as our everlasting joy. When a life is lived for God’s glory, the life will experience joy triumphant and interminable. We can live with the confidence of knowing that God’s plan is intended to result in my greatest joy, that is, the endless joy of knowing Him, the One who created us and saved us by bringing us - who were once far off - into an eternal covenant through His provision which accomplished our redemption.

“Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise You with the lyre, O God, my God.” (Psa 43:3-4)

He is to be our eternal, everlasting, ever-increasing joy as we understand the unfolding nature of His plan.

Allen then sums up the goal of God’s sovereign plan with this purpose: God’s sovereign plan exists for “the greater glory of God and the holiness of His people.” Too often, I attempt to separate this statement into two parts. The first part, “the greater glory of God” I affirm because I understand that all things exist for God’s glory. God is glorified when sinners come to Him in repentance seeking to trust in Him alone for salvation. God is glorified when His children repent of their known sin as well in hopes of purifying their relationship and growing to be more like Christ. God is even glorified, dare say I, when non-believers continue in their sin, for their sin will always stand in stark contrast to His holiness and ultimately His glory will be revealed (here on earth or at the day of judgment and beyond, but it will one day be revealed). However, the second part, “the holiness of His people” I tend to shrug. Yes, this may be awfully unspiritual of me to confess, but I too often do not truly seek to be sanctified by the washing of the word. I do so in theory, of course, but how often do I truly submit myself to the sovereignty of God’s lordship so that I might be intentionally made holy. The only way in which a sinful man such as myself might be made holy is through the cleansing of the sin which so easily entangles. Thus, I must be made aware of my sin and truly repent of it if I am to be conformed to His likeness. My sinful nature rebels against this process, but I admit, that once on the other side of the fires of sanctification I am thankful yet convinced that I have still yet to arrive.

Up to this point, on might have supposed that he had arrived at the wrong conference. This was to be a “marriage conference” right? Yes, it was, and that is precisely the point. Although this was the first marriage gig that my excellent of wife of two years and I have attended, I can only presume that most marriage conferences begin with “Communication 101”, “Roles of the Husband/Wife”, or “What to Do When Your Children Leave Home”, or the like. To be sure, all of these are important issues to discuss and items that need to be addressed sooner or later. However, if we do not have the bedrock of God’s sovereignty then we have missed the point altogether for not only our marriage, but our entire Christian life. As mentioned above, God can not be 99.99% sovereign if He is to be truly sovereign. But when we come to grips with the awesome reality that God is indeed 1,000,000,000,000% sovereign then we can be illumined to the biblical truths that:

I. God’s plan is for my good.
II. God’s plan is for my holiness.
III. God’s plan is for His glory

Jason gave these three truths and then wonderfully brought the idea of God’s sovereignty into the context of our marriages.

I. God’s plan is for my good.
“…all things work together for good.”

Because God is sovereign, I can trust that He is working His plan for my ultimate good. I may not agree with what that “good” is because my sinful natures prevents me from fully grasping the concept of God’s goodness, however, this does not negate God’s goodness nor the goodness of His plan. “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psa 136:1). Jason then follows that this means “that although my wife or my husband is not perfect, she or he is perfect for me.” What a marvelous thought! True, Kimberly is not perfect and neither am I. (I am a lot “less perfect” than she – that’s for sure!) However, we do trust that God’s plan is perfect and that we have not been brought together by a cosmic accident of time plus chance. I trust fully, because the Scriptures affirm this, that God, in His sovereign plan, before the foundations of the world were established, knew my name, knew when I would come into being, knew the path that I would take, and knew who my wife would be long before I had the concept of “girls.” This is not to say that God saw the choices that I would make and then chose to operate His plan in accordance with my choices. Rather, in His sovereignty He gave me the freedom to freely choose the choices that I did make all the while in accordance with His plan that caused me to be in position with exactly where He wanted me to be. And He did the same for Kimberly. Therefore, we are not permitted to ever entertain the idea “maybe I should have chose differently” or “we should have never been married” or “since this isn’t working out we should just divorce.” NO NO NO! To do so would be to deny the goodness of God and the goodness of His plan! This sin must be avoided at all costs.

II. God’s plan is for my holiness.
“…to be conformed to the image of His Son…”

Because God is sovereign, I can trust that His plan is for my holiness. As stated previously, my sinful nature tends to attempt to buck this truth and kick against the goads when it comes to my holiness. However, rest assured, no matter how much I buck or how much I kick, God’s truth abideth still. It is important to note here, that even in our post-modern society, truth is still truth whether we adhere to it or not. Truth is still truth whether we agree with it as truth or not. Truth, real truth, is fully independent of any human validation. It is along this line that we read in the truth of Scripture that His children were intended to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. Thusly, we can note that everything that comes into our life has been “Father filtered” for the purpose of conforming us to his image. More specifically, my job, my marriage, my finances, my children (if the Lord chooses to bless us with them), my possessions, my achievements, my _________(fill in the blank) is intended to conform me into the image if Jesus Christ. Moreover, in light of God’s sovereignty, this proverbial argument that we are having is intended to produce an opportunity for Kimberly and I to glorify God, serve others, and grow to be like Christ (to steal from Ken Sande’s The Peacemaker. Even more specifically, my wife is one of God’s chosen agents of sanctification in my life. Again, oftentimes the agent receives the brunt of what is an individual who does not wish to be sanctified. But I am increasingly thankful for the ministry that the Lord has given to Kimberly to point out faults in my character or areas where I am not living in a Christ-like manner. Notice I did not say that I am always immediately thankful, but prayerfully, I am moving towards that direction. She has the ability, the authority, and the responsibility of no other individual on the face of this earth to carry out this ministry, and I do in kind for her. Dennis Rainey wrote in his book The Christian Husband that I should be more concerned with my wife’s holiness than her happiness. I believe this to be true and the vice-versa applies to her as well.

III. God’s plan is for His glory
“…in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

Because God is sovereign, I can trust that He works all things not only for my good and my holiness, but ultimately for His glory. This is the reason that all things exist anyway – for His glory. For, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”(Ps 19:1) and even we as individuals should consider “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col 3:17). Jason exhorted each of us to “live life in such a way that Jesus Christ gains first place in everything.” He is to have preeminence in every aspect of our lives. Our jobs, our marriages, our finances, our _______(fill in the blank). He is to have first place everywhere! This is especially true in our marriages. For, if at ANY time I seek to usurp His position and desire that I be first place in our marriage, we are destined for a sinful situation. When I believe that all of my needs are to be considered before Kimberly’s I am obviously putting myself before not only her, but before the One who sovereignly brought us together in the first place. It is He who foreknew, He who predestined, He who conforms, He who calls, He who justifies, and He who will one day glorify. Sure, man is responsible for the sinfulness of his own actions, but none of us come to God on our own terms. He sets the stage and draws us to Him. This is a part of His sovereign grace to conform us to His image for His ultimate glory. He does this so that He might be the firstborn and preeminent among all. Come to terms with this truth, and all of life will seem to coincide.

This first session was indeed incredible and set the stage for each session that would follow. What an incredible place to start! God is sovereign and we are not, a truth which also must be understood before our marriages are to be successful for His glory. Failure is not an option, so we seek to rest and trust in the truth of His sovereign grace that plans and redeems from eternity past until eternity future. What a mighty God we serve!

The God Question According to Francis Schaeffer: How the Epistemological Basis for Truth Affects Every Culture

2007-05-03T01:57:00.000-05:00

There are multiple problems that exist in philosophy and any thinker must come to terms on some level with each of them if he is to think rightly about the world in which he lives. These problems include, but are not limited to, questions concerning ultimate reality, whether or not there is a separation between the mind and body, the problem of free will, and what is referred to commonly as "the god question." The god question seeks to determine whether or not a god (some form of deity), gods (multiple deities of certain aspects of life that are often in competition), or God (a personal, infinite being) exist, and if so, how should we then live in light of this? A.W. Tozer comments, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."(1) Indeed, how one answers "the god question" is the most important thing about an individual because from this answer will flow the basic foundations of thought. Thoughts concerning ontology, evil, morality, reality, and all others are influenced by the individual’s response to "the god question." For Francis Schaeffer, entire cultures could be examined based on how they answered this profound question.

Dr. Francis Schaeffer was born in 1912 and changed his answer to "the god question" at age eighteen. Then an agnostic, he converted to Christianity after writing in his September 3rd, 1930 journal entry, "all truth is from the Bible."(2) After marrying his wife, Edith, the duo was sent as missionaries to Switzerland where they eventually founded the L’Abri Institute, which means "shelter in French."(3) The Schaeffer’s began L’Abri in order to assist those who are "seeking the answers to the basic philosophical problems with which all who care about finding a meaning or purpose in life have to struggle" and "to show forth by demonstration, in our life and work, the existence of God."(4) Thus, for Schaeffer, three things became apparent: God is real, God is personal, and our understanding of who He is directly affects our epistemological basis for truth. In other words, for Schaeffer, the most important thing about man is his concept of God.

