Overheard at New Covenant

Family Camp 2011!

2011-08-03T14:59:00.007-04:00

Join us for Family Camp, August 8-12, 5:30-7:45!

What exactly is Family Camp? For five evenings, we will eat together; serve children through lessons, music, and activities (a “VBS” format); and grow in relationship to God and one another.

Where and when? New Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1552 Kempsville Rd, in Virginia Beach. Dinner is served at 5:30pm each night but you can arrive early too.

Is Family Camp just another name for Vacation Bible School? Children will have all the excitement of a VBS. Unlike a traditional VBS, there is a stronger emphasis on the church-wide community, eating together (a biblical priority!), time together as parents/adults, and because it is in the evening there is a greater role for dads to play.

Who should come? Everyone, with or without children. For children, registration forms are available in the church foyer or you can contact the church office at 757-467-5945 to RSVP.

What are the ages for children? Rising K-6 have their own classes. Parents can accompany younger children so they can be part also. Teens serve in drama, music, games, crafts, and even teaching, but it’s important to sign up and secure a spot.

What if my child has special needs? Let us know on the registration form if there are dietary restrictions or special needs. Help us know how to best serve you and bless your family!

What are the seminars for adults this year? At 6:15 there will be discussion-oriented talks for all the adults who attend and are available. Here’s the list:

Monday: Stories of God’s Grace, Part One (New Covenant Members)
Tuesday: Rediscovering the Gospel (Nigel Anderson, Crisis Pregnancy Center)
Wednesday: Stories of God’s Grace, Part Two (New Covenant Members)
Thursday: God’s Design for Our Relationships (Wally Sherbon, New Life Presbyterian)
Friday: Where Do I Fit? (Pastor Jeff Elliott)

We hope to see you at Family Camp! Bring a friend!

And remember... we cook for you!

NCPC on Facebook

2010-08-24T09:06:00.004-04:00

Click on the Facebook icon to check out new link.

Updates to the New Covenant Site

2010-07-10T14:21:00.002-04:00

We have recently been bringing our site up to date, and so we hope the information you find here is valuable.

Most recently, our sermon files have been updated so that you can easily access almost all sermons from 2010 by clicking on the sermon picture on the homepage. If you have any trouble, email the office and we'll make sure everything's working.

If you have never been to New Covenant, we welcome you to join us! And thank you for visiting the site.

A Pastor's Prayer for his church

2010-04-20T11:10:00.002-04:00

Charles Spurgeon - "Gracious God, we praise you with our whole hearts for the wonderful revelation of your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. We think every day of his passion (suffering), for all our hope lies in His death: but as often as we think about it, we are filled with astonishment that You should so love the world as to give Your only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have eternal life! May those dear wounds of His have more sway over us than any silver scepter had over the subjects of earthly princes. May we feel that if he drank for us the vinegar and gall, whatever cup He sets before us we will cheerfully drink.

Getting Ready for Summer... Already?

2010-04-17T06:07:00.003-04:00

In Virginia Beach, summer comes quickly. After the cold of winter (and this time around, the endless rain and even snow!) there is usually 90 minutes of spring followed by a nice long summer. And you can already feel it heating up - yesterday it was 85 degrees!

We're also getting ready to serve Christ together this summer. Behind the scenes, we are plotting and planning. Two of the big ticket items are a missions trip in which we partner with a Brazilian/Hispanic church in Newark, NJ, and a community outreach in our own backyard (literally) commonly known as VBS. This year, the VBS is going to be different. Hopefully in a way that fosters deeper relationships at NCPC while also welcoming others into a relationship with Jesus and with us.

Jeff and I, along with the staff, have been talking about these things for months now. As we now feel even closer to summer, please take time to learn about how you can be involved. Not just in some activities, but in a relationship with Jesus Christ and with one another. This should be one of the greatest blessings of working together, and reaching out together, this summer.

Note: The NJ Missions Trip is scheduled for July 17-25. Vacation Bible School is August 2-6.

Have You Considered the Book of Job?

2010-03-27T15:00:00.002-04:00

We're studying the Book of Job in one of our classes on Sunday mornings. (We encourage you to stick around after service!)

As you may know, the book of Job begins with terrible calamities befalling Job: the loss of ten children, destruction of his property, and then he is struck with a terrible disease. And it all begins with a discussion between Satan and God.

One thing that stood out to me in our discussion last week was the fact that it is God who brings up Job's name first. In speaking to Satan in chapter 1, He asks, "Have you considered my servant Job?"

God is, so to speak, boasting in His servant Job. He calls him an upright man. Oh, wouldn't we want God to cherish such thoughts of us?

Then again... maybe not. After all, it is the fact that God prizes Job so much that he is put to such an extreme test. It reminds me of Jesus' words--"The last will be first and the first last." Those God prizes might very well be those in our midst whose faith is being refined in the fire. Yet we might have it all backwards, thinking that God most prizes those who are influential and successful and healthy.

One final thought: Jesus was God's only begotten, and beloved, Son. And yet He suffered more than any other man ever suffered--under the weight of our sin.

Day of Prayer - March 24, 2010

2010-02-27T16:59:00.004-05:00

Please mark your calendar for March 24, 2010. On that day, we are going to seek the Lord's face as a congregation, whether we are working, studying, or rocking babies to sleep. In the evening, we'll come together as a church body for a meal and some time of praying together. (Bring those little ones, too! We'll be time-sensitive for their sake.)

Why is it that prayer is so important? It's the way that we most explicitly do what God most desires of us--praise Him and look to Him for our every need.

Sometimes we don't pray until we really feel a strong sense of need--which is unfortunate, because are always in need of God. One of the worst things that can happen to us is to find ourselves feeling just fine, in need of nothing. If we feel fine, we're in worse trouble than we think!

It's important to pray as individuals, families, and as a church family. So please put a big X on March 24. More info will be in the church bulletin in the weeks to come.

Sermons Online

2010-02-27T16:57:00.002-05:00

Jimmey Leblanc who designed our website also has been regularly uploading each Sunday sermon to our site. Some are not aware this feature is available.

If you want to hear or download a sermon, simply click on the picture that says "Listen to this Week's Sermon." Of course, you can listen to last week's also!

Update on Haiti & Sweetheart Banquet

2010-02-05T11:41:00.003-05:00

A few announcements to be aware of. First, a praise: Praise our Lord for His provision of $2,400 collected thus far for our denomination's Haiti relief effort!

Second, don't forget that Valentine's Day is fast approaching. With that in mind, make sure to sign up for our Sweetheart Banquet and help the youth at the same time. Here's the info:

The Unforgettable Evening will be Saturday, February 13, at 6PM. This is a Valentine's Day Banquet raising support for our youth (In5) missions trip this summer. Suggested donation is $30 per couple. Dinner, dessert, music, and games will be provided. Last year's was unforgettable, and this one will be as well! Contact the church office to sign up: 757-467-5945 or ncpca@newcovenantpca.org.

Christmas Eve Candlight Service

2009-12-24T10:48:00.002-05:00

Please join us tonight at 7:00pm as we celebrate our Savior's birth. A cookie reception will follow the service!

Christmas Music & Ornament Exchange

2009-12-11T16:23:00.002-05:00

Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus Christ's birth together. You are cordially invited to join us for these special activities, this Sunday and Monday evening:

Christmas Musical Celebration, Sunday at 7 PM. This is a wonderful time to invite your family, friends, and neighbors to join you as we worship our Lord and celebrate His birth. We have flyers in the foyer for you to take to those you invite. Fellowship will follow the service.

Women’s Fellowship and Ornament Exchange, Monday, December 14, 7 PM. Ladies, please bring a wrapped $10 or less ornament and a plate of cookies or finger food to share at Katy Cashman’s home (533 Gleneagle Drive, Virginia Beach 23462).

Special Services - Let's Give Thanks!

2009-11-20T13:29:00.003-05:00

This Sunday morning, November 22, our new senior pastor Jeff Elliott will preach from Luke 7:36-50, “A Uniquely Christian Thankful Heart.” This is a needed message at a time when people are beginning to forget what the purpose of Thanksgiving is... sadly, it seems to be seen by many people as "Black Friday Eve" rather than the highlight of the entire year, in which we give thanks to a God who bountifully gave His Son for us.

Sunday evening at 6 PM Pastor Elliott will be officially installed as our senior pastor. This is a worship service, following which there will be a time for fellowship together.

Also, on Wednesday evening (the night before Thanksgiving), we will gather together for a Thanksgiving Service at 7 PM. Growth groups will not be meeting that evening, and we will take a special "thanks offering" for the deacons’ fund which helps those in need.

We hope to see you in the coming days!

Great and Greatly

2009-10-09T15:51:00.003-04:00

This weekend I'll be preaching on "God the Almighty" from Revelation 4. In that text we see in colorful imagery what is spoken in Psalm 145:3:

God is great, and greatly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable!

God is great: He is the almighty God. Concerning His throne, we are told that heaven and earth flee from it. He has endless reserves of power, and uses them. He does His will. He has His way.

God is greatly to be praised: Our worship should correspond to the magnitude and majesty of God. This means all our emotion, energy, and artistry should be fully employed in worship. No second rate worship. No reserved, respectable, restrained worship. It should go to 11.

God's greatness is unsearchable. We have trouble conceiving of this because we see so little of God--He is crowded out by a roomful of idols, a variety of TV shows and sporting events, and other interests. But the handbook of praise called the Psalms tells us more than once that those who love God become students of God (see Psalm 111 and again 145). The more you learn, the more you will worship--even as you learn that there's always more to learn!

Tim Smith of Mars Hill Church in Seattle put it well (I heard him speak on Wednesday, and actually he was simply summarizing John Piper). "Scripture commands that we respond to God's glory with the full range of both inward and outward expression."

Or, to put it differently, "God is great and greatly to be praised."

Weakness and Strength

2009-09-22T06:01:00.004-04:00

We want to be strong. Therefore, we pursue those activities that will make us strong. This may mean lifting weights or it may mean obtaining the best education possible. It may mean saving up money or it may mean gathering the "right people" around us. In a church setting, it may mean redoubling our efforts or commitments.

And yet... God seems to often have a different plan. When God wants to use us - that is to say, when God wants to expand our service to Him - He does not make us strong. He makes us weak.
In fact, I think there are three indicators that God is making us a more useful instrument in His hand.

1. He brings weakness. By this I do not mean sin, as in "I gave into my weakness." No, by this I mean trial and difficulty, as in, "I have nowhere to turn...but to God." I recently heard Rosemarie Miller say that we tend to look around us to be rescued, but God is ever trying to make us look upward. Weakness makes us...finally...look upward.

2. He brings repentance. Though our trials may not be a result of our sin, they do expose the self-centered ways we deal with difficulty. They expose attitudes. God leads us to see these, mourn over these, and seek His forgiveness and grace. It's the beginning of real change.

3. He gives His Son and gives His Spirit. When God first breathes spiritual life into us, it happens as we see our need (weakness), ask forgiveness (repent), and receive Jesus Christ as Savior. The pattern remains throughout our life. We are not "unsaved" and "resaved," but we are continually growing in Christ - and when God wishes to make us more useful, more faithful, He grants to us a fresh turning to Jesus and experience of His Spirit.

So if you are looking for God to make you more useful to Himself - look to see if God is answering your prayer by making you weak, repentant, and Christ-centered.

Note: Some of these thoughts emerged from reflecting on Ephesians 6 and the phrase "be strong in the Lord" (not in ourselves) and on 2 Corinthians 1.

Does Your Family Have a Story?

2009-08-21T11:02:00.004-04:00

Has God been gracious to your family? Are you prepared to tell your children the story of God's grace?

The classic passage on instructing children, at least in the Old Testament, is Deuteronomy 6:1-9. There we are told to continually talk with our children about God's law (His word, His rules, His ways). What might be a little less familiar is the end of the chapter, where we are told to tell our children stories. And not just cute stories but serious, glorious, stories of God's works.

“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there... (Deuteronoomy 6:20-23a.)

In other words, our children are bound to ask us at some point, "Why do we believe all this stuff?" Certainly they'll be asking when they are a teenager if not sooner!

What is striking to me is this. We are not told to engage in a heavy philosophical debate, such as, "Well, son, the Christian worldview is the one belief system that makes sense of the world as it really is..." This would be my natural approach. And there's a place for this kind of reasoning, to be sure.

What we're told to first tell our children is much more dynamic. We are told to tell them a story of God's grace--"We were in desperate straits. Apart from God we'd still be in a terrible mess. But He delivered us. So we're going to follow Him!"

The most profound story that we all share is the story of redemption in Jesus Christ. But I believe we should also tie that grand story to our personal story of God's redemption. For example, I can tell my son when he grows up, "I had no meaningful relationship with my dad. My mom was an example of faith, but I rebelled against God anyway and became an arrogant, foolish young man. But God rescued me; He saved me and changed my heart radically. And He put role models in my life to teach me His ways, and He blessed me with your mother who is a very wise woman. Apart from these graces of God, who knows what mess our family would be in. So we're going to keep following Him!"

What's your story? Have your kids heard it yet?

Who's Got Time?

2009-07-11T09:45:00.004-04:00

From Leland Ryken, in his book Redeeming the Time--commenting on the biblical injunction to, you guessed it, "redeem the time."

"One of the features of contemporary life is therefore a prevailingly personal attitude toward time; with time felt to be so hurried, people are almost forced to protect their time as their own possession. This is especially true of time apart from one’s job, since one-the-job time is pretty much coerced and not felt to be our own.

The result of personalized time is a loss of shared time. People feel less obligation to give their time to others than they once did, and so the social dimension of time is in jeopardy today. While influential social critics ascribe this to individualism and self-absorption, I am inclined to attribute it to current attitudes toward time. It is partly our time famine that leads people to think that they have no time to share.”

Who owns your time?

The Lost Art of Loving God (w/Scriptures)

2009-07-07T13:37:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday we looked at a variety of Scripture passages related to self-deception and proper self-examination concerning our love for God. For those whose pen, pencil, or iPhone couldn't keep up--or for those who would just like to review these verses again--here's the breakdown. There are some bonus passages included here too. (You can look any of these up quickly by going over to www.biblegateway.com)

God's greatest commandment is 100% love for Him and our neighbor:
Matthew 22:33-40

Three passages that reveal our self-deception, telling ourselves that we are accepted by God based on other criteria:
Revelation 2:1-7
Revelation 3:1-6
Matthew 7:21-23

Overview of deception in Scripture:
Satan is a deceiver: Genesis 3:13, Revelation 12:9
Sin is deceitful: Hebrews 3:13
Satan's followers are deceived: 2 Timothy 3:13, 2 Corinthians 11:13
(Notice the deadly 3:13's!)

Big problem. Our hearts are deceitful:
Jeremiah 17:9
Galatians 6:3, 7
James 1:26
1 Corinthians 3:18
1 John 1:8

Deceptive Unbelief:
Romans 1:18ff

Deceptive Immorality:
Ephesians 5:6
Galatians 6:7

Deceptive Morality:
Revelation 2:1-7
Luke 18:9-14 and 18:18-30

A prayer to keep ourselves in the love of God:
Proverbs 30:7-9

An exhortation to keep ourselves in the love of God:
Jude v.21

Promises that we will be kept in the love of God if we are in Christ:
Romans 8:31-39

The love of God is an art, not a science. Remember your first love!

Every Pastor Needs a Pastor

2009-06-30T14:22:00.002-04:00

Every pastor needs a pastor. This is because every pastor is a human being and therefore needs shepherding in the form of advice, instruction, admonition, and example. Most pastors I know seek to find this through fellowship with other pastors, or through a "coach" of some sort.

I would also recommend that every pastor download sermons from a respected fellow pastor, every week--religiously. Just as we expect others to come to church each Sunday to hear God's word preached, we should make this weekly commitment to hear God's word preached from someone other than ourselves.

This is a great way to remember that we are Christians first, pastors second.

Some tips:

1. Commit to one particular pastor. Don't listen haphazzardly to whatever looks interesting on iTunes each week. (Just as you wouldn't want the people of your church to rotate between a half dozen churches.)

2. Set aside a time each week to listen and take notes. Don't just listen while you're driving or jogging or otherwise multitasking. Take it seriously.

3. Choose either a well-known "pastor to pastors" such as Tim Keller, John Piper, or Mark Driscoll, or someone who was a personal mentor to you. If that pastor puts his sermons on the web, your relationship with him can continue as you listen to his weekly messages.

4. If you choose the well-known "celebrity" pastor, be careful. Don't let the listening be mere entertainment or curiosity.

5. Take the message seriously. Put it into practice. Not just as a pastor/leader, but as a Christian, husband, dad, soccer coach, etc.

6. Be careful not to listen to too many messages per week. One is plenty to pray over, repent over, and put into practice.

7. Pray for this pastor, just as you hope your people pray for you!

Pastor According to God's Heart

2009-05-24T07:38:00.003-04:00

Today I'll be preaching on leadership within the church, based on Ephesians 4:11-12 in particular. The leaders Jesus provides to His church are gifts, as Ephesians says. In fact, they are long-promised gifts, as Jeremiah 3:15 prophesies:

"I will give you pastors (literally shepherds) according to Mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding."

John Shaw preached a sermon on this passage from Jeremiah back in the day... August 25, 1752. It is in print as a short but helpful booklet: The Character of a Pastor According to God's Heart.

