By Grace Alone

No Bait...Update

2012-01-26T08:30:00.001-06:00

Some time ago I posted a little piece about what it means to be “fishers of men.” I was, in short, bemoaning the “bait and switch” tactics used in the church as part of our “outreach” efforts. You can read the context of all that here if you’d like.

I just felt the need to bring the issue up again after reading a recent article from my own denomination’s state newspaper. Seems the Missouri Baptist Convention, with grant money from our North American Mission Board, will be sponsoring a night of “outreach” at a racetrack here in southwest Missouri.

So far, I’m on board. I love racing. I’m a bit of a recovering NASCAR-aholic and have to admit that I was favorably impressed with some of the local ministry efforts at the big NASCAR race in Bristol, TN a few years ago. One of my wonderful deacons had tickets and invited me along for the ride. What a guy! Anyway, it was a fun day, and I appreciated the presence of folks trying to offer ministry at the track.

So when I first read about this effort at a local dirt track, I thought it sounded great. Growing up south of St. Louis, I had occasion to attend a few races at the track owned by NASCAR legend (at least I think he is) Kenny Schrader. Again, good times, and I think a ministry presence in that kind of venue would be good.

As I’m reading the article in our state paper, I’m enjoying the idea, thinking of how I can manage to get in on the “action,” when I come across this sentence: “Race-goers can enter to win several donated giveaways by listening to a short gospel presentation in the areas surrounding the grandstands.”

Are you serious?! You can enter the prize drawing by listening to a gospel presentation? This is outrageous. In that previous article I mentioned how distasteful it is to use “giveaways” as a draw to bring guys into this or that event, just so we can shove a quick “come to Jesus” speech at them. Again, you can read that post if you want more details.

But this? This tops it all. Now, we not only offer a giveaway to get you to attend the event, but now, sitting through a “short gospel presentation” is your lottery ticket. If you want to win, you gotta sit through this first. What a mockery this makes of the gospel. "Here let me tell you about Jesus; you might just win a new car!" Heaven help us! Suddenly I have images of golden calves and Simon the Sorcerer in my head.

Hear me clearly. I have no problem with using an event like this as opportunity to share the gospel with folks. I have no problem setting up a booth and inviting folks to come by and visit, walking the grandstands offering to help folks and inviting them to come by the booth, etc.

But please, I’m begging you on hands and knees: Don’t make the gospel a cheap lottery ticket! Please! Christ’s atoning death on behalf of lost sinners is so much more precious than this. As I said in the previous article, the Gospel is sufficient on its own, we don’t need to “bait” folks with the promise of prizes. Preach the Gospel! Be fishers of men…still no bait required.

Dig Another Well

2012-01-24T09:52:00.002-06:00

One of my undergraduate majors was in communication, and I actually spent several years in the radio biz. In addition to my four year experience working with our college radio station, I worked briefly for Christian stations in both Kansas City and Ft. Worth, Texas. I was an intern copywriter for the main news station in Kansas City. All of those were good experiences.

But one radio experience wasn’t all that great. While doing mission work in North Dakota, when the financial support started to dry up, I started looking for another job to supplement our income. Since my only real education and experience outside the church was in radio, that was one of the first things I looked into. And in Rugby, North Dakota, there was only one radio station: KZZJ. Not bad, except that it was a country music station.

Now, before going any further, please don’t be insulted if you happen to like country music. It’s just a matter of personal taste and personal preference. And my personal taste and personal preference just happens to be NOT country music.

In fact, I have a rather strong aversion to it. It gives me a headache. Again, just my personal taste, and if you disagree, there’s nothing wrong with that at all. But for me, to sit there for five hours at a time playing country music and being the announcer who has to sound like he’s enjoying it was like a waking nightmare. I had all the boot scootin’ boogie I could take.

But even in that bad experience, there are positives. In addition to the fact that it helped out with that extra income, I actually did come across a song or to that weren’t all that bad. One guy in particular, Paul Overstreet, had a whole album full of songs that were taken from stories in Scripture. And the one song that sticks out in my mind was called, Dig Another Well.

It’s based on the story in Genesis 26, where Isaac’s “neighbors” continue stealing all the wells he digs, and Isaac responds by simply moving on a digging another well. Actually, these were wells dug by his father Abraham, but his enemies had filled them all in with dirt, and Isaac was re-opening them, only to have them stolen away.

The song talks about the devil thwarting our efforts—stopping up our wells—and says,
When I go out for my morning drink, a
nd get a dipper full of dirt, my heart does sink,
but I think of old Ike and I have to grin—
God blessed me once and He can do it again.

The chorus then says:
When the rains don’t fall and the crops all fail
When the cow ain’t puttin’ any milk in the pail
Don’t sit around waitin’ for a check in the mail
You gotta pick up your shovel and dig another well

Believe it or not, in spite of my feelings about country music, that song has come back to me on more than one occasion. It reminds me of this episode in Isaac’s life and the encouragement that we find there. Like those nuggets of gold even in the bad old memories, this story reminds me of the encouragement we can find even in the midst of our struggles: God blessed me once and He can do it again.

Pick up your shovel and dig another well. Perseverance. Don’t let circumstances overwhelm you, just keep at it. Keep doing what you know God has called you to do. That song and Isaac’s story remind of several truths:

To begin with, it reminds me that WE WILL FACE OPPOSITION. This is a theme that runs throughout the text of Scripture and throughout the history of the church. God’s people will face opposition in this world. Face it, get used to it, deal with it.

Throughout the history of God’s people there have been very few times of peace, and those have all been relatively short. The Kingdom of God is constantly at war. We are at war with the devil. We are at war with the sinful nature. We are at war with a world system that is opposed to God and the things of God. And we’re foolish to think that our life will just sail along perfectly with no trouble, no trials, no temptations.

In spite of that WE NEED TO PERSEVERE. Isaac showed by his very life both patience and perseverance; and we ought to show the same. In that great passage in Ephesians 6 where we are told to put on the armor of God, Paul concludes that wonderful encouragement with an admonition to pray and to keep on praying. He says to pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance.” Keep alert with all perseverance.

Be ready and keep at it. There is nothing, there is no one who should dissuade us from continuing to give our selves earnestly to God in obedience. That doesn’t mean we don’t get discouraged at times, or even frustrated. It just means that in spite of it, we pick up our shovel, and dig another well.

And the reason we can do that is because we know GOD WILL BE FAITHFUL. Isaac persevered because He knew God was faithful to His promises. His promises are firm. If you read the verses on either side of this story in Genesis, both before and after this time in Isaac’s life, God reminds him of the promise. It’s like God is saying, “regardless of what circumstance you find yourself in, Isaac, remember these promises.”

Likewise, God continually reminds us of His promises. Over and over He says I will never leave you nor forsake you. He says I will strengthen you by My mighty hand. He says I will lead you and guide you in the way you should go. And over and over again, God shows Himself faithful to those promises.

So persevere. Opposition will come, but persevere. I don’t know what trials might be in your life right now. They may be physical trials that are threatening to discourage your faith, or financial trials that are a distraction to your faith, or even spiritual trials that are seeking to undermine your faith. Whatever it is, I simply want to encourage you to persevere because God is faithful. It may feel like having you well stolen or filled in for the umpteenth time. But don’t give in. Pick up your shovel and dig another well. God is faithful.

Now, for those who don’t share my aversion to country music, you may enjoy listening to the song that reminds me of all this.

A Baby's Prayer

2012-01-23T10:06:00.003-06:00

In light of the recent Roe v. Wade anniversary, I thought some might enjoy this powerful song from one of my wife's favorite singers, Kathy Troccoli. You can find this and other videos from Kathy here.

And here's a good word from John Piper about living as a pro-life person in the midst of a pro-death administration.

Eight Ways To Live as Pro-Life Under A Pro-Choice President

Another Reason Not to Trust the GOP

2012-01-19T09:46:00.002-06:00

I recently posted about my frustrations with the Republican Party, how they continue to thumb their noses at conservatives, how they seem focused so intensely on being “middle of the road” and forcing their candidates down our throats. I wrote about this being the reason for abandoning the GOP in favor of the Constitution Party.

Many people buck and bristle about those things. They are enslaved to the idea of a 2 party system, forgetting that the GOP itself started out as a third party. They seem to be blinded by the idea that the GOP is the only alternative to the radical liberalism/socialism of our current administration. Some even say that while it’s not perfect, the GOP is still a “good” group of folks.

Then how do you explain this: Rick Santorum actually won the Iowa Caucus, but the GOP “machine” made sure Mitt Romney came out on top. I know it sounds like a conspiracy theory, but read the article. Read things like “the final caucus count would remain unresolved because the results from eight precincts were mislaid and will never be certified.” Mislaid? What does that mean? How does that happen?

Or how about this: “Officials discovered inaccuracies in 131 precincts, with changes in one precinct alone shifting the vote by 50.” 131 precincts with “inaccuracies??” This is ridiculous. It’s obvious the machine is already at work to force the liberal Romney down our throats, so why should conservatives continue to turn a blind eye and say “Well, it’s still better than Obama.” Is it? Is it really? Watch this:

Folks, face it. Both of the major parties are bankrupt morally and have conspired together to bankrupt our nation literally. Neither can be trusted. Both serve up candidates who are nothing but wolves in sheep’s clothing. The time for a change has never been clearer.

We need to stop giving into the 2-party-only mentality, remember our history, remember that a third party can make a difference, and start voting conscience and principles. As John Quincy Adams so wisely said: “Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

She's Still the Church

2012-01-16T09:25:00.002-06:00

I know I’m late to this party. I’ve always been a little slow on things, and with the lightning speed of Twitter and such, I don’t catch up with things until it’s all blow over. But I’ll drop my two cents anyway.

There’s been a lot of hoopla over a video-poem bemoaning “religion” in favor of Jesus. Loving Jesus, it supposes, is not religion. Being a Christian is not the same as being “the Church.” Just love Jesus, and don’t worry about the organized religion stuff.

Now, granted there is some glimmer of truth in that. The Church down through the years has suffered from the same sort of maladies that the Jewish temple goers of days gone by suffered from. Namely, an outward show of “religion” that denies the reality behind it. Some equate the building and the ritual with religion and have no true heart for God. That’s true in any religious expression really.

The problem is, this religion vs. Jesus idea puts up a false division. Voddie Baucham addresses this very well (in fact he did so back in 2008 when his article was first posted), so I’ll urge you to read that and not repeat it here.

The point is, this kind of religion vs. relationship idea puts people in a mind to see the Church as a big, bad wolf to be avoided. Real Christians, they suggest, are just the warm, squishy folks who walk around loving Jesus. This may not have been the point of the video, but it's the conclusion many draw. We have to remember that the Church is the Bride of Christ. No it’s not perfect. Yes, we have our problems. But if you love Jesus, you will love His Bride, blemishes and all.

To be sure, we don’t settle for the blemishes. Men like Martin Luther and John Calvin and John Knox and others have all fought for the purity and reform of the church. But I never read/heard a one of them suggesting that to love Jesus means to hate “religion” and the “organized church.”

I understand that the author of this viral video has since seen the danger of some of his language. You can read a brief account of a conversation between him and one of his critics here.

Still, this isn’t the first time someone has set up this Jesus vs. religion, or even Jesus vs. the Church idea. And it won’t be the last. We need to remember that no Church is perfect, we will always fall short, and we should always challenge one another to do more, better, etc. But the Church, as I said, is still the Bride of Christ, and if we truly love Christ, it will be seen in our love for His Church.

Consider these words from Charles Spurgeon concerning demonstrating our love for Christ’s Church.

Show proofs of your love in reference to God’s people. How can that be done? Some of you need to have this thing gone over with you because you have evidently forgotten it. If you are God’s servants you love his people, and the first proof you should give is to go and join with them…

And then unite with them in all their service. The school wants Sunday school teachers. You love Christ, you say, and you love the young: show us a proof of your love. Come and help in that good work. There is something or other that you can do for Jesus, and for his church; do it, and thus show us a proof of your love.

Show the proof of your love by comforting the saints in affliction; by helping them as much as you can when they are in need; by defending their good name whenever you hear them railed at; by suffering nobody to speak against them falsely when you are by. Stand up for them.

Show them the proof of your love by bearing with their infirmities. The church is not perfect, and if it were it would not be perfect after you had joined it. You who have so many infirmities yourself should patiently bear with the infirmities of others. If the saints are not all you would like them to be, remember, nevertheless, that they are dear to the heart of Christ; and he, perhaps, sees in them beauties which you would see, too, if you had more beauties yourself. Perhaps your power to find fault arises from your having so many faults yourself; and if you were more sanctified, and more like Christ, you would fix your eye as well upon the beauties of their character as upon their defects. Show us the proof of your love. (Spurgeon #1522)

Show the proof of your love for Jesus by loving His Church, as well as the other things mentioned in the video-poem. His Church may not be perfect, but as the old wise man said, “It’s the only boat floatin’.”

Or if you really feel the need to be “hip,” think of it in terms of how Lecrae says it in his song, The Bride:

Verse 3: Some don't get it so they hate
They say she's on a paper chase, they say she's really fake
So they go start a ministry so they can do the work
But they don't understand how Jesus feel about His Church
And yeah they make disciples, got plenty conversions
They take care of the widows and the orphans, man they be workin'
But none of them are Church and no church structure
No elders and no discipline, they have no conductor
And they don't submit, but quite a few of them are baptized
People how I pray that you'd look at this thing from God's eyes
Take responsibility inside the whole council
Not just the area where you might have a mouthful
Who should folks submit to, who'll conduct the discipline?
If excommunicated, what body will they be missin' then?
Peep Ephesians 4 where Paul gets practical
1 Timothy and Titus if you thinkin' I'm irrational

Chorus/Hook:
I know she may look gritty
When her Man come back she gone look so pretty
She the Church
You might see her actin' crazy
Be patient with her though cause she still God's baby
She the Church
Before you diss her, get to know her
Jesus got a thing for her and He died just to show her
She the Church
She ain't bricks and buildings
She all of God's people, men women and children
We the Church

GOP – Here We Go Again

2012-01-11T09:42:00.002-06:00

Four years ago the Republican Party nominated a non-conservative, John McCain, for President. They assumed then, as they do now, that conservative folks will vote for the GOP candidate just to avoid voting for the even more liberal Democrat. Unfortunately, that has been the case far too often in the past, the old “lesser of two evils” kind of thing. Well, I thought they would have learned from the McCain debacle that this just ain’t so. I guess they haven’t.

As everyone knows, Mitt Romney has won the first two primaries of this election cycle. That alone is an historical feat. Anything can still happen, but as of now Romney looks like he’s on the fast track to the GOP nod. Once again, Republicans will assume that we’ll support this guy simply because he’s not Obama. Maybe, at one time that would have worked. Not any more.

Four years ago I wrote a piece saying farewell to the Grand Old Party. I’m tired of true conservative values being ignored; tired of having mediocre at best candidates shoved down our throats while the GOP tries to play “middle of the road.” Everyone knows what happens when you stand in the middle of the road, right? Splat!

As I wrote then, I can’t in good conscience vote for one man simply because he’s NOT another man. I can’t vote for anyone who’s not solidly pro-life, period. That always narrows the choices. I don’t see how any self-respecting Christian citizen can EVER vote for a candidate who’s not solidly pro-life (as you know, Romney is wishy-washy on the issue, among other things).

I don’t understand why Christian folks don’t rise up as one and cry out against this sort of thing. As I said before, if true, God-fearing folks united together, we could win an election in a landslide. Unfortunately, folks won’t stand up. They are content to sit back and let the GOP continue to thumb their noses and true conservatives and our values.

Which is why I will once again reiterate my support of the Constitution Party. I wrote twice after the last election about why this is the only sensible choice. You can read here and here about that, so I don’t just repeat myself. You can go here and read the party platform, and then compare that against the stands of the other two parties.

Honestly, I don’t know how that will work out at this point for the Presidential vote. I do know there are local CP candidates whom I will support as much as I can. If the CP emerges with a Presidential candidate, no matter how “unknown” I will support that candidate (given that he truly supports the platform). Regardless, if Romney is the nominee, I will not vote for him. I’ll write in Mike Huckabee or something! I’m sick and tired of being taken for granted by the GOP; “oh they have to vote for us, we’re not Democrats.”

If enough folks would stand up against that thinking and support truly conservative candidates, we might actually be able to turn this nation around. I urge you to go back and read those three articles I mentioned (again, they are here, here and here). Go to the Constitution Party’s national website. Let’s band together and really make a difference.

Is God Behind Tebow and the Broncos?

2012-01-09T09:20:00.003-06:00

I’m sure most people have heard the saga of Tim Tebow. College football star quarterback, wins National Championship, wins Heismann Trophy, but questionable NFL prospect. Gets drafted by the Denver Broncos, much to the shock of some, the delight of others. But all of that takes a back seat to one other issue: his faith in Jesus Christ.

Grabbing more headlines than anything he does as a player is his bold, outspoken, consistent mention of his faith. In every interview. All the time. Everywhere. Even takes a knee on the field frequently.

Some love him for it. Some hate him for it. Some mock him. Some cheer. When he suddenly gets a shot at starting for the struggling Broncos, and they start winning, his fans cheer louder and his detractors jeer louder. Of course, when they go on a three game losing skid, the fans moan and the critics rejoice.

In fact, one loud-mouth, arrogant and ignorant liberal talking head said some vile things after that first loss that had it been said about a prominent Muslim, there would have been legal action, protests, etc. But Tebow just smiles and goes on praising God. And that’s what bugs folks the most I think. His humble, consistent confession.

But all of this begs the question: Is God behind Tebow and the Broncos? There have been other outspoken Christian athletes. My favorite NFL quarterback, Kurt Warner, led a Cinderella season for our St. Louis Rams years ago, taking us all the way to Super Bowl glory. Some at the time grumbled about Warner’s faith, and teased about God being on the Rams’ side, etc. Of course Warner then lost his next Super Bowl, and after leading the Arizona Cardinals to the same hallowed ground, fell short again. So did God abandon him?

With the Broncos amazing and unlikely victory over the Steelers in the playoffs yesterday, the question come up again, Is God behind Tebow and the Bronco? Well, actually, it’s a ridiculous question.

It ridiculous to ask if God plays favorites in sports. Does God have a rooting interest in the NFL? Does he favor the Christian players on the Broncos more than the Christian players on the Steelers, or any other team that might win or lose? Is God “rooting” for one team over another, one player over another. Of course not. It’s a ridiculous question.

God doesn’t play favorites. The Broncos didn’t win just because Tebow was the quarterback and he has an “in” with God. Doesn’t work that way. Never has. (In spite of one column suggesting something magic about the number 316, as in John 3:16. Read here). Even though I find myself rooting for players that I know are brothers in Christ, doesn’t mean they will win just because they’re Christians. In spite of what the health and wealth heretics tell you, God doesn’t exist to make you happy, ensure your career success, and so on.

However, the question is also ridiculous to ask on this front. Does a Sovereign God know, even orchestrate the outcome of a game? Did He not know who would win before the game even started? Of course He did. Jesus told us that not even a sparrow falls outside the knowledge, plan, and care of God. If that’s true, can we not also say that not a pass falls outside His knowledge, plan and care?

God’s sovereignty, an issue I mentioned in my last post, doesn’t just apply to major historical events. God isn’t just sovereign over nations and history and creation; He is sovereign over the lives of His people. It was part of God’s plan for Tim Tebow to win that game, just as it was part of His plan for him to lose the last three. Not because God’s a Broncos fan, or a Tebow fan, but because God is at work in the lives of His people shaping them for His purpose and His glory.

Sometimes, God’s plan involves success. David and Goliath sort of stuff. Sometimes God’s plan involves failure. David and Bathsheba kind of stuff. I don’t understand it. To be honest, I often don’t agree with it. I don’t like when my plans don’t work the way I want them to. Shoot, I don’t like it when my team doesn’t win in the playoffs.

But if we truly believe in the Sovereignty of God we have to say that even the outcomes of football games are part of His plans and purposes, for His glory; win or lose. Not because He’s rooting for a certain team, but because He has a purpose for that win or loss in the lives of countless individuals. Just as he has a plan for the success or failure of each of us; business, health, family, etc. Again, I don’t always fully comprehend it; don’t always like it.

God even knows who our next president will be. We don’t even know the players yet, but God knows who will win the game, and whether we like it or not, the winner will win because it is part of God’s plan. Scripture clearly tells us that God sets up kings and brings them down. I don’t understand it, or have to like it.

But I’m content to rest in the truth that God is God and I’m not. He doesn’t have to explain Himself to me; He’s God. He doesn’t have to explain Himself to you either. His answer to Job is His answer to us: Where were you when I laid the foundations of the world, hung the stars, and so on. Or as the apostle Paul put it: Who are you, O man, to talk back to God?

So is God behind Tebow and the Broncos? What a ridiculous question. Of course He’s not; God doesn’t play favorites. And yet, what a ridiculous question. Of course He is. He is the Sovereign God of all things. But either way you look at it, I’m still going to root for Tebow and the Broncos!

My God is So Big...So I Worship

2012-01-04T09:52:00.002-06:00

Remember the children’s song?

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty,
There’s nothing my God cannot do.
The rivers are His, the mountains are His
The stars are His handiwork too
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do.

That’s the way I remember it anyway. Sorry if I messed up the official lyrics. Anyway, it’s amazing what we can teach in a children’s song that somehow we can then grow up and forget.

I’ve spent a lot of time lately enjoying Shai Linne’s project on the Attributes of God. I know not everyone is a fan of rap, Christian or otherwise, but the content of the lyrics on this project is amazing. Two of my favorites are based on the opening verses of Psalm 115: Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! … Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. (Psalm 115:1,3, ESV)

Two things stand out in those songs and in those verses. One, we need to remember that it’s all about God and His glory; a theme we often repeat around our church. And two, my God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do. Or as the Psalm says, “He does all that He pleases.”

As children, we seem fine with all that. God really is big and all. But as we grow, we seem to struggle with the “He does all that He pleases” bit. In short, we sometimes buck against the whole Sovereignty of God idea. We like it when it fits our agenda: God is sovereign over the nations, over history, etc. We’re not so keen on it when it comes to the “sovereign over my life” issue.

I’m not going to sink into all the arguments regarding that particular doctrine. As far as I’m concerned, you can accept what Scripture says about our Sovereign King or you can reject it, and only His Spirit will convince you.

What I want to do is simply remind you of the awe of it all. That childlike awe you might have felt when singing “My God is So Big.” That’s really the issue here. Once we grasp that God is God, that He is Sovereign, it’s not a matter of arguing the minutia of what He’s sovereign over (because He does all that He pleases), but a matter of worshiping such a magnificent God. It really is all about Him and His glory.

Children often see the works of God, they hear about His power and majesty, and they just wonder at it all. Unfortunately, adults sometimes get jaded and calloused, and we loose that. Wouldn’t it be great to reclaim that awe? We ought to sit back and simply be amazed at the handiworks of God.

We ought to be in awe of the marvelous gift of salvation we’ve been given. To celebrate this holiday we’ve just celebrated, to know that God sent His own Son, God in the flesh, born as a babe in a manger. To know that this Son lived a perfect life and died as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. To know that He gave His life as a ransom for filthy sinners like you and me; that He exchanged His righteousness for our rebellion; His glory for our garbage; His riches for our rags. That ought to cause us to sit back and just oohh and aahh over the majesty of our maker; and to throw ourselves on His mercy.

But even beyond that is the simple wonder we ought to experience as we consider God Himself. My God is so big, He is so glorious, so beautiful, so magnificent, so splendid in His very being, that our minds can’t even comprehend Him. There’s nothing my God cannot do, He does all that He pleases, and so I will simply worship Him and give Him the glory due His name.

For those who enjoy great lyrics regardless of the musical vehicle, here are the two songs from Shai Linne I mentioned. Just sit back and let the words remind you of the greatness of our God, and worship Him. (Those who are strongly adverse to Christian hip-hop, you can just click here and read the lyrics if you'd like: The Glory of God, Our God is in the Heavens). Soli Deo Gloria!

Another Year

2012-01-02T11:38:00.002-06:00

Samuel Medley (1738-1799) was the son of an English school master. He joined the British Royal Navy but was wounded in battle in 1759. It’s said that he nearly lost a limb, but God miraculously intervened. During his recovery, his grandfather read to him a sermon by Isaac Watts, the great English pastor and hymn writer. God used that sermon as an instrument of Medley’s conversion, and he gave himself to study for the ministry. He eventually served 27 years as a Baptist pastor in Liverpool.

In addition to his pastoral ministry, Medley wrote several hymns (some of which you can find here). Sadly, our Baptist churches have not passed down many of these fine Baptist verses over the years, much to our loss. Along with contemporary John Newton, Medley wrote of God’s amazing grace:

O what amazing words of grace Are in the Gospel found!
Suited to every sinner’s case Who knows the joyful sound.

Come, then, with all your wants and wounds; Your every burden bring;
Here love, unchanging love, abounds, A deep, celestial spring.

Anyway, all of that is simply to get to this. Samuel Medley in 1789 gave us this lyric for “another year.” I share it with you as a prayer for each of us as we seek His will, His goodness, His grace and guidance for another year:

Father of mercies! God of love!
Whose kind compassion still we prove,
Our praise accept, and bless us here,
As brought to this – another year.

We sing Thy goodness all divine,
Whose radiant beams around us shine;
‘Tis through Thy goodness we appear
Preserved to this – another year.

Our souls, our all we here resign;
Make us, and keep us ever Thine;
And grant that in Thy love and fear
We may begin – another year.

Be this our sweet experience still,
To know and do Thine holy will;
Then shall our souls, with joy sincere,
Bless Thee for this – another year.

Still, Lord, through life Thy love display,
And then in death’s approaching day,
We’ll joyful part with all that’s here,
Nor wish on earth – another year.

