Reformed Baptist Church 
The last couple of of months things have not been good for my soul.
While remaining orthodox and being kept from any scandalous sin, I have
had a creeping worldliness which has infected my heart and a decreasing
relish for 
Brothers and sisters,
As you have heard me say often, “we live in a fallen world.” There
are many things that befall us that are difficult, and maintaining a
God-centered focus is an act of faith in the face of visible trials.
We have known this as a church and with those that we know. There
are the difficulties of marriages, miscarriages, cancer, murdered
missionaries, wayward children, failed relationships and a host of
other events and circumstances that cause us to groan inwardly and
outwardly.
Only a faith-filled belief in the “meticulous providence” of God is
sufficient to support us in the midst of such circumstances. I have
borrowed this term “meticulous providence” from Ronald Nash, a
Christian philosopher and writer. This term conveys the belief that
God is in sovereign control of every single detail of the world and
of our lives. As such, there is no such thing as gratuitous
(unnecessary) suffering.
One of our dear brothers in the Lord, Johnny Farese, has been one
that has lived with what appears to be physical affliction that most
of us would consider faith-crushing. Yet, God has used it to
increase His faith in God’s meticulous sovereignty.
If you are not familiar with Johnny, I would encourage you to watch
this video of his own testimony.
http://theologica.blogspot.com/2007/08/testifying-to-gods-sovereignty.html
Laboring for your joy in the midst of trial,
Stephen
Trampolines and Front Porches
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
My
fellow pastor and I were meeting with one of the men in our
congregation the other day, and we were discussing the differences
between fellowshipping with the Lord just after our conversion and
after one has been a Christian for several years. In the early days
everything is new, and has a certain tinge of excitement. Every page
of Scripture is seen through new eyes, and the amount of information
one takes in is thrilling. Telling others of the Lord is a new
endeavor, and one feels like they are on the "front line" of Kingdom
work. Christian music gives an ability to express one's love to
their newfound King, and worship itself is a new activity filled
with wonder and awe.
Then something
happens. The newness begins to die down, and one struggles with a
faith that seems to be growing cold. Then comes a crucial point
(though it probably isn't a specific "point", but more of a gradual
process). There are at least three options that one can choose. The
first is to look for increasingly exciting things to keep up the
adrenaline of the Christian life. New books, new doctrines, louder
worship, etc. Even this can only be sustained for so long, and the
law of diminishing returns kicks in and one finds themselves in the
same place. A second option is to accept the coldness, and learn to
live with it. This is a kind of quiet resignation that things just
aren't as they once were, that living the Christian life is just
dull. But I believe there is a third option, which can be
illustrated by trampolines and front porches.
A couple of years ago we purchased a trampoline for our family. I
thought it would be something that I could enjoy with my two
children (while I'm still able). It has been fun to jump with them,
and a delight to see them go from barely being able to stand to
doing their own special performances. We also purchased a 3" x 12"
pool on our back deck. One of the things I've noticed about both of
these activities is that my children thrive on increasing
excitement. They constantly want me to throw them, jump higher, swirl
faster, and other superhuman feats. They wear me out. This is what
is to be expected from children. But this will not last forever.
One day our relationship will mature (as well as our bodies). The
day will come when our communion with one another will not be
primarily these exciting times of physical activities, but will
settle down into heart conversations. I think of the day when our
relationship will be most mature, when we will simply enjoy one
another, and be able to sit on a front porch with a cup of coffee
and talk. The child looks at this and cannot imagine how it can be
enjoyable, but the mature relishes in the opportunity for deep and
pleasurable conversation.
I think this is the third option we face as Christians. As we mature
with the Lord the "exciting" things are replaced with the deeper
expressions of love and fellowship with our God. Meditation on the
Word, amazement at the beauty of a sunset, times of peace filled
prayer, these become the front porch pleasures that as children we
could never imagine we would enjoy. But we do, and our enjoyment is
extended by a refill of our coffee cup.
Beware!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
I have written already in this blog about the dangers of the formal
religion of the Pharisees which generates loads of man-made rules to
keep the believer "safe" from the world. It seems a good time to
warn of another danger, that which someone who has discovered
Christian liberty may be particularly prone to.
It is the heart of the believer to seek to walk in the paths of
righteousness.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.
