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Post by Admin on May 29, 2023 9:55:07 GMT -5
g3min.org/why-women-need-sound-theology/ JENNIFER BROGDON
Women-Bible-Study Anewlywed woman once told me she struggled to study God’s Word for herself since having a spiritually mature husband. He read to her and shared with her nearly every night, and when she asked him a theological question, she agreed with his point of view right away. Little wrestling with the scriptures happened during her time with God. Few prayers for wisdom came out of her mouth. Instead, she leaned on her husband like a crutch.
It doesn’t have to be this way. It shouldn’t be this way. As women, we too should seek sound theology for ourselves and not take our parents’, husband’s, or pastor’s theology at its word. We must be like the Bereans who search the scriptures daily to discover the truth compared to what we hear or see elsewhere (Acts 17:11).
We have access to the many great theologians of our past—A.W. Tozer, A.W. Pink, Martin Lloyd Jones, to name a few. I confess that I am no expert, and I am no pastor given the fact that my theology convinces me the role of the pastor belongs to men. But I am a woman who studies God by studying the Bible, and Lord willing, I will continue to study the Bible until the day I die.
In this article, I hope to convince women to do the same.
Theology Versus Sound Theology Theology, according to the Greek lexicon, literally means the “study of God.” We study God by reading, hearing, memorizing, and meditating on the Bible, but more importantly, the Bible is the means to knowing God himself. We must know the Bible to know God. Yet it’s not enough to study God if what we conclude about him proves false. We must strive for sound theology, meaning, what we think about God needs to be true, revealed in scripture alone by the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Sound theology is not, however, merely knowing the Bible and rightly dividing it—although that is a necessary part of it. Sound theology is knowing God intimately for who he is by knowing what the Bible says and why.
Why Women Should Seek Sound Theology Women, to whom God did not design for the office of an elder or the spiritual head of the family, should pursue sound theology for the sole sake of knowing God rightly, awesomely, and intimately.
We must strive for sound theology, meaning, what we think about God needs to be true, revealed in scripture alone by the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Some women think only men should seek sound theology as men are the ones who lead from the pulpit and in the home. The pastor grapples with the Word of God to form his sermons each week. Women only need to come and hear the preaching. And like the first example I gave, the husband or father discerns the meaning of the biblical text and shares it with the family. The wife and daughter only need to listen to his discernment and accept it.
But no woman will get to know God that way.
To Know God Rightly If what comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us—as Tozer says—we need our own theology. Do we see him as the Sovereign Lord over our lives and the universe? Do we believe in his omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience? What about his goodness or his wrath?
Our faith must be our faith, and thus, our theology must be our theology for it to enable us to persevere in the faith.
Our parents’ theology, or our husband’s, or pastor’s theology won’t help us much when we experience trials or attempt to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, nor will they be there to stand before God in judgment for us. Our faith must be our faith, and thus, our theology must be our theology for it to enable us to persevere in the faith. Someone else’s theology won’t get us far in the Christian life if we don’t know God for ourselves (John 17:3). He requires all Christians, male and female, to know him or else he will reject us. If we don’t know him, he will say that he never knew us (Matt. 7:21-23). What a dreadful thing that would be.
To Know God Awesomely We will never stop learning about God in our seeking to know him, and the more we learn about him, the more we learn to know him. His nature resembles a pit in which we dig and never hit the bottom, discovering countless riches in the midst of our labor (Eph. 3:8). We will never know him exhaustively, however, for we can’t fully comprehend him on this side of heaven.
But we can know him awesomely–as well as we are able–causing our hearts to fill with awe at the realization of his glory. We will speak of the glorious splendor of his majesty and meditate on his wonderful works (Ps. 145:5)!
To Know God Intimately Lastly, sound theology is not the end in itself. It should accomplish something. Sound theology should connect our minds to our hearts like this: To know God is to love God and to love God is to want to know him more deeply.
God may not have made women to preach to his church, to lead the household, or to write a book on systematic theology, but he gave us access to himself through Jesus Christ (Heb. 4:16). Let’s not waste this access (Phil. 3:8). With a holy longing, let’s plead with him to show us his glory that we may know the King of Kings more in each day leading up to eternity.
Can Christian Women Flourish Without Liberation Theology? Years ago, the Women's Liberation Movement rolled through America and forced its way into conservative evangelical circles. In 1970, Germaine Greer wrote The Female Eunuch which not only suggested that motherhood was a handicap but it went on to claim pregnancy was an illness. Germaine Greer taught women to be "deliberately…
Ministers Go to Hell Too To think earnestly of hell for more than five minutes would bring a person to their knees. Hell is a horrible subject, but one worthy of our attention. When you think of the population of hell, what faces do you see? Have you ever considered the reality that many ministers…
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Post by Admin on May 29, 2023 10:53:36 GMT -5
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Preachers, Don’t Add or Subtract BibleExpository PreachingPastorPreachingScripture Share
g3min.org/preachers-dont-add-or-subtract/ TOM BUCK
Sermon-Engagement Testifying in a court of law is a sobering experience as you stand before a judge to take an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You are careful with every word so there is not a hint of misinformation in your testimony, lest you be found guilty of perjury.
When a pastor considers his task as a preacher in handling the Word of God, it should be a sobering experience. He has the responsibility to stand before God’s people to declare to them, “Thus says the Lord.” Every pastor should shudder at the thought of putting words into the mouth of God that do not derive from Scripture.
Paul’s Command to Timothy
In 2 Timothy 4, Paul issued this charge to young pastor Timothy: “I solemnly 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.” Every time a pastor preaches, he ultimately stands before the eyes of God who holds him accountable. Therefore, he should be careful with every word to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Preachers must resist the temptation to add to or subtract from the teaching of Scripture. This requires the expositor to be committed to faithfully communicating what a particular biblical text says – no more and no less. He must handle God’s word in a way that makes it clear that he is not the authority, but is one under authority. The preacher’s words are only authoritative in so far as they are evidenced to come from the biblical text, and not simply his own ideas. As John Newton declared, “If I venture beyond the pole of the Bible, I am on enchanted ground and subject to illusions and distortions.”
“If the word of God is what does the work of God in this world, any tampering we do with it is dangerous and potentially destructive.”
We must not to add to God’s word because we have no right to bind anyone’s conscience beyond what Scripture says. We are not to subtract from it, because we do not have the right to withhold any command of Scripture. It all boils down to whether we truly believe in the sufficiency of Scripture. If the word of God is what does the work of God in this world, any tampering we do with it is dangerous and potentially destructive.
Jesus’ Rebuke of the Pharisees
The Pharisees were notorious for adding to and subtracting from God’s word. Jesus confronted them in Mark 7:9, 13 saying, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition… thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
“When we add to or subtract from Scripture, we actually replace the word of God. We do not merely stray from it, we leave it all together.”
Simply put, Jesus’ words indicate that when we add to or subtract from Scripture, we actually replace the word of God. We do not merely stray from it, we leave it all together. What a grievous analysis by Christ Jesus, the final judge.
God’s Timeless Warning
Both near the beginning and the end of Scripture, God gives a similar warning. In Deuteronomy 4:2 Moses declares, “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commands of the Lord your God which I command you.” The only way in which we can rightly “keep” God’s commands is to not add or subtract from his word.
Then in Revelation 22:18-19 John warns, “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”
“Every time the preacher opens Scripture to declare a word from God, may he tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but truth… so help him God!”
How we preachers handle the word of God is a most serious matter. If we take it lightly, we do so to our own detriment. Therefore, every time the preacher opens Scripture to declare a word from God, may he tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but truth… so help him God!
We Need Mentors in Ministry Why Your Pastor Should Preach to the Choir Perhaps it happened this past week during your pastor's sermon. Did you hear your pastor apologize for "preaching to the choir" during his sermon? Far too often preachers apologize when in all reality every pastor is called to preach to the choir. If a pastor dares to "preach to the choir"…
Preach, Don’t Appease AUTHOR Sermon-Engagement Tom Buck
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Post by Admin on Jun 5, 2023 23:45:03 GMT -5
How the Easiness of ‘American Christianity’ Minimizes the Atonement of Christ Biblical theologyChristianityDoctrineFamilyGospelMy WorldviewreligionTheology Share
g3min.org/how-the-easiness-of-american-christianity-minimizes-the-atonement-of-christ/ DARRELL B. HARRISON
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“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NASB)
For several months now I have been burdened by what appears, to me at least, to be an increasing apathy and indifference on the part of Christians, particularly in America, to the import and significance of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
These observations have led me to the lamentable conclusion that this spiritual lassitude is rooted primarily in a collective ignorance of and, consequently, a lack of appreciation for, Christ’s vicarious Atonement and its eternal implications to our lives, both in this world and in the world to come.
In his book, The Crucified King: Atonement and Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Theology, Dr. Jeremy R. Treat has defined the doctrine of the atonement as:
“…faith seeking understanding of the way in which Christ, through all of his work but primarily his death, has dealt with sin and its effects restoring the broken covenant relationship between God and humans and thereby brought about the turn of the ages. At its core, the doctrine of the atonement is the attempt to understand the meaning of Christ’s death as “for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3).”
When compared to Christians in other parts of the world, believers in America have it easy.
Perhaps too easy.
For the vast majority of professing Christians in America, living the so-called “Christian life” – a term that is becoming more ambiguous by the day – is a relatively effortless and often superficial undertaking.
We attend church if and when we feel like it. Conversely, advances in technology have made the Word of God so readily accessible that we tend to treat it no less casually than we would any other book. Consequently, personal convenience becomes the primary variable by which we determine to commit (or not) ourselves to study to actually know God to any great extent (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
It is with the aforementioned thoughts in mind that I am reminded of the words of J.I. Packer, who comments that:
“He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this narrow globe. The most excellent study for expanding the soul is the science of Christ, and Him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity.” – Knowing God, p. 18
Unlike our persecuted brethren in countries like China and North Korea, who must resort to obtaining bibles through clandestine and surreptitious means – often at risk of their own lives – we need not concern ourselves with the hazards of having the gospel smuggled in to us because, as the saying goes, “there’s an app for that”.
The stylistic nuances and ecumenical aesthetics to which we have become so accustomed, particularly as it relates to our personal preferences in corporate worship, have fostered a collective spirit of indifference to the fundamental reason why we gather together to worship to begin with: the death of the Son of God on the cross.
It is against the backdrop of this kind of apathy that Charles Spurgeon declared:
“Nothing provokes the devil like the cross. Modern theology has for its main object the obscuration of the doctrine of atonement. These modern cuttlefishes make the water of life black with their ink. They make our sin to be a trifle, and the punishment of it to be a temporary business; and thus they degrade the remedy by underrating the disease.”
When examined on the whole, there really is nothing about being a Christian in America that can be said to be sacrificially demanding.
Not really.
Notwithstanding certain targeted political attacks against Christians in recent years, the truth is that the Christian experience in America can largely be defined not in terms of suffering (Philippians 1:29), but of indulging in creature-comforts like coffee bar lounges in our churches that resemble the neighborhood Starbucks®.
