A Must Read Book on Parenting!

I'm really excited about the new book on parenting by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I hope every parent and grandparent in our church will purchase and read this book. The name of the book is: Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus (by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick).

I have not read the book yet but it is getting very high reviews. Please join me in reading this book. I hear that it is one of those books on parenting that will end up being a classic. To encourage you to get this book, I do have some favorite quotes by Elyse that I have collected that I think will wet the appetite:

Every single time you succumb to temptation, you can thank Jesus for saying, “No, it is written…”. His victory is your record."

Whose righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees? Yours does—if you’re in Christ."

His baptism matters because by it you’re granted the “beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” benediction over yours."

Christian modesty is simply a refusal to show off out of love for God and one’s neighbor.

Humankind's Longing for Paradise: Where does it come from?

A man’s physical hunger does not prove that man will get any bread; he may die of starvation on a raft in the Atlantic. But surely a man’s hunger does prove that he comes of a race which repairs its body by eating and inhabits a world where eatable substances exist. In the same way, though I do not believe (I wish I did) that my desire for Paradise proves that I shall enjoy it, I think it a pretty good indication that such a thing exists and that some men will (C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, 32-33)

A Prayer to Start the Week: A Prayer of Praise for the Multiple Ministries of the Holy Spirit

Heavenly Father, I’m particularly grateful today for the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the member of the Godhead whom I often take for granted. Though I don’t understand everything he’s up to, these things I humbly and gladly affirm today . . .
Just as assuredly as Jesus stood outside of Lazarus’s tomb and said, “Come forth,” you sent the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel to my heart, and I came out of the tomb of my sin and death a new man in Christ. How I praise you for your sovereign goodness and irrepressible power! Unless you’d breathed new life into my spirit—unless I’d been born from above, I would have never become a follower of Jesus. I could have never known the peace of complete forgiveness and the covering of his perfect righteousness.
When you raised me up in Jesus, you baptized me with the Holy Spirit, making me a member of your family and Christ’s bride. You sealed me for eternity by the Spirit, marking me as your very own possession. You sent the Spirit to live as a permanent resident in my heart—to convict me of sin; make me like Jesus; constantly preach the gospel to my heart and tell me that I’m one of your cherished children. O, the peace these great truths bring!
According to your declaration and doing, I’m already controlled by the Holy Spirit. I am no longer controlled by my sinful nature—great news, indeed! You’ve given me all the gifts of the Spirit I need to live as an active member of Jesus’ church and a caring servant in your kingdom. I lack nothing and should whine about nothing. And the Spirit is the firstfruits and guarantee of the full inheritance Jesus earned and secured for us, your beloved children. Nothing can separate us from your love and presence. What a generous and compassionate God you are. Therefore, I acknowledge my desire to be more fully and consistently filled with the Holy Spirit; to walk according to the Spirit; to keep in step with the Spirit; and to set my mind on what the Spirit desires. All to which I say, “Hallelujah, what a Savior! Hallelujah, what a salvation!” I pray in Jesus’ most beautiful and worthy name. Amen (Scotty Smith)

Jesus Christ is Not Needy. We Are!

The need of the church and its individual members is not to envelop Christ in our faithfulness but to be enveloped by Christ’s.
What’s the difference?
G.C. Berkouwer is helpful here in illustrating what I mean by showing contrasting responses by Peter to the Lord Jesus. One response reveals Peter being enveloped by Christ (our need), and the contrasting response is Peter seeking to envelope Christ (as if Christ needs us).
When Peter, stupefied by the wonderful catch of fish, confronts the goodness of his Master, he cries out: Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord! (Luke 5:8). Surrounded by the radiance of the Master, Peter can only bow his head. This is Peter being enveloped by Christ(this is our need and the key to our growth in godliness).
Peter’s response in this latter account amounts to another religion altogether. Later those other words were to cut through the night: “If all shall be offended in thee, I will never be offended” (Matt 26:33). By these words Peter meant to envelop Christ with his (Peter’s) fidelity and love. Christ must here bathe in Peter’s glory, not Peter in Christ’s.
Berkouwer closes his thoughts on this with these sobering words: We know the outcome. Not these words, but rather those spoken over the bonanza of fish, is the need of the church and what glorifies Christ.
(Studies in Dogmatics: Faith and Sanctification, 67).