(Psalm 23:3)
Imagine someone walking down a path. On each side of the path is a
precipice which threatens their very life. As long as one walks in
the center of the path, there is no real fear of falling. Even if
one does fall, they fall ON the path. However, if one walks on the
edge, when they fall they risk falling off of the path completely.
One of the ways that Christian liberty can be abused is by
continually "walking the edge." In doing so, there is a bit of a
thrill. There is a sense of danger. And the longer one walks on that
edge, further from what is clearly the center of the path, there is
increased danger.
And some fall...devastatingly. We can keep pressing the boundaries,
leaving off watching and praying, and become presumptuous. Where
there is a slip, the recovery is hard, and at times nearly
impossible. The repercussions are immense, and lives are ruined.
Holiness is not isolating ourselves from the world nor creating a
detailed list of "safe" things. Neither is holiness always walking
the ledge, flirting with disaster. Safety is in what we know for
sure, then we cautiously and prayerfully seek to walk in the freedom
with which Christ has liberated us.
In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is
no
death. (Proverbs 12:28)
Who Am I?
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Many
books have been written from a Christian perspective critiquing the
modern "self-esteem" movement. They rightly point out that when we
put ourselves at the center of the universe, we commit idolatry
because we exchange the worship of the true God, the One who alone
is worthy, for the worship of ourselves.
It seems to me that this whole movement of self-help,
self-fulfillment, and self-satisfaction comes out of a context in
which philosophically our culture and our education systems are
pumping into us that as humans we are really nothing special. If
evolutionary theory is right (at it is mostly assumed that it is),
then we are a part of the machine of the material world, and there
is nothing beyond or above that. Even love and creativity are
explained away as chemical functions within the brain.
This being so, we have no more "meaning" and "purpose" than anything
else does. Whatever thoughts we have that there is something else is
itself just a mixture of chemicals within our brain.
How do people respond to this? Because they are created in God's
image, they will simply not settle for it. If we did, the suicide
rate would be much higher (non-existence is better than difficult
existence). So what happens? People at large take a blind leap of
faith. Though I have no purpose (beyond functionality), I will live
as if I do. Though I have no meaning, I will live as if I do. Though
there is nothing that makes me unique, I will say that I am anyway,
and rally around me books and people that assure me that this is
true.
We should expose this for what it is: idolatry of self. However, in
doing so, might we help people to see the point of tension? In the
process, might we show compassion that they are reaching out for
what they know to be true, though it is distorted? We can give them
a Christian answer that they are unique, created in the image of
God. They are special, because they are a personal being unlike any
other. They are not an evolved animal, but God intends real purpose,
and that purpose is not to glorify themselves, but embrace their
uniqueness and glorify God with it.
Thankfulness...for the Basics
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
As Christians, we have much to be thankful for. We should be
thankful for those things typically considered "spiritual", such as
peace with God, the privilege of prayer, the atoning work of Christ.
But thankfulness should really cover every sphere of life, and every
situation. We are called to give "thanks always for all things to
God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians
5:20).
One of the ways we can cultivate a spirit of thankfulness is by
saying "thank you" to God for even little things. This may sound
somewhat odd, but I frequently think about the blessing of being
able to flush a toilet. The reason for this is that I have had the
privilege of traveling outside of the U.S. a bit (including the
Philippines, Cuba, Haiti, and Zambia) and this has helped me realize
that it really is a blessing to flush a toilet (having been in
places where I can't).
Another thing those trips has helped me to be thankful for is clean
water, something that simply comes gushing out when we turn our
faucet on. In these other countries I have always had to buy bottled
water, not because I was trying to be trendy and cool, but because
otherwise I would have contracted something that would have ravaged
my body.
In Haiti I saw a stream running down a mountain through a concrete
canal built by the government. In that same stream I saw people
washing their clothes and dishes, taking a bath, swimming, and
washing their cars. While walking along one afternoon I saw an old
man reach down with his bare hand and scoop up water and put it into
his mouth.
The photo above is of a little girl getting water out of the bottom
of some kind of hole. It is a reminder that even what we consider
basic is a great privilege and blessing that we don't deserve. Let
us give thanks to the Lord.
The Embrace of Death
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
All
her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her pay as a
harlot shall be burned with the fire;
All her idols I will lay desolate, for she gathered it from the pay
of a harlot, and they shall return to the pay of a harlot.
