Do Not Provoke Your Children to Anger

Mark Altrogge:

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

I was thinking about this today as I prepared for a parenting class. Here are some ways that we parents can provoke our children to anger. I’ve done many of these, and for this reason I’m grateful for the blood of Jesus and the power of the Spirit to change.

We can provoke our children to anger:

- By constantly criticizing them and not encouraging them. When they feel they can never please us enough.

- By having double standards – Do as I say, not as I do. Expecting them to do things we don’t do, e.g. ask forgiveness, humble themselves, etc.

- By anger and harshness

- By a lack of affection

- By telling them what to do or not do without giving Biblical reasons (e.g., Do it because I said to do it, or because it’s just wrong).

- By being offended at their sin because it bothers us, not because it offends God.

- By comparing them to others (Why can’t you act like your sister?)

- By hypocrisy – acting like a Christian at church but not at home

- By embarrassing them (correcting, mocking or expressing disappointment in them in front of others)

- By always lecturing them and never listening to them

- By disciplining them for childishness or weakness, not for sin

- By failing to ask their forgiveness when we sin against them

- By pride – failing to receive humble correction from our spouses or our children when we sin.

- By self-centered reactions to their sin (How could you do this to ME?)

- By ungracious reactions to their sin (What were you thinking? Why in the world would you do that?)

- By forgetting that we were (and are) sinners (I would NEVER have done that when I was your age).

May God give us gracious, gentle, humble, affectionate hearts toward our children.

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Where God Is to Be Found

Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

If it is I who determine where God is to be found, then I shall always find a God who corresponds to me in some way, who is obliging, who is connected with my own nature. But if God determines where he is to be found, then it will be in a place which is not immediately pleasing to my nature and which is not at all congenial to me. This place is the Cross of Christ. And whoever would find him must go to the foot of the Cross, as the Sermon on the Mount commands. This is not according to our nature at all, it is entirely contrary to it. But this is the message of the Bible, not only in the New Testament but also in the Old Testament.

Source

Abandoned, Adopted

From WORLD magazine's blog:

[News headline:] “Newborn baby found in Bi-Lo Center toilet.”

It’s a terrible headline to absorb because it describes a terrible horror: A pregnant mother walks into an arena bathroom during a performance of Ringling Bros. Circus on a Friday night, delivers a 6-pound baby boy into a toilet, and leaves him to choke and freeze in the cold, dirty water.

Amazingly, a cleaning crew found the baby alive but suffering from hypothermia. The workers administered life-saving aid until paramedics arrived, and doctors upgraded the newborn’s condition from critical to good within five days.

*****

Now a deeper question: Why should every man, woman, and child identify with this abandoned baby boy?

Click here to read how this is answered.

Word Pictures of the Gospel

From The Gospel Coalition blog:

The Bible uses different word pictures to articulate the breadth and depth of the gospel. The language of the law court (justification, punishment, judgment) illuminates the fundamentally moral character of redemption. The language of the temple (atonement, sacrifice, sanctification) highlights the mystery of the universal presence of God as creator interwoven into the local presence of God as redeemer. The language of the family (adoption, bride and bridegroom) explores the central relational quality of God’s dealing with his creatures. The language of the marketplace (ransom and possession) captures the dynamic of God’s ownership of his people in all of life.

Why so many word pictures? Not because God wants us to choose whichever one appeals to us the most. Rather it is because life is full of dimensions that can never be fully captured by one word picture. Different word pictures help us capture different aspects of this reality. Recognizing this helps us understand the multiple ways in which the gospel serves as the glue to the complexities of life. We must refuse to accept the realities of a distracted world at face value, and look instead for ways to build bridges between the disconnected parts of peoples lives through the richness and depth of the gospel.

Marriage in Decline among Middle Class

From a guest opinion column in Christianity Today:

Marriage is in trouble in Middle America. High rates of divorce, nonmarital childbearing and single parenthood were once problems primarily concentrated in poor communities. Now, the American retreat from marriage is moving into the heart of the social order: the middle class.

This retreat from marriage imperils the social and emotional welfare of children. It also threatens the American Dream, insofar as adults who do not get and stay married are less likely to strive, to succeed and to save for the future.