After all, how can anyone be expected to practice good liturgy without a good latté?
“We live in an age where the one wrong thing to say is that somebody else is wrong. One of the impacts of postmodern epistemology is that we all have our own independent points of view, and we look at things from the perspective of our own small interpretive communities. What is sin to one group is not sin to another group. But not only does the Bible insist that there is such a thing as sin, it insists that the heart of its ugly offensiveness is its horrible odiousness to God – how it offends God.” – D.A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, p. 42
Christianity in America has become so accommodating, so unexacting, so facile, that we have numbed ourselves to what it truly means to be a follower of Christ (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23). And, perhaps more importantly, what was accomplished for us as a result of God volitionally bringing about that reality in our lives (Ephesians 2:8-9).
As the late theologian John R.W. Stott writes in his masterwork, The Cross of Christ, it is vital for Christians to realize that:
“The essential background to the cross…is a balanced understanding of the gravity of sin and the majesty of God. If we diminish either, we thereby diminish the cross. If we reinterpret sin as a lapse instead of a rebellion, and God as indulgent instead of indignant, then naturally the cross appears superfluous. But to dethrone God and enthrone ourselves not only dispenses with the cross; it also degrades both God and humans. A biblical view of God and ourselves, however – that is, of our sin and of God’s wrath – honors both. It honors human beings by affirming them as responsible for their own actions. It honors God by affirming him as having moral character.”
Our nature as sinners is such that the degree of appreciation we have, even for those we say mean the most to us, can tend to wane the more comfortable with them we become. I can only imagine how many marriages today are being destroyed because one spouse is inclined to take the other for granted.
But, as Christians living in America, is our mindset any different when it comes to how lightly we treat the death of Jesus? Are we any less guilty of taking for granted the One who espoused Himself to us, His bride, through His propitiatory death on the cross (Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2, 4:10)?
Has the easiness of American Christianity reduced the cross of Christ to a mere symbol in our eyes? Or do we carry within us the incredible weight of knowing that the cross is absolutely the only means by which a just and holy God could ever be satisfied with sinners like you and me (Acts 4:12; John 3:36; 2 Peter 3:7)?
As you contemplate those questions, consider prayerfully these words from theologian James M. Hamilton, who reminds us that:
“The cross uniquely displays that both Jesus and the Father are committed to justice and mercy, even unto death. The cross displays that Jesus and the Father are unique – holy – in their devotion to righteousness, to mercy, and to one another. The cross displays the all-conquering love of Father and Son for rebels who will repent and believe in Jesus. Such a sacrifice to save sinners!” – God’s Glory In Salvation Through Judgement: A Biblical Theology, p. 416
Please understand that none of what I have said is to suggest or imply that biblical Christianity either is, or should be, based upon a life of perpetual suffering.
Nor am I intimating that Christians in America should feel guilty for not suffering, either at all or as much as, their brothers and sisters who are in other countries around the world. God is sovereign over all events that occur in the universe; and it is He who ordains the outcomes of those events in our lives (Psalm 115:3).
Nevertheless, I do caution against giving in to the allure of the kind of Christianity that minimizes the death of Christ, making the cross an adornment to be worn around our necks as opposed to a way of life to be borne on our backs (as it were).
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” – Matthew 16:24 (NASB)
Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate (Colossians 2:9), died a brutal, demeaning, dehumanizing, and gruesome death for unworthy and undeserving sinners like you and me (Mark 14:65; 15:17-20). This reality should serve to remind us that it is we who, by virtue of our innate sinfulness, put Jesus on the cross thereby necessitating the shedding of His blood.
Despite the relative comforts of living as a Christian in America, as followers of Christ we must avoid at all costs the temptation not to take the death of Christ seriously. Instead, we must see ourselves as our gracious and merciful God saw us before the foundation of the world – as worthless sinners in desperate need of a Savior.
American Christianity would have us believe that we are somehow worthy of Christ’s dying on the cross for our sins, but I assure you we are not (Ephesians 2:8-9).
There is no church apart from the cross.
The cross of Christ should not only be worn; it must be borne.
May we not let a single day pass without contemplating the inexplicable wonder of which the great hymnist Charles Wesley wrote nearly 280 years ago:
“And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood! Died He for me who caused His pain? For me who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me?”
Humbly in Christ,
Darrell
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AUTHOR How the Easiness of ‘American Christianity’ Minimizes the Atonement of Christ Darrell B. Harrison
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Post by Admin on Jun 10, 2023 16:56:20 GMT -5
When Good Men Part Ways Share
g3min.org/when-good-men-part-ways/?fbclid=IwAR2IlAyJtD421e46u2evR3YVgd2me7eo_v2pxzji9hZAPHERfMx3-7sxR9Q TAIGEN JOOS
two roads between trees Throughout the history of the church there have been godly men who have differed with one another, sometimes even to the point of parting ways with one another in ministry. Often, the question that arises is, “Should this happen?” When this kind of rift occurs, we immediately want to label one person as being “right” and the other as being “wrong.” However, wisdom should lead us to be very cautious about doing so. Especially from a distance, not every detail can and will be known, and whatever information we have will be understood imperfectly. What is important to understand is that for all parties involved—including spectators—humility and integrity must be maintained for the glory of God.
Below are three examples of godly men in church history who have parted ways with each other for various reasons. While we may not understand all the intricate details of the situation, nor even their motives, we can observe how they did so, and learn from their godly examples today.
Paul & Barnabas This is the one biblical example of two godly men having a dispute and parting ways. It is described for us in Acts 15:36–41 where Luke recounts a dispute between the Apostle Paul and his close companion, Barnabas. In discussing plans regarding their next missionary journey together, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, who had left their company on an earlier trip (Acts 13:13). However, Paul did not agree with that idea, and Luke describes their disagreement as a sharp contention and that they “parted from one another” because of it (Acts 15:39). Barnabas and John Mark travelled together to Cyprus, while Paul took Silas with him on his journey through Syria and Cilicia.
There is no commentary given as to who was “right” and who was “wrong” in this instance, nor should we assign such labels ourselves. We should notice, though, Paul’s references to both Barnabas and John Mark in his later writings. First Corinthians 9:6 mentions Barnabas in a favorable way in ministry. Though there is no substantial scriptural evidence that the two ever ministered together again, Paul gives a favorable view of Barnabas as a fellow minister of the gospel. Regarding John Mark, near the end of his life Paul recognizes Mark’s profitability in the ministry, as noted in 2 Timothy 4:11.
Neither Paul nor Barnabas questioned the integrity, the intentions, nor the salvation of the other. Their difference was essentially one of ministry philosophy. Barnabas, “the encourager,” thought it would be good to bring John Mark, while Paul did not. The two could not agree, so they parted ways. Though Scripture remains silent in this regard, perhaps there were later attempts at reconciliation between the two. Regardless of the “rightness” or “wrongness” of the break between them, by God’s grace gospel ministry multiplied throughout the region. The fact that Barnabas was still held in high esteem by Paul indicates a lack of animosity on the part of Paul. Here is an example of two orthodox men who found it necessary to split up, while keeping each other in high esteem.
Whitefield & Wesley Another example to consider is from the 18th century. George Whitefield and John Wesley were two men greatly used of God to preach salvation to many people, both in America and England. Yet the two grew to have some pretty heated debates and disagreements over theological issues, particularly one. Wesley was more Arminian in his theology, while Whitefield was more Calvinistic. Their disagreements over theological systems were real and ongoing. Though they initially ministered together for many years, they eventually believed it necessary to break fellowship with each other because of these growing and irreconcilable differences. Yet through it all, neither questioned the integrity, the motives, nor the salvation of the other. In fact, Dr. Edward Panosian describes the relationship between Whitefield and Wesley as follows,
Although the relationship between the two men was thus strained, their love and respect for each other was never quenched. It was John Wesley, who was to outlive Whitefield by twenty-one years, who gave him the most generous tribute as he gently chided his friend who asked, “Do you think we shall see Mr. Whitefield in Heaven?” Wesley replied, “No, sir, I fear not. Mr. Whitefield will be so near the Throne and we at such a distance we shall hardly get sight of him.”1
Though there were attempts made to reconcile, each man remained convinced of his own theological view while at the same time remained respectful of the other man. Both were greatly used by God to communicate the gospel, even after they felt they could no longer minister alongside of each other.
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones & J. I. Packer A third example is from the 20th century. This example is different from the first two in that it involves more of a clearly defined doctrinal error than the previous two considered. The dynamics of the people are the same: two men in ministry together, both of whom claim to be in orthodox Christianity. Yet there was a major doctrinal issue that required a separation between these two men, though neither would consider the other an enemy of Christ.
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones and J. I. Packer were friends who fellowshipped together in ministry for several years in the United Kingdom. Yet when Packer linked arms with those within the Roman Catholic Church,2 Lloyd-Jones believed it to be the biblically necessary thing to remove fellowship with his friend. On July 7, 1970, Lloyd-Jones wrote a letter to his friend telling him of his decision to separate from him.3 The two never ministered alongside each other again. However, neither questioned the integrity, the motivation, nor the salvation of the other. In fact, several years later, Packer intended on visiting Lloyd-Jones in England before Lloyd-Jones died. However, as Packer later wrote, “I never saw him. He died before I could get there. It didn’t make a great deal of difference. There’s always heaven.”4
The differences at stake in this situation were very clearly doctrinal in nature. Packer had essentially given credence to Roman Catholicism, seeking Christian unity with them. The biblical doctrine of justification was undermined. Lloyd-Jones was attacked as being schismatic and divisive, when he was merely defending the biblical doctrine of justification and following the biblical doctrine of separation as he understood it. Though neither man believed himself to be outside the realm of historical orthodoxy, Packer’s move to extend Christian fellowship to Roman Catholicism went against theological orthodoxy. To Lloyd-Jones this was troubling to say the least. This move by Packer eventually led him to be one of the principal endorsers of the 1994 document entitled, “Evangelicals & Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium” which undeniably embraced Roman Catholics as being brothers and sisters in Christ. In this case, the parting of ways between Lloyd-Jones and Packer was not only understandable, but necessary, at least from the standpoint of Lloyd-Jones. Yet both men remained amicable and respectful of the other.
Conclusion There are times when genuinely converted men, who claim a true love for God, who sometimes even link together in ministry, find it necessary to part ways. While the reasons for the above breaks in fellowship vary, what is common among them is a mutual love and respect for the other, even after the separation occurs. Let this instruct us as Christians today who are often trigger happy to assign blame, take sides, and form coalitions against one another.
Good and godly people can disagree amicably, respectfully, and biblically without animosity or vitriol. Whether it is because of a philosophical difference, general theological difference, or doctrinal error, sometimes divisions occur. Yet God in his sovereignty uses situations like these to further his cause for his own glory’s sake.