(Micah 1:7)
Idolatry is fundamentally found in the heart. Those things that are
outward are merely objects of that worship, and not necessarily
sinful of themselves. This makes idolatry particularly difficult to
address, because it isn't just about smashing or ridding ourselves
of certain external things, but dealing with our desires, hopes,
trusts, and satisfactions.
The picture above (see
here for story) is an interesting illustration of what happens
to our idols if we don't let them go. In Scripture God often likens
idolatry to adultery, and to embrace false gods is to embrace a
harlot. In the Micah passage quoted above, Jehovah threatens to lay
Israel's idols desolate.
This image reminds me of several of these things. Notice the two
embraced. There is a relationship of love and adoration. But they
lay in the dust. Their life is over. They lived together, and are
desolate together. So with our idolatry.
If we trust, love, hope, and live for things that are temporal, and
not for the eternal God, then we will perish with our idols.
Ecclesiastes speaks of the pursuit of things "under the sun" as
vanity of vanities. I once heard a pastor preach on Ecclesiastes,
and he made a memorable statement. "It is like chasing after the
wind: you can't catch it, and if you did, what would you have?"
Later that same man was found out to have embezzled money that was
supposed to be going to the needs of a poor pastor, and wound up in
jail. Vanity of vanities.
Conform, Or Be Cast Out
Tuesday, March 26, 2007
Back
in 2003 I read a book by Os Guinness entitled Fit Bodies, Fat
Minds: Why Evangelicals Don't Think and What to Do About It.
Out of that study I did two messages for our church (Pt.1
and
Pt.2). The essence of this book is the problem within
conservative and fundamental Christianity of anti-intellectualism.
Os deems this to be a scandal (stumbling block) and a sin (failure
to love God fully). He warns that being intellectual regarding our
faith is not the same thing as intellectualism. He says, "Our
passion is not for academic respectability, but for faithfulness to
the commands of Jesus."
Later in the book, after giving several reasons he believes that
this is a problem in the church, he gives suggestions as to what
Evangelicals can do to fight anti-intellectualism. Under one of the
suggestions he makes a statement that, more than any other in the
book, has stuck with me for these 4 years and is the phrase that
most impacted me. He states that we must distinguish between unity
and uniformity. In other words, the two are not the same thing.
For instance, there can be a body of Christ in which there is true
unity, and yet there is not uniformity. Also, there can be a church
of people who are more or less uniform, and yet don't have true
unity. This is something I have fought hard in my own heart in my 7
years as a pastor.
Proverbs says, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes..."
(Proverbs 21:2). This means that when I come to a judgement about
something regarding myself or my family, having worked through the
principles of Scripture to some application, I think it is right. I
am convinced of it. If not, I would do or think something else. This
is a right thing. But what happens when I move from my application
of it to then saying (in essence), "Well, if other people think
biblically, they too will come to this conclusion." Then, it is only
a small step from this to, "If someone doesn't come to this same
conclusion, then they clearly must not believe Scripture." This
reads awful raw, but it is the truth.
This works not only at the level of the individual and family, but
also at the level of the local church. Having seriously prayed and
worked through an understanding and application of Scriptural
principles, then coming to a decision, there is a sense of
conviction and commitment. From this it is only a short way to the
estimation of churches that do things differently (even if working
from the same principle) that they must be unfaithful and
compromisers.
We certainly don't want to handle Scripture with the "every man does
what is right in his own eyes" subjectivity. But neither should we
seek to become the Lord over others. Romans 14:4 says, "Who are you
to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls.
Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him
stand."
This isn't easy, deciding what things are essential (and there are
essentials), and what things are particular matters of judgement. It
is just plain easier to come up with a list (even a mental one) of
who comprises the "us", so we can distinguish from the "them." But
the body of Christ, it seems to me, is a unified, but not uniform
mixture of people.
In an earlier day I envisioned a more uniform group of people I
would be pastoring. Surely (I thought) I could convince them of how
to be really spiritual. Instead, I have learned so much from them,
and I love them as much as I know how, which is a dismal amount at
times. And so we change, and influence one another, seeking to know
how to love God with all we are and all we have.
