"God Only Wise"

III

"These things are written for our learning: for the same wisdom which ordered the paths which God's saints trod in Bible times orders the Christian's life today. We should not, therefore, be too taken aback when unexpected and upsetting and discouraging things happen to us now. 

What do they mean? Why, simply that God in his wisdom means to make something of us which we have not attained yet, and is dealing with us accordingly.

Perhaps He means to strengthen us in patience, good humor, compassion, humility, or meekness, by giving us some extra practice in exercising these graces under specifically difficult conditions. Perhaps He has new lessons in self-denial and self-distrust to teach us. Perhaps He wishes to break us of complacency, or unreality, or undetected forms of pride and conceit. 

Perhaps His purpose is simply to draw us closer to Himself in conscious communion with Him; for it is often the case, as all the saints know, that fellowship with the Father and the Son is most vivid and sweet, and Christian joy is greatest, when the cross is heaviest. ( Remember Samuel Rutherford! ) 

Or perhaps God is preparing us for forms of service which at present we have no inkling. Paul saw part of the reason for his own afflictions in the fact that God 'comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.' ( 2 Corinthians 1:4 ) 

Even the Lord Jesus 'learned.....obedience by the things which he suffered,' and so was 'made perfect' for His High-Priestly ministry of sympathy and help to His hard-pressed disciples. ( Hebrews 5:8 f. ): which means that, as on the one hand He is able to uphold us and make us more than conquerors in all our troubles and distresses, so on the other hand we must not be surprised if He calls us to follow in His steps, and to let ourselves be prepared for the service of others by painful experiences which are quite undeserved. 

'He knows the way He taketh,' even if for the moment we do not. We may be frankly bewildered at things that happen to us, but God knows exactly what he is doing, and what He is after, in His handling of our affairs. Always, and in everything, He is wise: we shall see that hereafter, even where we never saw it here. ( Job in heaven knows the full reason why he was afflicted, though he never knew it in this life. ) 

Meanwhile, we ought not to hesitate to trust His wisdom, even when He leaves us in the dark.

But how are we to meet these baffling and trying situations, if we cannot for the moment see God's purpose in them? First, by taking them as from God and asking ourselves what reactions to them, and in them, the gospel of God requires of us; second by seeking God's face specifically about them. If we do these two things, we shall never find ourselves wholly in the dark as to God's purpose in our troubles. 

We shall always be able to see at least as much purpose in them as Paul was enabled to see in his thorn in the flesh ( whatever it was ). It came to him, he tells us, as a 'messenger of Satan,' tempting him to hard thoughts of God. He resisted this temptation, and sought Christ's face three times, asking that it might be removed. 

The only answer he had was this, 'My grace is sufficient for thee; my strength is made perfect in weakness.' On reflection, he perceived a reason why he should have been thus afflicted: it was to keep him humble, 'lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations.' This thought, and Christ's word, were enough for him. 

He looked no further. Here is his final attitude: 'Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.' ( 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 ) This attitude of Paul is a model for us. Whatever further purpose a Christian's troubles may or may not have in equipping him for future service, they will always have at least that purpose which Paul's thorn in the flesh had: they will have been sent to us to make and keep us humble, and to give us new opportunity of showing forth the power of Christ in our mortal lives."

J.I. Packer, "Knowing God" 1973, InterVarsity Press, pages 86-88 

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Contend for the Faith

"I found it necessary to write to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." ( Jude 3 ) 

Hi Friends, 

A couple of things are on my heart to share this morning. I haven't watched the entire memorial service for Charlie Kirk yet, but I have watched some of it. I do plan to take the time to watch the entirety. Overall, I am saddened that Charlie Kirk was the exception and not the rule. I pray this knowledge affects us in our urgency as Christians to share our faith more boldly and also "always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope, yet do it with gentleness and respect." as the Apostle Peter taught us in his epistle.  ( 1 Peter 3:15 ) 

What I saw and what made my heart glad was Tucker Carlson explaining that the Gospel of Jesus Christ means to repent and believe! It must be both. James tells us that the demons believe. R.C. Sproul used to say that the devil could get an "A" in his theology classes. What makes us different as believers in Jesus from satan and his minions who also believe, and tremble, I might add!? ( James 2:19 ) 

Repentance. That's the difference. A turning away from our sin. Knowing we are poor in spirit, bankrupt, desperately in need of Christ because we have fallen short of the glory of God in our sin and rebellion and are separated from him forever with no way back. Broken over our sin against God. Humbled. Throwing ourselves on the grace and mercy of God in Christ alone. 

Tucker I felt conveyed this truth clearly, and Erika Kirk fleshed it out for the world to hear when she said that she forgave the young man who killed her husband. 

Beautiful. That's the Gospel. We forgive because God in Christ has forgiven us. 

"Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors." ( The Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:12 ) 

Forgiveness is a mark of a true believer. 

The other thing I want to share is this: Friends, please don't think everyone attending Charlie Kirk's memorial service was a sheep. I am not referring to unbelievers who are curious about the Christian faith through Charlie's life or even just wanted to get in on the action. I hope there were many of them there, what ever the reason, and that they came to faith in Christ or at least were given much to ponder on about our Lord Jesus. 

I'm talking about wolves in sheep's clothing. False teachers and false prophets. 

Jesus told us that they will be in our midst until he returns. ( Matthew 13:24-30 ) 

The aftermath of this terrible tragedy seems to have the makings of a revival or renewal for our country, I don't know, maybe a mercy from God for all of our wanderings to repent, to get back on track and be about our Father's business in the Great Commission and contending for the faith. Let's please be more vigilant than ever. 

Don't think for a second that the devil is going to sit idly by and watch this all play out with a tub of popcorn and a Red Bull. 

No, he had his ministers in place in that arena. And in this movement all along. 

This is not a time to sit around the campfire singing Kum ba yah. Listen to Paul: 

He is addressing the elders! The leadership. 

"I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them." ( Acts 20: 29&30 ) 

And again to the Corinthian church:

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds." ( 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 ) 

There are many other passages. 26 of the 27 New Testament books warn of false teachers and false prophets coming to lead sheep astray and make merchandise of them. In fact, some of the strongest language in the Bible is reserved for false teachers and false prophets, wolves in sheep's clothing preaching their false gospels to Christ's sheep.

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." ( Galatians 1:8 ) Accursed is the Greek word "anathema" meaning accursed, condemned, or damned. Let them who preach a false gospel be damned, Paul is saying. That's sobering, to say the least. 

Jesus told us time and again to beware of them! Because they are dressed like sheep and talk like sheep, we must be discerning!! Pray for discernment! Jesus said that we will know the wolves by their fruits. Look at all leader's theology and their character. These are the fruits. Examine what they are teaching against the Scripture! ( Acts 17 ) 

Before we can test their theology, we must be grounded in sound biblical doctrine ourselves. We must know our Bibles. This can't be said enough. Read it and sit under pastors and elders who are taking you through the whole counsel of Scripture, not just teaching shallow, topical points or self help or your best life now. If you're visiting a church, ask them if they preach through the entire Bible. Don't be shy; ask them. This is crucial for us and our children. We need all of it. The Scripture is what grows vulnerable lambs into strong, mature rams and ewes and what the Holy Spirit uses to transform the whole flock into the image of Christ! 

Okay, I didn't mean to be so long, but I just wanted to encourage you this morning along with myself and my family to be more vigilant than ever! The enemy hates what's going on. He knows his time is short, and I just bet he's doubling down with his servants as Paul warned. 

