Take Hold of One Man

New (B)lo(g)-cation

2008-05-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally made the long-contemplated switch from Blogger over to Wordpress. Wordpress just seemed easier and more customizable, so I eventually had to do it if I am to get more serious about my blogging.

Check it out at http://crossonmyback.wordpress.com

I look forward to seeing you there!

I Enjoy Children

2008-05-16T20:34:00.001-07:00

They're just so much fun, and God uses them in so many amazing ways. That's probably why I now teach middle school and have chosen to work with children most of my life. It reminds me of two Scriptures.

Psalm 127:3

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.

And Matthew 21:16 (where Jesus quotes Psalm 8:2)

and they said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”

Sovereign Grace Worship Songs

2008-05-16T20:26:00.001-07:00

Short clips of really, really God-centered music. Enjoy. I sure did tonight.

8.5 Lives

2008-05-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Up a little later than I usually am, I went to the kitchen to close up shop for the night. When what did my wondering ears hear, but a growling, yarling cat on my front porch? So away to the back I went to grab a bat. Now I banged on the door - and a yarl and a meowr and a klikkity-clank later, the demon-possessed cat was gone. Or so I thought.

Seconds later I heard now two cats, hissing and fighting in my driveway, running this way and that. I peeked out the window to see them racing up our street at breakneck speed.

So listen here, you blog-reading, demon-possessed cats:

Don't come up around my house, late at night or any time, because I will wear you out with one of my bats and take 8.5 of your lives. This is my house, and I will rule this little part of the earth and subdue it. You might run over here, but you'll bleed back.

Rediscover the First Things

2008-05-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

Of First Importance is a wonderful Gospel blog which quotes famous writers, in heaven and on earth, on the beauty and wonder of the good news of the gloriously happy God. It is based on 1 Corinthians 15:1-4,

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

Check out:

Loving Jesus Like His Father Does

Continual Gospel Re-discovery

Our Only Comfort in Life and Death

A Gospel-less Sermon is No Christian Sermon

2008-05-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Nathan Finn, church history professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, blogs poignantly on whether the SBC has a future:

Some have suggested that Southern Baptists have not lost the gospel. Normally what they mean is that their church has not lost the gospel, which may or may not be true. I suspect that most of our pastors really believe the gospel. Unfortunately, many of them don’t preach it. Sometimes they actually preach sub-Christian sermons that are really just baptized versions of moralism, New Age spirituality, or especially self-help platitudes. I have heard gospel-less sermons in chapel services at all of our seminaries, either live or online. I have heard gospel-less sermons at our pastor’s conferences and evangelism conferences, either live or through other media. I have heard gospel-less sermons in our churches. And yes, I have heard many of them at the SBC annual meeting itself. Maybe these men are just taking it for granted that their audiences already understand the gospel and so they don’t have to articulate it. Maybe. But I know this much: a sermon that does not include the gospel is not a Christian sermon, no matter who preaches it.

HT: Founders

I Love Tom Ascol's Heart

2008-05-15T21:51:00.001-07:00

I love Pastor Tom Ascol's heart for a truly regenerate-by-God's-Spirit church, and I love how faithful he is to present his resolution on the issue every year to the Southern Baptist Convention.

Funny, Creepy

2008-05-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

I have a beloved family member who works for the Boy Scouts, but this . . . is . . . creepy.

Late Night Bojangle's, Sweet Tea, and a True Friend

2008-05-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

My love for Bojangle's is well-known throughout the city of Raleigh. During my college days, I was found at a certain Jo-Bangle's location no less than four times a week. Yes, that's four times each week at the same location.

But as I look back, I realize something about my time spent at my favorite restaurant - it wasn't in vain. It wasn't just about chilling out (though that was fun) or great, greasy food (my arteries hurt) or even the heaven-approved sweet tea (mmm, like syrup); it was about the friendships. The friends who sat around with me at Bo's taught me and let me teach them, they built me up in the Lord Jesus and in His written Word, and they sharpened and encouraged me regularly. I love those guys.

Tonight was a recollection of many such nights. A true friend, who sticks closer than a brother, accompanied me for some basketball then Bojangle's, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Nearly two hours were spent at Bo's, and it seemed nary five minutes. Such is the fellowship between two brothers.

Through his faithful practice of brotherhood, my friend reminded me tonight of Proverbs 10:11 and 13:14, "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence . . . The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death."

I praise God for placing His fountain of life in the mouths of my righteous-by-the-grace-of-God-in-the-cross-of-Christ brothers. He has so often revived me through them. Revive me again, Lord Jesus, I need You again and again and again.

"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light."
Psalm 36:9

God's Grace in a Bicycle Crash

2008-05-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

So I was rolling down my neighborhood street the other day on my bicycle, just going for a cruise and trying to get some exercise - then the chain comes off, my foot slides off into the asphalt, my leg bends, my knee collides with the ground, the bike falls on my leg, and my entire upper body slams into the road. It was a whole lot of "Yaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!" and not a lot of fun.

As I sat on the curb of the road, bleeding from several joints, I was able, by the grace of God, to see how much worse that crash could have been. This blog is often spent on polemical (argumentative) theology that I wanted to tell you, dear reader, about the abundant, simple, personal grace of God in my life. In this case, it was in a bicycle crash.

I could have gotten a concussion from slamming my head into the asphalt, but I didn't. God protected me with a bike helmet.

I could have broken my glasses, shattering the glass into my eye and forehead, but I didn't. God protected me with my bike helmet.

I could have broken a shoulder or an elbow, but I didn't. God protected me by choosing a safe, slow-riding time for the bike chain to come off.

I could have broken my knee or ankle, but I didn't. God protected me by causing me to fall in a safe manner.

God has tons of grace - grace that does much more than protect His people from bike crashes! - grace that saves and enables and strengthens and sustains and forgives and redeems and keeps and brings us to Himself forever. So the other day, I thanked the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for such a small display of His all-controlling power and grace.

Basketball Bullets

2008-05-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

I might as well go ahead and admit on here that I love basketball. I love playing basketball, watching basketball, watching playoff basketball, reading about basketball, talking about basketball, and coaching basketball. I love Jesus so much more than basketball, but, from reading this blog, you already know that. So this post is dedicated to basketball - the sweet sport of b-ball.

Here are a few bullets that I have found interesting and/or funny (obviously, if you don't love basketball, don't bother reading these):

Bill Simmons' columns on the NBA and other stuff. Some of it is entertaining, some just interesting, much of it is PG-13.
ESPN.com's NBA site (vast and organized)
The NBA's (unofficial) No-Defense Team. Hilarious.
Heard on my neighborhood's cul-de-sac court, "Are you in high school? You play defense like you're in high school!" (Interpretation for those of you who do not play pick-up basketball: this means that the defender was eligible for my No-Defense Team.)
Larry Bird videos on YouTube. My favorite is probably this one, but there are tons of good ones.
Golden State Warriors: running and gunning on YouTube
Old Pete Maravich videos on YouTube
Sample YouTube searches on best dunks, best blocks, best passes, etc.
A great Jason Williams video, mostly from his Sacramento Kings days
The late, great Sacramento Kings, from 1999-2004

Keller on Christ in all of Scripture

2008-05-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

More sermons for you. Tim Keller at the Reform & Resurge Conference 2006:

Is the Bible basically about you and what you need to do, or is it basically about Jesus and His salvation? Which is it?

For example, when you're preaching about David and Goliath, what is it basically about? Is it basically about 'the bigger they come, the harder they fall;' 'if you have faith, you can move mountains;' 'God and you can handle anything;' 'you can face the giants in your life'? That's the way it's usually preached - in which case, it's basically about you.

But, now, if you come with a bias that says every theme, every single theme, eventually comes out in Jesus Christ. You can trace all the threads, whether it's the thread of the temple, or the covenant, or the hero, or every prophet or every priest or every king - every thread, if you run all the way through the Bible, in the end, is Jesus.

We would do well to digest that kind of Christ-centered theology.

Driscoll on the Cross of Christ

2008-05-12T18:42:00.001-07:00

(I'm watching a bunch of sermons for a class at seminary, and I get to pick which ones I watch. So, of course, I pick my favorites. And I may have posted on this sermon before, but it's worth quoting again.)

Mark Driscoll, in his 2006 sermon, "Death by Love: Reflections on the Cross":

At any point that we deviate from the cross, or we diminish the cross, what we do is end up destroying ourselves and our church."

Your Child, Your Imprint

2008-05-12T15:15:00.001-07:00

About a month ago, I began teaching 6th grade math at a local middle school, and I noticed something very quickly - my students are not nice. They are not respectful. They do not like to put much work or thought into anything.

So, I figured, I should do something about this as a teacher. So do something I did. I put in rules and regulations, punishments and rewards, grades and tests that would ensure that my students would abide by our school's rules. Those that command the students to be respectful and courteous, prepared for class and waiting their turn to talk.

But then I realized something: my laws can only go so far. If these children do not have a change of heart, they will only obey me so far as they are required to. So I looked to the parents. They are the ones who hold the most authority, and the most opportunity, in their child's life. Some of them, I found, are caring and nurturing; others could care less about their child's misbehavior.

The Bible tells us that it is primarily your job, parents, to educate your children. The responsibility falls squarely on your shoulders. Now many parents may deny it and pass it off, but the truth of God's Word stands. I have the opportunity and privilege to teach them about math and some of life, but it is your calling to raise them up for the glory of God.

Your child, beloved parents, is often an accurate reflection of your parenting. Your understanding of God, your teaching of His ways, how much time you spend with them, the way that you talk to them, the kind of behaviors you do and do not tolerate, whether or not you discipline them - all of these things are reflected every single day in my classroom and in the world.

This is a sobering thought as I look at my own children. What will their character say about mine? Where have I failed before God? Have I taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ well or poorly? Have I modeled it well before them?

Thankfully, the God of grace is full of mercy and grace for poor sinners who call on Him for help. We are beset all around with sins that try to drag us down - and laziness in parenting is one of them - but He is full of loving strength, fully able to uphold you when you feel too weak, too tired, too sinful to be able to love your children in His ways. Run to Jesus - He is able. Admit your sins and fall at His feet. Beg for mercy and He will answer. Amen.

The Glory of the Infinitely Happy God

2008-05-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

I was encouraged today by a wonderful essay on the blessedness of God by theologian-writer Fred Sanders. He explains:

All that God is and all that he does, he is and does blessedly. What God’s attribute of glory is outwardly, his blessedness is inwardly... Rather than being one of the many attributes on the list, it seems to be more like the tone or timbre of all God’s attributes at once.

And near the end, he critiques the loss of this doctrine:

Various theologians have argued against God’s blessedness in order to establish a doctrine of God more oriented toward the world and its salvation. But this is short-sighted, because only by first establishing the blessedness of the creator can we be assured of any blessedness for the creature.

What a gloriously happy God we must have who promises so much for those who hope in Him! He withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly! He promises fullness of joy and pleasures forever! Let us enjoy this God by faith in Jesus Christ! And let us remember that over and in and through all things, God is infinitely, gloriously happy in Himself.

The Grip of Fear and the Power of the Gospel

2008-04-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

Recently, a beloved friend has been writing me about his fear of terrorism. He related that he believes we ought to "prepare our families to die in mass" at the hands of "Islamofascists." I want to be very clear here, I do not agree with labeling people like that, so I am simply responding to an error here in the kindest, truest way I can. I pray that you read it for your growth in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Beloved friend,

It seems that you're not seeing the fear in your own words. I know that when I am afraid, it is because I am not trusting God to take care of me as He sees fit. Look at the early church of Acts 1-4, or the persecuted believers of Hebrews 10:32-39 - they trust God and actually are happy in Him in the midst of heartache and pain and suffering and death. They don't obsess over the pain and the suffering. They feel it and it hurts, so they trust in God and direct their thoughts and prayers and praise toward Him, not toward the persecutors or the persecution.

Hebrews 10:32-39, in fact, is very sobering when it points out that suffering for Jesus can either make us press on in "confidence" or "shrink back to destruction." Then the writer says, "but we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." This is a powerful message, because it tells us that pain can lead us to turn away from God forever or turn to Him forever.

So you say that Islam and murder and death are the "greater evil"? Biblically, that is ridiculous. The greatest evil in the world is hatred and unbelief . . . toward God. The Bible says that when you and I hate someone in our hearts, we have already in our hearts committed the murder that you speak of. We ought to take this very seriously, because it tells us that the ugliest evil is within the human heart, not outside in human hands. The greatest evil is disregarding God and worshipping idols, any idols - including our own comfort, which is what we may be worshipping when we obsess about pain.

[Note - he had said I had advised a poor plan of action.] I have not "advised" any plan of action except believing the Gospel first and foremost. All who trust in Jesus have their minds in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3), so if we're not in perfect peace then our minds are not fixed on Him. You and I should start with Jesus and stay on Jesus and look forward to meeting Jesus - whether death and disease and famine come or not.

I for one will not be teaching my family or anyone else to live in fear of Muslims, and neither should you. There are two good reasons for this:

#1 This "fear" of Muslims is just another excuse for hatred toward them. God teaches us to love all people, even our enemies, even when they kill us.

#2 This fear of Muslims ends up being an idol in many hearts that will keep people away from truly trusting in Jesus Christ for their salvation, now and forever.

You and I simply do not have the promise that God will keep us from physical harm in this life - it's simply not true. In fact, He
promises persecution for all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:12), as all Christians do desire. So let's not kid ourselves that death and destruction won't come to us - they surely will, but not forever. That is the Gospel, not that we escape pain and sin in this life but that we escape it through Jesus forever in the next life. Our pain in this life makes our redemption in Christ all the sweeter. Praise Him who saves us forever!

Trust Him tonight, tomorrow, and forever, dear friend; I love you,

Britt

Preaching the Gospel at Work

2008-03-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderfully real reminder of the Gospel at work in our work from Timmy Brister, who writes of a conversation with one his UPS trainees:

He came to the point where he asked, “So Timmy, what else is there worth living for other than myself and my children?” I replied, “When I came to Jesus, and that cross became a reality to me, I died, and from that moment on, I live everyday of my life for the one who died for me.”

It's worth a full read.

Is Violence a Civil Right?

2008-03-04T21:28:00.001-08:00

Sherif Girgis writes:

Can we provide every member of the human family equal protection under the law? Your record as a legislator gives a resounding answer: No, we can’t. That is the answer the Confederacy gave the Union, the answer segregationists gave young children, the answer a complacent bus driver once gave a defiant Rosa Parks. But a different answer brought your father from Kenya so many years ago; a different answer brought my family from Egypt some years later. Now is your chance, Senator Obama, to make good on the spontaneous slogan of your campaign, to adopt the more American and more humane answer to the question of whether we can secure liberty and justice for all: Yes, we can.