Observation and Reflection

2011-12-28T13:47:00.004-06:00

Okay, so it’s that time of the year. Time to get all nostalgic, reflecting back on the year that was, what I didn’t do right, what I want to do better and all that. But I’ll keep most of that to myself, thank you very much.

For this space, I want to do a little observing and reflecting about this blog site itself. I want to make a couple of observations based on the information Blogger keeps track of for me, and then reflect on the top ten posts in the history of this site. So most of you can just skip ahead now to the next blog in your Google reader or whatever. This is mainly just for myself and for those who are just so bored, they need something to do with their time, so…

Observation #1 = Interesting Search Results
One of the things Blogger tells me is the search parameters put in by others that led them to my sight. For the most part, it’s stuff I’d expect: my name, things that match titles of posts (fishers of men, all creation sings, arguments against alcohol being the top three, which correspond to top posts listed below), and so on.

However, there are a couple of surprises. One of the more popular searches leading to me is for “wiccan tattoos,” which apparently brings up an article I wrote last year for Tullian’s book “Unfashionable.” I simply mentioned a quote I’d read about supposedly Christian tattoo artists who had no problem doing wiccan tattoos. Amazing what the search engines fined.

And then my favorite search: “Right Wing Sermons.” Do a search on that and you’ll find on the first page of results my 4th of July post this year. Interesting, considering the point was a speech made in the Massachusetts Congress by the sitting president of Harvard. Anyway, guess I’m glad I come up so quickly when folks are looking for right wing sermons.

Observation #2 = Worldwide Reach of the Internet
Okay, maybe I should just say that I’m amazed that anyone ever reads this. I’m just a nobody preacher from the Midwest, ranting and raving about whatever trips my fancy. I can’t believe folks take time to read this. But more amazing still is where folks are reading from.

We truly live in a global society, I know that; but it still blows my mind that just today, people in these countries have stopped by my corner of the blogosphere: United Kingdom, Germany, Indonesia, Jordan, Malta. Malta?? Really?? And in the past week, we’ve had readers stop by from Russia, France, Canada, India, and even three hits from Latvia. Wow. How do you say “I’m reading a boring preacher from Missouri” in Latvian?

Observation #3 = People Will Surprise You
I’m also amazed at what hits the spot, draws interest, etc. I write things that I think are real hot button issues, and it seems there is little response. Then I’ll just throw something out there off the cuff, and bam! Case in point are two of the top four posts in the list below: one on Albert Pujols and one on alcohol consumption (which was simply inspired by the idiotic behavior of some NASCAR fans). You never know, I guess.

Which brings me to the top ten. Here are the top ten most often hit individual articles in the history of this site (at least in the history since Blogger started keeping track). Drum roll please…

Top Ten Posts

10. Wise Words to Young Men – On My Son’s Birthday, Jun 27, 2011.
Written for my sons 17th birthday, this is in large part just quotes from J. C. Ryle.

9. Excerpts from "Surprised By Grace,” Jan 24, 2011.
Having just read Tullian Tchividjian’s treatment of Jonah, I posted a few of my favorite quotes. Mr. Tchividjian himself found it somehow and tweeted a link to my blog. Just goes to show how much more influence he has than me!

8. Preaching to Yourself, Feb 28, 2011.
Some encouragement from Psalms 42-43 for those difficult days, weeks, months in all of our lives.

7. This May Be My Last Post, May 19, 2011.
In light of Harold Camping’s first doomsday date this year, I reflected on what my last words might be if I thought I would never speak/post again.

6. Touched By God, Jan 7, 2011.
A little reminder that getting what we ask for could be dangerous. To be “touched by God” leaves a permanent imprint on our lives. Just ask Jacob.

5. Seeking God's Face: A Sermon Summary, Oct 14, 2010.
Actually, one of my own favorites. This is a shortened version of the message I was privileged to bring to our local Baptist Association in 2010. I prayed long and hard about this message, and was pleased with the result. God was also pleased to bring some good responses from those who were there.

4. Albert Pujols and Missed Opportunities, Dec 8, 2011.
The aforementioned “off the cuff” response to Mr. Pujols leaving St. Louis. Never did I suspect it would take off like it did, jumping to this fourth over all spot in only three days. As I said, people will surprise you.

3. All Creation Sings. April 16, 2009.
Another of my own favorites, this is just a reflection on spending the early morning hours turkey hunting with my son, and the sense of awe it brings when considering our Creator. I included one of my favorite AD songs.

2. Fishers of Men...No Bait Required, March 14, 2011.
Maybe a bit controversial, this is just my reflection on the “bait and switch” tactics we use in the church, questioning if our pragmatic approaches are really what Jesus had in mind when calling us to fish for men. Not sure how many agree with my assessment, but there sure have been a lot of readers on this one.

1. An Argument Against Alcohol, May 3, 2007.
Without a doubt, far and away the most popular post I’ve ever written. And it was almost five years ago. As I said above, it was inspired by the actions of some NASCAR fans and it prompted me to say some things about the use of alcohol and the wisdom Christians in our culture to abstain. Wow, the comments and hits on this one. I never said Scripture prohibited drinking (though many confused that issue), I simply pointed out that with the dangers attached, looking out for our brothers would suggest abstaining from this particular “freedom.” I don’t want to start the arguments up again, I still stand by my original comments, and you can read those plus the follow up articles if you want to know more.

Well, there you have it. Overall, it’s a good exercise to look back, reflect, evaluate, etc. Here’s hoping I still have some things to say in the year to come, and that by God’s grace I will say them better than I have in the past. In all, if just one person is led by something here to go to God’s Word and find the truth there, then all the time and effort is worth it.

If you read this far, congratulations (and condolences). Thanks for trudging through my year end catharsis. Have a Happy New Year and Soli Deo Gloria!

The True Way of Keeping Christmas

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

As you celebrate this wonderful day and the precious birth of our Savior, may these words from George Whitefield on "The True Way of Keeping Christmas" help you examine your heart and the heart of your celebration.

I come now…to show you, who they are who do rightly observe, and truly celebrate the birth of our Redeemer.

First, That those spend their time aright, and truly observe this festival, who spend their hours in reading, praying, and religious conversation.

What can we do to employ our time to a more noble purpose, than reading of what our dear Redeemer has done and suffered; to read, that the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, came from his throne and took upon him the form of the meanest of his servants; and what great things he underwent. This, this is an history worth reading, this is worth employing our time about: and surely, when we read of the sufferings of our Savior, it should excite us to prayer, that we might have an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ; that the blood which he spilt upon mount Calvary, and his death and crucifixion, might make an atonement for our sins, that we might be made holy; that we might be enabled to put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man, even the Lord Jesus Christ; that we may throw away the heavy yoke of sin, and put on the yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, my brethren, these things call for prayer, and for earnest prayer too; and O do be earnest with God, that you may have an interest in this Redeemer, and that you may put on his righteousness, so that you may not come before him in your filthy rags, nor be found not having on the wedding garment. O do not, I beseech you, trust unto yourselves for justification; you cannot, indeed, you cannot be justified by the works of the law. I entreat that your time may be thus spent; and if you are in company, let your time be spent in that conversation which profiteth: let it not be about your dressing, your plays, your profits, or your worldly concerns, but let it be the wonders of redeeming love: O tell, tell to each other, what great things the Lord has done for your souls; declare unto one another, how you were delivered from the hands of your common enemy, Satan, and how the Lord has brought your feet from the clay, and has set them upon the rock of ages, the Lord Jesus Christ; there, my brethren, is no slipping; other conversation, by often repeating, you become fully acquainted with, but of Christ there is always something new to raise your thoughts; you can never want matter when the love of the Lord Jesus Chris is the subject: then let Jesus be the subject, my brethren, of all your conversation.

Let your time be spent on him: O this, this is an employ, which if you belong to Jesus, will last you to all eternity. Let others enjoy their cards, their dice, and gaming hours; do you, my brethren, let your time be spent in reading, praying, and religious conversations. Which will stand the trial best at the last day? Which do you think will bring most comfort, most peace, in a dying hour? O live and spend your time now, as you will wish to have done, when you come to die.

Secondly, Let the good things of life, you enjoy, be used with moderation.

I am not, as the scoffers of this day tell you, against eating and drinking the good things of life; no, my brethren, I am only against their being used to an excess; therefore, let me beseech you to avoid those great indiscretions, those sinful actions, which will give the enemies of God room to blaspheme. Let me beseech you, to have a regard, a particular regard to your behavior, at this time; for indeed the eyes of all are upon you, and they would rejoice much to find any reason to complain of you. They can say things against us without a cause; and how would they rejoice if there was wherewith they might blame us? Then they would triumph and rejoice indeed; and all your little slips, my dear brethren, are, and would be charged upon me. O at this time, when the eyes of so many are upon you, be upon your guard; and if you use the good things of this life with moderation, you do then celebrate this festival in the manner which the institution calls for.

And instead of running into excess, let that money, which you might expend to pamper your own bodies, be given to feed the poor; now, my brethren, is the season, in which they commonly require relief; and sure you cannot act more agreeable, either to the season, to the time, or for the glory of God, than in relieving his poor distressed servants. Therefore, if any of you have poor friends, or acquaintance, who are in distress, I beseech you to assist them; and not only those of your acquaintance, but the poor in general. O my dear brethren, that will turn to a better account another day, than all you have expended to please the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life. Consider, Christ was always willing to relieve the distressed; it is his command also; and can you better commemorate the birth of your king, your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, than in obeying one of his commands?

Do not, my dear brethren, be forgetful of the poor of the world; consider, if providence has smiled upon you, and blessed you with abundance of the things of this life, God calls for some returns of gratitude from you; be ye mindful of the poor, and when you are so, then you may be said to have a true regard for that time which is now approaching; if you would truly observe this festival, let it be done with moderation, and a regard to the poor of this world.

Thirdly, Let me beg of you not to alienate too much of your time from the worldly business of this life, but have a proper regard thereunto, and then you may be said rightly to observe this festival.

God allows none to be idle: in all ages business was commended; and therefore do not think that any season will excuse us in our callings; we are not, my brethren, to labor for the things of this life inordinately, but we are to labor for them will all moderation: we are not to neglect our callings; no, we are to regard those places and stations of life, which God in his providence has thought convenient for us; and therefore, when you neglect your business of the hurt of your families, whatever pretense you thereby make for so doing, you are guilty of sin; you are not acting according to the doctrine of the gospel, but are breaking the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ, both according to his word, and to his own practice.

At this festival, persons are apt to take a little more liberty than usual; and if that time from our vocations is not prejudicial to ourselves or families, and is spent in the service of God, and the good of immortal souls, then I do not thing it sinful; but there is too much reason to fear, that the time spent upon our own lusts, and then it is exceeding sinful, it is against our own souls, and it is against the good of our families, and instead of commemorating the birth of our dear Redeemer, we are dishonoring him in the greatest degree possibly we can.

Therefore, inquire strictly into your end and design in spending your time; see, my brethren, whether it proceeds from a true love to your Redeemer, or whether there is not some worldly pleasure or advantage at the bottom: if there is, our end is not right; but if it proceed entirely from love to him that died, and gave himself for us, our actions will be a proof thereof; then our time will be spent, not in the polite pleasures of life, but according to the doctrine and commands of the blessed Jesus; then our conversation will be in heaven; and O that this might be found to be the end of each of you, who now hear me; then we should truly observe this festival, and have a true regard to the occasion thereof, that of Christ's coming to redeem the souls of those which were lost.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL,
AND TO GOD BE THE GLORY

One Pastor's Plea for This Christmas Sunday

2011-12-23T08:00:00.001-06:00

Very rarely do I just repeat another blog. But the message in this article, especially the pastor's letter which is included, is absolutely priceless. Furthermore, I've been tossing around in my own mind this very subject, thinking of writing a post about the subject of those who would skip church on Sunday because it's Christmas, or those who would worse yet, cancel their services. This brief post from White Horse Inn addresses the issue better than I could have ever come up with. I strongly encourage you to read this, pass it along to all the men in your life, and then we'll see you in church on Sunday!

Christianless Churches - White Horse Inn Blog

An Early Christmas Present

2011-12-22T09:17:00.001-06:00

Our family received a sort of early Christmas present. I say sort of because our girls worked hard for this, and the boys and I worked at least a little bit building some fence (with lots and lots of help). Anyway, here's the story at our family blog.

The ServantHeart Homeschool Site: We Have Horses!:
Several years ago, the girls saw an ad in the paper offering horse riding lessons in exchange for work. I believe the deal was two hours of...

The Blessings of Being God’s Children

2011-12-19T09:20:00.003-06:00

For the last several weeks, I’ve been using Galatians 4:4-5 as the basis for a series of “holiday” messages. In preparation for the celebration of our Lord’s first advent, we’ve been looking at God’s sovereign plan in sending His Son, the miracle of God in the flesh, and the purpose behind it all. We’ll be finishing this little study on Christmas morning by looking at the last issue in that Galatians text: the issue of adoption.

Oh, what a glorious thing it is to be adopted as sons and daughters of God! What a remarkable truth that we often take for granted. What an amazing display of God’s grace that He not only redeems us, but adopts us.

Anyway, in the process of studying for that last message, I came across a short sermon from Robert Murray M'Cheyne. His last point deals with the blessedness of being a son of God, and he lists these five glorious truths:

1. The first thing that makes it a blessedness is that we get the love of the Father. The moment you become a child, the Father loves you. This is shown in what Christ said to Mary: "I ascend unto my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God." Christ here intimated, that we have the same love that he had. We have not got so much of the love of the Father as Christ, because he has got an infinite capacity; but it is the same love. The sun shines as much upon the daisy as it does upon the sunflower, though the sunflower is able to contain more. Christ plainly shows you that in the 17th chapter of John, where he prays that the same love maybe in us that was in him. O how much better is it, then, to be under the love of God, than under the wrath of God!

2. Let me mention to you a second part of the blessedness we get. The Spirit of the Son dwells in us. You will see this in Galatians 4.6, "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Brethren, when Christ comes, the first thing he does is to redeem you from under the curse of the law, and then he makes you a son. O it is sweet to have the smile of Christ! it is sweet to get the love of Christ; but I will tell you what is equally as sweet ? that is to receive the Spirit of Christ. Has he given you the Spirit? He will do it if you are a son, that you may be made to cry, "Abba, Father."

3. Let me mention to you another part of the blessedness of being a son of God. You get the likeness of the Father. You know this is the case in an adopted family; an adopted child in the course of time gets the very features of the family. So you get the image of the Father, and you get the love of the Father. You are taught that in Matthew 5, where Christ says, in his Sermon on the Mount, "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father "which is in heaven," that ye may bear the image of the Father. Have you that mark of adoption? Are you turning like God?

4. Let us mention another part of the blessedness. Some of you may be surprised at it. We get the chastisement of the Father. If we have no chastisement, then we are bastards, and not sons, for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not. The world are allowed to get fat; but it is not so with those that follow God; if they wander, he puts up a hedge, and if they fall into it, he puts up a wall.

5. Let me mention the last part of the blessedness. We receive the inheritance as heirs. Paul says, "If sons, then heirs." Every child in a rich family gets something when the father dies; often he shares his fortune equally among them, and the adopted child is not forgot. If we are Christ's we get all things with him. If we are Christ's, we share the government of the world with him. If we are his, we shall share the crown with him. It is called the inheritance of the saints in light. I cannot tell the blessings of being an heir of God; but I know that it is better than being an heir of hell: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things," and that for eternity ? it cannot fade away. O my brethren! will you still remain heirs of hell? If you come to Christ you will be made heirs of God. Whether is it better to get the pleasure of the world, and hell at the end, or to be made a child of God, and an heir of Christ?

An amazing collection of blessedness, and a heart searching question. Whose child are you? Whose inheritance will you receive? More important than any Christmas present under the tree is the gift of God’s Son and the Spirit of Adoption He brings. I pray you unwrap that mystery this Christmas.

Homeschooler Moment #8

2011-12-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Our youngest comes into my bedroom one morning as I’m getting ready to head out and says, “Dad, I have a question.” I said, “OK.” He said, “Since you know everything, can people really be raised by wolves?”

After I got up off the floor and stopped laughing, I looked at the poor boy who seemed very confused. He was so serious. So I said, “Yes, son, it doesn’t happen often, but people can be raised by wolves. Why do you ask?” At which point he goes into a recitation of a Garfield comic strip where apparently Liz claims to have been raised by wolves.

The lessons here are multiple. First, I’ve trained him well to think that Dad knows everything (In fact, he accepted my “yes” answer without question. Good boy). Second, we’ve taught him the value of being discerning when reading, not just accepting everything in print. Third, it shows our literary standards in this family are quite high. All the great minds read Garfield regularly. And finally, whether you homeschool or not, I hope you take every opportunity to find teachable moments each and every day with your children.

Of Sports Stars and Idolatry

2011-12-11T17:23:00.009-06:00

Wow. In three short days my last post about Albert Pujols leaving St. Louis shot up to be #4 on the all time hit list on this blog. Blogger stats only go back 2 1/2 years, so the all time stats might be a tad off. Still, in just those three short days, more folks clicked over to read my brief, off the cuff remarks about Albert's departure than nearly all other posts on this site.

Now, I can surmise a couple of different things by this. I could assume this means that for the most part I never write anything here that is of any real interest. So the Pujols piece just finally pricked some interest. That quite possible may be true.

Yet, I do remember a piece I wrote during the last election cycle about Mike Huckabee's run for the White House. Not only did I get some interest on that piece, but some interesting interest. I ended up being interviewed by both the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and the New York Times. Made me feel pretty important.

Also, this is only the fourth most viewed post, so there are three more out there that have at least had some attention drawn. Granted, the short time period here is mind boggling for me, but still.

Maybe it's just to save my own pride, but I think there might be a different answer. I think it might have to do with the near worship we shower on professional athletes. One could point out the similarities between the various "houses of worship" where thousand gather to sing/shout their praises to their "god." Much of the activity in church and stadium have striking similarities.

But beyond that is the way our hearts and minds are captured. Even walking into a Sunday School classroom, the conversation at the beginning often involves sports and sports figures. Oddly enough, I can't say that the stadium conversations before a game often include commentary on the latest sermon heard. Most folks will more readily talk about their favorite ball player than they will about their Savior, just as most folks will readily pass on a social media post about said sports star more quickly than something involving "churchy" subjects.

What does this say about our priorities? And if anyone or anything has a higher priority in our hearts, minds and actions than God, does that person or thing not by definition become an idol? And what does it say about the reality of our faith when we're less likely to talk about God to our friends than we are to spout off about the latest sports gossip?

Trust me, folks, I'm not throwing stones here. I've been challenging myself with these thoughts as much as anyone else. (I may or may not have been the one to bring Pujols up in SS class). And I know I'm not the first person to bring the issue up, to make the comparison, etc. So I don't expect this particular post to hit the top ten list anytime soon.

Still, I can't help but think about a definition of worship I once heard (from Voddie Baucham I think, but I'm not sure). Worship is that which we set our mind's attention and heart's affection upon. So do we set our mind's attention and heart's affection more on football or God? Are our conversations more about baseball or Christ? Are we influenced more by playoff scenarios, or the Holy Spirit? Just some thoughts for reflection.

Psalm 72:18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
Psalm 86:10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
Isaiah 45:22 "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Albert Pujols and Missed Opportunities

2011-12-08T09:33:00.002-06:00

As most have heard by now, St. Louis Cardinal star Albert Pujols has left the Midwest for greener pastures in California. He signed a 10 year contract with the Los Angeles Angels for a reported $250 million. The Cardinals were reported to have offered a contract as long, but with about $50 million less. So in speaking of missed opportunities, am I talking about the Cardinals missing out by not offering more? No.

The missed opportunity here is for a highly visible professing Christian to back up his words with his life. Pujols has always been very open about his faith. And for the most part, it really seems as though he tries to live that faith out. But here he had the perfect opportunity to show that for the Christian, our priorities are different.

He has always said, it’s not about the money. And I know nothing about the inner workings of contract negotiations. But this I do know. $200 million dollars over a lifetime, let alone the next 10 years, ought to be more than enough for a guy to live on. And from the outside looking in, it sure seems like it’s all about the money.

This would have been a great opportunity for a world class athlete on the national stage to step up and show the world that we don’t live for the things of this world. Loyalty to a team that invested so much in you early on, loyalty to a fan base that has elevated you to the top, etc. mean more than the dollar signs. But alas, no such statement was made.

Again, I know nothing of the contract negations. I’m sure there is much more to it than this. And I don’t know Mr. Pujols personally, so I probably should be very careful in making judgments. Furthermore, as a lifetime Cardinal fan I’m sure this is more sour grapes than anything else.

But I can’t help wondering what a grand statement could have come from someone standing up and saying: folks, as a Christian my priorities are different than the rest of the world. I’m turning down a boatload of money to stand for loyalty, team, etc. Instead, the comments I've heard already are all focused on disappointment over seeming greed.

I wish Mr. Pujols the best. I hope he has a long, productive career with the Angels (probably ensured to be longer because of the American League’s designated hitter option). Maybe we’ll have to wait for Tim Tebow to turn down some mega million dollar offer to see the kind of statement I was looking for.

Preaching the Cross at Christmas

2011-12-06T13:11:00.005-06:00

Jon Cardwell was gracious enough to make available a pre-release draft of his upcoming book Christ and Him Crucified. I’ve only read the first couple chapters, but I’m already loving it. I love it for this one simple fact: it reminds us again of the centrality of the Cross.

For the last few weeks I’ve taken a break from preaching through Luke’s gospel and we’ve been looking at this one sentence from Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches:

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Gal. 4:4-5, ESV)

(BTW you can listen to those messages by following the links over on the right of the page; if you're having trouble sleeping, this is a surefire cure!)

Not only is this an appropriate “holiday” text because it refers to Christ’s coming, but I love it because it centers on the purpose of that coming. I know we like to separate our Christmas and our Easter, but the truth is it can’t truly be done. Sure you can try. You can talk only about the babe in the manger, the shepherds, the angels, the wise men and so on. But unless you talk about the cross, you’re not really talking about the real Jesus.

Here’s the way Jon put it: “The person of Jesus Christ should never be divorced from the work of Jesus Christ. What He has done flows from who He is; and who Christ is necessitates what He does. Jesus is not merely the Christ, but He is the Christ who was crucified… Christ’s atoning death can never be removed from who Jesus is, else He would not be the Christ of scripture, neither would He be the Christ of history.”

I love that. This is why Paul told the church at Corinth that he refused to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. To speak of Christ at all we have to speak of His purpose as Redeemer. As B. B. Warfield once wrote:

“There is no one of the titles of Christ which is more precious to Christian hearts than ‘Redeemer.’ There are others, it is true, which are more often on the lips of Christians. The acknowledgment of our submission to Christ as our Lord, the recognition of what we owe to Him as our Saviour, - these things, naturally, are most frequently expressed in the names we call Him by.

“’Redeemer,’ however, is a title of more intimate revelation than either ‘Lord’ or ‘Saviour.’ It gives expression not merely to our sense that we have received salvation from Him, but also to our appreciation of what it cost Him to procure this salvation for us. It is the name specifically of the Christ of the cross. Whenever we pronounce it, the cross is placarded before our eyes and our hearts are filled with loving remembrance not only that Christ has given us salvation, but that He paid a mighty price for it.”

We can’t celebrate Christmas apart from a celebration of the cross. We can’t talk about Jesus’ birth with a recognition of the purpose of that birth. We can’t talk about Jesus at all without, as Warfield says, having the cross plastered before our eyes. To speak of Jesus we must speak of the cross and the purpose of it all.

Some folks may think it odd that in the four part series I’m preaching this Advent season, based on the Galatians text, that only one of those messages focuses on the Incarnation itself. The others all focus on God’s Sovereign work of Redemption and Adoption based on Christ’s work on the cross. Preaching the cross at Christmas might seem out of place, but I don’t know how else we can proclaim Christ at all if we’re not proclaiming Christ crucified.

We like to repeat the angel’s message of “good tidings and peace on earth,” but apart from the Substitutionary Atonement, the events of Christmas give no hope at all; no good news; no offer of real peace.

So as we celebrate His coming, I hope you are focused on the reason for it. I hope you see that God sending His Son was for the purpose of redemption, which suggests the need for man to be redeemed. I hope you see that in that manger, the depth of your sin is on full display. I hope your trust is not in a babe in a manger, but in the God-Man on the cross and His empty tomb. I hope you remember that to speak of Jesus Christ, you must speak of Him crucified. And in that truth may you find truly good tidings of great joy and genuine peace.

Shameless (Unsolicited) Promotion

2011-12-04T16:25:00.004-06:00

Not that anyone really cares, but I have a new profile picture for the blog. For awhile now I’ve wanted to have one of those fun caricatures to use here, but never had the opportunity to get one made.

That’s when I ran across a comment from Dan Nuckols of Dan’s Pulpit and Highland Graphics. I’ve enjoyed for some time the cartoons Dan produces, especially those dealing with the issue of evolution vs. creation.

So, Dan had made the comment about doing caricatures, so I contacted him to see if he could do one for me, and voila, the results are right here.Note: in interest of full disclosure, and to further show my “shamelessness,” the bottom half of the drawing actually comes from a famous pose of my favorite preacher in his younger days; none other than Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I hope he wouldn’t be offended. I’m obviously nowhere near his class, but I thought it would be a fun pose.
Anyway, I just thought I’d share this info with you so as to promote Dan’s endeavors. Check his sites out. If you could use his services, I’m sure he would appreciate it. Again, I don’t really know Dan personally, so this isn’t a paid ad or anything. I just really liked the product and wanted to point out the source. Hope everyone had a great weekend. I'll try to post something slightly more profound very soon.

Consumeristic Christmas Confession

2011-11-29T10:49:00.004-06:00

Over the years I’ve always prided myself on keeping a proper perspective on the holidays. We avoid “Black Friday” like the plague. There is nothing on the planet I want so bad that I’m willing to descend into that boiling cauldron of fleshly paganism to get it. In every way we can think of, we’ve always tried to de-emphasize the commercial side of Christmas.