Because of all of this I've shared above, it is also on my heart to post some of J.I. Packer's "Knowing God" in future blogs. Yesterday I posted section one of his chapter "The Heart of the Gospel." Dr. Packer does a beautiful job of explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helping us through the Bible to know the God who created us and the Redeemer who saved us and the Holy Spirit whose fellowship we enjoy better. 

I hope and pray it encourages us to read our Bibles and let the Word transform us. 

I think this is what Charlie would want, but more importantly, I think this is what God desires from his people. Let's guard our hearts and not miss this opportunity of the open hearts around us. It may not come this way again. 

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"The Heart of the Gospel"

I

"Prince Paris had carried off Princess Helen to Troy. The Greek expeditionary force had taken ship to recover her, but was held up half-way by persistent contrary winds. Agamemnon, the Greek general, sent home for his daughter and ceremonially slaughtered her as a sacrifice, to mollify the evidently hostile gods. The move paid off; west winds blew again, and the fleet reached Troy without further difficulty.

This bit of the Trojan war legend, which dates from about 1000 B.C., mirrors an idea of propitiation on which pagan religion all over the world, and in every age, has been built. The idea is as follows. There are various gods, none enjoying absolute dominion, but each with some power to make life easier or harder for you. Their temper is uniformly uncertain; they take offense at the smallest things, or get jealous because they feel you are paying too much attention to other gods and other people, and not enough to themselves, and then they take it out on you by manipulating circumstances to your hurt.

The only course at that point is to humor and mollify them by an offering. The rule with offerings is the bigger the better, for the gods are inclined to hold out for something sizeable. In this they are cruel and heartless, but they have the advantage, and what can you do?

The wise man bows to the inevitable, and makes sure that he offers something impressive enough to produce the desired result. Human sacrifice, in particular, is expensive but effective. Thus pagan religion appears as a callous commercialism, a matter of managing and manipulating your gods by cunning bribery; and within paganism propitiation, the appeasing of celestial bad tempers, takes its place as a regular part of life, one of the many irksome necessities that one cannot get on without. 

Now the Bible takes us right away from the world of pagan religion. It condemns paganism out of hand, as a monstrous distortion of truth. In place of a cluster of gods who are all too obviously made in the image of man, and who behave like a crowd of Hollywood film stars, the Bible sets the one almighty Creator, the only real God, in Whom all goodness and truth find their source, and to Whom all moral evil is abhorrent. With Him there is not bad temper, no capriciousness, no vanity, no ill-will. 

One might expect, therefore, that there would be no place for the idea of propitiation in biblical religion. But we do not find this at all: just the opposite. The idea of propitiation - that is, of averting God's anger by an offering - runs right through the Bible." ...... 

to be continued. 

Knowing God, 1973, J.I. Packer, InterVarsity Press, pgs.161-162 

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My plan is to share some of J.I. Packer's "Knowing God" I'm starting with the chapter "The Heart of the Gospel" because I want those outside of the Christian faith to understand it and those inside the faith to be able to explain it. Sadly, Charlie Kirk was the exception, not the rule. Let this be a wake up call for us. 

"Here Comes the Judge"

I believe it was D.A. Carson who said that in our generation the most well-known Bible verse is no longer John 3:16, but the beloved passage has been replaced by Matthew 7:1 - "Judge not." Even people who do not claim to be Christians know and quote this one. 

But let's take a deeper look at the verse, shall we? 

It is embedded within Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. 

First, let's understand what this judging is not because the word gets thrown around a bit in our current "church" culture among the false prophets of our day. If you skip down to verse 15, Jesus warns his listeners to beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. In verse 22, he says that many claiming to have prophesied in his name will be told to depart from him, that he never knew them. Sobering and scary words. 

I'm not trying to get off topic here, but when my parents left our progressive traditional church back in the mid 1970s to join the ecumenical charismatic renewal movement, I distinctly and vividly remember that speaking in tongues was all the rage. It was done everywhere in that movement, and at least in the circles we twirled in, done all at once in a worship service. It was taught, also contrary to Scripture, that everyone could possess that gift. Not so much today. I mean tongues is still practiced, but in my observation, in prominence, tongues seems to have been replaced by prophecy. "Prophecy." 

There are literally thousands and thousands of "prophetic voices" with YouTube channels claiming to have words given to them weekly, if not daily, by the Lord himself. None foretold the assassination of Charlie Kirk, or the Covid pandemic or many other world events for that matter, but those are just my musings. 

Anyway, in the last days, we are warned that there will be 'many' false prophets, not a few. The Farmer cracks me up because he calls them "profits." Not many false tongue speakers will be deceiving people, but many false prophets. And everyday it's just like we are seeing the "prophetic Word" of Scripture "more fully confirmed" as Peter taught us ( 2 Peter 1:19 )  because false prophets are literally everywhere. 

Friends, more than ever we must apply John 4:1: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for MANY false prophets have gone out into the world." ( My capitalization. ) 

Do not be deceived. Do not be gullible. Do not be tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine. Be mature in our thinking. ( 1 Corinthians 14:20, Ephesians 4:13, Hebrews 1:1, 6:1, Colossians 1:8 ) Don't let these false prophets make merchandise of you with their books and materials and false teachings and prophecies. We are warned. ( Jeremiah 14:14, 23:16, Matthew 7:15, 24:11, 2 Peter 2:1-3 ) 

Everything we need to know is in the Scripture. ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17  ) God has not left his children in the dark. He is a good Father. Why would we believe a false prophet over our Father? That very sin got Israel in all kinds of trouble in the Old Testament. ( Ezekiel 13 ) 

Said all that to say, when you heart a person claiming to be a "prophet of God" "executing judgement" on a virus or hurricane or whatever the case may be, they do not have the power to do this. Only God - the just Judge of all he has made - can execute that kind of judgement. Now, they will tell you that they are in fact a "little god," but that's a blog for another day. Again, only God can execute this kind of judgement. Please for the love of all that is good in this world stay away from these charlatans. 

However, we are told by Jesus that we can and should judge here in this passage of Scripture, but it isn't the same kind of judgement that God alone is in fact executing now according to Romans 1 and later on Judgement Day over all sin and evil on earth. 

Let's read the judging verse in context:

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." 

The first thing we should notice is that Jesus is using the word "brother" meaning a believer in Christ. We should not judge the world - nonbelievers. We are to judge ourselves and the church. Paul clarifies this in 1 Corinthians 5:12. 

So, we are to help each other. To judge a brother or sister in Christ is the most loving thing we can do, but before we do, Jesus says that we must first examine ourselves. If my sister in Christ is spreading gossip, I am a hypocrite if I try to correct her while engaging in the same sin. 

First we must judge our own hearts, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us because we can't always see our sin. He convicts our hearts. Maybe a brother or sister will come help us. I've definitely had that happen, and I received it even though it was painful because I knew it was done in love with kindness and concern for my benefit, because my brother and sister truly love me. 

Using a cotton ball to remove a speck is always more effective than using a jackhammer. 

Jesus says in John 7:24, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement." This is in the context of Jesus accusing the Jews of not keeping the Mosaic Law, but instead wanting to kill him. 

So we are to judge each other in the church, but with right judgement - not in hypocrisy. This is how God has set up his church. Even though this is not technically, full-scale church discipline, I want to mention that Matthew 18:15-35 teaches us how church discipline is to be properly handled within the Body of Christ. 

Awhile back I wrote a few blogs ( One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church ) on what it means according to the Scriptures, and affirmed by our church fathers and biblical theologians throughout church history, to be a "true church." These marks are the true preaching of God's Word, the proper administration of the sacraments, and church discipline. 

Possibly looking out for each other in proper judgement in the church could be a guardrail to keep us from going over the edge in need of Matthew 18 church discipline. When it says to go first to your brother and "tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens, you have gained your brother" I believe we can see how God intends us to speak the truth in love to one another. 