Observers and spectators of these kinds of breaks in fellowship should be cautious to make dogmatic assertions, assign blame, and question motives. In all cases, all Christians are to be clothed with humility (1 Pet 5:5). Those involved must humbly and biblically respond towards one another. Those not involved must remain humble and cautious in their words about those involved, especially today with the use (and abuse) of social media. Even in cases of clearly disobedient brethren, though they are disobedient to biblical truth, they are indeed brethren and should not be “cursed” (Jas 3:9–10). While truth must be upheld and error must be called out, humility remains a Christian necessity, even as was seen between Lloyd-Jones and Packer.
For issues that are non-doctrinal in nature it is important to understand that unity among the brethren does not necessitate uniformity. One can disagree with particular aspects of how other ministries function, or with what another minister of the gospel teaches. Sometimes, the differences are so great that some level of fellowship is no longer deemed appropriate by one, or both parties. This is not to say, however, that efforts to further understand or reconcile with each other should not be prayerfully considered and perhaps pursued. Yet even if reconciliation does not happen, and ministry together is limited or even non-existent, we should still be humble, loving, and respectful in our disposition, our intentions, and our actions.
May we as brothers and sisters in Christ display integrity, even when differences amongst Christian brethren exist. And may we be clothed with humility and therefore glorify our great God.
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References 1 Edward Panosian. “George Whitefield: The Awakener” in Faith of Our Fathers: Scenes from Church History, edited by Mark Sidwell, (Greenville, SC: BJU Press, 1989), 149. 2 For a more detailed description of this situation, see Iain Murray, Lloyd-Jones Messenger of Grace, (Edinburgh, U.K. 2008), chapters 8–9. 3 Ibid, 205–207 4 Murray, 208 AUTHOR two roads between trees Taigen Joos Pastor Heritage Baptist Church | Dover, NH
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Post by Admin on Jun 14, 2023 11:55:18 GMT -5
Predestination is Practical
JEFF ROBINSON Predestination is Practical In some churches, it is a word that conjures up images of an angry and capricious God who acts arbitrarily to save some, but consigns most sinners—including deceased infants—to eternal perdition. For many professing Christians, it is the mother-of-all-swear-words.
Let the pastor breathe it in the presence of the deacon board and he risks firing, fisticuffs or worse. A God who chooses is anti-American, anti democracy. It bespeaks a long-faced religion, a doctrinal novelty invented by a maniacal 16th century minister whose progeny manufactured a theological “ism” that has plunged countless souls into a godless eternity.
In other churches, it is a cherished word that describes a beloved doctrine, one that bestows comfort and unshakable confidence that not one maverick molecule, not one rebel subatomic particle exists outside of God’s loving providential control—even in the matter of salvation. Want to start a lively conversation? Then utter the word:
Predestination.
A Biblical Doctrine
Few doctrines in the history of American religion have assembled such a pugilistic resume. And yet, there it stands, in the plainest and most unapologetic of terms, in Ephesians 1:5, “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ.” And again six verses later: “In him (Christ) we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Those Ephesians texts, along with Romans 9, much of John 6, and Jesus’s high priestly prayer in John 17 toppled my commitment to freewill theology two decades ago. Acts 13:48 threw the knockout punch.
Disputed and disdained though it may be, predestination and its sibling, election, are plainly taught in Scripture and every exegete must make peace with it. In Chapter 3, paragraph 3, the Second London Confession sets forth the doctrine this way:
“By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated, or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of His glorious justice.”
Many evangelicals—including pastors—see the doctrine as best left alone, forbidden theological fruit, fraught with speculation. It’s just not practical, they argue. It’s a debate for seminary classes with no real bearing on the full-court press of everyday life.
But John Calvin, the pastor-theologian often credited with inventing predestination, argues to the contrary:
“This great subject is not, as many imagine, a mere thorny and noisy disputation, nor speculation which wearies the minds of men without any profit; but a solid discussion eminently adapted to the service of the godly, because it builds us up in sound faith, trains us to humility, and lifts us up into an admiration of the unbounded goodness of God toward us, while it elevates to praise this goodness in our highest strains.”
Lorraine Boettner, author of perhaps the most extensive single volume ever written on predestination, agrees:
“This is not a cold, barren, speculative theory, not an unnatural system of strange doctrines such as many people are inclined to believe, but a most warm and living, a most vital and important account of God’s relations with men. It is a system of great practical truths which are designed and adapted, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to mold the affections of the heart and give right direction to conduct.”
A Beautiful Doctrine
Predestination is a beautiful doctrine. Its beauty lies in the fact that a holy God has revealed it to us in his Word. And, as Calvin and Boettner point out, it has significant practical application. Predestination is not merely a topic for discussion and debate among curious seminary students. It tells us much about the character of God:
God is meticulously writing the story of history according to his own script. Though we speak of “accidents,” really, there are no accidents. Nothing will take place today that hasn’t been carefully planned before in eternity past by an all-powerful and good Creator. God loves sinners. We should never get over the stunning reality of this statement. Though we have rebelled against him, yet God sent his only Son to die in the place of sinful men and women to rescue them from sin and death (Rom. 5:8). Christ, who was not guilty, laid down his life for the guilty (1 Pet. 3:18). He bore the wrath we deserve. God uses means to achieve his ends. Our Lord selects weak clay pots and sends them to the ends of the earth to preach the good news of his rescue mission in Christ (Rom. 10:14-15). He gives fallen men the unconscionable privilege of proclaiming his sin-slaying, death-defeating gospel. God’s glory is ultimate, not man’s. The outset of the Shorter Catechism famously marks out the chief end of man—to glorify God and enjoy him forever. God made us for his glory (Isa. 42:8). Every pursuit in life is to be done with an eye to the spread of his fame. Predestination also says something important about us: apart from a unilateral work of grace, we cannot please God. We are dead in our sins, and dead men can do nothing (Eph. 2:1). Therefore, we ignore predestination to our own spiritual malnourishment.
A Practical Doctrine
Here are a few ways this often-maligned doctrine puts steel in our spiritual backbones.
1. Predestination means our salvation is as secure and settled as the God who selected us. If our inheritance is rooted in God—who chose us before the salvation of the world—then we cannot fall away. We did nothing to gain it. We can do nothing to lose it (Rom. 8:31-29). By his grace, God’s people will persevere to the end, even through many dangers, toils, and snares. This truth is a balm of comfort to saints who are wearied by the daily struggles of life, whose spiritual legs may be weakened by the daily war within and without. The God who chose you will surely keep you (John 10:28). Calvin:
“For there is not a more effectual means of building up faith than the giving our open ears to the election of God, which the Holy Spirit seals upon our heart while we hear, showing us that it stands in the eternal and immutable goodwill of God towards us; and that, therefore, it cannot be moved or altered by any storms of the world, by any assaults of Satan, by any changes, by any fluctuations or weaknesses of the flesh. For our salvation is then sure to us, when we find the cause of it in the breast of God.”
2. Predestination means our salvation is eternally grounded in a sovereign, good God, therefore, our sufferings, sorrows, persecutions, and defeats are not an accident. God is not taken off guard when we suffer. As Spurgeon put it, “All the hounds of affliction are muzzled till God sets them free.” And, of greater importance, as Paul famously articulated it in Romans 8:28, “God causes all things to work together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.” God is never late. He never gets the wrong address. Though you may never fully understand it, your hurt is his instrument put to use in his indefatigable mission of remaking you into the image of his Son. God’s absolute sovereignty wed with his goodness is the best medicine for human anxiety.
Boettner draws on the words of Presbyterian pastor Clarence E. Macartney:
“The misfortunes and adversities of life, so called, assume a different color when we look at them through this glass. It is sad to hear people trying to live over their lives again and saying to themselves, ‘If I had taken a different turning of the road,’ ‘If I had married another person.’ All this is weak and unchristian. The web of destiny we have woven, in a sense, with our own hands, and yet God had His part in it. It is God’s part in it, and not our part, that gives us faith and hope.”
3. Predestination means we should be humble and thankful, not bitter, fearful or always spoiling for debate. Why did God choose to adopt me into his family? Why am I a Christian and (at least for now) my neighbor is not? Why was I born to parents who valued the church and treasured God’s Word? Why do I have the indescribable privilege of serving as a herald of God’s truth and serving God’s people. I can’t explain any of it except as Scripture does: It was the kind intention of his will (Eph. 1:5). I did not—could not—save myself. That it pleased God to do so should humble me and put thanksgiving on my lips every moment of every day—because God did it all, and I did nothing. My life could’ve been radically different, but because of his grace, it’s not. God has been good to me, has suffered long with me, and I must extend the same grace to others, particularly brothers and sisters in Christ who have yet to fully wrestle with this doctrine.
Like many, when I first encountered predestination, I immediately put God in the dock and pled injustice: “But that’s not fair. How could a loving God choose some and not others?” That’s a common objection to this doctrine, and it certainly was mine. But God, true to his character, was tender and patient with me. He eventually gave me eyes to see the beauty and life-stabilizing force of this unfathomable biblical tenet.
If God had given me what I demanded—justice—then I would be receiving the wrath my sins deserve this very moment. But he has given me—and millions of others along his unfolding timeline of history—something no human deserves: mercy. And there is nothing more practical than that.
BIBLICAL DOCTRINE, DISCIPLESHIP, DOCTRINE, DOCTRINES OF GRACE, PREDESTINATION, SALVATION
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Post by Admin on Jun 24, 2023 12:15:20 GMT -5
Do Not Lose Heart Share
g3min.org/do-not-lose-heart/?fbclid=IwAR3TwyBurWO25vG7ag6CM5PANe4M8AvVq6BFa4VJ34GdrODIW3Dxddz2ebE JOSHUA BANKS
Dad-Open-Bible How great a comfort it is to know that through the Lord Jesus, God in flesh, that all our sins are paid for and Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us as if we had kept the law to its perfection. Christ satisfied the justice of the Father and we are now brought into favor with the King. We have been delivered from God’s wrath. The Scriptures state, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1), and “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). We have been justified, peace has been made, and no longer are believers under the judgment of God. Indeed, this is good news, wonderful news! However, this is not all that God does in the lives of His people.
As the Apostle Paul is writing to Titus, he is giving instructions of the kind of men to look for to appoint as pastors, and then Paul begins to instruct the church members also. He speaks of the old men teaching the young men and the older women teaching the younger women. He speaks directly to Titus himself to be an example and even addresses the slaves concerning their conduct toward their masters. There is much that Paul says here to the church of their conduct, of being dignified, of being self-controlled, etc. The conduct of the church is to be in contrast to the Cretans who are known to be “liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons” (1:12). The church was living among an immoral people and were to be set apart from them. Therefore, this passage addresses the reality that godliness is required of God’s people. The question is, how do God’s people carry out these commands? The church finds itself always among the unbelieving world, and God’s word tells us in numerous places to “walk as children of the Light”, and, “Do not participate in unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph 5:8, 11). We know these commands and we strive to carry them out, and yet, we find ourselves failing often and doing the very thing we do not want to do.