Francis Schaeffer came to this conclusion after he traced the major thought progressions of most major western cultures beginning from Plato and Socrates and continuing until the modern era. As he looked to each prominent philosopher, he could see a corollary relationship between their thoughts on truth which stemmed from how each answered "the god question." These philosophers then influenced the surrounding culture by way of art, poetry, prose, and drama. According to Schaeffer, "People have presuppositions, and they will live more consistently on the basis of these presuppositions, than they even themselves may realize. By presuppositions we mean the basic way an individual looks at life, his basic world view, the grid through which he sees the world.”(5) These world view’s always act as a grid through which one determines truth, not just his or her personal preferences as others might suggest.

After Greece was conquered by Rome circa 146bc, assimilation occurred between Roman and Greek thought and culture. However, this proved to be detrimental to the Roman society. Approximately 250 years prior to the integration of Rome and Greece, the infamous trial of Socrates before Meletus was held. Found guilty by a jury, Socrates was eventually sentenced to death by drinking a hemlock poison. At the time of Socrates, the State or the polis was the ruling standard by which all was measured and as a result of Socrates’ commitment to the polis his philosophy bound him to submit to it because without his submission (and others who might follow) an anarchy might erupt causing the foundation of the society to be compromised.(6) “[Socrates] explains that the state cannot exist if people do not obey its laws […] So, the argument says, in disobeying the law we destroy the state. Socrates adds that it would be especially ungrateful for someone who has benefited so much from ‘the Laws and Constitution’ to offer injury in return.”(7) As an aside, the polis has a loose affinity with the myriad of gods of their society. According to Schaeffer,

“The gods were amplified humanity, not divinity. Like the Greeks, the Romans had no infinite god. This being so, they had no sufficient reference point intellectually; that is, they did not have anything big enough or permanent enough to which to relate either their thinking or their living. Consequently, their value system was not strong enough to bear the strains of life, either individual or political. All their gods put together could not give them a sufficient base for life, morals, values, and final decisions. These gods depended on the society which had made them, and when this society collapsed the gods tumbled with it. Thus, the Greek and Roman experiments in social harmony (which rested on an elitist republic) ultimately failed.”(8)

Thus, because truth was determined by the society, the society ultimately crumbled because there was not a corporate concept of truth. There were segments that interpreted truth one way, others that interpreted it another way, and a few to be sure that were pluralists who saw no real basis for truth. Without a basis for truth, whatever structure is pretending to exist will ultimately fail. For Schaeffer, “the god question” could again be pointed to as the explanatory factor which caused the decline of the Greco-Roman behemoth that it became. In contrast to the Greco-Roman world view with the polis, or city-state as the foundation for society, first and second century Christians interpreted the world from a different view point.

“That it was the Christians who were able to resist religious mixtures, syncretism, and the effects of the weaknesses of Roman culture speaks to the strength of the Christian world view. This strength rested on God’s being an infinite-personal God and His speaking in the Old Testament, in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, and in the gradually growing New Testament […] Thus the Christians not only had knowledge about the universe and mankind that people cannot find out by themselves, but they had an absolute, universal values by which to live and by which to judge the society and the political state in which they lived. And they had grounds for the basic dignity and value of the individual as unique in being made in the image of God.”(9)

It must be noted that it was not long, however, before those early Christians became tainted with the improper desire for power, fueled by the surrounding Greco-Roman society that was being built around them. By the end of the second century, the “Church” was being developed as a centralized power force and authority was understood as coming from the Church as opposed to from God Himself through His revealed truth in Scripture.

The view that the Church was able to stand as the touchstone for truth based on its own merit, not the authority of the Bible or God, continued throughout the Middle Ages.(10) It was also during this time that the Church set up the papacy who acted as the ultimate authority for the Church. Space will not permit for the discussion of why this act was wrong on so many levels, but the historic fact remains that this is indeed what happened. Therefore, suffice it to say, that this period was characterized by a general understanding of Christianity which permeated most of western culture, although many in society would not have identified themselves as “Christians.” It was in the eleventh century that John of Salisbury directly confronted the residing pope and declared that “the Roman Church, which is the Mother of all Churches, behaves more like a step-mother than a mother.”(11) Thus, even the entity composed of individuals who were supposed to know truth and interpret the world properly, had become lustful for power and greedy for dishonest gain that came at the expense of truth. Although western history experienced an overlay of Christianity, the heart of truth was not always prevalent in the minds of many who lived during this time. This period soon faded into the glory of what is now known as the Renaissance.

The Renaissance, or “new birth,” is generally dated between the 1300’s and the early 1700’s. According to Schaeffer, however, one must look back into the Middle Ages, specifically to philosopher/theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) in order to properly understand the Renaissance. The traditional Christian world view can be interpreted in the grid of Creation/Fall/Redemption/Restoration. The Biblical Christian sees the world as being first created by God (this answers the question of origins). Then there was the “Fall of man” which accounts for how evil entered into the world. The final stages are redemption, how God is working in the world to counteract the fall of man, and restoration, the future, final event when all things will be restored to their original state.(12) Thomas Aquinas, however, interpreted the fall of man to not affect the entire man (as the conservative understanding teaches) but that man “lost only the added-on gift of supernatural grace (the upper story). They fell from a state of grace to the state pf pure nature, losing the extra, supra-human faculties but retaining their human faculties (the lower story) essentially intact and unchanged.”(13) As a result, the idea that man’s intellect was different from his values was propagated and values and morals were no longer considered to be elements of truth, but merely opinions or preferences.(14) It was at this juncture that the Renaissance caught its fuel, albeit one hundred years prior to its official inception. What emerged was not necessarily a birth of a new man per se, but rather the birth of a new thought about man and his position in the universe.

The Renaissance brought with it a vibrancy to life and a renewed passion for the arts. Not to say that the arts were not influential in times prior, they were, but it was unquestionably one of the greatest peaks in the history of creativity. Artwork took on new meaning, theatre regained its significance, and as always, philosophers seemed to be behind the scenes directing the culture as a stage. The philosophical framework which was to characterize the Renaissance man centered on the idea of humanism. Humanism may be understood as the “philosophy or system of thought that begins with man alone, in order to try to find a unified meaning to life.”(15) Leonardo da Vinci, Brunelleschi, and Masaccio were influential artists in their day who took this form of humanism and illustrated it in painting and in architecture. It is difficult to separate “art” and “architecture” into their exclusive categories because for the Renaissance man, the world belonged to him, and the world was his canvas. It was not until the Renaissance that the use of simple geometric forms such as the square and the circle were used in art and architecture – of which da Vinci was the master of shape and Brunelleschi the master of space. “But for the men of the men of the Renaissance the new view of perspective was also something more: It placed man in the center of this space, and space became subordinated to mathematical principles spun out of the mind of man.”(16) Although much of the artwork and architecture that was employed during this period of history was associated with the Church, it should not be understood that the artist’s had a proper view of God as revealed in the Bible. Rather, these artists attempted to display their own view of humanism, man as the centerpiece for life, rather than God. Thus, humanistic men of the Renaissance answered “the god question” this way: “God may or may not exist, and we are the least bit concerned. Our focus should be on man and the creation in order to enjoy the here and now rather than concern ourselves with some cosmic question mark.”(17) According to Schaeffer, “Man made himself increasingly independent and autonomous, and with this came an increasing loss of anything which gave meaning, either to the individual things in the world or to man. With this we begin to see the dilemma of humanism which is still with us today.”(18)

Michelangelo’s statue of David and the men “tearing themselves out of the rock” were sculpted during this Renaissance period and attempted to capture the essence of the humanistic world view that dominated the era. “They make a real humanistic statement: Man will make himself great. Man as Man is tearing himself out of the rock. Man by himself will tear himself out of nature and free himself from it. Man will be victorious.”(19) In contrast to the secular humanist’s Renaissance that was occurring, there was also another cultural revolution that was occurring in northern Europe during this same time frame. What later came to be known as the Reformation, was actually a clarion call from within the Church to bring its constituents back to a biblical view of man and of God. This was the attempt to dethrone the humanistic vantage that had gripped most of western culture and to replace man with man’s Creator, the Christian’s God. “The differences in the Reformation and the Renaissance lie right there, in the view of man. The Reformers preached the original sin of man and looked upon the world as “fallen” from God’s intended place. The Renaissance had a positive estimate of human nature and the universe itself. This confidence in man and his powers flowered and filled the air with fragrance during the Enlightenment.”(20) According to Schaeffer, the Renaissance in the south and the Reformation in the north must be dealt with concurrently, for each dealt with the same sets of issues, but yielded totally contradictory answers and results.(21)

The Reformers in the north answered “the god question” entirely differently than the southern men of the Renaissance and this thought was evident in their writings as well as the artists who were influenced by this emphasis on Biblical authority.

