God-Centered, Other-Centered, and Servant-Speaking

Every day we demonstrate the power of saying yes and no to ourselves about our own use of language. Speaking is a series of consequential decisions about what to say and how and when to express it. By saying no to some of our language (i.e., by not speaking it), we are freer to say yes to God's Word -- and then to communicate the Word to others by how we live as well as by what we literally say (Quentin Schultze, An Essential Guide to Public Speaking, 30-31).

This is applicable in public speaking, certainly. But even more so person-to-person, namely, within a marriage. Speech is powerful and reality-defining. The tongue is a fierce and mighty thing, and a husband and wife must always be discerning what to say and how and when to express it.

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4

Husbands and wives must demonstrate the power of saying yes and no to their selves with their use of language. The demands of a biblical marriage calls each spouse to be other-centered; it is not concerned with one's own feelings or thoughts of how one's spouse needs to make them feel, e.g., the wedding vows:

I, ___, take you, ___, to be my wedded [wife/husband], to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's Word, and for His glory, I give thee my word.

To do this, you need to bind mercy (lovingkindness) and truth about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart. Say "no" to self-centered language, and you will be freer to say "yes" to God's Word (freer to say "yes" to being God-centered). And God's Word instructs believers to be servants and servant-speakers, that is, to be both God-centered and other-centered.

Merciful Kindness

Psalm 119:76, Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.

Guilt of Pinterest

"My wife says Pinterest exists to help guilt-ridden mothers feel guiltier by offering a million ways to be a more perfect mother than you could ever possibly hope to be. And then she still uses it. At Christmas" (Jake Mentzel in The Warhorn, Vol. 1, Issue 4).

God

"God's lordship is a deeply personal and practical concept. God is not a vague abstract principle or force but a living person who fellowships with His people. He is the living and true God, as opposed to all the deaf and dumb idols of the world. Knowledge of Him, therefore, is also a person-to-person knowledge. God's presence is not something that we discover through refined theoretical intelligence. Rather, God is unavoidably close to His creation. We are involved with Him all the time" (John Frame, The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, 17).

Disciplines of a Godly Man, Chapters 1-5

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1:

This is a call for breaking a "spiritual sweat" for the sake of Spiritual Discipline, i.e., 1 Tim. 4:7 -- "Train yourself to be godly." Connotes casting off all that is getting in the way of godliness; disciplining yourself so you are unencumbered.

Men, we will never get anywhere spiritual without a conscious divestment of the things that are holding us back. What things are weighing you down? The call to discipline demands that you throw it off. Are you man enough? (p. 14)

 We must check our motives for spiritual discipline.

For many, spiritual discipline means putting oneself back under the Law with a series of Draconian rules which no one can live up to -- and which spawn frustration and spiritual death. But nothing could be farther from the truth if you understand what discipline and legalism are. The difference is one of motivation: legalism is self-centered; discipline is God-centered. The legalistic heart says, "I will do this thing to gain merit with God." The disciplined heart says, "I will do this thing because I love God and want to please Him." There is an infinite difference between the motivation of legalism and discipline! (p. 15)  

 Section 1 - "RELATIONSHIPS"

Author brings up the most important areas for which a man needs to be disciplined, i.e., personal purity, marital faithfulness/discipline, fatherhood, etc. The author does not skirt around the important issues but brings them up right away and addresses them head-on.

Chapter 2 - Disciplines of Purity

The story of King David's sexual sin with Bathsheba, and his subsequent breaking of all the rest of the 10 Commandments, is a sober reminder that no one is above temptation (2 Samuel 11). Be humble and never let your guard down. Beware of "rationalization".

Just when we think we are the safest, when we feel no need to keep our guard up, to work on our inner integrity, to discipline ourselves for godliness -- temptation will come! (p. 24) 

 Chapter 3 - Disciplines of Marriage

Break a spiritual sweat and discipline yourself in marital faithfulness. Also, do not take your wife for granted. Marital love ought to be a sanctifying love, a love that is efficacious. A benchmark for godly disciplines within marriage:

Is my wife more like Christ because she is married to me? or she like Christ in spite of me? (p. 38)

 Men need to strive for excellence in the discipline of communication in their marriages. Husbands need to be disciplined listeners.

