Thursday, June 30, 2011

Packer on Dostoyevsky

I have been reading more fiction this year than in years passed. It has been an area of reading that I mostly left the last while. I have enjoyed picking this discipline up and thought I might encourage you to do likewise. I made an intentional attempt to read some Russian literature which resulted in my venturing into some of Anton Chekhov's plays, some of Leo Tolstoy's short stories and some nevels and novellas by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Yesterday, while searching for free epub books for my Kobo ereader, I came across The Gospel in Dostoyevsky which I quickly downloaded and began reading.

The book has a word from J. I Packer which I thought I would share so that you might consider reading some Russian fiction:

Dostoyevsky is to me both the greatest novelist, as such, and the greatest Christian storyteller, in particular, of all time. His plots and characters pinpoint the sublimity, perversity, meanness, and misery of fallen human adulthood in an archetypal way matched only by Aeschylus and Shakespeare, while his dramatic vision of God’s amazing grace and of the agonies, Christ’s and ours, that accompany salvation, has a range and depth that only Dante and Bunyan come anywhere near. Dostoyevsky’s immediate frame of reference is Eastern Orthodoxy and the cultural turmoil of nineteenth-century Russia, but his constant theme is the nightmare quality of unredeemed existence and the heartbreaking glory of the incarnation, whereby all human hurts came to find their place in the living and dying of Christ the risen Redeemer. In the passages selected here, a supersensitive giant of the imagination projects a uniquely poignant vision of the plight of man and the power of God. If it makes you weep and worship, you will be the better for it. If it does not, that will show that you have not yet seen what you are looking at, and you will be wise to read the book again.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Enjoying more

The essence of loving living as a follower of Jesus isn't in trying harder but in enjoying more. I'm not saying you can change without trying. I'm saying that enjoyment empowers effort. Pleasure in God is the power for purity.

- Sam Storms, One Thing

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Perfect among mornings


Kino awakened in the near dark. The stars still shone and the day had drawn only a pale wash of light in the lower sky to the east ... Kino heard the little splash of morning waves on the beach. It was very good ... Now Kino got up and wrapped his blanket about his head and nose and shoulders. He slipped his feet into his sandals and went outside to watch the dawn. Outside the door he squatted down and gathered the blanket ends about his knees. He saw the specks of Gulf clouds flame high in the air ... The dawn came quickly now, a wash, a glow, a lightness, and then an explosion of fire as the sun arose out of the Gulf. Kino looked down to cover his eyes from the glare ... It was a morning like other mornings and yet perfect among mornings. - John Steinbeck, The Pearl (emphasis mine)


There are experiences in our lives in which we get a taste of heaven. They are brief episodes in which an ephemeral aroma of the after-life fills our nostrils. These moments can be momentous occasions or mundane occurrences. But they are all a chance to savour our Saviour.

We realize that in their seeming perfection, they are not perfect. Like Kino's morning they are ordinary mornings "like other mornings", and yet they are mornings that are "perfect among mornings". We taste the perfectly grilled porterhouse and in the moment of revelry realize that it doesn't get any better, but, it could get better. The flawless sunset is at the same time impeccable and imperfect. The superlative son or defectless daughter in an instant is also a heinous sinner in need of saving.

When these immaculate interludes occur, they can direct our mind and affections to a few things. Their toying with perfection can remind us of the only true Perfection in the universe and beyond; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In their idealness we can imagine the infinite blessings that we will inherit if we are His people. And when the perfection of the episode is seen to also be a moment that is stained, soiled, and sullied by the sin in us and the sin in this world, we can reflect in our hearts that a Saviour has restored us to Himself and will one day restore all things so that the perfection is not mixed with impurities but will be entirely and completely whole and holy.

That perfect day will be perfectly perfect, not just a day like other days and yet perfect among days.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Detatchment of God


The dawn came quickly now, a wash, a glow, a lightness, and then an explosion of fire as the sun arose out of the Gulf. Kino looked down to cover his eyes from the glare. He could hear the pat of the corncakes in the house and the rich smell of them on the cooking plate. The ants were busy on the ground, big black ones with shiny bodies, and little dusty quick ants. Kino watched with the detachment of God while a dusty ant frantically
tried to escape the sand trap an ant lion had dug for him.

- John Steinbeck, The Pearl (emphasis mine)

Steinbeck alludes to a God who is detached from His creation. This deistic being, who created the universe and then removed Itself from the equation, is the Higher Power that many North Americans believe in. But this is not the immanent God of Christianity. Our God sees the sparrow fall and ordained its falling. He is aware of ant lions and the ants they eat and neither the ant nor the ant lion does anything apart from the sovereign plan of their Creator who is intimately involved in their lives. The deistic God is repudiated by the God-Man who lived, died, and rose among us. There is no detachment in our God. He is intimate, involved, and His imminent return will make that abundantly clear.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Disagreeing with your pastor

More good advice from 9Marks:

What should I do if I disagree with something my pastor said?

  1. Pray for humility and understanding.
  2. Ask a trusted, godly friend who knows the Bible well about the statement. Listen to their explanation and be open to the possibility that you either misunderstood, or that the statement the pastor made is biblically correct and you’re the one whose thinking needs to adjust.
  3. In choosing a “trusted, godly friend,” chose someone who you know is a friend to the pastor, and will exercise his or her own tongue to protect and love the pastor. Choose someone who is known for being eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Do not speak to someone who would be tempted to suspect the pastor, or would delight in disunity, or would be naively led astray by doubts.
  4. If you still have questions or concerns, then gently, humbly ask your pastor to explain what he meant.
  5. After patiently hearing your pastor’s explanation of what he meant, you may find that you still disagree with what he said. If this happens, what you should probably do is humbly accept that you see things differently at this point, resolve to keep your disagreement to yourself, thank God for all the ways he has used this man’s teaching in the lives of many, and cheerfully continue to submit to your pastor’s leadership and profit from his teaching.
  6. However, in rare cases, you might find that you disagree so strongly with something your pastor teaches, or that you disagree on a matter of such consequence, that it would hinder you from contentedly submitting to his leadership. In a case like this it may be best to quietly, lovingly find another church after discussing your intent to leave with the pastor.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Repentance, or just faith?

