The Heart of Jesus

More from last week's text...

"I am gentle and lowly in heart." Matthew 11:29

C. H. Spurgeon:

"Now it is very remarkable that the only passage in the whole New Testament in which the heart of Jesus is distinctly mentioned is the one before us. . .

The words employed here include, first, a readiness on the part of Christ to pardon all past offenses. 'Come to me,' he says, 'for however much you may have offended in the past, I am meek and easily to be entreated. I am ready to forgive, to forget and cast behind my back all your provocations. I do not say this to cajole you; my very heart says it, for my heart is full of tenderness and compassion for you.'

The words also include a willingness to endure yet further offenses. 'Not only do I forget the past but I am ready to bear with you still, though you should still offend me. I will endure it all. Come to me, although you cannot hope that your future character will be perfect. I will help you to struggle into holiness and be patient with your failures. As frequently as you shall grieve me, so frequently will I forgive you. I am meek in heart, ready to forgive the past and willing to bear with you in the present and in the future.'

Beloved brethren, what a heart Jesus has to receive sinners in this divine manner!"

Source, Originally from Spurgeon's Treasury of the New Testament

"Come to Me"

Thinking some more about last week's text...

Ray Ortlund:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

The sacred center of Christianity is Christ himself. Coming personally to the Person. Coming directly to the Mediator. No one but Jesus can call us with such authority, and no one but Jesus can encourage us with such a promise. No one else can give us rest.

If our primary purpose in church is to connect with one another and build community, that's what we'll get -- one another. And we'll end up angry. Only Jesus gives us rest. If we will put him first and come to him first, we'll have something to give one another.

If our primary purpose in church is outreach and mercy and justice and all those good missional things, we'll end up exhausted and empty. Only Jesus gives us rest. If we will put him first and come to him first, we'll be renewed for endless mission.

Only One has ever said and can ever say, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

His offer stands. But he comes first.

EFCA Statement of Faith, Point 4

We probably won't get to it in our Welcome to the Family class this week, but just in case, here's point 4 from our Statement of Faith. I'll post the next two or three points sometime next week. Isn't this a handy way to view the supporting Scripture references quickly?

The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

Jesus Christ
4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

Jesus Christ
4. We believe that Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:21; 16:18) is God incarnate (Jn. 1:14, 18; 1 Jn. 4:2), fully God (Isa. 9:6; Jer. 23:6; Jn. 1:1; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Col. 2:9) and fully man (Matt. 4:2; Lk. 2:40, 52; Jn. 11:35; Heb. 5:7-8; 1 Jn. 1:1-3), one Person in two natures (Jn. 3:13; 10:30; 17:5). Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah (Gen. 3:14-20; 12:1-3; 49:8-12; 2 Sam. 7:11b-16; Matt. 1:1, 17; Lk. 4:16-22; 24:25-27; Jn. 1:41; 4:25-26; Acts 2:36; 13:23,32; Rom. 1:2-3; 2 Tim. 2:8,9)—was conceived through the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18; Lk. 1:34,35) and born of the virgin Mary (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:20; Lk. 1:34,35). He lived a sinless life (Rom. 5:19; Gal. 4:4,5; Matt. 3:15; Phil. 2:7,8; Heb. 4:15), was crucified under Pontius Pilate (Dt. 21:23; Ps. 16:10; Matt. 27:26; Mk. 15:15; Lk. 23:16; Jn. 19:16; Acts 2:27, 37), arose bodily from the dead (Matt. 28:1-10; Mk. 16:1-8; Lk. 24:39; Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:20, 44-45; Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5), ascended into heaven (Lk. 24:51; Acts 1:6-11; Eph. 1:20; 4:8-10; 1 Tim. 3:16) and sits at the right hand of God the Father (Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 1 Pet. 3:22) as our High Priest (Heb. 2:17; 3:1; 4:14; 6:20; 8:1) and Advocate (Rom. 8: 34; Heb. 7:25; 9:24; 1 Jn. 2:1).

EFCA Statement of Faith, Point 3

See the first post (two below) for the reason for this series.

The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

The Human Condition
3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

The Human Condition
3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image (Gen. 1:26-27; 5:1; 9:6; 1 Cor. 11:7; Col. 3:10; Jms. 3:9), but they sinned when tempted by Satan (Gen. 3:1-6; Jn. 8:44; Rom. 5:12-14; 16:20; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:13-14). In union with Adam (Job 14:4; Ps. 51:5; Jn. 3:6; Rom. 3:12; 5:12-14; 1 Cor. 15:22a; 1 Jn. 1:8), human beings are sinners by nature and by choice (Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9; Isa. 6:5; Rom. 5:15; 8:5-8; Eph. 2:1-2; 4:17-19), alienated from God (Rom. 5:10), and under His wrath (Rom. 1:18; 2:5; 3:9-19; 3:23; Eph. 2:3). Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5) can we be rescued (1 Thess. 1:10), reconciled (Rom. 5:1,2,10; Col. 1:20) and renewed (Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 4:24; Phil. 3:21; 1 Jn. 3:2).