The stereotype is the husband buried in the morning newspaper at breakfast, preferring to read a news agency report of the latest scandal in a European government, the scores of yesterday's athletic contests, and the opinions of columnists whom he will never meet rather than listen to the voice of the person who has just shared his bed, poured his coffee, and fried his eggs, even though listening to that live voice promises love and hope, emotional depth and intellectual exploration far in excess of what he can gather informationally from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Christian Science Monitor put together [Quotation from Eugene Peterson's Working the Angles](p.41).

 Chapter 4 - Disciplines of Fatherhood

We must discipline ourselves so that our hearts are turned towards our children. Scripture demands that we not exasperate our children, therefore, we must put on the discipline of "tenderness." Being "busy" is not the same thing as being disciplined. This truth especially applicable to fatherhood.

Men, time is the chrysalis of eternity -- there is no other time but the present. I realize we all go through periods in our lives when we have little time for our families -- it is part of the natural rhythm of life. But excessive "busyness" must not be by choice -- as it so often is! We must beware of packing our schedules by saying "yes" to things which mean "no" to our families. Now is the time to take time. There is no other! Will you do it? (p. 54)

 Chapter 5 - Disciplines of Friendship

Jesus Christ is the chief example for the discipline of friendship -- Christ's example teaches us that Christian friendship is efficacious, it elevates others.

The deepest of friendships have in common this desire to make the other person royalty. They work for and rejoice in the other's elevation and achievements. There are no hooks in such friendships, no desire to manipulate or control, no jealousy or exclusiveness -- simply a desire for the best for the other" (p. 62).

No matter what our disposition, we need to work at friendliness. We need to be consciously cheerful. We need to ask questions. We need to place ourselves in situations where friendships happen. . . . Men, we must place ourselves in the ways of friendship: an adult Sunday school class, a home Bible study, a men's Bible study, a men's breakfast group, men's retreats, and, especially, a service in some ministry of the church. Women are so much better at this than men. We must learn from them to take the initiative (p. 65).

Be a Wise-Writer

Words are powerful and words are reality-defining. Therefore, as J. C. Ryle said, "Be wise in your youth. Write the word "poison" on all earthly pleasures" (Thoughts for Young Men, 29).

Sola Scriptura - "The wisest council of advisors."

Peter Leithart's recent musings on sola scriptura. His concluding thought:

To open the Bible is to gather the wisest council of advisors: Moses and Samuel, David and Solomon and the Chronicler, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea, Ezekiel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Jesus, Paul, James and Jude and John. I’ll put that up against any list of theologians you’d care to compile.

Making a Bee-Line for Hell

"Contempt of holy things is the straight road to hell" (J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 36).

Avoid the Love of Pleasure

"Remember, again, if you cling to earthly pleasures, they will all be unsatisfying, empty, and pointless. . . . All that glitters is not gold. All that tastes sweet is not good. All that please for a while is not real pleasure" (J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 29).

The Acts of God

"Redemptive-historical preaching aims at discerning God's nature in terms of God's action. God reveals who he is not chiefly by propositions but by reported action" (Michael Horton, A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship, 88).

We worship and serve the living God. The God of action has chosen to self-disclose himself through divine revelation.

Danger of Thoughtlessness

"Men will not consider, will not look ahead, will not look around them, will not reflect on the end of their present course, and the sure consequences of their present days, and wake up to find they are damned for a lack of thinking. . . . Believe me, this world is not a world in which we can do well without thinking, and least of all do well in the matter of our souls. "Don't think," whispers Satan; he knows that an unconverted heart is like a dishonest businessman's financial records--they will not bear close inspection. "Consider your ways," says the word of God--stop and think--consider and be wise. The Spanish proverb says it well, "Hurry comes from the devil." Just as men marry in a rush and then are miserable with their mate, so they make mistakes about their souls in a minute, and then suffer for it for years" (J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 32-33).

Beware of Pride

"Young men, if you would be wise, if you would be happy, remember the warning I give you--Beware of pride" (J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 26).

Closing Prayer: March for Life, Billings, MT

Yellowstone Valley Christians for Life sponsored the local March for Life here in Billings on Sunday, January 19th. We gathered at Soup and Such and marched to the Court House, where Mike Rapkoch, member of YVCfL, provided a brief talk before keynote speaker Dr. R. C. Sproul, Jr. (RC Jr. also provided the opening prayer at the Court House.) I had the privilege of leading the crowd in a closing prayer.