The Princeton senior gets to the heart of the issues of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in this open letter to Senator Barack Obama.

(HT: JT)

Piper Video on the Prosperity "Gospel"

2008-03-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

I've seen this video a couple times, and it's still grace-giving, idol-rebuking, and heart-gripping.

Thanks to Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds for posting it.

A Rebuke for Parents Like Me

2008-03-01T20:53:00.001-08:00

Here is an article by Pastor Carey Hardy, of Grace Community Church in California, entitled, "How to Raise a Pharisee." I came across this article a while back, but re-reading it lately has helped bring both the dangers and the proper emphases of parenting back into focus for me.

So, parents out there, read up.

American Idol, Sex, and True Manhood

2008-02-29T17:59:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, you claim to never watch the television show American Idol because you are too spiritual. Or at least, the name just turns you off - I mean, who on earth is that honest about idolatry? (Well, the Bible calls us all to be, but that's not the point . . .)

Well, my wife and I find the show amusing, entertaining, and honest on several levels. And, yes, folks, even the Bible says we need a good laugh every now and then. So we watch it, mostly for its hilariously bad singing and its accurate take on modern American culture.

Thus, I wasn't surprised when I read about Bruce Dickson. At his audition, Dickson told the three famous judges that he had purposefully never kissed a girl and would not until his wedding day. After a couple of snide remarks from judges Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, Idol host Ryan Seacrest closed Dickson's segment by saying, "Maybe next year he'll come back less a boy and more a man."

Dickson was not amused, and corrected Seacrest's wicked view of manhood by retorting, "A real man would rather wait than just do whatever with whoever."

Let us praise God for young men like Bruce Dickson who follow Him fully, even into insults. O that our high schools and colleges would be filled with them! That our young men would see visions of the true God and His true glory and turn from their dead idols to serve the living God!

(HT: Gender Blog)

The Church is Burning

2008-02-21T17:52:00.001-08:00

Professor David Wells blogs over at 9 Marks on how the church is burning while we watch:

The problem, though, is that the consequences in our churches of increasingly vapid biblical teaching, personality-centered pastoring, invasive individualism, contempt for the past, and an egregiously non-theological kind of evangelicalism have now been accumulating for years. And this makes for easy-pluckings by anyone who seems to have a better idea or who offers more for less.

Wells' God-centered, God-given, thoroughly biblical insights on modern Christianity make his books well worth picking up.

Dever on Subjective "Guidance"

2008-02-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

Pastor Mark Dever blogs over at Together for the Gospel on how many contemporary believers wrongly practice decision-making:

The desire for such a subjective sense of leading, however, is too often, in contemporary evangelical piety, binding our brothers and sisters in Christ, paralyzing them from enjoying the good choices that God may provide, and causing them to wait wrongly before acting.

Indeed.

(HT: JT)

Packer on the Gospel of God

2008-01-27T16:16:00.000-08:00

I noted the helpfulness, strength, and clarity of J.I. Packer's introductory essay to John Owen's classic The Death of Death in the Death of Christ a few posts ago, but I wanted to give you a better taste of Packer's insights. Bible study guys, here you go:

The old gospel was “helpful,” too — more so, indeed, than is the new — but (so to speak) incidentally, for its first concern was always to give glory to God. It was always and essentially a proclamation of Divine sovereignty in mercy and judgment, a summons to bow down and worship the mighty Lord on whom man depends for all good, both in nature and in grace. Its centre of reference was unambiguously God. But in the new gospel the centre of reference is man. This is just to say that the old gospel was religious in a way that the new gospel is not. Whereas the chief aim of the old was to teach men to worship God, the concern of the new seems limited to making them feel better. The subject of the old gospel was God and His ways with men; the subject of the new is man and the help God gives him. There is a world of difference. The whole perspective and emphasis of gospel preaching has changed.

From this change of interest has sprung a change of content, for the new gospel has in effect reformulated the biblical message in the supposed interests of “helpfulness.” Accordingly, the themes of man’s natural inability to believe, of God’s free election being the ultimate cause of salvation, and of Christ dying specifically for His sheep, are not preached. These doctrines, it would be said, are not “helpful”; they would drive sinners to despair, by suggesting to them that it is not in their own power to be saved through Christ. (The possibility that such despair might be salutary is not considered; it is taken for granted that it cannot be, because it is so shattering to our self-esteem.) However this may be (and we shall say more about it later), the result of these omissions is that part of the biblical gospel is now preached as if it were the whole of that gospel; and a half-truth masquerading as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth. Thus, we appeal to men as if they all had the ability to receive Christ at any time; we speak of His redeeming work as if He had done no more by dying than make it possible for us to save ourselves by believing; we speak of God’s love as if it were no more than a general willingness to receive any who will turn and trust; and we depict the Father and the Son, not as sovereignly active in drawing sinners to themselves, but as waiting in quiet impotence “at the door of our hearts” for us to let them in. It is undeniable that this is how we preach; perhaps this is what we really believe. But it needs to be said with emphasis that this set of twisted half-truths is something other than the biblical gospel. The Bible is against us when we preach in this way; and the fact that such preaching has become almost standard practice among us only shows how urgent it is that we should review this matter. To recover the old, authentic, biblical gospel, and to bring our preaching and practice back into line with it, is perhaps our most pressing present need. And it is at this point that Owen’s treatise on redemption can give us help.

There are some incredible lines in there, and the whole thing is worth the 30-45 minutes it will take you to read it. Please drop me a comment or an email if you have any questions or comments, because knowing what Packer means will likely be the difference between being a serious Christian or a lightweight - and it could be the difference between knowing Christ or not knowing Him at all.

Ascol on True Church Discipline

2008-01-21T07:15:00.000-08:00

Pastor Tom Ascol responds to the recent Wall Street Journal article on church discipline. He notes the always-extreme nature of their news coverage and includes this direction for churches seeking to practice truly Biblical and loving church discipline:

One of the first things a faithful pastor must do when he finds that a church has neglected the practice of corrective church discipline is teach. He must carefully explain passages like the one cited above [Matthew 18] and 1 Corinthians 5. Then he must teach some more. And then some more. He must lead the membership to see and embrace what the Bible says about the integrity of a church's identity and testimony as the body of Christ. Only after a congregatoin has been adequately taught can they be expected to properly carry out the practice of church discipline.

May the Lord bring His Word and His purity back into our local churches.

Why Do You Read?

2008-01-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

Pastor-reader-blogger Colin Adams has a wonderful list of 20 reasons to read good Christian books. Each of the reasons forced me to ask, "Why do I read what I read?"

(HT: JT)

Another Encouragement to Read the Bible

2008-01-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

Last night, while reading Jeremiah, I made an interesting connection to the Gospels and realized that I had not done that in quite some time. God hadn't been giving me that same illumination because I hadn't been reading His Word as often. And it was a strange, saddening thought . . .

Until I realized that I ought only to be encouraged to read the Bible more, because the Bible is then what I remember and the Bible is then what God uses. The more I read it, the more I love it and the more I remember. The more I love it and remember it, the more I love and honor and remember Him.

Since I want to know Jesus, I should read His Word more. Can you say the same?

The Faithful Lover

2008-01-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

We are reading through the Gospel of John in family worship, and a few weeks back 13:1 struck me:

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

Now, John's narration here is obviously referring to Christ's earthly ministry to and love for His disciples when he says "having loved his own who were in the world," all the way to the cross and beyond when he says, "he loved them to the end." Christ's ascension, and, consequently ours, is even in view when John writes, "Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world."

This, then, is truly an incredible statement about the faithful love of Jesus Christ for His people. He loves His own who are in the world to the point that He will bring them out of the world. He loves His own to the very end.

Let us be very clear here: this is not His general love for the whole world, but His particular love for His people. These are those sheep for whom He died, not the "not-sheep" who are not chosen (see John 10). The Good Shepherd lays down His life particularly for the sheep. He buys and redeems His chosen people and loves them until the end.

What a faithful Lover He is! He loses none and keeps all that the Father gives Him! How deep and vast and costly is His love! He does not let up! When we desert Him as the disciples did, how He continues to love His own!

A Simple Primer on the Biblical Gospel

2008-01-12T19:54:00.001-08:00

For my friends with whom I never seem to have the time or setting to discuss this, please read J.I. Packer's introduction to John Owen's classic, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. This is most practical, simple, and clear explanation of the importance of a Biblical understanding of the Gospel that I have ever read (and I do a good bit of reading on that subject).

God, Money, and the Good Eye

2008-01-12T19:15:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been reading Pastor John Piper's short book on Jesus' commands, In Our Joy, (which is itself a distillation of Piper's longer book on Jesus' commands, What Jesus Demands from the World) and I came across this excellent paragraph on God, money, and the good eye. Piper, expounding Jesus' words in Matthew 6:19-34, writes:

You have a good eye if you look to God and love to maximize the reward of his fellowship—that is, lay up treasure in heaven. You have a good eye if you look at Master-money and Master-God and see Master-God as infinitely more valuable. In other words, a “good eye” is a wisely valuing eye, a discerning eye, an astutely treasuring eye. It doesn’t just see facts about money and God. It doesn’t just perceive what is true and false. It sees beauty and ugliness; it senses value and worthlessness; it discerns what is really desirable and what is undesirable. The seeing of the good eye is not neutral. When it sees God, it sees God-as-beautiful. It sees God-as-desirable.

Please pray with me that we would see God as infinitely more valuable that all the riches of this world. Pray that we would love Him more than money and comfort and safety and our own lives!

Maybe I'll post more on this later - Jesus makes so many eye-opening, earth-shattering statements in the Bible that it would take several lifetimes to discuss them all.

Desiring God: Free Books Online

2008-01-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorites:

Read them online or print them out on your own paper - free!

Luther on Christian Truth

2008-01-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther's response in Bondage of the Will to Erasmus describing himself as one who was "far from delighting in assertions":

For not to delight in assertions, is not the character of the Christian mind: nay, he must delight in assertions, or he is not a Christian.

To clarify his use of the term "assertions," Luther goes on to write:

But, (that we may not be mistaken in terms) by assertion, I mean a constant adhering, affirming, confessing, defending, and invincibly persevering. Nor do I believe the term signifies any thing else, either among the Latins, or as it is used by us at this day. And moreover, I speak concerning the asserting of those things, which are delivered to us from above in the Holy Scriptures.

Letter to a Persecuted American Family

2008-01-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

My brother and sister,

Hey, I was getting ready to send you an email about something totally different when I realized that something R. told me tonight was indescribably encouraging. He mentioned that his sister offered to help ya'll with a down payment on a house, then added that the money came with a certain condition - that you would have no more children. This certainly meant that this family member disapproved of your life's path in any number of ways, but most likely because of missions and family size. And you turned the money down! Without a second thought! What a beautiful testimony to Jesus! He is more important than anyone's money! He is better than the so-called "wisdom" of our world!

It reminded me of Luke 6:22-23, where Jesus says, "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets." Make no mistake about it - your sister is excluding you from her money because of your choice to follow Jesus down the hard road of family-building and missions. And Jesus says that you are "blessed" - happy - because of her exclusion of you and reviling of your name. So leap for joy today, because great is your reward in heaven. You are just like the prophets! How encouraging is that?

We love you (it's amazing to see how fast God is growing your family),

B.

Long Time, No Post

2008-01-09T20:57:00.001-08:00

It was a sad holiday break for me this year. I lost my job and stayed pretty down until after the holidays, but I still didn't have much about which to write.

I really want to blog more this year, even though it's not a "resolution," so leave me a comment if you actually read this on a regular basis. That would be encouraging to me and help me know how to better serve you, which I would love to do!

(Ps - I'm now working at a fun gym for kids. Praise the Lord !!)

Another Bonus to Being a Christian

2007-12-20T18:52:00.001-08:00

ESPN.com's resident funny blogger Bill Simmons says that being a Christian can make an NBA player's career more productive. He even uses the term, "Christian years," in describing how Dwight Howard's faith is an added "bonus."

This is certainly an interesting way to calculate the athletic worth of knowing Jesus.

(Heads up: Bill's funny, but he's probably not a believer. Just trust me on this one - I've read a lot of his columns and accidentally come across some pretty inappropriate stuff. As far as I remember, though, this one's clean.)

Teaching Men Under Her Husband's Authority

2007-12-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

CBMW outlines the situation and gives the case against this anti-Biblical practice.

Why So Much Bible and Prayer?

2007-12-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

Is that really the way to God? Pastor John Piper says, "yes."

This was helpful to my soul.

I Read a Great Interview with CJ Mahaney

2007-12-04T09:55:00.001-08:00

and I want to pass it on to you. He talks about true masculinity as humility and servanthood, and explains this in the realm of marriage, parenting, church, and life. He even gives a great story about teaching Biblical character and worldview through sports!

(Hat tip: JT)

Our House is in Boxes, and We Have Nowhere to Go

2007-12-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

God has been wonderfully gracious to us in this whole house-buying process. We found one we liked, it was even next-door to our friends, our offer was accepted, and we were on our way. Or so we thought.

Then the appraisal came back too low, the seller didn't want to budge, and now we're in a waiting cycle. So we have continued to pack, believing that God is able to work it out, but also knowing that He may not choose to do that. He may be doing something else. Our house is in boxes, and we have nowhere to go . . . yet.

This situation is frustrating on many levels, but for believers it should be less so. I was reminded of this yesterday as I talked to a friend, and we remembered that we are "exiles, always exiles," until our King comes to take us home.

What a glorious day! Let us sing of it! We will rejoice in that day, and let us hope for it right now.

"Planned Parenthood" is a Lie

2007-11-29T10:58:00.001-08:00

I was driving a few hours ago between job sites and stopped at a light beside our local "Planned Parenthood" organization. It dawned on me that this name is a total falsitude. This organization does not exist to "plan" people's "parenthood," but rather to deal with people's "unplanned childhood." They should just be honest and call it, "Unplanned Childhood."

Or, more to the point, "Ended Childhood."

Two New (Old) Resources

2007-11-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

At community group last night, I mentioned two resources you might be interested in.

1. The speech from which I plucked Pastor John Piper's thesis, "the doctrine of glorification is in the Bible to help you suffer well on the path of love to show that Jesus is more valuable than life," is called "Man as Glorified" and was given at the 2002 Mid-Atlantic Founders Conference in Raleigh, NC. It is, unfortunately, not available online, but it can be ordered here.

If you live near me, though, just ask me for it and I'll burn you a copy. As a sermon, it is biblical-theological gold.

2. The band I used to be in has old websites here, here, and here. We were called Fairbanks, and our last recorded music is on purevolume. If you want our anthology of hard grungy rock, just ask me for a copy.

We didn't always ride mowers, but we sure did rock.

Start a Bible Study in Your Neighborhood?

