tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75306007573279626662024-03-12T22:36:42.010-05:00The Doulos DenThe Theo-blogical thoughts of a bond-slave of Jesus Christ...Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-86837387754345842502018-10-21T15:37:00.001-05:002018-10-21T20:54:38.495-05:00How Does God "Use" Things?<h4>
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">What do we mean when we say that God "used" a situation or circumstance for good? How we answer that question says a lot about our understanding of God's sovereignty. </span></h4>
Often the underlying assumption when someone talks about God using a situation for good seems to be that the situation or incident was bad or evil, and therefore God had nothing to do with it, almost as if God was taken by surprise at the event. But in spite of that evil thing that happened, God was somehow able to redeem the situation and bring some kind of good from it. An example might be someone being killed in an accident, and lots of people hearing the gospel through the person's funeral, or some similar circumstances.<br />
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But if we really have a Biblical view of God's omnipotence and omniscience, we will know that even events that are bad from our perspective, and even evil, are not surprises to God, or outside of his sovereignty. We have to affirm that all that comes to pass is in some sense ordained by God, yet in such a way that he is not the author of evil or sin.<br />
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One of the most familiar Scriptures that speaks to this subject is in Genesis chapter 50, quoting Joseph's understanding of the purposes behind his being sold into slavery by his brothers. In v. 20 he tells them, <i>"<span style="color: #b45f06;">As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.</span>"</i> Here we see the difference in motives and purposes between man and God. Joseph's brothers intended evil towards him in their actions, but God's overriding purpose was to accomplish good. God "used" these evil actions of Joseph's brothers by in some sense bringing them about, with a purpose of ultimate good (as are all of God's purposes), even while the intentions of the brothers, and the effects of their actions, were evil.<br />
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One of my favorite passages relating to this topic is in Romans 8, where Paul says in v. 28 that <i>"<span style="color: #b45f06;">God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.</span>"</i> (NASB) Do bad, evil things happen to Christians, those who love God and are called by the gospel of Christ? Absolutely, that's the point of Paul's whole argument in chapter 8. But where do these things come from? What's their cause? Paul here says that ultimately, it's God. But what's his purpose? The good of his people. It's the sovereign grace and purpose of God to bring ultimate good for his elect, and ultimate glory to himself, that provides the perspective to rightly understand evil circumstances in our lives, and to see how God uses these things.<br />
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As for me, that gives me great comfort and hope in the midst of hard times. As it should for all who have Christ as Savior.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">PS</span></b>: Shortly after writing this today I read the following from Berkhof's Systematic Theology, that bears directly on the point I'm trying to make:<br /><br />“In the case of some things God decided, not merely that they would come to pass, but that He Himself would bring them to pass, either immediately, as in the work of creation, or through the mediation of secondary causes, which are continually energized by His power. He Himself assumes the responsibility for their coming to pass. There are other things, however, which God included in His decree and thereby rendered certain, but which He did not decide to effectuate Himself, as the sinful acts of His rational creatures. The decree, in so far as it pertains to these acts, is generally called God’s permissive decree. This name does not imply that the futurition of these acts is not certain to God, but simply that He permits them to come to pass by the free agency of His rational creatures. God assumes no responsibility for these sinful acts whatsoever.”<br />
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Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-41096886147359119332018-07-15T21:14:00.000-05:002018-07-15T21:14:01.691-05:00Faithful AND Just<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">If we confess our sins, he is </span>faithful and just<span style="font-weight: normal;"> to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9</span></i></span></h4>
Reading this familiar passage today, like I have hundreds of times before, but I was struck by two words I'd always just passed over. Of course the focus of the verse is on the grace of God in forgiveness of our sin if we confess and agree with him that we indeed have sinned. That's the point of this whole section of 1st John. We're reminded of the gracious and merciful nature of God in this verse. But we're also reminded of two other attributes that make this forgiveness possible.<br />
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First, God is <b><i>faithful</i></b>. He's faithful and true to his promises that he's made to us in his covenant of grace. He's so faithful to these promises that he confirmed them by the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension of his Son, Jesus Christ. We can trust that God will be eternally faithful to his promises of redemption, because he can't be otherwise.<br />
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Second, God is <b><i>just</i></b>. Again, justice is one of his attributes. He is perfectly and absolutely just in all he is and all he does. It's this justice that requires him to judge and punish sin. To do otherwise would mean God would have to violate his own character, something he cannot do. So how then can John say God is just to forgive us our sins? Because the demands of God's justice have been fully and perfectly fulfilled and satisfied by the same incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension of his Son Jesus Christ that confirmed his faithfulness. This is expressed well in Romans 3:26 where God is referred to as being <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">"just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."</span></i> He doesn't set aside or violate his perfect justice to forgive us in Christ. Instead he has perfectly fulfilled it for those who are in Christ.<br />
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A reminder of who our great and merciful God truly is, and how he has acted on our behalf in Jesus. And a reminder that every word of his Scriptures is there for a reason and a purpose.<br /><br />Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-31609213687504712782018-07-15T15:03:00.000-05:002018-07-15T15:03:06.881-05:00We're Not Broken - We're SinnersIt's become popular in evangelicalism to refer to ourselves as being <b>"broken."</b> As in the sense that our problem as people is that we are broken, and that Jesus has come to heal our brokenness. I've become increasingly uncomfortable with this kind of language, because I think it clouds the actual truth of the gospel. So we really need to ask ourselves - <i>is it Biblical</i>? Can we support using these terms of brokenness and healing as a clear expression of the intent and effects of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My view is that it is not.<br />
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First, let's consider the therapeutic focus that the term brokenness expresses. To be sure, there are a lot of people in the world who have many kinds of challenges, issues, problems, etc. And they are desperately in search of some kind of relief from their issues, someone or something to help them cope. And yes, Jesus as the great Physician and Healer can and often does provide rescue from life situations for His people. But is this the main intent of the gospel? No, it is not. When we speak of people being broken in this sense we tend to think of them being victims of some sort, victims of injustice, oppression, being taken advantage of, bad family situations, addictions, the whole gamut of human miseries. But the Scriptures don't refer to people primarily as victims who are struggling for relief from their life issues. Instead they tell us who we really are: depraved sinners. In our natural state we aren't unwitting victims, but unrighteous rebels against the rightful rule of God. Out root problem isn't that we need deliverance in the form of therapy for our problems - it's that we are dead in our sin, unable and unwilling to seek God, actively hostile towards Him, and therefore under His just condemnation. This is the the real problem that the gospel addresses - freedom from the eternal wrath of God that we've earned as sinners against a holy God. Provided through the gracious life and death of Jesus, and received by faith in Him, alone.<br />
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Second, the term "broken" in the Bible usually refers to someone who is repentant, who has seen the reality of their sin and guilt before God and has been crushed by the weight of their condemnation before Him. The best example of this is Psalm 51:17: <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."</span></i> Brokenness is referred to as the right response to God's judgment on our unrighteousness and rebellion, not as the state we need to be relieved of.<br />
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When God the Spirit performs His work of regeneration and gives us spiritual life and eyes to see the truth, all of our issues and problems in this life fall away as insignificant compared to the awful state of our sinfulness and standing before God in judgment. This is what brings us to a state of being truly broken, seeing ourselves as we truly are - not victims but rebels. And this brokenness results in repentance and faith as we flee from our sin and flee to Christ for His grace, mercy, pardon and new life for eternity. Then, and only then, can we seek relief from Jesus for our problems in life, as He chooses to provide it as our Lord and Savior.<br />
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Let's reclaim a Biblical use of the term brokenness. We're not broken - we're sinners.<br />