Another Thought on Our Identity in Christ

So near, so very near to God, I cannot nearer be; For in the presence of His Son, I am as near as He. So dear; so very dear to God, More dear I cannot be; The love wherewith He loves the Son, Such is His love to me (These verses are usually quoted without attribution. When a source is given, it is usually attributed to Catesby Pager from the 19th century)

A Thought on Our Identity in Christ

When God calls, "Adam, where are you?" the Spirit leads us (believers) to answer, "In Christ," (Mike Horton, The Christian Faith, 662).

Two great quotes on the importance of looking to the Cross

"You can only keep the rottenness of sin and the kindness of God in mind if you fix your eyes on the cross. What shows Gods hatred of sin more than the cross? what shows God's love to you more than the cross? if you want to know exactly what sin deserves, you have to understand the cross. if you want to know how infinitely deep the rot of sin reaches, you have to think through all the implications of the cross. If you want to know how far God was willing to go to rescue you from sin, you have to see his precious Son hanging on the cross for you. " -Kris Lundgaard (paraphrasing John Owen), The Enemy Within: Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin

"Would I know how exceedingly sinful and abominable sin is in the sight of God? Where shall I see that most fully brought out? Shall I turn to the history of the flood, and read how sin drowned the world? Shall I go to the shore of the Dead Sea, and mark what sin brought on Sodom and Gomorrah? Shall I turn to the wandering Jews, and observe how sin has scattered them over the face of the earth? No: I can find a clearer proof still, I look at what happened on Calvary. There I see that sin is so black and damnable that nothing but the blood of God's own Son can wash it away; there I see that sin has so separated me from my holy Maker that all the angels in heaven could never have made peace between us: nothing could reconcile us, short of the death of Christ. Ah, if I listened to the wretched talk of proud men I might sometimes fancy sin was not so very sinful; but I cannot think little of sin when I look at Calvary." -JC Ryle, Sermon entitled "Calvary"

Sermon for May 22: "The Story We Find Ourselves In" (Ruth 3:1-4:22)

Please pray for our service on Sunday as we complete our time in Ruth. We will be discussing the STORY of all stories. We as Christians need to embed ourselves in the midst of the redemptive-historical story and our text for Sunday plays a major factor in this story.
The average Christian sees himself/herself outside of the redemptive-historical story of the Old Testament. That is, he/she sees himself as living after the Bible. But actually they're still living in the midst of that story because of the person and work of Jesus, the fulfillment of all the Old Testament types, shadows, and promises (2 Cor 1:20). By virtue of what Jesus the true Israel has inaugurated through his doing and dying, rising and ruling, we need to know that we are true Israel by virtue of our union in Jesus, the covenant keeping Israel of God. Thus, we're beginning to fulfill the restoration promises. We're a new creation. We're resurrected beings. We're temples.
And the book of Ruth shows how this Moabite woman plays a major part in this glorious plan.

The Holy Spirit and the Foretaste of the Future

As the down payment of our final redemption, the Spirit gives us the “already” of our participation in Christ as the new creation, and it is the Spirit within us who gives us the aching hope for the “not yet” that awaits us in our union with Christ (Rom 8:18-28; 2 Cor 1:22; 5:5; Eph 1:4). …In fact, the paradox is that the more we receive from the Spirit of the realities of the age to come, the more restless we become. Yet it is a restlessness born not of fear but of having already received a foretaste of the future (Mike Horton, The Christian Faith, 559-60).