“In contrast to the Renaissance humanists, [the Reformers] refused to accept the autonomy of human reason [made popular by the humanists of the Renaissance], which acts as though the human mind is infinite, with all knowledge within its realm. Rather, they took seriously the Bible’s own claim for itself – that it is the only final authority. And they took seriously that man need the answers given by God in the Bible to have adequate answers not only for how to be in an open relationship with God, but also for how to know the present meaning of life and how to have final answers in distinguishing between right and wrong. That is, man need not only a God who exists, but a God who has spoken in a way that can be understood.”(22)

Johann Sebastian Bach and Friedrich Handel were arguably the most prominent composers who were heavily influenced by the Reformation’s answer to “the god question.” Disenchanted by the idea that man was the center of the world, Bach and Handel sought to compose music that would point to God as Creator, Jesus Christ as the Savior, and man in total dependence upon Him for the very air that they breathe. Thus, their music had a distinct quality about it that was characterized by chords that were always resolved, and harmonies that were never dissonant. This was deliberate in order to show how the God of the Bible causes all things to work together in harmony in order to complete a cohesive whole.

The Reformation which offered a concept of Biblically revealed truth compared to the Renaissance which eventually lead to humanistic despair was soon followed by the rise of modern science which heavily influenced modern art, music, literature, and film. This period may be referred to as the Enlightenment and its philosophical father was a Frenchman named Voltaire. According to Schaeffer, Voltaire was thoroughly impressed with the English “Bloodless Revolution” (1688) where William III of Orange and Mary came to the throne, but with limits imposed on them by Parliament. Schaeffer argues that this form of revolution was made possible only as a result of the Reformation’s concept of truth. Voltaire desired to see this same kind of revolution in France, however, what he witnessed instead was the massacre of thousands of people led by Maximilien Robespierre. Because the French leaders of their revolution answered “the god question” entirely differently than those of the Reformation, true change did not occur and it came at the expense of needless blood shed. And even after thousands of people were killed, it still did not produce the lasting results that were desired. In June 1789, Frenchman of the National Assembly gathered to develop what is now famously referred to as the “Tennis Court Oath,” where the men swore to establish a constitution after locking themselves inside a building that housed tennis courts. According to Schaeffer,

“Their base, consciously, was purely a humanist theory of rights…It sounded fine, but it had nothing to rest upon. In the Declaration of the rights of Man what was called “the Supreme Being” equaled “the sovereignty of the nation” – that is, the general will of the people. Not only was there a contrast with what resulted in the United States from the Declaration of Independence which was made thirteen years earlier. On had the Reformation base, the other did not.”(23)

Because “the god question” was left interpreted from the humanistic standpoint, the French could not offer anything of lasting value. As Schaffer comments on the Rights of Man, “within a year it was a dead letter.”(24)

The Enlightenment brought with it a season of rapid scientific advancements such as the discovery of electricity, the universal force of attraction we call gravity, and the development of such everyday tools as the barometer. All of these came about as man began to weigh heavily on the instrument of reason because he saw that the world seemed to operate in a consistent manner. According to Schaeffer, two non-Christian men, Alfred North Whitehead and J. Robert Oppenheimer, both “stressed that modern science was born out of the Christian world view.”(25) Schaeffer quotes Whitehead to assert that the early scientists “had an inexpugnable belief that every detailed occurrence can be correlated with its antecedents in a perfectly definite manner, exemplifying general principles. Without this belief the incredible labors of scientists would be without hope.”(26) In other words, the scientists of this period answered “the god question” by at least affirming that there is some being in which has caused the world to exist in its current state and to display consistent attributes by which we can observe nature and make educated predictions.

However, according to Schaeffer it was here that scientists made a grave error. The trend went towards emphasizing the particulars over the universals which ultimate reduced man’s significance. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution based on the concept of natural selection caught significant attention with the publishing of Darwin’s The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life in 1859. Whether Darwin intended to cause such a break in the way I which man was viewed is irrelevant, his thinking has shaped western culture more so than most philosophers of the past two hundred years. In Darwin’s natural selection, man is reduced to a compilation of molecules on the basis of time plus chance. In short, if natural selection is to be understood as the premise for the origin of species, something came from nothing as a result of nothing other than random chance and many millions, if not billions, of years of random chance activity. These infinite number of chance occurrences coupled with a little bit of luck and stretched out over eons, in Darwin’s view, has created everything that we see in our world today. For Darwin, and those who hold to the theory of natural selection, “the god question” is answered by stating that man does not need God, a god, or gods as a necessary and sufficient being, for all man needs is time plus chance. However, since man is then reduced to a chance number of cells and DNA strands, man’s value is lost because there is nothing that gives him value other than the idea that his number hit the lottery.

This idea of chance selection influenced more than just the area of biological science. In fact, even the musical compositions of the day were leaning on this theory of randomness as a source of creativity. John Cage was a musical composer who believed the idea that the universe consisted purely as a result of time plus chance. Therefore, his music was composed with this same theory in view and the result, although to some may sound creative, to most it was sheer noise. All sounds were dissonant. All sound was not intended to produce melodies or harmonies, it was simply intended to produce noise which hopefully with enough time and enough chance might actually formulate something that could be heard and interpreted by the listener. However, Cage eventually understood the fallacy of his thinking as he realized that one can not practically live in this world with the base idea that time plus chance will consistently yield beneficial results. Cage was also an authority in “mycology, the science of mushrooms. And he himself said, “I became aware that if I approached mushrooms in the spirit of my chance operation, I would die shortly.” Mushroom picking must be carefully discriminative. His theory of the universe does not fit the universe that exists.”(27)

As Schaeffer traced “the god question” throughout the ages, he saw a prominent theme emerge that is no shock to philosophers: how one answers “the god question” will have dramatic influence on every other area of his life. This was true in the days of Plato, the Middle Ages, the Enlightenment and is still true even today. When Schaeffer began to look at the modern times (for him this would have been from the 1950’s up until the time of his death in 1984), he still saw “the god question” as the determining factor of society and culture. With the 1960’s and 1970’s came an increased desire for personal peace and affluence.

“Personal peace means just to be let alone, not to be troubled by the troubles of other people…Affluence means an overwhelming and ever-increasing prosperity – a life made up of things, things, and more things – a success judged by an ever-higher level of material abundance.”(28)

According to Schaeffer, in today’s world the majority answer “the god question” on the basis of a misconstrued vocabulary. No longer is God an infinite personal Being, but rather “this finally brings them to the place where the word God merely becomes the word God, and no certain content can be put into it.”(29) Therefore, god is seen as something that would allow the individual to gain greater affluence and prosperity. And when there is a lack of affluence or prosperity it is then “god’s” fault for he, she, they, or it has not provided abundantly beyond that which they have worked for. Sadly, as Schaeffer has rightly noted, “Much of the church is no help here either, because for so long a large section of the church has only bee teaching a relativistic humanism using religious terminology.”(30) According to Schaeffer, most will continue to give up his or her “liberties” provided that his or her personal peace and affluence is not threatened. This leads us into a lackadaisical approach to the issues that affect our time. Women’s rights, racial injustice, and the defending of all life at any stage meets apathy when it comes to the aggregate of western society. For the typical westerner living in a democratic society where his or her vote and voice is theoretically equally heard, the majority express a sheer disinterest until it directly affects his or her personal peace or affluence. This is a direct result of how many in this current society answer “the god question.” Without a proper, Biblical view of God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture, Schaeffer attests that man will ultimately only be concerned with that which directly affects himself. To be sure, there will be a few altruistic souls in the lot, but for the majority, the fight is not worth it as our society has bought into the idea that time plus chance will solve all problems. This is hardly a healthy view for any individual for any society and this present author desires that he was making a broader generalization than is actually present. Unfortunately, I am convinced that this is an accurate assessment.