This is a pattern for the church,"but if he doesn't listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 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 as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." ( verses 16-19 ) 

So let's judge each other as Jesus commanded us to judge - with righteous judgement. 

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." ( 2 Corinthians 13:5 ) Paul says to go so far as to see if we are truly in Christ! This is sobering. 

After we check our own hearts, ( 1 John 3:21, John 7:5 ) let's have the genuine love for our brothers and sisters that Paul talks of in Romans 12:9 enough to snatch them out of the fire when necessary. ( Jude 23 ) 

I think the last words of James's epistle, 5:19-20, fit perfectly here at my conclusion:

"My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sin." 

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Taking Up the Cross

"Those who are not willing to lose their lives for Christ are not worthy of Him. ( Matthew 10:38 ) 

They cannot be His disciples. ( Luke 14:27 ) 

These statements cannot be made to accommodate the casual approach to conversion that is in vogue in our generation. Jesus is not asking people to add Him to the milieu of their lives. He wants disciples willing to forsake everything. This calls for full-scale denial - even willingness to die for his sake if necessary.

When Matthew 10:38 says, 'He who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of Me,' it does not mean bearing the "cross" of a difficult situation, a chronic disease, or a nagging spouse. I have heard devotional sermons spiritualizing the cross to mean everything from a cranky mother-in-law to a leaky roof in a 1957 Chevy! 

But that is not what the word "cross" meant to Jesus' first-century audience. 

It did not call to their minds the idea of long-term difficulties or troublesome burdens. It did not even evoke thoughts of Calvary - the Lord had not gone to the cross yet, and they did not understand that He would.

When Jesus said, 'take up your cross' to them, they thought of a cruel instrument of torture and death. They thought of dying in the most agonizing method known to man. They thought of poor, condemned criminals hanging on crosses by the roadside. Doubtless they had seen men executed in that fashion. 

Jesus' listeners understood that He was calling them to die for Him. They knew He was asking them to make the ultimate sacrifice, to surrender to Him as Lord in every sense. 

Jesus adds a final paradoxical thought on the meaning of discipleship: 'He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.' ( Matthew 10:39 ) 'He who has found his life' seems to refer to a person who has guarded his physical safety by denying Christ under pressure, or someone who clings to his life rather than taking up the cross. 

Because his first concern is securing his physical life, that person loses his eternal soul. Conversely, those who are willing to forfeit their lives for Christ's sake will receive eternal life. 

The Bible does not teach salvation by martyrdom. The Lord was not advising the disciples to try to get themselves killed for Him. Again, he was referring to a pattern, a direction. He was simply saying that genuine Christians do not shrink back, even in the face of death. 

To express it another way, when confronted with a decision between serving self and serving the Lord, the true disciple is the one who chooses to serve the Lord, even at great personal expense. 

Again, this is not absolute in the sense that it disallows temporary failures like that of Peter. But even Peter 'did' ultimately prove himself to be a true disciple, didn't he? The time came when he willingly gave his life for Jesus' sake. 

Luke 9:23 records similar words of Jesus: 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.' Notice the addition of the one word 'daily.' The life of a disciple invites persecution and therefore must be a life of daily self-denial. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, 'I protest, brethren, by the boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.' ( 1 Corinthians 15:31 ) 

The idea of self-denial does not jibe with the contemporary supposition that believing in Jesus is a momentary decision. A true believer is one who signs up for life. 

The bumper-sticker sentiment 'Try Jesus' is a mentality foreign to real discipleship - faith is not an experiment, but a life-long commitment.

It means taking up the cross daily, giving all for Christ each day. It means no reservations, no uncertainty, no hesitation. ( Luke 9:59-61) It means nothing is knowingly held back, nothing purposely shielded from His lordship, nothing stubbornly kept from His control. 

It calls for painful severing of the tie with the world, a sealing of the escape hatches, a ridding oneself of any kind of security to fall back on in case of failure. Genuine believers know they are going ahead with Christ until death. Having put their hands to the plow, they will not look back. ( Luke 9:62 )

That is how it must be for all who would follow Jesus Christ. It is the stuff of true discipleship." 

( "The Gospel According to Jesus; What is Authentic Faith?" John MacArthur ) 

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A Joyful Noise

“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, and to devote the will to the purpose of God.” ( William Temple ) 

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." ( John 4:23-24 ) 

In this well-known passage from the Gospel of John where Jesus is speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well, the words that leap out at me are "the true worshipers." 

"the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth" 

It concerns me because I want to make sure that I am a "true worshiper." If there are "true worshipers" then I'm assuming there must be "false worshipers." What does it mean to be a "true worshiper?" I think that's a vital question because we were created to worship, and everyone worships something whether we realize it or not. We were created for God's glory. ( Isaiah 43:7 ) 

And God as the Creator of all things is the One who determines how we are to worship him. That's his call, not ours. 

I was recently reminded that in the Old Testament we see wives being discovered at wells - Issac, Jacob, and Moses - all of their wives were found at wells. Their marriages began at wells - this isn't a coincidence. 

What Jesus is saying here in the New Testament - "the Father is seeking such people to worship him;" "the hour is now;" "in spirit and truth" - informs us of how the Father wants such people he is seeking to worship him. 

"in spirit and truth" 

Recently as I was reading through the five verses of Psalm 100 I believe I saw the "spirit and truth" harmony that Jesus speaks of to the woman at the well. 

"Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!" ( verse 1 )

This is how we are to enter worship: joyfully. From our hearts - our spirits. Jesus says that the time is coming and is now here when our worship isn't confined to any particular place, but we can worship God everywhere! Whether we are at home or at church, we enter the courts of our King, not announcing our petitions or declaring what we think we deserve, no, we come praising, serving, singing. 

And what is driving this praise, this joyfulness? 

Look at verse 2: "Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture." 

Doctrine. 

Truth. 

"Know" Part of worshiping God is "to feed the mind with the truth of God." Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind. ( Matthew 22:34-40 )  Our praise flows out of our knowledge of the truth that has made its way down from our brains and into our hearts. It starts with what we 'know.' 

God's truth in Scripture is what is moving us to worship. 

This is why not only reading and studying our Bibles at home is vitally important, but sitting under the preaching of God's Word when we gather as Christ's church, in sermons and Bible study. 

Our pastors are feeding our hearts by preaching the truth to our minds. I guess we could say that in one sense the pastor is the real worship leader. They get the ball rolling. This is why sermons on Sunday morning are so important. They plant the truth in us. In organizing the church, Paul explained it this way to Pastor Timothy:

"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching.... " ( 2 Timothy 4:1-3 ) 

The truth keeps us on track. 

If we attempt to worship with our spirits and no truth, what is the real motivating factor behind that worship if it isn't God's Word? The music? The fog machine? Our emotions being manipulated in a certain atmosphere? Experience and encounters? Exciting stories? 

On the flip side if we attempt to worship with truth and no spirit, without the truth of God's Word making the trip down into our hearts, our worship can become dry and mechanical. In other words, there is a ditch on both sides of the road. 

I know on a personal level one way that I've found I'm doing both is that after the preaching of God's Word as we sing the next hymn or spiritual song and I focus deeply at the doctrines of grace on the power point, tears begin to form in my eyes and my hands seem to go up automatically, surrendering and praising, in response to these truths. And I'm learning to let my tears flow. Not to hold them back. They have become part of my worship as I seek to understand the glorious truths of which I heard and now sing back to the Lord, giving him thanks. 