2007-11-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

I was just reading David J. Hesselgrave's Paradigms in Conflict: 10 Key Questions in Christian Missions Today (one of the missions books for my class) and found this quote particularly inspiring for thinking on to reach our neighborhoods and cities and nations for Jesus:

"[Calvin] Hanson's ministries were varied, but looking back at the Christian leaders who came out of those early morning Bible studies, Hanson says, 'I have little doubt that that simple Bible study was the most effective thing I ever did during my years in Japan.' "

Amen?

Hope this stokes our fires to study the Bible with all kinds of people around us.

So This is Why I Go to Bojangle's

2007-11-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

Look, unless you don't know me at all, you probably already know that I love hanging out at Bojangle's. I love the tea, I love the biscuits, I love the chill atmosphere, I love the free refills and the hours spent with my friends there (you know who you are) - but this is what I hadn't realized so fully until minutes ago - I love hanging out there for the glory of God in meeting whoever He sends my way.

It's like I set up shop there. I take my Bible, another good book or five, maybe my laptop, a pen, and a notebook and sit down at a table in the corner near a power outlet and a window. I go through the line and get my sweet tea and maybe a biscuit, and then I'm off to work. I even try to meet people as they come and go. Novel idea, huh?

What I didn't know is that, this whole time, I have been trying to hang out for the glory of God because I believe it is important to be out in our real world and meet real people, many of whom are really lost.

This is what JT's post on Jim Eliff's article taught me. "Hanging out for the glory of God" is - yes, actually is - a valid means of ministering to the lost and dying all around us. So pick a spot - go ahead. It doesn't have to be Bojangle's, but it should be somewhere in public.

Men Leading in the Home (and the World)

2007-11-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

I greatly enjoyed Randy Stinson's conference sermon on men leading in the home. (I wish I had time to listen to all of these conference sermons!) It especially hit me hard because I am not regularly practicing most of the things he mentions, but I want to.

So don't be scared off. It is a wonderfully insightful application of Biblical principles by the grace of God. The Lord has been using it in our family to press us on to rely on Him more in our direction, vision, and encouragement.

Also check out Randy's article version of this talk in the Southern Baptist Seminary magazine (it's a pdf file).

Randy is the current president of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. They have a vast and resource-filled website for thought on the theology and application of Biblical manhood and womanhood. They even have their groundbreaking, massive work, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood online for free!

For at least three years now, God has been using CBMW's resources to move me to think Biblically and live more faithfully. I'm surprised I've never blogged on their ministry, but go check them out for faithful, Biblical exposition, especially if you struggle with these issues.

Praise the Lord for these gifts to His church!

Raleigh Wants You

2007-11-07T21:34:00.000-08:00

To buy a house in our city, especially downtown. And it's pretty easy.

So here you go, buddies. You asked me to put this up, and I'm not getting paid by the city or by any realtor.

May God use this in your life as he has in our life and the life of our church.

Write Like You Talk?

2007-10-27T08:31:00.001-07:00

JT passes on a helpful resource on writing from InterVarsity Press editor Dave Zimmerman.

What Will You Tell Your Boys and Girls?

2007-10-24T12:23:00.001-07:00

A great post by Pastor John Piper got me thinking - what will you and I tell our children about men and women? How will explain how God made us? How will we explain our differing roles? What will we tell them is important about a man being a man and a woman being a woman? What will we tell them that men should not do and that women should not do? What will all this say about the God who made us so?

Now some of my questions are obviously weighted and weighty, but the question remains for you - what will you teach your children? The way that you teach and display gender roles to your sons and daughters tells them a lot about how they should view not only the world, but most importantly, God.

As Piper points out, how we understand God as masculine - yes, the Bible does use exclusively masculine pronouns and exclusively masculine descriptions of God in all three persons - matters for how we understand His character, worship, missions, gender relationships, marriage, preaching, leadership, singleness, and the Christian life, just to name a few.

So I had to ask myself, and now ask you, what will we tell our children about the way God made men and women so beautifully different and yet complementary? Our words will speak volumes toward how they will understand God Himself.

Fasting, Mercy Ministry, and God's Glory

2007-10-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 58:4-12

Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
will not make your voice to be heard on high.
Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the LORD?

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.

And the LORD will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.

One of My Favorite Verses in All of the Bible

2007-10-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

. . . is Isaiah 35:10

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

What a beautiful promise for God's elect! Return to Zion with singing! Neverending joy on our heads! Obtaining gladness AND joy! Nevermore again to be sad or sigh! All of the depressing feelings of this fallen life to forever flee from us! To enjoy God forever in His place with His own happiness! What costly, bountiful, incomprehensible blessings Jesus bought for us God-hating sinners on the cross!

Worshipping Man at the Mall

2007-10-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

On some nights and weekends, I work at a local mall. This weekend, my mall is having a "model & talent search," so yesterday they decided to set the stage up five feet from my kiosk. Needless to say, I've gotten a good look at this modeling extravaganza.

What's sad is that everyone claps and claps and laughs and laughs whenever some little cutie struts the stage. It is ridicule-worthy. What is to applaud when a child simply wants attention? Why are we clapping for children who simply say a few lines and walk across a stage? What is the big deal?

Then I realized that this is the worship of man, plain and simple. The Bible says in Romans 1:21-23,

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

We fail to honor God, even though we know Him, and fail to give Him thanks, so we become worthless in our thinking and our hearts become blind and wicked. We think we are wise and knowledgeable, but we actually have become fools. Then we trade in the infinite glory of God for worthless worship of mere man. We trade out gold for shrapnel, filet minion for rat poison, living water for sewage.

And we do it every day. We care more about what people think of us than what God thinks of us. We want to think about novels and poetry and romance books more than we want to think about God's own Word. We look for ways to make ourselves look better to others instead of trusting God to make us happy in Him. Our foolish hearts are very dark indeed. Come Lord Jesus, come change us by Your Spirit, that we would worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

Male Leadership in the Family, Church, and Culture: Pt. 1

2007-10-09T17:49:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, a well-loved family member brought up some thoughts about gender roles in the church, and it got me thinking all over again about the need for male leadership in the family, church, and culture. I say all three for several reasons: one, because they necessarily go together and one would be hypocrisy without the others; two, because they are generally the three spheres in which we operate; three, we men need reminders that our proper leadership is needed in all three.

It's often said that exclusively male leadership is a thing of the past, a relic of a bygone age, and a vestige of the oppression of women by the male majority. I've even heard it said, and staunchly defended, that commands in the Bible like 1 Timothy 2:12-15 apply not to every culture and age but mainly the one to whom Paul was writing. This could not be further from the truth.

When God the Holy Spirit, through His apostle Paul, wrote,

I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing - if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

He neither framed it as a time-sensitive command nor intend it as such. The reasoning of the context simply does not permit it. It's more straightforward and universal than that.

So God says, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet," then what is the reason? Why does He say such a preposterously chauvinistic thing?

Because "Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor." In couching these commands in (1) creation and (2) fall, God makes them as universal and straightforward as possible. There is no pandering to that particular culture or ours. There is no yellow-bellied wimpery in God's decree. He says, "I made man first, therefore woman cannot, by My design, be the leader."

And all who disagree - men and women - are rebelling against God. God made the man to be the servant leader of his family, church, and culture; just look at the way Jesus live and led and spoke and died. He lived and breathed the servant leadership God placed upon Him; who are we to question God's call?

Letter to a New Father

2007-10-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

I'm really not a very experienced father. But when my friend sent me an email asking for early fatherhood suggestions, particularly how to encourage his wife, I jumped at the chance to love and encourage him and his family. I reproduce it here (minus some details) for your encouragement as well:

Brother,

Good questions to ask. The other guys probably have more insight than me, through age, experience, and godliness; but mainly I would just try to let my wife rest as much as possible, do the night shift unless it impairs your work ability (in which case you have to figure something out), make sure I'm getting off early if at all possible, and generally just looking out and looking ahead for her. Offer to make dinner, rub her feet (or whatever hurts), rent a movie, go on a date whenever she's ready to leave the little one (she'll take longer to come to that point than you).

But most of all, she just needs encouragement that God has already given her the skills and is currently giving her the strength and the grace she needs to be a good mother. That's what my wife needed to know most. So encourage her with the gospel, and when she feels like she's messed up something, give her more gospel. She doesn't have to know everything - God will take care of every little thing and cover up our many mistakes as parents. Truly He is good to those who call on Him, to those who call on Him in truth.

And go ahead and start family worship if you haven't already, even with the little one - it will encourage her that you care about your son's body and his soul, and will help her press on in her own (probably somewhat strained) devotional time. Encourage her to take time to be with Jesus on her own as well.

We love you three and are available to baby-care whenever you need us, or just for dinner, or just to get out, or just for encouragement!

Britt

Octavius Winslow on Following Christ's Example

2007-09-29T15:30:00.001-07:00

Pastor Tom Ascol is always raving about how good Octavius Winslow's Morning and Evening Devotions are, so I decided I should read them for myself.

Today's morning devotion just happens to be on John 13:15, "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."

After noting Matt. 11, Rom. 15, and Phil. 2 as places the Bible calls us to follow Christ's example, Winslow has come lucid applications:

Look not every man on his own circle, his own family, his own gifts, his own interests, comfort, and happiness; upon his own Church, his own community, his own minister. Let him not look upon these exclusively.
Let him not prefer his own advantage to the public good.
Let him not be self-willed in matters involving the peace and comfort of others.
Let him not forLm favorite theories, or individual opinions, to the hazard of a Church's prosperity or of a family's happiness.
Let him yield, sacrifice, and give place, rather than carry a point to the detriment of others.
Let him, with a generous, magnanimous, disinterested spirit, in all things imitate Jesus, who "pleased not Himself."
Let him seek the good of others, honoring their gifts, respecting their opinions, nobly yielding when they correct and overrule his own.
Let him promote the peace of the Church, consult the honor of Christ, and seek the glory of God, above and beyond all private and selfish ends.

He explains in closing:

This is to be conformed to the image of God's dear Son, to which high calling we are predestinated; and in any feature of resemblance which the Holy Spirit brings out in the holy life of a follower of the Lamb, Christ is thereby glorified before men and angels.

I found it especially helpful that Winslow points out the danger of forming one's own opinions and doctrines. "Let him not form favorite theories, or individual opinions, to the hazard of a Church's prosperity or of a family's happiness," he writes. It is for lack of following Christ that people come up with hazardous doctrines. It is their failure to submit themselves to His own Word that allows their minds to invent false teachings.

And it is our job as His followers to follow Him in life and thought, teaching what He teaches and protecting those whom He protects.

The Glory of God in Family Worship

2007-09-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

Leading Our Families to Treasure Jesus Christ by Faith
(taught last Wednesday for some of our community group men)

God is worthy of all of our worship. Ps. 117 aptly says, “Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD! “ The beginning of Ps. 145 reads,

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

I am thrilled to be able to commend to you God's own vision of His worship in the home, because it is so true and right and good and helpful and because it gives great and true glory to God. God wants His name – His very character and glory – known and treasured in families, not simply individuals, across the globe. There is a real reason that the Scriptures compare the church to the family. Family matters to God. God assumes that families will be worshiping Him. Indeed, God is deeply honored when families stop their so-called “busy-ness” to sit down together to study God's Word, sing His praises, and pray in Jesus' name.

But, in some ways, I am ashamed to have to explain and commend to you the practice of family worship. Its regular practice seems so manifestly obvious in Scripture that its wholesale decline grieves me seriously. It makes me sad to say that, as a child, neither my immediate nor extended family ever once worshiped God together in the home, though most all of them profess Christ.

Apparently, we have this artificial divide between what happens "at church" and what happens "at home." Our cultural background blinds us to the necessity of family worship. We think that "church" is there in a building, and "home" is here in our houses. But, as one professor taught me, the family is meant to be a "domestic church." This is exactly why the New Testament compares a church to a family! If the family wasn't worshipping God, how would this comparison work? Therefore, all of the Bible's instruction about church and worship can rightly be applied to the family.

The Bible speaks often of family worship. Tonight, we will look at the two key OT passages and note some NT support in closing, and I pray that God would write these words on your hearts and teach you how to apply them specifically in your family context.

Deut. 6:4-9

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

So we note a few things here: first, the opening line calls for spiritual hearing because of God's unity. Second, we are told to love God with our entire being. Then third, His words are to be on our hearts. Fourth, the very next application is that we would teach God's words to our children at all times - lying down, rising up, sitting, and walking - and have them written all over our minds and hands and houses. This, then, is truly a vision of the full-on, life-consuming enjoyment of God.

Ps. 78:1-12

1 A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, 3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. 5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, 6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, 7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; 8 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. 9 The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle. 10 They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law. 11 They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them. 12 In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

Note two main things here:

the purpose of the teaching - that children and children's children and unborn children would put their hope in God (v. 5-7)
the effects of not teaching your children - these often omitted verses show that untaught, unbelieving children will turn back in the day of battle (v. 9-12)

Now we turn briefly to some supporting verses in the New Testament. Though there are many, we will only note three.

Eph 6:4 "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
2Ti 3:15 "and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
Acts 20:20f "how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ."

These verses point out that Paul tells us to raise our children by teaching them about the Lord Jesus, that Timothy read the Scriptures as a child, and that Paul and the apostles taught in houses. So why wouldn't we?

Application
So this necessity of family worship is written on your heart, now what? These notes have proved helpful to me:

1. Keep it simple.
This means in time, parts, and manner. Keep the same time (after dinner, before bed, after breakfast, etc), the same order (Bible, prayer, song, etc.), and the same speech (simple, God-honoring, applicable).

2. Keep it short.
At least at first, it is hard even for adults to get used to 30-45 minute Bible studies late in the evening. Yes, this is more important than television, but no, we don't want to bludgeon our families with Greek exegesis of Hebrews. Believe me, I tried.

3. Keep pressing on.
Starting and continuing family worship, especially from the historical-cultural places from which we come, is difficult. I've found it, indeed, quite difficult. Sin, Satan, and silliness will try to keep you from worshiping Jesus together with your family. Don't give in; and don't let anyone but God win in your family. There really is nothing our enemies would rather see than our families drifting away from God into weak affections and unbelief. When you mess up and forget, or forget to plan, just admit it, ask God and family for forgiveness, and press on. Persevere. “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work,” (2 Cor. 9:8). Let us press on together, brothers. God is infinitely worthy and infinitely sufficient.

Final Notes
You may have situations - work, school, unexpected occurences - that don't allow for this kind of practice every night, but try to do it every night that you can. And once you have this written on your heart, God will remind you and show you and give you the urge to carry it out. Remember, God is able to make all grace abound to you, including the grace to lead and serve your family in worshipping Him together.