###

1:30 PM
Sunday, January 19, 2014
March for Life
Billings, MT

Our Father in Heaven, sanctify us through thy word; thy word is truth (John 17:17). We praise you for Jesus Christ, for having ransomed sinners like us from sin’s curse. We praise you for Jesus Christ, who prays for us and intercedes on our behalf right now at your right hand in Heaven. And we thank you for the gift of the Holy Ghost, who regenerated us—giving us new natures, making you our Heavenly Father.

O Lord, we are reminded of what Christ told his disciples: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Lord, we know that tribulations occur according to your all good and wise providence, and that they are the means by which you cultivate our faith and craft our souls to desire you, our Triune Lord, more and more and more. And Lord, we do not fear tribulations; for You are our strength and defense (Psalm 59:9).

And Lord, because you are our strength and defense, we pray and ask and beseech that you would teach us how to be both a strength and defense for the innocents—teach us how to be penitent defenders of the unborn and of the downtrodden. We also pray for our prayers: fill us with your Holy Ghost, and in filling us make us powerful and diligent, make us humble and submissive before you in prayers-of-repentance and prayers-of-intercession on the behalf of children in the womb. And we pray for the salvation of men: we pray that you would give the gift of saving faith to the fathers and mothers whose hearts have turned away from their children; we pray that you would give the gift of saving faith to the butchers who perform abortions, that they might confess their sin, repent, and find salvation in the Redeemer-Jesus.
 
And Father, we pray to you corporately:

 

Prayer to End Abortion

 

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift

 

of my life,

 

and for the lives of all

 

my brothers and sisters.

 

I know there is nothing that destroys more life

 

than abortion,

 

yet I rejoice that you have conquered death

 

by the Resurrection of Your Son.

 

I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.

 

Today I commit myself

 

Never to be silent,

 

Never to be passive,

 

Never to be forgetful of the unborn.

 

I commit myself to be active

 

in the pro-life movement,

 

and never to stop defending life

 

until all my brothers and sisters are protected,

 

and our nation once again becomes

 

a nation with liberty and justice,

 

not just for some, but for all.

 

Through Christ our Lord, Amen!



"Young men, take to heart the Scriptures just quoted."

"Young men, take to heart the Scriptures just quoted [Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 8:2; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 5:5; John 13:15 (Christ is a young man's great example.); 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:7, 8; 1 Kings 3:8 (Regarding the wisest man that ever lived--King Solomon.); Proverbs 26:12]. Do not be too confident in your own judgment. Stop being so sure that you are always right, and others wrong. Don't trust your own opinion when you find it contrary to that of older men and especially to that of your own parents. Age gives experience, and therefore deserves respect" (J. C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 25-26).

Private Prayer

Regarding private prayer, Charles Spurgeon said: "The more you are on your knees alone the better."

The Puritans on the Covenant of Grace

Westminster Confession of Faith, 7.2, 3. The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works. . . . Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the Covenant of Grace; whereby he freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved. . . .

Westminster Confession of Faith, 7.5. This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore-signifying Christ to come, which were for that time sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the Old Testament.

The following excerpt is taken from A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life; it is the Conclusion of a chapter titled "The Puritans on the Covenant of Grace." 

A basic grasp of the covenant of grace helps students of Reformed theologians in the Puritan tradition to understand their basic approach to interpreting the Bible. From the very entrance of sin into the world, God revealed His plan for redemption (Gen. 3:15). As that revelation is unfolded and enlarged through successive covenants, the plan of God for the salvation of His people becomes ever more clear. In other words, From Genesis to Revelation salvation remains firmly centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit applying the benefits of Christ's redemptive work to those whom the Father has chosen for everlasting life and given to His Son. The covenant of grace is two-sided (dipleuric) in its administration. salvation is trinitarian, involving the three persons of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit brings sinners into union with Jesus Christ by producing faith in the elect. 

Upon believing and receiving forgiveness of sins, believers are instated into covenant with God and required to live a life of holiness in obedience to His commandments. this was as true for Abraham, Moses, or David as for Peter and the apostles, and the same is true for God's people today. For that reason, the covenant of grace unites the people of God into one family, both Jews and Gentiles, all who are partakers of a gracious salvation that was planned in eternity and realized in time. Saints in the Old Testament looked forward to Christ's coming to accomplish His redemptive work, whereas saints in the New Testament and beyond remember and rejoice in that work as wholly accomplished in His death and resurrection. For that reason, Christ assumes the central place in redemptive history, which is nothing but the unfolding of the mystery of the covenant of grace (Joel R. Beeke and Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life, 278).