This stark assessment emerges from a new report, When Marriage Disappears: The Retreat from Marriage in Middle America, sponsored by the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and the Center for Marriage and Families at the New York-based Institute for American Values.

The report explores marriage trends among three segments of American society: high school dropouts (12 percent of the adult population), those with high school diplomas who didn't go on to college (58 percent of adults) and college-educated men and women (30 percent).

These segments of society reveal sharp differences in the marriage experience, and expectations for it. But the most striking finding is this: Marriage has declined most precipitously among the "moderately educated"—that is, those with a high school education, who make up the biggest number of adults.

The breakdown of marriage and family has afflicted the poorest Americans for more than a generation. What is happening today is a widening gulf between the middle class, where a sharp decline in marriage is at work, and the most educated and affluent Americans, where marriage indicators are either stable or improving.

Many of us need to adjust our thinking to recognize that the greatest threat to marriage may be the shrinking commitment of couples in middle class havens such as Wichita, Kansas, or Greenfield, Mass., not in rich enclaves such as Grosse Pointe, Mich., or blighted neighborhoods such as East St. Louis. Not surprisingly, the dangers posed by a class-based disappearance of marriage also have implications for the decline of religious belief and worship, as well as beliefs about the moral or cultural underpinnings of family life.

Follow the link to read the rest of the column

Impudent Prayer

Ray Ortlund:

“I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.” Luke 11:8

“Impudence” is the key word. Other versions show “importunity,” “persistence,” “boldness,” “shamelessness,” and “brazen insistence.” All good translations.

The word is anaideia. That’s the negative prefix an + aideia (“shame, respect, modesty”). Souter glosses it as “shameless persistence (e.g. in greed).” The ESV translates it “impudence.” More casually, we might call it “nerve.”

Jesus is teaching us to pray impudent, nervy prayers, because that’s when we get serious with God. He likes that, and doors start opening up. Matthew Henry: “We prevail with men by impudence because they are displeased with it, but with God because he is pleased with it.”

How are we praying? Do we have the nerve to ask God for what we really long for and what would really display his glory? Let’s not settle for polite prayers that bore us and change nothing.

Let Not One Go There Unwarned

Charles Spurgeon:

If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.

Source

How the Gospel Can Transform a Marriage

Gary and Betsy Ricuchi:

• Because of the gospel, Christians have become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Therefore, in our marriage, our past does not define us, confine us, or determine our future.
• Because of the gospel, we are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7). Therefore we can live free of all guilt and condemnation for every sin, and we can trust that God, in his mercy, will be gracious to us.
• Because of the gospel, we can forgive, just as Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:32). Nothing done against us compares to our sin against God. Therefore all offenses, hostility, and bitterness between Christians can be completely forgiven and removed.
• Because of the gospel, we are accepted by God (Romans 15:7). Therefore we are not dependent on a spouse for who we are or what we need.
• Because of the gospel, sin’s ruling power over us is broken (Romans 6:6, 14). Therefore we can truly obey all that God calls us to do in our marriage, regardless of any circumstance or situation.
• Because of the gospel, we have access to God through Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16). Therefore we can at any time take any need in our marriage to the One who can do all things.
• Because of the gospel, we have hope (Romans 5:1-4). Therefore we can endure any marital difficulty, hardship, or suffering, with the assurance that God is working all to our greatest good (Romans 8:28).
• Because of the gospel, Christ dwells in us by his Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:13-14). Therefore we are confident that God is always with us and is always at work in our marriage, even when progress is imperceptible (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
• Because of the gospel, we have power to fight and overcome remaining sin, which continues to dwell and war within us (Romans 7:19-21, 24-25; Galatians 5:16-17). This indwelling enemy represents the essence of what is called the doctrine of sin.

These are just a few of the ways the gospel can transform a marriage. Sometimes it’s not easy to live in the reality of these truths. But it is always possible—and not because of our strength or determination, but because of God’s empowering and enabling grace.

From Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace

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Habits of Unfaith

Paul David Tripp, on "habits of unfaith":

Giving way to doubt. There’s a fine line between the struggle to wait and giving way to doubt. When you are called to wait, you are being called to do something that wasn’t part of your plan and is therefore something that you struggle to see as good. Because you are naturally convinced that what you want is right and good, it doesn’t seem loving that you are being asked to wait. You can see how tempting it is then to begin to consider questions of God’s wisdom, goodness, and love. It is tempting, in the frustration of waiting, to actually begin to believe that you are smarter than God.

Giving way to anger. It’s very easy to look around and begin to think that the bad guys are being blessed and the good guys are getting hammered (see Psalm 73). There will be times when it simply doesn’t seem right that you have to wait for something that seems so obviously good to you. It will feel that you are being wronged, and when it does, it seems right to be angry. Because of this, it’s important to understand that the anger you feel in these moments is more than anger with the people or circumstances that are the visible cause for your waiting. No, your anger is actually anger with the One who is in control of those people and those circumstances. You are actually giving way to thinking that you have been wronged by God.

Giving way to discouragement. This is where I begin to let my heart run away with the “If only_____,” the “What if_____,” and the “What will happen if_____.” I begin to give my mind to thinking about what will happen if my request isn’t answered soon, or what in the world will happen if it’s not answered at all. This kind of meditation makes me feel that my life is out of control. And I am able to think my life is out of control because I have forgotten God's wise and gracious contol over very part of my existence. Rather than my heart being filled with joy, my heart gets flooded with worry and dread. Free mental time is spent considering my dark future, with all the resulting discouragement that will always follow.

Giving way to envy. When I am waiting, it’s very tempting to look over the fence and wish for the life of someone who doesn’t appear to have been called to wait. It’s very easy to take on an “I wish I were that guy” way of living. You can’t give way to envy without questioning God’s wisdom and his love. Here is the logic: if God really loves you as much as he loves that other guy, you would have what the other guy has. Envy is about feeling forgotten and forsaken, coupled with a craving to have what your neighbor enjoys.

Giving way to inactivity. The result of giving way to all of these things is inactivity. If God isn’t as good and wise as I once thought he was, if he withholds good things from his children, and if he plays favorites, then why would I continue to pursue him? Maybe all those habits of faith aren’t helping me after all; maybe I’ve been kidding myself.

Sadly, this is the course that many people take as they wait. Rather than growing in faith, their motivation for spiritual exercise is destroyed by doubt, anger, discouragement, and envy, and the muscles of faith that were once robust and strong are now atrophied and weak.

Unplug and Reconnect

From the Wall Street Journal article on a "tech detox" for your family:

10 Signs Your Devices Are Hurting Your Relationships:

1. You can't get through a meal without emailing, texting or talking on the phone.

2. You look at more than one screen at a time, checking email while watching television, for example.

3. You regularly email or text, other than for something urgent, while your partner or another family member is with you.

4. You sleep with your phone near you, and you check your email or texts while in bed.

5. You log onto your computer while in bed.

6. You have had an argument with a loved one about your use of technology.

7. You text or email while driving.

8. You no longer go outside for fun.

9. You never turn off your phone.

10. When you spend time with your family—a meal, a drive, hanging out—each person is looking at a different screen.

Changing Forever How You Think

We are memorizing these verses together as a congregation:

Colossians 2:6-7
⁶ Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

John Wilson reflects on the neglected practice of Scripture memorization:

What was common 50 years ago has not entirely disappeared, but neither is it common anymore. In part, this change reflects attitudes in the larger culture. We live in a time when memorization is routinely scorned, an attitude summed up in the ubiquitous phrases "rote memory" and "rote learning." Memorizing, we are told, discourages creativity, critical thinking, and conceptual understanding.

This scorn is odd. It doesn't seem to jibe with our everyday experience. After all, training to be a doctor or a lawyer entails memorization—a lot of it. We don't foolishly assume that the creativity of actors or musicians is crushed by the formidable feats of memory their art demands. And why is Peyton Manning such a dazzlingly good quarterback? In part because he spends countless hours in the film room, studying defenses, looking for patterns to memorize, so that—in the midst of the action, with a 290-pound lineman who runs like a cheetah and hits like a sledgehammer bearing down on him—he will make the optimal decision in a split second.