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<br />Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-84607452861071525442018-06-10T16:29:00.000-05:002018-06-10T16:29:18.588-05:00What Does it Mean to Glorify God?This morning's <a href="http://www.welcometoredeemer.com/resources/sermons/2018/6/10/to-be-glorified" target="_blank">sermon at Redeemer Church</a> got me thinking about the meaning and outworking of the word 'glory', and how we glorify God. The passage in view was John 12:20-26 where Jesus states that the hour had come for Him to be glorified. We so often use the term glory but I wonder if we really think about what it means, or what we are really saying when we talk about God's glory or glorifying God.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sWmG-pnV0vI/Wx2QDHWuF8I/AAAAAAAAAE4/XVz-djPCdNIq4BG4HWZug1-jIvx6s_21wCLcBGAs/s1600/Glory-of-God-Title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="110" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sWmG-pnV0vI/Wx2QDHWuF8I/AAAAAAAAAE4/XVz-djPCdNIq4BG4HWZug1-jIvx6s_21wCLcBGAs/s200/Glory-of-God-Title.jpg" width="200" /></a>Going to the Scriptures, we find the word glory is translated from the Hebrew <i>kâbôd</i> (כּבוד) in the Old Testament, and the Greek <i>doxa</i> (δόξα) in the New Testament. The Hebrew term has many uses, all of which refer to weightiness or heaviness. We use similar language when talk about "weighty matters," things that are significant and consequential. Even the old "that's heavy, man" has this same sense. So when the OT authors refer to God's glory, they are referring to Him as the weightiest, most supreme and honorable being. Any time we deal with God, we are dealing with one who is intrinsically of utmost consequence, and and most worthy of honor and praise. The NT term is similar in its focus on dignity, honor, and worthiness of worship.<br />
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So what then does it mean to "glorify God"? Well obviously it doesn't mean to make Him glorious, since as we've seen, He already is. There's no way that mere man, or anything else in creation, could make God glorious, or add to His innate glory. Since He alone is glorious in His being, His creation can only reflect or point to His gloriousness. In fact the Scriptures tell us that everything in creation ultimately exists for just that purpose - to reflect and make known the glorious One. We see this reference to the created universe testifying to God's glory in Psalm 19:1 - "<i>The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.</i>" We see in Philippians 2:9-11 that God's glory will be displayed when ultimately all people confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We find repeatedly in Ephesians chapter 1 that the grace of God in Christ shown to His elect is a testimony to His glory. In 1 Corinthians 10:31 we who are His people are commanded that "<i>whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.</i>"<br />
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So this is how we as believers in Christ glorify God. We live our lives as a reflection of the glorious grace of God that He's given to us in Jesus. To glorify Him means to declare His greatness and His honor and His worthiness of all praise and worship. First of all, by fully trusting in the glorious gospel of grace He's given in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And then by allowing our thoughts, words, actions and all we have and do to be governed by that gospel as His Spirit enables us and empowers us and guides us.<br />
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God is glorious. His glory is only partially seen now as His creation and His people give partial and imperfect testimony to Him. And one day He will fully reveal His glory to everyone and everything. Let's live as His people in light of who He is, and the hope of His glory being made clear.<br />
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Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-74873815436586911012018-05-27T21:41:00.000-05:002018-05-27T21:50:12.609-05:00Why Am I Reformed? (Prologue)Over the past 5 or more years, I've been drawn to embrace the classic Reformed Christian faith and doctrines, including covenant theology and Reformed piety and practice. To the point that when we moved to Lincoln last year and needed to find a church, we were only interested in Presbyterian and Reformed churches, and are currently part of Redeemer PCA here. There are a lot of reasons for this development in my doctrinal and ecclesiological views, and I'm planning to write a post about those reasons at some point. In short, I have come to believe that the Covenantal view of Scripture is the most faithful to the whole counsel of God in the Bible, and that the Reformed piety and practice are the most faithful expression of the church based on that view. More to come at some point on why I believe that, mostly as an explanation to many dear brothers and sisters in Christ from my previous church that may not understand these distinctions or why I've embraced them.<br />
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But I recently came across a discussion between a number of Reformed theologians and pastors about the differences between Dispensationalism and Covenantalism that outlines many of my thoughts. And while I never was comfortable with the Dispensational view or would have considered myself a Dispensationalist, and I'm not sure some of the Dispensational views are accurately reflected in this video, the description of Reformed theology given in the first few minutes by Sinclair Ferguson covers many of the reasons I have become Reformed.<br />
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<br />Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-79693914372327166262018-05-22T20:39:00.000-05:002018-05-22T21:16:52.669-05:00In Whose Name?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"<span style="color: #b45f06;">In Jesus name, Amen.</span>" You've heard it and said it a million times. That obligatory Christian formula that we tack on at the end of our prayers, especially public ones. Or sometimes, the mumbled "in your name." Which has always baffled me. But more on that later.<br />
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So is this just a formula to be used to denote the end of a prayer? Or does praying in Jesus name add some sort of special power or effectiveness to our prayers? In fact, what does it really mean to say, "in Jesus name"? If we're going to use this phrase as part of our speaking to God, we'd better have more than just a customary understanding of what it means and what we mean.<br />
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Let's take a look at how Jesus Himself used the phrase. Here's a sample of NT passages where Jesus uses the term "in my name."<br />
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<li><span style="color: #b45f06;">“Whoever receives one such child <b>in my name</b> receives me" - Matthew 18:5</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;">"Many will come <b>in my name</b>, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray." - Mark 13:6</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;">"And these signs will accompany those who believe: <b>in my name</b> they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;" - Mark 16:17</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;">"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send <b>in my name</b>, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." - John 14:26</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;">"In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father <b>in my name</b>, he will give it to you." - John 16:23</span></li>
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Quite a variety of situations here. Receiving a child in Jesus name, false Christ's coming in His name, miraculous signs being performed in Christ's name, the Holy Spirit being sent by God the Father in Christ's name. And the promise that whatever Jesus' people ask of the Father in the name of Jesus will be given. </div>
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This isn't the kind of language we use much today, so "<i>in my name</i>" sounds strange to us. But in middle eastern culture, especially in ancient times, this was a common expression. To do something in someone else's name was to essentially act on their behalf. To claim their authority for one's self, and to act in a manner that is consistent with their wishes. So when Jesus refers to doing or asking in His name, this is the idea. To act or ask in His name is to act or ask in His authority, to act or ask for things that He would want. When we pray "in Jesus name" - which in reality is the only way we can pray as Christians, whether we say so or not - we are saying that we are asking God the Father in His Son's authority, and for things that Jesus would want.</div>
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So how does this affect our prayers? It should shape the way we pray, our motives in prayer, and the things we request God to do in our prayers. If we truly are praying in Christ's name, we'll be first of all confident in His hearing and responding to our supplications, since He's promised this to us. Prayer offered truly in the name of Jesus will never go unheard or unanswered. Second, praying in His name should determine what kind of things we pray for. We'll be driven to seek the will of Christ so that we can pray to the Father for the things that He's revealed He desires. That He'd be glorified, that His will be done on earth as in heaven, that His gospel would go forth, that His church would be built and unified, that His enemies would be confounded, and so forth. </div>
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I'd also add that if we aren't praying in this way, we in fact are NOT praying in Jesus name, regardless of whether we tack on the phrase or not. It's a serious thing to enter into prayer to the living God, through His risen Son. We dare not enter into it lightly.</div>
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And I'd also add that if we are claiming to pray in the glorious, powerful name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and for His will and in His authority, then we should never end our prayers with an obligatory and vague "in your name," especially in public prayer and worship. Boldly proclaim the Name that is above all other names, the One we worship in spirit and truth.</div>
Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-28240055541736398732018-04-15T15:45:00.000-05:002018-04-15T15:51:23.845-05:00Sin's Double Cure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This morning in worship at <a href="http://www.welcometoredeemer.com/" target="_blank">Redeemer Presbyterian Church</a>, we sang that great old Augustus Toplady hymn of the faith, Rock of Ages. Very familiar words, but part of the first verse caught my attention.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rock of Ages, cleft for me,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">let me hide myself in thee;</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">let the water and the blood,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">from thy wounded side which flowed,</span><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">be of sin the double cure;<br /> save from wrath and make me pure.</span></i></b></blockquote>