EFCA Statement of Faith, Point 2

See the first post of this series for the explanation behind it, and see the other posts for the other points.

The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

The Bible
2. We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

The Bible
2. We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures (Matt. 1:22; 4:4; 19:4,5; Heb. 1:1-2), both Old and New Testaments (2 Pet. 3:15,16), through the words of human authors (Lk. 1:1-4). As the verbally inspired Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20,21), the Bible is without error in the original writings (Num. 23:19; 2 Sam. 7:28; Prov. 30:5; Ps. 119:96, 160; Matt. 5:18; Jn. 10:35; 17:17; Tit. 1:1,2), the complete revelation of His will for salvation (Lk. 16:29-31; Gal. 1:8,9; 2 Tim. 3:15), and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged (Jn. 17:17; 1 Tim. 3:15-17; 1 Pet. 1:23; Ps. 119:44,45,165). Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches (Matt. 22:29; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16), obeyed in all that it requires (Matt. 28:20; 2 Thess. 3:14; 1 Jn. 2:5), and trusted in all that it promises (Rom. 1:2; 4:21; Heb. 10:23; 2 Pet. 1:4; 3:13).

EFCA Statement of Faith, Point 1

This summer I am helping to teach the Welcome to the Family class during our Sunday School hour. This is a class for new members, or those who may be considering membership in our church.

This week, we begin to make our way through our Statement of Faith. I am going to post each of the ten points in a separate post, and twice within each post: 1) the bare text, and 2) the text with Scripture references. This makes it a handy way to look at these supporting verses, because this website supports links to a Bible site. Just hover over the links to see the Scripture text, or click to go there.

The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

God
1. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

God
1. We believe in one God (Dt. 6:4; Mk. 12:29), Creator of all things (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 33:6; Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 11:3), holy (Ex. 15:11; Isa. 6:3; 57:15), infinitely perfect (Dt. 32:4; Job 1:7-10; Ps. 18:30; 50:2; 90:2; 145:3; Matt. 5:48), and eternally existing (Ps. 33:11; 102:25-27; 115:3; Dan. 4:34-35; Jn. 5:26; Acts 17:24-25) in a loving unity (Jn. 3:35; 17:24; 1 Jn. 4:8,16) of three equally divine Persons (Jn. 17:11; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2): the Father (Dt. 32:6; Mt. 6:6; Rom. 8:15; 1 Cor. 8:6), the Son (Matt.3:17; Jn. 1:14; 3:16; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 1:5), and the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15; Rom. 8:9, 26; Gal. 4:6). Having limitless knowledge (Ps. 139:1-16; 147:5; Isa. 46:10; Jn. 21:17) and sovereign power (Jer. 32:17; Eph. 1:11; Rm. 8:28; 2 Cor. 6:18; Eph. 3:20; Rev. 1:8), God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself (1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:11; 3:10,11; 2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8) and to make all things new (Matt. 19:28; Acts 3:21; Rom. 8:19-21; Rev. 21,22) for His own glory (Ps. 19:1-2; Isa. 43:7; Jer. 13:11; Col. 1:15-23; Rev. 4:11; 5:9-14).

Busyness

Tim Chester, from The Busy Christian's Guide to Busyness:

Our Christian lives can be full of good intentions to do more for God, but time and again those good intentions are sapped by the pace of our lives. Sermons, conferences, talks, books all urge us to spend more time praying, studying the Bible, sharing the gospel, building community, caring for the needy, campaigning for justice – and on it goes. But most Christians feel their lives are already over-full. Some Christians, because of ill-health or unemployment, struggle with the opposite problem. They wish they had more to do. But everywhere you look in the church today there are busy Christians… There are many challenges facing the church today. But alongside all of them is this problem of time and busyness. Whatever new ideas we come up with for church or mission, we need to find the time to do them! In his book, The Tyranny of Time, Robert Banks (1983) says: ‘Our attitude to time is not an extra commitment or idea. It is the medium in which everything else is done. It affects everything.’ There’s so much we want to do; so many issues; so many opportunities. But so little time. We could argue about what the most crucial concerns are facing Christians today. But unless we sort out a Christian view of busyness, we might not find time to debate them, let alone do anything.

That last sentence simply refers to the fact that we need to consider how we might wisely use our time and energy in course of our daily habits and routines. This is a matter of wisdom that does effect how well we are able to live in fellowship with God and serve him faithfully in the roles and responsibilities he has given us as neighbors, laborers, students, spouses, parents, children, etc. Do you need to do some taking care of busyness?

Next Sermon - Matthew 11:20-30 on 06/28/09

Two paragraphs, lots of issues and ideas, hard and precious words-- pray that God will give me a clear and timely word for you from his Word.

Matthew 11:20-30

20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Gone and Back

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. With the elder retreat last weekend and then being out of town for the following three days, I've had to push the blog aside to catch up with more pressing ministry matters.

On retreat, our elders enjoyed hours of stimulating discussion on evangelism, shepherding the congregation, training leaders, and plans for the future. You'll hear some of the fruit of this discussion in coming months. [We also squeezed in some competitive pool and ping pong.]