What Manning does when he studies game film, what Helen Mirren does when she learns the lines for her next role, is a special case of what we all do from the time we are born, an ongoing enterprise of memorizing and forgetting, largely conducted without conscious intent or awareness. "Whenever you read a book or have a conversation," the prize-winning science writer George Johnson reminds us—and, we might add, whenever you cross the road, change a diaper, or make love—"the experience causes physical changes in your brain. In a matter of seconds, new circuits are formed, memories that can change forever the way you think about the world."

The impact of most of what we memorize is not so dramatic as to change forever the way we think about the world. But it is real, and its consequences accumulate over time. Hence the choices we make about what to put in our mind are of lasting importance. "Memorization of Scripture," Dallas Willard writes, "is one way of 'taking charge' of the contents of our conscious thoughts, and of the feelings, beliefs, and actions that depend on them."

The Essence, The Secret

Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

I sometimes think that the very essence of the whole Christian position and the secret of a successful spiritual life is just to realize two things …

I must have complete, absolute confidence in God and no confidence in myself.

Source

Marketing the Gospel

Mark Galli, on the problems of marketing the gospel:

First, note three basic assumptions of marketing culture. First, people are basically in pretty good shape; they just need one more product or service to make their lives complete. Second, people just need an attractive offer to entice them to accept the deal. Third, life is fundamentally a deal, an exchange; companies offer goods and services, and we get them into our lives when we pay for them. As they say, there is no free lunch.

Note how the gospel's assumptions turn these ideas on their heads. First, people are "dead in their trespasses" (Eph. 2:1). That is, their situation is utterly hopeless. They don't need improvement as much as resurrection to new life.

Second, because they are dead, an attractive offer is not going to do any good. It would be like a salesman walking into a morgue to convince corpses to buy life insurance.

This is why Paul is so emphatic about how we come to faith in Christ. Replacing phrases like "plausible words of wisdom" with something contemporary, note how he describes his initial evangelistic visit to Corinth:

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

Only the Spirit can bring the dead back to life. As Paul told his protégé Titus:

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-5).

Faith is pure gift, pure miracle, pure work of the Spirit. There is nothing we can do to bring this about. "Without any possibility on our side," wrote Karl Barth in his exposition of the Apostles' Creed, "God's great possibility comes into view, making possible what is impossible from our side. It is God's gift, God's free gift not prepared for by anything on our side."

It also is true that we can do nothing to prevent this from happening. No matter how hypocritical, uncool, or marketing inept a church is, the Spirit moves people to give their lives to Jesus and his church. If the Crusades, the Salem witch trials, and the Inquisition were not enough to sabotage the appeal of Christian faith, singing moribund hymns with a bunch of old ladies (or whatever else embarrasses us about the church today) will not stop the Holy Spirit.

Third, if the gospel is a transaction, it is a transaction that is offered and completed by the same party: God. God does not offer forgiveness on the condition that we repent. There is no quid pro quo, no this-for-that, no exchange. Instead, he offers forgiveness so that we might repent and enjoy abundant life! So there is, in fact, a free lunch.

Too Little

A.W. Pink:

Most Christians

expect little from God,

ask little

and therefore receive little

and are content with little.

Source

Heading to the DG Conference

This morning, several of our elders will be headed up to the Desiring God Conference for Pastors, taking along with us a few other men from our church and the pastor of the Chadwick Evangelical Free Church. Please pray for safe travel, good fellowship, and the work of God in our hearts.

This video will give you a taste of what we'll be experiencing.

What Faith Does

Colin Smith:

Hebrews 11 gives us a long list of the heroes of faith, men and women who are models or examples to us of what authentic faith looks like. Study this chapter and you will see that faith is always more than bare belief. Faith is active. It does things...

Faith Understands

"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command." Hebrews 11:3

The Psalmist says, "I have more insight than all my teachers for I meditate on your statutes" (Psalm 119:99). The Holy Spirit gives wisdom that cannot be gained by the intellect alone. It is possible to have the most brilliant mind, and yet to live like a fool.