"Did God Say?": The Godless Question of Questions

The first question posed in Scripture is from the serpent in the Garden (Gen 3:2). It is no coincidence that the question was intended to undermine the authority of God's Word. Satan is deceptive but he's not that creative. It has been his method ever since. Consider these words from Dietrich Bonhoeffer in this regard:

“Did God say”, that plainly is the godless question. “Did God say,” that he is love, that he wishes to forgive our sins, that we need only believe him, that we need no works, that Christ has died and has been raised for us, that we shall have eternal life in his kingdom, that we are no longer alone but upheld by God’s grace, that one day all sorrow and wailing shall have an end? “Did God say,” thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not bear false witness…did he really say it to me? Perhaps it does not apply in my particular case? “Did God say,” that he is a God who is wrathful towards those who do not keep his commandments? Did he demand the sacrifice of Christ? I know better that he is the infinitely good, the all-loving father. This is the question that appears innocuous but through it evil wins power in us, through it we become disobedient to God… Man is expected to be judge of God’s word instead of simply hearing and doing it (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Creation and Fall: A Theological Exposition of Genesis 1-3, 68).

The Prerequisite to Revival

We are not aware of our impotence, we are not aware of our weakness, and of our need for power.

As long as we think we can organise [revival], there is no hope for us. The beginning of revival is to realise that without this manifestation of God's power we can do nothing. We have got to get back to that position, in which the apostle Paul so constantly found himself. I am never tired of quoting it. It is the text, more than any other, that needs to be held before every section of the Church today.

'And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.' (1 Cor. 2:3-5) (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Revival, 182).

A Thought on Providence

Yesterday we looked at the providence of God in Ruth's life as she "happened" to go to the field of Boaz. We learned that God, through narratives such as this one, teaches us about his ways and character. However, it's hard to read and interpret his providence while it is taking place. We typically have to wait and read his providence after the fact. In light of this discussion, I think these words by the great divine Thomas Watson are helpful:

Providence is a Christian's diary, not his Bible (Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity, 123).

A Prayer to Start the Week: A Prayer for God to Override Our Unbelief

“He [Peter] went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Acts 12:12–16
Heavenly Father, thank you for chronicling this almost comical prayer meeting in your Word. As much as it exposes our unbelief, in a far greater way it highlights your faithful commitment to do exceedingly beyond all we can ask or imagine. This story describes the kind of praying that goes on in my heart way too often. I dutifully pray, but I faithlessly doubt. Forgive my unbelief; override my unbelief.
There are many things I’m praying about right now for which I want to hear “Peter knocking at the door.” I have no need to be considered a great prayer warrior. I’m not looking for wonderful stories to tell others as a testimony to my faith. I simply want you to bring a whole lot of glory to Jesus. Astonish us, Father; astonish me.
Father, I pray for our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church and for their leaders. At times is seems as though evil is winning the day. Strengthen these believers, encourage them, and grant miracles of provision and deliverance. Cause the gospel to spread like wildfire. Give them so much joy, peace, and love that their persecutors will be convicted and fall down and worship you.
Father, I pray for the courageous men and women who are laboring in the dark world of human trafficking. How long, O Lord, before the last woman and child will be sold as economic fodder? Bring justice to bear, holy God. Bring deliverance from the evil of slavery in every form. Protect the rescuers and provide good aftercare for those rescued.
Father, I pray for an outpouring of your Holy Spirit on our church family, and others like ours. O, to experience a fresh movement of your soul-invigorating, worship-inducing, community-transforming Spirit! Shake us, wake us; melt us, mold us; fill us, free us. Let us have done with “lesser things” that we might more fully give ourselves to the things that matter the most to you.
We’re spoiled; we’re dull; we’re bored and we’re boring. The main vision we need is a renewed vision of Jesus gathering his bride from the nations and making all things new. Free us from ourselves for yourself. Astonish us, Father; astonish us as you override our unbelief. I pray in Jesus’ exalted name. Amen. (by Scotty Smith)
)

Local Churches as Commissioned Communities

As we have been discussing over the past two weeks as a church body,we have a responsibility to consider how we can as a church help those who are hurting in the South from the recent storm outbreak.

In this regard, I thought these words from a book I am currently reading were appropriate:

The salvation of God is "for" us. The Father has chosen us. Jesus' blood has purchased us. We are adopted orphans.
Salvation is "to" us. The Holy Spirit stirs our heart, so that we come to faith in Jesus Christ personally. We are forgiven sinners.
Salvation is also "through" us. The world will be blessed by the good deeds we do in the context of the community of faith. We are commissioned communities (Trevin Wax, Holy Subversion, 55).