From 9Marks blog:

Is repentance necessary?
  • The claim: Some people say that you can believe in Jesus as “Savior” but not as “Lord.” That is, you can believe in him but never repent of your sin. You can believe in him and be saved even if your life goes on just as it was before you became a Christian. Or so the claim goes.
  • A further claim: Some people even claim that if we say repentance is necessary for salvation we’re adding works to the gospel. They claim that if repentance is required then we’re no longer saved by God’s grace alone, but by what we do as well.
  • Scripture’s reply: But what does the Scripture say?
  • Jesus says, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32)
  • Jesus told his disciples to proclaim “repentance and forgiveness of sins” in his name to all the nations (Luke 24:47).
  • When the apostles preached in Acts, they called people to repent of their sins in order to be forgiven (See Acts 2:38, 3:19, 8:32, 17:30, 20:21, 26:20).
  • The apostle Paul makes it clear that those whose lives are characterized by sin “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10; see also Rom. 8:12-13, Gal. 5:21, Eph. 5:5).
  • Scripture’s lesson: According to the unanimous testimony of Scripture, repentance is absolutely necessary in order to be saved. Only those who turn from their sin, trust in Christ, and live lives that are characterized by righteousness will be saved on the last day.
  • Further reflection: But then is repentance a “work” we must perform in order to earn our salvation? Not at all! Repentance and faith are really two sides of the same coin. Repentance is turning from sin. Faith is turning to, trusting in, and relying on Christ. Repentance is not a “work” anymore than faith is: we simply renounce our sin and rely on Christ.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Glorify God at Work

From Already Not Yet:

12 Ways to Glorify God at Work

Josh Etter writes:

Mark Twain once said, “Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.” Although there may be days when we feel like he got it right, we know God has ordained work as a stewardship of his created world (Genesis 1:28; 2:15). He has designed work for his glory and our good. But how might we glorify God at work? This list is not exhaustive, but here’s at least 12 ways —

1. Believe that all legitimate work is holy or unholy before God based on our faith, not the nature of the work itself.

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:23).

2. Be just and honest in all your dealings with money.

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight (Proverbs 11:1)

3. Be prayerfully dependent upon God, pouring contempt on self-sufficiency.

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain (Psalms 127:1).

4. Use the wages earned by your work to provide for and bless others.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1Timothy 5:8).

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need (Ephesians 4:28).

5. Grow in our skill-set, work hard, and strive for excellence.

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men (Proverbs 22:29).

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty (Proverbs 14:23).

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

6. Exemplify love for your neighbor in how you interact with your colleagues.

Let all that you do be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:14).

7. Plan ahead and sincerely preface future tasks with “if God wills.”

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house (Proverbs 24:27).

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:13-15)

8. Speak the gospel to your colleagues.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).

9. Work as unto the Lord and as unto men.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:23-24).

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust (1 Peter 2:18 ).

10. Focus on the work you’ve been given

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty (Proverbs 28:19).

11. Speak words of grace.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:29)

12. Rest in your justification by faith alone in Christ alone.

yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified (Galatians 2:16).

Thursday, June 23, 2011

The "race" of faith

This short narrative was written by our long lost fellow blogger Rich Cherry. He wrote it for a sermon he preached about a year and a half ago on Philippians 3:14: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

To say that Rich is a much more seasoned runner than Jude or I is an understatement, yet I still find myself returning to this whenever I contemplate the analogy Paul so often uses comparing the Christian life to a marathon.

I have several friends who are runners who follow this blog, may it be as edifying to you as it has been to me. (And may it entice Rich back in to the blogosphere)

Suppose a man were to come up to you and ask, "hey Iʼd really like you to run in my marathon
race." There are few responses that may come from you:

Response #1: "I hate running, I donʼt enjoy it, I donʼt want to enter your race, thank you very much have a nice day sir."

Letʼs say you fall into a river and drown. The man dives in the river, pulls you to the
bank and resuscitates you. As you are sputtering out murky river water, he says "hey Iʼd
really like you to run in my marathon". Although the timing is a bit odd, you obviously
feel some indebtedness because after all, he did just save your life.

So soaking wet, you throw on your running shoes and get going. After a few hard miles you begin to become exhausted.

Now what if the same man who rescued you from drowning in the river, and requests that
you run in his marathon is also the man who helps you along the way?

He assures that there is a great prize for you at the end of the race. He provides you
with a comprehensive running manual - everything you could ever need to know about
running is in the book - he even provides it in audio so yo can listen to it on your iPod
while you run. He also tells you that he himself will run the marathon along with you.

So you start off together. While you are running, he begins to talk (I know some people
donʼt like to talk while they run but he does), you courteously take of your iPod... he tells
you that he himself is quite a runner, in fact he has run this very marathon himself
before and ran it perfectly - finished in a great time, with the strongest finishing kick in
history, did not stumble once!

Thatʼs a bit surprising you think, he doesnʼt seem to have the outward appearance of a great runner, not the physique or swaggering attitude you would have expected from a world class athlete. You find that quite impressive, because already youʼve noticed that your footing is pretty shaky on some parts of the course. In fact just a while back you fell right over and the expert runner had to help you up. He suggests you keep your eyes on the course because there are a few treacherous parts where you could easily break an ankle, or worse, if you are not paying attention.

All the while, he himself doesnʼt even seem the slightest bit troubled by
anything on the route. Heʼs not even winded.

The next few miles are actually quite quiet, thereʼs not much talking, your legs are starting to burn and your chest hurts a bit, so you slow down, bend over a bit, grab the edge of your shorts. You notice some river residue on your legs. He wipes your legs to get some of it off, takes your shoes and socks off, dries your feet, gives you some new socks and a brand new pair of Asics Gel
Cumulus trainers out of the heavy knapsack he is carrying, which you are surprised to
see has your name on it.

With his help you get up.

You run and talk some more. As it turns out, not only is this guy a great runner but he is also the course designer! He mapped out the route on which the two of you are running. Paved the roads, groomed the trails, planted the greenery along the route. You start feeling the burn in your legs
again as you notice the course has become quite hilly. You think to yourself, “if I ever
design a marathon course it is going to be all downhill or flat at worst. Why in the world
would you ever put hills on the course?”

Your coach is now a few annoying steps ahead of you, every now an then he jogs backwards, fires you the thumbs up, smiles and says “come on up, this way, you can do it”. You fall a few more times before the crest of the hill and each time he pauses and returns, waits, gives you a breather, something to refresh you.

After many, many, many more long miles and spills, somewhere on the course after
many discussions, you discover that have come to love your running partner and love running the race with Him. The race is still hard but the running of the race with this
partner makes the difficulties seem so small compared to joy of running with Him. In
fact you would rather be running with this guy than doing anything else. You are
thankful that he pulled you from the river that day, but more thankful for the race He
asked you run and that He is running with you.