What does "double cure" for sin mean? At first it made me think of the complete and absolute sufficiency of the death of Jesus Christ, that is able to save to the uttermost. But then I read the next line, which explains that the cure for sin found in Christ is actually twofold. And that double cure for sin is absolutely necessary, as both aspects mentioned here are required to put us in right standing before God. Christ provides both, in full measure.<br />
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First, the <b><i>salvation from wrath</i></b>. This is the aspect of the benefit of Christ's death that we most often focus on, and rightly so. The substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, as a payment for the sins of all people who will come to Him in faith and repentance, pays the awful debt that sin has earned all of us - the just and righteous wrath of God against sinners. For those in Christ, we stand fully and forever forgiven as a gift of God's grace, as our sin was placed on Christ and He became the object of God's wrath for us, in our place. Theologians call this Christ's penal substitutionary atonement. We call it incredible mercy, pouring out the judgment we justly deserve for our sin onto God the Son.<br />
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But consider that if all Christ's sacrifice did for us is to remove the debt of our sins, we would still be in a terrible position. We would at best be in the same situation as Adam in the garden, in a neutral state with a clean slate, but still under the requirements of the covenant of works. In other words, fully forgiven but still with no righteousness to be able to stand before God. Our first thought or act of rebellion against God (which would probably happen within seconds) would put us under the condemnation of God and His wrath again. As fallen sinners, we need more that to just be forgiven, to have the debt of our sins removed by Christ. We need a positive righteousness that changes both our standing before a holy and righteous God, and that changes our disposition towards Him and towards sin. And this is found in the double cure provided in the gospel and only in Jesus.<br />
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This double cure for sin is most clearly seen in 2 Corinthians 5:21, where the Apostle Paul describes the conversion transaction in these terms: <b style="font-style: italic;">"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." </b>This is the great exchange that occurs when a person places saving faith in Jesus. We've seen the first part, that God the Father placed our sin onto Christ, literally made Him to be that sin on our behalf and in our place, to take the full punishment for it. Jesus could do this because He had no sin of His own to pay for.<br />
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And here's where the second part of the cure for sin comes in. Because Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law of God during His life on earth as a human, He earned a perfect, infinite righteousness. And as we see here, when we are in Him, that is in Christ by having trusted Him for eternal life, we receive as a gift of God's grace that perfect righteousness, the very righteousness of Christ Himself, credited to us. In exchange for our sin, God grants us His own righteousness.<br />
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As believers in Jesus Christ we stand both fully forgiven for sin, and fully righteous in the sight of God. As Toplady says, we are saved from wrath and made pure in positive righteousness before God. And the Scriptures are clear that the imputed righteousness of Christ changes our disposition so that we will seek to live a pure life that glorifies God by displaying the fruits of His righteousness within us, because the ruling power of sin in our lives has been destroyed.<br />
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So yes, be thankful for the forgiveness at the cross found only in Jesus Christ. But also be thankful that God's gospel of salvation provided the needed double cure for our sin and unrighteousness. Faith in Christ, and in Christ alone, is fully sufficient. <b><i>"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." </i></b>Hebrews 7:25Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-57476907741540362242018-04-08T20:24:00.001-05:002018-04-08T20:59:35.859-05:00Speaking in Son<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has <b><i>spoken to us in His Son</i></b>... - Hebrews 1:1-2 NASB</span></blockquote>
I've been rereading the entire epistle to the Hebrews over and over lately, in preparation for possibly writing a study guide for the book. The themes of the superiority of Christ and the New Covenant as pointed to in the types and shadows of the Old Covenant are so rich, I keep getting drawn back to them.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRyIltBcnF8/Wsq_-LHKlKI/AAAAAAAAACw/MmGOIYBSvJkvN1eJn5jgkl_BmGd0LulCwCLcBGAs/s1600/spoken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="100" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRyIltBcnF8/Wsq_-LHKlKI/AAAAAAAAACw/MmGOIYBSvJkvN1eJn5jgkl_BmGd0LulCwCLcBGAs/s200/spoken.jpg" width="200" /></a>Tonight, though, I couldn't get past the opening two verses. The writer to the Hebrews starts his letter with a reminder of the revelation that God has given over time to His people. He refers to God in times past speaking to the Hebrew fathers through the mouths of prophets, and delivering His message progressively through many different stages of the history of the nation of Israel, and revealing His voice in diverse ways like dreams, visions, direct speech, even animals. A great reminder for us all that we have a God who is not silent, who has spoken clearly to His people as He has seen fit.<br />
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And the writer goes on to point to the culmination of Gods revelation in "these last days". There's a sense of finality in the wording used here, that God spoke long ago but now, as the ages are moving to a close, He <i>has spoken to us</i> fully and finally. And the form of that speech is in His Son, Jesus Christ. Literally, <i>in Son or by Son.</i><br />
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This sounds odd to us in English. How can God speak "in Son" or "by Son"? In reality we talk like this all the time. For example, when referring to using a foreign language, we might say that someone spoke to me "in Spanish." The means and mode and medium of communication was the Spanish language. Or that I received a message "by email". The message was delivered via the media and means of an email. Makes perfect sense. So apply that to God speaking to us in/by Son. What we see is that the means of God's revelation, the medium of His speech, and the mode of what He has spoken to us is Christ. Jesus, God's Son, is the language and also the content of His full and final revelation to His people. He didn't just speak to us through Jesus as a mouthpiece like He did with the prophets, who had to preface their words from God with "thus says the Lord." No, in contrast to that, Jesus is more than a spokesman. He's the language, the means, and the message, in one glorious revelation.<br />
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So what are the implications of this? First, I think it should inform how we view Christ. If we seek to understand the full revelation of God, His character, His purposes, His actions, His will and His grace and His justice, we must look to Christ. Not a made up Jesus, but the Jesus in which He's spoken to us. God's communication of His gracious gospel is wrapped up in the person and work of His gracious Son.<br />
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Second, we need look for no further word from God after He has spoken to us in Christ. What further revelation of God could possibly be needed after He has fully and finally revealed Himself to us in the second person of the triune Godhead? When we ask for more, or think some fresh new word or sign from God is needed, we in essence are treating God's speech to us in His Son as insufficient, not enough for us. God has spoken His Son to us, yet we arrogantly look for something more or something else.<br />
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We are surely still in these last days as the church and people of God in Christ. The last days will end when Christ returns and time is no more, all things are made new and right, and there will be no more need of God's revelation since we who know Him will be eternally with Him. But in the meanwhile, let's rest in the speech God has given in Son, and look to Him only for all we need.<br />
<br />Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-62056682726078886232018-04-07T17:55:00.000-05:002018-04-07T17:59:33.532-05:00The Use of the Law in the Life of the Believer<div class="tr_bq">
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Based on some comments exchanged on my previous post, I wanted to briefly touch on this subject of the use of the Law of God in the life of the Christian. It's very easy to affirm that the believing Christian, who has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and believed on Jesus Christ for salvation and who has therefore been fully and finally justified in God's sight (Romans 5:1), is no longer under the Law but under grace (Romans 6:14). But in the next verse (Romans 6:15), Paul affirms that the believer must walk in obedience to God. In other words, live according to the Law of God, the revelation of what holy living looks like. Yes, the Christian is no longer under the slavery, bondage and condemnation of the Law that it brought under the Covenant of Works. That condemnation was fully taken by Christ. But the Christian is still obligated to God as Lord and Savior to live in accordance with His Law as a rule of holy living. To say otherwise is to contradict the plain teaching of Scripture, and to open the door to antinomianism.</div>
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I highly recommend the classic work by Edward Fisher, <a href="https://www.monergism.com/marrow-modern-divinity-modernized-and-annotated" target="_blank">The Marrow of Modern Divinity</a> as required reading on this subject. And as an explanation of the Marrow, Sinclair Ferguson's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Christ-Antinomianism-Assurance-Controversy/dp/1633895955" target="_blank">The Whole Christ.</a> These works explore the Law and Gospel relationship far better and deeper that I can here.<br />