And not just avoiding that aspect, we purposefully concentrate on the spiritual side of things. Our family has for years used an “Advent Chain” to help us daily remind ourselves of the true meaning of this celebration. There are 25 links in the chain, one for each day in December leading up to the big day, and each link has a Scripture reading or a hymn or some object lesson to remind us of God’s gracious gift in Christ. Each night during family worship, we take down one link and count our way to Christmas.

Of course, being a pastor, I’m maybe more conscious of all this because I’m also preparing messages for the church in which we seek to remind folks to keep a proper perspective as well. So, in all, I’ve always thought my Christmas mindset was pretty good.

Until this year. Like so many others, we find ourselves a bit short on holiday cash, and so I’ve been trying to figure out what we’re going to do for each of the kids in keeping with the limited budget. And I found myself thinking in terms of feeling guilty because I wasn’t going to be able to “get” them more “stuff.” And the thought hit me: I’m just as much bitten by the bug of materialism as so many out there I’ve often condemned.

Since when did Christmas become about getting something; either in the sense of receiving a gift or even giving one to others? Who says it’s about gifts anyway? Our kids have never been the spoiled “I want, I want” types, praise God. So why am I so bothered by not being able to “get” them “stuff.” Maybe they’ve learned the lesson better than Dad.

In thinking about it, I began to really examine my own thoughts and see just how much the “pagan” side of Christmas has really invaded my thinking. And sadly, I see much more of it there than I really want to admit; so much based merely on “tradition” rather than any true meaning.

I don’t want to fill up this space with the “history of Christmas” so as to show how pagan much of the roots of our celebrations are; just as I don’t want to just ring that old “Keep the Christ in Christmas” bell that we sound so often at this time of the year.

I guess I just want to do a little confessing (confession is, after all, good for the soul, right?). And maybe just offer a little encouragement to others out there in a twofold way. One, be careful how judgmental you are of all those materialistic “pagans” out there, because at heart you may be more like them that you realize. And two, maybe we ought to all do a little reexamining of our motives in all we do, not just at Christmas. Are we doing things simply because “that’s the way it’s done?” Or is there a genuine and biblical motive behind it, seeking God’s glory in all things.

As for me, I’m going to get over the guilt of the gift giving shortage and work on getting my own heart right before God. Maybe I’ll talk with my kids and let them teach me a bit about it. And then I’ll spend a great deal of time on my knees thanking God for the amazing grace He’s given in Christ, and let that thought drown out all others for His glory. After all, I do believe that gift is the one we’re supposed to be concentrating on to begin with, right?

In the spirit of all this, and just for fun, here’s a little Calvin and Hobbes (one of our family’s favorites. Thanks to my daughter for pointing this one out). Enjoy.

Crowning the Year With Goodness: A Thanksgiving Message

2011-11-21T08:30:00.005-06:00

As we move into this week in which we celebrate a national day of Thanksgiving, I’ll forgo the usual reminders of the history of the day, the Pilgrims, and so on. Hopefully, we’ve kept those wonderful things in mind.

Instead, I simply will share with you some words on Thanksgiving from my favorite preacher. In calling for a day of Thanksgiving in his own church in September of 1863, Spurgeon spoke from Psalm 65:11 and the words: “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness.” (Thanksgiving and Prayer, #532)

Simply thinking of how God crowns our year, each and every year, each and every day of the year, Spurgeon said.

“All the year round, every hour of every day, God is richly blessing us; both when we sleep and when we wake, his mercy waits upon us. The sun may leave off shining, but our God will never cease to cheer his children with his love. Like a river his lovingkindness is always flowing, with a fullness inexhaustible as his own nature, which is its source. Like the atmosphere which always surrounds the earth, and is always ready to support the life of man, the benevolence of God surrounds all his creatures; in it, as in their element they live, and move, and have their being. Yet as the sun on summer days appears to gladden us with beams more warm and bright than at other times, and as rivers are at certain seasons swollen with the rain, and as the atmosphere itself on occasions is fraught with more fresh, more bracing, or more balmy influences than heretofore, so is it with the mercy of God: it hath its golden hours, its days of overflow, when the Lord magnifieth his grace and lifteth high his love before the sons of men.”

Indeed, this ought to be such a time. We ought to be thankful each and every day, but especially during this “holiday” season, we ought to be especially mindful of His mercy and grace. What amazing grace it is. And seeing that grace, embracing that mercy, upholding God’s crowing gifts in our life is the very best way to celebrate the season.

Spurgeon saw that as well, and concluded his message with a few suggestions about how we could truly see God’s crowning goodness in our lives. And I’ll leave you with those same suggestions, praying you may see God’s grace and goodness this Thanksgiving season.

The whole subject seems to give us one or two suggestions as to matters of duty. “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness.” One suggestion is this: some of you in this house are strangers to God, you have been living as his enemies, and you will probably die so. But what a blessing it would be if a part of the crown of this year should be your conversion! “The harvest is past and the summer is ended, and ye are not saved.” But oh, what a joy, if this very day you should turn unto God and live! Remember, the way of salvation was freely proclaimed last Sabbath morning, it runs in this style — “This is the commandment, that ye believe on Jesus Christ whom he hath sent.” Soul, if this day thou trustest in Christ, it shall be thy spiritual birthday, it shall be unto thee the beginning of days; emancipated from thy chains, delivered from the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death, thou shalt be the Lord’s free man. What sayest thou? O that the Spirit of God would bring thee this day to turn unto him with full purpose of heart.

Another suggestion. Would not the Lord crown this year with his goodness if he would move some of you to do more for him than you have ever done before? Cannot you think of some new thing that you have forgotten, but which is in the power of your hand? Can you not do it for Christ to-day? — some fresh soul you have never conversed with, some fresh means of usefulness you have never attempted?

And lastly, would not it be well for us if the Lord would crown this year with his goodness by making us begin from this day to be more prayerful?
Let our prayer meetings have more at them, and let everyone in his closet pray more for the preacher, pray more for the Church. Let us, everyone of us, give our hearts anew to Christ. What say you to-day, to renew your consecration vow? Let us say to him, “Here, Lord, I give myself away to thee once more. Thou hast bought me with thy blood, accept me over again; from this good hour I will begin a new life for a second time if thy Spirit be with me. Help me, Lord, for Jesus Christ’s sake.” Amen.

And Amen.

What Is Your Legacy?

2011-11-14T09:43:00.003-06:00

I don’t mean to brag or anything, but in high school I won the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, for outstanding high school jazz musician. It’s not nearly as prestigious as it sounds. I went to a relatively small school, and was only for graduating seniors in our own jazz band. (Although, we were a good band, placing in the top three of nearly every contest we entered; brag, brag, brag…) Still, it’s a fun little piece of trivia in my mostly anonymous life.

I bring it up now simply as a way of introducing why I still love jazz music. I’ve mentioned before that my tastes are pretty eclectic. While I listen to mostly “Christian” music, my tastes range from classic rock (Petra, Whiteheart, Rez, etc.), to 80s metal bands (Stryper, Barren Cross, Whitecross), to contemporary rock bands (everything from Newsboys and Third Day, to Skillet and Thousand Foot Krutch) with even some “reformed” rap tossed in (Flame, Lecrae, Shai Linne). And in addition, I like the blue eyed soul of Bryan Duncan and the Neho Soul Band, and the big band/jazz sounds of Denver and the Mile High Orchestra. Which brings me back to the jazz band thing and my point.

On the way in this morning, I was listening to D&MHO and the song Only Jesus (My Legacy) came on. Here are some of the lyrics:

What will they say, When my life is over?
Will it fade into the past?
What will remain, When my life is over?
Is there something that will last?
What will I leave behind to stand the test of time?
I leave the One who’s worthy of my whole life

My legacy, all I will leave, Is Jesus, only Jesus
The world will see, inside of me, Is Jesus, only Jesus
Lord, I long for You to be my legacy

They won’t remember my name
But they’ll know the God that saved me
My life may fade away
But they’ll know the truth that sets me free
So I will live today, For You alone to be
My life, my love, my legacy

What will folks say about me when I’m gone? What is my legacy? Good questions. An even better question is “what will my family say?” What is the legacy I’m leaving behind in my children, and then their children?

I was thinking about that lately anyway, since I picked up a copy of At the Throne of Grace, a collection of pastoral prayers from the ministry of John MacArthur. I’ve only read the first few entries, and while the prayers themselves are good, biblical, inspiring, all the things you expect from MacArthur, it was the book’s introduction that really got my attention.

MacArthur’s four adult children were the one’s to encourage this book to be printed, and they wrote the intro. While the book is a collection of MacArthur’s public pastoral prayers, it’s what the kids had to say about prayer and home that I want to highlight. Listen to what they say about dad and his prayers:

Even when we were very young, we listened attentively to our dad speak to his heavenly Father. We listened and we learned of God’s grace through these humble prayers. And we began to understand who Jesus is and what He had done for us. Our theology was shaped by the words our dad prayed.

Sitting around the kitchen table, we heard dad’s words of gratitude for the privilege of being adopted into God’s family. We heard expressions of his love for the Bible and the church around the world and for the people who were the congregational family at Grace church. His transparency disclosed his own disappointments, and his faith unpacked his sheer confidence in God’s providence. In his prayers, our day was carrying our family into the holy presence of the sovereign God of the universe. (John MacArthur, At the Throne of Grace, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 2011; p 9)

Best of all, they write: “By God’s grace, our dad has been what he preaches.“ What a remarkable word for children to speak of their father. It speaks of the godly legacy this man is leaving behind, not only in his public ministry, but more importantly, in his family.

So what is my legacy? What will I leave behind? Is it Jesus, only Jesus? Will my children be able to say these kinds of things about how I have led them, and whether my life either did or did not back up my “public ministry?”

In the end, it doesn’t matter what cheap trophies we won in high school, what accolades we achieved at work, what material things we were able to accumulate. In the end, it’s our legacy that matters. I pray God will give me grace to provide a godly legacy to my children and to their children. What is your legacy?
_________________________________________________

Now, just for fun, here’s Denver and the Mile High Orchestra with their rendition of It Is Well With My Soul. As a sax player, I have to call your attention to the pair of monster sax solos starting at about 1:51. Enjoy.

RE: The World Will End on Friday!

2011-11-12T06:00:00.001-06:00

Oops

The World Will End on Friday!

2011-11-09T10:31:00.002-06:00

I know a lot of folks have heard a lot of predictions about the end of the world. Two of those dates have come and gone this year. One is scheduled for next year. But I’m telling you now that the end will come this Friday.

The ominous date of 11-11-11 is the dead giveaway. First of all, it's a perfect date: a perfect same-numbered palindrome, reading the same backwards as forwards. And according to biblical numerology experts (at least on the one website I read) the number 11 is the number representing disorder and judgment. As we all know, the end will be accompanied by great chaos followed by judgment, so there you go.

Furthermore, we all know that Jesus had twelve disciples. One, of course, Judas was the betrayer and was kicked out. Well, he killed himself. But if he hadn’t, I’m sure he would have been kicked out. And either way, you are left with only eleven. After the resurrection, Luke says that Jesus "appeared to the eleven." He appears to the eleven! 11-11-11

And have you read Psalm 11? This is the real key. Here is the whole Psalm from the ESV:

In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, "Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test, the children of man. The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.

Look at those words again: The Lord is in His temple. We know that will happen when he returns. He will rain coals on the wicked; a sign of judgment! The upright will behold his face. Behold His face! We’ll see Him. In the 11th Psalm. 11-11-11

And one more piece to the puzzle. In the eleventh book of the Bible, in the 11th chapter and 11th verse we read this: "Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.” Did you hear that?? Because of the unfaithfulness of the people, God will tear this earthly kingdom from us and give it to His servant: Jesus. 11-11-11

I’ve spent years studying this. Well, days….well, a few minutes at least. And I’m convinced of the accuracy of this sign. The end is coming: 11-11-11. This Friday. I would expect that it would be about 11:11:11 in the morning, uh, Jerusalem time, I guess. Which would make it about 3:11 in the morning here in the Midwest US. Of course, that wrecks the 11 thing here, but it only counts in Jerusalem anyway. The time doesn’t matter, it’s the day: 11-11-11. Personally, I’m just glad the Third Day concert we bought tickets for is on the 10th. Man, I’d hate to miss that.

So remember, you heard it here first. I know this is short notice, but, you know...I didn't figure it out until now. You've been warned now, that's the point. Don’t be caught off guard. 11-11-11. Our Lord is coming, nothing will stop Him, so be ready.

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in the above prediction is true except for the last eleven words! Luke 21:8 And he said, "See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.”

My Name is Scott…and I’m a Bookoholic

2011-11-07T10:19:00.004-06:00

Sitting next to my desk as I write is a pile of about three dozen books. On the shelf behind me are more stacks, about 8 or 9 dozen more. Most wouldn’t see that as a problem, but you see, these are books I haven’t even read yet. This isn’t even considering the1,500 or so books that fill up the rest of the shelves. These are just books that I saw in a store, saw online, thought I couldn’t live without and just had to buy; and yet I haven’t had a chance to get to read them yet.

I’ve shared often here my love for books in general. But often, I’ll be in the middle of one book, when suddenly I see two or three more that I think would be wonderful, and I buy them. Sometimes, I’ll end up putting the first book aside and start reading one of the new ones. Meanwhile, the first book is left unfinished. (I mentioned my lack of “finishing” skills back in the summer)

I think I have a problem. It’s not just the lack of finishing a book. I usually get around to that…eventually. It’s this compulsion to continue buying more and more books. The books themselves are good books. Books on theology. Books on ministry. Books on family and family worship and so on. All good books. But just because a book is good, does that mean I have to buy it? Is this a healthy thing, or is this an unhealthy compulsion?

I’ve always jokingly used Paul’s words to Timothy as somewhat of a justification for this obsession with books. Near the end of this life, the thing that he asked his young protégé to bring to him was his books (2 Timothy 4:13). Certainly this does highlight the importance of reading and study, even though we don’t know exactly what was in that collection of books. But still, does this really justify my seeming compulsion to continue buying more books.

As I said before, the growth of technology has made this worse, with my Kindle also heavy laden with more and more books. This problem is amplified by the large amount of free material available for download. Again, these are good resources. Many of the “old” books are being made available, and this is truly good. But does one man need all these? Will I ever actually get all of them read? Especially if I keep adding to the piles?

Just looking for some help and advice, I guess. Are there others out there who suffer from this obsession? Is it something I should seek treatment for? Are there any good 12 step programs for obsessive book buyers/collectors? Books are good, but is this a case of too much of a good thing?

Maybe I just need to listen to the advice from one of my mentors in the faith, C. H. Spurgeon who tells his students: Master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you. Read and reread them, masticate and digest them. Let them go into your very self. Peruse a good book several times and make notes and analyses of it. A student will find that his mental constitution is more affected by one book thoroughly mastered than by twenty books he has merely skimmed. Little learning and much pride comes from hasty reading. Some men are disabled from thinking by their putting meditation away for the sake of much reading. In reading let your motto be “much not many.” (Letters to My Students)

Much, not many. Pretty good advice. Even if I did read it in a book! Anyway, confession is good for the soul, I suppose; and I guess this is just one little way of confessing. I appreciate your prayers as I struggle with this little compulsion of mine. And if you hear of any good book sales…Don’t Tell Me!!

Do You Desire God?

2011-11-03T08:14:00.003-06:00

My Sunday School class has been studying 2nd Corinthians. Recently we spent some time talking about what it means to truly be born again, the new creation Paul speaks of in chapter 5. At the same time, on Wednesday nights, we've been using Don Whitney's 10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health. Actually, this is the second time we've gone through this, but you go to your doctor more than once every five years, right? Anyway, among the diagnosis questions is: Do you thirst for God?

These two things together reminded me of a short piece from Paul Washer on true Christians having a passion for God. This is a marker of sorts. To be truly born again isn't just a moralistic change of behavior, it is a whole new set of motivations, actions, thoughts, etc. all focused on God and His glory. Do you thirst after God? Another question in Whitney's book: Are you more sensitive to God's presence.

In light of all of that, I showed this to our class on Sunday, and it's been sticking in my mind, so I thought I would post it here for anyone who may not have seen it. If you're interested, you can find this and many more like-minded teachings at IllBeHonest.com

Happy Reformation Day

2011-10-31T08:34:00.005-06:00

Down through the ages, God has worked is some amazing ways in the life of His people. In Scripture we read about things like the Exodus; the many victories in battle; the establishment of Israel’s Kingdom in Saul, David, etc.; the return of His people following exile; the outpouring of His Spirit at Pentecost. Of course the greatest of all was the sending of His Son, His life, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.

Since those days, we have continued to see times in which God works in mighty ways for His people, all throughout church history. Even in this nation, we’ve seen Great Awakenings and widespread revival.

Yet, in the post-Biblical history of the Church, one of the grandest works of God was in some ways ignited by the simple act of a blog post. Okay, so it wasn’t actually a blog post, but it was the 16th century equivalent. One little monk put together a collection of thoughts and ideas about the current state of the Church, and in particular, the sale of indulgences; which he saw as a violation of Scripture. For those who don’t know, it was simply the practice of allowing people to purchase freedom for dead relatives out of Purgatory (a place whose very existence is a corruption of Scripture.

So, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther took his collection of arguments against this practice, now known at the 95 Theses, and he tacked them on the doors of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. The church doors were the world wide web of the day. Any announcements, advertisements, etc. were posted here. In God’s providence, the printing press was just coming into prominence, and someone took that one blog post and reposted it and it went viral. Of course I’m using modern images here, but you get the idea.

It’s not that Luther was the first to see the problems arising in the Church. For years and years, men like John Wickliffe and John Hus taught against some of the corrupt doctrines that had arisen in the church. But again, through the working of God’s Providence, the timing was right when Luther’s Theses hit the door. A Reformation had been ignited.

Luther and those like him battled of the sufficiency and supremacy of Scripture. It wasn’t just about the traditions of the Church, the Word of God had to take precedence. The Reformation was built on the five pillars of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), Sola Gratia (Grace alone), Sola Fide (Faith alone), Solus Christus (Christ alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (God’s glory alone).

Afterward, men like John Calvin and Philip Melancton and Ulric Zwingli and John Knox and many others would take those Reformation sparks and fan them into giant flames. The result, of course, can never be overstated. The Church has never been the same. And down through the years, God has continued to raise up men to carry on the war cry: Semper Reformanda; Always Reforming. The Puritans are seen by many as the inheritors of the Reformers, and so it does down through the years to those who continue to hold God’s Word as the supreme authority, with salvation taught as being justification by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, only for the glory of God.

And so you see, friends, this date marks not the time for Satanic delight as some celebrate it. Instead, it is the celebration of God’s great work in the life of His people, His church. So Happy Reformation Day. May God continue to shower His blessings on and through His Church.

NOTE: For more reading on Reformation thought and theology, check on this collection of articles at Monergism.com And furthermore, if you're interested, here is my daughter's shorter and snarkier take on the whole Reformation Day thing.

Rated "M" for Mature. Yeah, Right.

2011-10-26T17:27:00.005-05:00

As if we need any proof at all that the world’s way of looking at things is all upside down, backwards, inside out, etc., just look at how we rate games these days. Our oldest son did some work for a family in our church, and for payment they gave him an Xbox. Now, our family has never been much into video games; up until that time we still played a couple games on an old Sega system we got at a garage sale. But to be quite honest, I’ve enjoyed the baseball, fishing and racing games we’ve picked up for the newer model.

Of course, buying games is a challenge itself. Not only to folks (normally) shell out big bucks for the system, but then the games are all $30-50 and up. Not this family! We check the discount shelf at the used game store and for the half dozen games we own, haven’t paid more than 10 bucks. But I digress.

Back to the game ratings game. As most of you probably know, these games all come with a rating. “E” means it is supposedly appropriate for everyone, small children included. We pretty much stick with this one. “T” is for teen, which essentially means that as a teenager, you are now allowed to witness more violence, profanity and lewd/sexual content. And then we wonder why our kids are so desensitized to these things.

Interestingly enough, in looking for a game the other day my son found one that was rated “E” but then also said it contained some violence and profanity? So why not change the rating to “T”, according to their standard? Or are we now moving to this stuff being suitable for my seven-year-old? Anyway…

The real kicker is the “M” rating. “This game rated ‘M’ for Mature.” In world-speak, this means potentially lots of blood and violence, extreme language issues and most likely some gratuitous sex stuff thrown in for the heck of it.

Now, I know this is nothing new. Movie ratings are likewise suspect, with lewd humor being common in even G rated childrens' films; while movies with overt Christian themes are rated PG-13 for “thematic content” that may be objectionable. As in talking about Jesus. And, I digress again…

My issue with the “M” for mature thing is two fold. Number one, you and I both know that these games are primarily made for teens. The game systems in general are aimed that way and certainly marketed that way. And when they show these dazzling effects on the TV ad, even my 17 year old is impressed. So when they come on at the end with the rating, I’m sure most kids immediately say, “well then, I guess I won’t be buying or playing that game.” Yeah right. Just one more way to get worldly garbage into our homes.

But number two, and the real issue here (aren’t you glad I finally got there?!) is the whole idea of the word “mature.” Maturity carries with it the idea of being fully developed, moving beyond infancy; as in “grow up already.” And yet, these games, with their sex, profanity, etc. are really the height of immaturity. People who have matured shouldn’t be engrossed by games that promote childish, immature passions.

And therein lays the difference between the world’s standards and God’s. God’s Word tells us to seek maturity. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:20 “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” And we all know what that maturity means, putting away silly, childish, sinful things. As Paul also writes in that same letter: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” (1 Corinthians 13:11)

Being a man, putting away childish ways, is to stop being fascinated with profanity and sexual titillation. Growing up means to act like an adult and get over the stupid potty humor, crude innuendo, etc. But the world tells us this stuff is for the “mature.” Talk about upside down, backwards, etc.

I could further digress into a discussion of the worldly idea of adolescence in general, and how we keep putting off further and further the expectation for our children to grow up and act like adults, but I guess that’s enough for now.

We ought to be seeking maturity. We ought to be putting childish ways behind us. And so it becomes obvious, or more obvious, that this means turning our back on the attitudes and ideas of this world. Instead, we need to be focused on God’s Word, God’ standards, godly attitudes and actions.

Some might argue this would mean forgetting about those silly games altogether. Personally, I don’t think a little video baseball hurts anything. (Although my wife just laughs at me when I brag about how many home runs I hit. “You know it’s just a game, right?”) But these things should be kept in check, never become overly time consuming, and certainly never overtake the amount of time we put into God’s Word and His service. God’s Word; now there’s something truly rated “M” for mature. May you grow up in it daily!

God Told Me To Write This

2011-10-20T09:18:00.003-05:00

I recently listened to a less than stellar sermon which raised many questions. I’m not trying to disparage the brother who gave the message. This isn’t about his delivery, his style, the length, the excitement, or any of those things. It has more to do with his handling of the text and the over all impression of God he left us with.

I really don’t want to go into a lot of detail about the several questionable aspects of this message. I really don’t want to attack or demean the brother, whom I respect. But in the midst of this message, the statement was made that “God told me to…” Really it doesn’t matter what the rest of the sentence said. The question is, did God really tell you to do whatever? Is that an accurate way to state something? Especially when what follows is not a direct Word based on Scripture but something totally different.

I know that God speaks to us. He does. He says He does. But how does He speak? Does He give audible words saying, “wear the blue sweater today.” Does He give us a soft, inner prompting to go ahead and order the chicken instead of fish?

I’m always uncomfortable when I hear a sentence that starts out “God told me…” Now, if you say, “God told me that…the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing wit the glory that is to be revealed in us” then I’m with you. Scripture states that in Romans 8:18. And what God has said in His Word, He continues to say today.

It’s providential that Tim Challies has just finished a series of articles about the issue of God speaking today. I’d be wasting my time, and yours, to try and repeat or duplicate what he has already so adequately written. I urge you to read this four part series (part one, part two, part three, part four). Parts two and three are especially relevant here.

The basic point to remember is Hebrews 1:1-2 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” (ESV) Yes God did speak audibly to His people. Yes, He clearly could still do that. However, what He has told us is that He speaks to us now through His Son, through His Word. His Word is our guide. I don’t need Him to “tell” me to do this or that regarding any situation when He has already given me the basic principle in His Word. I don’t need God to “tell” me to do something nice for my wife when He has already told me in His Word to love my wife as Christ loved the church.

I know sometimes it’s only a matter of semantics. We mean to say that based on God’s Word and in obedience to that Word in this situation, I feel led by God’s Spirit to act in a certain way. But to say “God told me…” implies something very different. And implications have consequences.

We send people home with the idea to “wait on God” and to look for some mystical experience where God “speaks to us.” We’re not mystics, folks. We are people of the Word. Pick up your Bible and let Him speak to you. Then obey His Word for His glory. God told me to tell you that!

Indy to Eternity: A Weldon’s Reflections on Wheldon

2011-10-17T09:37:00.004-05:00

I’ve always been more of a NASCAR fan. Maybe I’m just too much of a redneck, I don’t know. But when it comes down to it, fast cars are fast cars, and so the boys and I have also followed a little F1 and IndyCar over the years.

Our interest in open wheel racing was heightened by the emergence of a driver named Dan Wheldon. My mom has spent a lot of time the last few years tracing our family roots, and so far we have it traced all the way back to Nottinghamshire, England to a man named Gabriel Whelden who came to this country about 1638 . The name has undergone a few changes over the years: Wheldon, Whilden, Weldon. If you’ve done genealogy stuff, you know how this is.

Anyway. Coming from English Whelden/Wheldon/Weldon stock, we’ve always considered Dan part of the family. Can’t prove it, but we still claim him. Sort of like our claim to Clemson University since part of the college was built on land purchased from our family for a dollar an acre back in the day. The kids always watch for scores and root for “Weldon U”, which is ranked No. 7 right now. But I digress.