The Simple Tasks of the Church in God's New Creation Project

Israel's downfall began when it demanded a king like the rulers of the nations instead of being satisfied with its true, heavenly King. Similarly, whenever the church tries to make Christ's kingdom visible through its own decisions, programs, and methods, it becomes assimilated to this passing evil age, swallowed in the sea along with Pharaoh's mighty men. Yet whenever the church proclaims the gospel, baptizes, teaches, and administers the Lord's Table, the powers of the age to come break into this present age, and the light of the new creation dawns (Mike Horton, The Gospel Commission, 54).

A Thought on Worry

When we worry we are saying, "I know the way my life is supposed to go and God's not getting it right" (Tim Keller).

Sermon for May 15: "Under the Lord's Wings" (Ruth 1:22-2:23)

Please pray for our worship service on Sunday as we consider God's marvelous providence in the lives of Ruth and Naomi. One of the many reasons the book of Ruth is important is that we learn from Ruth what kind of God the LORD is. So when we're in a dark place not able to interpret his purposes, we still know what kind of things he does and what kind of God he is.

So in Scripture, God the LORD writes in bold italics the principles of providence so that when he rewrites them in our lives, we see that he is the same God. He displays the same care for our lives in he does in the lives of those in Scripture.

Salvation: An Act of Grace, Reconciliation, and Conquest

This is a glorious statement on the need and nature of salvation.

The disastrous consequences of our false faith must be put right. Salvation must be an act of illumination, for we have exchanged the truth about God for a lie, worshipping idols instead of the true God. Salvation must be an act of liberation, for we are captive to the delusions of our false faith, and cannot save ourselves. Salvation must be an act of divine grace, God’s work from beginning to end, for the desires of our hearts are set against God—we do not even want to save ourselves. Salvation must be an act of reconciliation, for we are alienated from God and hostile to him. Finally, salvation must be an act of conquest, for we are oppressed by the devil, and need someone to win the victory for us (Jeffery, Ovey, Sach, Pierced for Our Transgression, 125)

The Church and Mission Creep

There is a new term that has been coined that I think needs to be reflected upon by the local church. The term is "mission creep." Here's how Wikipedia defines it: Mission creep is the expansion of a project or mission beyond its original goals, often after initial successes.

The phrase first appeared in articles concerning the UN Peacekeeping mission during the Somali Civil War in the Washington Post on April 15, 1993. The writer of the article argued that a humanitarian mission to Somalia turned into a military operation which did not have clearly spelled-out goals and for which the soldiers on the ground were not prepared.

In the same way, it's easy to lose our way in the local church. We simply lose sight of our mission and in our passion for relevance, we end up subordinating the strategies that Christ promised to bless to our own action plans (see M. Horton, The Gospel Commission, 16).

But the strategies that Christ promised to bless are specifically related to our calling: to be a sign and agent of the kingdom of Christ. Hence, our mission and strategies are to be geared to that end alone. Consider Ed Clowney's words in this regard: In the pursuit of holiness, in the proclamation of the gospel, in the service of the poor and friendless, the church of Christ builds a spiritual culture, a foretaste of the kingdom to come (The Church, 176).

Let's beware of mission creep!

A Prayer to Start the Week: "Devotion"

God of my end, it is my greatest, noblest pleasure to be acquainted with Thee and with my rational, immortal soul; it is sweet and entertaining to look into my being when all my powers and passions are united and engaged in pursuit of Thee, when my soul longs and passionately breathes after conformity to Thee and the full enjoyment of Thee; no hours pass away with so much pleasure as those spent in communion with Thee and with my heart.
O how desirable, how profitable to the Christian life is a spirit of holy watchfulness and godly jealousy over myself when my soul is afraid of nothing except grieving and offending Thee, the blessed God, my Father and friend, whom I then love and long to please, rather than be happy in myself! Knowing, as I do, that this is the pious temper, worthy of the highest ambition, and closest pursuit of intelligent creatures and holy Christians, may my joy derive from glorifying and delighting Thee. I long to fill all my time for Thee, whether at home or in the way; to place all my concerns in Thy hands; to be entirely at Thy disposal, having no will or interest of my own. Help me to live to Thee for ever, to make Thee my last and only end, so that I may never more in one instance love my sinful self (From "Valley of Vision")

The Most Important Thing on the World's Stage

In light of the hunt, capture, and death of Osama bin Laden and all the implications for the war on terror stemming from that event, it's easy to think that this is more important in the scheme of things than it really is. To be sure, it is important. This evil man needed to come to justice. However, don't make it an ultimate thing. The Father's work through the Son by the Spirit for the sake of His name and remembrance (Is 26:8) is what is ultimate. Everything else pales.