Curiously, as a Christian, the race must be run in order to learn to love the prize.
There are some things you only about the Christian life through living it and so...
The normal Christian life is the purposeful, perpetual, persevering pursuit of Christ, without ever fully attaining him during oneʼs life’s time. and therefore....

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”

Wesley and Calvinists

From The Scriptorium Daily:

Calvinists sometimes behave as if their Reformed credentials give them a free pass to forget there ever was a John Wesley, or that he is to be reckoned one of the good guys, or that he, being dead, yet speaks. They keep their distance as if Wesley were the carrier of a theological disease, to be given a wide berth. It’s one thing to say (as any good Calvinist must) that Wesley was wrong about a few important doctrines. But it’s another thing, a little tragic, to consign him to oblivion and imagine there is nothing to learn from him. Here are some Calvinists who know better. Their essentially pro-Wesley tone is striking, possibly because it’s becoming rarer than it once was.

John Newton (1725-1807) was as young, restless, and Reformed as anybody, but he could testify of John Wesley, “I know of no one to whom I owe more as an instrument of divine grace.” This line is quoted in Iain H. Murray’s book, Wesley and Men Who Followed (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2003), p. 71. Murray himself (b. 1931) is a great example of a Calvinist who unflinchingly opposes Arminianism, but is fully aware of how much spiritual blessing he has received through Wesley and the Methodists. Murray knows what the main things are, and knows that Wesley was sound on them, even though he was off the ranch on the beloved “doctrines of grace” as the Reformed see them: “the foundation of Wesley’s theology was sound. On the objective facts of the salvation revealed in Scripture –Paul’s ‘first of all’ of 1 Corinthians 15:3—Wesley was clear.”

Never to be outdone by anybody, Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) ventured that “if there were wanted two apostles to be added to the number of the twelve, I do not believe that there could be found two men more fit to be so added than George Whitefield and John Wesley.” (C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography, Vol. 1, p. 173.) Spurgeon may have been indulging in a characteristic dramatic flourish, but I don’t recall hearing that he surrendered his Calvinist card either before or after thus lumping together Whitefield and Wesley, respectively the great Calvinist and the great Arminian promoters of the eighteenth-century awakening. Witnesses like Newton and Spurgeon seem to prove that even Calvinists can learn from Wesley; in fact some of these Reformed witnesses seem to think that it is especially Calvinists who, while remaining as Reformed as they want to be, should labor to hear what this evangelical brother has to say to them.

Reformed people who read widely in Wesley (as opposed to reading a selected string of his anti-Calvinist zingers –like the time in 1765 when he said the revival was going great until “Satan threw Calvinism in our way.” Zing!) are always surprised, and usually delighted, to find that they find in him the same things they love in their favorite Reformed authors: A Scripture-saturated defense of original sin, justification by faith alone, a clear presentation of the gospel, a humble submission to God’s sovereignty, and a radical dependence on God’s grace.

Scottish pastor John Duncan (1796-1870), a decided Calvinist, read the Methodist hymnal and remarked, “I wonder how Charles Wesley could write that, and be an Arminian.” (Cited in John Brown, Life of the Late John Duncan (Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, 1872), p. 428) Somewhat more snarkily, Duncan remarked (p. 401), “I have a great liking for many of Wesley’s Hymns; but when I read some of them, I ask, ‘What’s become of your Free-will now, friend?”

Any Reformed readers who take up and reads John Wesley will find themselves asking on most pages, “How could John Wesley write that, and be an Arminian?” There are many reasons for how satisfying Wesley is doctrinally, but one of them is that he was trying hard to be a good Protestant. Whatever the word “Arminian” meant to most people before Wesley, there is at least the chance after John Wesley that it could refer to a Christian who is doctrinally conservative and committed to the gospel.

Another reason is that Wesley did a great deal of good. “Mr. Wesley, and others, with whom we do not agree in all things, will shine bright in glory,” said George Whitefield (Murray, p. 71). More on what Whitefield thought about Wesley and glory in a moment.

The great (but mostly forgotten) Henry Venn wrote to Wesley for encouragement in 1754 in this touching letter:

Dear Sir,

As I have often experienced your words to be as thunder to my drowsy soul, I presume, though a stranger, to become a petitioner, begging you would send me a personal charge to take heed to feed the flock committed unto me. If you consider the various snares to which a curate is exposed, either to palliate the doctrines of the gospel or to make treacherous allowances to the rich and great, or at least to sit down, satisfied with doing the least more than the best, among the idle shepherds, you will not, I hope, condemn this letter as impertinently interrupting you in your noble employment, or think one hour lost in complying with its request.

It is the request of one who, though he differs from you, and possibly ever may, in some points, yet must ever acknowledge the benefit and light he has received from your works and preaching, and therefore is bound to thank the Lord of the harvest for sending a labourer among us so much endued with the spirit and power of Elias, and to pray for your long continuance among us, to encourage me and my brethren by your example, while you edify us by your writings.

I am sir your feeble brother in Christ. Henry Venn.

C. H. Spurgeon turned his pro-Wesley reflections into a warning to Calvinists, or to ultra-Calvinists, not to be such bigots:

To ultra-Calvinists his name is as abhorrent as the name of the Pope to a Protestant: you have only to speak of Wesley, and every imaginable evil is conjured up before their eyes, and no doom is thought to be sufficiently horrible for such an arch-heretic as he was. I verily believe that there are some who would be glad to rake up his bones from the tomb and burn them, as they did the bones of Wycliffe of old—men who go so high in doctrine, and withal add so much bitterness and uncharitableness to it, that they cannot imagine that a man can fear God at all unless he believes precisely as they do.

This is from a lecture entitled ‘The Two Wesleys,’ delivered on Spurgeon’s home turf, the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Dec 6, 1861. Spurgeon went on to say that on the other hand, Wesley fans can get pretty annnoying: “Unless you can give him constant adulation, unless you are prepared to affirm that he had no faults, and that he had every virtue, even impossible virtues, you cannot possibly satisfy his admirers.”

Bishop J.C. Ryle, in his book on Evangelical leaders of the eighteenth century, gets the warnings out of the way right up front: “He was an Arminian in doctrine. I fully admit the seriousness of the objection. I do not pretend either to explain the charge away, or to defend his objectionable opinions.” But he goes on to his main point, saying, “we must beware that we do not condemn men too strongly for not seeing all things in our point of view, or excommunicate and anathematize them because they do not pronounce our shibboleth.”