I find myself at times meditating on these same truths as I'm working and walking around the farm in the midst of the magnificent creation and amazing creatures God has made to inhabit his world. I've found that when the biblical doctrines I understand with my mind begin to flood my heart, that's what a true move and work of the Holy Spirit looks like. 

I've been looking for this for some time now. And Jesus has been saying it all along. 

To his bride. 

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!" ) verse 4 ) 

Spirit.

"For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." ( verse 5 )

Truth. 

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"In the Sanctification of the Spirit, for the Obedience to Jesus Christ" ( 1 Peter 1:2 )

"Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what we suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek." ( Hebrews 5:8-10 ) 

The Book of Hebrews, perhaps my favorite, is a New Testament book rich in beautiful teachings that unravel and clarify how the Jewish Old Testament priestly atonement rituals were a type and shadow of Jesus, our perfect, ultimate high priest to come. 

This is what the ESV Study Bible says concerning the theme of Hebrews: "Christ is greater than any angel, priest, or old covenant institution; thus each reader rather than leaving such a great salvation, is summoned to hold on to faith to the true rest found in Christ and to encourage others in the church to persevere." 

"He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him." Pulled out of context this verse can be interpreted improperly to say that in order to be saved we first must obey Jesus. Read contextually within God's plan of redemption in the entirety of Scripture, we see plainly that our obedience can't save us. 

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God." ( Romans 3:11 ) "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." ( Romans 3:22 ) "All we like sheep have gone astray.." ( Isaiah 53:6 ) "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of Law, and do them." ( Galatians 3:10 ) 

As unbelievers, we searched for a lot of things to heal us and help us, our own righteousness, even gods of our own making, none of which are the true God who formed and made us. So we need a perfect high priest. 

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not made with hands, that is, not of this creation ) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption." ( Hebrews 9:11-12 ) 

Here's what I'm getting at: Our good works do not save us, but a new desire to obey God is placed inside of us by the Holy Spirit at the moment of our justification. We obey 'because' we are saved. This treasure is one of the proofs of our salvation. God had the plan of redemption; Jesus carried it out; the Holy Spirit connects us to it. The Godhead, Three in One. 

We fight the good fight of faith, meaning we continue to struggle with our flesh and sin, but it's different now. I really hate my sin. I'm no longer comfortable with it. The Holy Spirit convicts us, and he is replacing those inordinate, fleshy desires in our heart with a desire to obey Christ, to live for God's glory and not our own. ( We also fight against this world's system and the devil. I don't want to downplay them, but according to the New Testament as a whole, our main fight is with indwelling sin and our flesh. It addresses this struggle by far the most. ) 

"...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure." ( Philippians 2:12 ) 

The Holy Spirit gives us a hunger for God's Word, and opens our eyes and minds to understand it. He comforts us, assures us, leads us, equips us with gifts, and teaches us. He gives us a longing to pray and a love for our new family. He gives us the power to overcome the sin in our lives. He gives us the desire, power, and strength to obey as he transforms us into the image of Christ, "from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 )  

And he's with us forever. Isn't that amazing and life-giving? This truth alone is overwhelming.

Today many in the church seem to be seeking miracles of all kinds, but they've failed to realize that if they are in Christ, they are a living, breathing miracle! This truth should be celebrated. It should be at the heart of our worship! The greatest miracle that could ever happen to a person, the only one that truly matters, is God's salvation! The Holy Spirit miraculously regenerates our sinful, wayward, rebellious hearts at conversion, and yet, the church doesn't hardly mention it! Sometimes I wonder if people truly understand this astounding truth! 

It's hard to wrap our minds around the fact that obedience will naturally follow salvation instead of being the cause of it, or even the maintenance of it, in our "works righteousness mentality and culture." Deep inside of the human heart, I believe we think we must earn our way, pay our dues, so to speak, contribute somehow, but we simply can't when it comes to being acceptable in God's sight. We're powerless to overcome our sin. We can't stand. 

We need a high priest, One who is fully God and fully man, to atone for us, to offer the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. One like us and One very much not like us. 

And when we obey Christ, we can be confident we are in Him. Even if we still struggle with our sin as Paul described that he did in his Christian walk in Romans 7, that struggle and continuing everyday in the act of repentance, asking God for forgiveness of the sin we hate, is another proof of our salvation. We know we desperately need him. Yes, that's right, another proof. We know we are bankrupt in our souls and dependent entirely upon Christ. 

"Bless are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Bless are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." ( Matthew 5:3-4 ) 

Do you mourn over your sin? Do you yearn to obey Christ for all he has done for you? Do you still struggle with sin at times? Are you brokenhearted when you give in to sin? Do you confess your sins and earnestly ask God to forgive you and help you because you know there is no way in the whole wide world you can do this without him? Do you believe he has forgiven you in Christ? Aren't you just beyond grateful for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit? 

Is Jesus not just your Savior but your Lord? Not just the One saving you from hell, but the sovereign One you joyfully obey? 

If so:

That's the life of a believer, my Friend. 

Rejoice and stay the course! 

P.S. I hope I encouraged you to persevere. 

💜

Happy Monday / Soli Deo Gloria 

"The Way of Salvation"

"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it." 

"No passage in all of Scripture attacks modern-day easy-believism with more force that Matthew 7:13-14. It is the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, and it amounts to the Savior's own presentation of the way of salvation. How different it is from the trend of modern evangelism! There is no encouragement in these words for those who think they can be saved by a casual acceptance of the facts about Jesus Christ. Here our Lord brings the Sermon on the Mount to its evangelistic climax.

This passage crushes the claim of those who say the Sermon on the Mount is not the gospel, but law. In fact, these closing verses are pure gospel, with as pointed an invitation as has ever been issued. This closing lesson also debunks the opinion that the Sermon on the Mount is merely discourse on ethics for us to stand back and admire. 

Jesus is clearly not interested in bouquets for His moral teachings. And His challenge here erases any possibility that the Sermon on the Mount is truth for some prophetic tomorrow; Jesus is preaching to people in the here and now, and His message is urgent. 

Each person inevitably must make a choice, Scripture presents that choice in several ways. Through Moses, God confronted the Israelites saying, "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live." ( Deuteronomy 30:19 ) 

Joshua challenged the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land, "Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." ( Joshua 24:15 ) 

Elijah called for a decision on Mount Carmel: "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." ( 1 Kings 18:21 ) 

God told Jeremiah, "You shall say to this people, 'Thus says the Lord, "Behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death.'" ( Jeremiah 21:8 ) 

What to do with Jesus Christ is a choice each person must make, but it is not just a momentary decision. It is a once-for-all verdict with ongoing implications and eternal consequences - the ultimate decision. Jesus himself stands at the crux of each person's destiny and demands a deliberate choice of life or death, heaven or hell. 

Here, in the culmination of all He has said in the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord requires that each person choose between following the world on the easy, well-traveled road or following Him on the difficult road. You will not find a plainer statement of the gospel according to Jesus anywhere in the Scripture. 

Here are two gates, the great and the small; two roads, the broad and the narrow; two destinations, life and destruction; and two crowds, the few and the many. The Lord goes on to describe two kinds of trees, good and corrupt; two kinds of fruit, good and bad, two kinds of builders, wise and foolish; and two foundations, rock and sand. ( Matthew 7:16-27 ) 

The choices are clear-cut. He demands a decision. We all are at the crossroads, and each individual must choose which way he or she will go." 