Thinking about such things reminded me of a statement I read years ago by Eric Alexander that I think very appropriate and timely. Alexander writes:

The most significant thing happening in history is the calling, redeeming, and perfecting of the people of God. God is building the church of Jesus Christ. The rest of history is simply a stage God erects for that purpose. He is calling out a people. He is perfecting them. He is changing them. History’s great climax comes when God brings down the curtain on this bankrupt world and the Lord Jesus Christ arrives in his infinite glory. The rest of history is simply a scaffolding for the real work (“Application of Redemption,” in To Glorify and Enjoy God, 245).

Get that? Outside of God's redemption plan, the rest of history is simply a scaffolding for the real work.

In light of this, let's make the wise choice and embed our stories into this more ultimate story so that we live with a God's Story mentality.

A Gracious Disturbance of the Present Age

I just began Mike Horton's new book and the very first lines of the introduction, no less, is worth the price of the book. Here is what Horton states:

A gracious disturbance is at work in the world today. With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the age to come has broken into this present evil age. It’s not business as usual. God isn’t coming alongside us to empower us for our projects of personal and social transformation. God did not become flesh and suffer an ignominious death at our hands so that we could have sprawling church campuses, programs, and budgets. There’s something more profound—more radical—going on. But what is it?
In Christ, God has broken into our world of sin and death and is even now bringing the powers of the age to come into the present age by his Word and Spirit ( The Gospel Commission, 7).

As we approach worship on the Lord's Day, Horton's comments should remind us that we, the Lord's people, are taking part in this cosmic conflict. Preaching, teaching, evangelism, and missions are nothing less than a call to take on the domain of darkness with the "sword of the Spirit." And the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the historical event and marker that our battle is secured. We are merely involved in the mop-up operation.

Sermon for May 8: "Naomi: Matron, Mother, Mother-in-Law, and Model of Repentance" (Ruth 1:6-22)

Please pray for our worship service on Sunday as we consider one of the most compelling passages in Scripture on the nature of repentance and conversion. Naomi was many things: a wife who had lost her husband, a mother who had lost her sons, a mother-in-law to two women; but the most important thing about Naomi was that she was a woman of repentance and faith.

Why do I say that? For one thing, the word shubh is repeatedly emphasized in this passage, occurring eleven times. That is the central Hebrew word for repentance. In fact, shubh occurs more than 1,050 times in the Old Testament— It means to turn back, to go in the opposite direction.

It highlights the fact that repentance means a change of direction, from the wrong way to the right way. It means a turning away from sin (1 Kgs 8:35), from iniquity (Job 36:10), from transgression (Isa 59:20), from wickedness (Ezek 3:19) and from evil ways (Neh 9:35). Positively shubh means turning to the Lord (Ps 51:13; Isa 10:21; Jer 4:1; Hos 14:1; Amos 4:8; Mal 3:7).

Pray that God would teach us some things about the nature of true repentance. Also, pray that the Lord would bear witness to the word of his grace (Acts 14:3).

An Encouraging Word for Those Age 65 and Older

The "World Magazine" website has posted a very encouraging word from John Piper for those who have entered or are entering retirement years. Piper asserts that your life can still be very spiritually productive. Here's what he says:

Turning 65 in January has me all fired up to get busy. I am close enough to the finish line that the face of Jesus is coming into sharper focus. This is very exciting and makes me want to pick up the pace.

Of course, He is not the least impressed with frenzy. Nor is He pleased with boomer indolence. What His face says to me is: "I am your rest every day, and there is good work to do every day till you're home."