Faith Offers

"By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did."(11:4)

Faith will lead you to great sacrifices-denying yourself and costly commitment.

Faith Builds

"By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family." (11:7)

Faith initiates great projects that will be the means of advancing God's redeeming purpose in the world.

Faith Obeys

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." (11:8)

Faith will lead you to embark on great ventures into the unknown.

Faith Longs

"They were longing for a better country--a heavenly one."(11:16)

Faith is a forward-looking grace. It will keep you fixed on heaven.

Faith Blesses

"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future." (11:20)

What a blessing to have a father who is a man of faith, a mother who is a woman of faith. Faith leaves a legacy, bringing blessing to your children and all God places around you.

Faith Worships

"By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff."(11:21)

Faith will lead you to worship. Here is this old man at the end of life. He is dying, but he looks up to God and he worships.

Why does faith do all these things?

Faith is like a living tree bursting with fruit! Where does all this life and energy come from? Why does faith understand, offer, build, obey, long, bless and worship? Faith unites us to Jesus Christ. Faith is the bond by which we become His, and faith is the way in which Christ, and all that is His, becomes ours.

Small-Town Churches in the EFCA

The latest "issue" of the digital magazine EFCA Today is all about "Small-Town Churches." Follow the link to read about several smaller congregations and the ways they are making a big impact in their communities and in the world for Christ.

The Bible Is a Book Like No Other

From Don't Call It a Comeback-- The Old Faith for a New Day:

How is the Bible a book like no other? It is

• A book that is God-breathed: Inspiration. God authored the Bible through humans. He did not dictate it as an executive would dictate do a secretary. If a musician plays the same tune through a variety of wind instruments, each will sound different although each is coming from the same breath. God produced the Bible through the different personalities of his “instruments.”
• A book that is entirely true: Inerrancy. The Bible is not only inerrant in matters of theology, but in every subject it addresses. This does not mean that there are no difficulties in scripture. We do not have all the necessary data (i.e. archeological findings) to perfectly interpret the Bible. As sinful creatures we are susceptible to misinterpretation.
• A book that is the boss of me: Authority. God is the supreme authority since he created the universe. It is the final authority for every domain of knowledge that it addresses.
• A book that is all you need: Sufficiency. In the Bible, God has given us all we need to know in order to trust and obey him. The Bible alone is sufficient. It is not to be equated with the Koran or Book or Mormon. Some believe that God continues to reveal himself through special words or guidance. We cannot place these things on par with the Bible.
• A book that is actually understandable: Clarity. Not everything in the Bible is clear. But the central message about God’s saving grace is easily understood. The debates that arise are not the fault of the Bible, but the faults of sinful and finite human nature.
• A book that is essential to know God: Necessity. You must hear the message of the Bible, either by reading it or hearing it from someone else, in order to have faith in Christ. It is essential to remain immersed in it throughout our Christian walks. Spiritual endurance needs the Bible like physical endurance needs food and water.

Source

The Believer Is a Pilgrim

Michael Horton:

I think that there’s a tendency in evangelical circles either to lionize or demonize “postmodernism” as if it (any more than modernity) were a monolithic movement. Postmodernism is reacting against genuine problems in modernity, but with no transcendent source either for its critique or for constructive solutions. I argue that the modern self is a “master,” demanding autonomy, dominance, and control, while the postmodern self is more like a “tourist.” If the modern person not only has a destination but imagines that he or she has already arrived, the postmodern person is more likely to drift from booth to booth at Vanity Fair without any real goal or destination: from nowhere to nowhere, but making things interesting in between. In contrast to both, the believer is a pilgrim: a clear destination, but we haven’t arrived.

Source

Are the NT manuscripts reliable?

Our modern translations of the Bible come from older copies, the earliest of which are described as manuscripts. We don't have the original copies from the hands of the apostles themselves, so can we be confident that what we have is accurate?

Links for Life

Today is the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States in 1973. Here are a variety of links on this topic:

The U.S. Abortion Capital 41% of pregnancies in New York City end in abortion

The Unborn Paradox Ironically, this country hates infertility but embraces abortion

The Lazy Slander of Pro-Lifers? Do pro-lifers care only for life inside the womb?