Tom Ascol sums it up like this:

Make family worship a priority. Don’t let pride keep you from asking for help. Ask men and women who are doing it to give you suggestions. Get Don Whitney’s booklet on the subject (now available as a message on CD, as well) and read it together. Don’t be intimidated with unrealistic goals or visions of what family worship ought to be. Start simple. Read the Bible, sing a song or a chorus or a verse of a song, and pray. Then do it again the next day. Recognize that there will be days that you are not able to worship together as you like. Recognize that there wiil be days that you are able and you simply choose not to due to laziness, neglect or blatant sin. When that happens, repent, believe the Gospel, and start over, and do that the rest of your life. Once you incorporate family worship into the regular pattern of your life, don’t let house guests divert you from your schedule. Include them, or at least invite them to join you. Evangelism happens during such times. So does discipleship. Your example and testimony can be powerfully used by God in the lives of others who witness it.

One final helpful point: Your formal times of family worship (where you sit down together after dinner, for instance, to read the Bible and pray and sing to Jesus) will drive your informal times of conversation and worship (like conversing as you walk with your children, or talking before bed, or breaking into song). And those are wonderful and glorious as well, because all believers want their entire lives to be filled with songs and meditations and prayers from and through and to Jesus Christ. And so we desire for our families as well. May the God of glorious grace make it so. He is more than able.

Web Resources:
Vision Forum Ministries - a wonderful website and ministry dedicated to "rebuilding the Christian family, one household at a time."

John Gill's commentary on Deut. 6:7

Matthew Henry's commentary on Psa 78:1-8

Pastor Tom Ascol on Family Worship

Joe Thorn on Family Worship

Between Two Worlds - The Key to the Spiritual Health for Your Family

Books:
Family Worship by Donald Whitney
Thoughts on Family Worship by J.W. Alexander
The Godly Family by various authors
The Bible and the Closet by Thomas Watson and Samuel Lee (see the very back for “The Family Altar”).

Praise the Lord for E-Sword !!

2007-09-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

E-sword is incredible.

I have been using this free (yes, free), searchable, fully-customizable, loaded-with-extras Bible program for four or five years now, but lately some of the newer plugins are astounding me.

I currently run it with this setup (in case you want to take notes):

Bibles: KJV, ESV, ISV, several Greek NTs (GNT), Hebrew Old Testament, Septuagint (LXX)
Dictionaries: Strong's (standard), BDB, Thayer
Commentaries: John Gill, Matthew Henry, Jamieson Fausset Brown, Keil & Delitzsch, Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Extras: Doctrinal Works in the Reformed Tradition, Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, Luther's Concerning Christian Liberty, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Schaff's History of the Church, Westminster Confession, and Fox's Book of Martyrs
STEP Libraries (which function outside of the program's window): John Bunyan's entire collection, JC Ryle's entire collection, and John Newton's entire collection

Some of the more astounding features are:

the ability to view your favorite commentaries (Gill, Henry, K&D, Spurgeon) while reading the text
the freedom to search in English, Hebrew, and Greek
and the ability to make your own commentary inside the program!!!

Tonight, another download amazed me, and it's something I've been looking for and working on for the last five years: a commentary that just displays intra-Biblical word links. The "Treasury of Scripture Knowledge" in the commentary section is just that. Take, for instance, Revelation 2-3. I was doing a study on the seven churches, and I noticed that Jesus often uses phrases that sound like you've heard them before. Well, I just click on the verse, and the TSK commentary pops up several words that have links to the other parts of Scripture in which they occur.

In case that doesn't make sense, here's an example: Rev. 3:3

Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

Now I read that verse and realize that Jesus has said in other parts of the Bible that He will come like a thief. Well, I click over the the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and it tells me exactly where He has said that! Amazing!

Praise the Lord for whoever put this commentary together, and for Rick Myers, who built and maintains E-Sword out of his own pocket and time. Christ the Lord is truly using him.

Joel: God Never Finally Opposes His Children

2007-09-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

We were talking in community group last night about our pastor's sermon on Joel last Sunday, and we stopped to linger over the idea and application of God's opposition of His people. In using the word "opposition," we determined from Joel that often the Sovereign Lord makes life difficult, quite difficult (Paul says in 2 Cor. 1 that he "despaired of life itself"), for His children. God "opposes" them for a season, so that He would work humility and repentance by His grace.

Consider the book of Joel. Its three short chapters speak often of weeping and wailing, of locust plagues, of repentance, and of the day of the Lord. That's some pretty sobering, apocalyptic stuff. But note the renewal and repentance that comes to those who follow God's command to "Put on sackcloth and lament, . . consecrate a fast, call a solemn assembly, . . . cry out to the Lord," (1:13f, 2:15f). God then says to His people in Joel 2:19-3:1,

"Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land . . . Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield.

Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem. . ."

Grain and new wine! Enemies driven away! Rejoicing in God! Vats overflowing with wine and oil! Land restored! Plenteous, satisfying food! Dwelling with God! Knowing Him! No more shame! The fullness of His Spirit! Calling on His name for salvation! Escape from judgment! What blessings He promises after repentance! What happiness heaven will hold for those who repent and believe!

God's opposition, then, is never finally against His own children. "He disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness," says Hebrews 12:10. But we must understand His discipline correctly. It is not easy, and it not happy at the time. It is much like how our parents disciplined us when we were young, except that God is wiser and more loving than our earthly parents. He even works locusts and plagues and disaster and famine for the good of His chidren.

Consider one more text with me - Romans chapter eight. 8:28-29 reads, "For we know that God works all things together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose, for those whom He foreknew He predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." So each and every thing in the life of God's child is meant for their good, which is growing in and exalting Jesus Christ. Later Paul writes that nothing in all of creation can separate believers from the love of God in Christ Jesus - not tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword. And what God means here is, those things are coming! Don't be dismayed when they do! He still loves you who are in Christ!

One final note - these things are taught in plenty in the Old Testament. So let us read it and enjoy the God who loves His children so wisely and so fully.

Links Updated!

2007-09-02T20:01:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note: I finally went back over my list of links and update them. I've added some key sections and links, most notably the "Find Gospel Churches" section to help folks when they visit or move to new areas, and deleted some older stuff I don't read anymore. I also put a helpful short list of links to freeware programs I use. Lots of my friends could use free versions of Bible, photo editing, web content management, and audio ripping software, so I put up the best ones I know of.

And remember, those links are not up there just for fun - I honestly use them. This is my homepage, so I hope it's helpful for you, too. Check them all out and make your own list. God has given us an amazing resource in the internet, and we would be wise to learn from each other in our use of it.

Gospel Blog

2007-09-01T11:51:00.001-07:00

Of First Importance - great new blog with Gospel quotes from solid, believing writers meditating on Gospel truths, every day of the week.

(HT: JT)

Reading for Free and Reading for Freedom

2007-09-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Everyone should read. Reading is thought-provoking, mind-building, imagination-freeing, and boredom-curing. If you can read and you're not reading regularly, then you are wasting your mind and time and life on other, far less important things. You also are failing to work your brain-muscle like the rest of your muscles and failing to use the faculties God has so graciously given you.

Wonderfully sharp blogger Tim Challies posted the other day about this very subject, and I found his post and the one he links to (Bob Kauflin's) very encouraging. They note the edifying nature not only of the content of reading, but also of the very act itself. The point out helpful tips and treasures from their own reading experiences, and give exhortations and encouragements to read all the more.

But not only is reading a freeing exercise, reading is also free. More free books, even good books, are available online than ever before, and the number is only growing as copyrights continue to expire. I want to highlight two of these sites for you:

CCEL.org - a vast, well-indexed, searchable site full of Christian writers (not just theologians and pastors), includes writers like Athanasius, Chesterton, Luther, Calvin, and Spurgeon
GraceGems.org - a simple "treasury of ageless sovereign grace devotional writings," mostly by the Puritans

Without writing and books and reading, we would know very little about the world around us or the God who created us. Sadly, though, we would often rather watch mind-numbing television or play brain-slushing video games than sit down and read a good book. This simply must change - our minds are dying and our language simplifying, and we can't figure out how to understand or explain the the God of the Gospel or His world in which we live. Let's get back to reading. May the God who speaks help us.

God: In Charge But Not In Control?

2007-08-31T13:14:00.000-07:00

Baylor theology professor Dr. Roger Olson,

In response to your recent essay directed against the "Calvinist view" of God's character over at the Baylor Lariat Online, I must ask, how can God be "in charge but not in control"? We are talking about the God of the Bible, aren't we? The God who brings calamity, who exalts kings and takes them down, who burned whole cities with fire from heaven, who exercised His wrath on His only-begotten Son - this is the God of the Scriptures.

You say concerning "the God of Calvinism" that you're "not sure how to distinguish him from the devil," but are you sure how to distinguish your own understanding of God from a mere man? How can the God of the universe, Creator of the ends of the earth, the Sovereign over all creation, not be in control of all things that happen in His universe? He is still GOD, isn't he?

You address the Minneapolis bridge disaster, but the Bible says in Amos 3:6, "Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?" So God clearly ordains and brings disasters upon cities, and it is right for Him to do so for at least three reasons:

This is His world, so He can do with it as He pleases.
This world is full of wicked sinners, so He can judge us - even using disasters - as He pleases.
God uses the frailty of this world to point people in repentance to His never-failing Son.

It seems as though you've sacrificed God's true sovereign control at the altar of your false conception of His goodness. Your theological concerns are mainly relieving "God of responsibility for sin and evil and disaster and calamity," but those four things are not the same. God bringing disaster and calamity, like the Minnesota bridge collapse, isn't the same as Him doing sin and evil. He does bring disaster and calamity, and yet He does not sin or do evil. We must affirm both truths about God's character and therefore His work in the universe.

Again I say, it is totally right and good and holy for God to bring disasters upon this world.

Unlike your article, Jesus doesn't tell the worried people in Luke 13:1-5, "Oh, it's okay, God didn't do those terrible things;" He says, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." He then offers another disaster as an example!

You, especially, Dr. Olson, have a special charge in this world of helping train those who will teach His Word to the church and to the world. How can you so deny His abundant truth? How can you give your students such hurtful, deceptive answers? I love Jesus and His people, so it hurts my heart to read your article.

You close your essay by commenting about God's sovereignty that, "In light of all the evil and innocent suffering in the world, he must have limited himself." But it seems that the LORD would instruct us first to consult Him on matters of His own character, before we go building conclusions on what our faulty, frail, fallen eyes see in this world.

He has not limited Himself in any way, sir, and I pray that you see and love God in truth, not lies, for His sake and for yours and for the people you serve,

Britt Treece

Eternity Forgotten?

2007-08-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Over at the 9Marks Blog, Matt Schmucker has so kindly and thoughtfully blogged about the loss of "the idea of eternity and the believer's ultimate end." The whole post is worth reading, but here are his 6 reasons why the idea of eternity may be forgotten in our churches:

1. We’re distracted by baubles. We don’t long for and speak of eternity because in our hyper-connected, wealth-soaked, desires-driven world we remain suspended in a state of EXTREME DISTRACTION --by baubles—showy ornaments of little value. Music, drink, golf, houses, cars, IPODS, DVDs ESPN, HBO or MTV. These things are not necessarily bad. But too often mere baubles. Meaningless. They are nothing in light of eternity. But, boy, are they powerful.

2. We’re too content. Living in America is to be comfortable. I know there are exceptions, but even the poor in America (according to recent studies) live better than most of all of human history. We’re content. Why long for something else when things are fine -- here? Our wealth buys us out of hard labor. Our healthcare buys us out of extreme pain. We are content/comfortable with this world, not eager for the next. And so we don’t speak of eternal matters.

3. We may not be Christians. We don’t speak of eternity because we don’t know the eternal God. Jesus said, “Out of the mouth comes that which fills the heart (Matthew 12:34). It’s a nice little test the Lord of the Universe came up with. You want to know what’s on your heart? Check what comes out of your mouth. Sports? Work? Relationships? Money? Politics? Does anything eternal ever make it out? I have a special concern here for you who are or have grown up in a Christian home. You learn early how to talk the talk. You know the Christian buzz words and adopt the Christian culture, but is what you say you believe real to your own soul?
You talk about mysteries without standing in awe.
You talk about zeal without any passion.
You speak of sin in the absence of sorrow.
You even speak of heaven without any eagerness.
Be on your guard that you are not playing the role of the Pharisee. We may not be Christian and so we don’t speak about eternity.

4. We’re Christian, but our holy desires may be too slight. About John Owen (leading Puritan preacher) it was said, “holiness…shined in his whole course [his whole life], and was diffused through his whole conversation.” Owen in his own words: “If the word does not dwell with power in us, it will not pass with power from us.” Owen desired all things holy and it came out. Our holy desires may be too slight. And so we don’t speak.

5. We don’t understand our role as Christians. We don’t “get saved” then do what we want and see God sometime way off in the future. When you come to Christ, you get a new identity and with that a new role, if you will. When John the Baptist comes on the scene, the Jewish leadership sent priests out to find out who this guy was. “Who are you?” “Are you Elijah?” “Are you the Prophet?” “What do you say about yourself?” What is John’s description of himself? I AM A VOICE. I’m not a lawyer or a nurse or a federal worker. I’m not a teacher, homemaker, student or pastor. I’m not a painter or a journalist. I AM A VOICE. That’s your role! I believe and therefore I speak (2 Cor 4:13). We don’t understand our role and so we don’t speak for our eternal God.

6. We’re too fearful. We fear the reproach of men. We fear being rejected by family. We fear the loss of friends. We fear looking different/acting different/being different. Friends, we need to be willing to have every part of this life look stupid if it means being faithful to God and preparing to stand in His presence in the next.

I found #3 particularly convicting. If we forget to think about eternity, are we really Christians? Have we truly been converted by the eternal God in our eternal souls?

Arminianism is a Path to Universalism

2007-08-18T16:47:00.001-07:00

And I mean this in a philosophical sense - Arminianism is a primrose path to universalism.

Why?

I know tons of believing Arminians, who hold that God saves man, somehow through is own free choices, while still trying to attribute all the glory to God (which free-will "theology" can never do). But still, they try. But I also know several questionable Arminians, who struggle so much with their conception of God's "love" and man's "free will" that they concoct and erect theologies of universal love and salvation.

So what is the link between Arminianism and universalism? The answer is quite simple: their failure to understand of Biblical grace.

The Bible teaches that, because we are all wicked rebels before God, He would be completely just to send anyone to eternally painful punishment. But He chooses to save those whom He will, and that act is all of grace. It is the very definition of grace that He saves some underserving - antideserving! - sinners and does not save others. Both groups, all people, are rebels; yet God chooses whom He will graciously save and whom He will justly damn. It is the heart of Biblical grace.

But Arminians and universal-leaning Christians fail to realize that everyone, whether they "have the opportunity to hear the Gospel" or not, is a God-hating sinner. God has not promised that we will all hear the Gospel. Hearing the Gospel is not a prerequisite for damnation, but it is a prerequisite for salvation.