Here's a snippet:

"Ministers according to God's heart are men of prayer. They are much in prayer. ... Verily, they may preach even to paleness and faintness, until the bellows are burnt, until their lungs and vitals are consumed, and their hearers will never be the better, not one sinner converted until God is graciously pleased, by the efficacious working of His Spirit, to add His blessing. ... All will be in vain, to no saving purpose, until God is pleased to give the increase. And in order to this, God looks for their prayers to come up to His ears."

They are not only men who pray but who lead godly lives:

"If not afraid of running into the fire themselves, will they be zealous to pull their hearers out of the flames? If they do not tremble at the thought of trifling themselves with heaven and hell, with salvation and damnation, will they faithfully warn their hearers against doing so?"

Lord, help us to be faithful men!

Prayer is not an ATM

2009-05-16T07:23:00.002-04:00

I wrote this as a comment on a blog devoted to prayer, and afterward thought a modified version would be helpful to share here. This is something I need to always remind myself!

I think that we (meaning I) often think of prayer as a way we make a transaction with God. I do this thing called prayer and the Lord, in turn, does what I ask. This confuses exactly who is "Lord," but nevertheless, this is how we (meaning I) often look at things.

When that transaction is not completed--that is, when God doesn't dispense the desired answer to prayer quickly and efficiently--we begin to doubt His goodness. We think our divine ATM machine is broken. We might even bang it with our fist, though that doesn't help.

But in reality, prayer is not fundamentally about getting stuff from God. It is most fundamentally about fellowship with God, our heavenly Father. This includes requests, just a child looks to his father for his needs, but is much more. And even the requests are not transactions intended to prove or disprove whether God is really there caring for us, as if we could put him to the test.

I recently asked someone who is just getting to know the Bible (he learned John 3:16 recently) what he thought prayer was for. I assumed his answer would be something about asking God for stuff. Instead he said, “I guess it’s a way to be close to God.” That’s a great answer!

I hope we (meaning I) will answer the same way when asked.

Don't Waste Your Easter

2009-04-14T06:24:00.002-04:00

Jeff is a good friend of mine from seminary. I learned, when we were in seminary together, that he's not a morning person. At least, he wasn't back then. He was the type to roll out of bed and into class, whether class started at 8:00 or 9:00... or 10:00. On the other hand, I tended to rise pretty early.

Jeff loves the outdoors. In fact, I became friends with Jeff during an 18-mile hike... lots of conversation can happen over 18 miles.

One day we decided to go hiking early in the morning, before class, at a park not far from the school. Since I was the morning person and Jeff was not, it was my job to wake him up. So at some early hour, before it was quite light outside, I walked over to Jeff's apartment pondering just what it would take to get him out of bed.

It didn't take much. His eyes opened right up. In fact, it was unclear whether he had even been asleep. And off we went.

In the first-century narratives of the Resurrection that we find in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, there are a few consistent themes. Worship and joy are on the list, for example. But N.T. Wright points out something that we often fail to notice--that these gospel accounts consistently give us the following message:

"He is risen! We have work to do."

For example, in Matthew 28, the women grab Jesus' feet to worship him. He send them off to tell the disciples that He has risen. He appears to those disciples later... and tells them that as Risen Lord He is sending them out to share the news. Each account moves quickly from Resurrection to Commission. From joy to joyful duty.

The message is not: "Hey, this guy Jesus rose--how cool is that?"

Instead, the message is: "Jesus is the Risen Lord. And He is using his infinite capital to put us to work."

Here's where my friend Jeff comes in. When we think of "work," especially connected to religion, it's often a very negative connotation. Work is something that we do because we must...forced labor. (Aren't there laws against that kind of thing?) But the work we are called to is one we do because we enjoy it--in fact, can barely help it. Like my friend Jeff--it was hard for him to sleep, not hard for him to rise, when the task involved something he truly loved.

If Easter is something less than stimulating, I fear it is because our affection for Jesus Christ is fairly platonic. We might appreciate Him or applaud Him, but perhaps we don't truly love Him. As a result, the fact that He is Risen Lord doesn't get us so excited. But I think that the more we come to understand the beauty of His majesty--and how glorious it is that He is Lord rather than so many other rascals!--we will desire to do the work to which He calls us.

(In case you weren't there--this post is based on a short message I gave at our Easter Sunrise Service.)

Confidence in the Resurrection

2009-04-10T16:41:00.002-04:00

Please join us for services this Easter Sunday -- 7am Sunrise Service, or 9:30am!

At 9:30 we will look at Acts 26, where we read Paul’s first-century, first-hand account concerning the Risen Lord Jesus. Acts was written between 62-64 AD, and along with the other biblical writings represents the earliest testimonies we have concerning Jesus’ resurrection.

Another key passage concerning why first century Jews were persuaded concerning the resurrection is 1 Corinthians 15, written even earlier—in 55 AD.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. (1 Cor. 15:1-10)

Paul’s confidence in the Resurrection (and ours) is based on historical, theological, and personal reasons. Skeptics often question the historicity of the resurrection, though often this is based on a cynical view of history. Yet God often works “backward”—first convincing us personally, then theologically, then historically. He certainly did this with the Apostle Paul, who firmly rejected and persecuted Christ prior to having a personal encounter with the living Lord!

Summer Missions Trip - Feedback Needed!

2009-03-27T14:01:00.003-04:00

One wonderful way to grow as a Christian and as a church body is through a summer mission trip. There is simply nothing like setting aside the other cares of life for a week in order to pray, worship, work, and serve together.

We have recently been researching a summer missions trip, and would like to gauge churchwide interest. If you or your family would like to participate in a week-long project please comment below, or send an email to the church office. You can also sign up on Sunday. (The only thing we're lacking here is an 800 number!)

Initial questions answered:
· When? A full week in mid to late July.
· Where? Within driving distance.
· What? The project would serve a needy community with VBS and/or work project.
· What next? Let us know if you are interested by commenting or emailing now. This does not commit you. Rather, knowing who is interested will help us as we determine specific plans to present to the congregation.

We appreciate your consideration!

Announcements for Sunday, March 29

2009-03-27T13:48:00.002-04:00

Jesus Christ is our Risen Lord! Let's prepare our hearts and minds to hear His word this Sunday morning.

Will Traub Visit. Will Traub and Sebastian Heck, who are ministering with Mission to the World (MTW), will be visiting with us. Will is preaching during the worship service. In Sunday school you will hear more about the work taking place in eastern Europe and specifically about the church plant in Heidelberg, Germany, where Sebastian and his family are located.

Palm Sunday Processional Rehearsal. Rehearsal will be held during the Sunday school hour. Children are to meet in the front of the sanctuary following the worship service. Next Sunday (Palm Sunday), children are to meet with their Sunday school teachers in their rooms at 9:15 AM. Please consider providing a costume for your child, i.e., head covering, robe, or shawl typifying the New Testament time period.

Youth Group Scavenger Hunt. The youth leaders have compiled what they believe to be a very unique, mysterious and entertaining video scavenger hunt list, so please plan to join us! Meet at the church at 6pm. Parents are welcome, too!

Announcements for Sunday, March 6

2009-03-06T13:42:00.004-05:00

New Adult Sunday School Class Starting this Sunday, March 8. A 10 lesson series about the beginnings of the early church and Christianity as revealed in the book of the Acts of the Apostles will be taught by Dave Taylor and will meet in the Fellowship Hall. Learn anew about the kingdom of Christ, church organization and worship, examples of conversion, the nature and purpose of miracles, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Second Sunday Service, Sunday evening, March 8. Join us for an evening service of praise and worship tonight at a new time – 6:00 PM. Dr. Bob Stacey will continue his dynamic and interesting discussion of “The Christian’s Obligation to Civil Authority.” The Children’s Ministry will meet during the latter half of the service. Contact Karin Apgar if you would like to be involved with the Children’s Ministry. Nursery will be provided for children up to 3 years old. Prior to the service, we will share a spaghetti dinner at 5:30 PM in the “Small Hall.” Please indicate on the attendance card how many in your family will be attending the meal.

Youth Group, Sunday evening, March 8: We continue our series "This One Goes to 11." Come find out just what that means! Hint: It doesn't refer to the time youth group ends.

Finally Alive

2009-02-24T13:21:00.003-05:00

Finally Alive is the title of John Piper's new book. Its title comes from Jesus' words, "You must be born again." We should read these words slowly and thoughtfully: You. must. be. born. again.

The necessity of rebirth is fundamental to the gospel message and is found throughout Scripture. This coming Sunday, for example, we will see the idea in Ephesians 2: "You were dead... but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved!"

The good news is God's love and grace. But do you see that, before we get there, we have to recognize that in a profound way we were - or are - "dead"? Can we acknowledge this? Can we understand this?

John Piper says in Finally Alive:

"What we may need reminding of in our day is not that the knowledge of God is difficult to comprehend and embrace - that's more or less obvious - but that the knowledge of ourselves is just as difficult to comprehend and embrace."

Think about it. We live in an age where we broadcast ourselves and set up web pages about ourselves. It would seem we've got a handle on ourselves. But in reality, we don't really know much about ourselves at all... the Bible says that apart from Christ we are "dead." Even when experiencing the heights of pleasure we can be ultimately, spiritually dead. It's actually hard to grasp if we're honest.

I recommend Piper's book, and even more enthusiastically recommend John 3 and Ephesians 2 (available free here and here.)

Ephesians' Mission Statement

2009-02-18T15:53:00.004-05:00

We've been studying Ephesians for the past several weeks, spending time with Paul's words of praise in 1:3-14. This past Sunday, we asked the question, what's the application of this section of Scripture?

The application of 1:3-14, which is carried through the entire book of Ephesians, matches our church's mission statement. Better to say, our mission statement matches Ephesians--which is God's word! That's certainly our hope.

Our statement reads as follows:

At New Covenant we seek to enjoy God together by:
Experiencing New Life in Christ. Our desire is to welcome people from all backgrounds and walks of life into our joyful fellowship with Christ and one another.
Exalting God’s Glory. Our desire is to worship God as He has directed, on the basis of Christ’s work by the power of the Holy Spirit. We pray purposefully, seeking to further Christ’s Kingdom and to reflect His character.
Encouraging & Equipping God’s People. Our desire is to train individuals and families to study, live, and serve according to God’s written word, in submission to Jesus Christ.
Extending God’s Kingdom. Our desire is to send trained disciples into all the world, proclaiming the transforming message of Christ and His benefits. We will grow by proclaiming Christ and sharing His gospel both corporately, through our worship and ministries, and individually wherever God places us.

If you look through Ephesians, you'll find that this same pattern unfolds. First, we need to experience the truths Paul is speaking--and singing--about. We also need to give Him praise. These two matters are covered especially in chapters 1-3.

Then, in the second half of Ephesians, Paul turns his attention to how we carry our faith to those around us. The first matter he addresses, in chapter 4, is how we encourage and equip our fellow believers--those with whom we are united by faith in Christ. Then he speaks about extending God's kingdom--in our families, work, and in the missionary activity of the church (chapters 5-6).

As you read Ephesians, think through this big picture of God's will for us - as individuals, and as a church. This is not just about New Covenant -- it's about living the life God has called us each to live, to His glory.

And might I add... let's make sure we enjoy God, and enjoy one another, even as we serve together.

Membership Class Q & A

2009-01-28T20:39:00.002-05:00

We are beginning a new membership class this Sunday, February 1. If you have wondered whether to join this class, please allow me to answer a few common questions.

If I take the class, do I have to become a member?
This class introduces you to New Covenant’s beliefs, leadership, and vision. We desire to help you worship and serve with greater clarity. After the class, it is your choice whether to proceed with church membership.

Just what is church membership anyway, and is it biblical?
In a word, church membership is a way to clarify our relationship with others in the body of Christ.

The Bible speaks about accountability within the body of Christ – in the most positive sense of that term. In order to fulfill God’s commands such as “love one another,” “spur one another on to love and good works,” and “restore one another,” we need to know just who is and isn’t part of our local church. In order for leaders to “keep watch over your souls…with joy” it is likewise important that they know you, your particular gifts and circumstances, and the nature of your commitment to Christ and his church.

(Note: Scriptures are cited from Hebrews 10 & 13, Galatians 6; see also Matthew 18, Ephesians 4)

What is the format of the class?
We will meet in a small group format and it will be discussion-oriented. Pastor Shomo will lead the discussion on several fundamental biblical topics, and also on some issues related more specifically to New Covenant. You will be given some light assignments and readings that will help you better understand our vision, beliefs, and our denomination (The Presbyterian Church in America). We will also have elders and deacons join the class so you may get to know the leadership more personally.

When and where does it meet?
We will meet during the regular Sunday School hour, from 11:00 till 12:00, each Sunday in February. We will conclude the class with one evening session on March 1. We will meet in Pastor Shomo’s office, which is the near the church office.

If this class will help you to better understand the beliefs and vision of New Covenant Presbyterian Church, we invite you to join us. Hope to see you there!

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday: Love Hate Relationship

2009-01-20T08:59:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday, Joe Mullen preached from Psalm 139. We heard a beautiful and persuasive call to action during the offertory, in the song "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" by Matt Redman (Hey, that's easily found on YouTube, by the way!)

Here's another pastoral point of view on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, entitled "Why I Hate Sanctity of Human Life Sunday" by Russell Moore:
http://www.russellmoore.com/index.php/2009/01/18/why-i-hate-sanctity-of-human-life-sunday/

God's Word - Recommended

2009-01-17T06:12:00.002-05:00

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:14-17, ESV

Knowing God and knowing His word are inseparable, as indicated by the phrase “all Scripture is God-breathed.” Scripture is food for our soul. It is reliable because God is reliable. It works in our lives the way that God works – providing salvation, teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.

Here are some books you may find helpful to pursue certain topics further. Many more could be recommended, but these are a few reliable ones!

The Story of Scripture
Regarding the story of Scripture, “how it all fits together,” I recommend the following resources:

The ESV Study Bible. This contains a variety of resources that help you see how each part of Scripture points to Christ. It also includes significant articles on the nature of Scripture, the canon of Scripture (how the Bible came to be), and more. This is not a handy book to throw into your backpack; it’s weighty. However, it comes with free online access to all its materials, which is a great convenience. If there were just one resource I’d recommend, it would be this, but note that it’s designed for an educated layperson more than for a beginner.

The Ancient Love Song by Charles Drew or The Unfolding Mystery by Edmund Clowney. These are two paperbacks that explain how Christ is presented in the Old Testament, and I would especially recommend the first for a new believer.

How to Study the Bible
Regarding how to study the Bible, I recommend two books by Daniel Doriani, Getting the Message or Putting the Truth to Work. The second is especially useful if you teach the Bible to others, as it focuses on how to apply God’s word in a faithful, Christ-centered way.

The Canon of Scripture
Two classic books by F.F. Bruce: One is a larger book called The Canon of Scripture and the other is a smaller paperback entitled The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?
There are two chapters in Norman Geisler’s Christian Apologetics which treat this topic well and answer some of the more traditional questions.
For contemporary questions, Darrell Bock’s Breaking the Da Vinci Code is worthwhile – the title may seem outdated but these issues are alive in people’s minds. Bock is a top notch New Testament scholar.

Related and Worthwhile
Books with great chapters on Scripture, but which cover a wide range of subjects: Tim Keller’s The Reason for God; John Piper’s Desiring God; N.T. Wright’s Simply Christian.

Guest Blogger: Laura Ingalls Wilder

2009-01-06T07:58:00.004-05:00

Peggy Cath sent along this excerpt from an article written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (you may know her from the Little House on the Prairie series) entitled The Things That Matter, dated 1924. Have things changed so much?

"As the New Year comes, seemingly with ever-increasing swiftness, there is a feeling that life is too short to accomplish the things we must do. But there is all eternity blending with the end of time for the things that really are worthwhile.

We are so overwhelmed with things these days that our lives are all, more or less, cluttered. I believe it is this, rather than a shortness of time, that gives us that feeling of hurry and almost of helplessness. Everyone is hurrying and usually just a little late. Notice the faces of the people who rush past on the streets or on our country roads. They nearly all have a strained, harassed look, and anyone you meet will tell you there is no time for anything anymore.

Life is so complicated! The day of the woman whose only needed tool was a hairpin is long since passed. But we might learn something from her and her methods even yet, for life would be pleasanter with some of the strain removed--if it were no longer true, as someone has said,that "things are in the saddle and rule mankind."

Here is a good New Year's resolution for us all to make: To simplify our lives as much as possible,to overcome that feeling of haste by remembering that there are just as many hours in the day as ever, and that there is time enough for the things that matter if time is rightly used.

Weighty Words of Christ's Birth

2008-12-23T10:42:00.003-05:00

As I've been preparing for Christmas Eve, my thoughts have been on Luke 2 and the words of the angels to the shepherds: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Of this verse, the great scholar and Bible translator of old, Jerome, said: "These are weighty words."

Which words are weighty? Well, among others: "For you."

These words were spoken to shepherds. Some describe the shepherds in New Testament times as being one step above lepers. Others see them as more respectable, though certainly not part of the upper class. What is certain is that they were, as Philip Graham Ryken says, "working class sinners."

What is also certain is that these shepherds heard an amazing and unexpected announcement. Jesus was born for them.

Which leads to the question, was he born for me? For you?

My favorite Christmas hymn says so: "Nails, nails shall pierce Him through, the cross be born for me, for you." (Sometimes that verse doesn't make it into the TV Christmas special... but it's the second verse of "What Child is This?")