On vacation, our family enjoyed worshiping last Sunday at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Rockford. I had heard a recording of a sermon by their pastor, K. Edward Copeland, from the audio of The Gospel Coalition conference in April. Wouldn't you know it, the church had a guest speaker preach that morning, but we did get to hear some of Pastor Copeland's heart as he gave an exhortation to the men of the church on Father's Day.

Yes, New Zion is an African-American congregation, and we were blessed to witness a vibrant congregation of about our size that is worshiping and serving in a challenging area of Rockford. They are indeed faithfully preaching the transforming message of the gospel. Visiting the church was also an opportunity to expose our boys to a different expression of the Body of Christ than what we find in Mt. Morris (last census: 96% white).

I was back in the office on Wednesday morning (early, for the Mt. Morris men's prayer meeting at 6:00 a.m.) and looking forward to being back in the pulpit Sunday. I'll put the sermon text within a follow-up post in a moment.

Five Myths on Fathers and Family

Happy Father's Day!

Sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox describes five myths of fathers and family:
1. The 'Mr. Mom' Surge
2. Women Want Everything 50-50
3. Marriage Is Just a Piece of Paper
4. The Kids Are Alright
5. Dads Are Dispensable

Read his explanations, with statistics, etc. here.

Source

The Hardest Thing to Do

Our elders will be taking a short retreat Friday evening and Saturday morning to talk through plans and goals for our church, especially for the coming year.

This reminds me of a recent article by John Ortberg, who reflects on some of the challenges that shepherds of a church must face. Let these spur your prayers for us!

After learning that the hardest thing to do in sports is hit a baseball at the Major League level...

All of this got me to thinking, What is the hardest activity in church ministry? What would it look like if I were to see a scouting report on my pastoring? It would be fascinating to do a survey and find out which aspect of congregational leadership is the single toughest challenge. Because church ministry makes hitting a baseball look easy.

There is the challenge of trying to preach fresh, creative, substantial messages that reflect the best in increasingly complex scholarship and are integrated into the preacher's soul. And to do this when people compare it to whomever their favorite international preacher is. And to do it again next week, and the week after that, until you grow old and die.

There is the challenge of casting a vision of what might be done tomorrow, when you feel the gravitational pull of human nature to slide backwards into less challenge, less sacrifice, more comfort, and more inward-focus.

There is the challenge of resolving conflict. People keep having problems with other people. They keep trying to assert influence, grab power, get their way, and resist change they did not initiate. There is the temptation to try to ignore it, smooth it over, stomp it underground, or run away. Having the patience and strength to untie the knots is a Herculean effort.

There is the challenge of acquiring and developing the right talent on the team. Finding the right people with the right gifts and putting them into the right lanes to run the right race in alignment with the big mission is a major league challenge. And the job is never done. Someone's always in the wrong lane or pulling a hammy.

There is the resource challenge, which is currently rearing its head in almost every ministry I know.

There is the worship challenge, which involves not just worshiping God with integrity and honesty but doing it in a way that resonates with an increasingly niched and diverse population.

Then there is the volunteer challenge, the change-navigation challenge, the technology challenge, the evangelism challenge, the assimilation challenge, the infrastructure challenge, and the pastoral care challenge.

There is the 1 Corinthians 9:27 challenge, which is tops on my survey: "I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

Evangelism: Eight Common Problems

One issue our elders will be discussing is evangelism: reaching the lost with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Here are some thoughts on eight common problems in evangelism, by Colin Adams, a Scottish pastor:

1. Church members cannot articulate the gospel clearly.
Response: The pastor should articulate the gospel with clarity from the pulpit on a regular basis. Presenting the gospel clearly on a regular basis will help fellow-Christians present it more clearly too. If necessary, church members should work through a study like 2 ways to live.

2. Church members have few non-Christian friends.
Response: Cut down on the number of church activities during the week to allow some room for relationships to be built with non-Christians. Leaders must model a lifestyle of witness. Sow ideas about new ways to connect with people. Ask: where do the people of our community hang out, and how can we reach them?

3. A lack of evangelistic motivation.
Response: Preach on the clear call in Scripture to evangelise. With God’s help, lead people to Christ. There is nothing more encouraging to evangelism than to see people coming to know Jesus! Talk often about the terrors of God’s judgement upon the lost. Start with the leaders: are they doing evangelism? If so, there will be a trickle down
effect.

4. Members are unable to answer friends questions.
Response: Do apologetical sidebars in sermons, raising would be objections from non-Christian friends. Recommend books like Every Thought Captive. It may be beneficial to do some practical work in this area, a course which mixes theory and practice.

5. Lifestyles of members do not commend the gospel.
Response: Repentance! There must be a willingness to apply God’s Word to every area of our lives, not just to Sunday’s. Church discipline might factor in here too.

6. Outsiders see the church as judgemental and lacking compassion.

Response: Confound expectations by being involved in public acts of care and concern in the community.