“The god question” is the most important question for Francis Schaeffer and he set out to trace each culture’s response to “the god question” in an effort to see how each then gained their epistemological basis for truth. We live in an age of postmodern skepticism where the only absolute that is proffered is the false idea that there are no absolutes. Nancy Pearcey sums up Schaeffer’s word view this way:

“In other words, objective truth is possible only if there is a Creator who has spoken to us – giving us divine revelation. As Schaeffer put it in the title of one of his books, only if He Is There and He Is Not Silent. The only way of escape from postmodern skepticism is if God has revealed something of His own perspective to us – not about spiritual matters only, and not a noncognitive emotional experience, but revelation of objective truth about the cosmos we live in. In short, the biblical doctrine of revelation is the only way to close the gap between fact and value, between the upper and lower stories.”(31)

Schaeffer’s legacy and influence on thinking Christians who have refused to accept the anti-intellectualism so prominent in the Church today will be felt for generation’s to come. He saw and envisioned things that were virtually unheard of in his day (in-vitro fertilization, partial-birth abortion, euthanasia - to name a few) and he spoke on these issues as a foretelling of things to come. “The god question” for Schaeffer had to be answered this way:

“In Christianity the value of faith depends upon the object towards which the faith is directed. So it looks outward to the God who is there, and to the Christ who in history died upon the cross once for all, finished the work of atonement, and on the third day rose again in space and in time. This makes Christian faith open to discussion and verification.”(32)

Schaeffer’s answer to “the god question” was never to simply place blind faith in something that is without reason. He denied this fallacy of “blind faith” because first, it is simply irrational to believe that such a leap is necessary, and second because the New Testament never presents faith in this light. For Schaeffer, God Is There and He Is Not Silent. For countless thinking Christians, so is Francis Schaeffer.

-------------------
End Notes:
1 AW Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1961), p. 1
2 Christopher Catherwood, Five Evangelical Leaders (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1984), p. 112. As quoted by Bryan A. Follis, Truth with Love: The Apologetics of Francis Schaeffer (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006), p. 13
3 Edith Schaeffer, L’Abri: New Expanded Edition (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1992), p. 13
4 ibid p. 13, 15-16
5 Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), p. 19
6 One could argue that this form of city-state governing polis was a precursor to socialism, but the corollary is insignificant to this discussion.
7 James Rachels, Problems from Philosophy (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2005), p. 5
8 Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), p. 21
9 ibid. p. 22
10 For our purposes we will define the Middle Ages as consisting roughly between the years 500 and 1400ad.
11 ibid. p. 35
12 This should not be understood to be a complex treatise in the area of Christian world view. For such a discourse, I would respectfully submit Nancy Pearcey’s Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004). Heavily influenced by Francis Schaeffer during her stays at L’Abri, Pearcey is also an expert in Schaeffer’s answers to “the god question” and other problems in philosophy.
13 Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), p. 92. The dichotomy between “upper story” and “lower story” was the attempt by Aquinas to

“ ‘Christianize’ Aristotle’s philosophy, rejecting what was clearly unscriptural and seeking to interpret the rest in a form compatible with Christianity (just as earlier thinkers had done with Plato).

The end result was that Aquinas retained the dualistic framework of Greek philosophy while changing the terminology. In the upper story he put grace, and in the lower story he put nature – not nature in the modern scientific sense but in the Aristotelian sense of the “nature of a thing,” meaning its ideal or perfect form, its full potential, the goal toward which it strives, its telos. In Aristotle’s philosophy, all natural processes are teleological, tending toward a purpose or goal.” (ibid 78)

14 Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), p. 52
15 Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There: 30th Anniversary Edition (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), p. 216.
16 Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), p. 62
17 This is this present author’s summation.
18 ibid. p. 68
19 ibid. p. 71
20 Bruce Shelley, Church History in Plain Language: Updated 2nd Edition (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1995), p. 313
21 ibid. p. 79
22 Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), p. 81
23 ibid. p. 122. It should be noted that Schaeffer does not subscribe to the theory that the founders of America were all Christians, rather, that the majority were deists at best. However, he does argue that although they were not Christians in the Biblical sense, the developing nation operated under the pretenses that Biblical Christianity offers (when faithful to the Biblical revelation). These pretenses are what offer us our “unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
24 ibid. p. 122
25 ibid. p. 132
26 ibid. p. 133
27 ibid. p. 196
28 ibid. p. 205
29 ibid. p. 176
30 ibid. p. 227
31 Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), p. 246.
32 Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There: 30th Anniversary Edition (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), p. 84-85.

Baby Got Book

2007-04-09T23:18:00.000-05:00

For those children of the 90's...My Bible Study Don't Want None Unless You Got Book, Hun.

It's Sunday...He Is Risen!

2007-04-08T20:34:00.000-05:00

"Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." (Matthew 28:1-10 ESV)

It's Saturday

2007-04-07T12:25:00.000-05:00

“Next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard a of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can." So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.” (Matthew 27:62-66)

It's Saturday...But Sunday's Comin!

It's Friday

2007-04-06T10:56:00.000-05:00

Luke 23 44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.

It's Friday...But Sunday's Comin!

When Man Worships a Man Who Worships Himself

2007-04-05T07:40:00.000-05:00

This is scary. Watch the whole thing.

Acts 12 22 “And the people were shouting, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.”

And, as in the case in most countries where intense Christian persecution occurs the next verse is of utmost importance:

Acts 12 24 “But the word of God increased and multiplied.”

Pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in North Korea who understand the call to lose ourselves for the sake of the gospel.

See also Biographies of Korea's Leaders.

Testimony Tuesday

2007-04-03T02:09:00.000-05:00

Tim Challies, the pope of blogdom, set forth a proposition that this Tuesday (today) be known as "Testimony Tuesday". With this idea in mind, bloggers around the globe (at least those who visited his site last week) will share their testimony of God’s grace as revealed when He called them to salvation. Therefore, I am following suit today.

I was born at a very young age. OK, not the best way to begin, but true nonetheless. I’m sure that I should say something spiritual here such as the fact that the Lord “knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Ps 139:13) but until the last half decade this truth evaded me. Thus, I need not let on that I am more spiritual than I am.

My parents were separated three months prior to my birth and eventually divorced when I was five. If there is such a thing, my mother and father had an excellent “divorced” relationship. The two owned a business together and my father made sure that we were financially provided for. I was loved and not neglected; I never had any doubt of this, but the intimacy between parents and child were lacking – something I never came to realize until the last few years. My father died when I was a senior in high school and a boy who had yet to become a man was left without a father. In some sense, you could say that he was left without a father from the day he was born. I share this not to evoke pity, but to clarify that this has always been a constant source of struggle for me (even to this day) although I may not have recognized it as such earlier.

I grew up “going” to church but I didn’t grow “up in church.” Do you see the distinction? Sure, we wore special clothes on Sunday, attended Sunday school class, and went to the service. We also went to the youth group meetings on Sunday afternoons (until I got older) but I was never truly connected to the body. I can not say that I never heard the gospel. I can say that I never heard the gospel during this time. Thus, I had an apathy towards church body and therefore toward the Church’s Head.

I was a decent student through grade school and was always involved in athletics in some degree. This was the norm until I entered my early teenage years and I discovered extracurricular activities of the non-sporting type which quickly led to my despise for anything associated with physical exertion or mental command. My grades dropped, my demeanor was less than becoming, and the life of this fourteen-year-old eighth grader was falling apart. A year and a half later my mother confronted me with an ultimatum: “I’ll call the police, or I’ll call the military academy. You decide.” I chose the military academy.

Just before I was to begin my new life as a cadet at Missouri Military Academy I traveled with my church’s youth group to Denver, CO in order to attend a Christ in Youth conference. My sole motivation was to go skiing one last time before my life was officially over. I do not remember what was said or who the speaker was (although I have attempted to contact CIY in order to obtain this information to no avail), but I remember sensing the Holy Spirit’s conviction that indeed my life was wrought with sin and I was in need of a Savior. From that day forward, I knew that I had been forgiven because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, however, I had no concept of what it meant to be a Christian apart from going to church. Thus, within a few weeks I was living in Mexico, MO and this seed had fallen along the path only to be removed by a passerby.

I spent the time spanning between the second half of my freshman year through the end of my junior year at MMA. All the while, it was required that we attend church on Sunday morning, but this did nothing to feed my soul. I was surrounded by 400 kids who were just like me and it was during this time how I perfected the art of hypocrisy. Outwardly I was the model cadet who was earning commendations, accolades, and was the top of my class, but inwardly I was in ruins. I was outwardly such an example that the day I was caught with cigarettes in my possession, no one believed me when I told them that they were mine! Still distanced from my father and increasing in distance from my mother, I knew no truth other than that my life was a lie.

As an ironic twist, one of the best things that ever happened to me was the day that I was asked to leave the academy for “Conduct Unbecoming a Cadet.” This was a wake up call of sorts and my life was laid bare for all to see. This caused my relocation across the country to Dover, Delaware the location of my high school graduation; a location to which I likely will never return. Upon graduation I moved to Rock Hill, SC where I attended Winthrop University for six months. The cares of this world continued to vie for my affections which caused a lackluster grade performance resulting in a 1.692 GPA that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. After a sudden stroke of responsibility, I began working as a Manger in Training with Hibbett Sporting Goods. After living in York, SC for three weeks I was transferred to Charlotte, NC where I found myself nineteen years old and managing a shoe store! I had become Al Bundy with a genY twist.