The Christian life is to be one of having joy in the Lord and having the peace that surpasses all understanding, but what often happens is that our joy is absent because of our own frustrations with ourselves. We continue looking at ourselves, our conduct, and at times we are frustrated that we are not further along in our growth in Christ. Why haven’t we overcome this particular sin or sins? Why do we still struggle? Yes, it is aggravating and we feel very low, sometimes despairing, and sometimes worthless for any good. We are often of the same opinion of ourselves that Paul was of himself: “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death” (Rom 7:24). But, do not lose heart! We must remember what the apostle says in the very next verse: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Christ will ultimately set us free from sin completely, but do you consider that Christ has set us free from sin even now?
The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:17–18, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” How can this be true? We still struggle with sin, and even those sins that we have contended with before. Yes, however, because Christ has set us free from the dominion of sin and we are no longer under its mastery, we are made alive by the Spirit of God to abhor sin when once we loved it, to fight against the temptations when we freely indulged before, and to live a life of repentance when at one time we were rebels and enemies of God. Dear friends, Christ not only delivered us from God’s wrath, but from the dominion of sin!
Why then aren’t we made perfect at conversion? Some things are only known in the mind of God, but we recognize that God has purpose even in our sin. Never are we given a license to sin or as Paul says, “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it” (Rom 6:1–2)? Again, we are to contend with our sin and seek to overcome it by God’s power in us, but we can see also that in our times of sin, it drives us to look to Christ even more as the only source of our salvation.
The reality of sin in our lives produces in us a greater appreciation of God’s grace in Christ. As this occurs, and we see ourselves as we are and see Christ for all that He is, it cultivates a greater desire in us to strive to live in a way that honors our Lord. This is the reality of sanctification in the lives of God’s people. Definitive sanctification refers to the chains of sin, its mastery, being broken when the Holy Spirit regenerates us and we are converted. Progressive sanctification is the process of God working in us gradually through our lives, delivering us from sin and producing in us that which is pleasing to God.
The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus,” and also, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil 2:12–13). We put into practice what God is producing in us by His Spirit, and this gradually occurs throughout our lives.
Paul’s words to Titus give us more of understanding of how God is working in us. In Titus 2:11–12, we read, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.” The grace of God is in reference to Christ Jesus who revealed the grace of God fully through His teachings, actions, and Christ giving His life on behalf of sinners. God’s grace was made known primarily through the prophets and the written Word during the Old Testament era, but visibly manifested in Christ Jesus who is the visible image of the invisible God (Col 1:15).
This grace was manifested to all kinds of sinners: old and young men, old and young women, slaves, and masters, etc. Remember, the word “all” must be qualified by the context and this is in reference to Titus 2:1–10. Salvation has come to all ages, genders, and classes of people, for God is no respecter of persons, and this grace manifested in Christ instructs us to deny ungodliness. This word “instructs” (paideuō) is not the common word for instruct/teach (didaskō) in the New Testament. This word carries the meaning of having education or discipline that is associated with parental oversight. William Hendriksen writes:
The verb used in the original is from the same stem as is the noun pedagogue. A pedagogue (teacher, educator, schoolmaster) leads children step by step. Thus, grace, too, gently leads and guides. It does not throw things into confusion. It does not suddenly upset the social order.1
God breaks sin’s dominion over us, and gradually brings us along in the same manner we instruct our children throughout their lives. We do not give them the full instructions of life once they are able to form a sentence. For each period of their lives we teach them accordingly and instruct further as they grow. This is what Paul is conveying to believers in this passage. God’s grace disciplines us gradually, but nonetheless we are disciplined to live lives marked by faith and repentance. Our lives will be different.
Remember this, dear friends, sanctification is a monergistic work of God in us. He brings about the change in our lives, and gradually brings us along. By His power working in our hearts we live lives of repentance and are enabled to forsake unrighteousness and worldly passions. Hendriksen states, “The grace of God trains us in order that we may live consecrated lives while we are waiting for the blessed hope.”2 At His appearing, we will be made whole. Grace appeared in the incarnation, and at the consummation of all things, God’s gracious work in Christ will be fully manifested and all will be made right. Do not lose heart, friend. God is still working in you.
Christ delivered you from the wrath to come and from sin’s power over you in this life. We cannot see what God has done in our lives thus far because sometimes our sin overwhelms us. When this happens, our first reaction is to think of how vile we are, which increases our pain and guilt. We recognize how offensive and abhorrent sin is to our Lord. But, do we think so little of God’s grace that we cannot reflect upon the work He has done already and continues to do? Yes, we are certainly not where we want to be, but thank the Lord we are not where we began.
Beloved, let us not forget that God has saved us in spite of ourselves, and our salvation is not dependent upon our conduct. Assurance rests in Christ who accomplished all the perfection of God’s Law. He is your salvation, and peace, and hope. Therefore, do not lose heart, and give God thanks for what He has done already, and pray that the Spirit of God would continue to do His work in you until the day that we are made whole in Christ. We long to love Him with love that is worthy of Him. We long to delight in Him and obey Him with perfection. Beloved, Christ has delivered us, and our sure hope is that one day we will not only see Him, and be with Him, but also that we will be glorified in Him and carry out with perfection worship that is worthy of Him. Do not lose heart, but look for the blessed hope of His appearing! Sola Gratia!
“When I look at myself, I don’t see how I can be saved. But when I look at Christ, I don’t see how I can be lost.” —Martin Luther
Print Friendly, PDF & Email References
References 1 William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, “Thessalonians, the Pastorals, and Hebrews” New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1984) 371. 2 Ibid, 372. AUTHOR Dad-Open-Bible Joshua Banks
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Post by Admin on Jun 24, 2023 13:17:10 GMT -5
Do Black Lives Matter? AbortionAbortionAdoptionAdoptionSanctity of LifeSanctity of Life Share
g3min.org/do-black-lives-matter/?fbclid=IwAR26mbhuOfsirdeY0rKGiCcUiDKz9JP_n1NwRrsqoxSFDZCBOBhU-h2MeRU VIRGIL WALKER
silhouette of pregnant woman It was Saturday, July 29, 2017. I will never forget that day. Sunny and clear with only a few clouds dotting the blue sky. It was 7:30am, so the summer heat had not yet begun. I was on my way to an abortion clinic in my city. My goal that day was to try and provide the women who entered this place the choice of life for the child in their womb. That day, I brought my three children with me to help in this effort. Mom stayed home, but she was always praying from the moment we left until we returned safely home. Armed with information for free medical care, resources donated by people from my church, along with the hope of the gospel, I hoped we would see one life spared.
Summer proves to be a high traffic time for many abortion clinics. On the way to the clinic, I always get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Early on, I thought it was nerves. After years of being involved in this kind of ministry, I’ve learned that feeling I felt had more to do with the anticipation of the spiritual battle that happens in places like these.
After we arrived, I instructed my children to be praying and standing where I could easily see them. Over the years, I learned that anyone coming to a place to murder an innocent child in a mother’s womb had little thought of running us over with their vehicle in the process of keeping an appointment. So, I wanted to keep my children close. However, I also wanted them to be seen by the women entering the building.
Scripture is clear, “…children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth” (Psalm 127:3–4 ESV). My children were used to being with their father at the clinic. This was far from their first appearance with dad over the years. However, they were also very aware of how serious I was about their safety.
As we stood in front of the doors of the clinic, we were met by volunteer escorts who tried to keep their clients away from us. That day, we witnessed a number of girls entering the building; each of them ignoring our offers for help, assistance, free medical care, and even the adoption of their children. I would instruct my children to pray for these women as they entered the building. With each pregnant woman entering the building, the magnitude of what was happening began to be even more evident to all of us.
After a while, I noticed a car slowly approaching the clinic from a street behind me. As I turned, I realized there were two people looking for the parking lot into the abortion clinic. Unable to find it, they parked on the street. I slowly left my spot in front of the doors of the clinic to stand adjacent to the driver’s side door of their parked car. I noticed an older black man and a young black pregnant mother coming out of the vehicle.
As the young lady exited the car, I said to her, “Ma’am you don’t want to come here. This is not a place for someone like you. It would be best for you to keep driving and to never come back to this place again.” As the older gentleman exited the car, I said, “Are you her father? I hope you aren’t bringing her here to murder her baby.” I then asked his name. He said, “Man, you don’t need to know my name.” I remember begging this father to care enough for his daughter to take her away from this place. I said, “My name is Virgil. You don’t want to murder your grandchild today, sir. If you care for your daughter, you will take her from this place and help her care for the baby.” I then asked them what they needed. I offered money for assistance, medical care, a place to stay. This didn’t change their mind.
I knew I had less than two minutes before the volunteer escort would see this young lady and quickly whisk her and her father into the clinic. I had to think fast about what to say. My only goal in that moment was to convince them not to do what they were about to do. While two minutes is not much time, that’s the only opportunity you may have to make a case for life. I remember pleading for the life of the child in her womb.
Lastly, I remembered something that I used whenever I saw a black family entering the abortion clinic. I asked, “Do Black Lives Matter? Does this Black Life Matter?” I then said, “Ma’am, if you go through with this, I want you to remember that on this day you decided this black life, the one in your womb, does not matter.” I then followed with the plea, “Don’t do this.”
I asked, “Do Black Lives Matter? Does this Black Life Matter?” I then said, “Ma’am, if you go through with this, I want you to remember that on this day you decided this black life, the one in your womb, does not matter.” I then followed with the plea, “Don’t do this.”
Four years earlier on July 13th, 2013, a verdict would spark the Black Lives Matter movement. After hearing all the evidence in the Trayvon Martin case, a six-woman jury would find George Zimmerman not guilty. Black Lives Matter was established that year for the purpose of “combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovating, a center for Black joy…”[1] What was evident from the origin of their movement was that not all Black lives mattered to them.
According to census reports, Blacks represent 13.4% of the population.[2] However, blacks account for 37% of all abortions.[3] The focus of Black Lives Matter is clearly those blacks shot by white police officers regardless of the circumstance. If we examine the number of unarmed blacks shot by police 2017 and compared our findings to the number of black babies killed in the womb, the numbers would be staggering. The point is simple, to BLM, not all Black Lives Matter.
This is the point at which those advocating for social justice state that Black Lives Matter has the singular focus of standing against the systemic violence taking place in Black communities at the hands of white police officers. It would be easy to acknowledge this kind of advocacy without pause, if there were just one organization with the power of BLM willing to stand against the systemic violence taking place in Black communities at the hands of Black mothers. It would have been amazing if on this Saturday morning, there would have been just one advocate standing with me to assist this young woman wrestling with whether or not the child in her womb would live or die.
That day in 2017, however, I would watch this dad take his daughter into the clinic. The last thing I said as he entered the door was, “Sir, you don’t have to murder your grandchild today. There is help.” I pleaded with him one last time as I heard the heavy steel door shut and the buzz of the security door on the other side open as they stepped through.
My heart was heavy after this face-to-face interaction. I sensed that this father/grandfather did not want to end the life of his grandchild. My children watched the entire episode unfold as I turned to them and told them to pray. I then took out my Bible and began reading Scripture aloud. And then it happened.
I would watch this dad take his daughter into the clinic. The last thing I said as he entered the door was, “Sir, you don’t have to murder your grandchild today. There is help.”