7. Only professionals evangelise.
Response: Show people from the Scriptures that this is untrue. Ask people constantly about where they are doing evangelism, and who we can pray for in their circles. Frequently bring people up the front – ordinary people – to talk about their witness and how we can pray for them.

8. Don’t know what to do once someone is interested.
Response: Emphasise the importance of prayer. Only God can bring about true conversion! Now is probably also the time to bring them along to Christianity Explored, and eventually to church services. If they’re truly interested, they’ll come.

Evaluating Risk

Ralph D. Winter, Missiologist:

You do not evaluate a risk by the probability of success,
but by the worthiness of the goal.

Source

Build a Life in One Place

Tony Woodlief:

We assemble relationships because we need them, but many of us -- particularly men -- shrink from intimacy, generating the modern dilemma of dense social networks afflicted with loneliness. Allan Bloom indicates this in "Love and Friendship": "Isolation, a sense of lack of profound contact with other human beings, seems to be the disease of our time." He decried the word "relationship" as "pallid" and "pseudoscientific," itself an obstacle to genuine intimacy.

My 298 Facebook friends aren't the ones who remember our dead daughter's birthday or leave flowers at her grave. Nor among them is the pastor who baptized each of our children and waged a personal holy war to keep our marriage from crumbling years ago. We have these deeper friendships because we've tried to build a life in one place. They sprang up because the stuff of life happened to this cluster of us living near one another, and much of it was too joyous or heartbreaking not to share with someone. If friendship is the key to happiness, then maybe this is the key to friendship, to be enmeshed -- not just tangentially or voyeuristically, but physically -- in the lives of others. That can be hard to swallow in a culture that prizes individualism, mobility and privacy.

I know, I know, some of you have friends on Facebook who are also friends from church. All I'm trying to point out is the significance of that sentence: "We have these deeper friendships because we've tried to build a life in one place." Stay connected with old friends near and far, but go deeper with those who are nearer.

Made for Monogamy

Marcia Segelstein summarizes and comments on the findings of "Two doctors, Joe McIlhaney and Freda McKissic Bush, [who] explain what we now know about sex and the human brain in their book, Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex Is Affecting Our Children."

Source

Love Means Saying More Than "I'm Sorry"

A pathway to truth forgiveness, by Lou Priolo:

1. Acknowledge that you have sinned. Let the party you've offended know that you acknowledge wrongdoing. This is humbling but necessary. Acknowledge not only that you sin but that you have sinned against this person.

2. Identify your sin by its specific biblical name. Do not simply acknowledge generic sin but acknowledge specific sin and call it by its biblical name (which keeps you from acknowledging something society may label as sin but the Bible does not). This ensures that you have thought deeply about your sin and have seen how it fits into what the Bible calls sin.

3. Acknowledge the harm your offense caused. This is also humbling. You must acknowledge that your sin has had consequences and that you are owning up not only to the sin but also to the harmful consequences your sin brought about.

4. Demonstrate repentance by identifying an alternative biblical behavior. Show that you have truly considered your sin by explaining what you should have done instead. Show what the appropriate alternative behavior would have been.

5. Ask for forgiveness. This puts the onus on the offended party to accept your repentance and to extend forgiveness to you. It completes the reconciliation between the offender and the one who has been offended.

I believe that we vastly underestimate the power of genuinely acknowledging our wrongdoing to one another, particularly those personal offenses that we inflict upon those who are closest to us: spouse, children, parents, neighbors, coworkers. Saying "I'm sorry" just doesn't go far enough. Saying, "I was wrong when I spoke to you in anger. Please forgive me."

What is not included in the list above is the necessity for these to be accompanied by a gospel-shaped response that includes mercy and grace based on what Christ has done for us.

Source

Shining Eyes

This is a bit long for web viewing at nearly 21 minutes, but I think you'll find it captivating.

Yes, it is not about Christian faith and ministry-- it is about classical music and leadership-- but if you can't make the connections to evangelism, discipleship, and pastoral ministry, then, well, give me a call. (But I hope it helps you appreciate classical music too.)

Here Comes the Bride

From a Newsweek article titled "MySpace Generation Brides Go for Sexy, Not Virginal":

At the actual ceremony, however, brides were nearly as reserved in the 1990s as they'd been in the 1950s. But then the numbers of women who got married in churches started to drop, and so did the strictures on what was appropriate to wear. (According to a survey by Condé Nast bridal media, only 46 percent of brides were married in a church or synagogue in 2006, down from 55 percent the year before.) As more couples began to get married in homes, in hotel ballrooms or on beaches on Capri—anywhere but places of worship—the bridal gown lost its ceremonial meaning as a virgin's garb. It became a fashion garment only. "For a long time wedding dresses were this backwater," All Dressed in White author Wallace says. "They were very different from what anyone would wear in their normal life. But now it's perfectly clear that white no longer symbolizes virginity. It's become a symbol of merely being a bride. So once virginity goes out the window, why wouldn't you show more of your breasts or have a back cut down to your waist?"