Externalized and Self-Centered Religion
Tuesday, March 1, 2007
I have just finished up preparation for the
message I am planning to preach this coming Lord's Day. It is based
on Luke 20:45-47, and is Jesus' warning to His disciples about the
scribes. My focus of application will be to those things found in
the scribes which can be a temptation to Christians in general, but
as I studied through it I thought about how it particularly relates
to those in positions of leadership. I've seen the enemy, and the
enemy is within me!
There are three primary areas that Jesus warns about the scribes'
behavior. The first is the use of religion for the purpose of
personal reputation. This manifested itself in several ways: the
wearing of "religious" garb, the desire to be identified by special
titles, the desire to sit in special places in the worship of God
and the informal gatherings of people. The second is in using people
for their own benefit. The third is using the means of grace as a
cover up for what is on the inside.
These are all particular temptations for the ministry, and I must
beware. I come from a background of performance expressed in music.
Most of what I did and how I lived was based on pleasing myself by
pleasing people so that they would in turn please me. More than once
(and in an ongoing way) I have to ask myself the hard questions of
"why am I doing this?" There are times where the sheer joy of
pastoring people, seeing God work in their life, reading Scripture,
and a host of other things are done and I forget myself and I see
the glory of Christ more clearly. There are other times, especially
when I am disappointed by something or someone, that I am brought to
a reality check. Am I zealous for the Lord's glory or my own? Is
this about what God deserves, or my reputation, my effectiveness, my
will?
This passage is a good medicine as I ask myself these questions
afresh. I pray that it may do good to all of God's people as I hope
to deliver it this Lord's Day.
Love and Art
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
On my Yahoo! home page today there was a
story about another two of Picasso's paintings having been
stolen. The picture of one of the paintings posted with the story
got me to thinking about something I have read in Schaeffer's works:
It is true that the great modern artists such as Picasso never
worked for only art for art’s sake either. Picasso had a philosophy
which showed through in his paintings. - Francis Schaeffer
He also makes the observation that Picasso often reflected his
formal philosophy in his art through
cubism, yet
when he was in love or painted something he loved his informal
philosophy was reflected. The first is a woman he loved, and the
other his mother.
While this may be a generalization, I did a quick search on the
Internet for some of Picasso's work (what an amazing age we live
in), and found a couple of images that, contrary to the image above,
truly reflects things beautiful and demonstrates the essence of this
observation.
Important to understanding people and reaching them with the Gospel
is to find those places where their "formal" worldview (what they
say they believe) and their "informal" worldview (how they truly
live as created in God's image). We can then show them how the two
conflict, and they must either (1.) live in known contradiction,
(2.) move to despair (3.) or recognize the reality of God's Truth.
Being Human - Book Summary
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
I've just completed
Being Human by Ranald Macaulay and Jerram Barrs. Here is a
summary and overview of the book.
Chapter 1 - In the Likeness of God The organizing
principle for living the Christian life is the truth of our being
created in the image and likeness of God. This includes our that we
are personal, reasonabile, moral, and creative, which give us real
purpose and the capacity to love.
Chapter 2 - The Biblical Framework and Two Alternatives
There are two faulty views which influence Christian thinking in our
day. Materialism sees our world as mechanical, and
influences Christian thinking by spoiling our view of God, prayer,
and the significance of our choices. This moves into fatalism, and
is an over-emphasis on the sovereignty of God to the neglect of
other biblical truths. Platonism influences Christianity by
seeing a secular/sacred division, and "other worldly" thinking to
the neglect of living Christianly in our present world. Biblical
Christianity, true spirituality, is living lives restored in the
image of God, having a relationship with the infinite/personal God,
and doing this in the context of the present physical world which,
though fallen, still displays God's glory.
Chapter 3 - The Centrality of Christ Spirituality
is not asceticism, the purposful neglect of our physical
existence and of the physical world, but a life reconciled to God
through the death of Christ. His death has meaning not only at the
beginning of the Christian life, but also as we live in conscious
dependence on His righteousness day by day.
Chapter 4 - Active Obedience The Christian life is
neither activism nor passivism. Activism is the view that
living a life pleasing to God is all up to us, in our own strength
and determination. Passivism is the view that we can do
nothing, and we must let go and let God live through us. The
biblical view is a dependant activity. We trust in God as we do what
He says. We do what He says as we trust in Him. He gives us the
strength to do, and we do with the faith that He will give us the
strength.