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And I can find no better exposition on the role of the Law in the life of the Christian than contained in the <a href="http://www.reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/ch_XIX.html" target="_blank">Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 19</a>, partially quoted here:<br />
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V. The moral law does forever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof; and that, not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator, who gave it. Neither does Christ, in the Gospel, any way dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation. </blockquote>
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VI. Although true believers be not under the law, as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified, or condemned; yet is it of great use to them, as well as to others; in that, as a rule of life informing them of the will of God, and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly; discovering also the sinful pollutions of their nature, hearts and lives; so as, examining themselves thereby, they may come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against sin, together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ, and the perfection of His obedience. It is likewise of use to the regenerate, to restrain their corruptions, in that it forbids sin: and the threatenings of it serve to show what even their sins deserve; and what afflictions, in this life, they may expect for them, although freed from the curse thereof threatened in the law. The promises of it, in like manner, show them God's approbation of obedience, and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof: although not as due to them by the law as a covenant of works. So as, a man's doing good, and refraining from evil, because the law encourages to the one and deters from the other, is no evidence of his being under the law: and not under grace. </blockquote>
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VII. Neither are the forementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of the Gospel, but do sweetly comply with it; the Spirit of Christ subduing and enabling the will of man to do that freely, and cheerfully, which the will of God, revealed in the law, requires to be done.</blockquote>
Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-57521492990688292262018-04-06T19:17:00.000-05:002018-04-07T10:17:46.879-05:00Back in BusinessSo it's been about three years since I stopped posting here. Not sure anyone noticed, but if so, thanks, Anyway, a lot has changed in that time. Retired from one job, started another, moved to a different city, new church, new grandson, new everything. Well, not everything. Same wife, same kids, and the same faithful eternal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.<br />
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In that time I've had lots of thoughts about theology, doctrine, the church, the gospel, etc. With no outlet for those thoughts. And since I'm not currently engaged in a teaching ministry, I must have an outlet to share all this stuff in my head with everyone on the interwebz, of course. So, I'm going to start the Doulos Den back up. I welcome comments as to subjects you'd be interested in, etc. So...<br />
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Doulosofchristhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17770915650825256849noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-85902121736025128602015-09-26T09:49:00.000-05:002017-08-13T21:22:48.625-05:00Everyday Apologetics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm currently teaching a very basic introductory class on Christian apologetics at <a href="http://www.highlandparkministries.org/" target="_blank">Highland Park Church</a>. I've named the class <b>Everyday Apologetics,</b> since the focus is on equipping believers to engage in one-on-one defense of the faith with people they interact with everyday.<br />
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Based on the little book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/You-Could-Ask-Question-Paperback/dp/B00FKYX1YI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443278098&sr=1-1&keywords=if+you+could+ask+god+one+question" target="_blank">If You Could Ask God One Question</a>, the class explores common questions and misunderstandings about Christian belief, and seeks to provide basic rational, logical and Biblical responses to these questions. *My friend Landon Braithwait will also be writing and teaching a few of these lessons.<br />
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You can download the student guide <a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!951&authkey=!AMSnCCr3B1nCa8M&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">here</a>. Listed below are the lessons, with links to the teaching notes for each, as well as audio.<br />
<ol>
<li>Apologetics Defined (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!950&authkey=!APABrOXoju5S6oA&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!954&authkey=!AJbfhMMolfGnezI&ithint=file%2cmp3" target="_blank">Audio</a>)</li>
<li>The First Question – The Existence of God (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!952&authkey=!ACMIuGwE1s_pwMY&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!955&authkey=!AHxPiPZBR4fzQnk&ithint=file%2cmp3" target="_blank">Audio</a>)</li>
<li>The Testimony of God (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!949&authkey=!AO26jKQXvGjla4s&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!957&authkey=!ANduzpqRiqYqzeY&ithint=file%2cmp3" target="_blank">Audio</a>) (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!959&authkey=!AGvV3RP1gq7EFyM&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">Can We Trust the NT?</a>)</li>
<li>The Righteousness of God (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!961&authkey=!ALfUJUT9tQiEnAk&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!1098&authkey=!AEbBoNYDK7XPdjQ&ithint=file%2cmp3" target="_blank">Audio</a>)</li>
<li>The Justice of God (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!965&authkey=!AB72t6zpCofC6lE&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!1103&authkey=!AFVfNm47bw5p6oo&ithint=file%2cmp3" target="_blank">Audio</a>)</li>
<li>The Redeeming Nature of God (<a href="http://%28notes%29%20%20%20%28audio%29/" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!1124&authkey=!AN5i_p8D4I6QwJc&ithint=file%2cmp3" target="_blank">Audio</a>)</li>
<li>*The Lordship of Christ (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!1140&authkey=!AMLMQcrnceZxFbs&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!1145&authkey=!AJnE6LuZvP2R8Pg&ithint=file%2cmp3" target="_blank">Audio</a>)</li>
<li>The Reality of Eternity (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!1135&authkey=!AFtc6TCsvH3bx8M&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!1137&authkey=!AHEnvaeH4L7ZgzU&ithint=file%2cmp3" target="_blank">Audio</a>)</li>
<li>The Exclusivity of Christ (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!1143&authkey=!APc7CH3gWZ_HCAU&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="http://1drv.ms/1OxUpfI" target="_blank">Audio</a>)</li>
<li>*The Nature of Christian Faith (<a href="http://1drv.ms/1MgDavO" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="http://1drv.ms/1MgDbQl" target="_blank">Audio</a>)</li>
<li>The Problem of Pain and Evil (<a href="http://1drv.ms/1MgDkU6" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (<a href="http://1drv.ms/1Sdr08F" target="_blank">Audio</a>)</li>
<li>The Morality of God (<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7E01EE70FEECB0DD!1262&authkey=!AHEKmqAaf2vRuI8&ithint=file%2cpdf" target="_blank">Notes</a>) (Audio)</li>
</ol>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-31928771931231514222011-12-17T23:09:00.000-06:002011-12-18T16:21:53.397-06:00Something I Have to Tell YouDear Twitter followers, Facebook friends and blog readers:<br />
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Many of you know me personally, many of you only casually, and some of you only through my tweets and posts and comments. Regardless of how or if you know me, however, there’s something I need to tell you. In fact, this is something that I am compelled to tell you. I may have communicated this to you in the past, I may have implied it or even assumed you already knew it. But because I care about each one of you, I want to clearly and unambiguously tell you this now.<br />
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The truth is that you have a problem. And so do I. A huge, life threatening problem. We are all God’s enemies. That’s right, we’re at war with God, the supreme ruler of the universe. And I’m not talking about some imaginary deity that we like to make up in our own minds. I’m talking about the big ‘G’ God, the living and eternal Jehovah God who’s revealed Himself in the Bible as all powerful and all knowing. The one true God who is absolutely holy, pure and righteous. This is the God we are at war with. This is the God who created us and rightly own us and our allegiance and obedience and worship. This is the God we’ve rebelled against, whose commands we’ve ignored and willfully disobeyed. This is the God we’ve tried to replace with all kinds of other objects of worship like wealth, comfort, ourselves, even religion. Our rebellion against God is what He rightly calls sin. And He’s not pleased with our sin. He hates it.<br />
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Yes, that’s right. The God of the Bible who we rightly talk about in terms of love, hates. He hates our sin, and He hates us as sinners. He can’t do otherwise, because He’s morally perfect and can’t stand evil, and therefore to not hate sin would be to deny Himself, something He cannot do. So you see what a serious problem we have. Created by a holy God who is worthy of our worship and obedience, but rebellious against Him and His rule because we’d rather be free of Him. Rightly hated and condemned by Him for our sin. And because any sin against an infinitely righteous God is justly deserving of infinite punishment, we are in deep, eternal, trouble. He’s promised that He will judge sinful men, and will send them to an eternal punishment as an act of His perfect justice. To a place the Bible refers to as hell. Yes, hell is real, more real than anything in this present world. And unless something changes, it’s the eternal destination of each one of us. Like I said, you and I have a problem that makes even the most serious problems of our daily lives look like mere inconveniences.<br />
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Do I have your attention yet? I hope so, because if that’s where the story ended, we’d all be hopelessly pitiful beings who’d live out our existence in fear and despair, knowing what awaits us at some point in the future when God fulfills His promises to punish sinners. But that’s not the end of the story. There’s more than bad news to this truth I am compelled to tell you. There’s good news. Infinitely good news that can change fear and despair to hope, joy and true worship.<br />