True theology, then, should push us on to carrying the happy news of God's happy Son to all who will listen, even to the ends of the earth. Universalism, however, is rather lazy. It would rather stay at home and save everyone through a lie than do the hard work to preach the Gospel and see God save people through His truth.

Let us reject the laziness of lies and instead take hold of one Man, singing His truth the world over.

Drink Deeply of Jesus Christ

2007-08-11T17:27:00.001-07:00

Having read the SBC resolution on alcohol consumption from last year's SBC convention, and then receiving an email announcement from my seminary president addressing that very resolution, I quickly became aware of the foolish legalism of this call for alcoholic abstinence. I mean, there are many, many things I love about the Southern Baptist Convention and its churches, but I love God and His Word more. So it's time to call it out:

This foolishness, this ugly Phariseeism, must stop.

The Southern Baptist Convention, its churches, and every believer in Jesus Christ would do well to pay attention to the commands, logic, and implications of Colossians 2:16-23

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

It says in essence, "Church, let no one judge you! Christ is the substance, not fleshly practices! Church, let no one cheat you! They will try to pull you away from the Head, from whom you are supplied with life!"

I preached on this passage last night at our local rescue mission and actually resisted the urge to call out the SBC on this one. I thought it was my sinful, critical nature trying to exalt myself over the convention; but it was nothing of the sort. My urge was from the Holy Spirit, because this anti-alcoholic legalism is a dangerous and deadly deception. And it is hurting, not helping, local churches.

I was reminded of this fact when I read this article from Christianity Today about the Missouri Bapist Convention and its fight against a local church who uses a local bar (gasp!) to meet people and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In response to the Journey Church's practice of utilizin a St. Louis pub in order to "become all things to all men, so that by any means (they) might save some" (1 Cor. 9:22), the MBC has mandated the teaching of the false doctrine of alcoholic abstinence. One board member, Michael Knight, has even proposed that the MBC cut off all ministry partnership with Acts 29, the Mark Driscoll-founded organization that helps and funds many church plants, including the Journey.

With this idea, the MBC risks building folly upon folly. And it all comes from really bad theology:

God is not honored when people imply that alcoholic abstinence is a way of gaining His approval.
God is belittled when His Word is pushed to the wayside while we make rules that have nothing to do with it.
When we first appeal to personal experience and cultural evidence, God's Word has become of no effect.

Let us not build houses upon sand, but upon the rock of Christ's Word. Please join me in calling for a return to the God of the Bible.

Martin Luther: Lessons from His Life and Labor

2007-08-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

Pastor John Piper's 1996 biographical address on the great reformer Martin Luther has been encouraging me these past few days. I post a few tidbits and encouragements here, but go read the whole thing for yourself. Be you unbeliever or Christian, layperson or deacon or elder, teacher or student, man or woman - it will be good for your soul to see such a vessel of God's grace.

Piper does a wonderful job of picking a theme from Luther's life and hammering it home with really good quotes:

In this psalm [119] David always says that he will speak, think, talk, hear, read, day and night constantly—but about nothing else than God's Word and Commandments. For God wants to give you His Spirit only through the external Word.

Let the man who would hear God speak, read Holy Scripture.

Be assured that no one will make a doctor of the Holy Scripture save only the Holy Ghost from heaven.

The apostles themselves considered it necessary to put the New Testament into Greek and to bind it fast to that language, doubtless in order to preserve it for us safe and sound as in a sacred ark. For they foresaw all that was to come and now has come to pass, and knew that if it were contained only in one's heads, wild and fearful disorder and confusion, and many various interpretations, fancies and doctrines would arise in the Church, which could be prevented and from which the plain man could be protected only by committing the New Testament to writing the language.

(Of his struggles with trusting God's grace during his monastery days he said,) If I could believe that God was not angry with me, I would stand on my head for joy!

Dear Lord God, I want to preach so that you are glorified. I want to speak of you, praise you, praise your name. Although I probably cannot make it turn out well, won't you make it turn out well?

Of his groundbreaking discovery on Romans 1:17, Luther wrote:

I had indeed been captivated with an extraordinary ardor for understanding Paul in the Epistle to the Romans. . . I beat importunately upon Paul at that place, most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted.

At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, "In it righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live." There I began to understand [that] the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which [the] merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live." Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. Here a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me. Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory ...

And I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which I had before hated the word 'righteousness of God.' Thus that place in Paul was for me truth the gate to paradise

More on the Bible, languages, and preaching:

For a number of years I have now annually read through the Bible twice. If the Bible were a large, mighty tree and all its words were little branches I have tapped at all the branches, eager to know what was there and what it had to offer.

He who is well acquainted with the text of Scripture, is a distinguished theologian. For a Bible passage or text is of more value than the comments of four authors.

... the Scriptures alone are our vineyard in which we ought all to work and toil.

I then read the commentators, but soon threw them aside, ... 'tis always better to see with one's own eyes than with those of other people.

Solomon the preacher is giving me a hard time, as though he begrudged anyone lecturing on him. But he must yield.

It is certain that unless the languages [Greek and Hebrew] remain, the Gospel must finally perish.

Without languages we could not have received the gospel. Languages are the scabbard that contains the sword of the Spirit; they are the casket which contains the priceless jewels of antique thought; they are the vessel that holds the wine; and as the gospel says, they are the baskets in which the loaves and fishes are kept to feed the multitude.

If the languages had not made me positive as to the true meaning of the word, I might have still remained a chained monk, engaged in quietly preaching Romish errors in the obscurity of a cloister; the pope, the sophists, and their anti-Christian empire would have remained unshaken.

It is a sin and shame not to know our own book or to understand the speech and words of our God; it is a still greater sin and loss that we do not study languages, especially in these days when God is offering and giving us men and books and every facility and inducement to this study, and desires his Bible to be an open book.

Some pastors and preachers are lazy and no good. They do not pray; they do not read; they do not search the Scripture ... The call is: watch, study attend to reading. In truth you cannot read too much in Scripture; and what you read you cannot read too carefully, and what you read carefully you cannot understand too well, and what you understand well you cannot teach too well, and what you teach well you cannot live too well ... The devil ... the world ... and our flesh are raging and raving against us. Therefore, dear sirs and brothers, pastors and preachers, pray, read, study, be diligent ... This evil. shameful time is not the season for being lazy, for sleeping and snoring.

Let ministers daily pursue their studies with diligence and constantly busy themselves with them ... Let them steadily keep on reading, teaching, studying, pondering, and meditating. Nor let them cease until they have discovered and are sure that they have taught the devil to death and have become more learned than God himself and all His saints [which, of course means never].

On triblulation:

I want you to know how to study theology in the right way. I have practiced this method myself ... Here you will find three rules. They are frequently proposed throughout Psalm [119] and run thus: Oration, meditatio, tentatio (Prayer, meditation, trial).

For as soon as God's Word becomes known through you, the devil will afflict you will make a real doctor of you, nd will teach you by his temptations to seek and to love God's Word. For I myself ... owe my papists many thanks for so beating, pressing, and frightening me through the devil's raging that they have turned me into a fairly good theologian, driving me to a goal I should never have reached.

[Trials] teach you not only to know and understand but also to experience how right, how true, how sweet, how lovely, how mighty, how comforting God's word is: it is wisdom supreme.

On prayer:

That the Holy Scriptures cannot be penetrated by study and talent is most certain. Therefore your first duty is to begin to pray, and to pray to this effect that if it please God to accomplish something for His glory—not for yours or any other person's—He very graciously grant you a true understanding of His words. For no master of the divine words exists except the Author of these words, as He says: 'They shall be all taught of God' (John 6:45). You must, therefore, completely despair of your own industry and ability and rely solely on the inspiration of the Spirit.

Since the Holy Writ wants to be dealt with in fear and humility and penetrated more by studying with pious prayer than with keenness of intellect, therefore it is impossible for those who rely only on their intellect and rush into Scripture with dirty feet, like pigs, as though Scripture were merely a sort of human knowledge not to harm themselves and others whom they instruct.

You should completely despair of your own sense and reason, for by these you will not attain the goal ... Rather kneel down in your private little room and with sincere humility and earnestness pray God through His dear Son, graciously to grant you His Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you and give you understanding.

The natural mind cannot do anything godly. It does not perceive the wrath of God, there cannot rightly fear him. It does not see the goodness of God, therefore cannot trust or believe in him either. Therefore we should constantly pray that God will bring forth his gifts in us.

On the lies of "free will" teaching:

I condemn and reject as nothing but error all doctrines which exalt our "free will" as being directly opposed to this mediation and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. For since, apart from Christ, sin and death are our masters and the devil is our god and prince, there can be no strength or power, no wit or wisdom, by which we can fit or fashion ourselves for righteousness and life. On the contrary, blinded and captivated, we are bound to be the subjects of Satan and sin, doing and thinking what pleases him and is opposed to God and His commandments.

And finally, on GOD-centered theology:

I recall that at the beginning of my cause Dr. Staupitz ... said to me: It pleases me that the doctrine which you preach ascribes the glory and everything to God alone and nothing to man; for to God (that is clearer than the sun) one cannot ascribe too much glory, goodness, etc. This word comforted and strengthened me greatly at the time. And it is true that the doctrine of the Gospel takes all glory, wisdom, righteousness, etc., from men and ascribes them to the Creator alone, who makes everything out of nothing.

Amen. Praise the Sovereign Lord for those who have gone before us and taught the Word of God to us. May we imitate their faith.

Romans: God is the Only God-Worshipper

2007-08-04T07:05:00.000-07:00

Reading Romans 1-3 yesterday made something very clear to me: God is the only God-worshipper. Let me repeat that: God is the only God-worshipper.

How can I say that? It sounds just crazy. Millions of people throughout the ages have worshipped the one true God through Jesus Christ His Son, so how can I say that God is the only Being who worships God?

Well, it becomes clear from chapters 1 and 2 that everyone - Jew and Gentile - not only fails to worship God rightly, but also angers Him by their unrighteous unbelief and ugly idol-worship. As 1:18 says,

"For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."

The wrath of God is coming upon all the unrighteous. 3:9-10 explains,

"For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one.' "

The whole world is thus in a terrible state.

Unless God intervenes.

Magnificently, this He does in 3:21-24,

"But apart from law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed to by the Law and the Prophets, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe, for there is no distinction, for all sinned and are falling short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation in His blood through faithfulness . . ."

What a gracious, enemy-saving God! At the cost of His own Son, He redeemed angry, weak, laughable God-haters! He made us worshippers!

Therefore, as 2:29 tells us,

"But a Jew [a God-worshipper] is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God."

Paul tells us that God effects His own worship - totally, effectively, finally. God loves His own glory, and wants man to love Him rightly, too, because that is what is best for man and most glorifying to God. God, then, is the only God-worshipper, because He is the only One who, through Jesus Christ, can bring others into a right, happy, worshipping relationship with Himself.

God-Centered Children's Books

2007-07-30T11:34:00.001-07:00

"What are some good, God-centered books for children?" a sister in our church was asking a few of us yesterday, so I decided to do a little research. My wife and I read a few of these regularly, and I found the others from trusted ministries and websites.

Here's my first list:

The Big Picture Story Bible by Paul Helm: excellent coverage of salvation history, following the creation-fall-redemption-restoration line; Christ-focused, Scriptural, and heart-aimed.

Big Truths for Little Kids by Susan and Richie Hunt: combines catechism with stories; practical, realistic, and basic.

The Gospel for Children by John B. Leuzarder: a basic Gospel presentation for children; God-centered, thorough, and simple.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: classic stories of the magical land of Narnia that highlight various truths about Christ, imaginative, innovative, and unforgettable.

The Dangerous Book for Boys by Hal and Conn Iggulden: a book written to renew a love for masculine things in boys and men; thorough, fun, active, and challenging. Get it to remember that God made boys to be men and nothing less. (*This book is not written by believers, nor does it make any explicit references to God, but we found it to be God-aimed nonetheless because of its view on masculinity.*) A powerful, man-shaping tool in the hands of a believing parent.

"The Christian Logic Series" by Nathaniel Bluedorn: both The Fallacy Detective and The Thinking Toolbox are written to teach adolescents and adults how God gives us reason and logic to think about the world; thorough, practical, and illustrative.

God Knows My Name by Debby Anderson: reminds children (and moms) that God cares for His people, even in the details; illustrated, practical, and simple.

The Bible Explorer: God's Truth from Genesis to Revelation by Carine Mackenzie: "a Bible reference tool for children," going through the canon with summaries and key texts; useful, thorough, and thought-provoking.

Ten Boys Who . . and Ten Girls Who . . series by Irene Howat: "a series of four books designed to introduce children to post-biblical heroes of the faith;" faith-giving, awe-inspring, and history-teaching.

Find the Animal series by Penny Reeve: four volumes designed to produce amazement and wonder in young children at the creative hand of God by showing exciting features of specific animals; each book is devoted to one animal in a detective style. "Guess which one this is!" Great for teaching about God's creation.

My God is So Big by Catherine Mackenzie: aimed at young children and utilizes the popular song for which it is named; teaches the next generation about the gigantitude of God.

Resources for finding and/or reviewing children's books:

DesiringGOD.org's recommendations page
DiscerningReader.com children's books page
half.com - search for specific books to buy at lower prices

I'm sure there are more, so keeping letting me know and I'll keep posting them. Hope this helps for now.

Jim Naugle Takes a Stand

2007-07-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle cares about his city. Sadly, homosexual activists don't see it the same way. While he campaigns against his city's rampant homosexual activity in public bathroom stalls and its astounding number of homosexual AIDS cases, gay activists have responded with a call to roll the town hall with toilet paper. They have since settled for sending the mayor "virtual rolls" of toilet paper.

Mayor Naugle also has been working, though unsucessfully as of yet, to remove his public libary's newly-approved homosexual porn section. The fact that a city of this size and prominence is voting for this wicked, mind-killing filth only magnifies the problem. But Mayor Naugle isn't backing down - though he lost that battle, he is still fighting mightily for the God of all goodness and righteousness and truth.

When it comes to sex in public restrooms, asWorldNet Daily's Janet Folger points out, that is still very illegal. So Jim Naugle simply wants Ft. Lauderdale authorities to enforce the law. Imagine that! And as Folger says,

What do you know? The mayor is right. Enforcing the law changes behavior. Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle is right. I not only stand by him. I want to see him run for governor and then for president.

A man in a high political office who sees evil clearly and wants to fight it with the good law, who cares about how such evil affects children and adults at large, who apologizes for not for what he has said rightly but for the fact that he didn't say it soon enough - such a man is hard to find. I praise God for putting men like Jim Naugle in positions of authority. May his work continue to point all kinds of people to the final authoriy to whom all must give an account.

God-Centered Lessons from Ray Ortlund, Sr.