As most are aware, Dan Wheldon was killed in a horrific crash in yesterday’s IndyCar race. We don’t have satellite or cable, so anytime a race is on a channel we can get, we’re thrilled. So we settled in yesterday afternoon to watch this championship battle, along with the possibility of “cousin” Dan winning a five million dollar bonus. (Long story, look it up if you’re interested)

We watched in horror along with everyone else as a 15 car melee ensued only a few laps in. As soon as we saw Dan’s car go airborne, we knew things looked bad. When the tarps came out on his car, we knew it was bad. And of course, then the announcement came.

It was a sad, sad day for racing. Dan was a quality champion and this year’s Indy 500 winner. We are certainly praying for those who are his “real” family: his wife and two young sons chief among them.

What all of this served to remind us, as we reflected on how fast the how thing happened, was how brief this life truly is. And how quickly it can all end. A friend of ours lost a “legit” cousin last week when a car crossed the center line and hit him head on. My wife’s uncle is having surgery today for colon cancer. It can happen anytime, anywhere, not just to race car driver’s doing over 220 mph.

As they say, the stats on death are sobering: one out of one dies. This life is but a blip on the screen, or as Scripture says, “a vapor.” It’s a mist that is hear one minute and gone the next.

Death is a part of life because sin is a part of life. When Adam sinned, we all died. While the death of Dan Wheldon is tragic and shocking, it should also be a reminder that death is an inevitability we all face. And that being the case, we ought to prepare ourselves for it.

People went nuts a few years ago with the whole Y2K thing. Some clever folks made millions selling survival kits and so on as we prepared for the end of the world as we know it because of the coming computer collapse. Of course, it didn’t happen, but thousands had spent thousands making preparation.

How much more should we be preparing for something we KNOW will come. Death is a sure thing. But life is still possible. Scripture tells us that Christ has overcome death. He has made a way for sinful men to escape the penalty of sin and find forgiveness and life through faith in His work on the cross.

Sure, because of sin we all deserve death, and we all deserve the hell that follows. God is pure and holy and righteous, and we can never stand in His presence on our own. But Christ’s perfection can be ours by faith, and we can look forward to the end of life in this world because of the promise of His pardon and presence in the next.

I don’t know where “cousin” Dan stood with Christ. I never read anything or heard anything that would lead me to believe he experience conversion in Christ. To me, that’s even more tragic than the crash. His entrance into eternity was so quick, but not really unexpected. We all know we’ll get there some day. That’s why it’s so important to be prepared.

You may not race a rocket on wheels, but it can happen just as quickly to you. A car head on in your lane. The “C” word spoken by your doctor. Regardless of the circumstance, it’s coming for each of us. I pray you will be prepared. Seek God in His Word. Repent of your sin and rest in the finished work of Christ. Find a good Bible centered church who can teach you and pray with you about these things until God settles them in your heart. But please, don’t ignore this reality. The leap from Indy, or from wherever you are, to Eternity is briefer than you think. Seek Christ today!

I Want to be a Hymn Writer. What Do You Think?

2011-10-13T11:00:00.003-05:00

I love old hymns. I’ve written about that frequently here, about my collection of antique hymnals, etc. One of the things I’ve always enjoyed is reading some of the stories behind the hymns, what prompted the hymn writer to pen these specific words, etc. Often it was a life circumstance, or a particular verse of Scripture. Many times I’ve read that a song leader heard a particular sermon and was inspired to write a hymn in response, or even in advance to use with a particular sermon. I kind of like that.

Our worship leader, Matt, is very good about trying to find music that goes with our message for the day. We’re both convinced that the whole worship experience is “helped” by at least trying to provide some unity. For example, if I’m going to be preaching about wrath, it might be counterproductive to sing nothing but “feel good” songs. It just seems that there should be some flow to the worship so we’re all going in the right direction.

So, at the first of the week I send Matt the text, titles and outlines for the next Sunday’s messages and he does his best to try and “match” things up. And he usually does a wonderful job. Yet, sometimes, in spite all his efforts, it’s just tough to find something that really fits.

Take this week for example. In going through the book of Luke, we’ve made it up to chapter 17. The first few verses are dealing with the seriousness of sin; the danger of leading others into sin; and the response to others when they sin against us. Let’s face it, there aren’t really a bunch of good “sin” songs. In particular, Jesus says here that if we lead others into sin, it would be better for us to tie a millstone around our neck and be dumped in the ocean. Pretty serious stuff. How do you sing about that?

Matt sent me a note this week saying basically it’s really tough to find songs for this sort of thing. So I suggested that we ought to do like those old hymn writers and write our own. I suggested the following as a first verse and chorus and left if up to Matt to put music to it. Tell me what you think:

Don't cause those little 'uns to stumble
Better for you if you'd just crumble
Into a heap and then make a leap
With a millstone wrapped 'round your neck.

Oh, a millstone wrapped 'round your neck
It'll take you straight down to...heck
So watch out for sin
And don't lead anyone in
Or it's a millstone wrapped 'round your neck

I’m really excited about this. Can't wait to hear the music Matt comes up with. Once we put a couple more verse to it, I’m thinking this will catch on and be the next big thing in worship songs. Ya think?

Reflections on Solitude, Part Five (final)

2011-10-11T09:14:00.003-05:00

This last entry will be quick (relatively) and simple. Spending two days alone on a “spiritual retreat” was a profitable time in many, many ways. Turning off the world for awhile, slowing down, listening to God’s Word; it’s something I urge others to do and look forward to doing again myself. However, two days away from my wife and children reminded me just how much they mean to me.

I have friends in the ministry who have had struggles in their marriages. One brother had a wife who never wanted to be a pastor’s wife but thought she could change his mind about his ministry calling. When she didn’t, she left. Recently, it seems there has been this surge in pastor’s I know whose wives are leaving them for various reasons, or who are otherwise struggling with marriages that are anything but a blessing to them and their ministry.

Praise God for Cheryl Weldon! That woman is a gift from God. I don’t know what I would do without her. She is my best friend, my biggest supporter, my most honest critic, and the love of my life. She is godly woman and an extraordinary mother. I recently read a post over at Brian Croft’s Practical Shepherding which reminded me again just how difficult the job of pastor’s wife is and how important she is as well. Two days away from that wonderful woman was enough to remind me how little I want to be away from that woman.

Likewise, God has blessed me with four extraordinary children. I’ve already been dealing with the separation issue now that our oldest is in her second year of college. I miss her every day, even though she calls me almost every day. In fact, sometimes the calls just make it worse! The other three are just as precious, and I’m already trying to prepare myself for the heartbreak when they abandon me, too!

I know there are all those stereotypes of PK’s, and I’ll be the first to admit that our kids aren’t perfect. But God has done amazing things in their lives, and He is building them to be godly men and women, for which I am so grateful. Again, being out of contact with them all for 48 hours reminded me just how much a part of my life they are. Sure, I’ve been away before, for a week or more sometimes; but this just reminded me how precious those kids are to me.

I realize I have to be careful. Family can become an idol in this life just like anything else. And I’m thankful to say that missing my family wasn’t a distraction at all during my retreat time. That time alone was very helpful, very meaningful, and I need to do it more often, I’m sure. Yet, it made me appreciate the gift God has given me in my wife and children.

So, final lesson: My family is a great blessing.

Response: Make sure they know that! Treat them as the blessings they are, let them know how much I love and appreciate them, and never make them feel like they are second place to the “mistress” the church can sometimes be.

Well, that wraps it up. As I said earlier, this may not benefit anyone but me. I just needed to write all this down, to get it “out there” so I can be reminded myself of the value of this time with God. Again, I highly recommend it for anyone who has never had the opportunity. You won’t regret it. And if you happen to be close to the St. Louis area, check out the Vision of Peace Hermitages. It’s a wonderful place to spend a little time alone with God.

Reflections on Solitude, Part Four

2011-10-10T09:09:00.003-05:00

I had originally planned to knock out all of these little reflections in a week’s time. I had five of them in mind, and the plan was to do one a day last week. As usual, my plans were sidetracked by a little bit of everything; won’t bore you with the details. Instead, I’ll just bore you with the next installment here.

One book that I took along with me on my little retreat was a biography of missionary David Brainerd by Vance Christie. I first heard of, and became interested in, Brainerd almost 25 years ago when I spent a summer on a Sioux Indian Reservation in North Dakota as a summer missionary. Since Brainerd may be the most well known missionary to the Indian (Native American for the PC) people, it was probably obvious for me to read about him at the time. Especially when my wife and I then went back to that same reservation for three years after seminary.

Thanks in large part to Jonathan Edwards and his publication of Brainerd’s diary, many know about this remarkable man of God. I enjoyed Christie’s arrangement of the missionary’s all too brief life and ministry. For those who don’t know, Brainerd died from tuberculosis at the age of 29, after only four short years of ministry. Yet, what an impact he made in those four years.

I don’t want to just recount his missionary exploits. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this journal or the biography or even John Piper’s much briefer version in the Swans are Not Silent series. Instead, I want to reflect on the overall lesson learned here. Actually, there are many, many things I learned from Brainerd’s life, but this one overarching theme stands out. Here it is: We’re Spoiled!

That’s it. See you next time.

Oh, I guess I should elaborate just a bit. Nearly ever other page of Christie’s book would say something like this. Brainerd fell suddenly ill and was unable to minister for several days. The man was constantly battling illness, constantly besieged by the emotional and spiritual struggles that come with such illness, and yet continued to find strength in Christ to push on.

He traveled thousands of miles on horseback, through the roughest terrain imaginable, actually becoming lost on more than one occasion, fighting the weather, living in the most challenging conditions, etc. And yet he pushed on, preaching the gospel everywhere he found people. Yes, his primary ministry was to the Indian people, but he would stop and preach anywhere to anyone. His sole desire, and soul desire, was to be a “flame for God.”

And we complain about the petty struggles in our life. We are so spoiled. And by “we” I mean primarily the American church. I know there are others out there even today who are continuing to live in harsh circumstances, even under persecution. Yet, the American church is busy fighting over worship styles and suits vs. jeans and whatever else we can whine about. We’re spoiled.

So many in this country have never known a single day of the kind of sacrifice men like Brainerd made. And yet even death wasn’t enough to frighten him. Granted, his bouts with despondency often made him wish for death, but even at the end, as his illness made death a certainty, his view was one that looked to it for what I would call the “right reason.” He said, “Oh, the glorious time is now coming! I have longed to serve God perfectly: Now God will gratify those desires!”

Lesson number four, then, would simply be this: I’m spoiled.

My response: I need to grow up and live for Christ with every ounce of my being and stop whining about whatever little tribulation might come my way. God is greater than any trial, and Brainerd is proof that a life lived in Him can overcome any of those things and have great impact on the kingdom (especially in light of lesson three in the previous post!)

Thank God for the ministry of men like David Brainerd.

Reflections on Solitude, Part Three

2011-10-05T18:19:00.005-05:00

It must be a conspiracy. As I spent my two day “spiritual retreat” with a combination of Bible reading, sermon listening, and a couple other selected books, they all started saying pretty much the same thing. Don’t you hate it when God puts something in front of your face so plainly that you just can’t ignore it?!

One of the books I brought along was “Taking Hold of God: Reformed and Puritan Perspectives on Prayer.” Essentially it is just what it says. It’s a collection of essays written about various Puritan pastors and writers and their view of the centrality of prayer in the Christian life. Sounded like a good book to take along on a prayer retreat, right?

What I wasn’t prepared for was the fact that the emphasis over and over in this book was the necessity of the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts and lives in order for our prayer to be effective. Not that I didn’t know that, but it kept coming up again and again.

For example, Thomas Manton pointed out that Spirit-less prayer is as good as “a little cold prattle and spiritless talk.” Ouch! Why don’t you just way what you mean, Mr. Manton? William Fenner was equally as subtle, describing prayer without the Spirit’s help as being no better than “the lowing of oxen, or the grunting of hogs.” And John Bunyan simply pointed out the praying without the Holy Spirit’s assistance could not possibly be “according to the will of God.”

From Luther and Calvin, to Knox and Edwards, there was a common theme not only of the absolutely necessity of prayer in the Christian’s life, but of the Trinitarian nature of such prayer. For the most part, we know to go to God the Father, and we know to go to Him through God the Son, but often we neglect to realize that we need to go in the power of God the Holy Spirit. He teaches us the mind of Christ. He motivates us to purity and holiness. He even “helps us in our weakness” as Paul says in Romans 8. Romans 8... Hmmm… Just where I happened to be reading in my Bible at the time!

And to top it off, I was listening to a series of messages from Art Azurdia which he preached at the beginning of Trinity Church in Portland: Distinguishing Features of a Gospel Congregation. And the first sermon I happened to listen to was “Radical Dependence.” It’s about, you guessed it, radical dependence of the Holy Spirit.

Less face it. Us non-Charismatic types are so anti-Charismatic sometimes that we don’t even like to talk about the Holy Spirit. We’re afraid people will think we’re going to start running around the room and barking like dogs (don’t laugh, folks, it happens all the time in some of these pseudo-churches). But ignoring the work of God’s Spirit is dangerous.

What I came to realize from these multiple messages was that our church may be stagnant because we are not living in total dependence on God’s Spirit. This preacher may be stagnant because he’s not living in total dependence on God’s Spirit. The old cliché question came to mind: what is your church doing now that if God’s Spirit were removed, you would keep on doing without even noticing a major change?” I don’t think I like the honest answer to that.

Along those lines, another of message from Pastor Azurdia spoke of “Passionate Expectancy." Essentially he asked: what is our church asking God to do that only God can do so when He does it, only He gets the glory.” Not the biggest Blackaby fan, but he may have gotten that part right.

Are we living, truly, each and every day in total dependence of God’s Spirit? Honestly, I have to say “no.” I live way too much in the flesh. I depend way too much on my own wisdom and strength. I trust far too much in my own ideas, my own agenda, and my own power to accomplish it. No wonder I’m running in circles sometimes.

It’s been said many times that the spiritual temperature of any church can be measured in its prayer meetings. So how’s it going for you? Remember, Jesus said He would rather us be hot or cold, because being lukewarm makes Him sick.

Again, this is stuff we know. But is it stuff we live out? Is our prayer, our preaching, our ministry, our very lives being lived out daily in the power of God’s Spirit? I don’t know about you, but I think I want to see what things might be like if I could answer “yes.”

So, lesson number three: I/we need a radical dependence on the Holy Spirit.

My response: I will focus more on prayer, and in that prayer focus more consciously on trusting in/leaning on God’s Spirit; and I will encourage our church to do the same. Won’t you join me?

Reflections on Solitude, Part Two

2011-10-04T09:25:00.003-05:00

Okay, confession time. I didn’t spend my two days completely without any kind of electronic/technology device. I brought my mp3 player stocked with a few sermons I had downloaded and hadn’t got around to listening to yet. In fact, that’s another problem with technology in general. There is so much available out there, and so little time to take advantage.

Two of my favorite guys to listen to are Art Azurdia and Voddie Baucham. I download their stuff frequently, but again, time restraints keep me from actually sitting down and listening to them. I was reminded how great a loss that is.

I plan to give some reflection to one or two of the actual messages I listened to from these brothers in a future post, but for right now I just want to say something about listening to sermons in general. And this is it: Listen to Sermons!

I know that all preachers would say that. We have to justify our existence somehow! But in all seriousness, I was reminded just how badly I need to be fed by the preaching of the Word.

For those who sit in the pews week by week, let me just urge you to “not grow weary in doing good.” I can only imagine what it must be like to come in and listen to me week after week. I’ve often talked with my wife about the burden it must be to have to sit there and smile and pretend she doesn’t know what a complete hypocrite I am. But seriously, regardless of how boring or non-boring your preacher is, if he is faithfully preaching the text, you need that feeding (read my previous post about what to do with boring preachers). Put the effort in and let God speak to you through that preacher.

As one who doesn’t get to do that week in and week out, I was reminded just how much I need it. Listening to a handful of sermons in those two days was one of the best parts of the whole thing. God used those messages to inspire, comfort, challenge and a host of other things. It was truly a blessing. And again, it reminded me just how much I need to be fed by the preaching of the Word. Sometimes we preachers get so caught up in the feeding of the sheep that we forget we are part of God’s flock as well, and need to be fed so that we are strong enough to go and feed others.

So if you attend a good Bible teaching church, thank God for that. Put your energy in to listening to those sermons as if you were listening for the very voice of God Himself (which you should be). Allow God to use the preaching of His Word to motivate you, strengthen you, challenge you and spur you on toward love and good deeds.

And for my brother pastors out there: Oh, my friend, find opportunities to listen to others' sermons. The internet is truly a blessing in that regard. We don’t have to skip out on our own church to hear good preaching elsewhere. I would encourage you to find time to hear at least one good sermon a week. Make the time. Don’t just listen to get an outline, or to borrow a quote, or otherwise see it as a “job” thing. Sit and listen as a hungry sheep and let your soul be fed.

So, lesson number two: Listen to sermons. We all need to be fed and nurtured.

My response: I will set aside time each and every week to listen to one good sermon. And I will take more seriously this task God has given me, and make sure that I’m seeking to truly feed the sheep.

Thank God for faithful men who bless His church with the preaching of the Word.

Reflections on Solitude, Part One

2011-10-03T09:38:00.003-05:00

I mentioned recently that I was planning a 48 hour “spiritual retreat” during which I would spend that time alone seeking God through His Word and prayer. I actually did that one week ago. I had planned to write some reflections on that time as soon as I got back, but you know how life is. Anyway, the plan is to take a couple of posts over the next few days and write out some of those reflections. They may or may not be of interest or use to anyone but me, but I want to write it out for my own sake.

I’ll begin in this first post by simply saying: it was harder than I thought. Being alone with my Bible, notebook and a couple other books, one of the first things I realized was how much of my time is taken up with the noise of technology: computers, internet, etc. Just me and some books for 48 hours was like being on another planet.

As I considered that, I began to question just how much of that “noise” is even necessary. I do nearly all of my Bible study and sermon prep on my laptop, so I guess that could be seen as a “necessity.” But then I realized that for the first 6 or 7 years of pastoral ministry, I didn’t have access to a computer of any kind. While the resources available make things more convenient, it’s certainly not a necessity.

Obviously, the internet isn’t a necessity at all. How many hours a week are wasted reading email, checking facebook, etc.? Even the “good” things like reading good biblical articles by some of my favorite writers/preachers often leads to time wasting as I chase one link after another.

For those 48 hours I was disconnected from all of that. And while at first I felt I was at a loss as to how to fill that time, I quickly found that the time reading, praying, walking down by the river, etc. was actually quite enjoyable and fruitful.

So, lesson number one from this time of solitude: Solitude is Good! Life can become too cluttered, too quickly, with things that may seem (and even be somewhat) helpful. I need to be more vigilant.

My response to this lesson: shut off the computer more often and listen.

More to come….

Can We Really Turn America 180?

2011-09-28T17:59:00.004-05:00

The much advertised production from Ray Comfort and Living Waters is here. It came out while I was away, but here it is.

Not sure how many minds will actually be permanently changed by this, but it's worth a look. This is very graphic, so be warned. If nothing else, it shows the lack of logic and consistency in the pro-death crowd. If they honestly consider the issues...

Well, look for yourself.

Seeking Solitude With My Savior

2011-09-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

In the September issue of Ligonier Ministries’ Tabletalk Magazine, there is an article on The Gospel and Solitude by Dr. Don Whitney. In large part it’s a summary of the chapter on solitude Dr. Whitney wrote in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (a chapter you can read in a pdf file from his website here)

He defines this discipline as follows: “Scriptural solitude is the biblical practice of temporarily withdrawing to privacy for spiritual purposes.” In addition to the fact that our Lord often sought quiet and solitude for times of prayer, Dr. Whitney gives this summary of the benefits of this endeavor:

A mark of those who have experienced the true grace that comes through faith in Jesus Christ is that they take pleasure in being alone with God. Solitude provides the opportunity to meditate on Scripture, to pray, and to enjoy the worship of God in private — experiences enlivened by the Holy Spirit for those who have believed the gospel. Withdrawing from the presence of all but God affords an excellent occasion for focused thinking about gospel truths and realities, to freshly apply the gospel to our souls again, and to reflect on the blessings and hopes that are ours through the gospel.

Again, the chapter in the book goes into greater detail on some of these areas, but there’s a good start. About six years ago, before Dr. Whitney went to Southern Seminary where he now teaches, I took a doctoral seminar he taught at Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City. The seminar was on Spiritual Formation and he was extolling the virtue of solitude and meditation when I became a good “object lesson” for him.

Being a NASCAR fan, I was wearing a shirt with my favorite driver’s number on it, and Dr. Whitney pointed it out. He said basically, “Let me tell you why I hate NASCAR. It epitomizes the very things I’ve spent all these years trying to encourage people to get away from: Noise, Crowds, Hurry, and Going in Circles!” Glad I could add to the discussion, Dr. Whitney.

But he’s right, of course. (About the things needed for prayer and meditation; not about NASCAR being evil!) We do need to get away from those things, slow down, and seek God. In addition to the above summary, in his text Dr. Whitney also includes these other benefits/purposes of solitude: To be physically and spiritually restored; To regain a spiritual perspective; To seek the will of God. These three are the things that are of most interest to me right now.

And it’s because of those three benefits that I am taking Dr. Whitney’s further advice from the book. He suggests “Try to get away for a few extended (half-day to overnight or longer) times yearly.” He elaborates: "'Getting away’ for an extended time of silence and solitude may be nothing more than finding an empty room in your church in which to spend an afternoon, an evening, or a Saturday. Or it may involve spending a night or a weekend at a retreat center, lodge, or cabin.”

It’s the last suggestion that I’ll be doing in the very near future. Now, to be honest, my plan for a 48 hour stint at a retreat center near St. Louis was being planned before I read the Tabletalk article, reminding me of the things from Dr. Whitney’s book and class. But what great timing. What a great affirmation of the plan.

I’ll be spending 48 hours alone at a nice little abbey set aside for this very purpose. I plan to take my Bible, a notebook, and a couple other books and spend the entire time in reading, praying, listening, etc. My goal truly is to hit on those three benefits mentioned: restoration, perspective, and the will of God. I wouldn’t even mind if you prayed for me, that the time would be used purposefully and effectively, not wasted. I’ve never had the chance to do this before, and I’m grateful to our church leadership for giving me the time.

Being alone with God is a good thing, and while we can certainly do that in shorter times more often, I’m eagerly anticipating this time and its benefits. I’ll have more to say, I’m sure, after the time is over. But even before, I would strongly urge you to consider doing something similar if you haven’t already. As an added encouragement I’ll leave you with the quote from Jonathan Edwards which closes Dr. Whitney’s chapter on this topic:

Some are greatly affected when in company; but have nothing that bears any manner of proportion to it in secret, in close meditation, prayer and conversing with God when alone, and separated from the world. A true Christian doubtless delights in religious fellowship and Christian conversation, and finds much to affect his heart in it; but he also delights at times to retire from all mankind, to converse with God in solitude. And this also has peculiar advantages for fixing his heart, and engaging his affections. True religion disposes persons to be much alone in solitary places for holy meditation and prayer. . . . it is the nature of true grace, however it loves Christian society in its place, in a peculiar manner to delight in retirement, and secret converse with God.

Be Yourself – Good Advice for Preachers

2011-09-19T11:27:00.003-05:00

I’ve been reading a collection of addresses by Charles Spurgeon called An All Around Ministry. At the beginning of each school year, Spurgeon would address the students of his Pastor’s College about some issue in ministry, and when collected together these addresses do indeed provide excellent instructions for all around ministry.

One address is on the issue of Individuality and Its Opposite. Basically it’s an encouragement for ministers to remember that they are not alone in this work (the “opposite” part), and yet at the same time, you are your own unique person.

In light of a couple posts ago when I talked about the “idols” we sometimes have in the church, I found this especially helpful. Our tendency, sometimes, is to try and duplicate those “heroes” of the faith. And quite honestly, there is much to be admired in some of these men, and worthy to be duplicated.

As most of you may know, John MacArthur recently complete a 43 year journey in preaching verse by verse through the entire New Testament. (You can see the “conclusion” of that journey here). He is an amazing servant of God, and this is an amazing accomplishment. Certainly, there are many things about MacArthur and his ministry that are worth imitating.

Others fit that category as well. Personally, I am moved by the preaching of men like Paul Washer and Art Azurdia and Voddie Baucham and John Piper and… well, the list could be rather long. All of those men have been gifted by God to preach His Word with passion, clarity and impact. And again, there is much there worthy to be imitated.

Yet, here’s the thing. I’m not John MacArthur or Paul Washer or Art Azurdia. In fact, even amongst themselves there is a great variety. Voddie Baucham is not John Piper, etc. And that’s as God intended it.

I remember learning this some years ago, way back in the dark ages when I was in college. God sent a man into my life, a dear friend, Rod Albert, who was and is a passionate preacher of the gospel. I heard him preach and immediately I wanted to be like him. Unfortunately, I don’t have the gifts Rod has. I don’t have his experiences, I don’t have his mastery of the Word, I don’t have a lot of things. I actually bemoaned that fact to Rod once. He told me in essence, “God didn’t call you to be Rod Albert. He called you to be you.” Wise words, brother.

Spurgeon hits on this same theme in his address on Individuality and Its Opposite. He says,

There is not only a work ordained for each man, but each man is fitted for his work. Men are not cast in moulds by the thousand; we are each one distinct from his fellow. When each of us was made, the mould was broken; — a very satisfactory circumstance in the case of some men, and I greatly question whether it is not an advantage, in the case of us all. If we are, however, vessels for the Master’s use, we ought to have no choice about what vessel we may be.