Couples are also living together before they get married, of course. About six out of 10 brides check their single lives at the door of a shared apartment years before their wedding day. In response, sociologists say, the sexier dresses and the handoff of pin-up pictures—which was introduced into the wedding prep about three years ago—are ways to add spark to an already-established couple's sex life and mark the marriage as a monumental life change.

"When a girl left her parents' house to be married, she was making an enormous transition," Wallace says. "The wedding celebration was to help her negotiate the change. Now very often there is no functional difference between marriage and living together."

Owen Strachan comments:

One wonders how long the tradition of the white bridal gown will last. It does not, after all, signal purity for many brides today, as it formerly did. It is merely a holdover from a quaint age and an aesthetically pleasing choice for brides today.

The sexualization of weddings is really quite strange, if you think about it. Weddings (should) celebrate the complete union of a couple, but this is a private matter, not a public one. It’s very strange, and quite twisted, to have brides attempting to draw the eyes of men other than their husband on their wedding day. One doesn’t need to be a Christian to see this. It’s just common sense. It’s downright weird for a woman to sexually advertise herself on the very day that she announces to the world that
she is permanently taken.

A Little Break

I sat down to read Matthew 11:20-30 this morning-- not to do any sermon work, but just to get it in my head. As I was savoring some thoughts it brought to mind, I suddenly remembered that I will not be preaching this coming Sunday(!). I have to admit that I was a little disappointed, though of course it was my own plan. I am enjoying Matthew so much that I always seem to look forward to preparing the next sermon, and I hope some of what I am gaining from this account of Jesus' life and ministry is trickling down to you.

There are two reasons that I am not preaching this weekend. First, I have another Sunday of vacation to take before the end of July, and so I am taking Sunday through Tuesday to spend with my wife in Chicago. Thanks, Priceline.com!

The second reason is that not preaching will allow me to spend more time in preparation for a retreat that our Council of Elders will be taking this Friday night through early Saturday afternoon. I mention this to ask for your prayers both for my preparation as well as our elders' time together as we think through short-term and long-term goals and plans for our church.

So, you can look forward to hearing your other pastor preach on Sunday and wait for the conclusion of Matthew 11 on June 28.

The Supreme Christian Activity

No, it's not potluck dinners.

J. I. Packer:

We are constantly told that worship is the supreme Christian activity. True, no doubt. But what is worship? Our culture knows nothing about worship and dismisses it as something Christians do in church in which it is not interested, so it we ourselves, as children of our culture, are clueless about worship at this present moment, it should come as no surprise. Recognizing this possibility, however, I will take nothing for granted and begin at the very beginning. The first step toward forming sound ideals of worship is to get clear as to its essential nature. So let us try first to see what it is.

The history of the word gives us our answer. The noun WORSHIP is a contraction of WORTHSHIP. Used as a verb, it means "to ascribe worth" or "to acknowledge value." To worship God is to recognize his worthiness—to look Godward and acknowledge in all appropriate ways the value of what we see. The Bible calls this activity giving glory to God. It views this as our ultimate end and, from one point of view, our whole duty. "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name" (Ps 29:2; 96:8). "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31).

Scripture views the glorifying of God as a sixfold activity:
(1) praising God for all that he is and all his achievements,
(2) thanking him for his gifts and goodness to us,
(3) asking him to meet our own and others' needs,
(4) offering him our gifts, our service and ourselves,
(5) learning of him from his Word, read and preached, and obeying his voice, and
(6) telling others God's "worth" by public confession and testimony to what has been done for us.

We might say that these basic elements of worship can be phrased as follows:
(1) "Lord, you are wonderful,"
(2) "Thank you, Lord,"
(3) "Please, Lord,"
(4) "Take this, Lord,"
(5) "Yes, Lord," and
(6) "Listen, everybody!"

The psalms abundantly illustrate all six.

Source, originally from Knowing Christianity

Next Sermon - Matthew 11:1-19 on 06/14/09

Here is the text for this coming Sunday's sermon.

Matthew 11:1-19

1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
“ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,
17 “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

Homophobia

This is from a registered clinical counselor in Canada, who happens to be Catholic, speaking on religious freedom in Canada:

In Communist Russia, dissidents were sentenced to forced treatment in psychiatric hospitals, not because they were mentally ill, but because they had wrong thoughts. I believe it is no accident that the Gay Rights term for disapproval of homosexual behaviour is a mental illness term. In all my years as a mental health professional, however, I have never encountered anyone with an irrational fear of homosexuals. But the definition of homophobia, as defined by gay activists, is the unwillingness to approve of homosexuality. Even toleration without approval is defined as homophobic. So if you have a moral objection to homosexuality, you are "mentally ill" and require re-education.

Source

To Repent Is to Turn

Charles Spurgeon:

Remember that the man who truly repents is never satisfied with his own repentance. We can no more repent perfectly than we can live perfectly. However pure our tears, there will always be some dirt in them; there will be something to be repented of even in our best repentance. But listen! To repent is to change your mind about sin, and Christ, and all the great things of God. There is sorrow implied in this; but the main point is the turning of the heart from sin to Christ. If there be this turning, you have the essence of true repentance, even though no alarm and no despair should ever cast their shadow upon your mind.