What is to be found in Wesley, according to Ryle? For all Wesley’s deviations from the Calvinist line, Ryle says

But if the same man strongly and boldly exposes and denounces sin, clearly and fully lifts up Christ, distinctly and openly invites men to believe and repent, shall we dare to say that the man does not preach the gospel at all? Shall we dare to say that he will do no good? I, for one, cannot say so, at any rate. If I am asked whether I prefer Whitefield’s gospel or Wesley’s, I answer at once that I prefer Whitefield’s: I am a Calvinist, and not an Arminian. That Wesley would have done better if he could have thrown off his Arminianism, I have not the least doubt; but that he preached the gospel, honored Christ, and did extensive good, I no more doubt than I doubt my own existence.

And like so many other Calvinistic Wesley-fans, Ryle goes on to caution against bigotry:

Finally, has any one been accustomed to regard Wesley with dislike on account of his Arminian opinions? Is any one in the habit of turning away from his name with prejudice, and refusing to believe that such an imperfect preacher of the gospel could do any good? I ask such a one to remould his opinion, to take a more kindly view of the old soldier of the cross, and to give him the honour he deserves. …Whether we like it or not, John Wesley was a mighty instrument in God’s hand for good; and, next to George Whitefield, was the first and foremost evangelist of England a hundred years ago.

There is a famous story about one of Whitefield’s followers, after a discussion about just how not Calvinist Wesley was, asking Whitefield what he took to be a hard question: Will we see John Wesley in heaven? Whitefield’s answer was that the Calvinists of his generation were unlikely to see John Wesley in heaven.

“I fear not;” said Whitefield. And then the punchline: “He will be so near the throne, and we shall be at such a distance, that we shall hardly get a sight of him.”

Spurgeon tells this Whitefield story, and comments, “In studying the life of Wesley, I believe Whitefield’s opinion is abundantly confirmed –that Wesley is near the eternal throne, having served his Master, albeit with many mistakes and errors, yet from a pure heart, fervently desiring to glorify God upon the earth.”

An earlier generation of Reformed thinkers and ministers were revived and awakened by Wesley’s teaching. Spurgeon knew that an awakener was not something to take lightly, that God didn’t often send people with that ability to revive and stir up the church. We always have to keep an eye on the main danger, and Spurgeon was quite sure that Wesleyanism wasn’t the main danger of his, or any, age. The main danger is Christians failing to be wide awake, failing to be fully Christian. Wesley was a strong stimulant, and Spurgeon wanted more, not less, of that from Wesley:

I am afraid that most of us are half asleep, and those that are a little awake have not begun to feel. It will be time for us to find fault with John and Charles Wesley, not when we discover their mistakes, but when we have cured our own. When we shall have more piety than they, more fire, more grace, more burning love, more intense unselfishness, then, and not till then, may we begin to find fault and criticize.

Taking a moment to compare his own ministry to that of Wesley’s, he thought the comparison was like a little candle held up in the sun: “For my part, I am as one who can see the spots in the sun, but know it to be the sun still, and only weep for my farthing candle by the side of such a luminary.” If you think your own ministry is like a little candle held up against the light of Spurgeon’s accomplishment, take a moment to imagine an even greater light of conservative, evangelical, Protestant witness in the English language. And then go read something, anything, by or about Wesley.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

How about 7 little words?

Jude just composed a blog post about how the bible can be, in its broadest sense, summarized in 4 words: Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration.

I read his post as I logged in to write a blog post about how 7 little words are beginning to transform my understanding of the book of Revelation.

(As an aside-- numbers play an important role in scripture. There is, quite often, embedded significance when the scriptures use specific numbers.

You may notice, for example, that the Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 years, and Moses spent 40 days on the Mount, Jesus was also tempted for 40 days -- so the number 40 becomes associated with grave trial.

4 happens to be the number of creation, which would make sense that the historical narrative God is weaving has four phases. 7 is said to be the number of spiritual or complete perfection: 7 days in a week, 7 colours in the spectrum, 7 seals, 7 trumpets etc... to say that this has ANY significance on my 7 words in Revelation 1 would be a stretch at best, and a mistreatment of scripture at worst -- so I suppose this digression is moot.)

Anyway, the seven words that have rocked my understanding are in Revelation 1:1:

1"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John"

"The things that must SOON take place."

Revelation is a difficult portion of scripture, but one thing that has always bothered me is that many scholars seem to talk, with much conviction, about what this symbol means and what that symbol means and I often walk away feeling like we're mishandling the word of God.

My two main issues:
1. I think the popular futuristic understanding of Revelation diminishes the value of the Revelation.
2. I find that pastors seem to twist some plain sentences in order to fit symbolic language in to a specific perspective.

My first concern is, are we to assume that for 2000 years of church history this book was largely useless to the people of God? Only now, when we live in "the last days" do these warnings about future events begin to become relevant. I have always had trouble wrapping my head around that... it seems rather self centered of us.

My second concern is when I hear pastor's stretching symbolic language to say, for example, that locusts that breath fire "could" be fighter jets and we've all heard uncomfortable connections like that.

One of the biggest issues with this is when we are making large assumptions about language that is clearly symbolic, and yet they will excuse plain instruction or insight, such as John's very plain instruction that this Revelation is about the things that are soon to take place.

So there are four ways of looking at the book of Revelation:

1. The Preterist Approach: This view sees prophecy as chiefly relating to events in or near its own time. It has, therefore, already been fulfilled. Revelation, for example, may be seen as referring to the struggle of Christianity to survive the persecutions of the Roman Empire, among other things.

2. The Historic Approach: This view would hold that biblical prophecies provide us with a broad view of history, as well as an explanation of the religious significance of historical events. Historicists attempt to identify prophetic passages with major events in history.

3. The Futurist Approach: In the futurist method, parallels may be drawn with historical events, but eschatological prophecies are chiefly referring to events which as yet have not come to pass, but will take place at the end of the age and the end of the world.

4: The Idealist Approach: In the idealist approach, also known as spiritualist or symbolic, the events described in prophecy are neither past, present, nor future, but are representative of larger ideals and principles. Eschatological prophecy deals with the ongoing struggle between the forces of light and darkness, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Its message is purely a spiritual one, an allegory of the spiritual path, which is equally relevant in all ages and for all people.