There was a cup which stood upon the communion table when our Lord ate that Passover which He had so desired to eat with His disciples before He suffered; and, assuredly, that cup was honored when it was put to His lips, and then passed to the apostles. Who would not be like that cup? But there was a basin also which the Master took, into which He poured water, and washed the disciples’ feet. I protest that I have no choice whether to be the chalice or the basin. Fain would I be whichever the Lord wills so long as He will but use me. But this is plain, — the cup would have made a very insufficient basin, and the basin would have been a very improper cup for the communion feast.

So you, my brother, may be the cup, and I will be the basin; but let the cup be a cup, and the basin a basin, and each one of us just what he is fitted to be. Be yourself, dear brother, for, if you are not yourself, you cannot be anybody else; and so, you see, you must be nobody. . . Do not be a mere copyist, a borrower and spoiler of other men’s notes. Say what God has said to you, and say it in your own way; and when it is so said, plead personally for the Lord’s blessing upon it.

For good or ill, I am who I am. By the grace of God, I am who I am. I’m not Spurgeon, MacArthur or Washer. I’m not even Rod Albert. But God has called me to proclaim His Word. He has gifted me, given me certain experiences, called me to a specific place of service, all of which He did according to His wisdom and for His purposes. And so I’m satisfied not to be nobody, but to be me, because I can’t be anybody else.

Preacher, as well as every believer, be content to be yourself by God’s grace. Don’t try to be someone you’re not and end up being nobody at all. Good words, don’t you think?

Standing on the Promises - Correctly

2011-09-14T08:56:00.003-05:00

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

So wrote Russell Kelso Carter, reminding us of the great faith with which we can approach God’s Word and God’s promises. It’s a wonderful reminder, and I enjoy the song (in spite of some who feel every singing of this song demands the introduction: “And we’ll ask you to stand and sing, because you can’t be standing on the promises while sitting on the premises.” Ha, ha, laugh, laugh)

It’s good for us to remember the faith with which we can stand on those faithful promises of God. And yet, we also need to be reminded to approach those promises in a faithful, biblical way. Which is why I was so thankful to recently read this article by Sinclair Ferguson posted at the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals site. Originally published years ago, the message is a great one. I’ve copied it below (hope that’s not some sort of violation somewhere), but if you prefer you can follow the link here. (But come back, I’ve got just a brief closing comment)

Boldly and Expectantly Leaning on the Promises

One of the very first “Christian” possessions I ever had, apart from a Bible, was a “Promise Box”—a box containing hundreds of biblical promises printed on small cards, one for each day of the year. I cannot now remember whether it was a gift or a personal purchase. Perhaps my forgetfulness is a personal convenience. It might be something of an embarrassment today to admit it to my friends if I still used a promise box. After all, we do not wrest Scripture texts out of their context; nor do we use the Bible as the ancients used the famous sortes virgiliance—randomly finding a line from Virgil to guide them on their daily path. To live in this way smacks of the Chinese fortune cookie approach to the Christian life.

My promise box went the way of all flesh. God’s promises are not fortune cookies. We do not use them in order to get a spiritual “fix” for the day. Serious progress in the Christian life requires the thoughtful understanding of the biblical message as a whole, understood in this context and applied appropriately to our own context. We are, after all, learning to think God’s thoughts after him—about himself, about the world, about others, about ourselves. God’s Word is not our comfort blanket. It is the sword of the Spirit; indeed it is sharper than any two- edged sword.

All this is true. But the other day, when I remembered my long-lost promise box, I found myself asking the question: Did I throw out the baby with the bath water? Do I still have a firm grasp on the promises the Lord has given me, and am I living on that basis day by day? What promises have I seen him fulfilling for me recently? What promises am I expecting him to keep in my life?

There are two places in the New Testament where right living is seen as the direct consequence of trusting God’s promises. Writes Paul to the Corinthians: “Since we have these promises . . . let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit . . .” (2 Cor. 7:10). The “promises” to which he refers are God’s covenant with his people that he will 1) be with them, 2) receive those who “touch no unclean thing,” and 3) be a Father to them (2 Cor. 6:16-18). Paul’s reasoning is: If this is what God promises to be to his holy people, let us make every effort to be such holy people. If these are the riches that await me, let me walk on that path of holiness that leads to them. Here holiness is a direct result of living in the light of the divine promises.

Peter writes in a similar vein: “[God] has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Pet. 1:4). Here, the promises of God in general are in view. What is their fruit? Once again it is holiness, or right living.

The question this raises is: What promises of God have been etched upon my heart? What am I expectantly waiting for the Father of lights who does not change like shifting shadows, to give to me (James 1:16)? Am I really living as his covenant child, with the words, “Father, you promised” forming on my lips, as I live in expectation of him keeping his Word?
How am I to live my life in the light of God’s promises?

First of all, I must know what God’s promises are. The old daily Bible study question was not far off the mark when it asked: “Is there a promise here for me today?” We have outgrown the “promise box mentally,” but we can never outgrow the promises themselves. Scripture is full of them. Is there one in the passage of Scripture I read today? (Did I even remember to read a passage of Scripture today?)

Second, I must feed my mind on the promises of God. As a child I was often amazed by the ability of my grandparents’ generation to suck a single peppermint for half an hour, while mine was crunched to pieces within minutes!

We need to learn to do the same with God’s promises, metaphorically placing them “under our tongue,” allowing them to release their pleasurable blessings over the whole day. We need to meditate on them if we are to find them redirecting our thinking and filling us with an expectation that the Lord will keep his Word. Only then will we be able to say “How sweet are your promises to my taste” (Ps. 119:103).

Thirdly, I must let God’s promises govern my life-style. Has he promised never to leave me? Then I will commune with him regularly, as an expression of my faith that he is near. I will allow the knowledge of his presence to give me poise in times of crisis and pressure. I will live in such a way that I will not be ashamed that he is near.

It is not surprising that Peter speaks about “great and precious promises.” He himself had clung fiercely to Christ’s promise when everything within him and around him seemed to be caving in. Jesus has said: “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back . . .” (Lk. 22:32). His hope in Christ’s implicit promise of his restoration was the “very reason” he had held on. May God’s promises similarly renew your life.

What a wonderful set of reminders, to boldly stand on God’s promises, but to do so in a faithful and biblical way. I pray that we would grasp this concept firmly, and that our hearts would cry out confidently to God in the way John Newton expresses in this hymn on pleading the promises.

Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat, Where Jesus answers prayer;
There humbly fall before His feet, For none can perish there.

Thy promise is my only plea, With this I venture nigh;
Thou callest burden’d souls to Thee, And such, O Lord, am I.

Bow’d down beneath a load of sin, By Satan sorely press’d:
By war without, and fears within, I come to Thee for rest.

Be Thou my shield and hiding-place! That, shelter’d near Thy side,
I may my fierce accuser face, And tell him Thou has died.

Oh wondrous love! To bleed and die, To bear the cross and shame,
That guilty sinners, such as I, Might plead Thy gracious name.

“Poor tempest-tossed soul, be still, My promised grace receive:”
‘Tis Jesus speaks – I must, I will, I can, I do believe.

When Idols Fall

2011-09-11T19:30:00.005-05:00

Admit it. We all have idols. We may not call them that. We may not even treat them as such all the time. But most of us have those people we put up on such a pedestal that the reach from here to there is great.

Maybe we don’t call them idols, and maybe they aren’t “technically worshiped” in the sense of true idolatry. But most believers have a list of the “great men of faith,” “heroes of the faith,” etc. that we have come to rely on. When in doubt, ask ______________ and we know we’ll get a reliable answer.

Over the years, for me it has been men like John MacArthur, John Piper, Paul Washer, J.I. Packer, and others. Then the guys further back; guys like John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, John Bunyan, and of course C. H. Spurgeon.

And then comes “the day.” They suddenly say something, or we read something, that blows us out of the water. I break with MacArthur on some points of eschatology. I cringed when Packer signed the Evangelicals and Catholics Together document. And John Piper invited WHO to speak at his conference????

I’ll never forget the day I was reading Spurgeon’s comments regarding a certain verse in the book of Revelation, and I almost fell over dead. He said something I disagreed with! Spurgeon! How could he?!?! (I’ll refrain from revealing the specific verse so as not to start that discussion!)

Anyway, I was mulling this over as I listened to an interview Tim Keller did several years ago, in 2008 in fact, with Martin Bashir at Columbia University. (Read this excellent take on it over at the Cripplegate). Amazing how something several years old can just now be making headlines, especially in this day and age; but there it is. It’s gone “viral.” And with good reason.

Because in the course of the conversation, the question was asked regarding those “millions of Muslims, Sikhs and Jews who have heard about Jesus” but have not responded to the gospel. “Where does your thesis leave them?” he was asked.

Keller responded by saying: “Where they are right now, it means that if there’s never any change, they don’t get Jesus. If they die and they’ve never… if they die and they don’t have Jesus Christ, I don’t know.”

Now, to his credit, Keller did try to be a little more direct. He did say, “If he is who he says he is, then, long term, they don’t have God. If on the other hand…all I can always say about this is God gives me, even as a minister with the Scripture, a lot of information on a need-to-know basis. And a need-to-know basis means, Here’s all I can tell you: unless you get Jesus Christ who created you to start with, unless you are reunited with him sometime, there is no eternal future of thriving. It just makes sense.”

I’m not sure what “eternal thriving” has to do with it, in comparison to Jesus’ direct words about heaven and hell, but that’s beside the point. What concerned me was the hedging of bets. The “well, I don’t know.” We do know. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me.” Pretty plain.

Now, I know it’s tough. Keller may have been “in a spot” as the Cripplegate article linked above mentions. Furthermore, while I have a great deal of respect for Keller and have benefited greatly from his writings, I wouldn’t put him way up there in my class of “superhero” types to begin with. Still, this whole thing is a bit disappointing.

And here’s my point. I don’t want to just pass judgment on Tim Keller. Who knows how I would have done in the same spot; as if I would ever be deemed worthy to be interviewed in this kind of forum anywhere in the first place. I simply want us to all think a little about the idea of our “idols” falling, failing to live up to our standards, etc.

It’s a simple, but excellent reminder that men are just that; men. We are all weak and broken vessels. None of us is perfect. I’m not saying that to excuse poor choices; I’m saying that to caution each of us about holding those folks up too high on that pedestal to begin with. They will all fall, eventually. Truly, no one is perfect. Mistakes will be made. Poor choices will be revealed. Doctrinal deficiencies will be unveiled. Even if it’s just that one verse in Revelation!

We live in a “celebrity” age, even in the church. The “paper preachers” and the “media ministers” often carry a lot of weight. And some are incredible men of God. But we must be careful about holding men too high on those pedestals. They are just men. They don’t deserve our ultimate loyalty. Only Christ does. (Read here for my thoughts on Jesus as our true hero).

I’ll still read MacArthur and Piper and Packer and even Keller. In spite of some disagreements here or there, they have much to offer. I’ll even keep my Spurgeon collection (including my Spurgeon bobblehead) even though he’s so clearly wrong about that verse! I just need to remember, as I encourage you to, that only Jesus is perfect. Only His Word is infallible. Only He should receive my loyalty and worship. He is the only One who will never fall; never fail.

NOTE: In fairness to Mr. Keller, I have since learned that he has recanted those earlier words (you can read about it here). The lesson is still a good one. Jesus will never recant anything!

Doctrine Is Exciting

2011-09-06T12:40:00.005-05:00

Yes you read that right. No, I’m not being ridiculous. Doctrine is exciting. For years we have been told by church growth folks that “doctrine kills,” which in essence means that feeding the church too much doctrinal depth will bore them to death. So instead, we feed them a steady diet of shallow meaningless drivel and idiotic feel-good games. Here’s the evidence.

However, as many in the church have learned, this lack of doctrine produces nothing but social clubs and worldly professlings; not true disciples. And the truth of the matter is, doctrine is exciting. I think I said that already, but it bears repeating.

Take for example this short excerpt on the Doctrine of Propitiation.

Now, apart from the inclusion of one of those endless “pink bunny” songs (it keeps going, and going, and going), and the flashy media presentation, the truth itself conveyed in this clip is exciting!

How can you not get excited about having your guilt removed? It’s not just “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” It’s that guilty sinners have been rescued by the shed blood of Jesus. It’s not just a feel good idea that God will help you with your problems; it’s that God has already helped you with the biggest problem of all…you sin.

This is exciting stuff, folks. This is more exciting than doing the hokey pokey, or whatever else the pseudo-church wants to toss out there. This is life changing truth.

If you haven’t taken the time to study and read about things like Expiation and Propitiation and how they fit into the doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement, you need to. Don’t just roll your eyes at the big sounding words. This is the heart of the Gospel message, folks. And it’s exciting. In fact, it will cause more joy in your heart than just hearing that “God loves you.” (no matter how many times you sing it over and over).

So pick up your Bible and read. Front to back. See how those concepts are brought out under the Old Covenant and how they are fulfilled in the New Covenant. But let me warn you know. When you truly get a hold of these concepts, you might just jump up and down for joy. Here’s to exciting truth.

NOTE: If you really want to read some good stuff on doctrine in general, check out the Theology section at Monergism.com

A Good Warning from MacArthur

2011-09-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've just finished reading the Iain Murray biography of John MacArthur, which is a good read by the way. MacArthur has a long history of speaking the truth in opposition to both the world and to popular church culture. I've always appreciated that. (And in light of my last post, I also appreciate that he does a well researched, well thought out response to things, not just knee jerk reactions).

The latest "controversy" he's found himself involved in has to do with MacArthur's running "advice blog" to those who consider themselves part of the Young, Restless and Reformed movement. Again, in view of my last post, we have to be careful of lumping everyone together here. I know not everyone falls in the camp of those MacArthur addresses here; myself being one of them. I'm fairly young (don't laugh) and reformed, but side with MacArthur on this one. The concern is those who have come to a belief in the Doctrines of Grace as far as salvation is concerned, but still live in the more man-centered world of how to "do church" how to "do evangelism" and so on.

Anyway, I just found this video interview to be very helpful (and spot on, by the way), and thought some of you might enjoy it. He not only speaks to the Reformed folks, but has some good words for some "trends" in the modern church in general. It's worth your time. Thanks to Gregg over at Gospel Driven Disciples for making me aware of this. Enjoy

A Confession and A Commitment

2011-08-31T09:36:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to admit when we might be wrong. Not that I would know, since I’m never wrong, but theoretically…for the rest of you. Seriously, it’s humbling to admit that maybe, possibly, you might be wrong about something. So here’s my confession:

Not that I’m saying I’ve been wrong about things I’ve said here (because again, as we’ve established, I’m never wrong!), however, I will admit that often I may be guilty of being wrong in motivation and method. Let me explain.

Sometimes I think there is a conspiracy out there to get my attention. Have you ever had that? All at once you’re hearing and reading the same thing from numerous sources. That happened to me in the last couple of days.

Our daily Bible readings this week included the center section of 2 Corinthians. In chapter 6, Paul is speaking of the nature of his ministry, which should be the goal of all our ministries, and he mentions that his ministry is done “by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love.” (2 Cor 6:6, ESV)

In putting this together, it seems obvious that we should be concerned about Spirit revealed knowledge of the truth and sharing that knowledge; but it must be couched in those other elements: purity, patience, kindness and genuine love. I admit that so often I’m so concerned about the truth that I overlook sharing in patiently, lovingly and kindly.

This is especially true of internet debates. It’s so easy to hear a quick quote from someone and then go off on the deep end criticizing and condemning when we don’t even know the whole story, or even the person behind the story.

So, here’s the conspiracy part. Even though it’s three months old, I just came across a video of a discussion between Mike Horton, Tim Keller and Matt Chandler about how Christians ought to disagree. They include a discussion of the internet debate mindset. It’s a great discussion, albeit humbling and challenging. Take a look:

Chandler, Horton, Keller on How to Disagree from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Then to top it off, as I was going to my blog site to draft this post, I saw a post from the Caffeinated Calvinist site dealing with this same basic issue (read here)

Man, talk about ganging up on a guy. So here’s the deal. I apologize for those times when I’ve been quick to judge, not getting facts right, maybe lumping too many into one big glob that I then attack. It’s not fair, it’s not loving or kind, and I should know better.

And I want to commit to try and do a better job in the future. I don’t intend to keep my mouth shut (that’s pretty much an impossibility). I plan to still be open and direct about things that are simply wrong, i.e. my last post about “undocumented” persons (thanks to my cousin Dwayne for pointing out the PC term). I will probably still stick my foot in my mouth (or keyboard as the case may be). But I will try my best to do so more thoughtfully, and with a more intentional effort to be kind and loving in the process.

The internet is both a blessing and a curse, as the boys in the video point out. Here’s hoping we can work on making it a more constructive and compassionate tool, instead of a bludgeoning device.

Which Part of Illegal Do You Not Understand?

2011-08-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

It’s been awhile since I wrote a completely political post in this space. Now’s as good at time as any.

I’ve struggled for some time about the debate over “illegal” immigrants. Now, here me very clearly here. My beef is not with the “immigrant” part, but with the “illegal” part. Illegal, as in “prohibited by law; against the law.”

The latest move by the President to provide “amnesty” to hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens has really brought the issue to the front of my mind. This is crazy. I mean, why are we even having this debate? If it’s illegal, it’s illegal and should be stopped. Period, right? Why are we fighting for the “rights” of illegal aliens, and why are we giving government benefits to illegal aliens. They aren’t here legally, and shouldn’t be supported by tax payer dollars.

I know it sounds harsh, but change the wording a bit and you see how ridiculous it is. How about this: The government should provide illegal drug users with amnesty. Of course no one would go for that. Or how about: The government should give amnesty to illegal embezzlers, giving them permission to continue working here. Not on your life.

My favorite part of the whole thing is that the President’s policy speaks of “illegal aliens who don’t have a criminal record.” What? Illegal aliens with no criminal records? I know we want to jump up and say, “but these people aren’t criminals” and I’ll be quick to admit that it’s not like we’re talking about ax murderers here. But they have already broken the law; they are illegal aliens!

To further show that the administration has no concept of what “illegal” means, the entire policy is a violation of the US Constitution. Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution plainly gives Congress the power to establish a “uniform rule of naturalization.” In short, Congress is charged with making rules concerning citizenship, not the Executive Branch. The President’s policy is illegal.

Furthermore, the policy will reverse standing federal law in the case of some 300,000 illegal immigrants currently facing possible deportation. Reverse; as in violate standing law by a branch of government that doesn’t have the Constitutional right to do so. Talk about illegal.

To top it off, by offering “work visas” to 300, 000 people who are in the country illegally, this also has the potential to affect that same number of jobs for current American citizens in an economy that is already struggling with unemployment. That may not be illegal, but it is certainly unwise and unethical.

Now, here me again. I’m not passing judgment on any particular individual in the “illegal alien” camp. I know folks are often escaping hardship, etc. I'm not trying to be just heartless and cruel. But there are legal ways of entering the country; legal ways of applying for citizenship; legal groups set up to help with these things; all legal. All constitutionally approved. But then again, who really cares about the Constitution anyway, right?

(For the record, lots of people care about the Constitution. Find out more about them at the National Constitution Party website!)

Is Your Soul Storm Proof?

2011-08-28T17:22:00.004-05:00

For the last week, we saw story after story of people preparing for the coming of Hurricane Irene. People boarding up homes and businesses, sandbagging to help combat the flooding, doing all they could to try and be sure they could withstand the coming storm.

As the storm has come through, we’ve seen that their preparation was wise. The destruction was widespread, and there will be weeks and months of cleanup in the aftermath. Still, people took the warning seriously and did all they could to prepare.

So why is it that so many are unwilling to heed the warnings to prepare their very souls for the storm that is to come; the storm of God’s wrath. I know in this day of “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” that speaking of God’s wrath is out of vogue. But Scripture couldn’t be more clear about it’s sure arrival. Christ will return, God’s wrath will be poured out, and the devastation to lost souls will make hurricanes look like a summer breeze.

Is your soul storm proof? Let me just offer these three brief quotes from the sermons of my favorite preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. In them, we see the reality of God’s wrath, the imperative need to prepare, and the only way to truly make that preparation. Consider:

Oh! ye that hate my God; oh ye that despise him; the day is coming — perhaps to-morrow shall be the day when ye shall ascribe greatness to my God;” for ye shall feel his great foot upon your loins, and his great sword shall cut you in sunder; his great wrath shall utterly devour you, and his great hell shall be your doleful home for ever. May God grant it may not be so, and may he save us all for Jesus sake. Amen. (The Great Supreme. No. 367)

If any man be not sure that he is in Christ, he ought not to be easy one moment until he is so. Dear friend, without the fullest confidence as to your saved condition, you have no right to be at ease, and I pray you may never be so. This is a matter too important to be left undecided. Instantly should every man of prudence make assurance doubly sure; and bind all things fast that he may find them fast for eternity-for eternity I say, for thus saith the Lord. Never risk your souls, for your souls are yourselves, your real selves, and nothing can make up for their loss. If you lose your own souls, it will be no recompense to have gained the whole world. Be careful, then, leave nothing insecure, carefully measure and weigh every important step; consider and examine, lest being so near to the kingdom any of you should seem to come short of it. (The Reason Why Many Cannot Find Peace. No. 1408)

If salvation were by merit, there would be no gospel; but as it is of mercy, free mercy, rich mercy, here is good news for you. Dear heart, if thou wouldst be forgiven, Christ is ready to forgive; if thou wouldst have peace with God, that peace is made. If thou believest in the Lord Jesus Christ thou shalt be saved, even as they are who are this day rejoicing in his complete redemption. The Lord bring thee this day to confess thy sin humbly, to look up to Christ believingly, and to find salvation through the blood of the Lamb. (Fat Things, Full Of Marrow. No. 1316)

The storm of God’s wrath will come. Are you prepared in Christ?

Homeschooler Moment #7

2011-08-25T10:07:00.004-05:00

Last Tuesday night, we were given some tickets to the Springfield Cardinal game, where our youngest caught a foul ball with his face (you can read about the whole night here).

He was fine, and was first in line to "run the bases" after the game. While standing there waiting, he was showing off his swelling face to the stadium worker who was organizing the base running. The guy, trying to make him feel better, said, "Oh, the girls at school will love it!"

Kenaniah, who's 7, without explaining that he was homeschooled, just gave the guy a funny look and said, "The only girl at our school is my sister!" It was the stadium worker's turn to give a funny look, until we explained that we homeschool.

It's priceless the way our kids just see homeschooling as a normal part of life; shaking their heads at the "odd" things other people talk about!

Revive Us Again!

2011-08-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

Last night, that was the title of the evening message. Looking at Psalm 85 we spent some time talking about God’s past blessings and how we have so often frittered those away. We stand today in a great need for revival and need to cry out to God to “revive us again.” I know I didn’t preach the most moving message on the subject. But I stand by the old saying “others may preach the gospel better, but no one can preach a better gospel.” So regardless of my efforts, the need for God’s people to cry out for revival is just as great.

I’ve found that I quote Charles Spurgeon way too much. So I purposely didn’t read anything by the Prince of Preachers as I studied Psalm 85 this week; until today. I’m so sorry that I didn’t. On August 14, 1887, Spurgeon preached from this same text. The opening lines, based on the plea for God to “revive us again,” say this:

BRETHREN, if you will pray this prayer, it will be better than my preaching from it; and my only motive in preaching from it is that you may pray it. Oh, that at once, before I have uttered more than a few sentences, we might begin to pray by crying, yea, groaning, deep down in our souls, “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?”

Notice the style of the praying here; it is in the form of a question, and in the shape of a plea. There are very few words, and none that can be spared. Godly men, when they prayed of old, meant it. They did not pray for form’s sake, neither were they very particular about uttering goodly words and fine-sounding sentences; but they came to close grips with God. They put interrogatories to him, they questioned him, they pleaded with him. They drove home the nail, and tried to clinch it. I see that in the very shape of the prayer, “Wilt thou not -wilt thou not-wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?”

Oh, that we knew how to pray! I fear that we do not. We are missing the sacred art, we are losing the heavenly mystery; we are but ‘prentice hands in prayer. Compared even with such a man as John Knox, whose prayers were worth more than an army of ten thousand men, or compared with the prayers of Luther, how few of us can pray! Luther was a man of whom they said, as they pointed at him in the street, “There goes a man who can have anything he likes to ask of God.” He was the man who, by his prayer, dragged Melancthon back from the very gates of death; and, what was more, the man who could shake upon her seven hills the harlot of Rome as she never had been shaken before, because he was mighty with God in prayer.

Oh, that I could but stir up my brethren and sisters to be instant in season and out of season, if there be such a thing as out of season with God in prayer! Let us get away to our closets; let us cry mightily to him; let us come to close quarters with him, and say, “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

I wish I had read this first! He says more in these few lines than I did in nearly 30 minutes. And of course, he says so much more in the rest of his sermon. I highly recommend reading it (here is just one source to find it).

The point is simply this. There is a real lack of crying out for revival. We are indeed “missing the sacred art” when it comes to this prayer. Don’t give up because you’ve prayed it before and seem to have seen no results. Now more than ever we need to heed the call and pray for our God in His mercy to “revive us again.”

I’ll leave you with the closing words from Pastor Spurgeon, as he invited his church to join him in praying:

Lord, revive us again. Lord, revive me. We would each one of us say “Amen” to that petition. Lord, revive the pastor. Lord, revive the church officers. Lord, revive the workers. Lord, revive the members of the church. Lord, revive the backsliders. Lord, revive those who did seem to live, but have grown careless. Lord, revive the church at large throughout the whole earth. Spirit of revival, come upon us now, for Jesus Christ’s sake! Amen. And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Spirit, be with us evermore! Amen.

The Battle That Never Dies

2011-08-17T10:50:00.010-05:00

By reading the title, you may think that I am once again going to address the issue of alcohol consumption. It certainly seems to be the battle that never dies. To date, by far the most read article on this site is the one I wrote over FOUR YEARS ago dealing with alcohol. The debate continued in the comments, and I even wrote two follow up posts (here and here).