Chapter 5 - The Holy Spirit and the Self: Sovereignty and
Responsibility The Holy Spirit is not just some kind of
impersonal power, but personal and one of the three members of the
Trinity. He is sovereign in salvation, and at the same time works
through our choices, thinking, and action. God's sovereignty and our
responsibility are not competing nor contradictory, but two truths
affirmed in Scripture. Yet, they are a mystery in how they work
together, which must be the case seeing that we are finite.
Chapter 6 - Affirming the Self and Denying the Self
What do we do with the Scriptures that seem to say that we should
deny the present world, comfort, and ultimately ourselves? We should
take a close look at those passages and see that it is not "the
world" or our "humanness" that is to be denied, but "wordliness" and
"self" both in the sense of what is sinful. We should see the
legitimacy to enjoy those things which God blesses us with, and also
be willing to forego those blessings for the sake of helping others.
There is no mechanical formula of how much or when to do this, and
each one must live before God in making those decisions.
Chapter 7 - The Mind We should not be rationalists,
but should believe Christianity is rational. Rationalism
sees man as the starting point of truth, and starting from himself
he can come to judge all things. Being rational means
holding to the truth that those made in God's image, even fallen
men, yet have the capacity to think logically. None do so perfectly
because of the effects of the fall on the mind, yet God works
through the mind even of the unbeliever in bringing them to faith.
There should be no mindless Christianity, and rational thinking, and
the renewing of the mind is essential to living Christianly.
Becoming a Christian not only involves the mind, but also the will.
Chapter 8 - Guidance The way that Christians should
make decisions in their lives is not mechanical. Decisions are to be
made within the relationship of the living God, informed by the
truth of Scripture, believing that God continues to work through
providence. Decisions must be made in faith that God cares and will
not abandon His child. There should also be an openness to the Holy
Spirit leading in some unusual ways, though this is not the
ordinary.
Chapter 9 - The Family While rules and authority
are needed, this is not to be the central focus in a family. The
relationships are to be personal, and movitivated by love. There are
no perfect marriages, parents, or children, and the dynamics of
grace must be always present. The primary goal of raising children
is winning them to an acceptance of God's immediate authority over
them.
Chapter 10 - The Believer's Judgement Those who
have the righteousness of Christ will not be punished for their sins
on the day of judgement, but their works will be sorted out. Bad
works will be burnt up, good works will remain. The demonstrates the
significance of what we do in the here and now, that those works
will endure for eternity.
Battle Faith
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
I
have only 30 pages remaining of the book
Being Human, and I have being enjoying it very
much. It may become one of my top recommended reads regarding
living the Christian life. I am in presently in chapter 8
dealing with the topic of guidance. The authors are explaining
that one of the principles by which we make decisions is rooted
in what they call "battle faith", explaining the meaning of the
statement in Hebrews about pleasing God by living by faith.
In the context of guidance, however, we want to use the
phrase "battle faith." We are not implying by this that faith
changes its meaning [i.e. trust] at a certain point. "Battle
faith" is faith exercise in a battle situation. Believers
literally are caught up in a battle situation. Believers
literally are caught up in a battle. Just as soldiers, who
cannot see all the details of the battle or why certain commands
are given or why relief has not arrived, nevertheless put their
confidence in the commanding officer, so believers, warring
against the world, the flesh and the devil, trust God even
though they may not understand what is happening at a given
moment (p.163).
How wonderful it is to know, as we seek to live the Christian
life faithfully where we are, in our own particular situation,
our family, our church, that there is something much larger
going on that is overseen by our Sovereign God. Our
responsibility is not the whole (what human could bear such a
burden), but those things God calls us to do in our own sphere.
God is working in the lives of all His people, and in all the
events of the world, to bring about the consumate display of His
glory and the good of His people.
Mondays
Monday, February 26, 2007
Family
Day
We have made it our practice, and try to guard it
carefully, to have Mondays as our family day. Our
weekends can tend to be hectic, and so we seek to have
this time as especially ours. We try to do something
special, but even when we can't (both of our children
have been sick) we hang out at home together. Today
we did some general cleanup and organization around the
house, read some of The Hobbit, engaged in very
important sword fights, and sang and read Scripture in
family worship. These can be blessed times when dad
doesn't let the weariness to allow him to be grumpy or
disconnected. I hope that our children will remember
these times as special, and in which we deepened our
relationships with one another.