Pro-Life Apologetics for the Next Generation Four things to clarify

15 Reasons the Abortion Industry Is Losing Its Support

Pennsylvania Abortionist Charged with Eight Counts of Murder

Jesus' Words Came True

Tertullian (ca. 150-225):

It is our care for the helpless, our practice of lovingkindness, that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponents. ‘Only look,’ they say, ‘look how they love one another’ (they themselves being given over to mutual hatred). ‘Look how they are prepared to die for one another’ (they themselves being readier to kill each other). Thus had this saying become a fact, ‘Hereby shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.’

Source

Quiet Provisions

Dale Ralph Davis:

Clarence Macartney told the story about Dr. John Witherspoon . . . a signer of the Declaration of Independence and president of the (then) College of New Jersey. He lived a couple of miles away from the college at Rocky Hill and drove horse and rig each day to his office at the college.

“One day one of his neighbors burst into his office, exclaiming, ‘Dr. Witherspoon, you must join me in giving thanks to God for his extraordinary providence in saving my life, for as I was driving from Rocky Hill the horse ran away and the buggy was smashed to pieces on the rocks, but I escaped unharmed!’

“Witherspoon replied, ‘Why, I can tell you a far more remarkable providence than that. I have drive over that road hundreds of times. My horse never ran away, my buggy never was smashed, I was never hurt.’

“So we must beware of thinking that God is only in the earthquake, wind, and fire; of thinking that manna but not grain is God’s food. Most of God’s gifts to his people are not dazzling and gaudy but wrapped in simple brown paper. Quiet provisions of safety on the highway, health of children, picking up a paycheck, supper with the family—all in an ordinary day’s work for our God.

Source

Learning Evangelism from Jesus

Jerram Barrs, reflecting on the story of Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4:1-45:

This encounter teaches several lessons that can be applied to our own evangelism efforts:

• Overcoming Barriers: Jesus dismantled all the cultural barriers that their societies had erected to prevent the two from interacting. Do we as Christians today categorize or avoid people according to race, class, religion, social standing, etc.?
• Setting Aside Custom and Christian Rules: What Christian rules about living a separated and godly life have we devised to keep ourselves at a distance from non-Christians? Jesus shows us how to maintain purity while also practicing love.
• Being Vulnerable and Receiving the Good Gifts of Unbelievers: Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a favor. We must acknowledge our need for the gifts, wisdom, or advice an unbeliever may give us, because it is encouraging and ennobling to those who may expect only scorn or condescension from Christians.
• Respectful Discussion: Are we prepared to follow Jesus’ example and to take people and their theology seriously and respectfully? Are we willing to have thoughtful discussions with them, even if we consider their ideas to be confused or heretical, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, or those who follow a “New Age” Jesus?
• Gentleness and Grace: Jesus gently and sweetly draws the Samaritan woman to himself—although he is fully aware of the moral disaster of her life. We must not express personal rejection or scorn when dealing with non-believers. Must must remember that we are all sinners and deserve to be outcasts, but Jesus meets each of us and leads us through our confusion to the knowledge of the truth, just as he brings this Samaritan woman to himself.
• Commissioned for Service: Just as he commissioned the Samaritan woman, Jesus also calls us to ministry, to take the message about him into our communities and out into the world.

Source, excerpted from Learning Evangelism from Jesus

It Takes Time, Labor, and Energy

R. C. Sproul:

We live in a culture that is a quick and dirty culture. We want to become mature Christians in five easy lessons. We want to become saints by fifteen minutes a day. We want to have flat stomachs and strong abs by three workouts a week. That may work over a given period of time for your abs, but it’s not going to work for your soul. Attending the school of God takes time and labor and energy and deeply committing oneself to prayer, to the study of Scripture, to fellowship with other believers, to ministry within the life of the church.

This is easy to agree with, yet so hard to live up to. What should encourage us in this is the hope of what God might do in our lives over the long haul as we walk with him faithfully over many years.