The issue has again become a great hot potato since John MacArthur dared to out the “scared cow” of some in the “Young, Restless and Reformed” movement in a recent article. My, oh my, how the blogopshere erupted. I don’t even have time to post links to all the responses, and counter responses. You’ll have to go fishing for yourself. But I can’t really say anything on that matter I haven’t already said. You can read those three earlier posts if you really want to know what I think about all that.

Here, the battle I’m talking about is the battle against the flesh (hmm, maybe there is some connection here…..nah). I’ve been reading a great little book by Brian Hedges called “Licensed to Kill.” I picked it up because I thought it was a James Bond book, but… just kidding, folks. He’s talking about killing sin, or “mortifying” sin. I picked it up because I have this great little deal with Cruciform Press in which, for a small subscription price, they send me an e-book copy of their latest book each month. This happened to be one of those.

And I’m glad a picked it up. At least, I think I’m glad. You know how it is when we read something that is true, that hits home, etc. We’re glad for the insight, but not so fond of the “pain” that comes from seeing ourselves. In fact, one of Brian’s points in the process of mortification is to get a clear view of our self through God’s eyes. A spiritual self-examination; an exploratory surgery of the soul.

John Owen wrote that “Indwelling sin always abides whilst we are in this world; therefore it is always to be mortified.” He says not to assume that sin will cease waging war on us, but that “Sin doth not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still labouring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion.” In fact, to assume that sin no longer acts, or that we can find some sort of perfection in this life, Owen calls “vain, foolish and ignorant.”

Hedges would agree. He says, “while perfection is our ultimate desire, we will not attain it this side of glory. We will contend against indwelling sin all our days in this life (Romans 7:14-25).”

The point is that we need to be aware of this. Too often we take sin too lightly. Not only do we dishonor Christ and His sacrifice by making too little of the seriousness of sin, but we are foolish and arrogant to pretend that we don’t have to continue to wage this war; as if sin is some little plaything. Again, Hedges writes, “Evil cannot be domesticated. Sin is poised to attack your faith at any moment.”

Often, because we think we have a handle on certain outward behaviors, we think the battle is over. “We should not assume that the lack of certain behaviors means that sin is mortified or the heart is pure,” because as Hedges reminds us, this is really a heart matter. It’s the core of our being that causes the behavior, not just the behavior itself.

And never doubt, sin has a goal. Our enemy wants to destroy us. As John Owen said, and Brian Hedges quotes, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” So should we walk around in fear, constantly cowering before our sin nature? No. No. No. That’s not the point.

In Christ we do have victory, and we will have victory. But even though that ultimate victory is secure in Christ for those who are truly in him, we can’t act as though our sin nature doesn’t continue to rebel, and we can’t fail to fight against it. Because as Hedges painfully points out: “If we keep on sinning with no repentance, what assurances do we have that wee are genuine Christians at all?”

Sin is a serious matter. We ought to take it seriously. We ought to seek God in His Word on a regular basis, asking Him to point out those areas of sin that need to be killed, mortified, obliterated. Obviously I would recommend Hedges book in helping with this issue, as well as Owens’ classic work (which has the amazing complete title of: Of The Mortification Of Sin In Believers; The Necessity, Nature, And Means Of It: With A Resolution Of Sundry Cases Of Conscience Thereunto Belonging. You know it’s good when you have to take a breath just to get through the title!)

Be on your guard. Stand firm in God’s Word. Rest in His power at work within us, to deal with ongoing indwelling sin. We should not live in fear, but in hope of the great victory we have in Christ. But we should also continue to very aware that until He returns, this battle isn’t going anywhere. It’s even more tenacious that a bunch of us reformed guys arguing about drinking beer. And you know how agitating that battle can be!

Does Your Fruit Last?

2011-08-15T10:37:00.005-05:00

Sunday night we took the time to look at 1 Corinthians 3:5-17. We were trying to glean from Paul’s words some insight into what it means to be a strong church. So many these days tell us so many different things about what the church should be. Sadly, we often listen to them. Even to those who have no idea about what the church is.

I remember several years ago sitting in a Doctoral Seminar at Midwestern Seminary, and one of my classmates, Victor Clay, made this profound observation: "People come into the church not knowing what the church is, but we let them define what it ought to be." (I haven’t seen Victor since then, so I hope he doesn’t mind my using his words!)

What he was pointing out is the sad reality that much of our church “work” is done based on fads and fashions, polls and popularity contests. We want folks to come, we want them to come back, and so we go to some strange lengths some times to accommodate them. And, truthfully, sometimes it works. Or does it?

Paul speaks in that passage to the Corinthians about building on the foundation of Christ alone. Hopefully we know that. Hopefully I don’t have to chase that one down. Jesus Christ and Him crucified, that’s our message, right? But how do we build on that? And how do we know if it’s a good building?

The answer is simple: does your fruit last? As I pointed out Sunday night: “Unfortunately, we often put a lot of time and a lot of effort into functions that may not produce lasting fruit. We spend all kinds of effort and money and energy into some whiz bang event, and we draw big crowds and every one has a great time. We may even get folks to respond in some way, say that they’ve made commitments to Christ, or whatever.

“But what happens in the next few months, the next few years. Are the people who say they were affected by that event walking with the Lord, growing in their faith, maturing as followers of Christ? Or has their life shown little change at all. And if there is no change, have we really built on the foundation of Christ with lasting things?”

I’ve been doing some evaluating on my own here. I’ve been reflecting back on the last 20 or so years of preaching, thinking about the events we held, the sermons I preached, the things I taught. And I’ve thought about the lives that were impacted, or at least I hope were impacted. All those folks who claimed to follow Christ, who were baptized, who said they were impacted in one way or another by those ministries. Where are they all today? Are they still living for Christ? Are they growing and maturing in their faith? Has the fruit lasted?

And my reflections yield a mixed bag. Some folks I know are still actively and effectively serving Christ. Some, to be honest, I just don’t know; we’ve lost touch, etc. And sadly, some; well, some seem to have walked away and are just nowhere to be found in the church.

Now, I realize that it’s not always the fault of the preacher/church/ministry when folks fall away. Jesus Himself came to a point in His earthly ministry where He had gathered quite a large following, but because of the hard teachings of His gospel, “ many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66; I’ve always found that a particularly appropriate reference number!).

As Albert Barnes pointed out regarding those who turned back: "From this we may learn…not to wonder at the apostasy of many who profess to be followers of Christ. Many are induced to become his professed followers by the prospect of some temporal benefit, or under some public excitement, as these were; and when that temporal benefit is not obtained, or that excitement is over, they fall away.”

It’s the hearts of the individuals that cause them to turn away. It’s not “our fault” in one sense. It certainly wasn’t Jesus’ “fault,” He surely didn’t use the wrong ministry methods.

And yet something about Barnes’ comment strikes me as significant. He said, “Many are induced to become his professed followers by the prospect of some temporal benefit, or under some public excitement… and when that temporal benefit is not obtained, or that excitement is over, they fall away.”

I can’t help but think that if we are the ones causing that “public excitement” just to draw a crowd, and the results may be quick and large; but they don’t last; does that not constitute building with “hay, wood and straw” as Paul says? If we are implying some temporal benefit in our teaching that Scripture never promises, and folks respond only to turn away when it doesn’t manifest itself, aren’t we to blame? Shouldn’t we examine our methods and ministries to be sure that we are producing fruit that lasts, not just big crowds and lots of “decisions?”

I’ve been involved with events which have great turnouts, and lots of folks raise their hands or mark a card or whatever. But I often wonder, where are those folks now? Are they truly living for Christ? Has there been a genuine change? And if not, are our efforts in that kind of event/ministry/teaching really worth it; are they lasting fruit kinds of things.

I guess, ultimately it’s a decision each church, each minister has to make on their own. You have to do your own evaluations. But I think that’s the real problem. We’re not doing much real evaluation. We only look at the immediate results, and if it looks good, we say it worked. I don’t think we’re doing the long term evaluation that we need to do to see if what we’re doing as a church is really building with gold, silver and precious stones. Some times it may take years to see if the fruit is real, and then we may still wonder if it will last.

Yet there will come a day when the answer to that will be seen. The fire will test our work. And my prayer is that we would spend more time listening to God and to His Word, building on the right foundation; and less time focusing on polls and pragmatism; so that in that day the One True Judge will say to us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

What To Do With “Boring” Preachers

2011-08-09T11:19:00.007-05:00

If you were to call my preaching boring, I doubt I would much argue with you. There are links on the side bar of this blog to Faith Southern Baptist Sermons, and you can hear for yourself if you’re that brave. Personally, I think the CD copies we provide at church should come with a warning label: “Do Not Use While Driving; May Cause Drowsiness.”

So maybe I’m being a bit defensive with this post. I recently read a couple blog posts by Carl Trueman over at Reformation 21 in which he begins by simply saying that boring preachers should be fired. (You can read the original and the follow-up here and here.)

He actually makes some good points about the need for the presentation of God’s Word to incite worship, and than when doxology doesn’t result from the doctrine, it’s not good. He’s also careful to point out that engaging talks may be just that, with no real doctrine, so that can be even more harmful.

But here’s my beef. My undergraduate degree was a double major in Communication and Religion. As a communication major it was drilled into us that messages are not sent unless both speaker and listener are putting in equal effort; therefore listening is just as crucial as speaking. So then, if the sermon is boring, is it because the speaker is really that pathetic, or is it because the listener isn’t putting in any effort at all? Or is there some sort of middle ground?

Christopher Ash has a wonderful little book called “Listen Up! A practical guide to listening to sermons.” I think it should be required reading in every church. He reminds us that Jesus Himself tells us in Luke 8:18 “Take care then how you hear,” or “Consider carefully how you listen.” Ash points out that listening is an active thing, something that should be approached with purpose.

When we come to hear God’s Word, we should expect just that: God’s Word. We should go in expecting God to speak, go in prepared to apply what we hear, looking for truth that God intends for us to live out in our own lives. When we have an active approach to listening, you’d be surprised at how much less boring something might be.

Now, that’s not to say there aren’t bad sermons, and quite frankly bad preachers. Ash’s book even has some advice on how to handle those. If it’s bad in the sense that it’s unbiblical or even biblically inadequate, those are different stories. Yet those guys aren’t the target of Trueman’s “Kick ‘Em Out” campaign.

Here’s some of what Ash says: “Let us suppose, however, that this dull sermon is biblically faithful and accurate, and delivered by a preacher who believes the truth, has prepared as best he knows how, and that the sermon is surrounded both by his prayers and yours. If this is so, we ought to do all we can to listen with the aim of profiting by it. We may be able to encourage the preacher to get help with presentational skills. Certainly we should pray for our preachers, and encourage them whenever they show signs of improvement…

“But above all, we must search our own hearts and come to the sermon praying for God’s help to listen as attentively as our bodies will let us (caffeine may help). My advice is…to ask God that some part of it may stick and be turned in us to repentance and faith. Try taking notes,…try going with a friend and agreeing together not to spend lunch lamenting the preacher’s inadequacies, but rather, sharing positive Bible truths that you have learned or been reminded of, and praying together for God’s help in putting them into practice.”

Wow, that’s a lot different than “fire all boring preachers and teachers” isn’t it? Pray for them. Encourage them. Put effort into it yourself. The truth is, sometimes sermons are boring because they fall on dead ears, and only God can change that. Can these bones live? Only if God makes them live. So pray for life, both in the preacher and in the pew.

Again, I’m not saying this as an excuse for shoddy preaching. I still am responsible before God to put in the time, effort, prayer and study required to faithfully proclaim His precious Word. I’m still accountable for the accuracy of the messages I give. Not because I’m concerned about boring people vs. entertaining them, but because I’ll have to give an account to God for it!

But the gift of preaching ought to be seen in the same light as any other gift in the church. We don’t kick folks out for not using them to the best of their abilities. We encourage, pray for, nurture that gift in any way we can. If a person truly doesn’t have the gift they think they have, then maybe we gently urge them to seek some other service. That’s much different than Trueman’s admonition that “elders should make sure they fire consistently boring teachers and preachers.”

Again, maybe I’m just defensive because I might be one of those. I’d like to think I’m just trying to be more gracious in my approach, as well as helping folks to see that the sermon is a two way street: you have to put in the effort as well. So get yourself all prayed and studied up and get ready to go hear a good sermon this Sunday.

Addendum: In interest of equal time, here is an excellent and brief article on how to have Better Teaching By This Sunday.

Add Some SALT to Your Diet

2011-08-08T08:53:00.005-05:00

Our family had the wonderful privilege of spending time this weekend with Jim and Cindy McDermott and their amazing family. The McDermott’s are the force behind SALT Magazine which is a publication dedicated to, what else, being salt in the world; especially how that relates to the family and family issues, especially homeschooling families.

Awhile back, Jim had read some things here on this blog that led him to believe I might be someone to speak at a family conference they were planning. I know what you’re thinking. Someone else actually reads this stuff?? And he actually found something worthwhile??

Well, to be honest, the one article that caught his eye at first was the post I wrote for my son’s birthday a couple months back, and actually it was mostly just quotes from J. C. Ryle. So when Jim first contacted me, I tried to point that out. I said, “you realize that this stuff was written by someone else, you really don’t want me, you want J. C. Ryle to speak!” And he said, “Yeah, we know, but he’s dead so you’ll have to do.”

No, no, that’s not true. I’m just teasing a bit. Jim is way to classy a guy to say something like that even if he was thinking it. Still, I did tell him I didn’t really feel qualified to speak at the event, but would be honored to do so if he really wanted.

So, he did, and I did, and we had a great time. The weather was against us. The afternoon session was scheduled for outdoors, and it ended up being about 200 degrees (ok, only about 102, but still). I think that affected attendance a bit. I don’t think people stayed away just because I was speaking at that afternoon session. But anyway…

Jim spoke on some issues, their pastor Zech Schiebout spoke for one session and then I did my thing. The rest of the time was spent just visiting and getting to know some other families with similar interests. I especially enjoyed the discussion on courtship since our oldest daughter may be entering that area very shortly (sorry, Sunshine, is that gossip to publish that here?).

Anyway, all this is simply to say that you ought to pay these folks an online visit. Check out their website, browse through the articles there, read the blog, stop in at the store, and consider subscribing to the periodical. It’s some pretty good stuff. I know that the handful of people who will actually take the time to read this are not all homeschoolers, or maybe not where we are on family issues; but I think most can still find something there that will cause you to be blessed by this ministry. So consider adding a bit of SALT to your diet.

Who's "Preachy" Now?

2011-08-04T09:11:00.004-05:00

For years the world has told Christians to stop being so preachy. We’re supposed to tone down our evangelism, stop being “in your face” by wearing crosses or carrying Bibles. Christian movies, books and even music are criticized for their “overly Christian” aspects. Of course, it was long ago that the school systems decided to rid themselves of that “preachy” Christianity stuff.

So, the question is, has the secular world rid itself of preachiness, or has it just traded in for another religion? As I stated in my last post, we just spent the week viewing some material on the creation vs. evolution debate, one of the areas where this fight over the “preachiness” of Christianity first erupted. Folks don’t want the biblical theory of origins to “confuse” students when the schools are trying so hard to ram down the even less plausible theory of evolution.

What’s remarkable here is that some evolutionists will actually admit that they are not relying strictly on the evidence, but are committed to their “beliefs” and “presuppositions.” My favorite line is from Professor Richard Lewontin, a geneticist (and self-proclaimed Marxist): “We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism.

“It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is an absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door:’ (Richard Lewontin, “Billions and Billions of Demons;’ New York Review, January 9, 1997, p. 31)

Any honest observer would admit that the religion of secular humanism and materialism, which are dependent on “faith” more than fact, have simply replaced Christianity as the model being “preached” in schools.

But it’s not just there. While the “arts” folks tell us how cheesy it is for Christians to preach in their books and films, the humanists and others continue to “preach” at us in their movies and books and so on. Hollywood has for years been working to make homosexuality seem normal. They say they are merely reflecting the “diversity” of culture even though less than 2% of the population is homosexual. You wouldn’t get that percentage from watching mainstream media, would you? You would assume we’re approaching a third to a half of the population it’s so prominent in most entertainment venues.

And now, we’re even going to start preaching it in our comic books. We all know that X-Men, one of the more popular franchises, is heavily laden with the evolutionary “gospel.” But now it seems that Spider Man, perhaps the most popular hero of all time, may be pushing the homosexual agenda in the near future.

Marvel Comics, in one of their “alternate universe” possibility series, has killed off the original Spider Man, and replaced him with a more ethnically diverse character. (read about it here). On the face of it, that’s not so bad. But the artist who is drawing this new character has stated that in the future, he could be gay as well in an effort to make a “gay hero” normal. So we kill off the character and replace him with a gay character so gays can be normal. No, nothing wrong here!

This is, of course, just the latest in a long line of well thought out, well planned efforts on the part of the secular humanists to “preach” their gospel and gain “converts.”

The saddest part of all is that so many Christians seem oblivious to this, and have simply laid down and played dead when the world tells them to stop being “preachy.” Folks, the truth is there is no such thing as neutrality. Either you have a biblical worldview which informs all your thoughts, actions, arts, etc. Or you have replaced it with another worldview that likewise informs you thoughts, actions, arts, etc. And every worldview is based, somewhere down the line, on faith “assumptions” regarding things like creation, redemption and so on.

So, which “Gospel” are we truly committed to? Which one will we stand for? Will we continue to let the world tell us to stop being “preachy” while they are left to freely preach their gospel of materialism and humanism? Or will we stand for the truth of God’s Word, which in the end is the only truth anyway? The answer is up to you.

By the way, here's just a short video for you edification (cause I can be preachy if I want!).

Creation vs. Evolution: Does it Matter?

2011-07-31T16:09:00.007-05:00

Our church is hosting Vacation Bible School this week and we chose to use material from Answers in Genesis, called Gold Rush. We also have chosen to offer a course for older youth and adults, also from Answers in Genesis. It's a series of lectures by Ken Ham called Answers Academy.

What's the point? Actually, that question is the point. So many in the church today do not see that what we think about the creation vs. evolution debate is absolutely crucial to everything else we believe about God, the Bible, Sin and Salvation, etc. The book of Genesis is foundational to all that we believe, and if we throw out the first 11 chapters, we lose everything!

One's worldview answers three questions: Where did we come from? What went wrong? How can we fix it? The Bible answers these with: Creation, Fall, Redemption. If you don't star with Creation, you don't rightly see the Fall and Redemption. It's that simple. This is crucial, foundational stuff.

If you're interested, here is part one of a series from AiG on the issue "Why Does it Matter?" I tried to copy the "code" and embed the video here, but after several attempts with error messages, I gave up, so I'll just encourage you to follow the link. Enjoy. (The link for some reason will say part four, but it is part one; don't ask me why)

Why Does it Matter?

Praying or Playing: a NASCAR Nightmare

2011-07-25T12:35:00.002-05:00

For years now I’ve bemoaned the demise of holiness and reverence in the church. I’ve railed against the consumer mindset and the entertainment emphasis in our churches. This past weekend I think I finally saw the culmination of this attitude.

One of the reasons I’ve always enjoyed watching a NASCAR race, other than the obvious nature of the sport itself, is the fact that this was the one place in the modern media world where you could still hear prayer and the name of Jesus mentioned without apology. Every race begins with a prayer. And they actually show it on national TV. Often the prayers are more geared toward patriotism than piety, and it’s obvious that at times the pray-ers are trying to be ecumenical. But they are usually at least reverent.

This one was just a joke. Listen for yourself.

Now, from the comments I’ve heard and read, I guess he was making some reference to a NASCAR themed movie. Having not seen the movie, I guess I don’t get the joke. But the question is, is this the place for a joke of any kind? Many are saying this is great because people laughed and enjoyed it. Is prayer about laughing and joking, though? Isn’t it supposed to be about humbly coming before God, seeking His guidance and help, asking for His blessings? I mean even some "secular" NASCAR folks are questioning the appropriateness of this.

Maybe I’m asking too much. It is after all a NASCAR race. I shouldn’t expect Spurgeon-worthy theology. But still. This man is introduced as a Baptist pastor. He has the spotlight. Not only this crowd but thousands of others are at home listening. He has the opportunity to call upon the name of Christ on a national stage. I don’t expect him to preach a whole sermon, or even a short one. But does he have to make a mockery of Christ, His church, and the privilege of prayer altogether?

And yet, is this not simply the logical result of the consumer driven, entertainment oriented attitude the church has promoted for so long. After all, the crowd cheered, the race winner wants him to preach his funeral, so it must all be good, right? He’ll probably be asked to speak at Saddleback or the Crystal Cathedral, so he must have done the right thing.

What’s sad about this from my perspective is that it makes me embarrassed as both a Christian and a NASCAR fan. That’s sad indeed.

Jesus: The Finisher

2011-07-21T10:14:00.001-05:00

I’m so far behind in my reading that I’m not sure I’ll ever finish before the Lord returns! I’ve admitted here before that I am a bibliophile, as Henry Ward Beecher says: “A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life.” I love books. I can’t resist going into the bookstore, and if there are any good bargains they end up on my shelf as if by magic.

Unfortunately, the down side is that I have stacks and stacks of books that I couldn’t live without that I haven’t had a chance to start reading yet. And some of these are really good books; book I really want to read. Right now on my desk I have Ian Murray’s biography of John MacArthur, Brian Hedges’ “Christ Formed in You” (which he graciously sent me for free! Thanks, Brian), a book on Puritan prayer called “Taking Hold of God,” Tim Keller’s “King’s Cross,” Sinclair Ferguson’s “By Grace Alone;” and these are just the some of the more recent additions. My piles date back at least a year or more.

The electronic age has made this worse. I have a Kindle reader because I can adjust the font size, and for this blind man it makes reading so much more enjoyable. The problem here is that there is so much available either free or at a very low cost. My Kindle has well over 300 titles on it, of which I’ve only read about 2 dozen books.

Worse yet, I have to admit that I’m a good starter, but not a good closer. I’m guilty of picking up a book, reading about half, and even if I’m really enjoying it, I get sidetracked by the next big purchase and start in on another one. Meanwhile, that first book just sits there, half-read and neglected.

I’m so glad that my God is not like that. I read a couple of verses this week that I’ve read dozens of times before, have been part of my “memory verse” list on more than one occasion. I know them. I’ve heard them. I’ve preached them. But for some reason the two of them came together for me this week and really hit me. Here they are (or at least in part):

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 12:2 “…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…”

Some translations say Jesus is the “finisher” of our faith. The word simply means to complete, to consummate. Again, I’ve read that hundreds of times, I know what it means, but for some reason it just really struck me regarding the incredible hope that these two verses represent.

Jesus is the finisher. He will complete what He started. He’s not going to begin a work and then get sidetracked and walk away and leave us half-done and neglected.

To be honest, it was in leafing through the opening of Brian Hedges’ book that got me to thinking about this. He is writing about the Gospel doing its work in our lives, the work of sanctification, as the subtitle says, “The Power of the Gospel for Personal Change.” The point is, if Jesus starts a work of change in our lives, He will complete it.

Even though there are times when we don’t see the growth we would hope for. Even though there may be times when we are doubtful about seeing any change at all. If there is truly a work of God going on, it will be finished. He will complete what He started. He will finish and perfect it.

I don’t know if this hits anyone else the way it did me. You may be fully comfortable with where you are, with your growth as a disciple, with the direction your life is going. Hopefully we all have times of greater satisfaction in those things. And it’s not as if I’m in some deep, dark hole myself right now. It’s just good to know that Jesus is the ultimate closer. He’ll get the job done. He won’t give up on us. What a great word of hope. I pray that this simple truth might be an encouragement to someone else to day. So keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Having Something to Say

2011-07-18T10:45:00.001-05:00

I once read that a company called Bell Data ran an ad in the Financial Times of Canada that said: "This is a full-blown, state-of-the-art, fully integrated, user-friendly, multifunctional, omni-lingual, multi-tasking word and data processing system with advanced graphic generation capabilities." Any idea what they were describing? Pencils. Why didn't they just say, "We sell pencils."

We do indeed waste a lot of words, don't we? We speak with our mouths, but our words are empty. Either it’s access verbiage, or just meaningless babble. We live in a cliche culture. Hi. How are you? Fine. Looks like rain. How about those Cardinals?

I think part of the problem with both cliche conversation and excess verbiage is that we live in a society where we feel like we have to say something. Silence scares us for some reason. Henry Nouwen wrote that for most people "silence creates itchiness and nervousness. As soon as a minister says during a worship service, Let us be silent for a few moments, people tend to become restless and preoccupied with only one thought: When will this be over?"

That fear of silence will get us into trouble, too. So often we feel we have to say something when we might be better off keeping quiet; and then we end up saying something that we wish we hadn't said. Admit it; it's happened to all of us. We need to remember this sage little piece of advice I once heard one man say, "I seldom feel sorry for the things I did not say."

As a pastor, I think I feel this need to say something very acutely. Any of you who have tried to help in ministry situations involving loss or grief or sickness or whatever may have felt that overwhelming feeling that we should say something. Many times we ought to just listen, but because of our fear of silence we just have to say something.

Also, in ministry there is the crisis of the never ending Sunday. Sunday just keeps following Sunday, and I have to have a sermon prepared for each one. Then there are Sunday nights and Wednesday nights and funerals and weddings. There is this real struggle in my life between having something to say, and having to say something. At least three times a week I have to say something; that doesn't mean I always have something to say, as readers of this blog may be well aware.

Oswald J. Smith wrote that "the world does not need sermons; it needs a message. You can go to seminary and learn how to preach sermons, but you will have to go to God to get messages." I really identify with that. Occasionally I give into the pressure of having to say something three times a week and I come up with sermons. Sometimes they come off OK, other times they don't. What I need to remember is that having to say something is not enough; sermons are not enough. I need to have a message; I need to actually have something to say.