Public and Private Prayers

In Lectures to My Students, Charles Spurgeon urges his students to not go long in public prayers, he suggests public prayers be confined to approximately ten minutes, but he then goes on to note, "Our Puritanic forefathers used to pray for three-quarters of an hour, or more, but then you must recollect that they did not know that they would ever have the opportunity of praying again before an assembly [emphasis added, CCS], and therefore, took their fill of it; and besides, people were not inclined in those days to quarrel with the length of prayers or of sermons so much as they do nowadays" (62). After noting this Spurgeon provides the caveat, "You cannot pray too long in private."

A Daniel We All Are

"The Church at the present time is in a temporary state analogous to that of Israel when she sinned against God. The Church is in something of an "exile." Individual Christians at this point in history are in a situation analogous to that of Daniel in exile. This Christian "diaspora" is not permanent, however, Christ's prayer will be answered, and there will be visible unity in the Church again. This unity will be the work of God. it will be a visible unity based in Christian truth, not a Roman uniformity based on late medieval papal theories or an ecumenical unity based on compromising the essentials of the faith [Think - Evangelicals and Catholics Together]. It will be a biblical and ecclesiastical unity under one Lord, confessing one faith, and administering one baptism. The one visible Church will once again recognize and confess the rightful role of Scripture and her proper relationship with it" (Keith A. Mathison, The Shape of Sola Scriptura, 325).

Benchmarking Spiritual Church Growth Via Community Impact

"Another mark of spiritual church growth is community impact. Some remarkable results followed the ministry of the early church. In Acts 4, Peter and John are in the hands of the authorities as a result of their preaching and healing ministry. After the trial the writer declares that these authorities "took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." There stood the man who had been healed. The miracle was evident. . . . If we imagine that a spiritual impact on a community will always involve social acceptance, we are mistaken. But whatever the response, we must not be satisfied until the neighborhood around us becomes aware of our presence, and as a result, recognizes our relationship to the living Jesus Christ" (Harold L. Longenecker, Building Town and Country Churches, 83).

Longenecker provides a couple benchmarks for ascertaining spiritual growth in a local church:

1. Find out if "the neighborhood around [the local church] becomes aware of [their] presence,"
2. Find out if the neighborhood "recognizes [the local church's] relationship to the living Jesus Christ."

In order to know these, a local church must:

1. Proclaim Jesus to the neighborhood, and--
2. Then listen to the neighborhood.

Poem: This is the Covenant of Grace

A poem by William Geddes (1600-1694) about the Covenant of Redemption, made between the God the Father and God the Son, and the Covenant of Grace, made between (by the mediation of Jesus) the Triune God and Mankind--the poem demonstrates how the former covenant is the ground of the latter covenant.

This is the Covenant of Grace,

Which brings my Soul so sweet solace.

There is a gracious paction

Betwixt the Father and the Son.

 

And by the Son, with Adam's race,

Who should repent, and seek his grace.

The Son unto the Father spake,

I will Man's nature on me take.

 

I will my self a ransom give,

For the Elect that they may live:

Come, Son, (quothe He) if thou do so,

They shall be saved from Hell and woe.

 

The Father to poor man he saith,

If thou believe with saving Faith,

In this my Son I'll give thee peace:

Eternal Love shall thee embrace.

 

(Quoted in Joel R. Beeke and Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life, 257-258.)

 





Human Speech: "Response-Ability"

"Human communication was meant to be based on humans' "response-ability" to God's commandments. In fact, the Hebrew word for "listen" derives from "obedience." Good speakers must first be obedient listeners so they know what they are talking about" (Quentin Schultze, An Essential Guide to Public Speaking: Serving Your Audience with Faith, Skill, and Virtue, 27).

The Church and The World

"The world has embraced lawlessness because the church has embraced lawlessness. We have carnal presidents because we have carnal "Christians." We have a culture saturated with ennui because we are too bored, waiting for the end to come" (R. C. Sproul Jr., Eternity in Our Hearts: Essays on the Good Life, 53-54).

Book Review: The Gospel Blimp (And Other Parables) by Joe Bayly

A parable is more than a story. It is a story on target, set to shatter any listener who gets in its way. Yet a parable's trajectory is unpredictable, except to one who knows a man's secrets (152).