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Because this holy, righteous, just and sovereign God is also perfectly loving, merciful and gracious. And as the ultimate act of mercy and grace to condemned sinners like you and me, He’s done everything needed to remove from us the condemnation we so richly deserve, and to replace that state of judgment with a position of righteousness before Him, for eternity. He’s done so by providing a substitute for that eternal punishment, Someone who could absorb the infinite hatred and anger of God against sin, and perfectly satisfy His just demands. That Someone is the Son of God Himself, Jesus Christ.<br />
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You probably all know about Jesus being killed by crucifixion on a Roman cross. But do you know why Jesus was killed? Do you know who killed Him? God killed Him. Jesus’ death on a cross was the fulfillment of God’s plan to make a way for condemned sinners to escape the wrath to come. Jesus’ crucifixion wasn’t a tragedy, it was the greatest victory of all time. It was the triumph of God’s grace and mercy over death and hell. It was the one means by which God could satisfy His justice, and yet provide a means for sinful men and women like us to be pardoned from eternal punishment for our sin, and to enter into a right relationship with Him. Something had to change. God acted to bring about that change, by sacrificing His Son Jesus and then raising Him from the dead to clearly show that the victory had been won.<br />
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That is really good news, isn’t it? The exchange of certain eternal punishment, for certain eternal relationship with God Himself. All threat of punishment for our sin taken away, forever. But…it’s only good news if it’s applied to us. God has acted to make this forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with Him available. And He’s also made it clear that He requires a response to this good news from us.<br />
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That response is faith. Believing and trusting in the person and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Having faith in the promises of God that He’s fulfilled through Christ, and placing our eternal trust in Him and Him alone. Recognizing that we have no ability to earn any kind of favor from God, and receiving His gracious pardon as a gift. Turning from all our sinful rebellion against God, and turning to Jesus for grace and mercy. Not trusting in ourselves, our acts of religion or rituals, our good deeds, our church membership or anything else other than the righteous life and satisfactory death of Jesus Christ. That’s the only acceptable response that God requires.<br />
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So that brings us to you and me. I can say that by God’s grace I have seen the reality of my sin and the condemnation and eternal punishment I rightly deserve. And by His grace I’ve also seen the reality of pardon from that sin and condemnation and punishment found in Jesus Christ. And I’ve responded in faith, trusting Him and nothing else for my eternity. And have experienced His love and transforming power in my life.<br />
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What about you? Have you responded in faith to God’s good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ? If you have, then I hope this note has been a reminder of the greatness of God’s gracious salvation. But if you haven’t, I urge you to consider the truths I’ve outlined here. Consider the eternal danger you’re in due to your sin. And consider the complete release from the sentence of hell that sin has earned you that’s available only through faith in Jesus. And respond by believing in His life and death for you, and receiving Him as your Savior and Lord. No one else can do that for you, it’s a response only you can exercise. And remember – by not trusting in Christ, you are choosing to reject the only means of salvation available. I urge you – choose Christ, for eternity.<br />
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I hope I’ve been clear in what I’ve communicated here, and that God will use this for you eternal good, and for His eternal glory. Thanks for taking the time to read.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-57960228379819714492010-07-17T08:53:00.000-05:002010-07-17T08:53:46.018-05:00Vacation Highlights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PxbVCqGIwgo/TEG1KYXrK4I/AAAAAAAAAb4/u47LeWiEjPQ/s1600/P1000688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PxbVCqGIwgo/TEG1KYXrK4I/AAAAAAAAAb4/u47LeWiEjPQ/s200/P1000688.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>I haven't posted here for a while due to lots of other things going on. Most notably, the past two weeks have been occupied with an epic family road trip, as I, my lovely wife, and our two teenagers traveled to northern California to spend some time with our oldest son Mike. Mike's in his second year as a pastoral intern at <a href="http://www.meadowvalleycommunitychurch.com/index.htm">Meadow Valley Community Church</a> in Quincy, up in the Sierras. It was a great trip, and after a few days of reflection, here are a few highlights.<br />
<ul><li><b>Mountains </b>- Though somewhat unintentional, our trip seemed to take on a mountain theme as we traveled through almost every range between Nebraska and northern California. That included the Badlands (OK, not really mountains, but tell that to my kids), Black Hills, Bighorns, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Sierra Nevadas, a few ranges in Utah, and the Colorado Rockies. I love mountains, and especially driving through them, so this was sweet.</li>
<li><b>The Numbers</b> - We've never done a trip quite this long. The sheer numbers we racked up were impressive, according to our GPS. Like a total of 3,889 miles. Over 11 days. Covering 9 states. With 68 hours of drive time. At an average of 27.8 mpg from the Family Truckster, I mean the Taurus.</li>
<li><b>No Problems</b> - Speaking of the Taurus, we had absolutely zero mechanical problems on the whole trip. I consider this a gift of God's grace. As well as getting stopped for speeding on I-80 in Nevada and not getting a ticket. Grace indeed.</li>
<li><b>The Sights</b> - Our family was able to see some sights and experience some places that we'd never seen before, and hopefully begin to appreciate the diversity and grandeur of God's creation. Like the eerie landscape of the Badlands. The quiet beauty of the Black Hills. The patriotic feeling of visiting Mount Rushmore on the 4th of July. The close encounter of the third kind with Devil's Tower, and the prairie dogs there. The incredible sights and sounds and smells of Yellowstone, as well as the wildlife there. The splendor of the Grand Tetons. The desolation of the Utah salt flats. The ruggedness of the Sierra Nevadas. The amazing waters of Lake Tahoe. The high peaks and passes and deep valleys of the Rockies. And so much more.</li>
<li><b>Family Time</b> - Packing the four of us in a car for 11 days could have been a real relational disaster. But again, by God's grace, we had a good time together. Especially the days we spent in Quincy with Mike as a whole family, and getting to see what his life is like there. And also spending some time getting to know Mike's girlfriend Rebekah, who came up from Redlands to meet us and who we came to love and view as part of the family.</li>
<li><b>The Church</b> - While in Quincy, we got to know many of the people at MVCC. And I was blessed by their commitment to Christ, His gospel, and most visibly to each other. A small church truly being the body of Christ. We even got to witness the baptism of a young man that God had just saved out of a life of professed atheism - in a mountain stream. I'm convinced more than ever that God has our son Mike in the right place to learn and grow in being a shepherd. Thanks Terry, Curt, the Biddles, the Kroekers, and so many others who are modeling godly life and ministry for Mike.</li>
<li><b>The Funny Stuff</b> - There were so many funny situations that kept coming up as we traveled. The most notable was the big red bus full of Asian tourists that stalked us for three days, across two states and multiple stops. We first encountered them at Mount Rushmore. The next day, they were at Devil's Tower when we stopped there. Later that day we stopped at a rest area on I-90 near Sheridan, Wyoming, and they pulled in as we were getting ready to leave. And the next day, as we stopped to view the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, there they were again. I think we lost them after that, but we kept on the lookout for red buses the rest of the trip.</li>
</ul>Hopefully we also made a lot of memories as a family that will last. Thanks Lord, for being so gracious to us in this trip, and in an infinite number of ways in Christ every day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-37127729402307371342010-06-12T10:57:00.000-05:002010-06-12T10:57:41.806-05:00The Myth of AnonymityTeaching at the Rescue Mission yesterday regarding each believer in Christ finding the function that God has gifted and purposed them for in the body of Christ, and then living that out. Of of the guys mentioned that he sees people who have the gift of giving, as they contribute to the mission in many ways, and very often anonymously, not wishing to gain any recognition for their service or giving. But only desiring that any and all glory be to God.<br />
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As I thought about this observation, Jesus' words in Matthew 6:1-4 came to mind. Lon was expressing just what Christ taught here in the Sermon on the Mount:<br />
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<i style="color: #990000;">"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."</i><br />
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Jesus here commends anonymity before men for righteous deeds, so as not to be a hypocrite and seek commendation from men. In fact, He says if you receive honor from men for your good works, don't expect any reward from God, you've already had what you're going to get. But He also points out that the idea of doing any righteous work anonymously is a fallacy. While we may seek to do our deeds out of the sight of men, it's impossible to do them out of the sight of God. God is the One who <i style="color: #990000;">"sees what is done in secret"</i> and rewards faithfulness based on what he sees. So while we may seek to do good works anonymously, so as not to gain any honor or recognition from men, we do not, in fact cannot, do them anonymously before God. He sees every act of righteous obedience to Christ that we do, visible to men or not, and will reward His people for those acts with the words, <i style="color: #990000;">"Well done, good and faithful slave."</i> What a great motivation for seeking our recognition from Him then, not from others now.<br />