I think that these 7 little words: "The things that must SOON take place", compel us to use a preterist approach when studying the book of Revelation, and taking this approach myself, I have found that Revelation is a much less complicated and far more enjoyable book to read. It was meant for a specific people during a specific time and catalogued events that took place shortly afterwards-- but just like Paul's letters there is still so much for me to learn from it!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Four Words

In broadest terms, the Bible can be summarized in four words: creation, fall, redemption, restoration. This sequence functions as an umbrella story encompassing the whole canonical narrative, but it is also repeated countless times on both individual and corporate levels. The whole cosmos is created, in judged when man rebels, is redeemed through Christ's death on the cross, and will be restored when Christ returns ...
- James M. Hamilton Jr., God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment

Monday, June 20, 2011

The power and wisdom of God

Just as at the cross God's power is hidden in weakness and his wisdom in folly, the world cannot see God's power and wisdom in the circumstances of this world, with all the 9/11s, AIDS, cancer, hurricanes, and countless personal tragedies we all encounter. God's providence cannot really be discerned apart from the gospel, apart from the knowledge that God is up to something here that will turn Good Friday into Easter morning. -Michael Horton, A Place for Weakness

Part of our growth in faith, a maturing of our trust in God, is too see His gracious power and wisdom in the difficulties of life. That process, at least for me, is a tough row to hoe. But, I believe lack of understanding and the corresponding affections in this realm-trials, tribulations, tests-leads to many believers being wounded and incapacitated. Let us work to grow in this area.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

A Father's Day Reflection

This week I have been, in light of Father's Day, contemplating fatherhood and my participation in that sublime vocation. One of the areas which has entertained my thinking processes is selfishness. As I contemplated my daddy-years, it occurred to me that I am less selfish with my time, in regards to doing stuff with and for the kids, than I thought I would have been.

Don't get me wrong; I'm a very selfish human being. Me, myself, and I are often the reigning trinity in my heart. Nevertheless, from my younger years, I distinctly remember wondering how I would deal with being a chauffeur and dedicating so much time to my children. And though, as I mentioned, I'm often all about me, it seems to me that I'm not as much about me as I thought I would have been.

With that in mind, I have also be pondering my affections in light of the famous essay by David Chalmers entitled The Expulsive Power of a New Affection. To over-simplify, this essay suggests we cannot just remove affections from our heart, for the heart, like nature, abhors a vacuum. The heart releases affections when they are expulsed by a stronger affection.

Of course, God's grace is integral in this process as the ideal is not just to exchange sinful affections for other sinful affections, but rather to replace sin-marred affections with godly, Christ-honouring ones.

As I think about dying to self, and grace-initiated expulsive affections, I wonder if God has been using the love I have through him for my children as a sin-killing, sanctifying agent in my life. My Spirit-aided love for my kids has expulsed some of my self-seeking ways, or so it seems.

I'm going to put some more thought into the 'expulsive affection theory', and how it works as a mechanism and means for God-wrought sanctification. In the meantime, I'll continue in gratefulness to God for my children and their profoundly purifying presence in my life.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Christian Hedonism in Walter Marshall's The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification

You are to esteem the enjoyment of Christ as the only salvation and true happiness, and such happiness as has in it unsearchable riches of glory, and will make our cup to run over with exceeding abundance of peace, and joy, and glory, to all eternity. We 'must account all things but loss or the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord' etc. (Phil. 3:8). Such a persuasion as this will allure and incline your wills and affections to choose and embrace Christ as the chief good, and never to rest satisfied without the enjoyment of Him, and to reject everything that stands in competition with Him, or the enjoyment of Him.
Walter Marshall
, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification

Here is the goal: "to choose and embrace Christ as the chief good".
Here is the fruit of that end: "never to rest without the enjoyment of Him" and to "reject everything that stands in competition with Him".
For this to happen: "incline your wills and affections".
But, our wills and affections are allured by a "persuasion such as this".
The persuasion is: "enjoyment of Christ" is the "only salvation and true happiness".

And that, my friends, is Christian Hedonism!

Friday, June 17, 2011

An Eschatological Abstention

Though over the last year I have consciously tried to make blogging a regular habit... it seems the only habit I've constructed is one of excusing my lack of blogging. It's not a skill I am proud of, but it's a new skill I have acquired none the less.

I was in the middle of a discussion of Francis Kik's book "An Eschatology of Victory" before my most recent hiatus. The daunting task of defending my attraction to postmillenialism in a blog shared with Piper-born premillenialists does not stir up an enthusiasm to get on here and blog... so I figure I'll ease my way back in to the habit with a less inflammatory return.


Collission is a documentary that follows Doug Wilson and Christopher Hitchens on a book tour. The Pastor/Scholar and renowned atheist co-authored a book entitled: "Is Christianity Good for the World?" The book title reveals the nature of the book and both authors take opposing sides in the argument. The book tour was really a debate tour as the two squared off in pubs, schools and lecture halls across America.

I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in Christian Apologetics, or anyone who simply enjoys hearing a great communicator and intelligent individual do a wonderful job at defending faith in a postmodern world.

Something Hitchens said that really stuck with me was that he and Doug Wilson couldn't be further apart in their beliefs. I know that seems obvious, but his exact words were: "We could not be on further ends of the spectrum in terms of what we believe about life. We are in opposition, at odds and there is no adequate bridge that can connect us".

I thought that was an interesting choice of words for a couple of reasons.

Number one, alot of Christians try to water down biblical truth in order to make it more compatible with a secular worldview... we try to word things in such a way that we are then able to conclude with, "you see, we aren't all that different." Hitchens knows this is not true however, he understands that the bible teaches a worldview radically contrary to his own understanding of life, how we should live and how the universe works.

Furthermore, the wording of he uses of the non-existence of a "connecting bridge" just cries out for the gospel. Jesus is that bridge. Someone can't cross the bridge on their own; they need the free, saving grace of God in order to embrace Christ. Wilson states this in the video: "I believe in the defenses of the Christian faith, but ultimately the logic of and evidence for Christianity are not why I am a Christian-- I am a Christian because grace is a free gift of God."

This ties in with something Wilson says later when he uses a brilliant analogy of being in prison.

In response to Hitchens challenge that Truth (capital T) cannot be known (an entirely uninteresting and unoriginal postmodern sentiment), Wilson responds, "If I was in prison and chained to the wall it is utterly impossible for me to reach out and touch the jailers nose --- but that doesn't restrict him from reaching out to touch mine. My limitations are not God's limitations."