And I think the average Christian goes through that as well. If you’ve been in church long enough I’m sure you’ve heard hundreds of times how important it is for each and every Christian to share our faith in Christ with others. Peter reminds us that we should “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (I Peter 3:15). We know it’s something we should do. But I think a lot of folks suffer from the same thing I do. When it comes to telling others about Christ, we know we should say something, but we don't always feel like we have something to say. I just want to offer you this simple reminder inspired by the words of Jeremiah 20:9

If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is a fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”

Jeremiah reminds us of two very simple things: we do have something to say, and we have to say it. A few verses later Jeremiah speaks of praising God for “he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of the wicked.” It’s that simple. The main thrust of the Gospel message, what we have to say to a lost world is simply this: God rescues the life of the needy from the hand of the wicked. God rescues needy sinners from the hand of sin. Through Christ Jesus there is salvation and hope and victory. And folks, that's what our world needs to hear more than anything else.

Scripture says that Satan is the god of this world. You and I may never understand it, but God in His wisdom, for His purposes, has allowed the adversary to have nearly free reign. As a result, sin dominates, people are lost and confused, and the world seems to be going to hell in a hand-basket. There are people out there with real hurts and real needs; things that cliches just won't solve.

But guess what? We have the solution, don't we? The solution is Jesus Christ. In His grace and mercy He gives us a new heart, a new life, a new hope, and a new future. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Our friends and neighbors need to hear that; and we are the ones who have been called to tell them. God has set us aside for that purpose. Don't worry about just having to say something, because we definitely have something to say. Jesus Saves!

And if you are truly a disciple of Christ; if you have unquestionably been born again; if God's Spirit has genuinely taken up residence in you life, then I can guarantee you this one thing. There will come a time when you just can't hold it in any longer. We have to speak it.

It doesn't matter how frightened you are, how shy you are, how inarticulate you may be, eventually God's Spirit is just going to come bursting through your life out the words are going to come out of your mouth. God can't be contained. If He's in your heart, sooner or later you're not going to be able to hold Him in, and He's going to show through. Like Peter and John before the Sanhedrin, we’ll say, "we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:20)

The world is literally dying to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. They are dying to hear some words of hope. They don't need cliches, they don't need excess verbiage, they just need to hear the truth that God loves them and Jesus died for them. And we are the ones who have been commanded to tell them. We do have something to say. We can say it boldly because God is there to guide and support us. And we should be so full of the Spirit that we just can't help ourselves.

So get out there and share some good news with someone today.

Who's Your Hero?

2011-07-11T09:13:00.004-05:00

So I’m looking through my blogger dashboard, and no, I’m not talking about the dash of some newfangled foreign import. For those who don’t know, it’s just the “home base” at my blog’s website where I can check on all my blog info as well as look through a run down of all the other blogs I follow. So, as I was saying…

I’m looking through my blogger dashboard, checking the updates and I notice a real theme in the latest posts of several blogs I follow. Here are the pictures accompanying these entries. There is a decided "superhero" theme.

First there was the latest incarnation on the web from my friend Dr. Paul Hambrick.

Then there was this entry over at the Cripplegate blog.

And then this on the Pyromaniac site.
(OK, so Spurgeon isn’t “technically” a superhero, although he is to me and many thousands of others).

So I thought maybe I should get in on the theme and do a superhero post myself. I tried for some time to come up with something about the superhero I’d most like to be.

Around our house, we’ve seen a lot of Bibleman. If you haven’t seen it, it’s really cheesy, with some shallow theology, and the newer stuff if worse than the older in both regards (in my humble opinion). But the older ones seemed to take themselves less seriously, with one liner gags often being the best part. And to be honest, the basic idea of having so much Scripture in the mind and on the tongue to face any and all battles is not a horrible concept. Besides, he had a really cool purple and yellow suit!

Then of course, there is Duckman. Not any old Disney reference. When our youngest was born, my sister-in-law had made him a bath towel that was yellow and had a hood sown onto it with a duck bill, eyes, etc. He loves that towel, and regularly wears it around the house as a super hero costume for, of course, Duckman. He’s even drawn and written some Duckman comics, in all the glory only a six-year-old (now seven) can come up with. (He looks oddly a lot like Bibleman with a duck bill!)

As a younger child, I was a comic collector. I loved X-Men, Avengers, Thor, SpiderMan and Captain America; all those characters that are now being made into movies. I guess I happen to share a childhood with today’s money makers in Hollywood. In fact, I still have a couple of crates full of the old mags, saved to make me rich at a collectors convention some day, right?

But instead of talking about my favorite “hero” comic I thought I’d ask the simple question: what is it that draws us to superheroes in the first place. Is it the escape from reality? Is it the desire to be something more? Is it a genuine passion for justice, good triumphing over evil? Is it the love of things going “boom?” Is it the fascination with spandex?

To be honest, I’m not sure. I’m not really that much of a philosopher; I don’t have any real insight into the mindset and heart of mankind. Except for this: I think at our core we know there is something wrong with humanity, and we know there is something more “out there.” Call it a “God shaped hole”, or simply image of God which is a part of all men, I don’t know. I think we just know it’s there.

And I think we all know that the solution to our problem is something that is beyond us. We know we can’t overcome it on our own. We know we need someone greater, someone more powerful, to rescue us. Maybe I’m over analyzing, I don’t know.

I do know that I’m glad God saw fit to provide that rescue for us. I don’t want to trivialize Christ by relegating Him to the “superhero” category. In fact, I think some of the cheesy Christian attempts at art imitation with Jesus as Superman or something is just that: cheesy. Maybe even irreverent.

But the truth is, God sent His Son to come and provide us with a supernatural rescue. He overcame the greatest “villain” of all; no, not Satan, though He took care of him, too. I’m talking about our own sin. Our sin is the super villain that threatens to destroy us and wants to “take over the world.” Praise be to God, Jesus’ death and resurrection has overcome that and rescued us from the clutches of our own sinful hearts.

A hero can be defined as “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” I’d say Jesus certainly qualifies, although it’s a major understatement. He is so much more than that. He is God, after all. Still, when it comes to being rescued, I can’t think of a better place to look.

So, who’s your hero?

Perspective on Prosperity - A 4th of July Sermon Summary

2011-07-03T20:19:00.001-05:00

“We have rebelled against God. We have lost the true spirit of Christianity, though we retain the outward profession and form of it….By many, the Gospel is corrupted into a superficial system of moral philosophy, little better than ancient Platonism….My brethren, let us repent and implore the divine mercy. Let us amend our ways and our doings, reform everything that has been provoking the Most High, and thus endeavor to obtain the gracious interpositions of providence for our deliverance….

“If God be for us, who can be against us? The enemy has reproached us for calling on (God’s) name and professing our trust in Him. They have made a mock of our solemn fasts and every appearance of serious Christianity in the land…May our land be purged from all its sins! Then the Lord will be our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble, and we will have no reason to be afraid, though thousands of enemies se themselves against us round about. May the Lord hear us in this day of trouble….We will rejoice in His salvation, and in the name of our God, we will set up our banner!”

Quite the rousing speech, don’t you think? Most of you would probably be a bit surprised by the who, when and where of those words. Most probably think that sounds like something some radical right wing fanatic would be preaching in his radical right wing church in the last year or two crying out against the evils of our day. But that’s not the case. This is actually part of an address that was given on May 31, 1775. It was given in the halls of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts. In fact, the man giving the address was there at the invitation of that Congress. And he wasn’t some radical preacher. He was actually the sitting president of Harvard College, Samuel Langdon.

Imagine that. A college president, speaking to a state legislature, speaking about turning back to a true faith in Jesus Christ and seeking God’s blessings and providential care. Amazing, isn’t it? And what’s truly amazing is that this was not an anomaly in the early days of our nation’s history. In fact, this was much more the norm than any exception, both in the political realm and the educational world.

Consider this. Read some of the original words of a couple of state constitutions. The Delaware State constitution reads: “Every person, who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust…shall…make and subscribe to the following declaration, to wit: ‘I do profess faith in God the father, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed forever more, and I do acknowledge the Holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration.’”

My goodness. There are some churches today who wouldn’t make that requirement for membership, let alone a state legislature. Or how about another one? Here is part of the original Pennsylvania State Constitution:

“And each member [of the legislature], before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration…: ‘I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the universe, the rewarder of the good and the punisher of the wicked, and I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration.’”

Or how about this, from the State Constitution of North Carolina: “No person, who shall deny the being of God, or the truth of the [Christian] religion, or the divine authority either of the Old or New Testaments, or who shall hold religious principles incompatible with the freedom and safety of this State, shall be capable of holding any office, or place of trust or profit in the civil department, within this State.”

If North Carolina held to that, or any state, I wonder how many of their current state leaders would be still allowed to serve. And again, that wasn’t just the dominant ideology in the political spectrum, it was the same in our educational institutions. For example:

The original mottoes of Harvard were: “For Christ and the Church,” and “For the Glory of Christ.” Part of Harvard’s original rules stated: “Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life, and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.”

Likewise, Yale was founded in order “to plant, and under the Divine blessing, to propagate in this wilderness the blessed reformed Protestant religion.” When classes began there, Yale required: “the Scriptures…morning and evening [are] to be read by the students at the times of prayer in the school.” Now, we can’t pray or read the Bible in schools.

Truly amazing, isn’t it? And yet, how many of us knew about that? How many have heard those things. Today we’re told that the truly Christian founders of our nation were a small minority, that most were deists or mere religionists. We’re told that Christianity was never the dominate worldview of our nation or its government. In fact, we’re told today by our own president that this is in fact not a Christian nation; and he repeatedly leaves out the words “under God” when referring to or saying our nation’s pledge.

Actually, Samuel Langdon’s words would be appropriate today, wouldn’t they? Today (Sunday) I began the morning message with these same words. We then picked up in our study of Luke 12 to consider the parable of the rich fool in verses 13ff. You may wonder what the two have to do with each other. Simply this: The parable there warns us of the dangers of covetousness, and we are reminded that prosperity in general ought to be kept in its proper perspective. And I think this is the key issue for our nation.

If you turn on the news, or pick up a paper, we are told time and again that the biggest problem facing our nation is an economic one. And I’ll admit that we may be facing some real economic challenges. But the truth is, our nation is still one of the most prosperous in the world, and in fact it’s because of our ill handling of that prosperity that we are in the condition we are today.

The real issue for our nation isn’t our economics, it’ our very soul. Look no further than the continued removal of all things God from the public arena; look no further than the ongoing slaughter of innocent children through abortion; look no further than the recent decision in New York to declare same sex couples living together in sinful sodomy to be a marriage. Our nation’s soul is in jeopardy.

We were talking about this at home, and my son made a profound statement. As I mentioned that our problem was not the economy but our nation’s soul, he said, “if our nation’s soul was right, we wouldn’t be in this debt problem to begin with.” Pretty profound. If we were living right before God, we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in. And this parable speaks to that very issue.

I’m not the world’s greatest preacher, or even the best in our town probably. But this message is dear to my heart and I’d like to share it with you. If you want to hear the rest of this sermon, click the link below. I’m not promising world class stuff, but the message itself is important I believe, and so here it is (if you’ve read this far, you already know the opening, so you can fast forward a bit if you want)

Perspective on Prosperity

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE

May God continue to bless America!

Wise Words to Young Men – On My Son’s Birthday

2011-06-27T08:58:00.003-05:00

Today my oldest son turns 17. He’s quite a young man. I have to think of him that way, not as a little boy anymore, especially since he’s taller than me now! I’m proud of the young man he is becoming. God has spared him many of the “snares” other 17 year old boys face, and for that I’m grateful. But I know he is still a human being, though redeemed still forced to deal with the flesh, and there are still dangers out there lurking.

So I’m giving him a copy of J. C. Ryle’s Thoughts for Young Men. I should have given it to him sooner, but I’m still struggling with the idea of him being a young “man” and not my little boy. Anyway, though Ryle’s thoughts include so much more than what I’ll post here, I thought I’d share one warning and one positive counsel from his thoughts. I hope some other young man might read this, be warned/counseled, maybe even be prompted to pick up a copy of the whole thing and read. May God add His blessing, and may He graciously raise up a generation of young men and women who will honor and glorify Him and lead His church in a mighty way.

A Word of Warning

The devil uses special diligence to destroy the souls of young men, and they don't seem to know it. Satan knows very well that you will make up the next generation and therefore he employs every trick to make you his own. I would not have you to be ignorant of his schemes.

You are those on whom he puts his choicest temptations. He spreads his net with the most watchful carefulness, to entangle your hearts. He baits his trap with the sweetest morsels, to get you into his power. He displays his wares before your eyes with his utmost ingenuity, in order to make you buy his sugared poisons, and eat his accursed treats. You are the grand object of his attack. May the Lord rebuke him, and deliver you out of his hands.

Young men, beware of being taken by his snares. . . He will paint, cover with gold, and dress up sin, in order to make you fall in love with it. He will deform, and misrepresent, and fabricate true Christianity, in order to make you take a dislike to it. He will exalt the pleasures of wickedness—but he will hide from you the sting. He will lift up before your eyes the cross and its painfulness– but he will keep out of sight the eternal crown. He will promise you everything, as he did to Christ, if you will only serve him. He will even help you to wear a form of Christianity, if you will only neglect the power. He will tell you at the beginning of your lives, it is too soon to serve God—he will tell you at the end, it is too late. Oh, do not be deceived! You don't know the danger you are in from this enemy; and it is this very ignorance which makes me afraid. You are like blind men, walking among holes and pitfalls; you do not see the perils which are around you on every side.

Your enemy is mighty. He is called "The Prince of this world" (John 14:30). . . Your enemy is restless. He never sleeps. . . And your enemy is cunning. For thousands of years he has been reading one book, and that book is the heart of man. He ought to know it well, and he does know it—all its weakness, all its deceitfulness, all its folly. . . Young men, this enemy is working hard for your destruction, however little you may think it. You are the prize for which he is specially contending for.

Oh that your eyes were opened, like those of Elisha's servant Dothan! Oh that you could see what Satan is scheming against your peace! I must warn you—I must exhort you. Whether you will hear or not, I cannot, dare not, leave you alone.

A Positive Word of Counsel

Determine as long as you live to make the Bible your guide and adviser.
The Bible is God's merciful provision for sinful man's soul, the map by which he must steer his course, if he would attain eternal life. All that we need to know, in order to make us peaceful, holy, or happy, is richly contained there. If a young man wants to know how to begin his life well, let him hear what David says: "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word" (Psalm 119:9).

Young men, I charge you to make a habit of reading the Bible, and not to let the habit be broken. Do not Let the laughter of friends, do not let the bad customs of the family you live in, don't let any of these things prevent your doing it. Determine that you will not only have a Bible, but also make time to read it too. Allow no man to persuade you that it is only a book for Sunday school children and old women. It is the book from which King David got wisdom and understanding. It is the book which young Timothy knew from his childhood. Never be ashamed of reading it. Do not "scorn instruction"
(Proverbs 13:13).

Read it with the prayer that the Holy Spirit's grace will help you understand it. . . Read it reverently, as the Word of God, not of man, believing implicitly that what it approves is right, and what it condemns is wrong. Be very sure that every doctrine which will not stand the test of Scripture is false. Be very sure that every practice in your life which is contrary to Scripture, is sinful and must be given up.

And read it regularly. This is the only way to become "mighty in the Scriptures." A quick glance at the Bible now and then does little good. . . But store up your mind with Scripture, by diligent reading, and you will soon discover its value and power.

Young men, give the Bible the honor due to it every day you live. Whatever you read, read that first. And beware of bad books: there are plenty in this day. Take heed what you read. . . Value all books in proportion as they are agreeable to Scripture. Those that are nearest to it are the best, and those that are farthest from it, and most contrary to it, the worst.

Be wary of the enemy, be much in the Word. Those two things alone will go a long way in aiding you, young men. May God bless you as you continue seeking and serving Him.

Happy Anniversary to my Beauty

2011-06-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

Today I celebrate 22 years of marriage with the most beautiful woman in the world. I know some would argue with that assessment, not because you doubt my wife's beauty, but because if you're married, you probably think your wife is the most beautiful. And, you'd be right. Of course, I'm right, too. Thanks to Tim Challies, I found this wonderful little article that shows how we can both be right.

The Beauty of My Wife

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, CHERYL!

Moral Confusion and Correction

2011-06-21T09:36:00.002-05:00

OK, folks, I’m completely confused. People want legislators to normalize the immorality of homosexuality by legalizing gay marriage; but we’re offended by a governor who has an affair with the house maid. We don’t have problems with pornography, but if a politician takes pornographic pictures of himself, we cry for his resignation. Late night hosts rant and rail and ridicule about the immoral acts of these elected officials, but then their guests of honor for the night live the most ungodly lifestyles imaginable, and they are hailed as heroes.

Is it any wonder I’m confused? Is it any wonder so much of the nation is confused? Is it any wonder that more people are concerned about who wins American Idol than who wins the next presidential election. We have this very strange and confused moral compass in this nation.

Of course, the liberals don’t see the double standard, or at least they ignore it. They fail to see the glaring problem with trying their best to do away with God, Christianity and the Bible in the public square; and yet trying to claim some sort of moral standard (at least for politicians), and acting all shocked when people behave immorally.

And the question is: what then defines morality? If we toss out the Bible and its moral code, then what grounds do we have for most of our “moral” laws? Why is murder even wrong? What about theft? Aren’t those part of the Ten Commandments we want removed so badly? If it’s all about self, and what makes self happy, then if killing those who are infringing on my happiness makes me happy, it should be allowed. Isn’t that the logical conclusion of the current way of thinking?

I know this is nothing new, and I’m not saying anything that hasn’t been said before. I’m just confused and frustrated. I watch the news and see the anchors shake their heads at the moral lapses of this or that person (which we should do, by the way), and then glowingly brag about the this or that media darling’s latest escapade; completely ignoring said celebrity’s own moral lack. I mean, how can the same media trash Congressman Weiner and then idolize Lady Gaga and her song “Born This Way?” What a confusing message to our kids.

Of course, Lady Gaga has it right. As much as truly moral people might detest her over-sexualized image and crass songs, she’s absolutely right. We are born this way. That’s the whole problem. We are born into sin, and our sin nature will lead us into nothing but more sin and rebellion against God and His Word. In all honesty, the philandering politician can use the same excuse and sing the same anthem: I was born this way. Instead of resigning, if we were honest and consistent, the next national figure caught with his pants down should just be allowed to say: Hey, I was born this way. If it works for one set of immoral behavior, it should work for all.

Unless we see that being born this way isn’t an excuse, it’s a condemnation. Being born into sin isn’t a laughing matter; it isn’t an free pass to do whatever we want whether it’s shooting people or pathetic pictures. Being born this way is an indictment against our very souls and understanding that should point us to our desperate need to be born again.

Whether the world likes to hear it or not, the only answer for any of these things is Jesus Christ. Only through faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross, only through the regeneration of our heart wrought by the Holy Spirit, can we hope to have our moral compass set straight, as well as our life’s compass in general.

But don’t expect folks to see the truth of that any time soon. Our sin blinded eyes will continue to make us think that we can laugh about sin on one hand, and try to act like we’re offended by it on the other. Only God can change the heart to see differently. And apart from a radical outpouring of His Spirit in genuine revival, that won’ happen.

So what’s the point? Simply this. Instead of spending time “tsking” at this or that sin, let’s try praying fervently for revival and get busy sharing the gospel. Instead of our churches trying to woo the culture by being like the culture and entertaining the culture, let’s try living like Christ and calling people to a Kingdom culture. Instead of continuing to imitate the world’s double standard on these things, let’s start promoting holiness and righteousness within the church, as well as condemning immorality outside our walls. Instead of just trying to command God to “bless America,” let’s try to be a blessing to America by pointing them to Christ and praying people will find in Him the only true source of blessing.

Ultimately, let’s pray God does a work in all of our hearts to give us a true passion for holiness and His glory in all things, so that we see all sin (and I mean all sin) for what it actually is: an affront to our holy God. May we grieve over our own sin, may we live in repentance, may we live with a moral consistency, and may God use us then as a witness to others to do the same.

Homeschooler Moment #6

2011-06-18T09:01:00.001-05:00

I’m not sure this is really just a homeschooler moment, though I guess it does reflect on the education we are providing.

Our family was playing a game of Apples to Apples. If you’ve not played it, it’s a word association game, where everyone has 7 cards with nouns on them. In this “Bible” version, those words are things like “Temple, Passover, Angel of Death, Abraham, The Trinity, etc.” Then we all take turns drawing a card with an adjective on it: Rich, Colorful, Huge, Patient, etc. And each person submits a noun card they think best goes with that description. Sometimes they really go together, other times it’s just for a laugh (like the “My Mind” card played for the word “Colorful”.) OK, got it?

So, the word is “Smelly.” The card also gives synonyms: stinky, bad odor, foul. So all the cards are in, and our daughter starts reading off the choices we’ve submitted: Sin, Heresy, Beggars, Rabbis… Wait a minute. I stop the game. We’ve never encouraged any sort of anti-semitism, so I ask “Rabbis?!” (I’m a preacher; I’m good with words and phrasing). My six year old looks at me with this look like “Duh, it’s so obvious.” And he says with great exaggeration, “You know…when they burp!”

Well, now you know the level of education we are providing in our home. Pray for us!

Let's Hear It For The Old Guys!

2011-06-13T10:13:00.005-05:00

My weekend didn’t start out so great. Going to visit our worship leader and his wife in the hospital after they’d just had a little baby girl, I was checking at the front desk for the room number. The kind older lady at the computer smiles at me and my wife and says: “Oh, are you the grandparents?” I think my jaw hitting the ground was the lady’s first indication that maybe she had made a mistake.

Now, being forty…something….I know that mathematically I’m old enough to be a grandparent. Our oldest daughter is in college now. I’m slowly coming to grips with that. But still, I’m not ready to be “gramps” just yet.

That’s why this weekend ended up being a really good one; not just for me for the forty-ish crowd world-wide. First, my “old” buddy Jeff Gordon pulled off another win, his second this season and 84th of his career. He’s now tied for third on NASCAR’s all-time win list. As a fan of the 24 team, I’m always glad to see them in victory lane, especially since those wins haven’t come as often as they used to. But now, with Gordon turning 40 in August, they are especially sweet.

The sport is always focusing on the “young guns,” and in some sense rightfully so. These young punks….er, young drivers come into the sport with so many advantages these days, and they begin winning right away. They certainly deserve some attention. But like in every area of life, it seems, we tend to worship youth, and it’s always nice to see the “old” guys take one.

Likewise, last night we saw the “old guys” in the NBA take the championship. The Dallas Mavericks, with an average player age of 33, are one of the oldest teams in the NBA and were considered underdogs going into the Finals against the hot shot trio of the Miami Heat: Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh. The NBA considers the “average” team to have an “average” age of less than 30. The Mavericks had a starting point guard, Jason Kidd, who is 38; the oldest starting point guard in a Finals game, and the oldest player next to legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to ever win a Finals.

Again, in a sport that worships youth (with players being drafted right out of high school these days instead of after a proven college career), it’s nice to see the old guys “school” them a bit.

Of course, this is nothing new. Youth and beauty have always been worshipped by sinful men, and our society has brought that to new levels in many ways. And yet, a biblical worldview reminds us that age and wisdom are often to be preferred.

Of course there are some extreme examples in Scripture: Abraham was just a bit older than average when his son was born. Most folks don’t live to be over 120 as many in the Old Testament did. We can talk about Moses being 80 years old when he led God’s people out of Egypt and the 85 year old Caleb claiming he was just as strong then as the day Moses first sent him out to spy the land, so let him “take this hill.” Those may seem extreme to us today.

And yet, while we don’t see many 85 year olds leading troops into battle, it’s not so much the exact age as the time of life. They lived to be 120, so these guys were in the last third of their life. For us that may be more like 50s or possibly 60s. The point being, we often look at that age as being ready for retirement, when God sees it as time to get busy. God sees these later years as a time to be serving Him, discipling the next generation, putting those years of growth and service in the Kingdom to good use.

Maybe being mid-40s has given me a new perspective on things; maybe be asked if I was a grandparent has made me defensive. But the truth is, God doesn’t see getting older as a reason to send folks out to pasture. He sees 40 or 50 years of life as just preparing us to begin accomplishing the task He put us here for. It took 40 years in Egypt and another 40 years in the desert for God to make Moses the kind of man he needed to be in order to do what God wanted him to do. Wisdom and maturity don’t spring up overnight.

The Mavs give credit to their “veteran” point guard for his leadership and poise in helping them win a championship. Gordon’s post race interview this weekend spoke of his “experience” helping him to win at Pocono. Maybe the rest of us ought to start remembering some of those things and looking to our “elders” as inspiration and fountains of wisdom to learn from. And maybe the “older” folks need to stop spending so much time looking forward to retirement, and asking God where the next hill is to conquer.

So let’s hear it for the old guys. Maybe God’s not quite through with you (or me) just yet.

Proper Proclamation: Another Sermon Summary

2011-06-07T10:12:00.001-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to return to a former church for the celebration of their 50th Anniversary. I wanted to remind them, and all of us, of what should be at the center of our ministry, the center of our proclamation. Below is a shortened version of the message I shared from 1 Corinthians 2:

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Cor. 2:1-5, ESV)

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. It’s not that Paul was uneducated and unable to speak with lofty speech or wise words. We know better than that, don’t we? And it’s not that Paul didn’t address other issues as they came up, because we see all throughout his letters that this is exactly what he does; applying the reality of the gospel message to all kinds of different situations.

But at the heart of it all is this one thing: Jesus Christ and him crucified. I think we’ve lost sight of that central message in many ways. Let me suggest to you several things our proclamation is not; and then what our proclamation is, reminding ourselves that it’s not about us; it’s about Him.