I heard the buzz of the security door and I couldn’t believe my eyes as this young mother and her dad came walking out of the clinic. Both of them had smiles on their faces as they slowly made their way toward me. Excited, stunned, and not sure what to do, I reached in my bag for information that I thought would help them with next steps. I asked if they were going to keep the baby. I asked if they needed assistance. I remember writing down my wife’s cell phone number and I told this young lady if she needed anything to call that number. I remember telling her about my church and about the reason we were there—Jesus Christ.
I then turned to my daughter and my two boys and said, “This is my daughter, Princess. These are my two boys Princeton and Price.” They exchanged smiles and my daughter, whose eyes were filled with tears, nodded affirmingly. We never got the young woman’s name. We never asked. We watched them leave the now filled parking lot determined not to return. I can’t remember a brighter summer day that year than that day Saturday, July 29, 2017.
[1] blacklivesmatter.com/about/
[2] www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219
[3] www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2008/08/abortion-and-women-color-bigger-picture
AUTHOR silhouette of pregnant woman Virgil Walker
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Post by Admin on Jul 3, 2023 18:26:34 GMT -5
Thoughts on Ministerial Humility Share
g3min.org/thoughts-on-ministerial-humility/ DAVID HUFFSTUTLER
man wearing blue plaid dress shirt and blue jeans Wouldn’t it be great if every pastor could look back at his ministry and say as Paul did to the Ephesian elders, “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day . . . serving the Lord with all humility” (Acts 20:18–19).
That’s amazing—serving with all humility.
Paul commands humility of every Christian time and again: “In humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil 2:3); “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility” (Eph 4:1–2); and “Put on . . . humility” (Col 3:12). Peter commands the same: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another” (1 Pet 5:5).
With this instruction, Scripture provides excellent examples of humility. Along with Paul above, John the Baptist expressed his humility in these words about Jesus and himself: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Hebrews 13:7 commands, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Whether we remember Paul, John the Baptist, or any other humble Christian leader, we must recall how they spoke the Word of God (humbly pointing away from self to preach the Savior instead), consider the outcome of their lives (they are in heaven), and imitate their faith (we must preach with humility as well). Our role as pastors is to preach Christ with all humility in order to glorify Him and never ourselves (cf. Col 1:28–29).
It also helps to remember that any glory we receive from men is only short-lived anyway. A great quote to go with this reminder comes from Mark Garcia, commenting on 1 Corinthians 3:5–23:
In the final order of things, when grace finds full expression in glory, there will be only one Pastor, One Shepherd, not many. All who are currently ministers and elders in the church will step back from their roles and find their place within the glorified body of Christ, the church [or, as others might put it, among the saints from every age], alongside their brothers and sisters in the holy household. This ‘recessive’ reality, in which leaders of the church will ‘recede’ into the background when Jesus’s shepherding is finally and fully visible, anchors a deep-running humility on our part in all our churchly endeavors.1
“Leaders of the church will ‘recede’ into the background” for all to see the Chief Shepherd in His full and unveiled glory—this promise should produce in pastors “a deep-running humility . . . in all our churchly endeavors.”
One last thought—if you’re looking for some glory, remember this—the greatest glory comes from Christ alone who lived with the greatest humility of all (cf. Phil 2:1–11). If we have made Him known so that others might see His face forever, He will reward us with an unfading crown of glory (1 Peter 5:1–4). And the dear saints who see His face will be our crown as well (1 Thess 2:19–20). What more glory must we seek?
Self-glorification is sinful, temporary at best, and finds no reward at Christ’s return. The glory is all His, always was, and shall always be. So, serve Christ with all humility, and as you do, you can know that He will share His glory with us all forevermore!
Print Friendly, PDF & Email Related man wearing blue plaid dress shirt and blue jeans Forsaking Sinful Ambition and Fostering Humility Instead
Why Expository Preaching? Limited Atonement and Amazing Grace Yesterday, I preached from Mark 10:35-45 as we continued our series through Mark's Gospel. The entire focus of this paragraph was on humility. The sons of Zebedee - James and John, lacked humility. They came to Jesus and made an outrageous request. After Jesus addressed their request, they insisted that they made…
References
References 1 Mark A. Garcia, “The Church: The Well-Ordered Church in a World of Distrust,” in Theology for Ministry: How Doctrine Affects Pastoral Life and Practice (P&R, 2022), pp. 420–21.
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Post by Admin on Jul 7, 2023 7:32:33 GMT -5
The Beauty, Blessings, and Benefits of Christian Friendship Share
g3min.org/the-beauty-blessings-and-benefits-of-christian-friendship/?fbclid=IwAR3Ux8z35NU30hvO3ssUEth_lYbS4hWKempy0UYmu7Er9F__LIe1aR2pOSQ ADAM BURRELL
ricardas-brogys-M5VY3IbACAU-unsplash God created us for relationships. We see it pictured in the unity of the Trinity. We see it exemplified in the first humans he ever made (man was alone, so God made a companion for him). We can see and read about companionship all throughout the Scriptures; therefore, we know on a personal level that the Lord made us for relationships. It is innate in us. We desire to have friends. It is a distinctive characteristic of all humans. Since God has created us for companionship it stands to reason that he would show us and tell us what they should look like. While we do not have a direct list of “friendship qualifications and responsibilities” the same way we do other relationship in the Bible, the Proverbs do provide us with some sound principles when it comes to what a biblical friendship should look like. I have taken up a few for us to consider here as we seek find the beauty, blessings, and benefits of Christian friendship.
Seek to Be a Loving Friend “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” —Proverbs 17:17
A faithful friend will seek to be a consistent friend. The word for love here can be used when speaking about the love of a husband and wife or just as it is here, a genuine and true friend. It has a broad usage. But here we see that this is not a fair-weather friend. No, this is the kind of friend who “loves at all times.” They have made up their minds. No matter the season, they will be a constant companion. They are weathered. They are tested. This kind of loving friend is as constant as they come. They love at all times. Their love has been forged through seasons of adversity. They are “born for adversity.” When a difficult season comes, they do not leave. Instead, they say, “I was born for this.” This is the kind of friend that we should seek to be. A friend that loves at all times, and is like a brother, born for adversity.
Seek To Be a Persevering Friend “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” —Proverbs 18:24
Here this familial language is again. This close friendship is compared to a brotherly relationship. Notice here, a persevering friend is one who is, first, friendly themselves. This kind of loving perseverance in friendship should be mutual. It isn’t to be a lopsided friendship. There is mutual love and affection for one another. A persevering friend is one who is there through it all—the highs and the lows. You may not have had a good relationship with your biological brother. This kind of positive family bond is sadly not a reality for some (Think about how the patriarchs thought about their brother, Joseph, or even King David’s own brothers and how they thought of him.) Yet, we find a wonderful example of this kind of preserving friendship in the lives of David and Jonathan. Their friendship was an unlikely one. Nevertheless, it was a persevering one. It is one that the writer of Proverbs would have been well aware of as well, as he was David’s son.
When I think of this type of persevering friendship, I think of a dear friend of mine. We have been through many different seasons together. When my brother passed away tragically, 8 years ago, this friend was the first one to call me. When I first walked into the funeral home, he was the first one to greet me. He listened to me. He cried many tears with me. He loved me and persevered with me. He made me want to be a better friend. This kind of persevering friend should make you want to be a better friend. We should not just seek to find a friend who perseveres with us, but we should seek to be this kind of friend who will persevere as well.
Seek to Be a Truthful Friend “Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” —Proverbs 27:5–6
Raise your hand if you like to have positive things said about you? Now, keep your hands up if you like to be rebuked for something that you did wrong? Is your hand still up? What if that rebuke was needed? I would hope you would desire that. This is where we find the next quality of friendship. A genuine friend will not conceal truth when a rebuke is necessary. Direct reproof is often hard to hear. Many do not want to reprove a friend. Why? Well, because it isn’t easy, and it could jeopardize that friendship. Yet, if your friend was about to get into a car accident, I am sure, you would yell at them and try to warn them to stop. Why? Because you love them. This kind of friend does not mind yelling “Stop!” or providing a word of warning or a rebuke if another friend needs it. This kind of friend will wound you when it is necessary, and then help to bandage you up later. These wounds may hurt, but they can be trusted, because you know that kind of friend has your best interest in mind. Their wounds are meant to correct not primarily hurt.
If we are going to be a trustworthy friend, then we need to seek to be the kind of friend who will not throw our punches. We must be willing to say what God has said on a matter with love but also a firm backbone. We need to seek to be the kind of friend that will lovingly wound another with God’s truth if the situation calls for it.
Seek to Be a Wise Friend “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” —Proverbs 27:9
Wisdom is both valuable and refreshing. In this verse, the writer, compares the pleasing aroma and revitalizing effect of oil and perfume to the wise counsel of a trusted friend. You may be one that can provide good advice when it comes to who to vote for in an election. You may be able to tell a friend when to buy or sell certain stocks. You may be able to explain how to knock 4 storks off someone’s golf game. There is a place for all of these. I am not saying that these things are bad. But how much more valuable of a friend would you be if you could provide biblical wisdom to your friend and not just cultural insight? What kind of friend would you be if you could provide wise and biblical council to a friend struggling in their marriage? What about providing biblical insight to one who is trying to figure out how to be a mom for the first time? How much of a blessing could you be to be able to point your friend to the Scriptures and explain how to be a good employee when their meanspirited and sinful boss is making their job difficult? This is the kind of counsel we need to be storing up so we can provide it when needed.
If you want to make your friend’s heart truly glad, sure you can buy them some expensive cologne and provide something that smells great, yet what would be even sweeter is wise and “earnest counsel.” To do this you must fear the Lord and know how to apply his Word. We may have some work to do in this area as a friend, but it is a work worth pursuing.
As we look at the four characteristics of a faithful friend, many of them, in part, could be achieved by a non-believer. A non-believer can love another friend. They can persevere and stick around in every season of life. If push came to shove, they could even provide a needed rebuke. At some level they could even give wise council from an earthly standpoint. So, what separates a good friend from a godly friend? What separates a Christian friendship from other friendships? Well, in short, Christ. It is the unity that we have because of the redemptive work of Jesus. He is the one who saved us. He is the one who is conforming us. So, let’s not settle on just being a good friend. Instead, we should work to be a godly friend. If we want to be the kind of friend that we find in the Scriptures, we must have Christ. He must be at the center of our relationship.
Seek to be a Christ-like Friend “But of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” —2 Corinthians 1:30
All of these characteristics that we find in the book of Proverbs we find perfectly personified in Jesus. There is a reason that Jesus is called “The personification of wisdom” by so many.1 He lived out these characteristics perfectly as our example. If we want to be the kind of true friend that we have just been hearing and reading about, then we need to look to and follow Jesus.