2007-07-26T11:42:00.001-07:00

Thanks to JT's blog, I learned of the recent death and heavenly happiness of the Jesus-loving pastor, teacher, and writer, Ray Ortlund, Sr, and subsequently found his grandson's "lessons learned." The whole thing is a gem, and I have copied most of it (with slight reformats) here:

My grandfather is, with a few possible exceptions, the most remarkable man I’ve ever known. As my dad put it yesterday, he is the definition of a godly man. If I could choose words from all the hundreds of languages of the world, I would never come close to communicating the weight of what my grandfather has taught me about God and faith and "going hard after God," as he would say. And I know only one language. But despite the frustration of not adequately doing justice to God's abundant work of grace in his life, I list eight things I've learned from Grandpa--and am still learning.

My goal in listing these is not to erect a picture of a perfect man (which would only discourage us), but to “consider the outcome of his way of life, and imitate his faith.” I want others to feel the weight of what God did with this very ordinary man and, with me, to be stirred up. This is not exalting a man instead of Jesus, but exalting a man because of Jesus. Grandpa is the last person who would want his own name to overshadow that of Christ.

1. The Centrality of Love: when he came and spoke to the pastors of Missouri Presbytery of the PCA in 2004, with the chance to pick any text he wanted, he chose John 13: "A new commandment I give you: that you love one another." It was vintage Grandpa when halfway through his message he stopped and instructed the guys present to go around and tell their brothers that they loved them. A simple "I love you" from one pastor to another, face to face. Imagine!

2. The Importance of Joy: Nothing was more tragic, to Grandpa, than a morose believer. He was himself one of the happiest people I've ever known, and that is not without a good deal of heartache of his own.

3. The Bible as Food: Grandpa did not read the Bible mainly for information, but to feed his soul. In one of his books he writes, "You don’t get food for your soul by osmosis! You can hear others talk of it; but until you yourself regularly take in that delicious Word of God, you’re undernourished!” I possess a Bible of his from the late 80's - every page is marked. Including 2 Chronicles and the second half of Joshua.

4. The Critical Place of Prayer: Often we would be together as a family and Grandpa would say, “Let’s stop and pray about this.” And there was no spiritual gamesmanship with the man--just honest, earnest talking to and pleading with the Lord.

5. The Secret Value of Repentance and Humility: One evening in Nashville when we were together as a family Grandpa had been telling me about how Fuller Seminary started in his church, and mentioned some of the big-wigs involved. The next morning, the first thing he said to me was: "Dane, I need to apologize to you about something. I was putting myself forward last night when I was talking about Fuller and those guys, and it was prideful, and I want to tell you I'm sorry and ask you to forgive me. I don't want to be a self-promoter." He was 82, had spoken to crowds of 100,000 in India, had had an interational radio ministry, and written over 20 books. And he wanted to apologize to his grandson for being a self-promoter.

6. The Importance of Loving My Wife: In 2004, sitting in a booth at Chili's in St. Louis, Grandpa gave me a stinging rebuke for not studying Scripture with my wife. That day was a turning point for our marriage.

7. The Incomparable Worth of Singlemindedness: Some of Grandpa's favorite phrases were “tiger for Jesus,” “great exploits in Jesus’ name,” “there’s nothing in life outside of Jesus,” and “go hard after God.” He was a tiger for Jesus, he did great exploits' in Jesus' name, and he did go hard after God. He also eschewed normalcy. He wrote: “Your danger and mine is not that we become criminals, but rather, that we become respectable, decent, commonplace, mediocre Christians. No rewards at the end, no glory—“saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire” (1 Cor. 3:15)! The twenty-first-century temptations that really sap our spiritual power are the television, banana cream pie, the easy chair, and the credit card. Christian, you will win or lose in those seemingly innocent little moments of decision.”

8. Strength in Weakness: Grandpa exemplifies the counterintuitive biblical truth that when we are weak, then we are strong. He was dyslexic and therefore a very slow reader, often felt huge waves of insecurity, and wrestled with what he called an "inferiority complex" early on in life. Yet God used him remarkably, and I believe it was not in spite of his weaknesses but because of them. They forced him to yield himself to the Lord in utter dependence. And I take much consolation in that, as a weak person myself. Grandpa knew that to say “I don’t have what it takes” is exactly what it takes.

I summarize the life of this man with Jesus' words to Peter in Matthew 16: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Grandpa lost his life. And therefore found it.

I love you, Grandpa. Thank you for exalting and enjoying Christ and Christ alone. What a work of grace he did in your life. The joy was yours. The honor was his. The blessing is ours. I can't wait to enjoy the new earth with you.

What a testimony to leave his children and grandchildren! What lessons we all should learn! Let us aspire in Christ to such faithful, Biblical, sacrificial lives by the power of His Spirit!

Beauty and the Bible

2007-07-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

From Pastor Michael Lawrence of Capital Hill Baptist Church and 9 Marks, writing on Boundless.org:

Fundamental to the Christian concept of beauty is that beauty is not so much passively found and appreciated as it is actively created and cherished. Genesis 1 tells us that when God created the world, He created it good. That word includes the idea of beautiful. Trees, for example, were both "pleasant to the sight and good for food" (Genesis 2:9). So God's creation wasn't merely functional, it was (and in many ways still is) beautiful! Why would God build beauty into creation and give us the ability to recognize it? Perhaps so that we would be attracted to it, and so care for it well as stewards. Ultimately God wanted his creation to be a reflection of his own beauty (glory); He wants us to be attracted to Him!

He then applies these truths:

Attraction has a powerful pull on all of us. So be careful what you allow to become attractive to you. Cultivate your attraction to Jesus Christ in the gospel. You may just be surprised at how some women you know seem to become more beautiful as you do...

I said earlier that Adam started off as a developer, making the beauty of Paradise flourish and grow. Adam failed, and we'll think more about what that means next time. But where Adam failed, Jesus succeeded. Only this second Adam had a much more difficult job. Not expanding perfection, but cleansing the dirty, forgiving the guilty, and making the ugly beautiful again. Paul tells us that like a husband, "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless" (Ephesians 5:25-27)...

Whether you like it or not, whether you know it or not, you are a creator of beauty in the women around you. It's just a question of what kind. Take a look at the single women in your church or circle of friends. What kind of beauty are they focused on? Is it the beauty of what Peter calls "outward adornment" or is it the beauty of Christ in the gospel (1 Peter 3:3-5)?

Guys especially want to check these articles out, since they make pointed application to how we understand beauty and attraction; but for both men and women both parts one and two of the series are well-worth the read.

The "Sweet Flame" of Christ's Love

2007-07-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a beautiful Jonathan Edwards quote, with introduction from Thabiti:

On Nov. 28, 1751 Jonathan Edwards wrote a letter to a Lady Mary Pepperrell. Lady Pepperrell had recently lost a son and Edwards wrote to offer Christian comfort. For my money, Edwards is at his best when he meditates on the person and work of Christ. In the middle of his letter to Pepperrell, his thoughts land on the work of Christ for us. Here's an excerpt quoted from A Sweet Flame: Piety in the Letters of Jonathan Edwards.

It is a work of love to us, and a work of which Christ is the author. He loveliness and his love have both their greatest and most affecting manifestation in those sufferings, which he endured for us at his death. Therein, above all, appeared his holiness, his love to God, and his hatred of sin, in that, when he desired to save sinners, rather than that a sensible testimony should not be seen against sin, and the justice of God be vindicated, he chose to become 'obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.' Thus, in the same act, he manifests, in the highest conceivable degree, his infinite hatred of sin and his infinite love to sinners. His holiness appeared like a fire, burning with infinite vehemence against sin. At the same time,... his love to sinners appeared like a sweet flame, burning with an infinite fervency of benevolence. It is the glory and beauty of his love to us, polluted sinners, that is an infinitely pure love. And it is the peculiar sweetness and endearment of holiness, that it has its most glorious manifestation in such an act of love to us. All the excellencies of Christ, both divine and human, have their highest manifestation in this wonderful act of his love to men--his offering up himself a sacrifice for us, under these extreme sufferings. Herein have abounded toward us the riches of his grace, 'in all wisdom and prudence' (Eph. 1:8). Herein appears his perfect justice. Herein, too, was the great display of his humility, in being willing to descend so low for us. In his last sufferings appeared his obedience to God, his submission to this disposing will, his patience, and his meekness, when he went as a lamb to the slaughter, and opened not his mouth, but in a prayer that God would forgive his crucifiers. And how affecting this manifestation of his excellency and amiableness to our minds, when it chiefly shines forth in such an act of love to us. The love of Christ to men, in another way, sweetens and endears all his excellencies and virtues; as it has brought him in to so near a relation to us, as our friend, our elder brother, and our redeemer; and has brought us into an union so strict with him, that we are his friends, yea, 'members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones' (Eph. 5:30).

We see then, dear Madam, how rich and how adequate is the provision, which God has made for our consolation, in all our afflictions, in giving us a Redeemer of such glory and such love, especially, when it is considered, what were the ends of this great manifestation of beauty and love in his death. He suffered that we might be delivered. His soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, to take away the sting of sorrow, and to impart everlasting consolation. He was oppressed and afflicted, that we might be supported. He was overwhelmed in the darkness of death, that we might have the light of life. He was cast into the furnace of God's wrath, that we might drink of the rivers of his pleasures. His soul was overwhelmed with a flood of sorrow, that our hearts might be overwhelmed with a flood of eternal joy.

Luke Admits He Was Wrong

2007-07-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

I was reading the ESV's Bible Reading Plan feed on my Google Reader the other day and once again came across an instructive narrative in the book of Acts. Acts 21:15-21 reads:

While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” (italics mine)

The setting here is Paul's return journey to Jerusalem with Luke and other disciples. Luke is the writer of the book of Acts and thus its narrator. When he writes "we," he is including himself. But, according to this story, these disciples did not see it that way at the time. They even had witness from the Holy Spirit that Paul would be bound at Jerusalem. So they pled with him, they begged him, they urged him not to go. And Luke was doing it right there with them.

Yet Paul's steadfastness to the name of the Lord Jesus demands that he go and be bound and die, if necessary. He loves Jesus in this kind of sacrificing, giving, suffering way that the Bible requires of all of us who are Christ's.

So Luke, along with the other disciples, was urging Paul not to go to Jerusalem, where he would providentially be arrested and sent on to Rome, as God would have it. And this and subsequent narratives makes it clear that this was, in fact, God's plan to send His Gospel to the ends of the earth.

As Luke writes these narratives, then, looking back (since the book doesn't close for a few more chapters and likely months, we can safely assume Luke had some time to reflect on these events before his Holy Spirit-breathed writing of the book), he realizes and admits that he was wrong. He was, though well-intentioned, very mistaken in begging Paul not to go to Jerusalem and suffer for Jesus. Luke - the inspired writer of two hefty books of Scripture - was wrong, and he tells his readers that very thing. "I was wrong," he is saying, "to beg Paul like this. God's plan was bigger and harder and better than I could see at that time, and I'm so thankful."

We ought to be humbled that this wonderful, God-given writer has grace to admit his mistakes, and may we magnify God as we admit ours, as well.

Is This an Endorsement of the Simpsons?

2007-07-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well, not exactly, but if you grew up the way I did, then you probably have been taught that the television show, The Simpsons, is evil, demonic, and just plain wrong. Not that I actually believe that.

Either way, you should check out the Simpsons Movie website, if only for the opportunity to depict yourself, your family, and your friends as Simpsons cartoon characters (this feature is found under "Create Your Own Avatar"). This is hilarious! And tons of fun!

If you're in my family - church or blood - consider yourself already Simpsonized.

Proverbs 19:14

2007-07-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

"House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from the LORD."

Husbands, let us encourage ourselves and our wives today with this truth:

while God gives us many gifts through the hands of others,
He gives our wives directly from His own hand,
and no one else can take credit for their good prudence.

I am thankful to God alone for my wife.

Thank God for Gary W. Beecham, Jr.

2007-07-10T13:12:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I had the distinct privilege and humbling honor to be a groomsmen for one of my best friends in the world, Gary W. Beecham, Jr. He got married to his beautiful bride, formerly Miss Ashley Harris. My wife and I had a wonderful time in Columbia, playing with our daughter and enjoying the wedding festivities. Going to Gary's wedding made me ponder over the highs and lows of our almost five-year friendship, and I began to thank the Lord Jesus for giving me such a good friend.

1. Gary loves the living Word of God.

Anyone who knows Gary knows two things: he is relentless silly and he is relentlessly talking about Jesus. This love for Christ is built on Gary's love for the Bible and his study of it. I have seen this firsthand during our long meetings at Bojangle's and many conversations on the phone. This is a man who cannot stop reading the Bible. God Himself has taken him and molded Gary into a reading, studying, Jesus-talking, joy-overflowing vessel of His own glory.

2. Gary loves his wife.

In a day when far too many men either disregard or dishonor their wives, Gary was planning and praying for his wife long before she was his. Often in the last few years, months, weeks, and days, I've heard him talking about how he did this or that because (either implicity or explicity) he knew it would help her. "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her," means that we give up not only our bodies but our desires, too. Gary is a wonderful example of that.

3. Gary loves his church.

Having the privilege of introducing him to his local church, and her to him, I can say, again, from firsthand experience, that Gary undoubtedly, unquestionably loves his local church. He loves her from the Scriptures and from his heart. He loves her with his hands, his time, and his mind. He loves her with kind words and with funny ones. He loves her with rebukes and with encouragements. And I've seen it all come about in the last five years. Praise be to God!

4. Gary loves his friends.

I was telling my wife the other day that when we went through an mind-bending, emotion-twisting, sin-exposing situation last year, I had two friends I knew I could count on to be there for us - one of them was (and is still) Gary. His friends simply cannot count the number of times Gary has helped them out of jams, holes, tough spots, brokenness, stumblings, and grumblings. Not to mention that he's always up for hanging out.

I am thankful for my friend, Gary W. Beecham, Jr. May the sovereign God give us more faith-filled, joyous brothers and sisters like Jesus.

Am I an Other-Centered Teammate?

2007-06-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

ESPN.com's NBA blogger, Henry Abbott, wrote this line about former college basketball standout, one of tonight's lottery picks, two-time national champion at the University of Florida, Joakim Noah:

David has been using Joakim Noah, in conversations over the last two or so years, as the prime example of a great teammate. His biggest point is look: every time the TV cameras are on, there's Joakim talking up someone besides himself. And it's true. It's always: look how great Corey Brewer is. Look how great Al Horford is. Let me tell you how hard my dad worked. Stuff like that.

David is of the opinion, and I'm inclined to agree, that it's a rare player indeed who makes it his primary mission to lift up his teammates. And players like that are catalysts for teams that are teams.