He was born for me and you. However, we face a crucial decision concerning whether there will be room in our lives for him.

Hope to see you tomorrow night at our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service (7pm). Merry Christmas!

Preparing for Jesus this Christmas

2008-12-09T06:42:00.004-05:00

In Matthew 4, Jesus' message is summarized this way: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (4:17). Only verses later we read that Jesus was "teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and affliction among the people" (4:23).

Repentance and the gospel go together.

You may recall that John the Baptist, who prepared the way of the Lord, preached a message of repentance. In fact, it is identical to Jesus' message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2).

I have noticed this pattern in my own life: when the Lord wishes to move in our hearts and lives, to either bring new blessings of the gospel or fresh applications of the gospel, he first brings repentance. I see this pattern at least in a few key transitional times of my life; I suspect this is at work more subtly at other times.

It's as if repentance clears out the clutter of our lives, and then God fills those spaces with something valuable and lasting.

So I guess the application of this post is... repent! And do so joyfully, if you can imagine such a thing.

You may be helped, as I have been, by this list posted on Joel Pearce's blog: http://jvpearce.blogspot.com/2008/12/examining-oneself-rightly.html

Leaf Brigade

2008-11-24T14:43:00.004-05:00

Many hands make light work! This past Saturday, fifteen people from the church formed a "leaf brigade." A lot of encouragement can be accomplished with fifteen willing volunteers, a few good rakes, a lot of bags, and teamwork. We served a senior couple in the church, a neighborhood senior whose husband had passed away (leaving behind a very large yard!), and also two moms whose husbands are on a military deployment.

I hope this will be a yearly activity through the church. It's a simple way to encourage those who could use a helping hand, and truth be told an awful lot of fun.

Diminishing Returns

2008-11-05T06:01:00.005-05:00

Do you recall Jesus' famous parable of the ten virgins?

"Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps." (Matthew 25:3-4)

As you may recall, things did not work out well for those with low oil supplies.

The lesson here concerns spiritual resources. Lamps without oil represent religion without substance, or we might say without vitality. Many of us who read this think, "Well, I am surely a true Christian... no application here for me... therefore, on to the next parable!"

But wait. Consider what actually happens in this parable: "And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out!'" (25:8)

The foolish ones in this parable actually had oil! They just didn't have enough to last.

I have been a Christian for 20+ years. Reading this parable is sobering to me because I think much more these days about maintaining my love for the Lord, continuing in him with godly zeal, and "finishing well." I'm not being somber: I'm saying that the longer we walk with Christ, the more we consider the necessity of perseverance. And this is a daunting consideration given our frail human flesh.

Like Peter in our recent sermons, I've seen my own failings and I've had to realize that some of what I thought was "oil" was more watered down than I realized - until a trial or difficulty arose. Or maybe there once was oil in my lamp, but somewhere along the way I did not replenish it. You picture a NASCAR race, perhaps the one at the beginning of Cars, where one just refuses to stop for maintenance and keeps circling the track... not realizing that you cannot keep that up indefinitely. You need to be replenished.

As I've considered the reality of "diminishing returns," I've concluded this. There is no bottomless supply of oil, no such thing as spiritual energy that never burns up, apart from daily, consistent, and fruitful meditation on the word of God. Only God speaking to us and encouraging us through his word, only drawing from His supplies each day, can keep us moving forward spiritually.

I'm surprised at how often I have to remind myself of this basic truth. So often I look at myself, disappointed, and try to figure out, what do I need to do to fix myself once and for all? How can I guarantee that I'll keep going strong forever? And I always come back to this: there's nothing I can do "once and for all." Only Jesus does stuff like that. I have to do things day by day.

The reason is that our walk with God is not as mechanical as illustrations about lamps and cars would indicate. It is, as they say, a relationship. And every relationship needs ongoing interaction, honesty, and love to survive. We cannot refuse to give our love to God, or to receive love from God. If we do, we may be carrying a lamp around, but it's not giving off light or guaranteeing life.

To read the entire parable, check out Matthew 25:1-13 here.

Christless Christianity?

2008-11-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

"Jesus has been dressed up as a corporate CEO, life coach, culture-warrior, political evolutionary, philosopher, copilot, cosufferer, moral example, and partner in fulfilling our personal and social dreams. But in all of these ways, are we reducing the central character in the drama of redemption to a prop for our own play?" Michael Horton

It's not about us. It's about Jesus.

Peter, though he walked with Jesus day by day, had to be reminded. We will see this as we look tomorrow at Matthew 17:1-9, a passage in which Peter sees the glories of Jesus Christ and the first thought that enters his mind (or at least, the first that comes out of his mouth) is, "But what about me, what should I do?" The answer that came redirected him - God said, "Listen to Him!"

Just as Peter had to be reminded, we have to be reminded, too. It's not about us; it's about Him.

The above quote was plundered from Michael Horton's new book, Christless Christianity. Read all about it and link to it from Joel's blog. Christless Christianity, and a Christless Church, is more a danger than we realize. So is a Christless heart.

The Burden of Command

2008-10-30T05:25:00.003-04:00

"On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:40

The two commandments Jesus was referring to: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind," and, the flip side, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

These famous words of Jesus contain the popular word love. But that should not blind us to another important word, the word commandment.

I was thinking this morning how commandments give us both focus and freedom. Focus, because we see where to direct our energy or what decision to make. Freedom, because we are reminded that we are not in charge; we do not bear the "burden of command"; ours is rather to obey.

We tend to think that absolute freedom - being under no one's command - is the only true freedom, yet this is not true. There actually exists no "absolute freedom" if by it we mean a freedom from the laws that shape God's moral and physical universe. But also, trying to forge our life from scratch is a burden too great for any human being to bear. It won't work, and it only yields frustration.

I'm freed by the fact that mine is to obey. To obey, and to enjoy the God of the universe who gives gracious and freeing commands.

Reading Too Fast and Applying Too Little

2008-10-01T11:11:00.002-04:00

I read the Bible too fast. Too often I read it just like any other book, and thus lose out on not only meaning, but application and even conviction. As a result, I don't meditate on Scripture like I should.

On the other hand, Martin Luther, before his conversion, wrestled with God over just a few of Paul's words in Romans: "the righteousness of God." After countless weeks of difficult wrestling over the meaning of those words, the Holy Spirit opened Luther's eyes to the glorious truths of the gospel.

David writes and sings of the joys of meditating on God's Word throughout the Psalms, starting in Psalm 1: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Paul, too writes about meditation, like when he admonishes the Philippians to think about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

Note what meditation is: it's not breezing through the Bible at breakneck speed while retaining little (like me). It's also not an emptying of the mind or a turning inward to the self, like traditional Eastern meditation. Instead, it's wrestling with the truths of God's law. I can remember many years ago my dad likening it to a cow chewing her cud - bringing Scripture "back up" to chew on, think about, wrestle with, and apply. In a way, if I don't have Scripture on my mind, it's almost like I am robbing the Holy Spirit of His job of applying it to my life.

Mark Driscoll has some decent, simple thoughts on meditating on Scripture in part 1 here and part 2 here. He writes:

"Christian meditation differs greatly from non-Christian forms of meditation practiced in Eastern religions. Christian meditation is not passively emptying one's mind, looking inward for guidance, or detaching oneself from the world. Christian meditation is actively filling one's mind with Scripture to hear from God and subsequently being transformed by God to effectively serve Him in the world."

My lesson? Stop writing this post and go read slowly! Hey, are you still reading this?

Angel Sightings in Scripture

2008-09-19T13:40:00.004-04:00

I once asked a fellow seminary student how often he thought angels were mentioned in the Bible. He answered, thoughtfully, "Probably about thirty."

I said to him, "Actually, the number is more like four hundred."

He was surprised! And so was I.

What follows is a portion of a paper I wrote in seminary entitled "Angels: An Invisible World View." If you are interested in reading the paper in its entirety, please email me at (ken shomo with no spaces at yahoo) or leave a comment.

* * *

Angels appear under different names in Scripture. Although “angel(s)” is the most common term, the Bible also refers to “cherubim,” “seraphim,” and occasionally “sons of God,” “destroyer,” or even “men”! Two, Michael and Gabriel, are referenced by name, and occasionally there are references to “archangels.” The word “host” at times refers to God’s angelic host, and perhaps this is the significance of the phrase “Lord of hosts” which is used frequently to represent God’s power. Based on a conservative count, where only clear references to angels are intended, we find that words for angels are used nearly four hundred times! This does not include the numerous references to the fallen angels—Satan (the devil, serpent, dragon, Beelzebub) and his demons (unclean spirits, principalities, powers)!

The numerous references in Scripture to angels may take some by surprise. Yet it is even more surprising to note when angels appear in Scripture. They are present at creation (Job 38:7) and in Eden (Genesis 3:24). They appear to patriarchs (Genesis 18-19, 32:1) and in the visions of the prophets (Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1). They assisted in the giving of the law (Acts 7:53, Galatians 3:19) and were artistically represented within it (e.g., Exodus 25:18-20). Angels announce the birth of Christ (Luke 2), minister to him in the desert (Matthew 4:11), strengthen him in Gethsemane (Luke 22:43), guard his empty tomb (Matthew 28:1-7), and witness his ascension (Acts 1:10). Angels are said to rejoice when sinners repent (Luke 15:10). The angels are major actors in Jesus’ predictions of the final days, where they will accompany him on his return and gather the elect and the damned (Matthew 13:41-42, 24:31; 2 Thess. 1:7). They are present throughout the revelation given to John, where some mete out God’s judgment (chapters 15-16) and myriads more praise the Lamb (5:11-12).

As these texts demonstrate, angels are woven into the fabric of Scripture just as they were woven into the temple’s veil (see Exodus 36:35). To deny them would be to deny the Law, prophets, gospels, Acts, epistles, and Revelation —every section of the Scriptures! Angels may not be main characters in the Bible but neither are they mere stage hands; they are “supporting actors,” whose absence would significantly alter the biblical storyline. If there had been a video camera able to capture “the Bible’s greatest moments” as they occurred, angels would be present in almost every frame!

Knowing God in 2008: The Majesty of God

2008-09-15T09:15:00.000-04:00

The Bible tells us that God's majesty is to be awed, worshiped, and loved. The Psalms especially are filled with language of adoration of our great God:

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. (Psalm 48:1)

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hands are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker! (Psalm 95:3-6)

Packer comments that modern men have a tendency to have an elevated view of men but a small view of God, and I'm not sure this is much different in the overall life of the church in our postmodern 2008. The God of the Bible is both a close, personal God as well as a majestic, holy God. Packer makes the point that "God is not far distant from us in space, but He is far above us in greatness, and therefore is to be adored." Further, "He has us in His hands; but we never have Him in ours. Like us, He is personal; but unlike us, He is great." So how can we regain a right view of the majesty of God? Two things the Bible teaches are: 1) remove from our thoughts of God limits that would make Him small; and 2) compare Him with powers and forces which we regard as great.

For the first point, Packer looks to Psalm 139, where God is described as all-knowing and all-controlling. "A God whose presence and scrutiny I could evade would be a small and trivial deity. But the true God is great and terrible, just because He is always with me and His eye is always upon me. Living becomes an awesome business when you realize that you spend every moment of your life in the sight and company of an omniscient, omnipresent Creator." It would be a great revival or reform, indeed, if I and believers worldwide started living with this truth always in mind.

Secondly, look at great things in the world today: the nations, the earth, the universe, and the great world leaders, and compare them to God. In today's world, with war, persecution, economic hardship, environmental concern, and political fervor, we can frequently delegate God to the backseat. But our God is so far above the nations that they are as a drop in the bucket (Isaiah 40:15). He uses the heavens as His throne and the earth as His footstool (Isaiah 66:1). He raises up and brings to nothing the princes and leaders of the world (Isaiah 40:23), including whoever our next president will be.

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable" (Isaiah 40:28). This question, Packer writes, rebukes our slowness to believe or accept God's majesty. "How slow we are to believe in God as God, sovereign, all-seeing, and almighty! How little we make of the majesty of or Lord and Savior Christ! The need for us is to wait upon the Lord in meditations of His majesty, till we find our strength renewed through the writing of these things upon our hearts."

Confessing With Our Mouths

2008-09-13T15:41:00.005-04:00

The main theme of Romans 10:5-13 is believing the truth of Christ in one's heart and confessing it openly with one's mouth:

...If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.'

In his commentary on this passage, James Montgomery Boice posits eight practical examples of how we can confess with our mouth. I thought they were very good, and I thought I'd share my abbreviated, paraphrased notes on them.

1. In attending public worship.
2. In partaking rightly in the sacraments.
3. In fellowshipping with God's people.
4. In conducting business rightly.
5. In reaching out to others (Charles Spurgeon urged believers to go out of their way to do so, not just wait for opportunities to come to you).
6. In dealing with temptation (Joseph is a great example of confessing the Lord in the midst of temptation: by resisting temptation, we declare our allegiance).
7. In serving in the midst of trials (How do we react in trials? Is God our refuge and strength?).
8. In testifying to God's glory in the hour of death.

[HT: Calvary PCA]

Knowing God in 2008: God Unchanging

2008-09-10T06:01:00.004-04:00

They tell us that the Bible is the word of God--a lamp to our feet, a light to our path. They tell us that we shall find in it the knowledge of God, and of His will for our lives. We believe them; rightly, for what they say is true. So we take our Bibles and start to read them. We read steadily and thoughtfully, for we are in earnest; we really do want to know God. But as we read, we get more and more puzzled. Though fascinated, we are not fed. Our reading is not helping us; it leaves us bewildered and, if the truth be told, somewhat depressed. We find ourselves wondering whether Bible-reading is worth going on with.

The above paragraph was written not by me, but by J.I. Packer. It is his introduction to ch.7 of Knowing God, "God Unchanging." And aside from a superior use of the semicolon, Packer once again demonstrates that his 1973 modern classic is remarkably contemporary.

Isn't it true for many Christians today, that they struggle to comprehend God's word? And not only that, but they aren't exactly sure what they are to "do" with it?

The starting point is to recognize that the Bible is not ultimately about the men and women whose lives are chronicled, but about the unchanging God who is, in fact, the "main character" of the book.

We might start off well, in Genesis 1:1, seeing that the Bible is about God. And, one might add, that would seem rather obvious. But after not too many pages, perhaps as we're reading about Noah or Abraham, we start to ask, "What in the world am I supposed to learn from these guys? They're failures just like me!"

It's at that exact point that we should stir ourselves to remember that the Bible is weaving a story together that is not first about them, but about Him. He is unchanging - and the character revealed in these pages is true today, even as then. As another writer once said, God hates sin today as much as the day he kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden; and is as merciful as the day Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

We need to trace God's character, not human characters, in the text of Scriptures. Then we can understand with joy the unchanging God of Malachi 3:6: "I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."

Marriage Top Ten

2008-09-05T14:55:00.005-04:00

This last Sunday, we looked at the seventh commandment, "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). While this command clearly speaks to the marriage relationship, it's not the only place in the Ten Commandments where marriage and family is addressed.

This led me to wonder, what do all ten commandments say about marriage? After all, the Ten Commandments are in a way "God's Top Ten" -- they are not a handful (or two handfuls) of random instructions but, as the Bible everywhere implies, fundamental and far reaching directives. They are to be applied in all realms of society.

So, here's a sketch of where each of the Ten Commandments takes us regarding our marriage relationship.

1. No other gods. Marriage itself is not to be our god. We are not to seek ultimate fulfillment in our marriage, nor should our marriage compete for the allegiance only God deserves.

2. No idols. Similarly, our spouse cannot be an idol. We are not to fashion God in their image or vice versa. We are always to recognize there is a higher beauty, a more satisfying relationship, a more eternal bond.

3. Do not take the name of the Lord in vain. Our marriages are to be stamped with God's name, which means that we identify him as the God of our household. We are to call upon his name in prayer, together, in good times and bad. We are to be examples, in and through our marriage, of his character to others -- for "taking his name in vain" most fundamentally means to bear the name for no good purpose.

4. Remember the Sabbath Day: work six days, rest on the seventh. God is Lord of the family calendar. We should structure our life according to his priorities, which includes good hard work (two are better than one!). But the challenge most of us face is making meaningful time for worship.

5. Honor your father and mother. This commandment assumes (and directs) that family is to be the most fundamental ingredient in society. It is defined as father, mother, and (implicitly) children. This means marriage is between man and woman, that child-raising is fundamental and extremely valuable, and that our families should be training grounds for character.

6. You shall not murder. Our marriages should not be destructive but life-giving. The great example of this is Jesus himself, who sacrificed on behalf of his bride (the church) in order that she might have eternal life.

7. You shall not commit adultery. Our marriages should exhibit faithfulness, even as God is faithful to us.

8. You shall not steal. This is an interesting one - how would this relate to marriage? We should not take from our spouse what is not ours to take, and what is not his/hers to give. I suspect there are some very interesting psychological aspects to this.

9. You shall not bear false witness. Honesty needs to be at the heart of marriage.

10. You shall not covet. We should be content in our marriages. Content with each other, content with what God has (and hasn't) given.