I. First of all, WE DO NOT PROCLAIM GRATIFICATION. In the wisdom of this age, in the plausible words of wisdom, as Paul calls it, many have suggested that the primary mission of the church is to simply gratify the consumer. We’ve been told that the church is like any other business, and our goal is simply to find the customers felt need and meet it.

Dozens and dozens of church growth books have been written based on that theme. Whole movements within the church have been based on this basic concept; find out what people want, find out what will satisfy them, find our what will gratify their own desires and then make the church about that. And so the church has become nothing more than one big self-help, self-esteem building project.

And the point is, the wisdom of the world tells us this approach is effective. It’s pragmatic, because it works. It draws crowds. People are gratified and so they come back and might even bring a friend. But our message is not about gratification. Jesus never told us to take a survey and find out what people wanted to hear and give them that, did He? And sadly, the end result of this gratification approach has really become bizarre and absurd as we will go to nearly any lengths to get folks attention. Which is the second thing we need to be reminded that our proclamation is not.

II. Number two, WE DO NOT PROCLAIM GIMMICKS. Paul says, I didn’t come to you with lofty speech. Other translations call it excellency of speech. What he’s referring to is the common practice of the Greek rhetoricians of the day, who went to great lengths crafting just the right arrangement of words, crafted in just the right way so as to have the most appeal, to get your attention.

I wonder what Paul would think of the church today? We’re so focused on trying to gratify and satisfy that we’ll go to any lengths to get people’s attention, to entertain them, to make them want to come to church. Tantalizing sermon series on sex, and attention grabbing gimmicks like the one church who had motorcycle stunts in the middle of sermon. We have a church down the road from us that built a whole sermon series around a certainly bodily function, and passed out whoopee cushions to all the attendees. One of our folks has a friend who attends there, and all they can talk about is how cool their church is because they pass out whoopee cushions. Is that what the church is about? Is that what Christ died for?

If we truly believe in the sufficiency of Scripture in all things, we don’t need to resort to gimmicks and entertainment based on a worldly wisdom. That’s not the heart of our proclamation.

III. Third, WE DO NOT PROCLAIM GROUPS. Go back up in to chapter one. Paul addresses the issue of some division that had arisen in the church over loyalty to this teacher over that teacher. But Paul says it’s not about which teacher or preacher is your favorite. It’s about Christ and only Christ. Our problem is that often we are tempted to promote this or that group. We preach this or that denomination, this or that church, this or that group within the church. We preach Southern Baptists. We preach our particular church.

It’s good to have some loyalty to our local church, because after all it is the expression of the body of Christ in that place; and we ought to have some loyalty to our denomination, since if we didn’t agree with it’s teachings we’d be in another denomination… While all that is well and good, our primary message we share with the world is not “be a Southern Baptist.” Our proclamation isn’t primarily “join our particular church.” Our message is not become part of our group. We preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We don’t proclaim groups, we don’t proclaim gimmicks, we don’t proclaim gratification.

IV. And then fourth, WE DO NOT PROCLAIM GOVERNMENT. Again, according to the wisdom of the world, many see our primary goal in the church as forming a huge voting block so we can get this country back where it ought to be.

Now, I know I have to be careful here. Because the truth is, we are commanded to be good citizens. And as good citizens of this nation, we ought to be involved in the political process. I’m not saying we hole up somewhere and ignore what’s going on in government. But in the end, government isn’t the answer. Passing this or that law is not the answer. Voting this or that way is not the ultimate answer, and so it should never be our primary emphasis. Not that we ignore it, but it’s not our primary proclamation. It shouldn’t be our primary emphasis because our liberal opponents actually have it right. You can’t legislate morality. All the laws in the world will not cause people to become moral. And even if it did, all you end up with is moral lost people who are still bound for hell.

Please hear me clearly. I’m not saying we should give up on the fight to pass moral laws. Yet, if abortions were stopped tomorrow, and gay marriage was outlawed permanently, and gambling was made illegal, and all the other moral issues were settled rightly, and all the right people were elected, whoever they are; that would still not save a single soul in eternity. Yes we should fight for these things, yes we should work for moral laws and work to encourage morality in all its forms. But morality will not save a single soul, and so that should never be our primary goal or proclamation. Government will never save anyone. Denominations and gimmicks and self help programs will never save anyone. People need to hear the gospel.

V. WE PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL. Paul says I didn’t proclaim any of that other stuff based on the wisdom of man. I didn’t offer you any of those pragmatic, humanistic solutions. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

The plain truth is that people are not just a little sick and in need of a self help program to make them feel better. It’s not just that they’re distracted and in need of some quirky attention getter to put them on the right track. People aren’t just lonely and in need of joining up with the right group, or just off track and in need of the right government programs to set things right. People are dead in their sins and trespasses and in need of life; life that only comes through the sacrifice, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Our problem is a sin problem, and only Christ can remedy that. Our problem is that we are born into rebellion against God and we need to have our rebellious hearts removed and replaced with hearts that are obedient to God. And only God, through Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit can accomplish that. And He has chosen to do that through the preaching of the gospel; Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

That’s our proclamation. That’s why we’re here. Don’t ever forget that. Don’t get distracted from the mission. Don’t let the world sidetrack us. Don’t fall into those traps that make us think it’s all about us, all about our satisfaction, all about our happiness and our popularity and our success. It’s all about Christ. It’s all about Him. We exist to proclaim His name, to obey His will, to accomplish His purposes, all for His glory. I challenge you to be the people of God He called you to be, proclaiming the message of Christ He called you to proclaim, and to God be the glory.

*Gospel-driven Disciples: Five Ways To Improve Your Gathering With The Body

2011-06-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is an amazing post about our approach to/attitude in worship. Wouldn't be right for me not to share it. Thanks Gregg.

*Gospel-driven Disciples: Five Ways To Improve Your Gathering With The Body: "The more I read, the more I listen, and the more I invite people to gather with me on Sunday mornings as part of a 'church service' the more..."

Remembering the Fallen (or...Thanks, Grandpa McGuire)

2011-05-30T11:27:00.004-05:00

Scott Weldon, the son of Gradie Weldon, husband to Evelyn Froehlich, the daughter of Harold Froehlich, husband to Arline Keeton, daughter of Frederick Keeton, son of Harrison Keeton, son of Robert Keeton, son of Abraham Keeton, husband to Rebecca McGuire, daughter of John McGuire, son of Lt. James C. McGuire, born in Dublin, Ireland in January of 1734, killed in action at the Battle of Blue Lick Springs, Kentucky on August 19, 1782.

To many of you that means nothing. To me, it’s a reminder that our family heritage includes many who have served this nation, including my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather who died in our nation’s fight for independence.

I briefly mentioned this connection back in March, around St. Patrick’s day because of the obvious Irish connection. I mention it now because as we remember the fallen, those who have died for the national freedoms we enjoy, I can’t help but think of Lt. McGuire.

For those who have heard of it, or those who even care, the Battle of Blue Licks Springs, Ky is considered by many to be the final battle of the American Civil War. Even though it happened nearly a year after the Battle of Yorktown and the famous surrender of Gen. Cornwallis, signaling the official end of the war, battles like the one at Blue Licks were common on the frontier and are just as much a part of the battle for freedom as the others.

Daniel Boone, part of this same battle in which his son Israel also was killed, said this: "So valiantly did our small party fight, to the memory of those who unfortunately fell in the Battle, enough of Honour cannot be paid." His words are included on a monument dedicated on the anniversary of this battle in 1928.

So what’s the point? Simply this. On this Memorial Day, it is good for us to remember all those who fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy in this great nation. Most of us have in our family history some similar story of those who have given their lives in defense of our grand republic. Enough Honour cannot be paid. But we can certainly try by remembering their sacrifice.

Yesterday I preached a sermon in which I reminded our church that our focus ought to be on God as the true source of all blessings. We talked about the fact that our truest blessing is in Christ; that those who are truly blessed are those who “hear the Word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28). That is certainly true, and I wouldn’t change a word I spoke.

However, on this Memorial Day, it is only right and fitting that we also “remember the fallen.” It is right that we remember those who have given their all for this greatest of nations. Just as it is right that we continue to remember those for whom this fight is yet being waged.

So, to the families of those who died in service: thank you. To all those who have served: thank you. To those who are serving even now: thank you and you are in our prayers.

And thank you Grandpa McGuire. I hope that we can live in such a way that we honor your sacrifice. And to God, truly, be the glory.

On Second Thought (or is it Third?)

2011-05-24T09:20:00.002-05:00

I figured it would only be a matter of time. Harold Camping has now stated that while he was a little "off" in his prediction of the Rapture, he still has the accurate details about the end of the world in October. He originally stated that the Rapture would happen on May 21, followed by a five month period of escalating "judgment", culminating in the final end in October. Now he says, "whoops, I misunderstood the first part, but the rest of it was right on." And this is after his previous failed prediction in 1994. Hmm....

Of course, he's not the first to try this. The more famous examples are people like Edgar Whisenant and his "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988." Of course, he did say "could be," but then on the inside he begins by saying that his book agrees "perfectly and in every detail with every verse in the Bible from cover to cover and particularly with the 886 end-time Bible prophecies perfectly and with all their included verses." (I should have known to question his accuracy when on the reverse cover of this book he sent me was the title for a second book attached called "On Borrowed Time." And the author's name there was misspelled "Edger." Not a good start)

Then, when the Rapture didn't happen, he reworked his calculations which were already in perfect agreement with Scripture (huh?), and came up with 1989. That didn't happen either, so then he went with 1993, and...well, you know.

And he wasn't the first either. Back in 1844, the world was supposed to end according to the followers of William Miller. The Millerite/Seventh Day Adventist prediction was wrong as well, leading to what many call The Great Disappointment. But not to be deterred, the Adventists simply changed their whole doctrine to explain away this false prediction.

Camping hasn't gone that far, but he had to do something, didn't he? He couldn't just ignore this major gaff. So his "absolute certainty" about the Rapture becomes a "miscalculation" and we're off the prophetic races again.

So what are we to do with this? The media is loving this because they like to lump all "Christians" together, and they think this makes us look pretty stupid. Of course, in many ways it does. If you preach the Biblical truth about Christ's return and the coming judgment right now, folks outside the church are going to have a real good laugh. So how do we respond?

Should we just join right along with all the others who are mocking Camping and his predictions? Denny Burk has some good words about that. Do we give Camping a "pass" in compassion? I don't see Paul giving that kind of compassion to the false teachers of his day. So what do we do?

How about this? How about we just keep on preaching the true Good News of Jesus Christ and let God work out the details. I mentioned to our SS class on Sunday that it would be great to see true believers as committed to the True Gospel as these deluded folks are committed to the Lie. We heard of people giving their life savings to Camping's cause, spending hours and hours spreading the word of the coming judgment. What if the True Church was that committed to the Truth of God's Word? How amazing would it be to see what God could do with that kind of passion and commitment.

I love the way the book of Acts opens. As Jesus is about to depart this world, His disciples want to know "When are You coming back?" And Jesus says, "'It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.' And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'" (Acts 1:7-11, ESV)

I love that because not only do we have the words of our Lord Himself telling us not to worry about setting dates for His return, but then we have the correction of the angelic messenger basically telling the disciples to stop standing there with their mouths hanging open and get busy. That's our mission as well. Stop staring at the sky with your mouth open, waiting for this or that date, and get busy. Preach the Word.

Our response to all this false teaching is to be sure we are continuing to teach the True Gospel with all our might. Jesus never said, "Oops, on second thought..." He said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)

Amen, Come Lord Jesus!

I'm Still Here

2011-05-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm still here. Is this good news, or bad?

Of course, I wrote this on Saturday morning, scheduled for Sunday morning, so I guess it's possible that I'm not really still here. But...

The saddest part of all of this is the fact that false teachers such as Camping give a "black eye" to all of Christianity. I think Dan Nuckols put it well:May we be faithful in proclaiming the real Good News while we still have breath, for one day Christ will return, and I for one want to be found faithful. After all, I am still here, so there is work to be done.

This May Be My Last Post

2011-05-19T11:38:00.004-05:00

I know I’m not as diligent as so many others in keeping up with the blogging thing. My posts average about once a week, sometimes more, but sometimes even less. I’m just grateful that anyone takes the time to visit this little corner of the blogosphere from time to time to see what my rants and raves are about. But this may be the last time I’ll post here.

Knowing my average is only once a week, if I post today, that means I may not get around to posting anything else for several days. And as we all know, the world is ending on Saturday evening. More accurately, Christ is returning at 6pm on Saturday, May 21st. (I’m not sure if that’s Eastern, Central, Mountain or Pacific. It may be Jerusalem time which would make it….oh, never mind)

In case you haven’t heard, well known prophetic preacher Harold Camping says he has it absolutely accurate this time. “This time” of course referring to “last time” when he predicted the end of the world in 1994. But this time he has it right. Absolutely, without a doubt, as clear as a bell in Scripture, accurate prediction of Christ’s return on May 21, 2011 at 6pm.

So, since I don’t plan on blogging from heaven, this will be my last chance. Seriously, though (as if you thought I was being serious up to this point), I don’t want to spend all of my time here knocking a heretic like Camping. Instead, it has brought to my mind the very serious subject of “what if this really was my last chance to share a message with anyone.”

If I truly knew that this was my last chance to say anything, my final breath so to speak, what would I say? I’ve always liked John Newton’s last words: “My memory is almost gone, but I remember two things; I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” Not a bad summation of things.

I’ve also admired the strength and persistence of George Whitefield. Before preaching his last sermon on Sept. 29, 1770 he prayed “Lord Jesus, I am weary in thy work, but not of thy work. If I have not yet finished my course, let me go and speak for thee once more in the fields, seal thy truth, and come home and die.” Before going to bed that night, a group that had gathered where he was staying asked for one short message. With his all but dying breaths, he gave them that message, speaking until the candle went out.

Reminds me of the words to a song I’ve quote here before, from the O. C. Supertones: “I will keep preaching till I'm took out, Till I'm in Heaven en route, No sell out. Last breath before the candle flickers out, I’ll speak the name of Jesus.”

So if this was my last breathe, I’d want to speak the name of Jesus. If this was my last post, I would want you to know that there is salvation in on one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

My plan for this Sunday is to preach from Luke 11:24-26 about what true conversion is. I say “my plan” because the truth is, heretic prophecy or not, I don’t know for sure I’ll be here Sunday. None of us are promised another breath. Christ may return or I may die; we don’t know, only the Father does. But my plan is to share a few thoughts about genuine conversion.

It’s not about morality. It’s not about religion. It’s not about joining a church. It’s about regeneration. It’s about justification. It’s about the name of Jesus, the sacrifice of Jesus, the finished work of Christ on the cross and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. And there are real evidences that should accompany that true conversion. Not just a cleaned up life, not just religious ritual, not just church attendance. Genuine change.

J.C. Ryle said “There is no safety except in conversion… We must not only be reformed, but born again… Conversion is more than mere external, moral renovation. It is a heart which has been changed and transformed and softened and given new and eternal life by the work of the Gospel by Jesus Christ.”

If this were my last message, I would say this: Have you experienced that transformation? Has Jesus truly changed you life? Are you truly born again? Has His Spirit produced a genuine conversion in your life? Have you come to Christ in faith, turning from your sin in true repentance, trusting fully in His saving work?

If not, come to Christ. Turn from your sin and trust in Christ alone. The truth is, the world will end one day. You will die. You will draw your last breath, as will I. Come to Christ now, before it’s too late. Glorify Him with every breath you have now, or glorify Him by your own judgment in the Day to come. So if this is my last post, so be it. To God Be The Gory!

A Note to Some Friends

2011-05-12T10:38:00.001-05:00

In light of my rant a few days ago regarding the state of marriage in particular, and some specific marriages in our own “realm” of existence, my wife asked me to post this.

This is an old song from one of our favorite Christian bands of days gone by called the Allies. For the last couple weeks, as we’ve seen the struggles in our friends’ lives, Cheryl said this song has been going through her mind. While the song is obviously meant to be addressed to God’s people, an encouragement from our faithful God to not run away from His love, she hopes that the message will also be clearly seen/heard by many as a call to not run away from anything right, including marriage.

Here are the lyrics, and you can listen/watch the link below. I pray this is an encouragement to you today.

Don’t Run Away

I’m givin’ you the answer
Before you ask the question
You say it sounds too easy
Because you’ve heard it all before
It’s a life changing story
That time can never alter
And I can tell that it touched you
Though you’re walkin’ out the door

I keep on sending you those cards and letter
That lay it all out on the lines
I keep on telling you there’s something better
You’ve come too far, to leave it behind

(chorus)
Don’t run away, don’t run away
Don’t run away when someone loves you
Don’t run away, don’t run away
Don’t run away when someone cares for you

Your mind won’t admit it
But your heart would like to listen
And you can tell in your spirit
There’s no greater love around
Now it all seems so strange
You’re afraid you’ll never feel it
Put your faith where your heart is
There’s a treasure to be found

(second chorus)
Don’t run away, don’t run away
Don’t run away when someone loves you
Don’t run away, don’t run away
Don’t run away from where you know you should be
The life that you were meant to lead
Don’t run away from what you know is right

Copyright 1985 Light Records

Homeschooler Moment #5

2011-05-11T09:28:00.000-05:00

So we're sitting at the table, just enjoying having the oldest home from college for a couple weeks, when the youngest pipes up out of nowhere and says: "I'd love to go to school, but you'd have to walk all the way to a bus stop." Yes, the walking distance to the nearest bus stop is our primary reason for homeschooling.

However, later in that same meal we discover that this 6 year old has been contemplating the real value of home education while the rest of us have been having other conversations. He concludes: "When I get bigger, I wanna be home colleged."

What in the World is Going On?

2011-05-09T10:45:00.004-05:00

All right, I’ll admit it. I’m a bit down, confused, depressed, discouraged…pick your adjective. In the last few months we’ve been dealing with way too many friends, church members, fellow ministers who are dealing with devastating issues in their marriages. Two fellow pastors are facing divorce. Several of our church families are having major crises in their marriages. Hence the question: What in the world is going on?

And just as I’m trying to get my mind around this seemingly heightened attack from the enemy against the foundational institution of marriage, I read this article from Dr. Al Mohler in which he shares the report of one “expert” who is touting the demise of marriage as an institution. You’ll really have to go and read the article. Some of what this guy says is just jaw dropping for anyone with any sense of morality or biblical faithfulness.

Which is really the whole point. This whole thing is just jaw dropping to me. OK, the “death of marriage” coming from worldly, sinful, godless people is hardly a shock. We’ve been heading for that little cliff edge or some time, and we’re now starting to feel the pebbles begin slipping into oblivion. I get that. I’ve said repeatedly that we shouldn’t expect unconverted people to behave in any other way except as unconverted people. So maybe I should pick my jaw up there.

But when we’re dealing with the marriages of people who claim to know Christ, who have been supposedly walking with Him for decades, in some cases have been in ministry for decades; I’m sorry, the jaw on the floor is going to have to stay. What in the world is going on?

Of course, I think my answer can be found in the question. In most, if not all, of the situations I’m personally aware of the problem comes from that phrase “in the world.” There is too much worldliness in our marriages, in our families, in our homes. Hearing the issues involved in some of these marriage issues, it’s nothing more than the result of having been bombarded with the world’s messages of what “success” and “happiness” and “personal fulfillment” are all about.

Too often, my Christian friends, we spend more time in the world, hearing the world’s ideas, being subtly swayed by a secular worldview that comes through our workplaces, our friendships, our entertainment, etc. And we spend too little time in the Word, listening to God’s ideas, being swayed by a biblical worldview that is supported by our friends, our entertainment, etc. After awhile, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised when we start to think like the world.

In nearly all of the situations I’ve been involved in, a desire for biblical faithfulness is thrown out the window in favor of being “happy” or “fulfilled.” I’ve even heard the idea that “God wouldn’t want me to continue living in an unhappy relationship like this.” God save us!

Folks, marriage wasn’t our idea to begin with. We don’t have the freedom to throw it out, to change the parameters of what it means, or anything else. God created marriage to be a portrait of the relationship between Himself and His people. We see that all through Scripture, but especially clearly in Ephesians 5 where Paul directly states this truth.

Now, given that, let’s do a little rethinking. God has entered a covenant relationship with us. Yes, with us: sinful, selfish, faithless people. We fail to live up to that covenant in so many ways (do I really need to remind you of Israel’s history here?). Ask yourself, is God “happy” and “fulfilled” when we repeatedly turn our backs on Him, thumb our noses at His Word, live more for the harlot of the world than for our faithful Spouse? And yet we’re willing to throw our own marriages away for some worldly ideas about what happiness entails. WAKE UP!

Yes, I’m yelling. I’m frustrated. I’m grieved. I’m overwhelmed by the sinful hearts and actions of those who are supposed to love Christ and seek holiness. I know we all still sin. I know we’re not perfect, and all of that. But folks, this isn’t some game. Our marriages are supposed to be sacred covenants. What are we telling our children about commitment, about covenants, about even our covenant with God when we so easily turn our backs on those things by our actions?

I know this is just a rant. But I don’t apologize. We need to rant about this. We need to go to our brothers and sisters in Christ and show them the seriousness of their sin, and the grief they are causing their families, their church families, and yes, even God Himself.

And maybe more practically, I want to shout to all of you out there (or should I say both of you who read this). Protect your marriages! Get in the Word and out of the world. Don’t fall for the lie that a little of this and a little of that won’t hurt. Don’t walk along that edge of sin and temptation thinking you won’t fall off. It can happen to you.

Love your wives, men. Honor them. Serve and sacrifice for them. Seek their good above your own. Not just when things are good. Not just when they are making you happy. Do it because God commands it.

Ladies, submit to your husbands in a biblical way; honoring and respecting them. Love and serve them. Seek their good above your own. Not just when things are good. Not just when they are making you happy. Do it because God commands it.

It’s time the church stood up and made this a bigger priority. It’s time we stop looking the other way and just saying “oh, that’s just the way it is these days.” Stop it! If people don’t hear it from the church, they won’t hear it at all.

And pray. Oh, for all that’s holy, pray! Pray for your wives, men. Pray for your husband, ladies. Pray for the marriages in your church. Pray for your friends and family. Pray that this assault from the enemy would be stemmed, and the foundation of the family would again be made strong. Pray for hearts to be drawn back to Christ, for His honor and glory. And pray for yourselves, that God would keep you from falling into these same traps. God save our families.

Thank You, Lord

2011-05-08T07:37:00.003-05:00

Let me keep this very simple. I thank God for my wonderful mother.

And I thank God for the beautiful wife he has given me as a mother to my own children.

God is so good.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.

Bin Laden - My (Borrowed) Two Cents

2011-05-04T14:06:00.002-05:00

Over the last few days I’m sure you’ve read various responses to the death of Osama Bin Laden, just as I have. And I’m sure that you’ve heard a little bit of everything, as have I. On the one hand there are those who are celebrating like Mardi Gras. On the other side are those who say that we should never rejoice over the death of anyone, especially someone now in hell (unless you believe Rob Bell. On that note: see this wonderful take)

I have nothing really to offer on the subject, other than to say that the truth is somewhere in the middle. I think Scripture certainly allows for “rejoicing” at the demise of those who are enemies of the Church and humanity in general, which this man certainly was. At the same time, we should take solemn note of the reality of his destiny and know that we deserverthe same. Only the Sovereign Saving Grace of Christ stands between any of us and the same reward.

So since I’m really too poor to offer my own two cents, let me borrow a few pennies from someone else. The following thoughts come from C. H. Spurgeon regarding the “imprecatory” Psalms, those that curse and wish for the destruction of an enemy. The first is his own, the second is a quote from another included in Spurgeon’s Treasury of David. Hope you find them helpful.

“If this be an imprecation, let it stand; for our heart says "Amen" to it. It is but justice that those who hate, harass, and hurt the good should be brought to naught... This present age is so flippant that if a man loves the Saviour he is styled a fanatic, and if he hates the powers of evil he is named a bigot. As for ourselves, despite all objectors, we join heartily in this commination; and would revive in our heart the old practice of Ebal and Gerizim, where those were blessed who bless God, and those were cursed who make themselves a curse to the righteous. We have heard men desire a thousand times that the gallows might be the reward of the assassins who murdered two inoffensive men in Dublin, and we could never censure the wish; for justice ought to he rendered to the evil as well as to the good. Besides, the church of God is so useful, so beautiful, so innocent of harm, so fraught with good, that those who do her wrong are wronging all mankind and deserve to be treated as the enemies of the human race. Study a chapter from the "Book of Martyrs", and see if you do not feel inclined to read an imprecatory Psalm over Bishop Bonner and Bloody Mary. It may be that some wretched nineteenth century sentimentalist will blame you: if so, read another over him.” (C. H. Spurgeon)

“Imprecations. —I cannot forbear the following little incident that occurred the other morning at family worship. I happened to be reading one of the imprecatory psalms, and as I paused to remark, my little boy, a lad of ten years, asked with some earnestness: "Father, do you think it right for a good man to pray for the destruction of his enemies like that?" and at the same time referred me to Christ as praying for his enemies. I paused a moment to know how to shape the reply so as to fully meet and satisfy his enquiry, and then said, "My son, if an assassin should enter the house by night, and murder your mother, and then escape, and the sheriff and citizens were all out in pursuit, trying to catch him, would you not pray to God that they might succeed and arrest him, and that he might be brought to justice?" "Oh, yes!" said he, "but I never saw it so before. I did not know that that was the meaning of these Psalms." "Yes", said I, "my son, the men against whom David plays were bloody men, men of falsehood and crime, enemies to the peace of society, seeking his own life, and unless they were arrested and their wicked devices defeated, many innocent persons must suffer." The explanation perfectly satisfied his mind.” —F.G. Hibbard, in "The Psalms chronologically arranged", 1856.