In February of 2000, I moved to Birmingham, AL accepting a job at Hibbett’s home office to work as a Project Manager for new store construction and remodels. This was the dream job for a twenty-year-old single guy! I traveled every week to every map dot with a Wal-Mart within a twenty-one state area. Have you ever heard of Altus, OK? Norton, VA? Early, TX? or Winnsboro, LA? Neither had I until then. I now had the dream job, but my life was still lacking. I needed a father, and I needed a Father.

In God’s providence, the apartment complex I moved into was directly across the street from what would eventually become my church home. Little did I know, but 18 months after moving to Birmingham I would finally find what I had been looking for all along and I found Him within the truths of His revealed word.

I had been attending Hunter Street Baptist Church off and on over the last year and a half. The church was emphasizing the authority of God’s word and how every Christian needs to present himself as one who has been approved, one who accurately handles the word of truth. (This should be a self-evident truth, but as we know, many of us miss the point all too often on this one.) I neglected my Bible for most of my life with a few spiritual exceptions here and there. It was, however, on November 3, 2001 that I found myself with nothing to do and for whatever reason, sat down to read my Bible. The passage? 1 Chronicles 28 and Malachi 3. Odd places to start, I know…but I believe that God had a plan. Parenthetically, I must be emphatically clear that I do NOT believe in a “devotional theology” where one can simply pick up the Bible and randomly select a passage and expect that to qualify as an encounter with God. True, God speaks through all of His word at all times, but this is hardly to be considered a disciplined method of study and one should not make this a practice. This day, however, was not random as I was relying on a reading plan that the church had produced in order to be sure that the entire church family was reading together.

Here are some selections of what I underlined from these NIV passages (I know, I know…I was SO unspiritual then!):

From 1 Chronicles 28

But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for My Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’” (28:3)

“He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.” (28:6)

“…Be careful to follow all the commands of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.” (28:8b)

“…If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.” (28:9b)

“He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used in various kinds of service, and the weight of silver for all the silver articles to be used in various kinds of service” (28:14) (In the margin next to this verse I wrote “God doesn’t leave out the details.” Awfully astute for this pre-budding theologian!)

“…and He gave me understanding in all the details of His plan.” (28:19b)

From Malachi 3

”See, I will send My messenger who will prepare the way before me…” (3:1a)

“…Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.” (3:3c-4)

“I the LORD do not change…Return to Me, and I will return to you.” (3:6)

And with that, I realized that God was sovereign Lord over all things – including my life. He used the power of His word to confront me with my own sinfulness, present me with His Holiness, and a proposition coupled with a promise: return to Him and He would return to me. That evening our church hosted a 24 hour prayer event to which I invaded about 12:30am. This was the first time that I ever prayed by myself for more than thirty seconds. I do not remember much of what happened after that, but I know that the time went quickly. I remember uttering something similar to “Lord, I don’t quite understand all of this, but you definitely have my attention. Show me the next step and I will follow You.” Well, the next step for me was church membership so I began attending a Sunday school class and meeting as many people as I possibly could. A month later I identified myself with the people called Hunter Street through membership in our church. From that time, the Lord has continued to draw me to Himself even though I have at times been resistant to His irresistible grace.

Three years later, I met the woman who would later become my wife at Hunter Street. We were married on June 4, 2005 and I am now gainfully employed by this very church. Kimberly and I met at Hunter Street, were married, and will continue to minister to the people called Hunter Street and beyond until such a time as the Lord sees fit to move us away from them. I am currently pursuing the educational aspect of my calling into vocational ministry, Lord willing, finishing my undergraduate degree in December and begin seminary in January. We are just getting started…to be continued.

“ I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:12-17 ESV)

Sunday's Comin'!

2007-04-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

We watched this video today during our All-Staff worship which occurs once monthly, the first Monday of each month. Thanks to this site for having the video for me to swipe!

Google Releases TiSP - FREE WIRELESS INTERNET

2007-04-02T14:01:00.000-05:00

A great new tool has just been released by Google! This will phenomenally revolutionize the current internet world to bring high speed access to millions of users in North America. Sadly, it is only available to those of us in the northern side of the western hemisphere, but Google is in cooperation with utility services around the globe in an effort to make the world truly flat again by 2010. Don’t flush this opportunity to get fast free web in your home!

Internet service can be costly when it is coupled with the equipment one must purchase, the upgrade to the phone or cable lines within the home, and not to mention the need to have a computer that is able to process 300 trillion gigabytes per nanosecond because the generation who has never lived in a home without a microwave just can not wait for pages to load. Thanks to Google, the web is now not only accessible to all for free, but unlike other free web providers, they can keep you up to speed. They have opened a watershed, and since this is no pee sized achievement, you’re in for a treat. Komodo Dragons, beware, this is HOT!

Click here for a free tutorial and to receive your free installation kit.

Some Days Are Just Not Our Days...

2007-04-01T19:38:00.000-05:00

True story relayed to me by the driver:

Two women packed into an overheated pickup truck on a sultry Sunday afternoon. Seeking a respite from the heat, the driver primed the air conditioner only to find thick air quickly filling the tiny compartment.

“My air conditioner’s gone out” she exclaimed with much disappointment. “How am I going to find the money to pay for this?!?! Summer has not even officially begun and its only going to get hotter. This is just simply not my day.”

Call it providence, call it coincidence, call it what you will, but this is what happened next. The voice of the passenger cut through the stifling circulation of molten O2 and posed this maxim:

“Isn’t the dial supposed to be on the blue side?”

Some days are just not our days...

When Pursuits Come in a 3 Piece Fashion

2007-03-28T16:53:00.000-05:00

Thursday afternoon I picked up a copy of Jerry Bridges’ The Pursuit of Holiness. I have never read the book, and having recently acquired a copy, I intend do so in the near future. Many have commented on its effectiveness to spur within them a desire for greater holiness and dedication to the Lord. Many others have given testimony that this little book so utterly convicted them of the presence of their own sin that they could not but help cry with the multitudes of Heaven, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev 4:8). Indeed, when we truly come into a mere glimpse of God’s holiness we will see our sinfulness laid bare against this backdrop and cause us to recognize our intense need for a Savior. There are not many books that are able to call for such an accolade. For many, Bridges’ book has done so.

Just inside the front cover I find this recommendation from RC Sproul:

”When Jerry Bridges speaks, I listen. His teaching on holiness is not an exercise in abstraction; it is an expression f a passion that has gripped his life and ministry.”

These are pretty strong words coming from Dr. Sproul. When he speaks, I tend to listen; therefore, I probably ought to read this book!

And then I read the next recommendation. Not that this will deter me from reading the book, in fact, it will probably encourage me to read it sooner as a strange twist of events, but it brought sadness to my heart nonetheless. The recommendation reads,

”Jerry Bridges gives timelss insight into a timeless problem: in our own pursuit of holiness, it’s easy to end up in the ditch of legalism on one side of the road or lethargy on the other. The Pursuit of Holiness has helped so many believer navigate the tricky but vitally important road to personal holiness. This book should be on every Christian leader’s shelf.”

And then my heart was grieved as I read the endorser’s name: “Ted Haggard, president, National Association of Evangelicals.”

Oh how great is the fall when we fall from greatness! I found myself struggling to understand how a man so seemingly committed to personal holiness could write such a powerful recommendation for a book on the subject only to later fall into temptation with an extramarital affair. I need not ponder to long in order to determine the answer: pride will tell you “it won’t happen to me” for it “goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Pr 16:18). I need not ponder too much longer before I recognize – it could happen to me. And then, if I’m really honest with myself – it WILL happen to me IF I take my focus from the cross of Jesus Christ and place my trust in my own person and in my own works. Am I capable of cheating on my wife and ruining our marriage forever? Absolutely! Do I desire to find out if our marriage is strong enough to recover? Absolutely not.

I picked up Pursuit Thursday.

Friday morning I received a call from my wife asking me to pick up a copy of the morning paper. Again, my heart was sick and I was grieved all over. On the front page of the newspaper I found that Rick Ousely, a prominent Christian leader in our community had succumbed to temptation that led to an extramarital affair spanning twenty-five years. This gentleman has been used by God in tremendous ways throughout his life of ministry. It would not be accurate to begin to question his salvation, or the legitimacy of the ministry that he led. The first Lord ’s Supper that my wife and I shared together was Christmas Eve 2004. This pastor administered the Table and I assure that our participation in the ordinance was not marginalized in any way on our parts. I can not speak for the condition of his heart that day, or even this day, for I do not know him personally.