He says that in reference to God's ability to reveal truth to us. Hitchens says that if we are not open-minded we will not evolve intellectually as a species. But "an open mind", says Wilson
, "has the same purpose as an open mouth, it's meant to close on something."

Yes we need an open mind, but it's meant to close on certain things, on certain truths. We hear that from non-Christians all the time, "you need to be more open minded" -- well, Why? Open mindedness is only valuable if it closes on truth -- the virtue is not in keeping a perpetually open mind, the virtue is in using an open mind to close it on God's Truth.

The video is amazing and I recommend it. I used it with much success in my youth ministry and it is definitely a resource I will keep close at hand.

Motherhood

An Article from Desiring God that you can access here:

Motherhood as a Mission Field
by: Rachel Jankovic

There is a good old saying, perhaps only said by my Grandfather, that distance adds intrigue. It is certainly true — just think back to anything that has ever been distant from you that is now near. Your driver’s license. Marriage. Children. Things that used to seem so fascinating, but as they draw near become less mystical and more, well, real.

This same principle certainly applies to mission fields too. The closer you get to home, the less intriguing the work of sacrifice seems. As someone once said, “Everyone wants to save the world, but no one wants to help Mom with the dishes.” When you are a mother at home with your children, the church is not clamoring for monthly ministry updates. When you talk to other believers, there is not any kind of awe about what you are sacrificing for the gospel. People are not pressing you for needs you might have, how they can pray for you. It does not feel intriguing, or glamorous. Your work is normal, because it is as close to home as you can possibly be. You have actually gone so far as to become home.

Home: The Headwaters of Mission
If you are a Christian woman who loves the Lord, the gospel is important to you. It is easy to become discouraged, thinking that the work you are doing does not matter much. If you were really doing something for Christ you would be out there, somewhere else, doing it. Even if you have a great perspective on your role in the kingdom, it is easy to lose sight of it in the mismatched socks, in the morning sickness, in the dirty dishes. It is easy to confuse intrigue with value, and begin viewing yourself as the least valuable part of the Church.

There are a number of ways in which mothers need to study their own roles, and begin to see them, not as boring and inconsequential, but as home, the headwaters of missions.

At the very heart of the gospel is sacrifice, and there is perhaps no occupation in the world so intrinsically sacrificial as motherhood. Motherhood is a wonderful opportunity to live the gospel. Jim Elliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Motherhood provides you with an opportunity to lay down the things that you cannot keep on behalf of the people that you cannot lose. They are eternal souls, they are your children, they are your mission field.

Faith Makes the Small Offering Great
If you are like me, then you may be thinking “What did I ever give up for them? A desk job? Time at the gym? Extra spending money? My twenty- year- old figure? Some sleep?” Doesn’t seem like much when you put it next to the work of some of the great missionaries, people who gave their lives for the gospel.

Think about the feeding of the five thousand when the disciples went out and rounded up the food that was available. It wasn’t much. Some loaves. Some fish. Think of some woman pulling her fish out and handing it to one of the disciples. That had to have felt like a small offering. But the important thing about those loaves and those fishes was not how big they were when they were given, it was about whose hands they were given into. In the hands of the Lord, that offering was sufficient. It was more than sufficient. There were leftovers. Given in faith, even a small offering becomes great.

Look at your children in faith, and see how many people will be ministered to by your ministering to them. How many people will your children know in their lives? How many grandchildren are represented in the faces around your table now?

Gain What You Cannot Lose in Them
So, if mothers are strategically situated to impact missions so greatly, why do we see so little coming from it? I think the answer to this is quite simple: sin. Discontent, pettiness, selfishness, resentment. Christians often feel like the right thing to do is to be ashamed about what we have. We hear that quote of Jim Elliot’s and think that we ought to sell our homes and move to some place where they need the gospel.

But I’d like to challenge you to look at it differently. Giving up what you cannot keep does not mean giving up your home, or your job so you can go serve somewhere else. It is giving up yourself. Lay yourself down. Sacrifice yourself here, now. Cheerfully wipe the nose for the fiftieth time today. Make dinner again for the people who don’t like the green beans. Laugh when your plans are thwarted by a vomiting child. Lay yourself down for the people here with you, the people who annoy you, the people who get in your way, the people who take up so much of your time that you can’t read anymore. Rejoice in them. Sacrifice for them. Gain that which you cannot lose in them.

It is easy to think you have a heart for orphans on the other side of the world, but if you spend your time at home resenting the imposition your children are on you, you do not. You cannot have a heart for the gospel and a fussiness about your life at the same time. You will never make any difference there if you cannot be at peace here. You cannot have a heart for missions, but not for the people around you. A true love of the gospel overflows and overpowers. It will be in everything you do, however drab, however simple, however repetitive.

God loves the little offerings. Given in faith, that plate of PB&J’s will feed thousands. Given in faith, those presents on Christmas morning will bring delight to more children than you can count. Offered with thankfulness, your work at home is only the beginning. Your laundry pile, selflessly tackled daily, will be used in the hands of God to clothe many. Do not think that your work does not matter. In God’s hands, it will be broken, and broken, and broken again, until all who have need of it have eaten and are satisfied. And even then, there will be leftovers.

Rachel Jankovic is a wife, homemaker, and mother. She is the author of "Loving the Little Years" and blogs at Femina. Her husband is Luke, and they have five children: Evangeline (5), Daphne (4), Chloe (2), Titus (2), and Blaire (5 months).

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Macbeth and the Preacher

Macbeth:
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

The Preacher:
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be
among those who come after.
(Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 ESV)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

God's Glory In Salvation Through Judgment


The transformation the church needs is the kind that results from beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18-4:6). The glory of God is a saving and judging glory-an aroma of life to those being saved and death to those perishing (2 Cor. 2:15-16), and this saving and judging glory is at the center of biblical theology. If there is to be a renewal, it will be a renewal that grows out of the blazing center that is the glory of God in the face of Christ. This saving and judging glory, I contend, is the center of biblical theology.
Jim M. Hamilton Jr., God's Glory In Salvation Through Judgment

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

A Small Matter

How horrid and heinous soever our sins and corruptions have been, we should learn to account them a small matter in comparison to the grace of Christ, who is God as well as man, and offered up Himself by the eternal Spirit as a sacrifice of infinite value for our salvation, and can create us anew as easily as He created the world by a word speaking. - Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification

Let me mention a few things from this excerpt which cannot be overlooked:

  1. It does not read "If" our sins are horrid and heinous. It accepts and purports that they are. It is of no benefit to minimize the gravity of our disobedience.
  2. We should "account them small", however, in light of the grace of Christ. It is in the light of this comparison, and not in comparison to others' sin, that we reckon our sin small.
  3. Christ's God-man-ness was of incredible import when one considers His work; no other could have accomplished it.
  4. The sacrifice He made of Himself was of infinite value, the only sacrifice that could cancel an infinite weight of sin.
  5. Our regeneration, the new creation, is not difficult for God. His omnipotent power and the finality of Our Savior's work ensure that.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Church Membership

I liked this from 9Marks.org:

Where do we see church membership in the New Testament?