A Better Man
Monday, February 26, 2007
Genesis
14
Abram (later Abraham) had been very
generous. There had been a rising conflict
between his herdsman and his nephew's, Lot.
Rather than claiming his rights, Abram
graciously offers Lot whatever part of the
land he desires. Lot takes full advantage of
this offer, and chooses the best part. It
was best only agriculturally, but the worst
morally.
Then it happened that the five kings moved
through the land, and together with others
took Lot and his family captive. Abram's
response? "Now when Abram heard that his
brother was taken captive, he armed...."
What a temptation it would be to respond
differently. Hadn't Lot chosen his way?
Hadn't he removed himself from the
protection of Abram, and of God? Hadn't his
greed and lack of moral purity brought him
to this point? Perhaps this was God's
judgment on him, and he should be left to
suffer the consequences. This is what I
initially think.
Abram doesn't respond this way, but when he
hears that his brother, his close relative,
one bound to him and still his keeper, he
arms. To the threat of his own life, the
moving out of his place of safety and
comfort. God blesses him in the task, then
blesses him through the meeting with
Melchizedek.
When there are divisions and disagreements
between believers, it is easy to take an "us
or them" attitude. We are concerned about
somehow "lifting the consequences" of their
decision. Abraham is a good example in these
chapters of a peacemaker, and one who
recognizes his bound duty and serves with
the potential of the loss of his own life.
God help me to be a better man.
On Reading Fiction
Sunday, February 25, 2007
I'm
one of those guys that could have done a lot
better in school, but didn't pay much
attention. My mind was set on pursuing
things that I thought the world was about,
and later came to see were shadows and lies.
One of the things this robbed me of was a
good education.
I went to a public school, and likely could
only have done so much with what I got (from
a non-Christian perspective), but tools and
resources were available that I could have
pursued and received much, if only I had
known.
We had a school library. I don't know how
good it was, but I assume it carried classic
literature. There were a few interspersed
interesting reads, such as early contact
with Encyclopedia Brown, Orwell's
1984 (due to interest from Van
Halen's record) and Ayn Rand's Anthem
(connected to Rush's 2112...now you see
just how much music influenced everything in
my life). After high school, I can only
remember reading Stephen King books.
One of the things I feel like I am trying to
do, and haven't been very good at doing it,
is catching up on some reading that I would
have gotten with a greater interest in
literature. I find this challenging for
several reasons. One is I'm 39 years old.
Hopefully, I'm not ready to be pushed into
the grave, but I have almost 4 decades of
almost non-existent cultivation of this
dimension of my intellectual life. Since
becoming a Christian (and studying for
ministry), I have spent a lot of time
reading theology books, commentaries, and
Christian biographies. And I am grateful to
have read them. I trust they have rooted me
in the Word.
But over the past couple of years, there has
been an increased desire to read some things
that I have never been able to explore. Some
of this desire was stirred with the Lord of
the Rings movies, which sent me to Tolkien's
books. Then there is Narnia, which I still
haven't completed.
I have read and listened to more about the
importance of reading than reading itself,
and I am trying to change that. So what am I
doing now? Well, I'm reading Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein.
I assure you, I am in no way a literary
connoisseur, and I am just starting out, but
I am enjoying this book. Let me say, it has
very little in common with the bolt-necked,
flat headed, grunting creature that I grew
up watching on movies. There are some
interesting themes connected to medical
ethics, the responsibility of creation, and
the repercussions of our ill-treatment of
others.
What is amazing, as I am just beginning to
do some of this exploration, is seeing those
themes that so resonate with the truth of
God found in infallible Scriptures. It is
truth spoken in these fresh ways that stir
me to see and understand and apply the truth
of God.
P.S. My wife Kimberly is on the couch
reading Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Trouble in the Early Church
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Acts
15
In some ways, this isn't a pretty chapter in
the history of the church. It speaks of the
reality of zealous, but misdirected teachers
going around causing trouble by adding to
the Gospel by works. One of the interesting
things to note is that these teachers,
though they were "from" the church in
Jerusalem, were not sent out by them. It is
also important to note that the solution to
this problem was sought through the means of
the local churches in both Antioch and
Jerusalem. Even during the days of living
apostles, Peter didn't just make an
independent declaration, but went through
local church leadership. After they work
through the issues, it was then the local
church who selected messengers to Antioch to
clear up the situation.