This then brings me to an inquisitive position. What happens when a Christian leader falls? Surely, we can not possibly measure the effect that this is having on his wife and children. We need not lose sight that these are real people who are being drug through this by no choice of their own. Children of pastors have it difficult anyway - living in a glass house as it were. Add this pressure on top of them, and I can only imagine what this has amounted to. But what else accounts for the aftermath of the fallout? What is the Christian’s responsibility in the community for this fallen gospel minister? How am I to respond and how does the non-believing community respond? I would like to probe this further, more for my benefit than yours, but you are welcome to accompany me on the journey. What follows will be in list form but in no certain order or priority whatsoever.

1. The marriage of those involved is destroyed. Yes, reconciliation is possible and I pray that the Lord’s grace might be evident with his wife and children. But this kind of forgiveness and reconciliation does not occur overnight. This affair had been ongoing for twenty-five years (assuming the newspaper article has reported this accurately) which thus means what “trust” that existed was a trust based on false pretenses. It was not real. One side of the marriage was leading a life that was foreign to the other side. Therefore, this marriage will basically be forced to start over to rebuild trust from the beginning. Is it possible? Sure it is, if both of them are willing to work at it for the glory of God.

2. His vocational ministry is over. I have struggled personally with this one because I am having difficulty striking the balance between grace moving towards reconciliation and the consequences of sin. Scripture is clear on the character traits of those who are called to lead His church (1 Tim 3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9). Now, if I am honest with myself, I will see quickly that there are various ways in which my character does not align itself with these qualities on a continuing basis. My desire is that it would, but I have a day of my life fully devoted to the Lord and fully focused on the cross of Christ. Until this day, I will continue to struggle with sin and temptation to sin. Therefore, is there a difference in the habitual nature of the sin and inconsistency? I think that there is, but I hope I do so not to just let myself off the hook. I think that a man who falls into a sin of this magnitude forfeits his right to be a pastor and to lead another congregation. Can he still be an active member in a local fellowship? Absolutely, and he should be for that matter, assuming that he is willing to submit himself to their leadership and discipline. But, ministry and oversight of God’s flock is a privilege and a responsibility, not a right.

This then begs the question concerning Parachurch organizations or traveling speaker ministries. This current pastor in question was the director of his own speaking ministry which has a board of directors and oversight committee. However, oversight committee or not, the speaker is still the one who is proclaiming God’s truth and his hearers are willfully submitting themselves under his authority. Consequently, I think that the outcome should be the same for this scenario, he should forfeit his right to this type of ministry. The only exception that I can think of for this situation specifically would be for he and his wife to have a speaking ministry TOGETHER and one would NEVER speak at an event without the other. However, this would definitely limit the scope of their talks to “how to overcome an affair in your marriage” which one would hope would have a low focal group. However, I would not be too surprised should there be a legitimate need develop within the church.

3. Those who have been under the fallen pastor’s leadership will question the validity of his teaching, their conversion, and just about every area that was affected by the ministry of the individual. This is a natural response given how much trust we place in the spiritual leaders over us, but we must remember who is ultimately in control of salvation and sanctification. The Lord is the one who sets His effectual call on us (Eph 1:4), the Lord is the One who effects his regeneration within us (John 3:8; 1 Pet 1:2), and the Lord is the One Who will keep us and continue to grow us until the Day of Christ Jesus (John 17:12 ; Ph 1:6). Therefore, to trust exclusively in the agent or administer of the gospel call is to not truly respond to the gospel itself. However, we must acknowledge that this problem is presented as a result of a minister who falls publicly and, I believe, will give an account to God for these ramifications.

4. The unbelieving world begins to issue claims of hypocrisy and condemnation on the church. The world is always looking for a reason to discount Christianity, because many of us Christians live a disenchanted and discounted Christianity. Any faithful minister of the word will at some point in his ministry make statements on the need for sexual purity, martial fidelity, and rebuke any form of immorality. This is good and essential, but this is the first line of offense that the world will take at the fallen minister and Christianity in general. As Christians, we must come to the reality that on some level we are all hypocrites. If we weren’t, we would not sin. We say that the Bible is true and that Jesus is the Lord over every area of our life. Well, if this were indeed true then I would be without sin and therefore not be a hypocrite. But, the converse is actually the truth. For those outside the church who begin to make such a claim, I would respond in kind with this question: “Well, I admit, you’re right. It is hypocritical for us to proclaim truth against an action or attitude that God has deemed sinful and then turn around and commit the same crime. This is why we are so utterly in need of a Savior who was absolutely perfect and un-hypocritical in every degree.” Further, I would then ask the inquisitor, “What would you say to this fallen minister’s wife? Is she just as much of a hypocrite as he?”

5. The unbelieving world comes to the stark reality that there is indeed an absolute truth that consists of right and wrong morality. Therefore, there can be good that can come from this, and to this fifth point I need to give full credit to my wife. As we were discussing the ramifications of Rick’s fall, she made the comment, “It just goes to show you that people really do believe in a right and wrong.” Amen, I applaud to my wonderfully astute and observant wife! She is absolutely right on. For, if the world truly did believe that all morality is relative and that there is no such a thing as right and wrong, then why did this story make the front page of the newspaper? Why did this story end up being discussed on most of the morning talk shows in Birmingham? Why was it on the 6:00 and 10:00 news that evening? If there really were no concept of morality, this story would not have made headlines, and it would not have been topic of conversation throughout the city. If right and wrong are truly figments of our imagination, why was this action being condemned and not applauded? I can only think of one legitimate answer: because there IS a moral right and wrong. Even if a non-believer were to comment, “Well, the story made headlines because it was calling out the hypocrisy of the church.” To this I would respond, “So, you confess that that it is not right to say one thing and then act in a way completely contrary – hypocritically? Well, you just proved my point. There ARE moral absolutes.”

6. This is a warning for all believers everywhere. This is another form of good that may come from this, although I wish it did not have to. As discussed previously, it can happen to any of us at any time. I know the internal wickedness of my own heart, and apart from Christ I am fully capable of any sin. Praise the Lord for the ministry of the Holy Spirit to prevent me from achieving further sin than what I already accomplish! This recent falling has caused me to question the security of the boundaries within my own marriage. Am I being cautious in all relationships with women other than my wife? Is my heart guarded at all times when it comes to conversing and interacting with other women? Have I, as Job did, “made a covenant with my eyes” (Job 31:1) so that I might not gaze upon another woman? Am I seeking anything outside of my relationship with wife that was intended to be satisfied by her and her alone? Am I being open and honest with those MEN whom God has provided for me to be accountable to? Am I asking the questions that may need to be asked of them so that together we can glorify God in the bonds of our marriages? These are heart probing questions that I must ask if I am to have an accurate inventory of my spiritual condition. I remember similar emotions when I originally heard of Ted Haggard’s fall. This could happen to me. This will happen to me, apart from a vibrantly growing radical commitment to Jesus Christ and His truth.

Dr. Mark Dever has written an insightful post at the T4G Blog titled Two Painfully Learned and Immensely Important Lessons where he speaks of a fellow pastor who has fallen in the public eye. Dr. Dever writes,

"Lesson number one: no accountability relationships will work if there is not a commitment to honesty on the part of the person in question."

"Lesson number two: the public success of your ministry is no indication of the true state of your relationship with God."

The entire article is well worth your time.

So, as many have asked before, how should we then live? I offer the following suggestions:

1. Pray for Rick, his wife and children. Ask that the Holy Spirit might be willing to lead them all to state of gracious repentance and that the Lord might be pleased to use this to draw them unto Himself. Pray that God might confirm his relationship to them and that He might be near as never before. (2 Chr 7:14; Ro 2:4; Jam 4:8)

2. Pray for your pastor and others who are in authority in your local fellowship. Pray that they might be protected from the wiles of the adversary who is prowling, seeking to destroy and devour. Pray that they might not be drawn into temptation of thinking that they are secure or that because of the fruitfulness of their ministry that they are above accountability. Pray that their hearts would be soft, humble, and teachable. (1 Pet 5:1-9; 1 Tim 3:1-13, Rom 13:1)

3. Pray for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart for anything that you may currently have a blind eye towards. Pray that that he would illuminate truth within you, search through your heart, and lead you in the way of everlasting, with a radical commitment to the truth of God’s word. Pray that He might create within you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you (Psa 51:10; 139:23-24; Joh 17:17)

4. Pray that the gospel might penetrate our culture so that we might have a high view of marriage and that we will do whatever it takes to help protect our marriages and the marriages of others. Ask God to cause our nation to see the perils of a divorced society that has abandoned one another and abandoned the truth. (Heb 13:4; Rom 1:1:21, 26, 28)

5. Pray for this blogger as he seeks to remain faithful to his Lord, his wife, his calling, while remaining faithful to the word of God. Pray that he would not see himself as an exception, and that he would set his eyes on the cross of Christ this day and all days. Pray for his wife that she might be sensitive to perceive what may threaten their home and act like watchwoman to guard their marriage from being polluted by the outside world. Pray that her eyes might be opened when his may be dim and that he would take all steps needed to be sure that the Risen Lord Jesus Christ remains preeminent in his home.