"The Gospel According to Jesus, What Is Authentic Faith?" John MacArthur 

The Cul-de-sac

I've had a love for farmland and country living ever since I can remember; however, I began life with my childhood roots firmly planted in suburban soil. I grew up playing hopscotch and hand-clapping games with my neighborhood girlfriends until our parents called us in for dinner, an era that now seems three lifetimes ago to my older self. A life where families took their meals together and instant anything was not a thing at all, expect of course when it came to discipline, and that was delivered instantaneously if you possessed the foolhardiness to disobey or sass your elders. 

Our brick ranch sat at the end of the last road of our subdivision on a cul-de-sac. The low traffic and quiet privacy meant many of our girlfriend gatherings happened in my neck of the woods. Beyond the cul-de-sac, past our whimsical chalk designs, lay this wide open field with a farmhouse sitting at the furthest stretch.

I can remember the magical look of the frosty soil as it sparkled like little diamonds in the rising winter sun. Slowly, the field would melt and fill with wildflowers and butterflies each spring and throughout the summer. By autumn the grass would have grown long and brown, bending with the passing wind as my sisters and I hurried out the front door to catch the school bus. 

Dad would often shush us when he heard the sound of a game bird calling from the thick overgrown strands of hay. Somewhere I suspect there must have been an aging reluctant farmer digging in his boot heels in defiance of a cold-hearted, money-grubbing developer, the old timer relentlessly refusing to give up this simple, pure piece of country goodness in the middle of suburbia. 

If that was the case, I can't say that I blame him. 

In my Christian life it's taken me a bit to picture the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility as one of kindred spirits. Instead, as I struggled to reconcile the two in my Bible reading, I viewed the concept as a dead end road, a barricade, a paradox, two contradictory, hard cold truths that somehow, someway existed co-eternally in an alternate universe far away from human reasoning and anything resembling a welcome mat. 

First however, I've learned that these two truths, and they are both truths, aren't a paradox at all.  A paradox by definition is actually a figure of speech, a play on words. 

Theologian J.I. Packer points out that many truths about the Christian life can be expressed as paradoxes: For instance, when we come to Christ we gain our freedom by becoming a slave to righteousness. "Paul states various paradoxes of his own Christian experience: sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything; 'when I am weak, then I am strong.'" ( 2 Corinthians 6:10, 12:10 ) 

"The point of a paradox, however, is that what creates the appearance of contradiction is not the facts, but the words." Also, and this is important, a paradox is always comprehensible. A speaker or writer casts his ideas into paradoxes in order to make them more memorable and provoke thought," Dr. Packer clarifies. 

So what of God's sovereignty and human responsibility? What are they together if not a paradox? Aren't they contradictions? The Scriptures imply, "No." Because both are biblical realities that exist together in an incomprehensible, cordial relationship right here in our neck of the universe. Not away from human reasoning, but in spite of it. 

This enigmatic friendship is known as an antinomy.  

Of all of the examples given in Scripture, and they appear to be on every page, of God's sovereignty alongside of human responsibility, I think the most often quoted is possibly from Peter's first sermon in Acts 2:23:

"..this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men." 

And again in Acts 4:27-28 Peter praying to his "Sovereign Lord" says that both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel were gathered together "to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place." 

It was God's sovereign plan for Jesus, his holy servant whom he anointed, ( verse 27 ) to be crucified, and everyone who played a part in putting him on that Roman cross was held accountable for their actions. They were not coerced. They were guilty. How is that? I don't know. 

In another more drawn out example, Paul, anticipating the people's objections in Romans 9 to God's sovereign choice in his election and man not being let off the hook for his actions, to my disappointment, the apostle didn't present them with diagrams and charts on parchment of how God's sovereign purposes all worked themselves out through human agency. 

Paul didn't offer any explanation; only to quote what God told Moses in the Book of Exodus saying, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy." ( verses 15 & 16 ) 

"Why does he still find fault? Who can resist his will? But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?' Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" ( verse 20 & 21 ) 

"What if God desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory - " ( verse 22 & 23 ) 

Then in Romans 10 we see man's responsibility: "because if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised him ( Jesus ) from the dead, you will be saved. ( verse 9 ) For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." ( verse 10 ) 

This is just one, albeit long, example in the Scriptures, but the complex relationship between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility truly seems to appear everywhere we look in the Bible. 

When teaching on the two Charles Spurgeon used the analogy of two parallel lines that seem separate, but will converge somewhere in eternity. He stated, "No man will ever get a right view of the gospel until he knows how to look at the two lines at once," teaching we must hold both truths in our hands. We must keep them balanced. 

Later in the Book of Romans, Paul seems to abruptly stop in the midst of all of these mind-boggling thoughts and burst into doxology:

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." ( Romans 11: 33-36 ) 

Even if some of God's truths are deeper than human understanding, I want to hear the whole counsel of God's Word. Don't you? Every bit of it, not just the "pleasant" and understandable parts. Unless we are reading and wrestling with all of Scripture, we will not have an accurate picture or deep, abiding relationship with the God who created us. How can we? Knowing just a little of what the Bible says about God, isn't truly knowing him at all. 

I look back on my past life and wonder if we don't want to know God because, to borrow a famous line from a movie, we can't handle the truth. It's better just to create a God of our own making, one we shrink down and tame to our level. One we can handle. One who does things our way.

I realize God says some very difficult things especially in the Old Testament, and with every major Christian doctrine there just seems to be these tensions and complexities, like the Trinity, Jesus being fully man and fully God, the virgin birth, the resurrection, Jesus saying the world will hate his followers, and the cost of everything in our lives to follow Christ, ( I don't mean to go down a rabbit trail here, but for me that's one of the proofs Christianity is true. Who in the world making up a religion would put all this hard to believe stuff in their sacred book hoping to gain disciples unless it were all true? ) but don't you want to truly know God? The God who created you? Even though we won't understand his mind and his ways. Jesus says in John 17:3 that knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent is eternal life. Don't you want that? 

If the Apostle Paul, and further Jesus, didn't attempt to explain the relationship between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, we shouldn't speculate in this area. To inflict our own imaginative, fallen ideas onto to one or either would be to damage both. 

I wouldn't even say the two are in tension together, no, they exist peacefully, as Spurgeon taught, side by side. Therefore we too should live contently and peacefully within their friendship even though we don't understand. We must believe both. Not understanding this relationship, helps to dissolve our own pride and live humbly and dependently before the God whose mind and ways are far above anything our small minds can wrap around.

This is the God we serve. 

We love him only because he first loved us. ( 1 John 4:19 ) 

He's the Creator. We're the creatures. He's perfect and holy. We're sinful. He's all-wise and all-knowing. We're not the brightest bulbs on the Christmas tree. And yet, we think our definition of good is the correct one, that goodness couldn't possibly be any other way than the way we imagine it. It's not going to always make sense to us. 

But that doesn't mean the complexities and secret things aren't still stunningly beautiful. It doesn't mean we can't marvel, standing in awe, before the glorious intricacies of our Sovereign Lord as we would at one of the natural wonders in his created world. 

Like the gorgeous field full of life and wonder at the end of my childhood cul-de-sac. 

The relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility isn't a killjoy, a cold-hearted road block forcing us to turn around without question or compassion. No, when we come to the end of our knowledge we should view it more like a welcoming turnaround. True, we can't travel any further, but we're not scolded and then sent away. We're invited to linger as long as we like, to marvel at the beauty. To smell the fragrance and listen to its sounds. To stand and behold from a quiet distance the secret things, at least on this side of eternity, we're not to understand. 

Where the mysterious wind swirls the tender seed and then plants it firmly in the good ground. 

💜

Divine Sovereignty

"I do not intend to spend any time at all proving to you the general truth that God is sovereign in his world. There is no need; for I know that, if you are a Christian, you believe this already. How do I know that? Because I know that, if you are a Christian, you pray; and the recognition of God's sovereignty is the basis of your prayers. 