Source, originally from All Of Grace

How the Law Becomes a Promise

This is from my former pastor Colin Smith. I heard him use this illustration back in 2000 and was reminded of it yesterday:

My friend Charles Price has a wonderful story about a man who was serving time in prison because of burglary. During his time in prison, he came to faith in Christ and was wonderfully converted.

When he was released, the first thing he wanted to do was go to church. On his first Sunday morning, he walked into a church and sat at the back. At the front of the church were two large plaques with the words of the 10 Commandments written on them. As he looked up, he felt so condemned. "You shall not steal." He was thinking to himself "That's the last thing I need! I don't need to be reminded of my failure!"

As the service went on, he kept looking up and reading these commandments. As he did, he realized that he was reading them in a new way. Previously he had read, "You shall not steal!" They sounded like words of condemnation. But now as he read, it seemed that God was saying to him, "You shall not steal." It sounded like a promise!

But how would this be possible for a man who has been stealing all his life? God says, "I will put my spirit in you and will move you to follow my decrees and keep my laws." (Ezekiel 36:26-27) When you come to Christ, God puts his Spirit in you. When that happens, it is possible to hear the commands of God as promised by the Spirit.

Where is your greatest battle today? Will you hear the promise of God?

Courage

This is a powerful visual image of courage from twenty years ago: June 5, 2009, near Tiananmen Square in China. While theirs was a political protest, many Chinese came to faith in Christ through the events of that summer. You can read about a Chinese Christian memorial service here.

Source #16

Follow the Crucified Messiah

How can we refrain from striking back when we are persecuted? How can we forgive when we have been hurt? We can walk in the way of the cross because Jesus has already done so. Theologian Miroslav Volf explains:

Without entrusting oneself to the God who judges justly, it will hardly be possible to follow the crucified Messiah and refuse to retaliate when abused. The certainty of God's just judgment at the end of history is the presupposition for the renunciation of violence in the middle of it.

Source, originally from Exclusion and Embrace

Poem: "Afraid?"

Here the story and poem that I used to end the sermon this morning.

The poem, entitled "Afraid?" was written by Presbyterian missionary E.H. Hamilton following the recent martyrdom of one of his colleagues, J.W. Vinson, at the hands of rebel soldiers in northern China. A small Chinese girl who escaped from the bandits related the incident that provided the inspiration for Hamilton's poem.

"Are you afraid?" the bandits asked Vinson as they menacingly waved a gun in front of him.

"No," he replied with complete assurance. "If you shoot, I go straight to heaven."

His decapitated body was found later.

Afraid?

Afraid? Of what?
To feel the spirit's glad release?
To pass from pain to perfect peace,
The strife and strain of life to cease?
Afraid? Of that?

Afraid? Of what?
Afraid to see the Saviour's face,
To hear His welcome, and to trace,
The glory gleam from wounds of grace,
Afraid? Of that?

Afraid? Of what?
A flash - a crash - a pierced heart;
Brief darkness - Light - O Heaven's art!
A wound of His a counterpart!
Afraid? Of that?

Afraid? Of what?
To enter into Heaven's rest,
And yet to serve the Master blessed?
From service good to service best?
Afraid? Of that?

Afraid? Of what?
To do by death what life could not -
Baptize with blood a stony plot,
Till souls shall blossom from the spot?
Afraid? Of that?

Source, originally from John and Betty Stam: Missionary Martyrs

"All I Really Need (Is Your Grace)"

Here's the song that closed the sermon this morning. Many commented that the service seemed just right-- fitting for some of the hard news that was shared. Of course, that's all due to the Lord's plan and not ours. This song is just one example: our associate pastor* planned to include the song in the flow of the service before either of us realized that it included a line about taking care of sparrows, which tied in perfectly to the sermon text of Matthew 10:29-31.

All I Really Need

In the darkest hour I must face
I’m counting on Your grace to give me all I need
Sunless days and cheerless nights will pass
And work their work at last to form Your joy in me
For when I am weak
I find that You are strong, and

All I really need is Your grace
All I need to know is You are near me
All I need is You
All I really need is Your grace
All I need to know is You are for me
All I need is You
All I need is You

Some may place their hope in feeble men
I can’t do that again, for only You are strong
I will pray to God who lifts my head
To You who came and shed Your blood for all my wrongs
For when I am weak
I find that You are strong, and

All I really need is Your grace
All I need to know is You are near me
All I need is You
All I really need is Your grace
All I need to know is You are for me
All I need is You
All I need is You

Lord, I know You hear my every sigh
You hear the raven’s cry and give the sparrow food
How much more will You provide in love
For those You bought with blood and work all things for good
And when I am weak
I find that You are strong, and

All I really need is Your grace
All I need to know is You are near me
All I need is You
All I really need is Your grace
All I need to know is You are for me
All I need is You
All I need is You

Words and music by Mark Altrogge
As recorded on In a Little While

*I don't use any personal names on the blog for reasons of permission/privacy.