For the newspaper article, click here

Imagine What?...Jesus and John Lennon Go to Greenwich

2007-03-26T16:24:00.000-05:00

This is a video that was recorded in 1995, when the many YouTube creators may have well been in their infancy, let alone the idea of digital web-imaging – or whatever the technical term is for making entertainment like this cheap and accessible. Believe it or not, this was filmed at a “Revival” at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC and the Lennon look-a-like is the pastor of a Redeemer church plant, The Village Church. You guessed it; it’s located in Greenwich Village.

An anomaly to say the least, The Village Church seeks to see their culture redeemed by and for the Gospel by engaging the intellectual, artistic, and others who are on the quest for Truth.

From their website:

“And this is why The Village Church belongs here, proclaiming Jesus Christ. Because Jesus intends nothing less than a revolution to overturn this age. It is not that revolution is bad, it is only that the usual revolutionaries don’t take it far enough. We tell people, to be in our church, you need to agree that there is something desperately wrong with the world. You need to be skeptical of false Messiahs. And you need to be open to new experiences. By that we mean you need to be radical in your commitment to follow the truth, to follow it into whatever experience constitutes the real revolution.”

“We can serve these folks and others like them because Christ’s revolution allows us to connect our heads to our hearts. The wisdom of Christ comes behind no other path intellectually. This is why our church believes the best way to proclaim the truth is to provide an environment of free enquiry, ending each Sunday with a Question Authority time, in which all comers are invited to comment on or challenge anything they have heard that day. As one new member put it, “I joined because this church welcomes thinking as part of its religion.” Intellectual integrity is a key part of Christ’s revolution."

As for their Pastor, Sam A. Andreades,

“He attended Yale University (B.S., Geology & Geophysics, 1984) and was awarded Yale’s Hammer Award for his thesis on acoustical wave travel through granites."

I am fairly convinced that this is my first encounter with a geophysicist and I think the only time I have ever used the word “granite” is when I knew that I have officially been baptized into the vernacular of southern drawl by saying, "Granite, I may not be the smartest hog in the trough…"

All this said, Sam and The Village Church, a PCA congregation, seem to be affecting great gains for the gospel in New York and beyond. His latest sermon, "The Conqueror Comes on the Clouds," is available here. He is not dynamic in his presentation, but is thoughtful, Christ-centered, and Word-oriented. Remember that his audience is composed of NYU students and faculty and other artistic intellectuals who have been questioning the establishment for years. I believe God is being glorified and using this fellowship to accomplish His purpose.

The lyrics to this song are recorded below. Click here for the full post.

"Imagine what?"

Imagine there’s no heaven,
It’s easy if you try
Imagine there’s nothing real but what you see
Isn’t that a cheery thought?
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there’s no heaven or hell
And while we’re at it, no moral justice
No more consequences for what you do
You can cheat on your wife, no problem
(Everything turns out right anyway)
Wouldn’t this really be
A wonderful world to live in

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
And we all know truth is determined by majority
So come along and we’ll be as one

Imagine no possessions
It isn’t hard to do
Imagine not being responsible for anything
Or caring how it’s treated
Life would be sort of like the public library
All the books with the pages ripped out

Imagine not wanting to own anything
Imagine not having the things you enjoy
So imagine not caring what you have for dinner
And no passions too
Imagine what it feels like to be a brick
Living as a brick for evermore

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
So if we get enough people together
I’m sure we can talk some sense into God

Imagine no religion
No Jesus Christ to tell us what to do
Just all of us sort of figuring it out
And everyone stopping being selfish
A brotherhood of man
Because…...it’s a nice thing to do
Imagine all the people
Achieving an uncorrupt, socialist world state all by ourselves

Well maybe that’s a little hard to imagine
But go ahead anyway,
After all we’ll show God we can be brave
No-ho-ho matter what He thinks

Diversity in the University and True Love Revolution

2007-03-25T17:15:00.001-05:00

In the days of pluralism, relativism, and when tolerance is the buzz-word (except when this applies to the exclusive claims of Christianity), our nation’s universities are brimming with programs, classes, and organizations which appear to offer a new found freedom. As many have discovered, however, this “freedom” only leads to greater slavery and should be abolished altogether. Sadly, this enslavement is much more sexy to my generation’s eye as a result of the boomers that have gone before us, and our perception of sexuality has so far skewed from the gift which God intended.

I recall a time in my life when I was engaged in an auditorium full of future doctors, attorneys, soccer moms, pharmaceutical reps, restaurant owners, journalists, tax agents, politicians, educators, administrators, alcoholics, drug addicts, and felons. Granted, I could not then, nor can I now, determine who has amounted to which category but the reality exists that in a crowd this large (600+) statistically, there are bound to at least be one of each. Also, I did not know at that time that I would one day pursue a calling into vocational ministry. Having had to make the prediction that day, I would have surmised that I would have been a journalist turned drug-addicted felon. Thank You Father, for Your life-changing grace.

This meeting was not a professional meeting of young entrepreneurs, nor was this a gathering of desiring community leaders hoping to rally around an issue. It was a rally of sorts, and it was held in a packed auditorium of Winthrop University (my first college campus), but there was only one mindset that was acceptable in this seemingly tolerant society and it manifested itself in this chant: “Diversity in the University.” Led by a charismatic, engaging, and infectious Director of Student Affairs, she had the crowd on their feet on more than one occasion. I recall like it was yesterday (9 years later), “What we need is Diversity in the University. Diversity in the University. Diversity in the University. Say it with me: ‘Diversity in the University. Diversity in the University. Diversity in the Uni…” give me a break. This mantra was repeated over and over to the point that the brainwashing method employed by David Koresh, Jim Jones or the like would have seemed like a Tuesday morning knitting club at the senior citizens center.

She stressed the need for tolerance when it came to religions “Whether you’re a Christian…or a Jew…or Muslim…or Catholic…or Hindu…or Buddhist…or Ba’hai…or Atheist…we need Diversity in the University. Say it with me now, Diversity in the University. Whatever your sexual preference or orientation may be, straight, gay, bi…we need Diversity in the University. Diversity in the University.” And the mantra continued and continued and continued in drone after drone after drone to the point that I hear the words murmuring in my cranium nine years postpartum. In a sense, in order to truly be an American college student in the then twentieth century and the soon coming twenty-first who has been reborn from the ways of the old world, it was required that you be tolerant of everything - except intolerance, of course. This is the greatest oxymoron of the secular society and the space does not permit to entertain this soap box. Suffice it to say, this is a preposterousness that reeks of double talk to at minimum. Tomfoolery in barest degree.

Well, Harvard University, another institute of higher education, the highest pedigree in many opinions, has attempted to be the cosmopolitan ivy from which all others descend has made headlines once again. This time, however, it has not been as a result of their risqué outlook on sexuality, diversification, or tolerance. This time, it comes as a result of the student group, True Love Revolution, who have the audacity to proclaim to the student body that their bodies are not for all students. Clearer, abstinence is indeed a healthy lifestyle choice.

True Love Revolution is a secular organization that does not have any ties to a religious affiliation or denomination and is therefore acceptable on the college’s campus. In the AP article released Thursday, Jesse Alderman writes,

“True Love Revolution members say the problem starts with the university. They say Harvard has implicitly led students to believe that having sex at college is a foregone conclusion by requiring incoming freshman to attend a seminar on date-rape that does not mention abstinence, by placing condoms in freshmen dorms, and by hosting racy lecturers. (Harvard students have also launched H-Bomb, a magazine featuring racy photos of undergraduates.)”

Alderman also shares a telling quote from a campus feminist who was offended by receiving a valentine indicating that abstinence may be the way to go:

”Harvard student Rebecca Singh said she was offended by a valentine the group sent to the dormitory mailboxes of all freshmen. It read: "Why wait? Because you're worth it."
"I think they thought that we might not be `ruined' yet," Singh said. "It's a symptom of that culture we have that values a woman on her purity. It's a relic."