Knowing God in 2008: He Shall Testify

2008-09-01T16:30:00.000-04:00

Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 6: How many persons are there in the Godhead?
Answer: There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

The doctrine of the Trinity, though one of the essential, foundational doctrines of the Christian faith, often is overlooked because it's too hard or is "a piece of theological lumber that we can get on very happily without." However, as Packer points out, the apostle John does not shy away from the plurality of the Triune God throughout his gospel. As the Shorter Catechism also teaches, Scripture as a whole bears witness to the plurality and oneness of God - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

The three persons of the Trinity work together in relationship: the Son doing the will of the Father, and the Spirit doing the will of the Father and the Son. This does not mean they are unequal; all their works are important. The Holy Spirit, as Comforter, has been sent to us to continue Christ's ministry to his chosen people. "If therefore, the ministry of Christ the Comforter was important, the ministry of the Holy Ghost the Comforter can scarcely be less important."

But even though the work of the Spirit is of high import, Packer laments the fact that His work is largely ignored in the church today. In fact, the Holy Spirit's work is so vital to the church that without the work of the Spirit, "there would be no gospel, no faith, no church, no Christianity in the world at all." In my own experiences, I've heard sermons or discussions on sanctification, church growth, discipleship, faith, and other topics which sadly had absolutely no mention of the Holy Spirit! How such neglect of the Spirit's work dishonors Him!

Praise God for sending His Holy Spirit to preserve, protect, and grow His church. The fledgling church came under countless ruthless attacks, but "because Christ sent the Holy Spirit to them, to teach them all truth and so save them from all error, to remind them of what they had been taught already, and to reveal to them the rest of what their Lord meant them to learn," the church and the church fathers were prevented from "rapidly being reduced to a twisted, garbled, hopeless muddle." Similarly, Christ has continued to save a remnant of His people through the ages by the Holy Spirit.

I have been guilty so many times for taking the powerful, indelible work of the Holy Spirit for granted. May we all pray for strength, wisdom, and grace to heed Packer's challenge to recognize and rely on the Spirit's work; to acknowledge the authority of the Scriptures and the Spirit's illumination and application of them; to apply the Scriptures' authority to our lives and live by the Word of God; and to remember that the Holy Spirit's work alone can authenticate our witness in spreading the good news of the gospel, thus forgoing "the cleverness of human gimmicks." In closing, Packer says,

"Can we doubt that the present barrenness of the church's life is God's judgment on us for the way in which we have dishonored the Holy Spirit? And, in that case, what hope have we of its removal till we learn in our thinking and our praying and our practice to honor the Holy Spirit?"

Knowing God in 2008: God Incarnate

2008-08-27T06:34:00.006-04:00

The Incarnation is hip.

It seems each time I sneeze, I run across an article in which the Incarnation - the doctrine that God became man in Jesus Christ - is claimed as the basis for... well, all sorts of things. Many times, the Incarnation is cited as the basis for the Christian's cultural involvement. Or involvement in various types of mercy ministries.

Just the other day I read about a "theology of moving" (as in, loading up the U-Haul and moving): the touchstone of this theology was, you guessed it, the Incarnation. This was a good article, by the way, and one that we need at our transient, military-town church -- but perhaps it shows how omnipresent is this doctrine concerning Christ emptying himself of attributes such as omnipresence!

As I thought about what to highlight from J.I. Packer's chapter entitled "God Incarnate," I ultimately settled on highlighting the title of the chapter.

God.

Incarnate.

Here's why this is so important. These days, the image of Jesus that is acceptable to many is the merciful, entering-into-our-brokenness Jesus. And indeed, this is Jesus. I would be nowhere without Jesus' mercy. But what's forgotten in some trendy accounts of Jesus' Incarnation, I fear, is the idea that God became Man. In some circles, such as in the emergent churches, the Incarnation seems to mean instead that... well, some loving guy appeared from somewhere and set a good example.

God became man! When we recognize the weight of that, we see that Jesus came not only to heal our hurts (though every tear will one day be wiped away) -- but to demonstrate the character of the living and true God with all the authority, majestic power, and (whew) mercy that goes along with it. He came not only to show compassion, but to crush Satan, put an end to sin, and to reign as our Lord.

J.I. Packer was writing on the Incarnation before it was cool. Let's listen to men like that.

Can You Find the Pharisee?

2008-08-22T11:53:00.003-04:00

I was away on vacation when Joe preached on the familiar passage of the Pharisee and tax collector...

Luke 18:9-14 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Listening to the sermon on CD, I was struck by an important point Joe brought out. The tax collector was commended for his prayer, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" He was not commended for the prayer we often pray, "God, I thank you that I am not a Pharisee!"

In other words, we quickly miss the point of this parable. We see that the Pharisee is the bad guy, and we want to make sure we're the good guy. When really, the only way to benefit from Jesus' instruction here is to recognize that we're all "the bad guy." Only by a steady gaze God's mercy, which requires us to see our sin for what it is and what it deserves, do we get Jesus' message right.

Let's not look at the Pharisees around us... but the Pharisee and tax collector inside us. And let's find God's mercy in Jesus Christ.

Accommodation Now, Irrelevance Later

2008-08-21T09:38:00.001-04:00

John Piper recently posted some thoughts on the rapid decline of mainline Protestant churches in America based on an article by Joseph Bottom at First Things. Check it out here. I especially liked Pipers' closing emphasis on the dangers of doctrinal accommodation, directed especially to younger believers. His 2 Kings reference is spot on, too:

"I pray that the younger evangelicals who are pondering where to put their energies will learn from history that doctrinal accommodation brings larger audiences in the short run but death and irrelevance in the long run.

And God forbid that any should say with Hezekiah: Who cares if the death comes in 80 years as long as I have crowds and influence in my day (2 Kings 20:19, paraphrased)."

Knowing God in 2008: The Only True God

2008-08-19T10:07:00.001-04:00

When we hear the word idolatry, what often comes to mind are thoughts of statues or anything we place before God, like money. But in chapter four of Knowing God, Packer instead addresses inadequate or even blatantly wrong views of God as idolatrous. As Packer quotes Hodge, "idolatry consists not only in the worship of false gods, but also in the worship of the true God by images." In other words, visual or pictorial images of any member of the Trinity is a violation of the second commandment. Packer says that "the commandment thus deals, not with the object of our worship, but with the manner of it; what it tells us is that statues and pictures of the One whom we worship are not to be used as an aid to worshiping Him."

What were most convicting and helpful to me were two reasons why the second commandment is so important: first, images dishonor God because they obscure His glory, and second, images mislead man. For example, when Aaron fashioned a golden calf for the Israelites, it was not a new god, but it was an attempt to visibly symbolize the God of the Israelites. Regardless of Aaron's intent to fashion a fitting symbol of Jehovah for the people, it was a gross violation of the second commandment, "for what idea of His moral character, His righteousness, goodness, and patience, could one gather from looking at a statue of Him as a bull?" Similarly, "the pathos of the crucifix obscures the glory of Christ, for it hides the fact of His deity, His victory on the cross, and His present kingdom..."

Additionally, images can mislead man because they convey false ideas about God - the second commandment also prohibits wrong mental images of Him. "Those who hold themselves free to think of God as they like are breaking the second commandment...To follow the imagination of one's heart in the realm of theology is the way to remain ignorant of God, and to become an idol worshiper - the idol in this case being a false mental image of God." In other words, as sinful creatures, apart from His word, we cannot rightly conjure up images of God as we should, or as He truly is. Who are we to claim to have the accurate image of God? This leads to the positive aspect of the second commandment.

The positive side is that we are to "recognize that God the Creator is transcendent, mysterious, and inscrutable, beyond the range of any imagining or philosophical guesswork of which we are capable; and hence a summons to us to humble ourselves, to listen and learn of Him, and to let Him teach us what He is like and what we should think of Him." As Isaiah 55 says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways."

God is so above us, Packer writes, that we cannot know of Him unless He speaks and tells us about Himself. Thankfully, Jehovah has revealed Himself to us in His word, the Scriptures, and through His Son, Jesus Christ. Without such Words, we cannot have an accurate view of God. Are we keeping the second commandment? Is the God whom we worship the God of the Bible? I know I am guilty of breaking this commandment over and again with imbalanced mental images or overlooking certain attributes of God, but I pray for forgiveness and grace through Christ, through whom God has spoken.

We'll cover such a topic next week in chapter five, "God Incarnate."

Knowing God in 2008: Knowing and Being Known

2008-08-11T07:00:00.002-04:00

We're looking at J.I. Packer's Knowing God, and now we're at chapter three: "Knowing and Being Known."

WARNING: This post will not do this chapter justice. There's a lot here, and it's very worthwhile reading. Grab the book, read chapters one through three at least. Maybe next week we'll tell you chapter four is also indispensable!

What stands out to me in this chapter is a contrast: God is highly exalted; God is personal.

Packer reminds us, "The more complex the object, the more complex the knowing of it." He points out that of course this is true of God, and we should expect the study of God to be...well, actually impossible. Unless he makes himself known to us.

But God is not just a complex object of inquiry. God, who has revealed himself to us in His word and in His Son, is personal. For this reason, it is better to compare God to an exalted person whom we would not be able to know unless they chose to make themselves known to us -- like a president or world leader. Actually, as Packer reminds us, this is true of anyone -- we do not know anyone unless they choose to share their "real" self with us.

It's amazing that we have such a God who does choose to make Himself known. And if we find ourselves in the process of knowing God, we can be sure that it's because He knew us first!

"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God..." (Galatians 4:9)

"And this is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (John 17:3)

Knowing God in 2008: The People Who Know Their God

2008-08-08T11:49:00.002-04:00

We're going through J.I. Packer's modern classic Knowing God, and have just finished the second chapter. We will try to cover one chapter per week, and you are invited to join in the reading or simply "overhear" the discussions here and at the New Covenant blog.

In the second chapter of Knowing God, Packer once again stresses the difference between knowing about God and knowing God. Knowing God is not just knowing the facts, but radically applying such knowledge to our lives. Those who know God "count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus...and do count them but dung, that I may gain Christ and be found in him...that I may know him" (Philippians 3:7). Counting things as loss or dung, Packer says, means that one "does not live with them constantly in his mind: what normal person spends his time nostalgically dreaming of manure? Yet this, in effect, is what many of us do. It shows how little we have in the way of true knowledge of God."

That statement reminded me of the sexual purity conference at church several months ago at which the speaker likened wallowing in sin to going back to a dead skunk. How much more should we yearn to have joyous thoughts of God than thoughts turned to a dead skunk? This knowledge of God and not merely about God is evident in the book of Daniel and summarized by Packer in four points. As I read through each of these four, I realized how much I fall short of truly knowing God though I know about God.

1. Those who know God have great energy for God: They react to the anti-God culture around them. This reaction is not only through public actions, but it starts with fervent prayer. "Men who know their God are before anything else men who pray, and the first point where their zeal and energy for God's glory come to expression is in their prayers...If, however, there is in us little energy for such prayer, and little consequent practice of it, this is a sure sign that as yet we scarcely know our God."

2. Those who know God have great thoughts of God: The central truth proclaimed by Daniel is that "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men." Packer asks if this is how we think of God. Do our prayers reflect this perspective? "Does this tremendous sense of His holy majesty, His moral perfection, and His gracious faithfulness keep us humble and dependent, awed and obedient, as it did Daniel?"

3. Those who know God show great boldness for God: "They may find the determination of the right course to take agonisingly difficult, but once they are clear on it, they embrace it boldly without hesitation. It does not worry them that others of God's people see the matter differently, and do not stand with them."

4. Those who know God have great contentment in God: This is reflected throughout the book of Daniel, as well as in Paul's epistles: "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ" (Romans 8:38-39).

So if we desire such knowledge of God, two things must follow: we must recognize how much knowledge we lack of God, and we must seek Christ. The next chapter focuses on "Knowing and Being Known."

photo source: Erwin C. Nielsen/Painet Inc., Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Struggle

2008-08-02T21:12:00.003-04:00

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. (Colossians 4:12)

This verse speaks of "struggling in prayer."

Have you (or I) done that lately? Do you (or I) understand what it means?

A related question is, should I be on the computer right now - or learning the answer to these questions?

Knowing God in 2008: The Study of God

2008-07-31T12:21:00.004-04:00

"As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesman to fly him to London, drop him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it."

So notes J.I. Packer in ch.1 of Knowing God, entitled “The Study of God.”

The message: Don’t be cruel.

We should not be cruel to ourselves, or to others, by seeking to live in this world while disregarding God. This disregard may be out of malice or ignorance; but once we realize there is an opportunity to know God, we should seize it. We will not only come to know Him (what a privilege!) but also best know ourselves and our world.

Packer notes that entering into the study of God is to seemingly enter a battlefield; so many claim God cannot be known. Packer was writing in 1973, but clearly in this regard his book remains quite contemporary! Let me just say that between 1973 and today, I have come to know God – as have countless others around the globe. Don’t believe those who say it cannot be done: it is a falsehood and a cruelty.

Yet to know God is not an achievement that we can boast about. It is a relationship initiated by God, who gave His Son to provide the way. In knowing God, we know God's grace.

* * *

Note: This is our first week of reflecting on Packer's book. We will try to cover one chapter per week, and you are invited to join in the reading or simply overhear these discussions.

Do Hard Things

2008-07-27T16:40:00.004-04:00

Have you heard about the youth retreat?

Twenty-one of us drove to the D.C. area on Friday night, where we enjoyed a hotel stay and played "Marco Polo" and "Sharks and Minnows" in the pool. Ani, Noelle, and Ben were almost impossible to capture, so if you're a shark you might as well just give up.

Although "giving up" isn't much in the spirit of the conference we attended on Saturday...

The battle cry of the Rebelution conference was "Do Hard Things." The rebellion in mind is against low expectations for teens. It was a conference led by teens, for teens, though the actual message ultimately centered around the entire family.

But why try to describe it when you can see for yourself? Visit www.therebelution.com and check it out. There's a blog and a variety of resources there to help you learn about something wonderful God is doing in the lives of youth around the nation. And in God's grace He has allowed our youth to take a part as well.

Knowing God in 2008: Introduction

2008-07-23T15:02:00.003-04:00

** Details on a new book reading project. You can join by following the weekly posts, or by reading along! **

One of the books that most helpfully shaped my understanding of God and the Christian faith, when I was a young believer, was J.I. Packer's modern classic Knowing God.

The concept of knowing God, however, is continually under attack. In the late 1700's, Immanuel Kant posited that we can know nothing of God -- whatever is "up there" is utterly unknowable to us, he claimed. This philosophy has been with us, not least of all in the sciences, ever since. Very ironic given that Immanuel Kant's first name points to God, who became intensely knowable by taking on human flesh!

But it's not just philosophers like Kant. Many in our day, including some hip young pastors, treat true knowledge of God as elusive at best. You may have faith, you may have spirituality, but you can't claim to actually know -- really, truly know -- the truth about God.

Certainly this much is true: Left to myself, who am I to say that I know something about an invisible God? That a mere mortal could speak of knowing God, let alone write a whole book about it, is possible only because of verses such as these:

"And God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:1-3

"And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." John 17:3

Other passages remind us that knowing God's love requires a divine work within us, it's not something we can attain to. This is true of Ephesians 3:14-19 and certainly John 3:3.

Starting next week, we will base weekly blogs on the theme Knowing God in 2008, based around the chapters of J.I. Packer's book. You are welcome to read along, or to simply follow the posts each week. (Note: We will post on other stuff too, but this will be a staple.)

I believe this will stimulate us to think about God more deeply and more clearly. We will cover some material that's neglected quite a bit in our day. We'll also pave the way for a class beginning in the Fall on the character of God -- details on that soon!

Lest We Drift

2008-07-16T12:19:00.001-04:00

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
-Hebrews 2:1-3

Pretty powerful exhortation, eh? We are to pay "much closer attention" to the wonderful salvation found in the gospel of Jesus Christ - the Son of God who died to atone for sinners so that they would be considered righteous in God's sight. It is a "great salvation" because Christ, the "radiance of the glory of God," "the exact imprint of his nature," who "upholds the universe by the word of his power" made purification for the sins of sinners such as me! (Hebrews 1:3).

Thus, the gospel is not to be a one-time message to be forgotten after conversion, but it is to flavor every aspect of our lives. As Jerry Bridges has said, we are to preach the gospel to ourselves everyday, continually facing up to our own sin, confessing and repenting of it, and looking only to Christ and claiming his blood and righteousness only.

The author of Hebrews seems to be writing directly to me in warning us to not neglect the transforming power of the gospel. It must be at the center of everything. It must be clung to above all other idols or images in our lives. The sermon this past week on the second commandment included an exhortation to not have anything less or else than God in our hearts, minds, and lives.

But here I am, just a few days later, drifting and neglecting this already. I've again elevated myself above God; I've again been unfaithful to him; the "screensaver" of my mind has again turned away from his Word and his Truth and his Gospel. How much do I need to ask God for his grace and strength to pay much closer attention to the gospel and to not neglect the great message of Christ.

It reminds me of a sincere, convicting song: "Jealous Kind" by Jars of Clay:

I built another temple to a stranger,
I gave away my heart to the rushing wind.
I set my course to run right into danger,
Sought the company of fools instead of friends.

You know I've been unfaithful
With lovers in lines
While you're turning over tables
With the rage of a jealous kind.

Surpassing Worth

2008-07-15T07:09:00.004-04:00

Often when we see something of value, we want to obtain it. Usually, we want to obtain it - whatever it may be - to add it to our treasures. Big companies want to obtain the smaller ones, so their resources can grow bigger. Children want the newest toy to add to their already vast collection. Pastors want the next book to set on the shelf alongside the other gently used (meaning "partially read") books.