God Is Enough

Source

Praying "Thy Will Be Done"

Again, Philip Graham Ryken:

Submitting to God's will means accepting whatever suffering God brings into our lives. This, too, is part of his will. As it was for Christ, so it is for the Christian: God will not save us FROM suffering, but THROUGH suffering into glory.

One woman who surrendered to God's will was Betty Stam, a missionary in China. Betty and her husband, John, were captured by Communists, stripped half-naked, and marched in chains through the streets of their village. Betty was forced to watch as her captors chopped her husband's head off. Then she herself was beheaded. Many years before her horrific martyrdom, Betty Stam wrote the following prayer:

Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes,
All my own desires and hopes
And accept Thy will for my life.
I give myself, my life, my all
Utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.
Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit;
Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt,
And work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever.

As Betty Stam's prayer illustrates, when we pray for God's will to be done, we are praying for his will to be done in everything. We are submitting to his will in all circumstances of both life and death.

In the meantime, we long for the day when we will be with God in his glory, when we will be unwilling to sin, when with all the saints and angels we will finally do God's will as it is done in heaven. While we still live on earth and not in heaven, we pray for God to do with us what he wills and to make of us what he chooses, in order to glorify himself as he pleases.

From The Prayer of Our Lord
Source

Praying for God's Kingdom

There are many biblical reasons (and direct commands) to do good works, but doing acts of charity or cultural development are not building the kingdom. The kingdom will be characterized by the obedience of its subjects, but that's not to say that we bring about the kingdom, or gain entrance to it, by our obedience. We enter by the mercy of the King.

Philip Graham Ryken:

How can we come to a better understanding of God's kingdom? One of the best ways is by learning how to pray, "Your kingdom come." These three simple words from the Lord's Prayer explain the plan, the purpose, and the progress of God's kingdom.

In the first place, this petition helps us to understand God's PLAN for ushering in his kingdom. The very fact that we are to pray for the kingdom proves that it is not the kind of thing we establish through our own efforts. It is something we must ask God to do because only he can do it.

God's plan was to establish his kingdom through his Son. His kingdom comes mainly through proclamation, through the announcement that Christ, who was crucified, is now King. The reason the church tries so many other things besides preaching Christ is because it suspects the kingdom can be established in some other way. But there is no other way. People will not come into the kingdom because they like the minister, support the children's program, or enjoy the music. They may come into a church that way, but not into the kingdom. The only way people ever come into God's kingdom is by hearing his heralds proclaim a crucified King.

When we hear the glad news that Christ is King, the thing to do is submit to his rule. When we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ, God establishes his rule in our hearts. This is part of what Jesus meant when he said, "the Kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). Anyone who has ever entered that kingdom has done so by praying, "Your kingdom come," or words to that effect. That is the way the kingdom comes to us and the way we come into the kingdom. To become a Christian is simply to ask God to set up his throne as the supreme King of our hearts. It is to say, as Frances Havergal said, "Take my heart, it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne."

From The Prayer of Our Lord
Source

Next Sermon - Matthew 10:16-42 on 06/07/09

This coming Sunday we will be looking at Jesus' teaching on the persecution of his disciples and the reasons they have to endure it.

Matthew 10:16-42

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

A Guy's Guide to Marrying Well

Do you know a young man thinking of marriage? Point him to the Boundless webzine and its handy guide. Here's the main link, but you can also navigate the flash version or download the pdf. There are many quality articles on several pertinent topics.

The New Shape of World Christianity

From Mark Noll's book, The New Shape of World Christianity:

This past Sunday it is possible that more Christian believers attended church in China than in all of so-called "Christian Europe." Yet in 1970 there were no legally functioning churches in all of China; only in 1971 did the communist regime allow for one Protestant and one Roman Catholic Church to hold public worship services, and this was mostly a concession to visiting Europeans and African students from Tanzania and Zambia.

This past Sunday more Anglicans attended church in each of Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda than did Anglicans in Britain and Canada and Episcopalians in the United States combined--and the number of Anglicans in church in Nigeria was several times the umber in those other African countries.

This past Sunday more Presbyterians were at church in Ghana than in Scotland, and more were in congregations of the Uniting Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa than in the United States.

This past Sunday the churches with the largest attendance in England and France had mostly black congregations. About half of the churchgoers in London were African or African-Caribbean.

Today, the largest Christian congregation in Europe is in Kiev, and it is pastored by a Nigerian of Pentecostal background.

This past week in Great Britain, at least fifteen thousand Christian foreign missionaries were hard at work evangelizing the locals. most of these missionaries are from Africa and Asia.

Sure, it's sad to see Europe's faith in decline (though see my previous post), but isn't the multiplication and spread of the Christian faith all over the world what earlier generations of European Christians wanted to see?

You can read the introduction and first chapter of this book for free.

Source

Islam in Europe: God's Tool?