I read this and realized two things very quickly:

1. I am not this kind of teammate.
I'm not often "talking up someone besides myself" or making it my "primary mission to lift up my teammates." I love basketball, and I love my summer league teammates. They are great guys. They really are. I genuinely enjoy being around them. But when someone asks me about last week's game, I say something like, "We lost. I didn't play well." I have almost nothing good to say about any specific teammates. This is terrible, and a terrible witness for Jesus.

2. This particular "great teammate" is most likely not a Christian.
I don't know Joakim Noah personally, but, from everything I've ever heard him say about his off-the-court time at UF, his life certainly doesn't show an overwhelming love for Jesus. I won't go into details, but anybody who's watched the last two NCAA men's basketball tourneys knows what I mean. Joakim is simply concerned about other things.

So I was forced to ask myself some hard questions:

Since I love Jesus, why am I not a more loving teammate?
Why am I not more thankful when I play basketball?
Why don't I point out God's graces in others more often than I talk about myself?
How have I failed to apply the word of the cross to my own life?

Lord Jesus, please apply Your Gospel to my heart by Your Spirit and make me a thankful, encouraging, loving, unifying, and humble Christian and teammate.

Recent Reading

2007-06-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

Some good recent articles in the world of blog:

Honest to God - Michael McKinley at the 9Marks Blog, Church Matters, takes a look at the pride and hypocrisy in his own heart, challenging us to take a look at our own, finally pointing us to the cross of Christ where we find the grace and forgiveness that empowers us to be truly honest with ourselves, each other, and God Himself.
Thabiti's series on The Mereness of Church - Thabiti takes a look at how the Church must be simple and clear in her mission and message. These are convicting, challenging, helpful posts, as most all of Thabiti's are.
Martin Graham's two most recent full-length posts - Fathers, Be Your Child's Advocate! and the Greatness of God and the Meaning of Tender Mercy - are both devotional and God-centered. I am often helped by this dear brother.
Justin Taylor's three recent devotional articles - one and two from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Christian's inner life and one from Jerry Bridges on legalistic fences - are all worth the short, thoughtful read.
Tom Ascol at the Founders Blog is keeping us up-to-date on the life of the SBC in Florida. Powerful convictions and heartfelt love abound.

Praise God for the internet! I learn so much from so many more learned men than myself, all while pointing me to the Bible and the Central Character of it!

Google Reader

2007-06-26T11:20:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been enjoying my new (to me) Google Reader. Yes, this may seem like an advertisement for Google, but, no, I don't own any stock. I just enjoy being able to read my favorite blogs from one place as soon as they're updated. The window even reads better than most (if not all) blogs. And it's free! Check it out, and add me to your list if you like.

My list currently includes:
Church Matters
Between Two Worlds
Pure Church
Desiring God
True Hoop
Martin Graham
Founders Blog

Desiring God Book Sale !!!

2007-06-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

From Abraham Piper at the Desiring God blog:

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

No limits, so spread the word.

(This sale is online only.)

So this is me spreading the word. I'm already making a wish list.

Thank God for Tom Ascol

2007-06-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

Tom Ascol is an amazing man of God, and I barely know him. He is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, FL, and the executive director of Founders Ministries, an organization dedicated to the recovery of historic Baptist principles and the reformation of Southern Baptist churches. Tom studies hard, preaches often, blogs regularly, and loves his family - all for the glory of God.

I am thanking God today for a few specific things I have learned from Tom's writing and preaching ministry:

1. Being faithful to the Word of God is more important than anything else.
Tom has taken a lot, I mean, if you read his blog and follow his ministry, a LOT, of flak over the years because of his convictions in the Bible. He continues to persevere in love and humility despite being publicly wronged more than any minister I can think of.

2. Preaching should be Bible-built, Christ-focused, clear, and devotional.
Some of the best sermons I've ever heard are a few he preached at a Founder's Conference a few years back. (sidenote - if you haven't checked out the Founder's Ministry and their conferences, do it! God will feed your soul!)

3. Perseverance in controversy is necessary, difficult, and possible by the grace of God.
Tom keeps hammering away at the same issues - the doctrines of grace, the necessity of regenerate church membership, integrity in the SBC, repentance - year after year after year. He may never see the fruit of his labors, but I praise God for them. The Lord is surely using Tom's hard work to stoke new fire in His church.

4. Humility must be cultivated.
I'm sure Tom doesn't feel humble - I'm sure he would tell you that pride is one of his biggest struggles - but I also know that he works to cultivate humility in everything he does. In the way he writes and preaches, the way he handles his family and church, the way he responds to controversy, the way he approaches other leaders, even down the way he quickly responds to my emails, it is clear that God is working humility into this elder's life. It is a joy to see.

Well, I don't know him that well, but I follow his writing fairly well and his preaching somewhat. I am so thankful to God for Tom Ascol.

Thankful to God for People

2007-06-20T15:26:00.001-07:00

Over on his blog, Thabiti is working on cultivating thankfulness. He has a series of posts on his gratefulness to the Sovereign God for certain people He has placed in Thabiti's life:

My favorite, and I think I quickly read through almost all of them, is the one on his former pastor and mentor, Mark Dever. God truly uses this man and his church, Capitol Hill Baptist, to teach and model so many truths and admirable qualities that are found in Christ yet conspicuously absent from much of His church. Lord, teach us to be thankful for Your neverending blessings in Christ, especially through His church.

ps - search Thabiti's site for discussions on preaching, ministry and ministers, race, Islam, the church, Paul's letters, and many more wonderful series. I couldn't link them all here - there's just too many. (What's the plural of "series"? "Serieses"? It's a collective noun, so I'm not sure how to pluralize it.)

The Shepherd and the Flock

2007-06-15T09:57:00.001-07:00

By the providence of God, I have met several older pastors in my recent days here at my job. These genuine, God-loving men tend to be "walking the mall" to stay in shape in their latter years. It got me thinking: What does it look like to be a minister of God? So many men (and women, unfortunately) do it poorly that we have forgotten most of what it means to be an earthen vessel with the treasure of the Gospel and an undershepherd of God's flock, especially in the midst of such theologically-troubled and misguided church in a crooked and perverse generation.

Then, again by the providence of God, I stumbled across an excerpt of an interview with Joel R. Beeke, who is "pastor of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, MI, president and professor of systematic theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, and author of numerous books including The Quest For Full Assurance and Meet The Puritans."

Here are several points worth pondering:

How should a minister keep his own heart, mind, and will from theological error?
Keep yourself deeply immersed in the Scriptures, and pray daily to be willing to surrender all to their inerrant truth.
Surround yourself with sound, godly colleagues and lay people who love you sufficiently to be honest with you, so that iron will sharpen iron.
Read the best, sound, scriptural, classic books, especially those by the Reformers and Puritans, that address your mind with clarity, convict your conscience with poignancy, bend your wills with conviction, and move your feet with passion.
Meditate on those truths preached that do your people the most good; in every case, you will discover that they are biblical truths.
Develop the hide of a rhinoceros so that you won’t be tossed about with every criticism and wind of doctrine while maintaining the heart of a child, so that you will be a tender undershepherd to the needy.
Calvin said that ministers have two voices. One is for the sheep and the other for warding off the wolves. How have you struck the right balance in this regard in your pulpit ministry?

I suppose that one can never be absolutely certain that he is striking the right balance on this critical subject, but here are four guidelines that I find helpful:
Pray daily for biblical balance in all areas of ministry.
Love your sheep. Love has a way of balancing out our often imbalanced personalities. Those in error can receive much more from a minister who obviously loves them than from one who comes across as combative.
Be patient with your sheep. Be willing to teach them the same truth repeatedly, just as the Lord has done with you (cf. Phil. 3:1; 2 Peter 3:1–2).
Let your "voice for the sheep" always receive the primary accent of your ministry. Truth must ultimately be positive in nature to win the day with a congregation. Many ministers have focused too much on polemical and apologetical theology, often setting up and beating upon straw men in their congregation to the detriment of the flock. Polemics and apologetics must have the proper place of a minor accent in the ministry, so that no error is left unexposed.
But the minister must expose error wisely, forthrightly, humbly, compellingly, not by lording it over the sheep (2 Tim. 4:1–2; 1 Pet. 5:2–3).

This is sound, Scriptural advice for loving the Lord Jesus and loving His people put under our care. And every believer, not just "pastors," has a ministry to hurting people who need God, be it in the church body or outside.

Is Inclusivism Compassionate?

2007-06-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

John G. Stackhouse Jr. is a professor of theology and culture at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He writes in a recent Christian Vision Project essay that, "it is obvious that one does not have to know about Jesus to adopt this posture that results in salvation." Doug Wilson's response to John Stackhouse's inclusivist essay is excellent. In it, he makes the strong point that:

Ironically, this is why the inclusivist position requires us to start minimizing (in our own imaginations) how screwed up the world actually is. If we believe that millions of Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists are groping their way to God in the dark, then we have to look out at the world as though it were jammed full of good intentions. And the problem is that it isn't.

So we don't proclaim Jesus because we are fixing the problem of "not having heard about Jesus." We proclaim Jesus because we are addressing the problem of death, genocide, hatred, murder, rape, slave prostitution, senseless war, snarling greed, and as they say on television, much, much more. The problem with the inclusivist position is not that it is eager for the people to be included -- every Christian wants that. The problem is that when we define the standard downward like this, at the end of the day we find that we have included much more than the people -- we have opened the door to great wickedness as well. This may sound outlandish, but there it is. Tender-hearted accommodation leads to great hardness of heart. And a hardline conservatism at this point, ironically, is tender-hearted.

So when I feel like being compassionate, do I point people to Jesus, or do I pander around their sin? What do you do? What do you believe? Let's expose the heretic inclusivist within and kill him by the Spirit of Jesus.

(HT: JT)

PS - Stackhouse's essay is just another reminder that not every writer (especially on the internet) who has cool graphics, an ultra-hip swagger, and a penchant for nifty God-monikers is telling the truth. Deceivers can take all kinds of forms. Emergent readers beware.

Pride in the Ministry and on the Internet

2007-06-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Pastor Thabiti Anyabwhile, I came across this humbling, helpful, and heart-exposing discussion on 1 Timothy 5:1-3 by Carl Trueman in an interview with the Against Heresies blog. My ministering and writing brothers, it is well-worth the read:

What signs of potential doctrinal drift and danger do you need to keep an eye out for in ministerial students?

I am increasingly convinced that pride is the root of problems among students. I was convicted recently by a minister friend quoting to me 1 Tim. 1:5-7 (ESV):

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

My friend made two observations about this passage. First, the drift into dubious theological discussion is here described as moral in origin: these characters have swerved from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith; that is why their theology is so dreadful. Second, their desire is not to teach but to be teachers. There is an important difference here: their focus is on their own status, not on the words they proclaim. At most, the latter are merely instrumental to getting them status and boosting their careers.

Thus, what concerns me most is that students may simply desire to be teachers. If that is their motivation, then they have already abandoned a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith, and their theology, no matter how orthodox, is just a means to an end and no sound thing. It is why I am very sceptical of the internal call to the ministry as a decisive or motivating factor in seeking ordination. Nine times out of ten, I believe that the church should first discern who should be considering the Christian ministry, not simply act as a rubber-stamp a putative internal call which an individual may think he has.

Further, such students whose first desire is to be teachers are more likely to try to catch whatever is the latest trendy wave. Orthodoxy is always doomed to seem uncreative and pedestrian in the wider arena; if the aim is to be a teacher, to be the big shot, then it is more likely that orthodoxy will be less appealing in the long run – though there are those for whom orthodoxy too is simply a means to being a celebrity.

If a prideful desire to be a teacher, to be a somebody, is the fundamental problem, then one other aspect which is increasingly problematic is the whole phenomenon of the internet. Now anyone can put their views out for public consumption, without the usual processes of accountability, peer review, careful editing timely reflection etc. which is the norm in the scholarly world and has also been the tradition in the more theologically responsible parts of the Christian publishing industry. The internet has few quality controls and feeds narcissism. Again, I have a friend, a minister in a North American Presbyterian denomination who says that, as he reads many blogs, his overwhelming feeling is one of sadness as he sees men seriously undermining their future ministry through the venom they pour out on others. I think he is right.

Of course, all young theologians and aspiring church leaders say stupid and unpleasant things. I still blush about comments I made 15 or twenty years ago which now seem arrogant and offensive, and certainly unworthy of a Christian. But for those of us who are older, the sins of our youth are thankfully now long vanished from the public sphere; yet such sins committed today can live on indefinitely in cyberspace. I shudder for those who have not yet grasped this basic fact and who say some frightful things on the internet which will come back to haunt them the very first time a church googles their name as part of doing routine background checks on a potential ministerial candidate. But more than that: I shudder at the kind of self-appointed arrogance among ministerial candidates and recently-minted graduates which the internet can foster and intensify.

Paul’s words to Timothy seem prophetic in times such as ours. Students should cultivate pure hearts, good consciences, and a sincere faith. That way they will safeguard their theology from becoming idle speculation.

Wow. So why do I write? Why do you? Do you and I want to speak and teach God's truth so that others may be encouraged and built up and saved in Christ? Or do we want to be teachers? Do I love the status, the name, the feeling, more than I love God? Do you? Oh, brothers, may our souls make their boast in the Lord Jesus(Psalm 34:2).

"What the World Eats"

2007-06-08T10:46:00.001-07:00

Great photo-essay on Time magazine's website showing exactly what different families of the world eat on a weekly basis.

(HT: JT)

My Bad Theology of Forgiveness

2007-06-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Reading Pastor Chris Braun's excellent article on atonement and forgiveness, I realized that I have been believing and practicing a false theology of forgiveness. It goes like this - when I feel ready, then I will forgive.

What I fail to see is that the cross is absolutely nothing like this, and it demands absolutely nothing short of completely committed forgiveness from me, the believer. God made a plan, He acted on it, and He forgave! Once and for all! All of His chosen!

God forgive me for thinking that my forgiveness of someone else is dependent on my feelings more than the cross where You forgave me! May I not read such therapeutic, flimsy-handed "feelings" into the atoning death of my Lord!

I Am an Idolater

2007-06-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

and I am ashamed.

I have taken part in such idolatry as our American prosperity "gospel", and I alone am to blame for it. Not just "American Christianity" or "evangelicalism" or the "prosperity gospel movement," - ME. Me first. I am to blame.

Please, most gracious God, forgive me for loving Your gifts more than You, and forgive our country's churches for this false gospel. Amen.

A Tiny Heartbeat

2007-06-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

I was playing with our daughter tonight,
and I leaned over and listened to her little heart beat -
it was quieter than her breaths,
and softer than her thumping feet;

but, oh, what a joy!
oh, what hand divine!
could make not only big hearts but tiny ones,
with one word, in a moment of time!

The Gospel Coalition

2007-06-01T16:30:00.001-07:00

I need to print this out, because it looks like good reading.