BOOM SHAKALAKA. Satire fans can direct their twinkling-eyes on this newly repackaged (and edited) read, and my guess is that fresh recruits will join the woe-singing-chorale in decrying the foibles of 60's and 70's Christian E.V.A.N.G.E.L.I.C.A.L.I.S.M. [Doh-Re-Mi-Fa-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-So-La-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha]

Having not read satire in a while, it was a bit difficult to get back into the genre at first . . . I read a page, and cringed, read another page, and cringed some more. I had just about loosened-up to Bayly's roughhousing, however, when . . . when . . . how do I put it? Ah, yes -- it was when, for the first time in my life, I simultaneously laughed-out-loud (LOL!) and thought I had thrown-up in my mouth. Bayly's sketches of Christian hypocrisy, neo-Judaizers, and squirrelly-Saints are brutal, indeed. But they are brutal because they are parables; they are more than a story.

Yes, these stories are on target. So, like the narcissistic teenagers who cringe when they read Catcher in the Rye--because they can relate with Holden Caulfield, The Gospel Blimp (And Other Parables) will make evangelical Christians cringe--because, if we're honest with ourselves, we can relate to some of the less-than-honourable-characters. As the copy on the rear jacket says, "And, really, if you're not looking in the mirror you're missing the point."

Read this book. And don't miss the point.

Disclaimer: Clearnote Press provided me with a review copy of this book. 

WCF. V. Of Providence - 1. Q & A

Blogging through and answering the questions from G. I. Williamson's The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes for personal review and comprehension.

Prior posts for WCF. I. Of the Holy Scriptures - Sections 1-10.

Prior posts for WCF. II. Of God, And of the Holy Trinity - Sections 1-3.

Prior posts for WCF. III. Of God's Eternal Decree - Sections 1-8.

Prior posts for WCF. IV. Of Creation - Sections 1-2.

WCF. V. Of Providence. Question 1.

1. There are two errors ruled out by this section of the Confession: the first teaches that things happen by ______. The second teaches that things happen by ______.

The first error ruled out is that things happen by chance. The second error ruled out is that things happen by fate ("mechanical necessity"). Both of these errors are contrary to Scripture.

2. With which of these errors are the Arminians in (perhaps unconscious) agreement?

The former error. Generally speaking, Arminians teach "that the will of man acts without any predetermined certainty" (61). In the final analysis, Arminians teach that things happen by chance.

3. Cite a Scripture text which proves that the will of man is not unpredictable.

Proverbs 21:1, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will."

4. What scriptural teaching about God helps us to understand why there are some things that man cannot do?

Will is determined by character/nature. For example, God cannot lie (see Hebrews 6:18); lying is contrary to God's character/nature. Man's will is also determined by character/nature. Man's will is depraved; it is filth-ridden by the ethical disease of sin. This means that "so long as the character of a man is sinful and corrupt (as received by ordinary generation from Adam), there is no "chance" that he will do that which is pleasing to God" (61). Thus, there are some things that man cannot do--sinful man cannot please God.

5. Why is there no chance that an unconverted man will do the will of God, or that a converted man will not begin to do the will of God?

See latter end of prior answer regarding former question. Regarding the latter question, as I said earlier, will is determined by character/nature: "But when God regenerates a man so that he receives a new and different character, there is no "chance" that he will not begin to do good. 'For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure' (Phil. 2:13)" (61).

6. What is the difference between fate and divine sovereignty?

Fate is a matter of "mechanical necessity" but divine sovereignty is a matter of a personal (Triune!) divine decree. They are as different as the day is long. "Mechanical fate is at the very heart meaningless, merciless, and hopeless. But the certainty of divinely ordered providence is meaningful, merciful, and hopeful" (61).

7. What teachings of Scripture aid us in believing that God controls everything?

Scripture teaches that God created all things, and that both the end and the means were decreed by God.

8. Cite a Scripture text to prove that God controls everything.
Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

Psalm 135:6, "Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places."

Daniel 4:35, "And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?"

Acts 15:18, "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world."

1 Peter 1:2, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."

Read the Psalms

"There is something wrong with a Christianity which rejects the Old Testament, or even with a Christianity which imagines that we are essentially different from the Old Testament saints. If any of you are tempted to feel like that, I would invite you to read the Book of Psalms, and then ask yourself whether you can honestly say from your experience some of the things the Psalmists said. . . . Read the Psalms and the statements made in them, and I think you will agree that these men were children of God with a great and rich spiritual experience" (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Faith on Trial, 11-12).