He is perfectly loving: We see this in his compassion for Mary and Martha at the death of their brother—Jesus’s cousin and friend—Lazarus. He loved them and cared for them. We also see the love that he had for his disciples. Notice, what he says in John 15, “You are my friend if you do what I command you.” Here he is saying that he doesn’t just love his disciples but all who do what I command you. This means all believers of every age. If you have believed by faith, then you are Jesus’s friend. He is and was a brother who was literally born for adversity. He was mocked, jeered, and persecuted. He went to the cross absorbing the wrath of his Father. He did all of this for the glory of the Father and for the sake of his people—his friends. Because he was perfectly loving, we too should seek to love in this manner.
He is closer than a brother: In Matthew 12:50 Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother.” Jesus was saying that his spiritual family is closer than his blood family. Just like no one can separate you biologically from a sibling, Jesus, is saying, I am always here. I am always close. I am not going anywhere. Nothing can separate us. This is the kind of friend that Jesus is and the kind of friend that we should seek to be when it is possible.
He is always truthful and wise: Do you think Peter liked being told that he was allowing Satan to use him? Jesus directly looked Peter in the face and said, “Get behind me Satan” (Matt 16:23). He asked Paul, just prior to his conversion, “Why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). Both Peter and Paul needed these faithful wounds, just as we need faithful wounds. Thankfully, the Lord provides them for us through the Spirit and the Word. When we read the Scriptures, they often have one of two effects. They either comfort us or they convict us. This is what our truthful and all wise God does for his people. He applies the Word perfectly in every situation by the illuminating work of the Spirit.
When we think about friendship, maybe Jesus isn’t the first one that comes to mind, but he should be. Jesus is and was the perfect friend. And if we want to be a faithful friend, we must look to him as a great example. By all means, if you don’t have a friend like this, pray for one. We all need faithful friends. But, more than that, seek to be one. Because in seeking to be one, you will find yourself becoming more and more like our elder brother, our friend, our Savior, Jesus. If you want to experience the beauty, blessings, and benefits of Christian friendship then look to the Proverbs—and look to Jesus.
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Post by Admin on Jul 13, 2023 12:29:11 GMT -5
Using Screens without Hymnals Share
g3min.org/using-screens-without-hymnals/?fbclid=IwAR1uWCKnxGJDr-EVqgf_mAfk0WQaI2O9L5Jat4bJYU3UKRf1NKsSw7BHKkc TAIGEN JOOS
movie theater interior From time to time, I get the opportunity to attend public worship with other church assemblies around the country. I am glad to observe how other churches “do worship” but also to participate in other services without the pressure of being the leader of it. One observation is the predominant use of projecting the words of congregational songs onto a wall or a screen. Sometimes this is accompanied by an invitation to use the hymnal, but many times it is not. Sometimes there is no hymnal to be used. After some thought, there are several observations I have about using screens for singing without even the option of a hymnal.
DISCLAIMER: I am by no means saying that using a screen is sinful, but only saying that certain things need to be considered if/when screens are used for congregational singing.
Observation #1—Even if hymnals are available and acknowledged, hardly anyone (if anyone) in the congregation uses them. Perhaps this is because of convenience. Perhaps it is because of unspoken peer pressure to not seem “old fashioned” by using a hymnal. Perhaps there are other reasons. Plus, let’s face it, there is just something enthralling about using a screen. However, it would be a mistake if a church communicates either overtly, or subliminally, that physical hymnals are no longer needed or desired.
Observation #2—Generally, there is very little to no harmony being sung by the congregation. It is true that melody drives a song, and that unison singing can be edifying. However, harmonies are not unedifying, nor are they a detriment to hymn singing. Harmony is what helps give a song a certain flavor, character, and beauty. There is beauty in sung harmony that supports the melodic line. The great choral or orchestral works are not filled with every voice or instrument in unison for the entirety of the piece. Harmonic lines are introduced that enhance the beauty of the piece and make it more interesting.
When a congregation cannot see harmonies written on the page, only those who know the hymn well and who have any kind of vocal ability and training will sing harmonies—maybe. Four-part hymn writing is not merely for the pianist to use but is for congregations to sing as well. Many congregations are missing out on the beauty of harmony in their singing, which I believe is at least partly due to the use of screens without hymnals. This, in turn, is producing churches that are more musically inept than previous generations.
Observation #3—It is much more difficult to teach through the stanza progression of hymns when only a screen is used. One of the things I do sometimes with our congregation is talk through a hymn before singing it. I may ask a question about the meaning of a word or the poetic picture being portrayed. I may point out the connection between stanzas or highlight key ideas throughout the various stanzas. This is easy to do that when a person can glance at the entirety of the hymn on a single page.
For instance, the hymn “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” by Charles Wesley has connections from the end of each stanza to the beginning of the next. I can show that to my congregation very simply using a hymnal, but it is virtually impossible to do so on a screen in the same way.
In other words, the hymnal is a teaching tool, not merely a catalog of songs. I want to teach my congregation about the nature of good hymn writing and poetry. I contend that this is much easier to do using a hymnal than only a screen.
Observation #4—Only those familiar with the hymn can sing it. This is the most frustrating part of going to churches who use screens and not hymnals. If I do not know a hymn/song being sung, and there is no written music for me to read, I cannot sing. I am not even given the opportunity to sing. I am forced to be primarily an observer for those few minutes, listening to other people sing, but not able to join in myself.
Corporate worship is meant to enable everyone to participate, not simply to watch. When I go to corporate worship, I want to participate in the singing. If there is a hymn I do not know, I want to see the music so I can sing it and participate more fully. I don’t want to simply listen.
Of the four observations, this is one that I think every church using screens needs to consider. If unbelievers attend your worship service, they may not sing anyway, but at least give them the opportunity to do so by providing hymnals. And if other believers attend, give them the opportunity to sing every hymn that you do. Your congregation may know all of them very well, but guests may not. This is where a hymnal will be helpful.
I believe it is unwise to purposefully inhibit people from at least having the opportunity to see the music of a hymn. It is a person’s choice whether they sing or not, but at least give them the chance.
Hymnals are wonderful tools, used to help people sing harmonic lines, and teaching them the nature of good poetry and hymn writing. You still may not get 100% participation, but there won’t be an excuse for not singing.
My advice—if you choose to use a screen for congregational singing, do not jettison your hymnals, but rather provide people the chance to use them, learn the harmonies, see the text in full, and participate in the singing, even if they don’t know the hymn.
Print Friendly, PDF & Email AUTHOR movie theater interior Taigen Joos Pastor Heritage Baptist Church | Dover, NH
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Post by Admin on Sept 7, 2023 8:54:50 GMT -5
Into the Brink: Singleness and Approaching Marriage Share
g3min.org/into-the-brink-singleness-and-approaching-marriage/ R. D. NORMAN
man and woman holding hands focus photo I remember so clearly. I thought I would be different. My marriage would not have the same problems as other marriages. In my arrogance and pride I honestly thought I could do better than other, much godlier men. I was wrong. Very wrong. Marriage, I would soon find out, would be one of the hardest experiences of my life.
Wait a second! Is marriage not supposed to be a blessing? That is certainly true. The problem is that we sometimes focus too much on the “blessing” side of things. This misleads single people into thinking marriage will be without problems. Sure, people say “it is/will be hard.” Frequently, however, single people gloss over this fact. This means that single people are going into marriage and desiring marriage without properly understanding the trials that await.
This is what I had to learn. Marriage is a tough road. It attractively aids our sanctification. Do not forget, though, that sanctification is usually painful. The Lord gave me a good wife and I lack the words of thankfulness for that fact. Sadly, many people have chosen bad spouses out of desperation, loneliness, feeling that they are growing too old, or for sexual reasons. I cannot imagine how much pain a couple goes through when they are never—or rarely—on the same page.
In my pastoral work, I have encountered a lot of single people over the years. There is a despondency which is common among single people. I have also felt that in the past—before marriage. Having counseled people through this many times, I think it is prudent to highlight a few things to single people about marriage. The first is humility. People must learn to approach marriage in humility. The second is being as sure as possible that you are choosing the right kind of spouse. These two things are vital if you ever want to look forward to the blessings (and sanctifying growing pains) of marriage.
Humility Because I am in full-time ministry, I have had many occasions to talk to people about marriage. Many people have come to me with their issues and disappointments. I have noticed that a lot of good Christian people have even admitted that, at times, they have wanted (and even objectively considered) divorce. This, if you are single, may come as a surprise.
When I was single, I would have read such a statement and said: “I will be the exception.” I had seen other couples, godly couples, argue and fight many times. I told myself I would be completely different. I will always do my best to understand and love my wife with steadfast patience, I told myself. Yet, on the other side of this veil, I have found myself quick to anger, selfish, and not quick to listen.
The problem is that two sinners have decided to beautifully join their lives into one (Eph 5:31). That is difficult, more difficult than anybody realized before they tied the knot. Marriage pulls two people together and says, “You are in this for life, get on with it.” Not that there are not beautifully tantalizing moments that fill us with joy. Know, however, that the road is tough. It will also be fraught with pain. Despite this, the more we experience it with a godly frame of mind, the more we develop joy in what is being achieved in us and our spouses.
It is possible for a single person to understand these things. How hard is it, knowing you have to make decisions your wife will not appreciate? How will she react? What will she say? Or submitting to decisions your husband has made without complaint. Why does he do this? I wish I could do it my way. That is why I think we need more discussion about going into marriage with humility. It is not enough for us to teach people with words. They need to actually be humble, die to self, and be willing to make sacrifices. These things are important, but if we merely state them, then we are only scratching the surface.
The reality is, you, as a man or woman, will not be the exception to the certainty of difficulties in marriage. You are not Jesus. That is why your potential marriage will not be perfect. You can, however, do better and better by looking to Jesus (Heb. 12:2). In salvation, we have been conformed to His image (Rom. 8:28). This means we are to renew our minds daily to His patterns of thinking (Eph. 4:23). We must remove all the sinful bad habits from our lives, replacing them with good habits (Eph. 4:22–24). This is greatly helped by marriage. It is a sharp and penetrating tool that the Lord uses to confront sin in our lives. You must recognize that going in. Doing so will numb some of the pain you will inevitably feel in marriage.
This means all who are to be married should put off their pride, thinking that they will be different, and accept that they will make mistakes. You will not always give your wife what she wants. You will not always be patient with your husband. You will definitely have times when you lose your patience with one another. There will even be times where you will not want to be so forgiving. It is important to go into marriage knowing this, rather than assuming it will be different in your case.
I know you may feel that the road will always be smooth. Every time you see your future spouse you feel butterflies in your stomach. You are in love, and you feel like that will never end. Guess what. It does not have to end. Loving each other is a choice, not a feeling. The feeling is just an added bonus. You will break each other’s hearts countless times as you drive down this road together. Despite that, if you both humbly commit to loving each other no matter what, you will always be in love and always be expressing that love to each other. Learn to humbly apologize and seek forgiveness. Learn to forgive when you are sinned against. Learn to not get upset over small things. Do this and humility will grow. Sanctification, in turn, will work to beautifully conform your lives into the image of God’s Son.
The “Right” Choice Alongside humility, the “right” kind of spouse needs to be chosen. Not that there is a Mr. or Mrs. Perfect out there for you. Neither is it true that we need a “compatible” spouse. We are all sinners. None of us are compatible with one another. How many hearts have been broken over the framework of “I just do not think we are compatible”?