The website will be here soon.

(HT: JT)

Pride or Passion for God?

2007-05-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

To people who are passionless for God, passion for God appears to be pride.

So go ahead, Christian, exude your God-given passion for God, and let Him take care of the reactions.

Losing My Passion For Passionlessness

2007-05-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

I realized today that, to some degree, I have lost that fire that God lit under me and in me five years ago. Five years ago I began to see the Bible with new eyes, I began to hear God's Word with new ears, God gave me a new heart to love Him more than anything else, I began caring about His things and His people. But as seasons change, so does life. There are valleys and there are peaks. There are storms and there is sunshine. And as surely as the sun rises every single day, so God is faithful to His own.

A conversation today reminded me that I've been living in the past, specifically in a past rebuke that has hurt me ever since. What the people said was too broad to be helpful, and it's bothered me ever since. Ultimately, it's stifled my passion for God because I've become afraid of hurting someone else's "feelings" when I talk about Him. You see, when the Bible says, "I believed, therefore I spoke," I take it seriously. Speaking is the natural outflow of believing.

It does not matter whether people want to hear it, it doesn't matter how they feel when they hear it, it doesn't matter whether they listen or care or tell you to shut up. We who trust Jesus have a commission from Him to make disciples of all peoples by preaching His forever-true, forever-standing, never-changing Word, and to do it from a heart of love for Him and love for others.

There used to be a time - my friends remember these days well - when I was visibly and audibly excited about GOD. HE was the song in my heart and the words on my lips. Not that I didn't do wrong or say stupid things - I did all the time! - but the music of my life was obviously God and God alone.

Lately I've noticed that this kind of music, this kind of fire, is largely absent from my life. Apparently I've believed the lie that cooling down is part of growing up. Well I have a newsflash - it's NOT. Cooling off on God is not part of growing up as a Christian. Don't buy the lie. Just because we grow in Christ and His wisdom does in no way mean that we settle for half-hearted passions for Him. HE is EVERYTHING !!! Everything to the Christian! Everything to the world! Everything that we need and want and hope and pray for is found perfectly in Him!

Dear Father, help me take hold of Your one Man much tighter. May You burn Your Word in me like fire, and make me a burning and shining light for Jesus. I miss His joy in my heart, I miss His name on my lips. Please come and renew me again, I pray in Christ's name. Amen.

Fairbanks

2007-05-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

Once upon my time, I was in a rock band. Yes, that's right, a rock band. And that is exactly what we did:

We rocked. Hard.

In case you're interested in exactly how hard we rocked, here are two websites for your perusal and amusal:

The Old One (no music, lots of funny pics, old graphics)

The Newer One (not really a whole website, just new music)

Let me know how much you enjoy the FBX.

The Dangerous Book for Boys

2007-05-25T09:54:00.001-07:00

This book looks awesome, and subtly hilarious. Check out the interview at the bottom, too. I want to get this for me, before we have our boys.

Update: Al Mohloer blogs on the book.

Now We Love Greek and Hebrew, SO . . .

2007-05-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

After writing that post, I promptly went looking for brothers with whom to study Biblical Greek and Hebrew. God has already blessed that endeavor, so praise Him for help in application, too!

Here are some more pointers in practicing your Greek and Hebrew:

1. Ask for God's help.
"in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God," (Philippians 4:6). I need Him to come in power if I will learn anything worthwhile for His glory, and so do you. I skip this all too often and reveal my belief that I can do it on my own.

2. Get the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament.
And a Greek Old Testament, if possible. The Hebrew Old Testament is known also as the Biblical Hebraica Stuttgartensia, the Tanach, and/or the Masoretic Text. The Greek New Testament can be denoted with the name of its translator(s), i.e. Westcott-Hort, Robinson-Pierrepont, Nestle-Aland. The Greek Old Testament is called the Septuagint, or LXX. You can buy all three at the United Bible Societies site or search for them somewhere like Amazon or Half.com.

You can't read the Biblical languages unless you can see the Biblical languages, so don't think you'll get any study done unless you actually own a copy of each of these. Yes, you can still go online to a place like Zhubert.com (which you should) or find a free Bible program like E-sword (which you should) or buy an expensive Bible program like Logos or BibleWorks (which you probably shouldn't), but you can't always carry those things with you and you definitely have a hard time keeping notes in them and showing them to others. You should use all the free stuff available to you, including any library you can get into, but when the Christian hits the road his Bible(s) must go with him. (So get e-sword if you already have a laptop but no money.)

3. Use it in worship services, in personal Bible study, in group Bible study, in sermon and teaching preparation, wherever and whenever you can.
Even if you can't diagram in both languages yet, go ahead and read any and every word you can. If you are interested in a verse, look it up in the original. Pay attention to the syntax (the word order) and the vocabulary (the word choice). Practice writing the actual words down on paper. Look at them later when you return to your notes. Do the most that you can with these languages - God will reward you. "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything," (2 Timothy 2:7)

4. Sit down and read it just to read it.
As in, not to read it for something else, but just reading it to sit and read and see if you can remember this or that particular passage. (This is easier with Greek for several reasons, but mostly because the New Testament is shorter and easier to remember.) Look up vocabulary as needed.

5. Get together with a brother or two and work through a book of the Bible.
This provides two key elements in study: fellowship and accountability. We need fellowship in study because it keeps us joyous and alert, and it builds friendships. We need accountability both personally and theologically because we must learn the obedience of being responsible students and exegetes. We need the regularity of meetings and groups because God uses them to teach us responsibility, and we need the joy of God in and with our brothers and sisters.

6. After a while, teach somebody.
Teaching is the best way to learn. So after you've learned and worked and read studied and memorized and looked up and written and read some more, go teach somebody. We have to carry on a passion for God and His Word to the next generation.

7. Thank God for such grace.
Oh to know Jesus as He really is! To see His glory in His Word! To understand His perfect character and work! To be able to speak of Him to others! Such manifold grace we do not deserve.

I Love Greek

2007-05-22T10:31:00.001-07:00

You should too.

I love New Testament Greek because it enables me to see the Bible as it really is. No translators, commentaries, or translations needed. Just the text as originally written.

This doesn't mean that you can't read the Bible in English, or that it is of dimnished value - quite to the contrary. Our English translations of the Bible are amazingly accurate. But they will always be translations, and we need to understand that there is a depth and life to the Greek that translations simply cannot produce. I mean, come on, you can barely parse English verbs; but to learn Greek, you have to parse Greek verbs.

So, to my brothers who want to learn Greek but haven't had the guts or the desire to do it yet, I offer more reasons to love and learn and use Greek:

1. It tends to reveal God's glory more in your study.
This reason alone should be enough to learn Greek. If you even have an inkling to learn it, you may well be like me and enjoy the verb tenses and moods and all the connections they make for us, right there in the text. English can sometimes obscure these. I'm not saying that Greek is some sort of secret knowledge, only that the closer we get to the truth, the brighter God's glory shines.

2. It is the language in which God chose to write His New Testament.
Again, this reason alone should be enough to learn NT Greek. God didn't write the original text in English - sorry, KJV-only folks, it's simply not true - so we ought to bown humbly before His sovereign choice and learn in the school He's given us.

3. It reveals what translations can sometimes obscure.
So many connections, wordplays, and exegetical pointers get lost in translation. You know how, in English, you often see words repeated in a close context? Count on seeing that twice as often in Greek.

4. Pure exegesis is impossible without it.
Simply put, without the original languages, you're always leaning on someone else's translation. Your exegesis will always be dependent on theirs.

5. God will use it to build your faith in Him.
By seeing more of His glory in the text and His beautiful design in its arrangement, God will build your faith upon solid rocks of Biblical exegesis. You will be able to say, "Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone! I've seen it in the Greek text!"

Now I know that many of us simply cannot learn Greek because of time or resources or even learning limitations. And if that is the case for you, Christian, please know that God is not displeased with you and you are not missing out. If you are Christ's, then He is blessing you in a thousand different ways besides learning and using Greek.

But if you have a mission in your life of preaching and teaching, if you want to rightly divide God's Word, if you love the Scriptures, stop your delay. We could list a hundred more reasons to learn Greek, but do you really need them? You already know that you should, because God's witness in your own heart is telling you to do it.

I'll offer some more pointers in the next post. (Ps - I also love Old Testament Hebrew; but it is really hard, and I need some help on it. So I understand that, too. More on getting help in the next post.)

The Warnings of the Bible

2007-05-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

"I have to preach the warnings of the Bible, and the elect receive them with sweet trembling which sends them running for the cross, and the hypocrites blow them off."

Pastor John Piper

25 Ways to Help Kids Love to Read

2007-05-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Copied from the Desiring God blog:

Here's a list of 25 ways to help your child love to read adapted from Zahler's 50.

1. Teach your child to read.
2. Let your child see you read.
3. Read aloud.
4. Encourage your kids to read aloud to you and to each other.
5. Ask your children to retell for you the stories they've read.
6. Have pre-readers “tell the story” from pictures.
7. Help your children evaluate stories.
8. Connect stories to children's lives.
9. Encourage identification with characters.
10. Make connections between books.
11. Share with your family from your own reading.
12. Recommend beloved books.
13. Own books your child will want to read.
14. Go to the library regularly.
15. Take books with you when you travel.
16. Suggest practical reasons for reading.
17. Send kids to books for answers to their questions.
18. Help your children find books that encourage them in their interests.
19. Provide a home environment conducive to reading.
20. Use TV wisely if you must use it at all.
21. Increase your child's real-life experiences.
22. Work with your child's teacher.
23. Expect great things for and from your kids.
24. Recognize differences among your children.
25. Take delight in words and let that delight show.

And, above all, let's take delight in the Word and let that delight show.

Amen, and let us press on to know the Lord in the most important, most objective, most concrete way He has given us - His very words. We have a ministry, a commission, a happy life-long job of raising up an entire generation to hope in God.

Disagreeing with JE on "Disembodied Spirits"

2007-05-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

So I am reading Jonathan Edwards wonderful, God-centered work, Religious Affections. I like Edwards’ preliminary qualifications in Part I, Sect. I. He lays out some important distinctions and admissions – how the understanding and will work together, how the will works in approving and disapproving, the imperfection of language, and the interactings of the mind and body.

I disagree with him, for the first time I can remember, at the end of Section I, on the right side of p. 237 in the Works, when he writes, “an unembodied spirit may be capable of love and hatred, joy or sorrow, hope or fear, or other affections, as one that is united to a body.” He is trying to say that the mind is what is important in seeing and feeling for what is good or evil, but I’m unsure that he can support this particular assertion scripturally. One might point to Isaiah 6, where the seraphim fly and cry out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts,” but that would likely go too far.

Disembodied spirits may be able to have similar affections, but they may not. If they have them at all, they are most likely very different from the affections of mortal man, who, though corrupted, was originally the one race made in God’s own image. Edwards here, I’m sad to say, skirts the line with Gnosticism.

“Bodies are not meant to be thrown away,” one God-centered teacher of mine once said, and he was right because he was reading the Bible. Speaking of life after death, Job says, “In my flesh I will see God.” This is important, and we ought not get it wrong. There is something special and unique about the God-given affections and feelings that men have and will have for God. So I will part with the great Pastor Edwards here.

The Pentateuch, Pt. 1: Disappointment

2007-04-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

In my journey through the Pentateuch (ha ha, get it?), I've been lingering long in the book of Numbers. What has begun to strike me is the sheer weight of disappointment that, I believe, the reader is supposed to feel as he reads it. It is as if the book, from the Exodus to almost the very end, is written to be one giant disappointment.

Take, for instance, Numbers 11-20. This set of narratives is full of the people's repeated rebellion, God's consuming wrath, His restraining grace, and His terrifying judgment. By the time Numbers 20 rolls around, the reader is exhausted with Moses and Aaron, thinking, "When is this gonna end?" I counted no less than seven different rebellions, and almost every time Moses and Aaron fall on their faces before God.

In God's perfect timing and writing, however, redemption does not come just yet. In chapter 20, Moses' sister dies. She had been with him from the beginning. We're not sure why the text spends so little time on her death, but if feels weighty nonetheless. Then, the people rebel against God and His servant once again, complaining about the lack of water. Moses then, in his anger at these "rebels," strikes the rock twice instead of speaking to it, and water spews forth. Yet, this time, it is Moses and Aaron who are judged to have disbelieved and defamed God.

God tells Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in Me, to uphold Me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them." So now Moses and Aaron, like the generation left to die in the wilderness for their rebellion, cannot enter the land of God's own promise. This alone would be disappointment enough.

But the chapter is not done. Next, Moses (we're not told exactly why) proceeds to try to pass through the land of Edom. This could be viewed as another act of rebellion (like the nation of Israel trying to take God's promised land for themselves after their rebellion in chapters 13 and 14) or simply the proactive travel plans of a leader. Either way, he is turned back by Edom's king. The disappointment continues.

Finally in chapter 20, God tells Moses, Aaron, and all the people that Aaron's time has come. Moses' brother will return to dust. Not only that, but Moses has the last honor, so to speak, of removing Aaron's God-given priestly garments and giving them to Aaron's son right before Aaron dies! What a depressing thing to read! What a depressing thing to do! In the midst of all that the text has brought us through, in the midst of all that God has brought Moses through, he now has to disrobe his beloved brother and, in effect, release him to his death. This is depressing and disappointing, and - if we didn't know the ending - completely heartbreaking.

It seems that point #1 of the Pentateuch's wilderness narratives of the Pentateuch is the sadness and disappointment of sin. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, the people are constantly disbelieving God and diappointing the reader. We are, at least for a time, meant to feel deeply saddened by the amount of sin evident in these people, in this text, who are just like us.

Desiring God Conference Audio

2007-04-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

All of the Desiring God conference audio from the past 19 years is now available online for free. Praise God! Enjoy Him in these messages!

Dear Nancy Pelosi

2007-04-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

"This isn't really an abortion issue," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, as she walked the Capitol on Friday. "That is what really saddens me about what the justices said. This is about a procedure that any parent would want her daughter to have access to if she needed it. And to frame it as an abortion issue is doing a disservice to medicine and to our young women and our country. So I hope we can get the focus back on the fact that this Supreme Court is deciding what medical procedures are necessary for child-bearing women."

Dear Nancy Pelosi,
In response to your quote in the San Francisco Chronicle about the partial-birth abortion ban recently upheld by the Supreme Court, these "child-bearing women" you speak of helping, are they bearing any children in the procedure that kills their unborn children? I'm not sure you understand what "child-bearing" means.

Britt Treece

(HT: JT through Denny Burk)

P.S. - Also note the liberal slant of the news articles. They spin the issue to be about "freedom" and "justice" for women rather than freedom and justice for all people. There are also some amazingly scary quotes in this article.