But there is such a thing as a treasure that we obtain that cannot be added to our already overflowing collection:

"But whatever gain I had, I counted loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish..." Philippians 3:7-8a

Paul realized that gaining Christ meant losing everything else. In context, Paul is saying that he once based his worth on a host of accomplishments; but these were a bad joke in light of Christ's accomplishments, and he had to choose one or the other. With eyes wide open to the value of Jesus Christ in the eyes of God the Father, he wisely chose Christ - so that in the final day he would be prepared to stand before God.

To paraphrase a friend, Jesus cannot have a place among our pantheon of gods. He cannot even have prominence, as chief among our gods. He must have preeminence: this means that he must be, as Paul said above, Lord.

Paul does not say "the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Savior," although that would be absolutely true also. He certainly does not say "Christ Jesus my ticket to heaven." He says that knowing Jesus as Lord is the surpassing worth. In other words, I would rather follow and obey Jesus than follow myself and obey my own appetites.

Can I say the same thing?

Prayer for the Fatigued

2008-07-13T05:40:00.003-04:00

Perhaps you feel fatigued because you have served the Lord with your whole being, prayerfully and joyfully, and now it's time to rest in Him for a while. Or perhaps, like me, you find yourself fatigued because your service to Him has been too often accompanied by prayer but has not actually been the result of prayer. If you fall into this later camp, perhaps the following prayer may help you as it helped me:

Lord Jesus, whom I follow --
I am sorry, and I repent of my ways,
Which obscure your ways.
I repent of the self-sufficiency so embedded within me -
And of the prayerlessness, restlessness, busyness, and fatigue
That are its consequence.

I repent because I have not honored Your ways by drawing from Your strength.
I repent because I want Your ways to be known in the earth, not my own ways.
And in honesty I acknowledge that I repent because I know that I desperately need the fruits of this repentance.

Please receive me back as Your follower,
Though I have sought to lead the way.
Please deliver me from self-sufficiency and its fruit,
And cause me to know the gladness of service once again.
Whatever I have built with my own hands --
Tear down in Your jealousy
Or redeem in Your mercy
Either way, I praise You, O Lord,
For your gracious forgiveness and cleansing
Because of the shed blood of Calvary.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Weighs In

2008-07-11T15:18:00.003-04:00

And now Dietrich Bonhoeffer weighs in, not only on the Ten Commandments (see previous posts) but on prompt obedience to Jesus Christ. He is commenting on this passage:

Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:61-62)

Bonhoeffer:

The problem with this third would-be disciple is that at the very moment he expresses his willingness to follow, he ceases to want to follow at all. By making his offer on his own terms, he alters the whole position, for discipleship can tolerate no conditions which might come between Jesus and our obedience to him.

Furthermore:

Hence the third disciple finds himself at loggerheads not only with Jesus, but also with himself. His desires conflict not only with what Jesus wants, but also with what he wants himself.

How true!

This is from The Cost of Discipleship, a classic book written by this Christian martyr who lived during Nazi Germany. Since being in Reformed circles, I don't hear much about Bonhoeffer. Perhaps his theology is too mystical, or perhaps too neo-orthodox? But as I review my underlinings in my decades-old copy of this book, I find Bonhoeffer worth revisiting.

Two pithy sentences sum up the section of the book I've quoted from:

Discipleship is not an offer man makes to Christ.

And,

Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.

Doctrine and Hymns

2008-07-08T12:53:00.004-04:00

Sometimes a hymn can explain difficult but beautiful doctrines of grace easier than any scholarly book. Take Isaac Watts' stirring hymn "How Sweet and Awful is the Place," written in 1707 and reminiscent of the parable in Luke 14 of the wedding banquet. It is a beautiful picture of God's sovereign election. This is fast becoming one of my favourite hymns, and moves me to tears nearly every time I sing it. I am jealous (not in a covetous way) of hymn writers like Watts who can so succinctly yet beautifully capture such glorious truths in rhyme and music.

How sweet and awful is the place
With Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays
The choicest of her stores.

While all our hearts and all our songs
Join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry, with thankful tongues,
"Lord, why was I a guest?"

"Why was I made to hear Thy voice,
And enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?"

'Twas the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin.

Pity the nations, O, our God,
Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.

We long to see Thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May, with one voice and heart and soul,
Sing Thy redeeming grace.

Ten Commandments: The Discussion Continues

2008-07-03T15:49:00.007-04:00

I don't know if it's because I quoted Tim Keller at length in my last post or what, but now there are others who are eager to voice their comments on The Ten Commandments.

First up is Clive Staples Lewis, who wishes to comment on why the psalmists do something extraordinary--not only submit to, but actually delight in the law of God. Perhaps he has in mind that phrase in Psalm 1, "His delight is in the law of the Lord":

"Their delight in the Law, is a delight in having touched firmness; like the pedestrian's delight in feeling the hard road beneath his feet after a false short cut has long entangled him in muddy fields."

(C.S. Lewis, quoted in Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be, namely DeYoung and Kluck, p.85)

Professor John Frame comments on the first commandment, no other gods:

In many ways, Christians have an easy time in the modern West. For the most part, we aren't asked to die or to suffer physically for our faith. But God does call us, on occasion, to hold unpopular beliefs. Can we not do even this much for Jesus? And if not, can we really claim to love God with all our heart? At this point, theology becomes a first commandment issue. It is a question of whether we value cultural trends more highly than God.

(John Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian Life, p.424)

We accept comments from all kinds around here.

Ten Reflections of God's Image

2008-07-02T11:49:00.007-04:00

This past week we began a series on the Ten Commandments. Understanding the Ten Commandment (or "Ten Words") is enriching, because there is more here than meets the eye - not surprising given the pervasive influence of these commands for thousands of years.

Here's what Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC, has to say about the connection between God's Law and human nature.

The law of God is an expression of His actual nature. When God says, "Don't lie" or "bear false witness," he says that because He doesn't lie; because He is a God of integrity; because He is a God of truth and He is utterly consistent.

But, since you and I are made in His image, you know what that means: the Law of God therefore reflects our nature.

We were made in His image and if the Law expresses His nature, it actually expresses what we need to be to be fully who we are. To violate the Law of God violates you.

If your doctor says, "Don't eat x, y, and z" -- if you eat x, y, and z, no one is going to give you a fine, no one is going to give you a ticket, no one is going to come and put you in jail. They won't have to. Because the consequences are natural. If you violate your doctor's order you are violating your own nature and you are unraveling your own fabric. And God is saying that here.

Don't think of the Law of God as arbitrary decrees. The Law of God outlines who you are. To violate the law of God sets up strains in the fabric of reality that only lead to breakdown.

* * *

NOTE: This is from a sermon available at www.redeemer.com entitled "God's Law" from the series "Deuteronomy: Doing Justice, Preaching Grace." I'd encourage you to download this sermon and listen to it frequently.

Charles Spurgeon Weighs In

2008-06-30T16:20:00.003-04:00

Kindled Fire by Zack Eswine examines the life & times of Charles Spurgeon, and what lessons on preaching can be learned from this towering figure from the 19th century. Charles Spurgeon has been called the "Prince of Preachers," and his sermons were printed and distributed far and wide -- prior to radio, CDs, or iPods. His sermons are still read today, and will be for quite some time.

I think what I read today relates to the Saturday evening post:

It turns out that Spurgeon was criticized for speaking frequently from his own experience. One critic said the printer of Spurgeon's sermons must "run out of capital I's" because Spurgeon spoke so often in the first person. But Spurgeon believed firmly that a preacher must speak from his own experience, and thus from the heart - that he is called upon to give personal testimony to the truth he speaks.

Zack Eswine summarizes: "The preacher is a man who has has personally encountered God and from these personal dealings and God's personal call, the preacher speaks to people about this God with whom he has had first-hand experience."

Preaching isn't only oratory, Spurgeon would say. It is testimony.

* * *

NOTE: I had Zack as a preaching professor at Covenant Seminary, by the way, and he is a thoughtful, kind person. So far, his book is very helpful.

God's Word...in My Words?

2008-06-28T21:00:00.004-04:00

Preaching has been described as "God's truth, filtered through personality." This is an inadequate definition, but it captures at least one reality: as preachers we are called to speak God's word...in our words.

Tonight I was reflecting on what a challenge this is. Sure, anyone can talk about the Bible - for good or ill. But to speak from the heart, and have what comes out of the heart be God's truth - that's a high calling! If we only read the Bible aloud, there would be no major problem; but instead we are called to clarify it with our own words, which can so easily divulge our fallen, sinful, or simply shallow hearts.

In seminary we were taught that the easiest part of preaching is exposition - studying the text and deciding what it means. You see, this can be turned into a routine: read the passage over and over, look at the original languages, determine the historical and literary context, compare the passage with other biblical themes, read some commentaries... Of course, this is a rewarding process for both preacher and hearer. I don't intend to downplay the absolute necessity of serious study. But: there's a method. I know when I'm done.

But what method do you use to insure that what you speak, after all that study, is from your heart? What method can insure that what you proclaim from the pulpit has been proclaimed to yourself, and that you will find yourself heeding your own warnings on Tuesday morning?

Fortunately, we have these promises: "When we are faithless, he remains faithfulness." And, "The word of the Lord endures forever." Ultimately, we trust God's word to do its work inside the preached-at and the preacher.

Nevertheless, what a high and holy calling to prepare not only our heads, but our hearts, to properly speak God's word to others.

You Should Know About GAFCON

2008-06-26T15:00:00.004-04:00

This week, a conference has been taking place in Jerusalem called the Global Anglican Future Conference. Here are five big reasons you should know about it.

1. This is an outgrowth of the "culture wars" in the United States. Because of the actions of the Episcopal Church, specifically in their appointment of an openly gay bishop (Gene Robinson), conservatives in the worldwide Anglican communion have sought to find direction, to find a voice, and to find shelter. The ecclesiastical deck seems stacked against them.

2. This is an example of the changing face of world Christianity. If you still think the U.S. or the West provide worldwide evangelical leadership, it's time to catch up. Things have changed. Instead, evangelical Episcopalians (Anglicans) in America have sought shelter under the jurisdiction of like-minded, Bible-believing, gospel-preaching leaders in Africa.

3. These brothers in the Lord are suffering for their faith. Because they oppose the progressive agenda so prevalent in the U.S. and elsewhere, these Christian brothers are being sidelined, shoved around, defrocked, etc., by the powers that be (not counting the heavenly powers). Hebrews 13:3 commands us to "remember...those who are mistreated as if you yourself were suffering."

4. We have a lot to learn about repentance. One address, by the Rt Revd Robert Duncan, included statements such as these: "Over the last five decades we have made more than our share of compromises when issues of Scriptural truth were debated or challenged. There were countless times when we kept silence when we should have spoken. Moreover, the witness of our personal lives has been scarcely better than the record of those whom we now forthrightly confront... Further to our shame, we have sometimes as orthodox battled one another..." (Read entire speech here.)

5. We have a lot to learn about faithfulness to God's word and counting the cost. In that same speech, Rev. Duncan asked, "What will it take to restore the Holy Scripture as 'ultimate rule and standard' among us?" That is what is at issue, and is a concern every generation of church leaders must ask and answer. The speech mentioned above is powerful in that there is a desire to be faithful to God and also to His church.

Okay, those are five reasons to visit http://www.gafcon.org/ or http://www.virtueonline.org/. Go to it!

Blogging Bridges: Where Do We Go From Here?

2008-06-20T11:40:00.003-04:00

Are our sins as small to God as they are to us?

We've been blogging our way through Jerry Bridges' Respectable Sins for several months. We now reach the end, the final chapter, entitled "Where Do We Go From Here?"

Bridges' primary suggestion is challenging: find a friend, ask them what sins they see in your life, and work on them! Blogging seems so much easier, though...

I believe that this book is not something that is to be closed and forgotten. This book is a valuable resource, one of the best contemporary books on the subject of sin. It does two things at once:

1. It focuses on seemingly "small" sins that we take lightly, which we are therefore a little more open to talk about. It's easier to admit you have a problem with overeating than with, say, covetous or idolatry.

But because of that...

2. It oh so subtly, yet effectively, makes us realize just how deeply rooted sin is! Because when we see these "small" sins for what they are, we are all the more able to recognize the "big" sins for what they are.

I have only one "small" critique, namely, that it takes a number of chapters before getting into the so-called respectable sins. First there are a variety of chapters concerning how to deal with sin generally; these might have been better left for the end of the book, after the different subtle sins had been exposed. They are helpful chapters, I would just place them differently.

It's been a great read.

And so the question is, indeed, what next? We have some ideas... and will be back soon to tell you about them.

Forsaking Independence

2008-06-17T10:50:00.004-04:00

Last week I attended the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). This is our church's yearly denominational meeting, attended by church leaders - and some families - from all over the country.

One of the values of historic Presbyterianism is "connectualism." Remaining connected to other ministers, and remaining accountable, is not only our value but a biblical one. This takes place at local, regional, national, and even international church levels.

Hebrews 13 reminds us to "remember your leaders," plural. Acts 15 and Galatians 2 speak about church leaders gathering together to address concerns that crossed geographical boundaries. 2 Corinthians 8-9 speaks of a collection taken for needy Christians in another part of the globe. Jesus said, "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world" (Acts 1) -- and so we are united, whether we know it or not, to believers across all times and places. The body of Christ spans the globe, and our attitudes and priorities should reflect this.

At the General Assembly, I had the opportunity to hear reports from all different ministries - for example, Covenant Seminary, various church plants, and military ministries. I had the opportunity to hear a some matters of concern debated, and to vote on the outcome. But best of all, I was able to encourage and pray with fellow ministers who are facing challenging times. Sensing God's leading in this was the best part of General Assembly, and perhaps the most profound part as well.

It occurred to me today that pastors desire church members to be committed and accountable to the local church. (Revisit Hebrews 13 for the reasons why.) But it might be helpful to know that church leaders are likewise called to remain committed and accountable as well; we are not called to independence! God's too smart to let us get away with that.

* * *

NOTE: To read more about this year's General Assembly, you can visit Pastor Adam's blog here. He details the major issues and provides further links as well.

Prudent or Shameful?

2008-06-14T14:56:00.004-04:00

Have you ever put these two verses together?

Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. John 4:35

He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. Proverbs 10:5

This hit me hard on the airplane yesterday. There is a spiritual harvest: Opportunity all around us to share our faith and lives with others, in a way that draws others to Jesus Christ. Proverbs 10:5 says some recognize this and "gather," while others choose to sleep.

What would make us sleep? Well, what makes a shameful son sleep while the rest of the family goes out to work? Thoughts such as, "I have all I need" or "The work is too hard." Let the work be done for us, but please don't make me work!

Proverbs calls this line of reasoning shameful. I pray that the Lord will help me to labor hard for the gospel. Though the work is the Lord's in one sense, we are called to it - like sons working alongside their father. Will we be shameful sons, or prudent sons?

* * *

NOTE: Having been away during the week at the PCA's General Assembly, I'll post on our Jerry Bridges book next week. We'll be wrapping it up next week and then... well, we'll see.

Blogging Bridges: Worldliness

2008-06-06T17:00:00.002-04:00

We've come to the second-to-last chapter (and last sin-specific chapter) in Respectable Sins, and Bridges saves one of the best (and most convicting) for last. True to the purpose of the book, Bridges doesn't discuss overt worldliness, but focuses on subtle aspects of worldliness. He points to 1 Corinthians 7:31 to define this subtle aspect as using the things of the world "as if not engrossed by them." We are to use the legitimate things of the world carefully in case they become too important to us. Thus, Bridges defines worldliness as "being attached to, engrossed in, or preoccupied with the things of this temporal life." These things may not be sinful in and of themselves, but sinful worldliness occurs when we put too high a value on them.

Bridges unhesitatingly compares Christians to our unbelieving neighbors - our lives do not look much different than theirs - we mow the lawn, we pay our taxes, we avoid scandals. This is why living among them makes worldliness look acceptable. Thus, another definition cuts right to my heart: "Worldliness means accepting the values, mores, and practices of the nice, but unbelieving society around us without discerning whether or not they are biblical." Worldliness, then, is just going along with the culture around us as long as it is not obviously or explicitly sinful. What struck me is that discernment is not only necessary with doctrinal and theological issues, but a lack of it also contributes to worldliness.

Bridges focuses on three aspects of worldliness: money, immorality, and idolatry. I can't go into all three here, so I'll discuss the latter two (Ken or others: feel free to weigh in on the chapter at large, or on the money section as you see fit).

The primary form of subtle immorality is "vicarious immorality:" reading about other people's immorality or knowingly watching movies in which sexually explicit sins will be shown. When was the last time you declined to watch a film you knew portrayed sinful acts? Further, indulging in vicarious immorality never satisfies. Proverbs 27:20 says that "Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied." Indulging in immorality just whets the appetite for more.

In today's modern age, idolatry can refer to "anything that we place such a high value on that it tends to absorb our emotional and mental energy, or our time and resources." Examples are career vocations, hobbies, sports, computer games, and even political and cultural issues. For example, Christians can make idols out of cultural issues like abortion, which I do not deny is a heinous sin. But Bridges calls us out when saying that the first priority of the church is to proclaim the gospel:

Unborn babies do need to be protected, and the biblical standard of marriage does need to be preserved. But above all, people need to be rescued from the power of Satan and brought into the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. If we lose sight of the church's primary calling, then we are in danger of making an idol out of our cultural and political initiatives.