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But the corollary to this is that there are no anonymous sins, no unseen acts of disobedience to Christ. Just as God sees in secret our acts of obedience to His, He also sees in secret our acts of sin against Him. There's no such thing as a secret sin, when you factor God into the equation. Every thought, emotion, willful bent or act, even if never known of by another human being, is known by God. And this destroys the false idea of the victimless sin, since all sin is an affront against God, making Him the ultimate victim, the offended party. And God, who sees in secret, will righteously deal with our sin openly. What a frightening thought for those who would seek to hide their sin and think they're OK. The words of God in Numbers 32:23 were never truer: <i style="color: #990000;">"...and be sure your sin will find you out."</i><br />
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But for the person who's placed their faith in Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death on the cross, what an amazing thought, that God has already dealt righteously and openly with our sin, both the obvious and the secret. He place those sins, and all others for all who will trust in Him, past, present and future, on Jesus at the cross and forever settled the issue. And in place of our sin, He credits to us who believe the perfect righteousness of Christ, a position of right standing before Him for eternity. So that even when we continue to try to keep secret anonymous sin in our hearts and minds, God knows them, will lovingly discipline us to bring us to repentance from them, and continues to apply His gracious forgiveness to us in Christ.<br />
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Amazing grace, indeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-55841853155235179542010-05-21T19:23:00.000-05:002010-05-21T19:23:57.251-05:00Reasoning TogetherWhile on a bike ride this afternoon, I was thinking about a recent comment made by a Facebook friend of mine. It was a quote of Isaiah 1:18, <i style="color: #990000;">"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD..."</i> And then commentary lamenting that evangelicals don't do much thinking these days, in contrast to this command of God regarding reasoning.<br />
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I have to agree in a sense with what my young friend was saying in his comment. Modern, or should I say postmodern, American evangelicalism seems to have a real challenge thinking deeply about much of anything. But then, I'm not so sure this is limited to evangelicals. Just look at the urbane, banal, superficial, fantastic and fleeting subjects that seem to capture the attention of the American public at large, and it's evident that thinking deep thoughts and applying the laws of logic and reason in public and private discourse are rare commodities. Most evangelicals seem to be more shaped by this emotions-over-mind culture than by the words of God. And this affects so much in the life of the average Christian, who fails to think deep thoughts about God, the only One who is worthy of deep thinking, and indeed requires deep thoughts about Him to begin to comprehend Him as He's revealed Himself to us. So yeah, I'm with my friend in this sense.<br />
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But I also see another sense in which certain segments of the postmodern church violate this command as well. Not by not thinking or applying reason, but by doing so in the wrong manner. Just as anti-intellectualism is un-Biblical and un-Christian, so also is super-intellectualism. By that I mean overly embracing the deep thoughts and philosophies of those who are wise according to this world, but foolish towards the things of God. I see a tendency among some, especially the young, to become fascinated with the thinking and writings of man-centered philosophies, and seek in some way to reconcile or combine these views with Biblical Christianity.<br />
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But how does God say we should reason, in Isaiah 1:18? He commands us to reason <b style="color: #990000;"><i>"together,"</i></b> to think with Him. We are to apply the rational minds that God has given us to think along with Him, with our thinking and reasoning informed and transformed by His thoughts. To be sure, His thoughts are higher and deeper than ours can ever be (Isaiah 55:9). But at the same time, if we are in Christ then His Spirit dwells within us and leads to transformation in our thinking (Romans 12:1-2). In fact, we are told that we have the very mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:13). Therefore any thinking Christian needs to first and foremost be reasoning with the mind, will, purpose, nature and authority of God in view, as He's revealed these things to us. We must reason together with Him.<br />
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But if our starting point for thinking deep thoughts about spiritual things begins not with the mind of God and His revelation of that mind to us, but instead with the philosophies and ideas of men apart from Christ, we are not reasoning together with Him, but with them. Beginning our thinking with any philosophical system or worldview or metanarrative that is sourced in the reasoning of man cannot lead us to a deeper understanding of God, but will instead lead us away from Him. And try as hard as many might, it is impossible to reconcile these thought systems with the mind of God, since they're sourced elsewhere and are in fact in opposition to Him. How can one rationalize existential thought with the God who defines existence? OK, so Kierkegaard tried, but not so successfully. How can one make sense of postmodernism's claims to reject all metanarratives or "big stories" with the redemptive history of God revealed in His word? How can the meaninglessness of nihilism be of use in understanding or explaining the God who alone creates meaning by His purposes and actions?<br />
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There is, however, one sense in which studying the man-made philosophies and thoughts of deep thinkers according to the mind of man can and should be useful to the Christian. And that is to allow us to better understand the spiritual bankruptcy of these ideas and ideologies apart from God. Every one of these thinkers and thoughts are an expression of the depravity of man's mind in isolation from the mind of God. If we engage in reading the works of Hegel, Nietzsche, Sartre, Rorty, Lyotard, Foucault, and others, while at the same time reasoning together with God, we will gain insight into where the corrupted mind of man will go apart from the redeeming grace of Christ. And we'll gain deeper insight into the thoughts and views of those in the world around us, making the gospel of Christ shine even brighter. To the praise of His glorious grace.<br />
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So come, let's reason together...with God.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-3621754710576069762010-05-14T21:16:00.000-05:002010-05-14T21:16:56.942-05:00Otherwise Occupied<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PxbVCqGIwgo/S-4CW9VVVcI/AAAAAAAAAbM/x58tFFq0XUA/s1600/occupied.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PxbVCqGIwgo/S-4CW9VVVcI/AAAAAAAAAbM/x58tFFq0XUA/s200/occupied.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So yeah, the posting here at the Den has been pretty sparse of late. Well, life's like that sometimes. Seems I've been otherwise occupied with a number of time-consuming things that have precluded me from paying much attention to this blog. And what are those things? Well, thanks for asking.<br />
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The launch of a new ministry focus and vision at my church has involved me getting hands on with a new blog site intended to help communicate and engage members in the process. The whole thing is themed <b style="color: #990000;">Even More</b>, and is rooted in Jesus' words in John 15:2 - <i><span style="color: #990000;">"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit."</span></i> God's done incredibly gracious things in our church over a number of years, and now we sense Him leading us to ask Him to do even more. Which is expressing itself in a number of ways, which will be rolled out as the plan unfolds. This really is an exciting time to be part of <a href="http://highlandparkministries.org/">Highland Park Church</a>, and I'm loving being able to play the role of content guy for this one component of the whole thing. So go check out the blog site at <a href="http://hpevenmore.org/">http://hpevenmore.org</a>.<br />
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Related to parts of the new ministry vision roll out are a couple other things keeping me occupied. As I've noted in <a href="http://doulosofchrist.blogspot.com/2010/05/blessings-all-minei-mean-ours.html">previous posts</a>, I'm developing a new in-depth study of Ephesians, 26 lessons worth, to begin teaching in one of our new flock groups launching this fall. Lots of exegesis and application left to do there (I'm working on lesson 3 now). And I'm also working on a sermon I'll be preaching in August as part of a series on the letters to the seven churches in Revelation. Got the exegesis done, now starting to think about homiletics. I'm expositing on Christ's words to the church at Philadelphia, the faithful church that needs to persevere to be overcomers. Great stuff.<br />
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And outside of that, I've also been putting a lot of time and effort into some work-related things. Since I serve as a volunteer leader for the Utilities Community of the Americas SAP User Group (<a href="http://www.asug.com/">ASUG</a>), I've been heavily involved in planning and prep for the <a href="http://www.asugannualconference.com/">ASUG Annual Conference</a> coming up next week in Orlando. In fact, I just finished packing and am flying to Orlando in the morning, will be emceeing a group meeting all day Sunday and then helping with the rest of the conference the rest of the week. Expecting 15,000+ people. Yep, it's a big deal. The Amazing Algore is one of the keynote speakers, along with Colin Powell and others. Of course, the best part is the <a href="http://www.sapandasug.com/activities/celebration_night.cfm">free Santana concert</a> on Wednesday nite.<br />