Instead, we must want somebody who fulfills their role properly. At the same time, we also need somebody who fulfills that role in a holy manner. There are plenty of men who would surely lead well in most aspects but lack the loving tenderness he is called to give his wife. There are surely many women who would submit faithfully but lack patience in a marriage situation.
That is why marriage should not come too quickly. Granted, neither should a couple be together for too long before seeking marriage. There is a Romanian preacher who says couples should “get married without anesthesia.” This advice is highly destructive. Couples need time to make sure they both will fulfill their roles properly. Only time shows that they will not devolve into something after the nice feelings of the honeymoon have faded away.
Somebody might tick all the boxes of theology, practice, and church involvement. Nevertheless, what happens when you disagree with them about how your money should be spent, what you should do with your time, and who you need to be? Can you see yourselves talking about those things amicably through biblical leadership and submission? Or can you see arguments and fights breaking out all over the home from misdirection and a lack of gentleness?
There is a reason Paul said, “Those who marry will have worldly troubles” (1 Cor 7:28). Marriage is hard. If you are going to spend the rest of your life with somebody, be sure you are not jumping in with quick-decisionism. Yes, you may stop feeling lonely temporarily, gratify some sexual desires, or have the “trophy” you wanted in your life. But at what cost? A nagging wife who drives you to despair (Prov 21:9)? A husband who neglects being kind and attentive to you in tender love (Eph 5:25)?
It is extremely important to note that Paul also says, “and I would spare you that” (1 Cor 7:28). He actually preferred that people did not marry! This is a far cry from typical churches today. Being single is looked on as a stigma. Marriage is placed on a pedestal which causes single people to want it all the more. Unfortunately, that pedestal is there without the appendix “you will have troubles.” Due to a lack of proper teaching on this, people jump into marriage thinking all will be rosy.
I think this is for two reasons. Older people realize that sexual temptation is rampant, so they try to get younger people married as soon as possible to prevent problems. This only places a plaster over an infected wound. At the same time, married couples have children and children fill out the church. This is a great thing. Regrettably, couples having children is regularly used as a substitute for evangelism. Where there is a lack of teaching on sexual temptation and a proper framework of evangelism, there will likely be a pushy attitude towards singles. This does not help. If you are reading this as a married person, please take time to consider how you talk to the single people in your congregation.
All of this needs to be taken in its proper stride. We need to realize that marriage is a good thing. That is amazingly true, and I affirm that through my own marriage. It is a lie, though, to even begin implying that there will not be problems for married couples. Spouses will fight with one another and hurt each other. Yet, how beautiful it is when two are made one. It is breathtaking when they die to themselves so they can love each other. It is fascinating and dazzling when they sanctify each other through this blessed covenant. There is almost nothing better to see and experience in the world than this reality.
If you want to get married know it can be the most beautiful thing you will experience in your material life. Know also, however, that it will be a painful road of cultivation. Are you prepared to take up this gauntlet?
This is in no way an exhaustive discussion. Everybody has different things in their hearts and minds. It is worth talking to somebody close to you who is spiritually mature and has experienced marriage.
I honestly believe that some of the hardest pains can be sweeter if we all learn more humility in marriage. This is best cultivated in the time of preparation for marriage, rather than after the vows have been irrevocably spoken. I also believe that more seriousness in choosing a partner and not allowing young couples to rush into marriage will also help. These general ideas will help those who seek marriage to do so with good equipment, which will deal with the trials of marriage.
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Post by Admin on Sept 11, 2023 22:14:36 GMT -5
The Worship of Worship Share
g3min.org/the-worship-of-worship/ DAVID DE BRUYN
people raising their hands during night time Many people do not worship the living God. They worship their worship.
The great secret (and great difficulty) of true worship is that when we worship truly, our focus is to be exclusively on the object of our worship: God. If our eye is on how our worship is being perceived by others, it falls under the condemnation of the Sermon on the Mount, for we are then performing our worship to be seen by men and lauded by them.
More subtle, and less visible to us, is if our eye is on our own worship experience.
Many people judge whether worship is occurring by whether they are sensing or feeling certain emotions. In other words, they are actually watching themselves. God receives a glance or two, but then the focus returns to self. Am I feeling anything? Do I feel joy? Do I feel intense intimacy? Do I feel ecstasy? Here, our focus is not on the worth and qualities of God, but on the quality of our own worship experiences.
You are supposed to enjoy God in worship. You are not supposed to try to enjoy your joy. You are supposed to wonder at God in worship. You are not supposed to wonder at your wonder. You are supposed to love God in worship. You aren’t supposed to love your love.
Loving your love, enjoying your joy, or being in awe at your awe is a subtle idolatry. It turns the gaze from God to self, and feels satisfaction in yourself for being such an intense worshipper. We begin to watch ourselves worship, and admire ourselves for being so full of admiration; we adore our adoration; we weep over our own intensity. But this is pseudo-worship.
God is the object of worship. He is not supposed to be the means by which we achieve joy, or ecstasy or religious happiness. If God, or biblical truths, or anything in a worship service is simply means to achieving a religious emotion, then the religious emotion is the true object of our affections.
There is a name for this: sentimentalism, or emotionalism. Emotions sought for their own sake is a treasuring of experience, with the source of the experience only a secondary concern.
This is not a new phenomenon. Jonathan Edwards described precisely the same phenomenon in his work, Religious Affections, written in 1746, describing how hypocrites worship.
What they are principally taken and elevated with, is not the glory of God, or beauty of Christ, but the beauty of their experiences. They keep thinking with themselves, What a good experience is this! What a great discovery is this! What wonderful things have I met with! And so they put their experiences in the place of Christ, and his beauty and fullness; and instead of rejoicing in Christ Jesus, they rejoice in their admirable experiences; instead of feeding and fasting their souls in the view of what is without them, viz., the innate, sweet refreshing amiableness of the things exhibited in the gospel, their eyes are off from these things, or at least they view them only as it were sideways; but the object that fixes their contemplation, is their experience; and they are feeding their souls, and feasting a selfish principle, with a view of their discoveries: they take more comfort in their discoveries than in Christ discovered.
I fear many people today are caught in the childish rut of worshiping their emotions. For this reason, they dislike the sober worship of conservative churches, because such worship seldom inflames the emotions to the intensity desired. Why? Plato told us: “Beautiful things are hard.” God is beautiful, and a singular focus on His beauty is demanding. If you want to feel your feelings, you don’t want subtlety of musical and poetic metaphor, persuasive appeals, and demanding art. You want the taste-burst of the loud, the moody, the maudlin, the mushy, the gushy, the romantic, the sexy, the intense. These quickly stir, amplify and broadcast sensory experiences to us. We feel our feelings.
Sadly, such a pursuit robs oneself. You cannot worship your worship and still be worshipping God. C. S. Lewis tells us why:
It seemed to me self-evident that one essential property of love, hate, fear, hope, or desire was attention to their object. . . . But to attend to your own love or fear is to cease attending to the loved or dreaded object. In other words the enjoyment and the contemplation of our inner activities are incompatible. You cannot hope and also think about hoping at the same moment; for in hope we look to hope’s object and we interrupt this by (so to speak) turning round to look at the hope itself. . . . The surest way of spoiling a pleasure was to start examining your satisfaction.
The great irony is you cannot have fulness of joy in God if you take your eyes off God and simply try to enjoy your joy. Yes, fulness of joy in God can be yours, but not fulness of joy in your fulness of joy. You can have happiness in God, but not happiness in your happiness. One is the worship of God; the other is the worship of worship.
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Post by Admin on Sept 27, 2023 12:35:25 GMT -5
Why Baptism Before the Lord’s Supper? Share
g3min.org/why-baptism-before-the-lords-supper DAVID DE BRUYN
a man sitting at a table with his hand on his face People are often surprised when they hear that some churches permit only baptised believers to partake of the Lord’s Table. Some think that this is a strange and even harsh practice. There are, however, biblical and historical reasons for requiring baptism before partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
The Biblical Reasons 1. There is a biblical order. In the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18–20, the proper order of the ordinances is implied in Jesus’s command: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
Several things should be noted about this passage. First, the command is grounded in Christ’s authority. Second, believers are called to “make disciples” and then baptize them according to the Trinitarian formula. Third, it is only after this conversion and baptism that disciples are taught to “observe all that Christ commanded.” Surely communion is understood as one of the many things that Christ has commanded. So the order is baptism before observance; baptism precedes communion.
Acts 2:41–42 states the proper order even more clearly: “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” In these verses, individuals believe (“received his word”) prior to their baptism. Only after baptism did these new believers become part of the community, participation in which included “the breaking of bread,” a common New Testament designation for the Lord’s Supper. Again, baptism preceded communion.
2. The Lord’s Supper has a biblical meaning. The Lord’s Supper is for Christians only. It is a family meal that celebrates having already partaken of Christ and being in fellowship with His people (1 Cor 10:16–17). There are penalties for unbelievers partaking. They eat and drink judgement to themselves, if they partake of the Table, while not having partaken of Christ. (1 Cor 11:27–31) The Lord’s Supper is a corporate, family meal, administered by the church. It is not something we partake of privately at home. Because the church administers the Lord’s Supper, the church is responsible to make sure that only Christians partake of the Supper. The biblical way for the church to know if people profess to be Christians is not if such people claim to have prayed a prayer, but if they have testified publicly of their faith in Christ through believers’ baptism. Believers’ baptism is the public declaration of faith in Christ.
The Historical Reasons Almost no churches in Christian history have allowed unbaptised people to partake of the Table. The modern confusion on this matter comes from infant baptism. Since Romanists, the Eastern Orthodox, and some Reformed churches baptise infants, almost all churchgoers partake of communion. That is, since no one in those traditions is viewed as unbaptised, (since everyone is baptised as a baby) all children, teenagers and adults partake. All of these churches believe that they are allowing only baptised people to partake of the Supper.
Baptists reject infant baptism as valid baptism. Biblical baptism is the baptism of disciples who confess Jesus Christ. Baptism comes after this profession, not before. Therefore, Baptists do not believe that someone who was sprinkled, dipped, or even immersed as an infant has been baptised. Most Baptists regard the mode of baptism as essential to the rite, and do not regard affusion as the proper mode, and regard those who have been sprinkled as unbaptised. Only once such a person has been scripturally baptised, is he permitted to partake of the Table.
Historically, this can be found in many Baptist statements of faith:
The first modern Baptist confession was written by the General Baptist John Smyth in 1610. Entitled A Short Confession, it says:
The Holy Supper, according to the institution of Christ, is to be administered to the baptized; as the Lord Jesus hath commanded that whatsoever he hath appointed should be taught to be observed (Article 31).
The First London Confession, was published in 1644 and revised in 1646. It says:
That Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, given by Christ, to be dispensed only upon persons professing faith, or that are Disciples, or taught, who upon a profession of faith, ought to be baptized and after to partake of the Lord’s Supper (Article XXXIX).