God has called me to this one great thing, and His face affirms it every day: With full courage, now (after 65) as always, Christ will be magnified in your body, whether by life or by death (Philippians 1:20). Live now to make much of Christ. Measure everything by this: Will it help more people admire Jesus more intensely and treasure Jesus more deeply?

The Bible says, "The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty" (Psalms 90:10). But of course, "My times are in your hand" (Psalms 31:15). The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. We don't live one day longer or shorter than God appoints.

So at 65, I am still gagging at the pictures of leathery old sunbathers on white shores and green links. For 15 years, I have thrown hundreds of senior mailings in the recycle bag unopened. Not that I am opposed to saving 79¢ on lunch at Perkins. Just don't try to sell me heaven before I get there. There is too much hell left to fight.

Turning 65 has set me to pondering what people have done in the great years.

For example, I just received a copy of the first major biography of Charles Hodge in over a century: Paul C. Gutjahr, Charles Hodge: Guardian of American Orthodoxy (Oxford, 2011). On the first page, I read, "When people reach their seventies, they often think their work is done. Not so with Hodge. His last years were among this most productive as he sat ensconced in his study, wielding his favorite pen to compose literally thousands of manuscript pages, which would eventually become his monumental Systematic Theology and his incisive What Is Darwinism?" (p. vii).

So I started poking around on the internet. Here's some of what I found (for example, at museumofconceptualart.com/accomplished):

At 65 Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of England, and for the next five years led the Western world to freedom.

At 69 English writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson began his last major work, The Lives of the English Poets.

At 69 Ronald Reagan became the oldest man ever sworn in as president of the United States. He was reelected at 73.

At 70 Benjamin Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence.

At 77 Grandma Moses started painting.

At 77 John Glenn became the oldest person to go into space.

At 82 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe finished writing his famous Faust.

At 82 Winston Churchill wrote A History of the English-Speaking Peoples.

At 88 Michelangelo created the architectural plans for the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli.

At 89 Albert Schweitzer ran a hospital in Africa.

At 89 Arthur Rubinstein performed one of his greatest recitals in Carnegie Hall.

At 93 P.G. Wodehouse worked on his 97th novel, got knighted, and died.

And don't forget, if you are running this marathon with Jesus, you have a great advantage. God has promised you: "Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save" (Isaiah 46:4). Nothing to be ashamed of here. We've been dangling in the yoke of Jesus ever since He called us. At our peak, we were totally dependent. So it will be to the end.

So, all you boomers just breaking into Medicare, gird up your loins, pick up your cane, head for the gym, and get fit for the last lap. Fix your eyes on the Face at the finish line. There will plenty of time for R&R in the Resurrection. For now, there is happy work to be done.

The Christian Response to the "Mercies of God"

Yesterday I addressed the truth that Christian doxology and duty stem from Spirit illumined Christian doctrine. I used Romans 12:1-2 to demonstrate that our spiritual worship (which involves both doxology and duty) is a response to the mercies of God, which are savingly communicated to us in Christ by the Spirit.

In light of these glorious truths, the Christian responds gladly, which is the heart of Romans 12. In fact, yesterday Justin Taylor posted all of the imperatives found in Romans 12. I thought they would be helpful to consider. These commands should be reflected in our lives as we gratefully and worshipfully respond to what God has done "for us" in Christ.

•present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God
•Do not be conformed to this world, but
•be transformed by the renewal of your mind
•he [ought] not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but
•think with sober judgment,
•let us use our gifts that differ according to the grace given to us
•Let love be genuine.
•Abhor what is evil;
•hold fast to what is good.
•Love one another with brotherly affection.
•Outdo one another in showing honor.
•Do not be slothful in zeal,
•be fervent in spirit,
•serve the Lord.
•Rejoice in hope,
•be patient in tribulation,
•be constant in prayer.
•Contribute to the needs of the saints and
•seek to show hospitality.
•Bless those who persecute you;
•do not curse those who persecute you.
•Rejoice with those who rejoice,
•weep with those who weep.
•Live in harmony with one another.
•Do not be haughty, but
•associate with the lowly.
•Never be wise in your own sight.
•Repay no one evil for evil, but
•give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
•live peaceably with all (if possible, so far as it depends on you)
•Never avenge yourselves, but
•leave it to the wrath of God. . .
•if your enemy is hungry, feed him;
•if he is thirsty, give him something to drink
•Do not be overcome by evil, but
•overcome evil with good.