In prayer, you ask for things and give thanks for things. Why? Because you recognize that God is the author and source of all the good that you have had already, and all the good that you hope for in the future. This is the fundamental philosophy of Christian prayer.

The prayer of a Christian is not an attempt to force God's hand, but a humble acknowledgment of helplessness and dependence. When we are on our knees, we know that it is not we who control the world; it is not in our power, therefore, to supply our needs by our own independent efforts; every good thing that we desire for ourselves and for others must be sought from God, and will come, if it comes at all, as a gift from his hands. 

If this is true even of our daily bread ( and the Lord's Prayer teaches us that it is), much more is it true of spiritual benefits. This is all luminously clear to us when we are actually praying, whatever we may be betrayed into saying in argument afterward. In effect, therefore, what we do every time we pray is to confess our own impotence and God's sovereignty. The very fact that a Christian prays is thus proof positive that he believes in the lordship of God." 

J.I. Packer "Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God" 1961

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"Create in me a Clean Heart"

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer." ( Psalm 19:14 ) 

Last blog entry I wrote that my sheep here at the farm eat and eat and eat. But while the dogs and I made the morning rounds, I realized that's not exactly right. Instead of sheep eating and eating and eating, the rhythm actually goes more like: eat, eat, eat, chew, chew, eat, eat, eat, chew, chew. Catchy, isn't it? 

Sheep are ruminants, meaning that they have a four-chambered stomach like cows and goats. Like cows, sheep are grazers feeding on green pastures, unlike goats which are mostly browsers preferring to stand up on their hind parts to reach vines, shrubs, and thick underbrush. In my experience, goats only eat grass as a last resort, if that's all that's available. This is interesting to me in light of what the Bible says about goats and sheep. One of the ways we know we are Christ's sheep is a craving for the pure milk of his Word. 

So most of what a sheep eats is stored in their abdominal cavity in the "rumen" - a sort of ziplock baggie for food that is quickly consumed and then saved for later. Eventually the bag "unzips" and the food is regurgitated, re-chewed, and re-swallowed. If you've heard of "cud-chewing," that's a simple definition. Since my man children originally set this blog up with the purpose of me sharing my rookie farming experiences, I thought I'd insert some livestock education today. 

Sheep chew their cud typically as they rest, not while they eat. If I suspect a sheep is sick because she's moved away from the flock, I always feel relief if I see her chewing. 

Chewing is usually a sign of a healthy sheep. 

You may think that rumination is a gross process, but I think it's fascinating how God has created his animals so unique and wonderful. I love discovering new ways I didn't see before of how the Lord's people compare with sheep. Granted that it isn't always a spiritual compliment, but it's not all bad either. 

Like sheep who graze throughout their day, God's children need to be constantly feeding on His Word, but there comes a time of contemplation. We must not undervalue this endeavor or "skip this step" in our crazy busy culture. The Scriptures have much to say about meditating on God's Word, and teach us to do so at least 18 times. 

The word "meditate" means to think deeply about something, to ponder, to consider, to mutter to one's self. 

To chew. 

"The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night..." Joshua 1:8 

"Oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day!" Psalm 119:97

"I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds." Psalm 77:12

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8 

These are just a few verses, but enough to see that according to the Scriptures, Christian meditation is not an emptying of the mind as in transcendental meditation practices; rather, it is a filling of the mind with God and his Word.

Christian meditation is also not speaking and thinking on things in an attempt to bring them to pass. 

I clarify this because many popular pastors and televangelists teach this practice of calling and thinking things into existence, which has its roots in New Age thought. I want to clarify that this is not a Christian ritual, but a dangerous practice. For everything of God, satan seems to offer us a counterfeit, doesn't he? 

When The Book of Proverbs warns us that life and death are in the power of the tongue, it is saying, as I think most of us know, our words can cause great pain or they can bring joy and upbuilding to the hearer. So we should choose them wisely, especially with children. 

False teachers will take this verse and make the leap that this means our words have the ability to create and call things into existence like God. Nothing could be further from the truth. Make no mistake, God is in a category of One. The serpent has been tempting us with that lie since Eden. 

Be careful what you eat. 

We have the ability to tear someone down or build them up with our words, not to create worlds. Attempting to use our words and thoughts to create circumstances and material objects is the New Age law of attraction and New Thought mind-over-matter, even if you try and sprinkle some Bible verses in there. It's something Christians should never engage with as Christ is the Creator of all things and all things hold together in Him alone. ( Colossians 1:15-20 ) 

And faith is not force we conjure up on our own to get God to "work" for us like his a grumpy old deity we must appease, another current teaching that has its origins in Christian Science which isn't Christian or science. Beware of this, and let's get to know our Bibles. Again, I want to reiterate this practice because so much of this false teaching splashed with a Christian veneer permeates our culture. I want to make sure people looking at the Christian faith and new believers understand that this isn't Christianity. 

We can "use" the Bible and God without actually knowing either to our detriment. 

Jesus never taught us to do this. When the disciples asked him how to pray, he taught them just that - to pray, not confess, demand, declare, decree, or use repetitive words to get God's attention, no, he taught them to humbly pray. God already knows what we need before we ask him. Prayer displays our dependence on God for all things. ( Matthew 6:9-11, Luke 11:2-4 ) 

We have many examples in Scripture of Jesus praying to his heavenly Father. 

True Christian meditation can come in between our Bible reading and our prayers. True Christian meditation is pondering and speaking God's Word, his biblical concepts and precepts, to drive them deeper into our hearts in order to know Him the one true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. These alone are the treasures we seek. 

It's a sort of preaching to oneself, not to God, to ourselves. Say for instance, I want to know on a more intense level the love of Christ, a wonderful thing we all should desire, then I can "preach" verses to myself as I walk around the farm of what God says in his Word about the love of Christ. 

Currently I've been pondering the atonement. I've written out on index cards Scriptures pertaining to Christ's sacrificial work in an attempt to understand it better and focus on the unique work each member of the Godhead displays in the atoning work of Christ. Sometimes I reason out loud with myself like a lawyer because I'm attempting to wrap my tiny mind around this deep, deep doctrine. 

Also, I've found that Scripture memorization can be a lovely by-product of meditation as we hunger to learn and ponder these biblical treasures. 

In other words, what I'm hopefully conveying in this blog is that meditation is a sign of a healthy sheep in Christ's flock. 

But it takes times of quiet to engage our minds in this process. Times where after we've fed on God's Word we "bed down for the night" and start "chewing." Like any new habit, we must daily cultivate it into our routine, and it's going to look different for each believer because our schedules and lives differ. 

Meditation is a slow, possibly mundane and ordinary practice, one that some may not desire to develop because it's not "sexy" enough. Perhaps they're looking for something a bit more snazzy and glamorous, but God works through his providence, in quiet prayer closets, and through every-day, humble routines. This is how he mostly grows his children in these last days. 

Friends, God is looking for those who will be obedient and faithful, doing what it takes to know Him and learn his Word behind the scenes, but these quiet times of reflection and meditation are always seen by Him.

💜

And sometimes they chew on my clothing. 

"One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church" ( Part 6 )

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright. and godly lives in the present age..." ( Titus 2:11-12 ) 

In learning what a true church of Jesus Christ looks like, we see in the Scriptures and affirmed by church fathers, faithful and sound Bible teachers, and Reformation theologians ( and yes, even AI. It's a crazy age we live in, isn't it?) that the marks of a true church are: 1.) The true preaching of God's Word. 2.) The proper administration of the sacraments. 3.) Church discipline.  There are other components, but these are the main ones. 