1. Matthew 18:15-17: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault…if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you…If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” The ability to exclude someone from “the church” presupposes that it’s known who belongs to “the church” as a member in the first place.

2. Acts 5:12-13: “Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.” So, people faced the decision of whether or not they would join the church in Jerusalem. This joining is more public and definite than an informal association.

3. In 1 Timothy 5:9-12, Paul gives Timothy instructions for enrolling widows on the list of those receiving support from the church. He writes, “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works…” While this isn’t conclusive evidence for formal church membership, it’s tough to imagine that the church in Ephesus would have kept a list of widows but not have any formal means of identifying everyone who belonged to the church.

4. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside.” Paul called upon the Corinthian church to judge those who were inside the church, not those who were outside. They were responsible for the testimony of those who belonged to the church, not those who didn’t. This passage makes no sense if the Corinthian church didn’t have some public, formal means by which people identified themselves with the church.

5. 2 Corinthians 2:6: Paul writes concerning a man the Corinthian church had excommunicated, “For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” This man’s exclusion from the church was a punishment by the majority. You can’t have a majority unless you have a definite set of people from which a majority is constituted.

(Much of this material has been adapted from Michael McKinley’s article, “Church Membership and the NCLHGA”)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

A very sad thing

It is a very sad thing for Christians to be weak:
  1. it exposeth us to dangers;
  2. it abateth our consolations and delight in God, and taketh off the sweetness of wisdom’s ways;
  3. it maketh us less serviceable to God and man, to bring less honor to our Master, and to do less good to all about us.

We get small benefit in the use of the means of grace.
We too easily play with the serpent’s baits, and are ensnared by his wiles.
A seducer will easily shake us, and evil may be made to appear to us as good, truth as falsehood, sin as duty; and so on the contrary.
  1. We are less able to resist and stand in an encounter;
  2. we sooner fall;
  3. we hardlier rise;
  4. and are apter to prove a scandal and reproach to our profession.

We less know ourselves, and are more apt to be mistaken as to our own estate, not observing corruptions when they have got advantage of us.

We are dishonorable to the gospel by our very weakness, and little useful to any about us. In a word, though we live to less profit to ourselves or others, yet are we unwilling and too unready to die.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Marriage to whom?

A great post by Ray Ortlund at his blog Christ Is Deeper Still:

Who are you married to?





“A married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. . . . and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another.” Romans 7:2-4


We were married to Mr. Law. He was a good man, in his way, but he did not understand our weakness. He came home every evening and asked, “So, how was your day? Did you do what I told you to? Did you make the kids behave? Did you waste any time?” So many demands and expectations. And hard as we tried, we couldn’t be perfect. We forgot things that were important to him. We let the children misbehave. We failed in other ways. It was a miserable marriage, because Mr. Law always pointed out our failings. And his remedy was always the same: Do better tomorrow. We couldn’t.



Mr. Law died – fortunately. And we remarried, this time to Mr. Grace. Our new husband, Jesus, comes home every evening and the house is a mess, the children are being naughty, dinner is burning on the stove, and we have even had other men in the house during the day. Still, he sweeps us into his arms and says, “I love you, I chose you, I died for you, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And our hearts melt. We don’t understand such love. We expect him to judge us, but he treats us so well.


Being married to Mr. Law never changed us. But being married to Mr. Grace is finally changing us deep within, and it shows.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Esteem and earnestly seek salvation

You must believe with a full persuasion that you are a child of wrath by nature,
as well as others,
fallen from God by the sin of the first Adam;

dead in trespasses and sins,
subject to the curse of the law of God,
and to the power of Satan, and to insupportable misery to all eternity;

and that you cannot possibly procure your reconciliation with God,
or any spiritual life and strength to do any good work,
by any endeavouring to get salvation according to the terms of the legal covenant;

and that you cannot find any way to escape out of this sinful and miserable condition by your own reason and understanding,
without supernatural revelation,
nor be freed from it,
except by that infinite power that raises the dead.

We must not be afraid, as some are, to know our own vileness and sinfulness,
neither must we be willing to think ourselves better than we are,
but must be heartily desirous and glad to know the worst of our own condition;

yea, when we have found out the worst that we can of ourselves,
we must be willing to believe that our hearts are deceitful,
and desperately wicked,
beyond all that we can know and find out (Jer. 17:9).

This is all necessary to work in us true humiliation,
self-despair and self-loathing,
that we may highly esteem,
and earnestly seek the salvation of Christ as the one thing necessary.

It makes us sick of sin,
and sensible of our need of the great Physician,
and willing to be ordered according to any of His prescriptions,
whatever we suffer,
rather than to follow our own wisdom (Matt. 9:12).

Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification
(line breaks mine)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Providence

Why must we call the birth of a child-probably the most spectacular example of ordinary divine providence-"a miracle," in order to acknowledge God as its ultimate source? A child's birth is clearly not a miracle; it does not result from God directly and immediately intervening in the natural course of things. It is the ordinary result of the right use of the proper means, from conception to delivery. Nothing could be more natural. And yet nothing could be a more marvelous testimony of God's providence.

Christians must recognize God's hand not only in the marvel of miracle but also in the splendor of providence ...

Michael Horton, A Place for Weakness

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Say it ain't so, Toto!

"Hold the line, love isn't always on time -
love isn't always, love isn't always on time
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, love isn't always on time
Love isn't always on time, love isn't always on time, oh oh oh"
Toto - Hold The Line

Romans 5:6 (ESV): For while we were still weak,
at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Sorry Toto, Love is always on time!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Lost power this morning!