Imagine that. A culture that “values a woman on her purity”! Singh is correct in that increasingly, the idea that a woman committed to purity is a relic, a thing of the past. However, the battle is not lost and the war against sexual impurity and in support of marital integrity continues to rage. I commend this group for having the courage to walk a life of purity; I only wish that they would recognize that our goal in purity is to glorify God who has bought our bodies with a price. Behind the lines, this group may be populated by many Christians, but since the article does not indicate, I may only conjecture. However, this is a start and it may just be that there is a group of individuals who are being stirred by the Spirit of God to seek a life greater than the temporal earthly, existence. We can only pray that the gospel would indeed penetrate the kudzu of plurality found in the Ivy Leagues and beyond.

For the complete article click here.

For a couple of young men who are seeking to change an entire generation, click here and join The Rebelution.

Loving God...Loving People: Watching Him Work

2007-03-23T15:06:00.000-05:00

*NOTE: Names and some details have been changed to protect the humble, exception noted for my wife and I who, speaking for myself, am far from humble.

“Hey Kim, its Mary…I need your help. Can you call me soon?”

This is the gist of a voice message Kimberly received late Monday morning. Mary is a high school honor student whom Kimberly has met through the Sunday School class that she helps to lead. Mary has not been to church in many months nor has the rest of her family so it was a surprise to receive this phone call. They do not live exactly close to the church and being that their family of six only has one automobile, transportation has been an issue. Mary’s father, Paul, has had a medical emergency that has recently hospitalized him as his doctors are seeking guidance on how best to proceed given his condition. Oh yeah…and Mary is a sixteen-year-old mother of one.

Paul had been caring for Mary’s child, Hannah, during the day while she and her siblings were at school and her mother was at work. Paul is on medical disability from an accident that occurred many years ago. Thus, with Paul’s recent hospitalization, Mary was left without a caretaker for Hannah and, double-whammy, this honor student was unable to go to school. Therefore, Mary was seeking help from Kimberly to find someone who can watch Hannah until Paul recovers.

“Do you have any money for daycare?” Kimberly asks, knowing the answer.

“Well, I’m working on that” Mary responds. Kimberly can sense that Mary knows that she has made a mistake. She made a series of poor choices over a year ago that led to this day while a teenage mother seeks to make it against impossible odds. Sin has consequences…but there is indeed grace. Shall we sin so that grace may abound? May it never be! But when we do, we must always look to the Purifier to purify our hearts for Him.

Mary needs to go to school; she is cognizant of this truth. Hannah needs a baby-sitter; understatement of the century. Mary needs to do what is in the best interest of Hannah; a God-glorifying response. Several months ago, another young mother decided to leave her two children, ages nine and three at home while she went out to a party for the evening. When she came home, her house had burned and her three year old was dead. The nine year old escaped, but the mother is now facing charges of manslaughter for the death of her child. May the Lord be merciful to her and allow her the time to be spent in prison calculating the value of human life. Mary is not this woman. Mary is concerned for Hannah and knows that the best thing for Hannah is for Mary to get the best education that she possibly can in an attempt to make the best life for Hannah available.

Mary had called everyone she knew and could not come up with a viable solution. Kimberly, a leader in her Sunday School class, came to mind as an option for suggestions. Kimberly called me and asked me what she should do. I must confess that the very first thought that ran through my mind was, “Sin has consequences. Tell her to deal with it herself.” There is a glaring un-grace, un-mercy, and un-Christ coming through this statement. Thankfully, my wife did not have the thoughts that I did and, moved with compassion, sought to find help for this weary traveler. She saw a need in a younger sister in Christ and yearned to see the Father meet this need. Kimberly desired to be an instrument of grace in the Redeemer’s hands.

So, the ever-so-thoughtful wife of mine, after receiving little help from me (), phoned our youth minister to gather his input, the children’s minister to see about daycare options at church, and contemplated phoning a full-time mother who may have the ability to help a few days a week. Our youth minister returned her call and gave her the name of a couple who may know how best to proceed. This couple, Priscilla and Aquila, head a ministry effort for underprivileged children living in one of the poorest counties in the country and the poorest county in our neighboring state, Mississippi. They host vacation Bible schools, Christmas parties, and summer events for these children as well as provide for clothing and other physical needs. Most importantly, however, they bring the hope of the gospel to offer eternal life to these children, not just a more comfortable life. Thus said, this couple definitely has a loving and giving heart, but are they able to take care of this child? And were they able to take care of this child tomorrow? They were not, but their daughter was.

After speaking with Priscilla, Kimberly learned that Priscilla’s daughter, Lydia, was entertaining the idea of using her gifts to serve others as a foster parent. However, since the process is lengthy and the inspections are many, the modus operandi had not been completed. Kimberly spoke with Lydia to see what her thoughts would be in helping Mary and Hannah turn toward a better tomorrow, and indeed, it needed to be tomorrow! Lydia responded in a way that should not surprise us because we know that it is God who is working all things according to the purpose of His will, the praise of His glorious grace, and the glory of His name. She said, “Absolutely. I will drive the approximate fifteen miles (one-way) to pick up Hannah in the morning and return her back in the evening. Will Mary mind that Hannah travels everywhere with me?”

Kimberly then explained that she was unsure how long this scenario would last. Paul is in need of some pretty extensive medical care which may require a lengthy period of recovery. Kimberly needed to be sure that Lydia would not be surprised by the length of commitment, and also, to offer hope that her obligation may be complete in one week. She did not know. Lydia’s response? “Well, I am available through this year and the summer and next even if need be! I have plans to go out of town next month, and if Mary is OK with it, I will just have to take Hannah with me!” Incredible! What a way of showing grace to an individual whom SHE HAD NEVER MET! Grace is grace when it is given without requirement or pre-qualification.

This was Monday. Tuesday, the relationships began between Mary, Lydia, Hannah, Priscilla, Aquila, and the rest of the extended families. Lydia, Priscilla, and Aquila made the trek out to Hannah’s home in order to pick her up for the day. The night before, Priscilla and Aquila made a shopping trip to pick up a few odds and ends – to include a stroller and car seat! This is ministry: investing more of ourselves financially, emotionally, or chronologically for the purpose of the glory of the Lord to be made known. Mary kept saying, “Thank you” over and over again. Lydia, Priscilla, and Aquila replied, “Don’t thank us…praise God.”

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” (Ps 115:1)

Lydia and Kimberly spoke Wednesday to see how things were. Hannah is now going to spend the night with Lydia and her family two nights a week and Lydia is even taking to Hannah to school some mornings! I can not stress enough that this is far from convenient for Lydia! They do not live in the same subdivision, let-alone, the same suburb! Ministry is not often “convenient” by our terms. But moved with compassion as our Lord was, inconveniences are longer seen as an inconvenience, they are seen as Yahweh’s providence. Lydia and her family have purchased outfits for baby Hannah and have assured mother Mary that she need not provide formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, and the like. Grace just does that some times. When you expect a little, grace come through in ways beyond measure.

Open the floodgates of Your grace on us, O God, and grant me a spirit of willing, sacrificial, service for the sake of Your name, Your glory, and Your renown for the edification of Your church. “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.” (1 Chr 29:11-13).

---------------
“And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.” (Acts 16:13-15)

Is John Piper Charismatic?

2007-03-22T09:17:00.000-05:00

A rare occurrence has happened this week. An occurrence so rare that my on theological foundations have been shook. Truth be told, there is a new sacrilege in Christendom. This is scandalous. This is tantalizing. This will not elapse without notice. This is an occurrence so paramount to an insurmountable truth that to believe its occurrence is beyond itself in could be called heresy. Not really that the occurrence, or at least the testimony of the occurrence is rare, but the fact that this confession is coming from this man, is rare indeed. Not known for his charismatic beliefs, Dr. John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, has confessed to an all-too-real-to-be-true event that has transformed his life. This week, John Piper heard the voice of God. And today, you too can hear the voice of God.

He shares,

“God actually spoke to me. There is no doubt that it was God. I heard the words in my head just as clearly as when a memory of a conversation passes across your consciousness. The words were in English, but they had about them an absolutely self-authenticating ring of truth”

“God said, “Come and see what I have done.”[…]There settled over me a wonderful reverence. A palpable peace came down. This was a holy moment and a holy corner of the world in northern Minnesota. God Almighty had come down and was giving me the stillness and the openness and the willingness to hear his very voice.”

“Think of it. Marvel at this. Stand in awe of this. The God who keeps watch over the nations, like some people keep watch over cattle or stock markets or construction sites—this God still speaks in the twenty-first century. I heard his very words. He spoke personally to me.

What effect did this have on me? It filled me with a fresh sense of God’s reality. It assured me more deeply that he acts in history and in our time. It strengthened my faith that he is for me and cares about me and will use his global power to watch over me. Why else would he come and tell me these things?"

Has Dr. John Piper actually heard the voice of God? Absolutely.
Has Dr. John Piper become a non-cessationist in regards to the gifting of the Spirit to provide greater revelation today? Absolutely not.

Read his complete article here.