Thanks for joining me in this journey. I'm learning a lot too! 

When you think of "church discipline" you might be like me and your mind goes to that well-known passage in 1 Corinthians 5 where the Apostle Paul is sharply rebuking the church for not removing a congregant who is having relations with his father's wife. In fact, they are boasting about it, and Paul says that this type of sexual immorality isn't even tolerated among pagans. 

That is certainly a form of much needed church discipline that is grossly lacking in the church today. However, I wanted to draw attention to another form, more widespread, that involves us all, all the time. Or it should anyway. 

God often refers to us in the Scripture as his sheep, and one thing I've recently taken notice of concerning this metaphor is how much time my little flock here at Healing Brook spend eating. I think they eat so much that I just take their grazing for granted. But think about that. 

Sheep eat and eat and eat, and then at dusk, satisfied and healthy, they begin to find places to bed down for the night. When they wake up in the morning, they slowly make their way back out to the sunny pasture and begin to eat again. 

Keeping this in mind, I read in our doctrinal class text book, John Frame's "Concise Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Christian Belief" that although Matthew 18:15-20 lists the steps of discipline to be taken in cases where the teaching of the church has not had its desired effect, John Frame says that the first form of church discipline is "teaching." 

That's right - church discipline goes back to the first mark of a true church, the true preaching of God's Word. I never saw this before. ( This truth is all over Titus and 1&2 Timothy which are the pastoral epistles and ones I'll rely heavily upon in these blogs.) 

Paul leaves Titus in Crete with instructions to put things in order and appoint elders in every town. Elders, Paul directs, must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught; so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." ( Titus 1:9 ) 

Again, when I think of the term "church discipline" I think of being called into the pastor's office and getting a good scolding for engaging in gossip you know, something of that nature. But here Paul is saying that first elders ( all pastors are elders ) must be able to teach sound doctrine "then" rebuke if necessary, if someone goes off the rails into false teaching. 

Jesus told Peter in John 21 to "feed" his sheep and lambs, and to "tend" them. 

Similar to parenting, discipline takes many forms and "training" is the most often used. My grandchildren were here at the farm this past week, and this concept was reinforced to me as we, meaning all family members, continually taught the kids by instruction and action what was acceptable to God and not, good behavior and bad. Even Jonah has begun to teach his younger sisters what he has learned. It's a beautiful God-given principle to behold. 

And in the church when these biblical truths are not in place, for instance, a man sleeping with his father's wife, another form of church discipline should occur, like Paul's strong rebuke because "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." ( verse 8 ) Sometimes the unrepentant person must be put outside of the church for the good of the flock until that person repents and can be restored to fellowship. ( verse 13 ) 

John Frame goes on to say concerning teaching being the first form of discipline that the church must make clear what behavior is acceptable to God. This makes sense. And it must present the gospel in such a way as to motivate obedience. Remember that people aren't motivated by denunciations and scolding nearly as well as they are motivated by the love of Jesus for them and the joy of living a godly life." ( page 303 ) 

As Paul instructed Titus ( and Timothy ), the elders were to teach the Word and "not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined." ( Titus 1:7-9 ) So God has strict instructions on how his shepherds are to care for his sheep. 

I know that some instances of church discipline are complicated and painful, so I don't want to make light of it. I'm merely saying that as lay-people, like sheep, we should desire to feed on God's Word continually, whether sitting under sound teaching and preaching in our churches or studying, examining, and meditating on Scripture ourselves. 

This training will discipline us and grow us into strong, mature sheep as well as keeping us out of the shepherd's office. Or worse, wandering from the flock. 

💜

Happy Monday! 

T.G.I.M. / Treasures in Heaven

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." ( Matthew 6:19-21 ) 

If there is a verse to contend against the prosperity/health-wealth gospel of our day, surely this is it; but it's so much richer than just that. 

This often quoted verse is from what has become known as Jesus's "Sermon on the Mount." What Jesus has been getting at in this sermon, and in all of his teachings, is that it's not about the surface and what things look like on the outside, it's about the heart. 

It's not about having "an appearance of godliness," but about having a new heart that only God can give to us. ( Ezekiel 36, Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10, Psalm 51:10, 2 Timothy 3:5 ) 

We may be in Christ, bought by His precious blood, and yet these hearts are still prone to wander. This is how God works it. Like the children of Israel rescued out of slavery in Egypt by the mighty hand of God, they witnessed with their own eyes, what appears to be, the greatest miracle the biblical narrative knows. Our hearts constantly need to be directed to the love, mercy, and grace of God on our lives, lives once condemned and held in the bondage of sin, now set free by the power of the Holy Spirit, who indwells us, to the finished work of Christ. 

Do we even realize how much we depend on His keeping power? 

"Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be! Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here's my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above." 

Somedays I think the greatest blessing is to know in every single detail and circumstance of our lives how very much we need Him in every way possible. 

When we are in desperate situations that cause us to remember how faithful God has been in our past, as we continue to hold onto Him for dear life, and because we know He kept not only his part of the covenant, but our part too, a bit more of our hearts are planted in heavenly soil. 

One of my "life verses" is 2 Corinthians 1:9. I read this verse for the first time over twenty years ago when I desperately needed something from God to hold onto, something that helped me make sense of the problem of evil and revealed to me that somehow, someway, God in his sovereignty had a plan I could not see or understand. I was okay with the suffering he allowed me to walk through as long as I knew it was Him and not me. 

The verse is in the context of Paul's suffering in Asia. 

"For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." 

Have you ever felt like you received a death sentence? Like things were so difficult you spared even of life itself? If so, we can take great comfort first in knowing that Jesus not only felt this way too, but He actually served the death sentence out on a Roman cross on our behalf. Willingly. He bore the weight of our sin "for the joy set before him." ( Hebrews 12:2 ) 

Now God raises our hearts dead in trespasses and sin to new life. 

Our struggle and this knowledge of the sacrifice of Christ deepens our trust into a rich and abiding faith. What develops is not surface level, but heart changed and changing, a new life becoming what we are by the grace of God, the atoning work of Christ on our behalf, and the direction and finishing work by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

An even greater miracle than the parting of the Red Sea is a heart that only God can make new and keep for Himself. Through the trials and the joys we grow closer to Christ, our hearts become more devoted to Him than ever and our treasure chest fuller in Heaven. 

Because Christ is our treasure. 

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If you're owned by Great Pyrenees, you'll totally get this. lol

T.G.I.M.

"What is Christianity all about?"

I ask this question because here lately we've been looking at what it means to be a true Christian church and not a false one. We established that according to the Scriptures, and affirmed by church fathers, faithful Bible teachers and Reformation theologians, the first mark of a true church is the true preaching of God's Word followed by the proper administration of the sacraments and church discipline. Someday I hope to get to the last two, and there are others as well after these. But maybe we should back-up and ask: 

What does it even mean to be a Christian? 

What is Christianity all about? 

Some will say that it's about being a better person. Some will say that it's about family values, traditions, reaching your potential, rules, doxology, forgiveness, and the list goes on. 

Although these aren't bad things, Christianity is not about these things. Christianity is not about a system; it's about a person. Christianity is about Jesus Christ. 

It's about who He is and what He does. 

It's about what He has done for us, in our lives and in human history. Everything begins and ends with Him, and revolves around Him. As Christians, we are "Christ-centered."

All Scripture is about Him: 

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he ( Jesus ) interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." ( Luke 24:27 ) 

He IS the Word. ( John 1:1-5 ) 

This month in our doctrinal class at Grace Church we are taking a long look into "Christology," which simply put is the study of Christ. So all of this is fresh in my mind. 