God Is Not Like Us

Jonathan Leeman, on why it is good news that God is not like us:

1) Moses told Pharaoh that “no one is like the LORD our God” (Ex. 8:10) because God’s plans cannot be thwarted. That’s good news because none of the God-opposing forces which you and I watch on movie screens or read about in newspapers will keep Christ from fulfilling his final victory.

2) David praised God saying “there is none like you” (2 Sam. 7:22) because God shakes up entire nations to redeem his people, all the while accounting for puny individuals like David by name. That’s good news because our God includes insignificant us in his grand plans for the universe.

3) Solomon also praises God with the words “there is no God like you” (1 Kings 8:23) because God alone is faithful to his Word. That’s good news because we can rely on his promises.

4) Finally, God himself tells us, “I am God, and there is none like me” (Is. 46:9) because he rules over eternity and has ordained the end from the beginning. That’s good news because it means that, through all the ups and downs of life, the end is certain and—for those who love him and are called according to his purpose—the end is good.

Source

History Is About Him

This is from an interview with Collin Hansen, related to his chapter in the book Don't Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day.

What is one of the most important things many evangelicals don’t know about their own history?

I’m afraid that many evangelicals don’t know that their history is about God. We so often tell our history as a succession of famous leaders, writers, councils, and battles over doctrine. I do a lot of that in my chapter for Don’t Call It a Comeback. And to some degree it’s true: God has worked through great leaders, books, and councils to preserve his church and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But I fear that this way of telling the story leads us to draw the wrong conclusions for our own day. We think if we can just get our doctrine right and honor the right leaders, then God will bless us with tremendous church growth. But as I researched A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and Stir, I learned that’s not what history looks like. The most gifted, faithful Christians may toil in obscurity. God uses leaders with mixed motives to accomplish his purposes. And just when all hope seems lost, God sometimes revives his church with a tremendous outpouring of his presence through the Holy Spirit. This way God reminds us that history is about him, his story of salvation from first to last.

Where will we fit in this picture?

Lost

Watch this powerful video and pray for our missionaries-- especially those in Asia.

Lost from HistoryMaker on Vimeo.

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Should a Concern for Unity Mean No Denominations?

This was part of the text I preached from yesterday. Below, I’ll try to answer a question that I mentioned in the sermon, but intentionally did not try to answer in that setting.

Ephesians 4:1-6
¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

We focused on the issue of maintaining unity within a congregation, but someone might ask, “But what about all the Christian denominations? Should that kind of disunity exist?”

First, let me say that verse 6 makes clear that there is a spiritual unity among all true Christians, regardless of whether or not we belong to the same congregation or denomination. This is a beautiful thing, for it allows fellowship with other believers when we are attending a conference in another part of the country or doing a mission trip to another part of the world. Quite often this is one of the things you hear from someone who’s done short-term missions—“We felt a connection right away when we knew we worshiped the same Lord!”

Second, this passage makes clear that petty squabbles should not separate believers, especially when we serve the same Lord and are in the same family. However, the implication must be that the only thing that could cause a separation is if we do not share the same God and Savior.

Thus, we do not have any qualms about separation from Roman Catholics or Mormons who have vastly different definitions about Christ or the gospel. There is no genuine unity with them, so we need not worry that we have not “maintained” it.

On the other hand, there are many evangelical groups which whom we would agree on the central tenets of the faith. We often cooperate with other denominations, such as the Baptist General Conference or the Christian and Missionary Alliance, in missionary contexts.

Is it wrong then that we have not united to create some larger denomination? Remember, “denomination” is not a biblical concept per se, but it is a practical organization for the sake of mutual support, accountability, and missionary endeavors. Thus, we may work more closely with certain churches with whom we have a greater degree of agreement in doctrine for practical purposes, so long as we are not alienated from other faithful churches.

All this is another reason why I like the Evangelical Free Church of America’s doctrinal statement. When we conclude from the Scriptures 1) that doctrine matters, 2) that doctrine is what we are united around, and 3) that we must also be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit,” then it seems wise to be very clear in that statement on the essentials of the faith, while also leaving room for disagreement on issues that should not be grounds for separation.