Philip Jenkins of Penn State University:

Ironically, after centuries of rebelling against religious authority, the coming of Islam is also reviving political issues most thought extinct in Europe, including debates about the limits of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to proselytize. And in all these areas, controversies that originate in a Muslim context inexorably expand or limit the rights of Christians, too. If Muslim preachers who denounce gays must be silenced, then so must charismatic Christians. At the same time, any laws that limit blasphemous assaults on the image of Mohammed must take account of the sensibilities of those who venerate Jesus.

The result has been a rediscovery of the continent’s Christian roots, even among those who have long disregarded it, and a renewed sense of European cultural Christianity. Jürgen Habermas, a veteran leftist German philosopher stunned his admirers not long ago by proclaiming, “Christianity, and nothing else, is the ultimate foundation of liberty, conscience, human rights, and democracy, the benchmarks of Western civilization. To this day, we have no other options [than Christianity]. We continue to nourish ourselves from this source. Everything else is postmodern chatter.” Europe may be confronting the dilemmas of a truly multifaith society, but with Christianity poised for a comeback, it is hardly on the verge of becoming an Islamic colony.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see where God's going to focus his work next. He is full of surprises!

Source

Free Audio Book by Eugene Peterson

I wouldn't recommend everything by Eugene Peterson, though his books on pastoral ministry are consistently excellent. Here's a great offer on an audio version of one of his books (not just for pastors) that is one of the better works I've read in the past ten years.

Here's how christianaudio.com describes the offer:

Free Audiobook Download of the Month
Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene H. Peterson

Lamenting the vacuous, often pagan nature of contemporary American spirituality, Eugene Peterson here firmly grounds spirituality once more in Trinitarian theology and offers a clear, practical statement of what it means to actually live out the Christian life. Writing in the conversational style that he is well known for, Peterson boldly sweeps out the misunderstandings that clutter conversations on spiritual theology and refurnishes the subject only with what is essential.

Add the download format of Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places to your cart and enter the coupon code JUN2009 when prompted during checkout.

Follow the link and instructions above.

Communism in China: God's Tool?

From the end of an article titled "Chinese Calvinism Flourishes":

And, though the communists stigmatised Christianity as a foreign religion, they also and still more thoroughly smashed up the traditional religions of China: "The communist, socialist critique of traditional religion, and of Confucianism has been effective", she says: "The youngsters think it is very cool to be Christian. Communism has removed all the obstacles for them to come to Christianity."

The most conservative estimates of the new converts to Christianity is 500,000; there is a new church built every month. Calvinist Christianity has a culture of phenomenal industry. Calvin himself, in his time in Geneva, preached every day and twice on Sundays: shorthand writers at the foot of his pulpit took down 108 volumes of his sermons, though most of these have been lost and his reputation rests on the books and pamphlets that he wrote himself. In China now, this kind of Christianity is seen as forward-looking, rational, intellectually serious, and favourable to making money.

"Very soon", said Dr Tan, "Christians will become the majority of university students … that could happen."

It would be astonishing if China were to become a great power in the Christian world, as well as in the economic one. But things just as strange have happened in the past. Who could have foreseen, when Augustine was writing those huge books now translated into Chinese, that barbarous Europe would become the centre of Christian civilisation, and his homeland in North Africa would become entirely Muslim?

The whole thing is worth reading, though it does come from a non-believer's perspective.

Source

Abortion & Murder

You've probably seen the story about the murder of George Tiller, the doctor who was known for performing late-term abortions. Here are some responses.

Robert George of Princeton:

Whoever murdered George Tiller has done a gravely wicked thing. The evil of this action is in no way diminished by the blood George Tiller had on his own hands. No private individual had the right to execute judgment against him. We are a nation of laws. Lawless violence breeds only more lawless violence. Rightly or wrongly, George Tilller was acquitted by a jury of his peers. "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord." For the sake of justice and right, the perpetrator of this evil deed must be prosecuted, convicted, and punished. By word and deed, let us teach that violence against abortionists is not the answer to the violence of abortion. Every human life is precious. George Tiller's life was precious. We do not teach the wrongness of taking human life by wrongfully taking a human life. Let our "weapons" in the fight to defend the lives of abortion's tiny victims, be chaste weapons of the spirit.

This murder immediately raised the question of whether this was an inevitable for pro-lifers, who often say that abortion is murder (thus, the argument goes, anti-abortionists will resort to murder to stop murder). Both Rod Dreher and Al Mohler both cite radical abolitionist John Brown of the years just before the Civil War to say that it is both unwise and wrong.

Mohler:

The pro-life movement in America must not wage war against abortion by following the example of John Brown. [...] We must confront this great evil of abortion from a higher plane, and know that the battle is ultimately in God's hands.

Murder is murder. The law rightly affirms that the killing of Dr. George Tiller is murder. In this we must agree. We cannot rest until the law also recognizes the killing of the unborn as murder. The killing of Dr. George Tiller makes that challenge all the more difficult.

Alan Jacobs counters William Saletan, who said that the only consistent anti-abortionist would do what Tiller's murderer did:

A question for Mr. Saletan: Was Martin Luther King Jr., who advocated nonviolent resistance, less committed to civil rights for African-Americans than Malcolm X, who was willing to achieve his goals “by any means necessary”?