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So sorry if you few readers out there, wherever you are, haven't had much silage to chew on here lately. I have been <i>occupado</i>, and will be for a bit more. But I promise eventually to get back to something of substance here. Someday...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-55164197760242783272010-05-05T20:09:00.000-05:002010-05-05T20:09:03.370-05:00Blessings All Mine...I Mean OursWorking on exegesis of Ephesians chapter one for teaching prep, and am taking apart verse 3. Paul here is opening up this long section outlining the blessings of God upon His people. A careful examination of this single verse gives some deep insight into these blessings, which we so often breeze over. And also gives us a much more Biblical understanding of what the term "blessing" really means in God's view.<br />
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<div style="color: #990000;"><i>Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.</i></div><br />
First, we see that the blessings in view here are <b>already ours.</b> Note the past tense: <i><span style="color: #990000;">"has blessed us."</span></i> Not will, of might, or could, or is. The tense is in the past. God has already given these blessings to us. They are ours now.<br />
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Second, we see that the blessings are <b>sufficient</b>. We have been given <i style="color: #990000;">"every"</i> blessing. There are no good things the Father intends to bless us with that He has withheld. Every means complete, sufficient for all our needs.<br />
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Third, these blessings are <b>not physical</b>. They are in fact <i style="color: #990000;">"spiritual."</i> There are of course physical blessings from God, such as children, spouses, friends, employment, health, etc. But that's not what Paul has in view here. The focus is on the eternal spiritual good that God has done for us. This alone destroys the false ideas of the health and wealth gospel charlatans.<br />
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Fourth, the blessings are <b>not of this world.</b> They have their reality anchored <i style="color: #990000;">"in the heavenly places."</i> God's good to us finds its ultimate fulfillment not here and now, but there and then, for eternity.<br />
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Fifth, these blessings are available <b>only through Jesus Christ</b>. God the Father has given His blessings not arbitrarily, but specifically to those who are <i style="color: #990000;">"in Christ."</i> The goodwill of the Father has flowed to His people through their trust in and unions with His Son.<br />
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And lastly, these blessings are given <b>to the church</b>. Notice that Paul says God has <i style="color: #990000;">"blessed us."</i> The inclusive plural reference makes it clear that these blessings from God the Father are to us. To individuals, yes. Each person must embrace the gospel and Christ personally. But the blessings listed here are for us, corporately, the people who God has specifically chosen as His to receive His blessings, as a community of His people. In fact, verse 4 goes on to reinforce that intentionality of God in providing these blessings through His Son: <i style="color: #990000;">"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him."</i><br />
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This first opening verse of Paul's benediction serves as a gateway to the great truths contained in the rest of this section of the letter. All the details of those blessings - chosen by the Father, adopted as children, redeemed by the Son, heirs of God, sealed in the Spirit - have to be linked back to these fundamental principles.<br />
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Blessings all mine,,,I mean ours. With ten thousand beside...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-65869964001329126502010-05-03T06:47:00.000-05:002010-05-03T06:47:22.159-05:00Hold On, It's Comin...Wow, it's been almost a month since I last posted something here. Lots of stuff been happening, like the death of my wife's father, but I haven't been in the posting mood lately. But right now I have two projects going on. One the development of a large study (26 lessons) of the epistle to the Ephesians. The other preparation for preaching on Revelation 3:7-13, the letter to the church at Philadelphia, later this summer. Both of these are challenging texts for exegesis and homiletic study. And I intend to share some of these bits of insight with you couple of faithful readers in the near future. So hold on, it's comin'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-37605673755379007322010-04-10T09:41:00.000-05:002010-04-10T09:41:24.808-05:00Second NatureWhile having a great time yesterday morning teaching in the New Life disciple program at the local Rescue Mission, one of the guys made a comment that I found really insightful. God often teaches me more from the questions and comments from these men who are infants in the faith than I think I impart to them. Funny how that works, huh?<br />
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We were in the midst of a study of what the gospel of Christ says about slavery and freedom. This is a subject most of these guys can readily connect with, since they’ve lived the life of enslavement to all kinds of things – drugs, alcohol, sex, whatever. And they recognize (far better than most <i>good</i> people) that the root of that slavery was and is bondage to sin, to Satan as their spiritual father, and ultimately to their own selfish desires. So when they read Jesus’ words in John 8:31-36 about the truth of the Son making them free, they’re all over that. These are men who have been willing slaves to the cruelest master of all – their own sin – and want to really know and experience the freedom from that bondage that comes only in Christ.<br />
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And they also connect with Paul’s statement in Galatians 5:1 – <i style="color: #990000;">“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”</i> They feel every day the pull of their still-active sin nature that would take them captive to themselves again if they give it the chance. And they also experience the tendency we all have to substitute a list of man-made or self-imposed rules and laws for the freedom we’re given as believers in Christ to live by the Spirit. And that also means voluntarily submitting to those whom God has placed over us in spiritual leadership positions. In the case of these disciples, that’s the Rescue Mission staff.<br />
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So as we were discussing this subject of being free to submit to Christ and to His leaders, one of the guys named Don made a comment about dealing with that. He said, <b><i>“It’s second nature to me to want to rebel against authority.”</i></b> That statement stopped me in my tracks. Because what he was expressing, even though I’m not sure he realized it at the time, was the reality that every Christian deals with in working out the battle of the two natures that are at work in us. That reality expressed in Galatians 5:17: <i style="color: #990000;">“For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”</i> The spiritual nature which is made alive in Christ and that frees us from bondage to self and sin, vs. the sinful fleshly nature that still seeks its own head.<br />
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But as this man stated, that rebellious, sinful, selfish nature is his <i>second </i>nature. As a redeemed person in Christ, that sinful nature has been crucified, robbed of its power and dominion over him, dethroned from the position of master (Romans 6). And therefore, our flesh is not our only nature, not even our first nature, but rather our <i>second nature.</i> A nature that’s still active and that we can and often do still allow to govern our thoughts and actions. But in a real sense it is our second nature. A nature that we are no longer slaves to. A nature that we are now free to subdue, by the power of Christ and His Spirit working in us synergistically with our own transformed mind and will.<br />
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So as I reminded Don, praise be to Jesus Christ that his rebellious nature is now truly his second nature. God has given him, and all who trust in Christ, a new and eternal and redeemed <i>first </i>nature intended to rule our lives and willingly submit to Him as our new Lord and Master.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-16860819709551551712010-04-01T22:26:00.000-05:002010-04-01T22:26:45.519-05:00He IS Risen...IndeedHaven't been able to focus on anything blog-worthy lately as my attention has been on my father in law's health issues. He's currently in hospice care as the last few days of his life pass. What a gift of God's grace to allow my wife's father Bud to have the time to gather with family and say goodbye, to make his wishes clear, to impart final words of wisdom. Once more showing the mercy and grace of our Lord.<br />
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But that's not what I'm thinking about right now. Approaching the culmination of this Holy Week, my mind is on the reality of the resurrection of Christ. The Christian's cry of celebration on Resurrection Sunday is this: "He is risen!" A clear, direct, unambiguous statement of fact. And not that He has risen, or that He was risen. He IS risen. Not just a past event, but a present reality. He rose from death to life, and He remains alive, in a resurrected state. Christ's resurrection isn't of the same category as those of Lazarus or others in the Biblical record who were raised from the dead. They didn't stay alive, they had to eventually die again. But Jesus Christ has risen, and is risen, never to suffer death again.<br />
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And all who have trusted in Him and His sacrificial death on the cross will likewise share in that resurrection. He not only resurrects us to spiritual life in regeneration so that we can respond to Him - He also guarantees that even though we may physically die, we have life eternal like His, and will ultimately be resurrected in a manner like His as well, never to perish again.<br />
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In fact, through personal faith in Jesus Christ, my father in law is facing the end of his physical life with the sure promise of eternal life and resurrection in Christ. How anyone can face death apart from that blessed hope and assurance, I can't imagine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-48370686965841370612010-03-18T18:04:00.000-05:002010-03-18T18:04:47.079-05:00I Am Not Ashamed<span style="font-size: small;">"Those who objected to the Christian gospel ridiculed it, mocking it because of its absurdity. For there is nothing more ridiculous than the word of someone who preaches that the Son of God was born and brought up by Jews, who rejects neither the cross nor death, who says moreover not only that Christ rose from the dead but that he ascended to heaven as Lord of all, that he will raise everyone else from the dead, and other things the apostles preached. The pagans mocked these things and ridiculed them, thinking that they would make the apostles shut up. Therefore Saint Paul, feeling obliged to reply to this opinion of the apostles, began his teaching thus: <i>I am not ashamed of the gospel."</i><br />