The Order of the Christian Life: Doctrine-Doxology-Duty

In some of my previous posts, I have emphasized the need to be Word centered in all that we do. As the Word goes forth in power, the direction that the Word takes in the life of the believer begins with our understanding and extends to our affections and will (Rom 6:17b). That is, we obey from our hearts the doctrine or teaching from Scripture that is delivered to us. For the sake of memory, let's think of the order this way: first, doctrine; second, doxology; third, duty.

(1) Doctrine (God’s deeds). Doctrine is a fancy word but it essentially means "teaching." The Bible fundamentally teaches us about what the Triune God has graciously done to achieve our salvation. So the doctrine of Scripture is principally about the key persons of the Drama of Redemption: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and the key turning points of the Drama: Creation, Fall, Redemption.

(2) Doxology (our thankful worship). When we come by the Spirit to a saving understanding of these realities, it animates us to worship. Our worship is our glad response to what God has mercifully accomplished for us.

(3)Duties (our reasonable service). Having savingly experienced the "tender mercies of God" (Rom 12:1), and understanding in this that our standing and favor with God is perfect, righteous, and complete in Christ, we now worshipfully present our "bodies as a living sacrifice" to God(Rom 12:1). Our service is not out of an oppressive, begrudging duty. Rather, it is a delightful, glad, grateful, humble duty that stems from our worship of the merciful, redeemer, God.

This is why we need the Word of God. It is only through the Word, centered on what the Father has done "for us" in Christ by the Spirit that worship and Christian service comes. Any other kind of religious activity is a parody of the Christian life and will not stand in the Day of Judgment.

A Prayer to Start the Week: "Grace Active"

O God, may Thy Spirit speak in me that I may speak to Thee. I Lord Jesus, great high priest, Thou hast opened a new and living way by which a fallen creature can approach Thee with acceptance.
Help me to contemplate the dignity of Thy Person, the perfectness of Thy sacrifice, the effectiveness of Thy intercession.
O what blessedness accompanies devotion, when under all the trials that weary me, the cares that corrode me, the fears that disturb me, the infirmities that oppress me, I can come to Thee in my need and feel peace beyond understanding!
The grace that restores is necessary to preserve, lead, guard, supply, help me. And here Thy saints encourage my hope; they were once poor and are now rich, bound and are now free, tried and now are victorious.
Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess, but not more than is found in Thee, the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells. To Thee I repair for grace upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all Thy fullness.
May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened, that I may honour Thee by my entire dependency and the greatness of my expectation.
Do Thou be with me, and prepare me for all the smiles of prosperity, the frowns of adversity, the losses of substance, the death of friends, the days of darkness, the changes of life, and the last great change of all. May I find thy grace sufficient for all my needs. (From "Valley of Vision")

The Church: The Pillar and Buttress of the Truth

In his book on “The Arctic,” Barry Lopez reports that in the far northern waters different types of ice, though side by side, will sometimes appear to be flowing in opposite directions. This is not, however, merely an optical illusion. The shallow ice is often driven by the winds and surface currents, while the icebergs, with most of their bulk hidden beneath the surface, are driven by the deeper currents of the sea.

One of the most remarkable and profound descriptions in the New Testament of the church is that it is described as the pillar and buttress of the truth (1 Tim 3:15), which means we have the responsibility to be so deeply rooted in truth that we are not driven by the surface winds of the culture in which we are living.

John Albert Bengel, a contemporary of John Wesley said in this regard, “Scripture is the foundation of the Church: the Church is the guardian of Scripture. When the Church is in strong health, the light of Scripture shines bright; when the Church is sick, Scripture is corroded by neglect; and thus it happens, that the outward form of Scripture and that of the Church, usually seem to exhibit simultaneously either health or else sickness; and as a rule the way in which Scirpture is being treated is in exact correspondence with the condition of the Church.”

Today on the Lord's Day, please continue to pray that we will continue to become people of the Scriptures--as individuals, families, and corporately as a body.