As students of the Bible we are now examining the nature of Christ and the work of Christ, I kept thinking to myself during the lectures and discussions that I don't want these truths to ever NOT be fresh in my mind. I regret and repent of all the years they weren't. I want them to dominate my thought life always. I need them too, as followers of Christ, we all do. And they should. 

Because Christ is the essence of Christianity. As Pastor Charlie said in class, "When we talk about Jesus, we are talking about everything." 

And it is beyond heartbreaking that we live in a "Christian" culture that has forgotten this truth. Or worse, never knew what Christianity was all about to begin with - Jesus Christ. He is the beginning and the end and everything in between. 

But Jesus Christ has been replaced with a multitude of other things, and some are good things. Very good things. Like God the Holy Spirit who himself is the third person of the Godhead. But Jesus said that after He ascends, He and the Father will send the Holy Spirit to us as his followers, and "He will glorify me." ( John 16:14 ) 

The Holy Spirit always points us to Christ. He doesn't point to himself. He is with us forever, saving us and keeping us and sanctifying us, transforming us into the image of Christ. ( John 14-16 ) 

However, some have replaced Jesus with the desire for miracles, spiritual gifts, manifestations, and "moves" of the Spirit, seeking those things instead of Christ as they gather for a worship service. 

Some have removed Christ altogether because they don't think they need anyone to "save" them because deep down they think that they are already really good people in spite of their "mistakes." They don't want all that bloody sacrifice stuff. It's not necessary. In fact, it's "cosmic child abuse." 

Some have replaced Jesus with his kingdom itself, even though Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world, removing Jesus and appointing themselves as the heroes of God's story who will exercise authority and execute "greatness" as they usher in the Kingdom of God. Foolish people who are stealing the glory of God in Christ. 

Some have replaced Jesus with their best life now, seeking health, wealth, and worldly success, instead of denying themselves, taking up their crosses and sharing in Christ's sufferings as well as his joy, so they can also share in his glory. ( Romans 8:17 ) 

And yet, they miss the beautiful truth. They fail to see and understand from the Scriptures: 

Jesus so identifies with His Church that He will share his glory with us! This is amazing. On the road to Damascus ( Acts 9 ) when Paul ( Greek for Saul ) is knocked down and blinded by the resurrected Christ, he asked Saul why he is persecuting Him? Only Saul wasn't persecuting Jesus - he was persecuting His Church. But to persecute The Church is to persecute Jesus himself because we are the Body of Christ. He is the head. ( Colossians 1:18 ) 

This is part of our inheritance in Christ's sacrifice. ( Colossians 1:12-13 ) He is the Good Shepherd, and we are his sheep. ( John 10 ) He is the vine, and we are the branches. ( John 15 ) 

And yet, in light of this astounding, bewildering truth, we want to replace Him? As if He could be replaced. ( John 15:5 )  Like the devil, we want to be just like god ourselves, calling the shots, not content with or truly understanding and living in appreciation of our glorious inheritance in Christ of redemption and forgiveness of sins. Foolish people. That's what got us in this sinful mess in the first place. 

Friends, that's why I want this to always be fresh in my mind. That's one of our fleshy struggles and temptations, isn't it? To forget Christ and remember ourselves. "He must increase, but I must decrease." ( John 3:30 )  As we go about our day today and everyday in the busyness or loneliness of our lives, where ever we are, let's constantly remind ourselves of what Christianity is all about in the first place. 

Christ. 

💜

"A City to Come"

Happy 4th of July, Friends! 

Today I have another guest blogger. I'm sharing from Chad Bird what I believe will help and bless us as Christians navigating our country's celebration today of independence. As a believer, I often feel conflicted with the holiday and my loyalty, while I do love my countrymen and appreciate my freedom and those who died for it, I love God my Creator supreme and his Law and am above all thankful for my freedom in Christ my Lord and Savior. I don't always know how to flesh this truth out - not just on July 4th, but on every day living as a Christian in an American bubble in the 21st century. 

For those of you unfamiliar with Chad Bird, he has served as a pastor, professor, and guest lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew. He holds master's degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College. He is a scholar in residency at 1517:

"For Christians in America to celebrate the Fourth of July is good and right. We are citizens of this nation, enjoying its privileges and embracing its responsibilities. So today, we grill our hamburgers, wave our flags, and shoot fireworks.

Yet, while we are citizens of this nation, our ultimate allegiance is to God as members of the kingdom of his Son. His reign, teachings, and ownership of us trump everything else. Christ is not a president we elect; he is the King under whose reign we live.

This means, at a bare minimum, that when the government or its leadership should ever ask us or try to force us to do something that, as citizens of Christ’s kingdom, we cannot do, our response must echo the apostles: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

It also means that our beliefs, worship, priorities, loves, and overall worldview are not shaped by the American ethos but by the teachings of the Christian Scriptures.

The Epistle of Diognetus, written in the 2nd century, captures these truths beautifully when it says of Christians: 'They participate in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners.'

Here is the context:

'For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of humanity by country, language, or custom. For nowhere do they live in cities of their own, nor do they speak some unusual dialect, nor do they practice an eccentric way of life. This teaching of theirs has not been discovered by the thought and reflection of ingenious people, nor do they promote any human doctrine, as some do. But while they live in both Greek and barbarian cities, as each one’s lot was cast, and follow the local customs in dress and food and other aspects of life, at the same time they demonstrate the remarkable and admittedly unusual character of their own citizenship. They live in their own countries, but only as nonresidents; they participate in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign country is their fatherland, and every fatherland is foreign.' (Michael Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers in English).

This is a sober truth to ponder as we celebrate this day." 

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"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come." ( Hebrews 13:14 ) 

One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church / Part 5

By the way, this title is found in the "Nicene Creed." I grew up until the age of twelve reciting the Apostles' Creed in Sunday worship service each week, but what I learned about the Nicene Creed and love to say about it is that it's a creed with some teeth to it. 

These two along with the Athanasian Creed are the three ecumenical ( I'm always afraid to use that word since the Charismatic Renewal Movement because the word sort of carries a different meaning for some folks, but I think the creeds can speak for themselves on this misunderstanding actually, if read. ), anyway these creeds were written in times when heresy threatened the Church. For instance, from the Nicene Creed we get a solid Christology when the false teaching that Jesus was a created being surfaced and began making the rounds.  

These creeds are not extra biblical information, no, they are our statement of faith as Christians. They are what we believe. 

They are a summary of the Scriptures and were constructed by church fathers and councils when most people did not have a Bible as we do today, and many couldn't read anyway. So reciting the creeds together in church was vital. Reciting the truths were meant to keep us on track in our faith and hold the shepherds accountable for what they were feeding Christ's sheep. So we could readily test the spirits as John instructed us in his epistle. ( 1 John 4 ) 

The creeds were to be read and taught to our children so they could be raised with sound biblical doctrine and learn to defend the Christian faith, be an effective witness of the Gospel, and disciple others.  It's sad to me that the creeds seem to have fallen out of fashion and are no longer read in many, I hate to say it, but most churches, along with the Lord's Prayer each Sunday. 

There's something so beautiful to me about a congregation reciting and confirming out loud what we believe about God and then reading the Scriptures together. There's Holy Spirit power in that as we obediently come and gather each week around Christ and his Word. 

I know speaking those doctrines summarized in the Apostles' Creed so often at such a young age along with the Lord's Prayer had a profound effect on my life. Even though I didn't come to faith in Christ for many years, those biblical, doctrinal truths never left my heart. Today it's my goal to make up for lost time and treasure them a bit more each day.

No wonder angels long to look into them. ( 1 Peter 1:12 ) 

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"I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. 

And I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen"

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