<b>- Gennadius of Constantinople, <i>Sermons</i></b></span><br />
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(From <a href="http://www.civitate.org/">The City</a>)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-56140452496086316282010-03-14T21:30:00.001-05:002010-03-14T21:32:40.851-05:00Portrait of an Unhealthy Church AttenderI've been teaching a series on being healthy church members. Came across this video on <a href="http://bibchr.blogspot.com/">Dan Phillips' blog</a>, and was really irritated by it. Irritated not just because "Ronnie" is so irritating, but because it points out all the stuff I've been teaching correctives to. Take a look and see if you can spot the marks of Ronnie's unhealthiness when it comes to church, and Jesus Christ for that matter.<br />
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Ever met a Ronnie?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-79155453098138253812010-03-13T19:40:00.000-06:002010-03-13T19:42:45.318-06:00Testing My Ministry Motivation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Been pondering this short snippet of a quote by Charles Haddon Spurgeon:<br />
<blockquote style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>"This shall be an infallible test to you concerning anyone’s ministry. If it is man-praising, and man-honoring, it is not of God."</b></i></span></blockquote>One of those statements that it's really easy to apply to others, isn't it? No problem looking at ministers and ministries, large and small, and pointing out just how man-centered they seem to be. Plenty of that kind of evangelical-in-name-only kind of stuff going on wherever one looks today. And to be fair (to all of us), that kind of evaluation of ministers and ministries is right an necessary. It's part and parcel of contending for the faith. As those who have received and been entrusted with the eternal truths of the gospel of Christ, to do less would be failing to fulfill our duty and calling.<br />
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But, on the other hand, what about me? This question that the prince of preachers poses goes to the heart of motivation in ministry.Why do I do what I do when it comes to my personal Christian ministry? I believe I've been gifted and called to be a teacher of God's word, a belief that has been confirmed many times over the years. I get great joy and personal reward in engaging in this ministry, in a variety of contexts. The most personally rewarding experience for me in the ministry of the word is when I see someone grasp a Biblical truth and the implications of that truth, and respond accordingly. You know, the so-called <i>"aha moment"</i>, the light bulb going on, that sort of stuff. That's one thing that always stokes my fire for continuing to teach and disciple Biblically.<br />
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But along with that often comes some sort of response along the lines of <i style="color: #990000;">"Wow, you are such a great teacher."</i> Or <i style="color: #990000;">"I really love your classes, I get so much out of them."</i> Or some other adulatory utterance directed toward me. Now, this is not an everyday occurrence, for sure. I'm probably overstating the case even now. But it does happen. And the answer to the question Spurgeon poses come back to: is this what motivates me to teach the Bible? Is my motivation, at its root, sourced in this affirmation of those whom I minister to? Or is it based in faithfulness to The One whose name I minister in? Is it for the praise of men, or is it for the pleasing of my Lord?<br />
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But the toughest part of this statement is Spurgeon's conclusion. For if my motivation, my focus, my whole reason for doing what I do comes back to seeking praise and honor for me rather than for Him, then the so-called ministry I engage in is <i>mine alone</i>, and devoid of any power or blessing from God. And if that's the case, then it's really not a <i>"ministry"</i> at all, is it? Ministry is serving Christ's people for His glory, not for mine.<br />
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This is something that I have to constantly pay attention to. And I'm sure most of us engaged in any kind of service to Christ do too. Our hearts are so easily deceived, and our need for affirmation so strong. I need to continually check my motives, and be seeking my affirmation not from any man or woman, but from the God Man, and only Him. Faithfulness demands it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-86417531421453648122010-03-08T11:15:00.003-06:002010-03-08T11:21:09.818-06:00"We Are Not Figure Skaters"An excerpt from Phil Johnson's message at the recent <a href="http://www.shepherdsfellowship.org/sc/">Shepherd's Conference</a>. (You can find the whole sermon <a href="http://www.shepherdsfellowship.org/media/details/?mediaID=5234">here</a>): <br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/9956032">Pulpit Highlights - Phil Johnson</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/gracecomchurch">Grace Community Church</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Phil's comments regarding the expectations of postmodern evangelicals of their pastors is right on. So many in today's congregations want a man who is primarily "relational", while others are rightly most concerned with finding a strong Biblical leader. But the need and calling is for a man who is a solid Biblical shepherd leader and expositor, as well as a man of compassion and who cares for the flock. Too often these are seen as mutually exclusive traits, when in fact <b><i>they are the picture of the complete man of God.</i></b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7530600757327962666.post-13778954087762964052010-03-04T18:59:00.001-06:002010-03-04T19:01:06.812-06:00Biblical Evangelism Anyone?Working on a lesson about healthy church members being Biblical evangelists, I posed a question: <i style="color: #990000;">“How does a Biblical understanding of the gospel and a Biblical understanding of conversion impact our understanding of evangelism?”</i> The last two lessons in this series have been addressing just these two themes – a Biblical understanding of the gospel of Christ, and a Biblical understanding of conversion. So just how do these two foundational building blocks of gospel ministry affect the way we understand our mission as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)?<br />
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What is evangelism? It’s the heralding of the message of reconciliation of lost sinners to a holy and righteous God through faith in a perfectly substitutionary sacrificed Son and expressed in a life of obedience to Him. That in a nutshell is the <i>evangel</i>, the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. That, and <i>only </i>that, and <i>all </i>of that, is the propositional truth that must be communicated. There are many methods, approaches, tactics and strategies for doing so, but all of those methods must include a clear communication of these core gospel truths or they are not evangelism. This is why so-called lifestyle evangelism or “witnessing with our lives” may be helpful, but is <i>not </i>evangelism. Sharing our testimonies of God’s grace in our lives through Christ is a good and right thing to do, but it’s <i>not</i> evangelism. A Biblical understanding of the gospel requires that those objective gospel truths be clearly communicated. A Biblical understanding of the gospel, then, impacts the <i style="color: #990000;"><b>content </b></i>of our evangelism. It defines the message to be proclaimed.<br />
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So what then about conversion? How does a Biblical understanding of conversion impact how we do evangelism? When we understand that conversion, in Scriptural terms, is far more than what we often strive for today, it transforms our view of what the <i>objective </i>of our evangelism is. Praying to “accept Jesus into your heart”, signing a card, walking an aisle, “making a decision”, are all too often viewed as the sign of successful evangelism. But none of these popular ideas and terms are even close to being found in the Scriptures. They tend to put our focus on closing the deal and getting a name on a card or a profession of faith. But the Biblical model of conversion is far, far more demanding. A profession of faith without a corresponding confession of life is in fact a <i>dead </i>profession, according to James chapter 2. The Scriptures constantly use terms of repentance (<i>metanoia</i>) and conversion (<i>strepho</i>) when referring to coming to saving belief in Christ. Not just profession with the mouth, but confession with the life through surrender to Him as Lord (Romans 10:9-10). So then, a Biblical understanding of conversion impacts the <i style="color: #990000;"><b>objective </b></i>of our evangelism. We seek to see God make converted disciples, not simply gain professions of faith.<br />
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Does this Biblical informing of the content and objective of evangelism match what’s seen in much of postmodern American evangelicalism? Sadly, no it does not. A widespread superficial understanding and communication of the gospel, combined with a decision-focused objective in conversion, is producing generations of professed Christians who at best have a tenuous hold on eternity, and at worst (and more likely) are still in their sin and given false assurance of salvation.<br />
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As Thabiti Anyabwile states in his excellent little book, <u>What is a Healthy Church Member?</u>, <i style="color: #990000;">“Apart from a Biblical understanding of conversion and evangelism, a church member will be most unhelpful in completing the churches mission of making disciples.”</i> God, save us from being unhelpful to your work in building Your church and Your kingdom. Give us a solid reliance on the understandings of the gospel of Christ and the nature of true conversion that You reveal to us in Your word. And give us unwavering confidence in Your power to save Your elect by Your gospel. <i><span style="color: #990000;">“For I am not ashamed of the <b>gospel</b>, for it is <b>the power of God for salvation</b> to everyone who believes…”</span></i> – Romans 1:16.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0