"To enjoy a great religious book requires a degree of consecration to God and detachment from the world that few modern Christians have."
Michael Fabarez in Preaching that Changes Lives comments, "We would be wise shepherds to raise up a congregation of readers."
I couldn't agree more! Let us be a congregation consecrated to God and detached from this world!
Read on!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Blind Moles through Golden Pipes
Martin Luther, historical reformer of the early church in the 1500s, about the difference between grace and law says, "Law (with its call for works) and grace (as a divine gift) are antithetic to one another. The law says 'do this,' and it is never done. Grace says, 'believe in this,' and everything is already done." "By grace alone!" was Luther's battle cry!
John Calvin, masterful theologian of the 1500s, about the spiritual realm says, "The greatest geniuses are blinder than moles!" He believed that every sinner needs God's special grace in order to please God.
Charles Spurgeon, powerful preacher of the 1800s, about the means of grace says, "All things come to us through Christ Jesus: he is the golden pipe of the conduit of eternal love, the window through which grace shines, the door by which it enters." He believed that the grace of God is the undeserved bounty of the ever-gracious Creator against whom we have offended, the generous pardon, the infinite, spontaneous lovingkindness of the God who has been provoked and angered by our sin.
Boy, are we blessed by godly men who paved the way before us down the narrow road that leads to Christ-centered, grace-oriented, God-honoring, church-purifying theology about the truth of God!
John Calvin, masterful theologian of the 1500s, about the spiritual realm says, "The greatest geniuses are blinder than moles!" He believed that every sinner needs God's special grace in order to please God.
Charles Spurgeon, powerful preacher of the 1800s, about the means of grace says, "All things come to us through Christ Jesus: he is the golden pipe of the conduit of eternal love, the window through which grace shines, the door by which it enters." He believed that the grace of God is the undeserved bounty of the ever-gracious Creator against whom we have offended, the generous pardon, the infinite, spontaneous lovingkindness of the God who has been provoked and angered by our sin.
Boy, are we blessed by godly men who paved the way before us down the narrow road that leads to Christ-centered, grace-oriented, God-honoring, church-purifying theology about the truth of God!
Monday, October 18, 2010
"If anyone aspires..."
Have you ever given a thought to how you view your future ministry to be like in the church? Take just a moment, considering all your strengths and weaknesses, gifts and abilities, and fears and desires to see where the Lord might be leading your heart regarding ministry to Christ in His body.
Whatever it may be that you envision yourself aspiring to (1 Tim 3:1), you must pray for God to fill you with the godly desire to pursue it. And it will not come in an epiphany overnight and come to fruition the next morning--it is something that comes through faithful, steady, prayerful and sacrificial service to Christ and His kingdom for the sake of the gospel and the glory of God. Consider further if you are using your gifts, abilities, strengths, and desires for His kingdom's cause right now.
Christ Himself said, "Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest" (Jn 4:35).
Will you be the one among your friends that starts a revival in your sphere of influence?
Is the condition of your marriage conducive for kingdom efforts?
Is your speech regularly seasoned with the grace that sets sinners free?
Is your faith one worth modeling? One that inspires those of genuine faith around you?
Does your heart for the lost take you beyond your comfort zones to new places of ministry?
What holds you back from being elder/deacon qualified? What does God think about that?
Do you aspire to serve Christ's body with an ambition that seeks no higher aim?
Once again, Christ says, "We must work the works of him who sent me [Heavenly Father] while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work" (Jn 9:4).
- Full-time missionary overseas
- Short-term missions leader
- Inner-city pastoral ministry
- Inner-city evangelism
- Biblical training center worldwide
- Church-planting team
- Church-plant elder
- Church-plant deacon/servant
- Church-plant administrator
- Lay elder in local church
- Deacon in local church
- Music ministry leader
- Staff member part-time
- Staff member full-time
- Professor in Christian education
- Christian school administrator
- Christian college professor
- Adult education teacher
- Senior pastor of local church
- Associate pastor of local church
- Biblical counselor
- Writer/author/speaker
- etc
Whatever it may be that you envision yourself aspiring to (1 Tim 3:1), you must pray for God to fill you with the godly desire to pursue it. And it will not come in an epiphany overnight and come to fruition the next morning--it is something that comes through faithful, steady, prayerful and sacrificial service to Christ and His kingdom for the sake of the gospel and the glory of God. Consider further if you are using your gifts, abilities, strengths, and desires for His kingdom's cause right now.