Later, when there is a strong disagreement
between two dear brothers, it is Paul who is
commended by the church to be sent out, and
Barnabas ceases to be followed in Luke's
account.
One application from this text is the
reality of the church in the fallen world.
There are no perfect churches, even in the
early days. The church is made up of
sinners, though redeemed, yet imperfect.
There is a lesson here about the place of
the local church, and its leadership, in
God's purposes. There are many systems of
church government, but that of the early
church was relatively simple. And in the
recorded history, this simple structure was
seen as sufficient to do the work of the
Gospel.
Sowing in Tears
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Psalm
126
There are periods of time, both in the lives
of individuals and groups of believers, that
are dark and difficult. There are times
which are times of scattering, confusion,
labor. These are times that are more
difficult than the ordinary. When God
sovereignly brings relief, there will be
times of joy and celebration. It is a time
to recognize God's hand of restorative
mercy.
The imagery in this Psalm is that of labor,
toil, and loss. The sweat of sowing seed,
losing it to the ground for a time. But
later there will be blessing. There will be
harvest. The sheaves will be brought in with
joy.
Now, generally speaking, is the time of
sowing for the Christian. The day will most
surely come when we will reap. We have, in
God's mercy, tokens of his goodness now.
Yet, the full blessing awaits Jesus' return.
Then there will be a return to joy and a
full enjoyment of the fruit of our labor.
The Dignity of All Human Life
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
There
is something precious about human life,
regardless of what age, race, or physical
capabilities. This is something generally
held to in our culture in principle, but
contradicted in its policy regarding unborn
human life.
There is a dear couple who are part of a
sister church not far from our own whose son
was born prematurely. But one can see from
the
blog, and the
photos , that this little one is
cherished. It is overwhelming to think of
the amount of technology and effort being
expended (and rightly so) on this little one
in the midst of his fragility.
I encourage you to take a few minutes to
look around on these sites and be thankful
for your health or the health of your loved
ones, and remember how we are created in teh
image of God, and for that reason are to be
treated with dignity and honor.
Being Human
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
For
several years, one of the people who God has
most used to influence my thinking about the
Christian life is Francis Schaeffer. I am
not alone in this. The impact that Schaeffer
has had on Christians from all over the
world (and on the more positive elements of
broad Evangelicalism) is immeasurable.
In reading Schaeffer, doing research on the
Internet, and following various "trails" I
have come into contact with other names of
people that have done much to impact the
thinking of many Christians who were
themselves influenced by Schaeffer. Among
these are such people as Os Guinness, Nancy
Pearcy, and Jerram Barrs.
I recently come upon a
series of lectures by Barrs on the life
of Francis and Edith Schaeffer. I have been
listening to these while I exercise. I have
read several books about the Schaeffers and
their work at L'Abri, and these lectures
help fill in many of the details.
As a result of the appreciation of Barrs'
lectures, I ordered a couple of books of his
to read on other subjects. One is entitled
Being Human (co-written with Ranald
Macaulay). These books represent to me
thinking at a "different angle" those very
truths I have loved for the 17 years I have
been a Christian. I am only beginning each
one of them, but have been very challenged
in what I have read so far in the. I will
keep this blog updated with my process.
What is a Reformed Pastor?
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
I
recently heard an observation that the term
"Reformed" has usually carried a different
emphasis in America than it has in Europe.
It was said that in America, the emphasis is
often in the sovereignty of God in
salvation. In this sense, it is almost
synonymous with the term "Calvinism." In
Europe, however (particularly in those parts
most heavily influenced by the Reformation),
the emphasis has been on the sovereignty of
God in all of life. This means more than his
sovereign control of all things, but his
Lordship or dominion over every area of
life.
Richard Baxter, in classic work on the
ministry The Reformed Pastor, used the term
to mean something akin to "renewed" or
"transformed." He wanted to convey the need
for pastors in his day to change their
habits regarding their care for the flock of
God and be more involved with the informal
care of the church.
In entitling this blog, I intend it in all
three terms mentioned above. I am Reformed
in my understanding of God's salvation of
fallen man. I am (increasingly) Reformed in
my desire to see the Lordship of Christ in
every area of human life. I want to be
Reformed in being renewed by God's grace to
be more of what the Holy Spirit wants me to
be in service to God.
Reformed, and ever reforming!
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