The final thought I'll bring up is that to combat worldliness, it is not enough to just resolve to not be worldly anymore. But we need to commit ourselves, by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, to become more godly. In admonishing the early church, Paul never just says to stop sinning, but he uses a "put off/put on" model. Take Ephesians 5:17-18 for example:

Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.

As we ask God to increase our knowledge, faith, and desire for him, he will answer us, and our affections for worldly things will decrease and pass away.

Blogging Bridges: The Tongue

2008-06-04T15:39:00.004-04:00

In ch.19 of Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges discusses "sins of the tongue." This is a short chapter, and I'd like to complement it with a short post.

Like Bridges, I have found that Ephesians 4:29 is the "go to" passage for thinking about how we use our words. Few Christians fail to be convicted when they consider the weight of these words:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

I would encourage you (and myself) to spend a day with Ephesians 4:29. Through the whole day, examine your words and conversations according to this principle: Did my words build others up, or tear them down?

If you give serious thought to this, you may just see your need for Christ - and his forgiveness - like never before!

* * *

Two more chapters to go!

Blogging Bridges: Envy, Jealousy, and Related Sins

2008-05-30T17:00:00.001-04:00

Bridges offers a somewhat narrow definition of both envy and jealousy - envy is "the painful and oftentimes resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by someone else." Two usual conditions tempt us to envy: envy of those close to us and envy in the areas we value most. Jealousy is intolerance of rivalry, or a fear of someone becoming equal to or superior to us. I thought it was curious that Bridges leaves out covetousness in this chapter and instead focuses on the interpersonal aspects of these types of sin.

Three important reminders can help us in the fight against envy and jealousy: turning to the sovereignty of God (which Bridges understandably turns to as an important theme in dealing with many subtle sins); remembering we who are in Christ form one body, and each member belongs to the others (Romans 12:5, NIV); and finally, realizing that if we spend emotional energy on these sins, we "lose sight of what God might do uniquely in our lives."

Bridges also discusses competitiveness and controlling in this chapter as sins related to rivalry. The competitiveness section especially convicted me - the Pearces like to brag about our competitive genes (Killer Uno anyone?). Not that competitiveness in all forms is sinful, but Bridges says that it is basically an expression of selfishness. I don't think Bridges is advocating a fluffy anti-competition lifestyle (in fact, he encourages healthy competition especially among children and teens), but believes that the Scriptures emphasize doing one's best, working heartily, and seeking to bring glory to God in everything. Competition is good, but only in the context of glorifying God in doing our best. It might be easy to get sucked into bantering over semantics here - but Bridges is using "competition" in its sinful context - not in its gaming context. But competition in games can become sinful if we are ruthless or self-seeking for example.

Sometimes it seems like American culture is ultra-competitive, ultra-self-serving. Other times, it seems feminine (not in a sexist way, but in a cultural-studies/sociological way) and anti-competition. The former reminds me of a jungle mentality, the latter of a flaky one. But there is a balance, Bridges claims. I know too often I fall into the uber-competitive category and give in to the temptation to selfishness and self-edification. But Paul says in Romans 12:10 that we are to "outdo one another in showing honor" (ESV). This verse drips with love and bringing glory to God, and leaves no room for selfishness, rivalry, or competitiveness.

Blogging Bridges: Judgmentalism

2008-05-29T05:44:00.002-04:00

At one point in ch.17 of Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges defines judgmentalism quite simply as playing God.

This is an excellent definition. When we so elevate our opinions or preferences above the word of God, and pass judgment on others based on rules we have established, we are no longer allowing God's word to be supreme. "We are arrogating to ourselves a role God has reserved for himself" (p.144).

In Christian circles, as Bridges points out, this comes out frequently in areas such as...
- Worship music preference: hymns or contemporary?
- Church dress code: coat & tie or polo?
- Views concerning alcohol: abstinence or temperance?
- Doctrine: hypercritical, hypertolerant, or "just right"?

Because the Bible allows for different views, or different emphases, concerning these and other issues, it is sinful to judge others based on their choices.

Example #1: It is sinful to judge another for preferring hymns over newer music.
Example #2: It is sinful to judge another for preferring newer music over hymns.

How can both be true? Because in this area God has not mandated a preference. He has plenty to say about attitude, however, and that's where we tend to blow it when we begin to judge others. But worse - we play God. We decide that we can judge their hearts when only God can do this. We do this when we say, "If they loved the Lord they would...well, ultimately, they'd be like me!"

God has indeed spoken, however. This entire book - Respectable Sins - is premised on the idea that there is such a thing as sin, after all! Yet even when we are correct on an issue, we can be judgmental, says Bridges. We can "demonize" the one with the aberrant view. Their view may be unbiblical, in some cases heretical, but we can still play God in a subtle way - by passing a judgment on the person above and beyond what we really know about them.

This is why this simple definition works so well. Whether in areas of preference, or areas where God has clearly spoken, there is a tendency to elevate ourselves above our proper place. To assume more authority and knowledge and certainty than we really have, as we presume to know the hearts and motives of others.

Oh boy. There's not much chance of avoiding the sin of judgmentalism, is there?

All the more reason to remain humble...

Blogging Bridges: The Weeds of Anger

2008-05-24T11:10:00.005-04:00

Combined with the previous chapter, anger is the topic of which Bridges devotes the most space. After reading the chapter, it's no surprise - anger is a serious, oft-overlooked sin. In many places, Paul includes anger with other "ugly" sins like bitterness, slander, obscene talk, conceit, and hostility.

This chapter is devoted to nipping anger in the bud. If we let our sinful, malignant anger fester, it can lead to "noxious weeds" of anger, which include resentment, bitterness, enmity, and grudges. Bridges offers three basic directions for nipping anger in the bud: always looking to the sovereignty of God, praying that God will enable us to grow in love, and learning to forgive as God has forgiven us.

The story of Joseph in Genesis is a great example of trusting in the sovereignty of God in all circumstances. When he was sinned against, he guarded against the temptation to become angry by firmly believing in the sovereignty of God. Romans 8 promises that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him. This good doesn't always mean that we will be elevated to second in command like Joseph, but it means that in every circumstance, God has our greater good in mind - becoming more like Christ.

In every circumstance in which we are tempted to be angry we are to pray that God will enable us to grow in love. This love, Briges says, doesn't just magically appear, but comes as "we pursue it diligently in dependence on the Holy Spirit."

We must also forgive as God has forgiven us. One of my favourite parables is when the king forgives an astronomical debt a servant owes him. This forgiven servant then throws another servant in jail who owes him a decent amount of money - but nothing close to the amount the first servant was forgiven. We are like the first forgiven servant - forgiven of a debt of sin so great that we can never pay it back. This debt is determined not by the severity of our sin, but by the value of God's glory and holiness. "Every sin we commit, regardless of how insignificant it seems to us, is an assault on his infinite glory."

It cost God to forgive us - the death of his son, Jesus. God paid our debt through Christ to forgive us of the enormous spiritual debt we owed. Because of this truth, we must forgive as we have been forgiven. "Until we acknowledge that we are the ten-thousand talent debtor to God, we will struggle with forgiving people who have wronged us in significant was or people who continue to wrong us." Overlooking someone else's sin does not minimize their sin, but their sin does not make our sin of anger right or justified. We are to forgive as we have been forgiven, and elsewhere we are charged to have a love that overlooks a multitude of sin.

My anger often comes when I have been sinned against. But it is not a righteous anger - it is an anger that comes from my pride and selfishness. I was convicted by Bridges' words that "while there is plenty of injustice that deserves a response of righteous anger, we should not use that as an excuse to evade the reality of the sinful anger that so often arises in our hearts."

Blogging Bridges: Anger

2008-05-22T11:05:00.004-04:00

Jerry Bridges has some helpful things to say about anger in ch.15 of Respectable Sins:

Some people justify their anger as righteous anger. They feel they have a right to be angry, given a certain situation. ... Though the Bible does give some examples of righteous anger, such as Jesus' cleansing of the temple, they are few. The main focus of the Bible's teaching on anger deals with our sinful anger, our sinful reactions to other people's actions or words. The fact that we may be reacting to another person's real sin does not necessarily make our anger righteous. (p.122)

As Christians, we can be angry at the sin we see around us - in others or in society. In fact, Christians have become known for this! We've also become demonized for our "intolerance." Though to a degree these charges are false or misleading, there is truth to the fact that we can think our anger is "righteous" when really it's just self-protecting and self-focused.

We should ask ourselves: Am I angry at the ungodly attitudes, images, and legislation in this society because I so want God glorified and his word upheld? Or am I angry at these things because I want a comfortable life for myself and my kids?

There's a reason why we are so frequently cautioned against anger in Scripture. Anger is a God-given emotion, and reaction, to evil; and anger is meant to move us toward productive solutions to that evil. Yet it's as if we are swinging a sword around without the proper training - and it's cutting down everything in its path! That's why James says:

"The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:20).

I encourage you to read this chapter by Bridges. He also addresses anger toward God, which has become increasingly "respectable."

Rest

2008-05-19T17:07:00.003-04:00

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.Genesis 2:2-3

I was thinking today. We are often diligent to insure that those we are caring for receive the rest they need - our children especially. As soon as my son rubs his eyes, to bed he goes. Of course, we benefit from his naptimes, but more importantly we know he needs rest. Even concerning my wife, I'm very quick to encourage her to rest - to not try to overdo it.

And yet, we often fail to rest ourselves.

We are privileged to serve a God who commands us to rest. It's right there in Genesis, in the Ten Commandments, and throughout Scripture. Yet we often forget this, and think that God has called us to far more work than we are able to accomplish in a healthy manner.

Let's reevaluate how we perceive God's will for us. If it doesn't include rest, we're not in his will - we're out of it.

Don't rest until you understand this principle!

Blogging Bridges: Impatience and Irritability

2008-05-17T17:39:00.003-04:00

The next chapter in Respectable Sins deals with an area of my life that is been a troublesome one - impatience and irritability. Bridges distinguishes between the two by defining impatience (at least in this context) as "a strong sense of annoyance at the (usually) unintentional faults and failures of others." Irritability refers to the degree or frequency of impatience, or "the ease with which a person can become impatient over the slightest provocation."

I freely admit, and Bridges wisely writes, that we tend to sin in these ways more readily in familial contexts - our true character often comes out around family. Though as a sinner, I have the ability to be impatient at any time, I tend to become more irritable and impatient when I am tired. In fact, I must be pretty hard to live with when I haven't slept in a while (right, Elizabeth?). In fact, as I write this, we are up in Pennsylvania for my sister-in-law's graduation, and arrived at 5:30 a.m. yesterday - so sleep has been scarce for us - which means impatience and irritability are right around the corner!

But Bridges did a great job in this chapter of calling me out on a tactic I use when I'm tired and irritable - he points out that context is no excuse for sin. Context, Bridges writes, "merely provide an opportunity for the flesh to assert itself." In fact, the actual cause of impatience and irritability lies within our hearts, not in my lack of sleep. I am just more prone to sin in those situations - I need to ask the Holy Spirit for even more grace and strength in those situations.

I am grateful that I have been made aware of this area of sin in my life, and like Bridges recommends, I have asked Elizabeth to help. More importantly, though, I need to acknowledge and repent of my impatience as sin - and not as excusable behavior based on the context. Moreover, I need to apply many exhortations of Paul in being patient: 1 Corinthians 13, Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 4:1-2, Colossians 3:12, etc.

There was a lot more in this chapter that is worth writing about and reflecting on, including overlooking unintentional actions, love covering a multitude of sins, and even how to not respond sinfully to others who are impatient. But I don't want this to become burdensome or too long.

Blogging Bridges: Self-Control

2008-05-14T21:35:00.004-04:00

This is one of the best chapters in Jerry Bridges' Respectable Sins - ch.13, "Self-Control." That's true of most chapters, actually.

Bridges first points out that this is a significant biblical teaching: as one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5), its absence in one's life is deemed a serious defect (2 Timothy 3:3). Then Bridges convincingly illustrates how, as Christians, we often lack this important virtue:

Despite the scriptural teaching on self-control, I suspect this is one virtue that receives little conscious attention from most Christians. We have boundaries from our Christian culture that tend to restrain us from obvious sins, but within those boundaries we pretty much live as we please. ... And because we tolerate this, we become more vulnerable to other "respectable" sins. (p.110)

Bridges later speaks of a few specific areas where we "pretty much live as we please": food, temper, and personal finances. Ouch.

Bridges then makes this important note:

Biblical self-control is not a product of one's own natural will-power. We know there are plenty of unbelievers who exercise self-control in specific areas of life for the purpose of achieving some goal. But in other areas, they may live with little or no self-control. An athlete may be strict in his diet while totally lacking in control of his temper. (p.110)

In other words, the Christian's self-control needs to be generated by the Holy Spirit and a heart committed to godliness. It will manifest itself in multiple areas; it cannot be faked or "worked up."

Yet if we pinpoint in our lives one of the three areas Bridges mentioned - how we eat, our temper, or how we spend our money - I think we'll find that self-control becomes contagious. As we eat more selectively, we'll likely use our money more selectively. As Jesus said, "He who is faithful in little is also faithful in much."

And ultimately that's what this book is all about!

Good Pastors Die Young

2008-05-12T12:35:00.004-04:00

This is a response to the last post (below), concerning Jerry Bridges' discussion of selfishness in Respectable Sins. I wanted to highlight something Bridges brought up at the end of the chapter.

During the time of the boubonic plague, in the mid-1300s, thirty to forty percent of Europe's population died. This is a staggering figure. Bridges notes that at this time, "Many priests cared for the sick and dying, and as a result, they too died. Other priests refused to help. It was said at that time that the best of the priests died and the worst of them lived."

I'd like to paraphrase that: The best pastors die and the worst ones live.

I think we can say that with confidence because Jesus said this:

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24).

And the apostle Paul wrote: I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls (2 Corinthians 12:15).

Also from Paul: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

Good pastors die and bad pastors live.

Blogging Bridges: Selfishness

2008-05-10T10:00:00.001-04:00

The next sin that Bridges tackles is that of selfishness, which Bridges acknowledges is often much easier to spot in others than in ourselves. As such, our own selfishness is often more refined than the overt selfishness we dislike in others. Bridges addresses four areas of respectable selfishness - selfishness with our interests, our time, our money, and inconsiderateness. My subtle selfishness often shows up in two ways - one at home and one at work.

At home, I love to read during any spare time I have. Often, I sinfully put reading ahead of even spending quality time with my wife. This is selfish of me, and is a sin! At work, I am very protective of my lunch hour, and often I turn down offers to go to lunch with coworkers to have some relaxing time to myself (usually reading). But lately, thanks to a friend's subtle challenge, I'm wondering if this is a good use of my time. Turning down lunch offers every time, though it is beneficial and enjoyable for me, is selfish. After all, I could use that time not to build myself up, but to be an ambassador for Christ to my coworkers. When it's framed around the kingdom of God and the necessity to share my faith, hoarding my lunch time is selfish.

Paul writes in Philippians 2:4 "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Someone who is unselfish is balancing his needs, interests, and concerns with those of others. On the other hand, the selfish person is "not only indifferent to the needs of others, but actually expects them to meet his needs and desires."

Jesus was the perfect example of unselfishness, as he became poor for our sake so that we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He performed the ultimate act of unselfishness in taking on the wrath of God on the cross to make atonement for our sins. That's the ultimate example of unselfishness for me to follow.

Blogging Bridges: Moral High Ground?

2008-05-08T15:55:00.003-04:00

In ch.11 of Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges discusses pride.

While some kinds of pride are far from respectable, there are a variety of subtle forms. Bridges discusses pride of correct doctrine, pride of achievement, pride of an independent spirit, and one that I'd like to discuss here - pride of moral superiority.

This is an election year. In fact, we've already had over a year of election coverage and by the time November rolls around the election cycle will have been nearly two years long. That's a lot of political news, and that's a lot of division between red and blue, Republican and Democrat, conservative and progressive. As "values voters" are courted by politicians, religious divisions are also exploited.

This is the perfect environment to grow pride. Especially the pride of moral superiority.

To understand how blinding pride can be, I point you to this earlier post. Here, I'd like to instead just paint an "election year picture" of someone who remarkably avoided the pride of moral superiority. That person is the prophet Daniel -- someone who was, in fact, morally superior to those around him! And yet this did not produce pride, but grace.

I've always been amazed by Daniel. In Daniel chapter 2, you'll see that Nebuchadnezzar was on the verge of killing all the magicians, enchanters, and sorcerers of the land. They could not solve the puzzle of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. However, Daniel was given the interpretation by God.

Think about it: To have all these pagans executed by the king would have been a tremendous boon to the "religious right." And their hands were clean - it was the king's decision, not theirs. Daniel and his friends would have complete hegemony in all things religious.

And yet...

Here's what Daniel says: "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation" (Daniel 2:24).

What was he thinking? Why didn't he let them go down in flames so that the truth could march on, unhindered?

Well, that's a good question, so let me ask you: what do you think gave Daniel this attitude? Why didn't he let the "wise men" (a technical term for these soothsayers) be killed, given that they were the religious opponents of the day?

If we can answer these questions, we'll be on our way to being positive representatives for the gospel during this election season. Our mindset should be one of love toward those with whom we disagree, and a desire to witness to the truth through lives marked by mercy.