At the end of the day, I’m glad to admit that denominations exist to some degree because we cannot finally work through all our doctrinal disagreement on this side of heaven. But, the good news is that there will be no need for them when we are united around the throne of God forever.

Free Audio Book - The Pursuit of Holiness

Visit ChristianAudio.com this month for their free download of the audio book version of a modern classic devotional book-- The Pursuit of Holiness, by Jerry Bridges.

"Be holy, for I am holy," commands God to His people. But holiness is something that is often missed in the Christian’s daily life. According to Jerry Bridges, that’s because we’re not exactly sure what our part in holiness is. In The Pursuit of Holiness, he helps us see clearly just what we should rely on God to do-and what we should accept responsibility for ourselves. Whether you’re continuing your pursuit of holiness or just beginning, the principles and guidelines in The Pursuit of Holiness will challenge you to obey God’s command of holiness.

Praying for the World

This video is produced by National Geographic, so it's not Christian in any way, but I post it here to help you to pray for the growing number people of our world. More and more of them do not know Christ. May 2011 be a year of growth, not only of earth's population, but of Christ's heavenly kingdom through the spread of the gospel.

[My apologies if there is an advertisement before the video.]

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Cynicism in Prayer

From an interview with Paul Miller:

Your book, A Praying Life, talks about cynicism in prayer. How would you describe the problem of cynicism, and what is your advice to those who are struggling with it?

Cynicism is my biggest struggle in prayer. It is a quiet, cold rationalism that dulls the soul and just kills your walk with God. It is hard to even identify or name our cynicism because it just feels like being realistic. It says things like, “What good does it [prayer] do?” or “It [the answer to prayer] would have happened anyway.”

I think we are particularly susceptible to cynicism in the Reformed world because we are an intellectual world. We are rightly concerned about our ideas being correct, but we don’t always pay attention to our heart being correct.

I think without a doubt that the principal cure for cynicism is to become a little child and learn to cry out for help—to realize that I am a lost coin, a lost sheep, and a lost son.

One other cure for cynicism is purity of life. Any time there is a miss between how we present ourselves as Christians and what we are really like when no one is watching, that opens up a door for cynicism. So a lifestyle of repentance and confession goes a long way to cure cynicism.

What Only God Can Do

Ray Ortlund:

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” Exodus 40:34

In Exodus 40:16-33, Moses assembles the tabernacle. He does so carefully and obediently. Seven times the text records that his work was “as the Lord commanded.” Then the paragraph concludes, “So Moses finished the work.”

The book doesn’t end there. I might have expected it to. But in fact, the book does not end with what Moses did. There is more. The final paragraph, verses 34-38, tells of what only God can do. God’s glory comes down on the completed tabernacle. After all, that was the whole point to begin with: “Let them make me a sanctuary,that I may dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:8).

Our aim as pastors is not only that our churches will be well assembled, thoughtfully and carefully and biblically obedient. That is important. But our desires don’t end there. We desire the dwelling of the risen Christ among us. We desire his felt presence. We desire him.

If we are not experiencing his glory coming down upon us, we need to ask if we have been disobedient in any aspect of what we have built or failed to build. Even if we have built well, we need to ask if we have settled for mere constructional obedience. The Lord has more for us than that. He has himself to give.

Lord Jesus, in this new year of grace, 2011, give us eyes to see where our churches need repair, hearts to desire the experience of your glory, and above all else, the sheer grace of your felt presence coming down on your imperfect but yearning churches!

The Primary Object of Pursuit

Charles Hodge (1797-1898):

To gain this world is not what we have promised to aim at. It must therefore never be the direct and primary object of pursuit. I have lately, in reading Bonaparte’s Russian Campaign, and the Life of Sheridan, been very much struck with the truth of the remark how little they really enjoy the world to whom the world is every thing. Bonaparte says the happiest part of his life was when he was a poor lieutenant. And Sheridan said the happiest part of his life was the short time he spent in a cottage. There is nothing lost, therefore, even as regards the present world, by seeking first the kingdom of God; that is, by making it the primary object of pursuit, seeing that godliness has the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

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