The New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith, from 1833, says
We believe that Christian Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, into the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost; to show forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a Church relation; and to the Lord’s Supper, in which the members of the Church, by the sacred use of bread and wine, are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ; preceded always by solemn self-examination (Article 14).
Objections But why can’t someone who is not baptised but believes he is a Christian partake of the Supper? The Lord’s Supper is not a private, individual ordinance. There are plenty of things a person can do if he thinks he is a Christian: read the Bible, pray, attend church, etc. But if he wants to partake of the Lord’s Table, which the church is charged to administer, it is not enough that he believe he is a Christian. The church must also believe he is a Christian. The church comes to believe this when he testifies of his faith in Christ to the assembly of believers, who then baptise him upon his profession of faith.
But what of those churches that allow the unbaptised to partake? Each church must answer to its own Lord.
What if a person wants to get baptised? Can’t he partake of the Lord’s Table in the meantime? If a person has delayed getting baptised for several months or years, then it would seem strange to be impatient to partake of the Supper as soon as possible. Let the biblical order prevail: let a person submit to believer’s baptism, and partake immediately after that. If someone is desperate to partake of the Table, then let him be desperate to be baptised. The church will not delay a man’s baptism unnecessarily.
What if people feel offended when they can’t partake of the Supper? This is understandable, no one wants to feel excluded. The bigger question is: why don’t people feel offended when they have not been baptised? Why don’t people feel offended when they haven’t publicly identified with Christ? Often, we want the privileges without the responsibility. We want the privilege of eating with the family of God, but we don’t want to submit to the family of God. Let a person humbly consider the biblical pattern, and he will conclude that he needs to obey Christ’s command to be baptised. Pride will take exclusion personally, feel offended, and remain defiantly unbaptised. Humility will see the beauty of the protection of baptism, and request it as soon as possible.
Restricting the Lord’s Table to baptised believers is a protective and obedient practice. It protects unbelievers from judgement. It follows the biblical order. It upholds the meaning of the Table as a family ordinance. It upholds the idea of a church made up of believers only. Though it is inevitable that some will feel offended, we trust that it will provoke many to good works: the good works of obeying Christ’s command to be baptised, and then of observing His command to remember His death.
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Post by Admin on Oct 1, 2023 7:35:20 GMT -5
here are several fundamental reasons many churches don’t sing the Psalms today, and I wrote my book, Musing on God’s Music, in order to help correct some of those reasons.
But one key reason Christians shy away from some of the psalms is the sometimes violent imprecatory language found in them. If Christians today do use the psalms, they tend to exclusively gravitate toward psalms of comfort—Psalms 23 is the most likely, or psalms of praise like Psalm 100.
But most of the psalms are not songs of comfort or praise. You can’t even get past the first psalm before you read, “the way of the wicked will perish.” In Psalm 2 we read, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.” Psalm 7: “Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies.” Should Christians be singing that? Where is the grace?
And, of course, it gets even worse. Should we really sing from Psalm 58, “O God, break the teeth in their mouths. . . . Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun”? The psalm concludes, “The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.” And then there is probably the worst imprecatory curse of all in Psalm 137, which proclaims,
O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
What are we to do with psalms like these? The fact is that the dark, grim, sometime violent language of many of the psalms has been a stumbling block for many Christians. Isaac Watts said,
Why must I join with David in his legal or prophetic language to curse my enemies, when my Savior in his sermons has taught me to love and bless them? Why may not a Christian omit all those passages of the Jewish Psalmist that tend to fill the mind with overwhelming sorrows, despairing thoughts, or bitter personal resentments, none of which are well suited to the Spirit of Christianity, which is a dispensation of hope and joy and love?
Likewise, C. S. Lewis considered the imprecatory psalms “devilish,” naive, “diabolical,” given to “pettiness” and “vulgarity.” He stated that their “vindictive hatred,” full of “festering, gloating, undisguised” passions can never be “condoned or approved.”
But on the contrary, I would like to show you why not only can we sing psalms like these, but why we must sing psalms like these. We will see that psalms like these are deeply rooted in confidence that God is the Sovereign King of Kings, and therefore to sing them helps form within us a hope-filled longing for the Return of the King.
Imprecatory psalms are deeply rooted in confidence that God is the Sovereign King of Kings, and therefore to sing them helps form within us a hope-filled longing for the Return of the King.
One of the most important things to recognize about the psalms that will help us understand the purpose of imprecatory language is to recognize that the Book of Psalms is not just a random collection of songs. Most Christians today don’t recognize that the 150 psalms were intentionally organized by Ezra or someone like him following the Babylonian exile into five books, and these five books of psalms were arranged to teach us some very important truths. They are organized in such a way that these songs progressively develop several significant themes about God and his plan for the world. And you can find out much more detail about that in my book.
One of those central themes that is developed through the five books of Psalms is the universal, sovereign kingship of God.
The psalms are filled with imagery that affirms the universal sovereignty of God. In Psalm 2:4, David says that God “sits enthroned in the heavens.” Dozens of psalms refer to God as King. The psalms sing of the scepter of God, the throne of God, and the crown of God, all meant to picture God as the sovereign King. The psalms refer to God as Judge of all the earth. Even the well-loved image of a Shepherd to describe God in psalms like Psalm 23 was a royal image. Psalm 80:1, for example, equates the Shepherd of Israel with the one who is enthroned in heaven.
From the first to the last, the Psalms proclaim the universal sovereign rule of God Almighty: Psalm 103:19 proclaims, “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,” David sings in Psalm 145, “and your dominion endures throughout all generations.”
From the first to the last, the Psalms proclaim the universal sovereign rule of God Almighty.
Psalm 89, the last psalm of Book III of the Psalter, portrays this vividly. The first half of the psalm praises God for his universal, cosmic, sovereign rule over all.
Psalm 89:6: For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord.
Psalm 89:9: You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
Psalm 89:11: The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
Psalm 89:14: Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
God is sovereign over all.
Yet there is a group of psalms in Book 4 that give special, focused attention to the sovereign rule of God. I mentioned earlier that the psalms were deliberately organized into five books, and the psalms within each of the five books were deliberately organized to communicate specific truths.
This is clearly apparent in a group of psalms in Book 4 often called “Enthronement Psalms.” While, as we have seen, many of the psalms affirm the sovereign rule of God in some way, Psalms 92–100 do so with vivid focus.
Psalms 92 and 100 form bookends to this grouping, and between them we find a powerful, repeated acclamation of the sovereign rule of God: Yahweh malak—The LORD reigns.
Ps 93:1: “The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Psalm 96:10: Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”
Psalm 97:1: The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
Psalm 99:1: The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
There is perhaps no more a succinct, vivid expression of the sovereign rule of God over all in Scripture than this acclamation: Yahweh reigns.
There is perhaps no more a succinct, vivid expression of the sovereign rule of God over all in Scripture than this acclamation: Yahweh reigns.
Yet here’s what’s fascinating about this acclamation: the phrase, “Yahweh reigns” only appears in all of Scripture in Psalms 93, 96, 97, and 99. Except one other place: 1 Chronicles 16.
1 Chronicles 16 records a song that David the warrior king wrote. And, in fact, these Enthronement psalms are drawing from portions of David’s song in 1 Chronicles 16. It was originally written by King David on the occasion of bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. You’ll recall that the Philistines had captured the Ark years earlier, and it was only now during David’s reign that he successfully returned it to its proper place in the Tabernacle in Jerusalem.
First Chronicles 16 records the service of dedication that Israel held in honor of the event. David appointed musicians to play and sing during the service, and verse 7 says, “Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers.” After this dedication service, David apparently took the song he had written and rearranged it into a couple different songs that Israel then regularly used in its worship and that appear in the book of Psalms.
Do you remember what happened when the Philistines had put the Ark in their temple to Dagon? They got up the next morning, and the Dagon idol was flat on his face—and so when David recovers the ark, he sings, “All the gods of the people are worthless idols! The Lord reigns.”
“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods” Psalm 95:3 proclaims. Psalm 97:9 asserts, “For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.” This is what David boldly proclaims in his song of thanks when he recovers the Ark of the Lord.
But God not only rules over the false gods of this earth, he rules over all the earth.
Psalm 93:4: Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!
Psalm 95:4–5: In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 97:4–5: His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
Psalm 99:2–5: The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he! The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!
Yahweh reigns! The Lord is the sovereign King over all the earth. That is a centrally important theme that is developed in the psalms.
Next week, we’ll see how this theme impacts our understanding of the imprecatory psalms.
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Post by Admin on Oct 9, 2023 9:04:34 GMT -5
Love Over Knowledge Share
g3min.org/love-over-knowledge/ TAIGEN JOOS
Love scrabble tiles on book page Christians should endeavor to learn and grow in their knowledge of doctrine. This is a key aspect of our sanctification process. Orthopraxy (right behavior) flows out of orthodoxy (right belief). Knowledge is foundational to orthodoxy, for proper beliefs are not empty or blind, but established on knowing doctrinal truth.
The apostle Paul certainly grew in his understanding of core biblical truth. As a Pharisee, he would have studied the Scriptures even prior to his conversion. However, after his conversion, he spent several years learning and growing in his faith before his public ministry officially began. Paul was a learned man, strong in doctrine and knowledge.
It is interesting, then, to consider what Paul taught the Corinthian church: “knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Cor 8:1). What an important concept for the Christian to understand. This foundational principle undergirds Paul’s teaching about meat offered to idols. However, the principle applies to all Christian behavior, too.
We have heard the colloquial phrase, “people don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care.” Demonstrating love for others is incredibly important in the Christian life and, Paul would argue, even more important than knowledge. To be certain, Paul is by no means disparaging proper doctrinal truth, belief, and knowledge. Yet he readily admits that knowledge so easily and readily puffs up the individual possessing knowledge, making him/her arrogant.
Arrogance and love cannot intermingle. Biblical love is, in fact, not arrogant. Paul wrote in the same Corinthian letter, “love is not arrogant” (1 Cor 13:4). It should not be our goal to make much of ourselves, but to make much of our God, and to lovingly build up the body of Christ.
Jesus said, “by this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, indicating that unbelievers would make the connection to our Christianity by the love that we display towards one another as Christians). When unsaved people walk into the doors of our churches, they will evaluate a lot of things. Sure, they will listen to the preaching, but they will especially note whether our people show a genuine love for one another, as well as for them. Are we as churches more known for our great knowledge or for our love? According to Christ, it is our love that is more important.
Paul also told the Corinthians that “though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor 13:2).
To be sure, Paul is not saying to throw out knowledge. We need it. But of even greater importance is that we show true, biblical love—for God first, but have that play out in expressions of biblical love for one another, too.
Arrogance is something that should not characterize any believer. While arrogance can stem from various aspects of a person’s life, the one that Paul points out is knowledge. As individual Christians, and as church bodies, we should desire to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 3:18). However, we must never allow our knowledge to grow apart from love. Our love for God and others must shape and inform our knowledge rightly, otherwise we will become arrogant Christians.
May God help us to allow our love for him and others to grow in such a way that would edify the body of Christ and be used to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
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