Sober Joy

2008-05-05T14:22:00.002-04:00

I seem to be thinking a lot about current Christian music and the attitudes it contains. My wife gave me Indelible Grace III (For All The Saints) for my birthday, and it's my third IG album (of their five). Indelible Grace's goal is to "help the church recover the tradition of putting old hymns to new music for each generation, and to enrich our worship with a huge view of God and His indelible grace." In the liner notes of For All the Saints, writer and producer Kevin Twit notes this big-picture mentality that they try to accomplish through their music:

This [album] has a mood of sober joy. I think reality is just sinking in a little more. The Christian life is not about closing our eyes and pretending Jesus turns all of our lemons into lemonade, and worship music should never be about helping us live out of touch with reality. Rather, worship music should deepen our gaze of Jesus and his beauty and at the same time, open our eyes to the brokenness in ourselves and our world. It should compel us to take up our cross and follow Him. We have been "ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven" - and that changes everything!

I think there seems to be a spectrum in the evangelical Protestant world related to sin and the gospel, especially as it manifests itself in "worship music." On one end, there are those who are so focused on and torn up about their own sin that they may seem to engage in self-inflicted punishment and also lose sight of the joy that bounds forth from the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ. The other end seems to have no concern for or realization of their own sin, and live as if their sin doesn't really matter ("happy-clappy" worship). When I'm "out of balance" on the spectrum, I typically fall toward the former, and focus on my own sin sometimes to a fault. I believe the right balance is the "sober joy" found somewhere in the middle, which Twit notes should be evident in our worship. Our worship (not only singing, but praying, studying, etc.) should make us more aware of our sin, more reliant on the Holy Spirit for sanctification, all the while focusing our eyes and our joy ever more on Christ. Yes, I am a great sinner, and a solemn realization of sin is of utmost importance in the Christian life (David's Psalm 51 for example), but without going to Christ for assurance of forgiveness, this mindset can be mundane or depressing.

But on the other hand, there are some songs that totally miss the picture - I'm thinking of the "I will" songs that Michael Horton often uses as examples of the watered-down, individual-focused worship songs so popular in the Christian sphere today. Songs that just proclaim the singer's intentions of "I will worship...I will bow...I will praise....I will sing...I will I will I will" without any context of why or without the focus on God totally miss the point by putting the attention on the singer ("look at me, here's what I'm doing"). We aren't doing God a favor by going to church once a week and worshiping on our own terms. On the contrary, we can only worship because through His infinite grace and mercy, God allows us to approach His holy throne in worship - worship isn't our right, it is our privilege. One popular worship song that is a prime example of this "I will" attitude doesn't even mention God by name - only by second person personal pronoun. I wonder what an unbelieving visitor would think if he heard that song being sung?. "Who are these people saying they will bow to? The pastor? The song leader?"

As a stark contrast, Indelible Grace's music has the sincere, deep texts of older hymns (often taken right from Scripture), but set to quality (and original) modern music. Examples on this album in particular include "Not What My Hands Have Done" and"Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven." The first track, "Jesus, I Come" might hint at the "I will" attitude through its title, but its lyrics are an example of coming to Christ out of our bondage and sin, recognizing that it's only through Christ that we have hope:

Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come; Jesus I come.
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my wanting and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee. [verse 1]

I freely admit that there are many great modern worship songs that are Christ-centered. There are also some hymns that are of the "I will" variety. I also know that music often seems to be a polarizing, emotionally-charged topic. But my point is that there is a balance to be found in our worship between increasing our awareness of our own sin and the sin in the world (Twit uses the euphemism "brokenness"), while deepening our faith and love in Christ for His work for us. I still have much to learn about exactly what this means and looks like in a worship context, and I don't think I'll ever fully know until I worship perfectly in glory.

Blogging Bridges: Unthankfulness (or Giving Thanks in Everything)

2008-05-02T14:54:00.005-04:00

The next "respectable" or "subtle" or "acceptable" sin Bridges deals with is unthankfulness. Bridges focuses on three main areas that we are commanded to cultivate as gratitude toward God. Each one was challenging and convicting to me, and I wish I had the room to write on each one. The first area is a thankfulness for salvation, which Bridges compares to the healed leper in Luke 17. Spiritually, our condition was much worse than the leper - we were dead in our sins and God gave us a new spiritual life. How much more thankful we should be for our salvation everyday! A second area we need to be continually grateful for is the abundance of blessings God has bestowed upon us.

The third area was probably the most challenging for me, as I realized that it is a serious "respectable" sin in my life (though I was also convicted by the first two as well). This area is in giving thanks to God in everything - including when circumstances "go awry and do not turn out the way we had hoped." In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul says to "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

So often I engage in the sin of ingratitude during difficult circumstances. My (sinful) tendency is to be blind to the blessings of God in that circumstance, and to not give thanks to God until after the situation has past. Then I look back and specifically give thanks to God for getting me through and working through me (hindsight it 20/20, right?). I was using Romans 8:28 (...all things work together for good...) out of context and thinking that the situation would work out in the end.

But that's not the entire meaning of that passage, as Bridges points out. Instead, verse 29 goes on to explain that the "good" in verse 28 refers to us being conformed to the image of Christ. In other words, God intends all our circumstance - good and bad - to be instruments of sanctification, of growing us more and more like Christ. We are to give thanks in faith during every difficult circumstance, trusting God's promise to conform us to the image of Christ and to develop our Christian character through the situation. Romans 8 goes on to exclaim the promise we should cling to during every circumstance: Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Bridges writes this helpful prayer for giving thanks during those difficult times:
"Father, the circumstance I am in now is difficult and painful. I would not have chosen it, but You in Your love and wisdom chose it for me. You intend it for my good, and so by faith I thank You for the good You are going to do in my life through it. Help me to genuinely believe this and be able to thank You from my heart."

Blogging Bridges: Destroying Discontentment

2008-05-01T11:26:00.006-04:00

Jerry Bridges, "Respectable Sins" ch. 9 - Discontentment.

"Respectable sins" are those sins that we take lightly, but God does not. The next one Bridges covers is discontentment.

I just read the other day that people will spend more (and save less) depending on how much television they watch. The same holds true for time spent in shopping malls. This shouldn't surprise us, but it does point out that we live in a culture that is constantly stoking the flames of discontentment. Madison Avenue wants us (needs us?) to be discontent. That way, we will release hold of our dollars and sense.

In such an environment, contentment is rare. Yet God wants us to learn contentment. Some of us may be in God's school of contentment even now: When we are tempted to be disappointed with our possessions, circumstances, or relationships, God simultaneously urges us to exercise the muscles of contentment. These muscles may not get much use, but as we exercise them they will provide us with needed strength.

What most helped me in this chapter was this sentence:

"But as Amy Carmichael so helpfully brought out, it is neither in resignation nor submission but only in acceptance that we find peace."

There are many ways to deal with discontentment. We can resign ourselves to God's will, we can submit obediently to God, but that doesn't change anything but our outward response. To truly destroy discontentment we must accept what God has given. This distinction was very helpful to me, and provided a clear path for prayer.

A friend of Bridges provides us with this prayer, which you can make your own:

Lord, I am willing to --
Receive what you give,
Lack what you withhold,
Relinquish what you take.

And Scripture provides us with Psalm 139, also a prayer. Click here to read Psalm 139, or better yet, open the Bible in a quiet place and read through it. This psalm leads does not directly address discontentment, but it is a potent force toward contentment!

One final thought: Bridges wisely reminded us at the beginning of the chapter that there is a holy discontentment. This is a discontentment with our spiritual growth; we should always long for more of God and His Spirit. See Psalm 42. If we desire discontentment, let's at least be discontent about the right things!

An Appeal to the Working Class

2008-04-29T13:13:00.003-04:00

The Christian life consists of worship and work. If you read through the book of Ephesians, you'll see that it divides fairly evenly between what God has done for us (resulting in praise) and how we should therefore live.

If you've been a Christian for a while, perhaps you have grown increasingly mindful of your responsibilities before God. Or perhaps you are what used to be called a "Christian worker" - someone engaged in formal or informal ministry, seeking to help others with the gospel. If so, perhaps you have noticed how easy it is for work to squeeze out worship.

I thought about this on Saturday, as I prepared to preach the following day. In fact, I can be more honest than that. I thought about this on Saturday, as I lost all energy to prepare my sermon for the following day because I was burned out! I didn't want to study and I didn't want to pray. And the reason, I am convinced, is that Christ work had squeezed out worship.

When I realized this, I stopped feeling guilty that I had no desire to prepare my sermon and I simply allowed myself some spiritual breathing space. As I was able to set my mind on God in quiet worship - as I mowed the lawn, dug out some tree stumps, played with my son, and walked the dogs - I was gradually refreshed and energized.

This train of thought led me to remember how, in the Old Testament, the worship leaders went out in front of the army:

[The king] appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, "Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever." (2 Chronicles 20:21)

It seems quite odd to put the worship leaders in front of the army (unless you really, really don't like the direction of the music at your church!). You would think the swordsmen or calvary would be up front, and perhaps some praise might waft in from the rear. But no, God put the priority on worship.

Our walk with God involves worship and work. We'll never work well, or battle well, if we don't worship well.

Blogging Bridges: Anxiety and Frustration

2008-04-26T10:25:00.004-04:00

The opposite of trust in God is anxiety or frustration. When we say to someone "don't worry" or "don't be afraid," we are trying to speak encouragement to that person, Bridges says. But when Jesus, Paul or Peter say "don't be anxious," it's a moral command - in other words, anxiety is sin. Bridges says that it is sin for two reasons - first, because it is a distrust of God and second, because it is a lack of acceptance of God's sovereign will or providence in our lives.

I know that often I focus on the here-and-now when I get anxious or worrisome or restless when instead I need to turn to God's promises that speak to his sovereignty and power over every circumstance. So often do I lose sight of the fact that God's will is infinitely better than my plans or my desires. John Newton wrote that "whatever befalls us is according to his purpose, and therefore must be right and seasonable in itself, and shall in the issue be productive of good." In other words, a lack of conscious reflection on this truth results in impatience, stress, worry, complaints, and even resentment and bitterness - all forms of sin.

How much do I need God to give me a submissive heart and will when it comes to the plans for my life, and even in day-to-day circumstances. In those situations, Bridges says to bring to mind scripture that speaks to these situations (Philippians 4:6, Matthew 10:31, Matthew 6:25-34), and to pray - not only for a godly response and wisdom in dealing with the situation, but also asking God to show me what I need to learn from the situation.

An example of this from my family is forever etched in my memory. When my mom was giving birth to my older brother (I obviously wasn't there), it was a bad situation, and their health and life was "up in the air" so to speak. But instead of being scared or anxious, my mom took my dad's hand, looked him in the eye, and quoted Psalm 139:16 - "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Though the outlook was in question by human standards, God proved sovereign, and he brought my mom and brother through.

Blogging Bridges: (un)Godliness

2008-04-22T23:28:00.006-04:00

According to Jerry Bridges, ungodliness is the root system beneath our other sins. He defines ungodliness in ch.7 as failing to keep God in our thoughts, failing to live before Him. I think the Greek word implies a worshipless life. Thus, you can be an upright citizen, a seemingly moral person, perhaps win or even host a reality show, and yet be ungodly.

And no one would care.

Just the other day I heard a Christian college professor remark how easily a diploma may be placed in a student's hands, and perhaps additional awards, marking that student as intelligent, promising, a high achiever. Yet at the very same moment, he lamented, a divine stamp might be applied: "No fear of God."

His point: that there is a human verdict and a divine verdict. We are not too bothered if God is not in someone's thoughts. Yet God finds this highly offensive.

What about you, and what about me? Are we conscious that we live before God? Do we act as if his opinion matters most, or are we content with the award ceremonies we've developed?

For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord,
and he ponders all his paths. (Proverbs 5:21)

In him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:17)

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Blogging Bridges: Directions for Dealing with Sin

2008-04-18T18:27:00.002-04:00

After looking at the remedy for sin, the power of the Holy Spirit, and our active role in dealing with sin, Bridges turns to giving general directions that apply to all our subtle (and even not so subtle) sins. For those of you following the blog and not necessarily the book, I'll list all seven here before writing my thoughts.

1. Apply the gospel
2. Depend on the Holy Spirit
3. Recognize your responsibility
4. Identify specific respectable sins
5. Memorize and apply appropriate Scriptures
6. Cultivate the practice of prayer
7. Involve one or a few other believers with you

Something that is hard for me to grasp and easy to lose sight of is the combination of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives and our diligence in rooting out our own sin. Ken wrote more on this issue in the previous post. But Bridges hints at something I have been learning lately in my own life - that the "flesh will sometimes get the upper hand...as you zero in on a particular sin, your situation may get worse before it gets better...The Holy Spirit will use these times of disobedience and defeat to help you see how deeply rooted your subtle sins are and how totally dependent you are on His power to help you."

As we go through this life struggling against sin while depending on the Holy Spirit, many times our sins won't "magically" disappear. What I've been learning is that as we become more aware of our sin, God will give us opportunities to defeat that sin. After all, if we are not faced with the temptation to certain sins, how will we grow in our faith and in or sanctification? God does not tempt us, but he brings into our lives situations designed to make us grow spiritually. Through the sovereign workings of God through the Holy Spirit, we face situations whose results should be a greater, humbler, thankful dependence on Him.

Blogging Bridges: The Nuclear Option

2008-04-15T07:26:00.005-04:00

Respectable Sins, ch. 5: "The Power of the Holy Spirit"

There is an intriguing statement in Romans 8:13: "If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." It's that phrase by the Spirit that makes the Christian offensive against sin a promising mission - in fact, a mission that will certainly be accomplished.

Bridges uses this verse, and others, to describe what he calls "dependent responsibility." We are responsible to God to take action against the enemy within, but we do so with a dependence on (and I would add, confidence in) God's work within.

We should pause for a minute to realize how mind boggling this is. It is not typical for us to think of our struggle against sin as involving both ourselves and the Holy Spirit. We instead fall into one of two traps: we either think the burden rests solely on us, or we think the work is the Lord's in a way that frees us of responsibility. Wow. God says the two go together. Let's try to live that out.

Now, I titled today's post The Nuclear Option. Here's why:

One thing not emphasized by Bridges, though not absent, is the way the Holy Spirit makes us effective servants of Christ. The Spirit, as we see throughout the New Testament, assures of our salvation and (thereby) leads us to live out our faith with joy and certainty. And the Spirit leads us to exercise our gifts to the glory of God, which includes helping others to see Jesus more clearly.

In short, the Holy Spirit provides a direction for our lives -- and it is the direction of joyful service to the Lord. Part of that service is slugging it out against our own sin, including the "subtle" sins that encamp within us. But another part is the joyful march forward, walking "in newness of life" as "new creations" who are "constrained by the love of Christ."

My thought is this. Sin will be put to death within us not only as we fight against it directly, but especially as we move away from it because we're busy about the mission God has placed us on.

This, then, is the nuclear option: Live for Jesus Christ in very practical ways. In ways that fill up your mind and your time. You won't stop fighting against sin - in fact, you'll be forced to confront sins as you are attempting to live for Christ. But if you're not allowing stagnant pools of (living) water to gather in your life, it's more likely that bacteria won't be growing there.

Jesus told us to "pray for the Holy Spirit" in Luke 11. I try to do this each morning, with the understanding that this means praying for joy and effectiveness in serving him.

Your thoughts?

Respectable Sins: The Remedy for Sin

2008-04-11T13:48:00.005-04:00

After spending a couple chapters on the loss of a real sense of sin in our churches and society, and a discussion on the seriousness and malignancy of sin, Bridges gets to the good news of the remedy of sin found in the gospel. To make his point, Bridges uses the examples of slave-trader-turned-preacher John Newton and former-persecutor-turned-apostle Paul as men who were keenly aware of their radical sinfulness and need for forgiveness found through their Savior.

Both men recognized in their respective lives that they were, and still are, great sinners - their sinfulness was never merely something from the past. As such, they never outgrew their need for the gospel - the forgiveness of sins found in Christ Jesus. Bridges uses these examples as springboards for discussing how the gospel is a remedy for our sins:

The gospel plows the ground of our hearts so that we can see our sin
The gospel prepares us to face sin by freeing us to do so by assuring us of forgiveness of our sin
The gospel motivates and energizes us to deal with our sin and to put it to death

I find that the assurance I have of forgiveness of my sin is, in fact, freeing. Like Bridges mentions, this assurance encourages me and assures me that as one of God's children, God is for me and not against me. It is "like he is coming alongside me, saying 'We are going to work on that sin, but meanwhile I want you to know that I no longer count it against you.'"

Because I am a great sinner, and am in need of forgiveness each and every day, this thought is immensely encouraging, and it should lead (as Ken mentioned in an earlier post, and as Bridges points out here) to gratitude for what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in my life through Christ. This cleansing of guilt through forgiveness of sins is only the first part of the discussion about gospel, though. The second part is the triumph over sin by the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the topic for the next chapter.

There was much more to this chapter that I didn't have time/room to discuss, so please feel free to share your thoughts! For a brief tutorial on how to comment, click here.