Christ Himself said, "Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest" (Jn 4:35).
Will you be the one among your friends that starts a revival in your sphere of influence?
Is the condition of your marriage conducive for kingdom efforts?
Is your speech regularly seasoned with the grace that sets sinners free?
Is your faith one worth modeling? One that inspires those of genuine faith around you?
Does your heart for the lost take you beyond your comfort zones to new places of ministry?
What holds you back from being elder/deacon qualified? What does God think about that?
Do you aspire to serve Christ's body with an ambition that seeks no higher aim?
Once again, Christ says, "We must work the works of him who sent me [Heavenly Father] while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work" (Jn 9:4).
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Man as Creature and Person
What is man? Theologians call the doctrine of man Anthropology. There are zillions of ideas as to what man essentially is because of the endless unbiblical worldviews we see today. But what is man according a biblical anthropology? Here are some helpful thoughts that I believe take theology to humility and responsibility.
Anthony Hoekema in his book Created in God's Image says, "The human person does not exist autonomously or independently, but as a creature of God" (Gen 1:1, 27). Quoting Werner Foerster, Hoekema says, "Thus in becoming, being, and perishing, all creation is wholly dependent on the will of the Creator." God "gives all men life and breath and everything else," and "in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:25, 28).
He goes on, "Man is not only a creature, however; he is also a person. And to be a person means to have a kind of independence--not absolute but relative." This relative independence means that we have freedom to make decisions, set goals, and move toward them. We have options in life and we have the power to decide where we will go.
But do we have a contradiction in terms? Can man truly be a created person? Wholly dependent on God for life yet relatively independent to move in life as we see fit?
Filling these roles out further, Hoekema says, "To be a creature means that I cannot move a finger or utter a word apart from God; to be a person means that when my fingers are moved, I move them, and that when words are uttered by my lips, I utter them. To be creatures means that God is the potter and we are the clay (Rom 9:21); to be persons means that we are the ones who fashion our lives by our own decisions (Gal 6:7–8)."
Whole point: we must keep both of these truths clearly in focus. All worldly anthropologies of man will imbalance these two concepts in some form. Some more drastically than others. We have absolutely no existence without God who is central to all creation. AND at the same time we are not puppets or robots.
May our hearts be full of gratitude for God's sovereign grace in our lives, in creating and re-creating us in His image. And at the same time, may we "be imitators of God" as we have the responsibility to be conformed to His image.
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil 2:12, 13).
"For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" (Col 1:29).
He goes on, "Man is not only a creature, however; he is also a person. And to be a person means to have a kind of independence--not absolute but relative." This relative independence means that we have freedom to make decisions, set goals, and move toward them. We have options in life and we have the power to decide where we will go.
But do we have a contradiction in terms? Can man truly be a created person? Wholly dependent on God for life yet relatively independent to move in life as we see fit?
Filling these roles out further, Hoekema says, "To be a creature means that I cannot move a finger or utter a word apart from God; to be a person means that when my fingers are moved, I move them, and that when words are uttered by my lips, I utter them. To be creatures means that God is the potter and we are the clay (Rom 9:21); to be persons means that we are the ones who fashion our lives by our own decisions (Gal 6:7–8)."
Whole point: we must keep both of these truths clearly in focus. All worldly anthropologies of man will imbalance these two concepts in some form. Some more drastically than others. We have absolutely no existence without God who is central to all creation. AND at the same time we are not puppets or robots.
May our hearts be full of gratitude for God's sovereign grace in our lives, in creating and re-creating us in His image. And at the same time, may we "be imitators of God" as we have the responsibility to be conformed to His image.
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil 2:12, 13).
"For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" (Col 1:29).
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