Here in London, Ontario we had a pretty good thunderstorm this morning. It knocked the power out for over an hour. I had the interesting and enjoyable experience of reading the Bible by candlelight. I thought of our past saints who did this exclusively as their days were filled with toilsome labour and the only time for repose was when things got dark. I wondered if they were plagued by FCS; flickering candle syndrome. It makes it tough to read and things get a little blurry. Then I realized, there are probably many more saints than I realize alive today who do the exact same thing; read the Word by candlelight. I hope their candles burned true this morning. I have recently been doing my Bible reading via my iPod Touch which is a far cry from what I experienced this morning. But, the Word is the Word, and I believe the transformative power that comes from its divine authorship is not conditional upon the medium that with which we encounter it. Whether stone tablet, scroll, book or computer, His Word is a lamp and a light! Find a source of light, be it fire or electric or otherwise, and let His written Light shine for you today.


Monday, June 6, 2011

Work!

I came across this at Already Not Yet, a blog by Peter Cockrell that I frequent. It is very good stuff!

12 Ways to Glorify God at Work

Josh Etter writes:

Mark Twain once said, “Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.” Although there may be days when we feel like he got it right, we know God has ordained work as a stewardship of his created world (Genesis 1:28; 2:15). He has designed work for his glory and our good. But how might we glorify God at work? This list is not exhaustive, but here’s at least 12 ways —

1. Believe that all legitimate work is holy or unholy before God based on our faith, not the nature of the work itself.

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:23).

2. Be just and honest in all your dealings with money.

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight (Proverbs 11:1)

3. Be prayerfully dependent upon God, pouring contempt on self-sufficiency.

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain (Psalms 127:1).

4. Use the wages earned by your work to provide for and bless others.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1Timothy 5:8).

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need (Ephesians 4:28).

5. Grow in our skill-set, work hard, and strive for excellence.

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men (Proverbs 22:29).

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty (Proverbs 14:23).

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

6. Exemplify love for your neighbor in how you interact with your colleagues.

Let all that you do be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:14).

7. Plan ahead and sincerely preface future tasks with “if God wills.”

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house (Proverbs 24:27).

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:13-15)

8. Speak the gospel to your colleagues.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).

9. Work as unto the Lord and as unto men.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:23-24).

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust (1 Peter 2:18 ).

10. Focus on the work you’ve been given

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty (Proverbs 28:19).

11. Speak words of grace.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:29)

12. Rest in your justification by faith alone in Christ alone.

yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified (Galatians 2:16).

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Since this military service ends only at death

All that Scripture teaches concerning devils aims at arousing us to take precaution against their stratagems and contrivances, and also to make us equip ourselves with those weapons which are powerful enough to vanquish these most powerful foes ...
We have been forewarned that an enemy relentlessly threatens us, an enemy who is the very embodiment of rash boldness, military prowess, of crafty wiles, of untiring zeal and haste, of every conceivable weapon and of skill in the science of warfare. We must, then, bend our every effort to this goal: that we should not let ourselves be overwhelmed by carelessness or faintheartedness, but on the contrary, with courage rekindled stand our ground in combat. Since this military service ends only at death, let us urge ourselves to perseverance. Indeed, conscious of our weakness and ignorance, let us especially call upon God's help, relying upon him alone in whatever we attempt, since it is he alone who can supply us with counsel and strength, courage and armor. (Institutes 1.14.13)

Friday, June 3, 2011

Some warmth imparted

I love this advice that Richard Baxter gives to pastors. I think that it is great advice for all of us. Consider:
But, besides this general course of watchfulness, methinks a minister should take some special pains with his heart, before he is to go to the congregation: if it be then cold, how is he likely to warm the hearts of his hearers? Therefore, go then specially to God for life: read some rousing, awakening book, or meditate on the weight of the subject of which you are to speak, and on the great necessity of your people’s souls, that you may go in the zeal of the Lord into his house. Maintain, in this manner, the life of grace in yourselves, that it may appear in all your sermons from the pulpit, – that every one who comes cold to the assembly, may have some warmth imparted to him before he depart.
We don't often get much in the form of comments on this blog, but I would be interested in hearing if you have a particular author or book that you find 'rousing' and 'awakening'. Is there a book or author that warms your heart?

Two authors that 'impart warmth' for me come to mind; one living and one dead. I find Sam Storms writes in a way that is motivating to my inner man. He is the living one in case you are unfamiliar with him. The dead guy who stirs me is Octavius Winslow. There is something about his style and substance that fans the flames of my heart.

If I wanted to listen to someone whose words were compelling and courage-inducing, my first choice would be John Piper.

How about you?

Thursday, June 2, 2011

On election and faith

From Walter Marshall's work, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, we see a few things about election and faith:

1. All who hear the gospel are obliged to believe.

Though the Spirit works saving faith only in the elect, and others do not believe because they are not of Christ's sheep (John 10:26), and on that account it is called the faith of God's elect (Titus 1:1); yet all that hear the gospel are obliged to the duty of believing, as well as to all the duties of the moral law, and that before they know their own particular election, and they are liable to condemnation for unbelief, as well as for any other sin: 'He that does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God' (John 3:18).

2. Before believing it is not possible to know if we are elect or not.

We cannot have a certain knowledge of our election to eternal life before we do believe; it is a thing hidden in the unsearchable counsel of God, until it be manifest by our effectual calling and believing on Christ.

3. We can be confident we are of the elect if we believe.


And it is no presumption for us to trust confidently on Christ for everlasting life, before we have any good evidence of our election, because God, that cannot lie, has made a general promise 'that whoever believes on Him, shall not be ashamed', without making the least difference among them that perform this duty (Rom. 10:11, 12). The promise is as firm and sure to be fulfilled as any of God's decrees and purposes, and therefore it is a good and sufficient ground for our confidence.

4. The evidence of election is seen in our believing and the evidence of our reprobation is apparent in our not believing.

And we need not fear that we shall infringe God's decree of election by believing on Christ confidently for our salvation, before we know what God has decreed concerning us, for, if we believe, we shall at last be found among the number of the elect and, if we refuse to believe, we shall thereby willfully sort ourselves among the reprobates, 'that stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they are appointed' (1 Peter 2:8).

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Joy Lies in the Result

It was in these moments of greatest humiliation for the Son that God is most pleased. not because God likes to see people suffer, much less his only begotten Son. It's no morbid interest on God's part; God's joy lies in the result:
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
(Horton, Michael Scott. A Place for Weakness: Preparing Yourself for Suffering. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006. Print. 39)