Respectable Sins: Registering Our Complaints

2008-04-09T15:09:00.008-04:00

In the third chapter of Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges discusses "the malignancy of sin." He compares sin to a cancer that spreads deep and wide if not treated. For example, Bridges gives an example of how easily sin spreads through our speech:

If I gossip, I both tear down another person and corrupt the mind of my listener. If I complain about the difficult circumstances of my life, I impugn the sovereignty and goodness of God and tempt my listener to do the same. In this way, my sin "metastasizes" into the heart of another person. (p.24)

This is an example of a "respectable sin." It is so easy, and so culturally acceptable, to complain. Yet this sin, like all others, brings with it serious consequences. Not only may we demonstrate ingratitude, but unthankfulness can very quickly lead to other "less respectable" sins.

Think about it: When we allow ourselves to think that our circumstances are an exception to the rule, that we deserve a break, and that God isn't fair, what kind of actions tend to flow from this?

Yet we also need to remember how important it is to be honest with others. If we feel ingratitude in our hearts but "grin and bear it" and try to put on a happy face to others, this leads to a different kind of sin -- we are unreal, inauthentic, dishonest. The only solution, therefore, is to get at the root of sin -- and yank it out!

But how?

And that's where the next chapter comes in...

Blogging Bridges: The Disappearance of Sin

2008-04-04T16:57:00.006-04:00

We have come to the second chapter in our effort of reading through Jerry Bridges' Respectable Sins, titled "The Disappearance of Sin." In this chapter, Bridges continues his introduction, and gives several examples from secular and Christian culture about how the concept of sin has been extinguished from the American consciousness. This phenomenon is evident in secular and pop culture: "People no longer commit adultery - instead they have an affair. Corporate executives do not steal - they commit fraud."

But perhaps more disturbing is that the biblical idea of sin is no longer prevalent in many of America's evangelical churches - at least not on an individual level. Bridges explains that sin has been deflected to those outside church circles who commit "flagrant" sins such as abortion, homosexuality, murder, etc. Bridges says that "it is easy for us to condemn those obvious sins while virtually ignoring our own sins of gossip, pride, envy, bitterness, and lust."

But Bridges uses James to relate the concept of the seriousness of individual sins to the reader. James (in James 2:10) says that whoever fails in one point of the law is guilty of all of it. Thus, all sin is serious and deserving of God's wrath because all sin is a breaking of God's law. Bridges admittedly "painted a rather dark picture," but he points out that as God's chosen people, we must take all sin seriously and heed God's call to repentance and reconciliation with him. Part of the purpose of Bridges' book is to open our eyes "to God's calling to lead us to the place where we do see the sins we tolerate in our own lives so that we will experience the repentance and renewal we need."

I know I have definitely been guilty of overlooking my own personal sins like impatience, lack of self control, bitterness, anxiety, and lust and focusing my attention and grief on larger, societal sins like crime, oppression, and lack of care for the poor. While these are definitely important issues, and we as Christians should be concerned with them, we should not be so consumed with passion for them at the expense of an awareness of and confession of our own individual sins.

Blogging Bridges: Ordinary Saints

2008-04-02T06:03:00.003-04:00

Today we begin our look at Jerry Bridges' book, Respectable Saints, one chapter at a time. Twice a week (at least that's our plan!) we will summarize a chapter and offer some reflections as well.

On an introductory note, I'd like to mention that this looks like an excellent book. I think it will be used for years to come in contexts like this, as a resource for Christian growth and discussion. This is because once we get on the path of following Jesus, it's not long before we realize that "big" sins really are just the flowering of "little" ones. I think for example of James 4:1-4.

For his part, Jerry Bridges says he wrote the book "from a growing conviction that...conservative evangelicals may have become so preoccupied with some of the major sins of society around us that we have lost sight of the need to deal with our own more 'refined' or subtle sins" (p.9).

And so with these things in mind, let's dig in...

Respectable Sins, Chapter One: Ordinary Saints

In the first chapter, Bridges reminds us that the Bible calls all believers "saints" while also saying we are "called to be saints." In other words, our relationship with God is secure (we are "set apart" for him) but we must learn to live like it. I think of the Apostle Paul who frequently said, "Walk worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Bridges illustrates this with an expression from the U.S. Navy: "conduct unbecoming an officer." Do we exhibit conduct unbecoming a saint?

Since we live in a Navy town, and I've driven through other military towns recently, this made me think of another illustration. And I think this illustration points to the reason we're reading this book:

In the U.S., we respect our men and women in uniform. We respect them because their vocation is on our behalf, and also because they conduct themselves with discipline. They stand out to us in the airport because they're not slouching about with earphones but walking uprightly, carrying themselves with confidence and quietly commanding respect.

But suppose you move into a military town, and you live among military families in your neighborhood. Now you see these families behind the scenes, when the uniform is not on, at the grocery store, with their kids, off hours, etc. Now you're going to have a closer look. And what do you find? Are they good neighbors? Do they command respect, or do you avoid them? Are you concerned for their kids? Are they friendly?

Of course military men and women come in all stripes. Some engage in "conduct unbecoming an officer" and some are exemplary. But think about this now in terms of how outsiders view Christians. From a distance, Christians seem to be good citizens - promoting family values, doing something safe on Sunday mornings, avoiding really big sins like murder and embezzling and acts of terrorism. But what happens when people get closer to us? What do they see? Do they see anxiety, discontentment, selfishness, and irritability?

These are the kinds of subjects addressed in this book. But first the big picture is examined (in chapters 1-6): the Bible's teaching concerning sin, how to deal with it, and experiencing the powerful change that God brings in our life--not making us perfect yet, but moving us to become more like the Lord we follow.

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Whatever Happened to Sin?

2008-03-21T09:12:00.004-04:00

That's the headline on the back cover of Jerry Bridges' book Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. Often, it seems, Christians focus on the "big" sins of our time - abortion, crime, divorce for example - and neglected or forgotten about our own "smaller" personal sins. In his book, Bridges "addresses clusters of 'acceptable' sins that we tend to tolerate in ourselves - such as jealousy, anger, pride, unthankfulness, and judgmentalism." He does so not from an ivory tower or pedestal, but from "the trenches of his own battles with sin."

We are currently recruiting others to join us for our latest reading project, in which we will go through Bridges' book together. We are planning on reading two chapters each week, and posting a discussion/summary of each chapter on this blog. If you'd like to read along, discuss along, or even just read the posts, please join us! We are planning to start reading the week of March 31.

You can pick up a copy of the book here or here, or if you like supporting the bigger retailers, here. You can also read a good review of the book here. (Note: I nearly bought the discussion guide for this book accidentally - you can distinguish them because the guide has a tan cover and the book itself is pictured above).

After an introduction on the role of the gospel in our lives, Bridges devotes the rest of the book to confronting these "respectable sins." They include:
-Ungodliness
-Anxiety and Frustration
-Discontentment
-Unthankfulness
-Pride
-Selfishness
-Lack of Self-Control
-Impatience and Irritability
-Anger
-The Weeds of Anger
-Judgmentalism
-Envy, Jealousy, and Related Sins
-Sins of the Tongue
-Worldliness

May this be a time of giving glory to God, being strengthened in our faith by the Holy Spirit, and fellowshipping with fellow believers.

Jesus' Finished Work & Our Unfinished Work

2008-03-17T15:29:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Joe preached on "The Finished Work of Christ." What a difference it makes to understand this!

One of my favorite Christian artists is Keith Green. He was one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1970s, he had a large heart for ministry, and a heart for the Lord that was evident in his lyrics. The music sounds dated now, but I still love it.

However, Keith Green's theology wasn't perfect. (Neither is mine.) One of his most famous songs is "Pledge My Head to Heaven," and the rumor is that Bob Dylan plays harmonica on the song. Not sure if that's true, by the way. Anyway, the refrain in this song is:

I'm your child, and I want to be in your family forever
I'm your child, and I'm going to follow you no matter whatever
The cost
I'm gonna count all things loss...

I'm not sure this was intentional, but Keith Green expresses more confidence in his following of God than in his relationship to God! He wants to be in God's family forever; he is going to follow him "no matter the cost."

Almost two decades later, another of my favorite Christian artists covered this Keith Green song. However, he changed the refrain to this:

I'm your child, I'm gonna be in your family forever
I'm your child, I want to follow you no matter whatever
The cost
I want to count all things lost.

Notice how Steve Camp reversed things. There is a confidence concerning his relationship to God, and a humility concerning his own performance.

What a difference this makes as we seek to follow the Lord. We need to know for certain we are in his family. Then, with humility, we seek to follow him - knowing that he's with us no matter what.

Keith Green died in the early 1980s in a plane crash. He died with imperfect theology and imperfect works. I expect the same will happen to each of us. Maybe a Steve Camp will come along to clean up some of our rough edges, or maybe not. But what we can know for a fact is that Jesus' work is finished, making up for our lack!

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(As a side note, did you ever notice that contemporary Christian music introduced the words "gonna" and "wanna" into the musical vocabulary? I don't think you find these words in the hymns of Charles Wesley. But I'm gonna keep listening anyway, no matter the cost!)

No Night There

2008-03-07T09:06:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure why, but I woke up this morning with the hymn “No Night There” going through my head (#730 in the old blue Trinity Hymnal, not sure what number in the newer red one). I haven’t sung this song in church in who knows how long, yet I easily recalled the words.

As I grew up, my dad would sing this hymn to us Pearce kids as we fell asleep. Its soft, soothing melody and rich, heavenward lyrics made for the perfect lullaby. As I sang it to myself this morning, I couldn’t help but smile and get a little emotional as I thought of Dad softly singing about what heaven will be like.

I look back on those moments now, and realize that this hymn was a perfect choice for my dad to sing to us kids – and not only for the lullaby-esque quality of the hymn. Its words, while meaningful to an adult, are simple enough for a child. Years ago while lying in bed, I would hear Dad singing this song and try to envision what heaven would be like –no tears, no pain, no night, golden streets, gates of pearl...

While looking at this hymn now as an adult, it has even more meaning to me. I understand the last verse even more now than I did then – the Lamb (Christ) is all the light in heaven – no sun, no moon. How great it will be when there will be no night because we will be forever in His presence.

#730 “No Night There”
In the land of fadeless day
Lies the city four-square.
It shall never pass away,
And there is no night there.

Refrain:
God shall wipe away all tears;
There's no death, no pain, nor fears;
And they count not time by years,
For there is no night there.

All the gates of pearl are made
In the city four-square.
All the streets with gold are laid,
And there is no night there.

And the gates shall never close
To the city four-square.
There life's crystal river flows,
And there is no night there.

There they need no sunshine bright,
In that city four-square.
For the Lamb is all the light,
And there is no night there.

Second Take

2008-03-04T05:59:00.003-05:00

Some phrases from the Bible are quite familiar to us, and for good reason. They zero in on our experience, or our need, in a succinct and powerful way. Yet sometimes these become a little too familiar. For that reason, it's nice to see new shades of meaning in even the most familiar verses of God's word.

Here are two examples, both from the minor prophets - both verses that many readers probably know quite well.

The first is from Habakkuk 2:4, where the familiar words "the righteous shall live by faith" are first recorded. Did you know that the entirety of this verse is actually as follows: "Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith." I think we see more clearly what faith is - and isn't - when we see that the context is a statement against human pride.

The second is from Malachi 7:19, where we read, "You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." This same phrase is mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, and pictures the breadth of God's forgiveness to us. Have you ever considered that this speaks not only about our forgiveness, but God's own hatred of sin? He removes our sin first and foremost for his own sake! Through Jesus we are recipients of his mercy for sure, but it's a mercy combined with God's own zeal to wipe the creation clean of its stains.

This point was made by a friend of mine who sends out daily thoughts based on Scripture; he calls this the "Verse of the Day." He wrote in an email concerning Malachi 7:19, "I'd like to ...point out that there is an element of God's anger in these verses - anger that is triggered by our sin. Yes, we are forgiven. Yes, God pardons us. He removes our sins. We could not stand if He did not do these things. But let us not forget that our sins cause God grief. Let us not take advantage of His grace, but rather turn from sin and live for Him."

Let's think more deeply about these passages. And every part of Scripture we read!

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NOTE: If you'd like to receive that "verse of the day" on an ongoing basis, let me know and I'll put you in touch.

ER and the Atonement

2008-02-22T15:18:00.001-05:00

I’m not a watcher of ER, but a friend sent me this clip from a recent episode titled “Atonement.” Without knowing the context of the interaction between patient and chaplain, it seems like a cry for help from an increasingly secular and postmodern world.

The man doesn’t need to look within himself to understand his feelings and thus "fix" himself. He needed answers to his questions. What the man needed to hear was the good news of Jesus Christ.

Taken to Task

2008-02-20T06:15:00.000-05:00

Has it been a while since you've read Jonah? It's about something more profound than a prophet and a fish. For one thing, it's about God's guidance.

"God's guidance" is a familiar phrase in Christian circles. We all want to be gently nudged in the direction of our desires, the direction of success. If only God will let slip a little of his plan, his will, we'll gladly follow! Or so we think.

Jonah's case is far different, far more realistic, and far more profound.

It is different because God's direction to Jonah is not a light, breezy thing. It is not in line with Jonah's personal ambitions at all. Instead, he summons Jonah to a difficult task - preaching to a sophisticated, large, and most likely violent crowd in the major world city of Ninevah.

It is more realistic because Jonah balks at God's plan; tries to remove himself both physically and psychologically from dealing with God's plan; and only obeys God after a watershed experience frees him of his fears. It is through Jonah's near-death experience that he is confronted with his mortality, and also God's salvation; afterward, he figures, what's a few thousand angry Ninevites between friends?

Finally, it is more profound because the main character here is not Jonah. It is not the whale. It is God himself, who is determined to give Ninevah a chance to repent. And this is striking because he does this in spite of a very reluctant follower - who hardly deserves to be called a "follower" at all! Ultimately, it is quite reassuring that God is willing to work through us even though he has to go to great lengths to get our attention, while we meanwhile resist his authority in our lives.

What is underscored here is God's desire to rescue us from ourselves. He rescues Jonah from himself in more ways than one, and he rescues a generation of Ninevites from their waywardness and ignorance. As Jonah says in chapter 2, "Salvation belongs to the Lord!"

Keeping Accounts...Of What?

2008-02-07T16:36:00.000-05:00

Here's something that was literally "overheard" at New Covenant this past weekend.

Harry Schaumburg, in a seminar on sexual purity, spoke about accountability. And perhaps when we think of Christian accountability we think of praying together and perhaps asking a few tough questions of each other, usually at a local coffee shop. But Dr. Schaumburg proposed some questions that cut deeper. Questions like these:

In daily circumstances, particularly those that are difficult, do I believe that God reigns?

In daily neglecting God, or discounting His sovereignty, has this led to depression?

In daily discounting God's sovereignty has this led to self-pity?

On what do I base my hope and encouragement? Improved circumstances/relationships or the promises of God?

There were numerous other questions. But these, I think, cut more to the heart of our relationship with God - and our relationship with sin - than most questions we ask one another. And they cut deeper than most questions we even ask ourselves!

How would you answer the above questions? What would it be like to have friends with whom you discussed these questions?

God of Politics

2008-02-05T20:37:00.001-05:00

I follow national politics. In many ways, it's like following football or any other sport, except that the stakes are higher.

As I monitor my own interest in political matters, I often wonder whether politics fills a religious void in many of our lives. Political shows fill the airwaves on Sunday mornings. Pundits, like priests, keep the fires burning 24 hours a day. But below the surface, it seems something else is going on too. Politics, like religion, has a totalizing effect: demanding not only more time and space in our lives, but also serving as the fundamental reference point for ethics, value, meaning, and accomplishment.

As I watched Morning Joe today, I thought about how there seems to be no end to political discussion. Sheer speculation is in limitless supply, and certain topics get discussed from every angle - and then discussed again. And you know what, I often find it pretty entertaining - and occasionally informative.

And then I thought about a passage in the New Testament where people are described as having "itching ears" that are quick to hear what entertains them - and slow to hear, really hear, what God has to say.

The passage (1 Timothy 4:3) is speaking about false religion, not politics.

Then again...

Lists, Lists, Lists

2008-01-30T22:07:00.000-05:00

“All of us would be wiser if we would resolve never to put people down, except on our prayer lists.” – D.A. Carson

In A Call to Spiritual Reformation, his book on the prayers of Paul, D.A. Carson introduces the book with a chapter on lessons he has learned about prayer from other Christian models in his life. Among these is the suggestion to develop a system for prayer lists. I admit that when it comes to keeping and using a prayer list, I fall short. With my poor memory, I either forget to write people and situations to pray for, or write them down and forget to use my list later.

Carson uses a system he borrowed from J. Herbert Kane, a missionary to China in the mid 20th century. He keeps a manila folder in his study (where he does most of his praying) and takes it with him while traveling. The first sheet in the folder contains a list of people to pray regularly and indefinitely for – “people bound up with me, who I am.” He includes his wife, children, relatives, close friends, his church and his seminary.

The second sheet lists short-range and intermediate-range concerns that will not remain indefinitely. These may include forthcoming responsibilities in ministry and opportunities or crises he has heard about. In other words, the first sheet is made up of people for whom he prays constantly. The second includes people and situations for whom he prays for a short or extended period of time.

The rest of the folder is made up of his advisee list (seminary students) and letters. These letters are prayer letters or personal letters, organized in alphabetical order. He tries to set aside time to intercede with God on behalf of these people, and cycles through them regularly.

Carson uses his manila folder. Pastor Mullen uses index cards. Our church bulletin lists prayer concerns and missionary letters weekly. Many missionaries and organizations publish prayer lists. There are many systems to help us to pray with and for others. If you have a system that works, or know of a system someone else uses, please share!