Sola Fide

Sola Fide.

. . .

Justification by faith alone.

. . .

Galatians 3:6, Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 

. . .

Romans 4:3, 5, 22-25, For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. . . . But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. . . . Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. . . . And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

. . .

The gift of FAITH <-- connects you --> to God's Word of Promise (of imputed righteousness)

. . .

In this book, see pages 63-64 for a clarifying analogy.

More Food for Thought

In the vein of the prior post regarding EMU, more food for thought provided by Peter Leithart on same-sex relationships, gay-marriage, etc., and trending in American culture.

EMU, CCCU, and Listening

From the January/February 2014 issue of Christianity Today, a heading reads "CCCU school mulls shift on same-sex relationships." The short article states:

A Christian college is permitting professors to have same-sex relationships--at least for the next six months. Trustees at Eastern Mennonite University, a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), unanimously voted to let president Loren Swartzendruber lead the school through a "listening period" to review its current ban. During that time, tenure-track faculty will not be penalized for violating current policies which restricts sexual relationships to marriage between one man and one woman.

Personally this is upsetting on two counts: First, I was employed at the largest school in the CCCU from 2002 to 2009, and it is also where I completed my undergraduate degree. This will probably become a watershed event for a watershed issue within CCCU schools. Second, my spiritual heritage (fraternal side of the family) is Mennonite.

I'm not sure where CT gleaned their information regarding tenure-track faculty not being penalized during this six month "listening period" . . . it may be implicit, but nothing is explicitly mentioned in the article from November/2013 at EMU's website. I'm somewhat shocked EMU's original post had open comments. The comments, however, were closed by the "Moderator" after only two days . . . they said they wanted to listen, but not just quite yet.  ;)

1. Moderator says:

   November 20, 2013 at 12:04 pm

   Comments on this blog are now closed. Watch for invitations to speak into the EMU discussion beginning early January 2014.

Death By Living

Death by Living is N. D. Wilson's newest nonfiction book, and sort-of a follow-up to 2009's Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl. I read Notes in 2009, and re-read it in 2010 . . . I also led a men's book study/discussion group over the book. Notes was a fun read. Humorous and rewarding. But at points the prose was forced. However, I just finished reading Death by Living, and it is a great book. Overall, less humorous, but the prose is tight. Reading this book was effortless and sheer joy. Oh, and convicting. 

"Two Things"

"Young men, I beseech you earnestly, beware of pride. Two things are said to be very rare sights in the world--one is a young man that is humble, and the other is an old man that is content. I fear that this is only too true" (J.C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 23).

Know Thyself: Note-Taking or Active Listening?

"Many people find note-taking helpful in retaining the teaching of a sermon. An elderly woman told me, "I take thorough sermon notes. When I bow my knees on Sunday evening, I put my notes in front of me, underline those things that I should strive to put into practice, and then pray through them one at a time." For many people taking notes helps them remember specific ways in which God challenges their hearts. Recognize, however, that note-taking is not for everyone. For some people, writing gets in the way of active listening, because it makes them lose their train of thought. In that case, note taking does more harm than good. Do whatever helps you remember and pray over the sermons you hear" (Joel R. Beeke, The Family at Church: Listening to Sermons and Attending Prayer Meetings, 26).

For example: I have a friend who is an artist. When he takes notes for sermons, he draws illustrations pertaining to the sermon's subject matter, points of application, etc. 

Beware of Pride

"Pride sits in all our hearts by nature. We are born proud. Pride makes us rest content with ourselves--think we are good enough as we are--keep us from taking advice--refuse the gospel of Christ--turn every one to his own way. But pride never reigns anywhere so powerfully as in the heart of a young man" (J.C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 22).

"Hell itself is truth known too late."

"Young men, I want to save you all this sorrow, if I can. Hell itself is truth known too late. Be wise in time. What youth sows, old age must reap. Do not give the most precious season of your life to that which will not comfort you in the latter days of your life. Sow yourselves rather in righteousness; break up your hard ground, don't sow among thorns" (J.C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 18).

Controversy

"In the twenty-first century, few things are more controversial than the Bible's plain teaching on sexuality and gender roles" (Carolyn McCulley, Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World, 188).

Meditating on Sermons

"Mediation helps us digest truth and personalize it. One sermon properly mediated upon with the assistance of the Holy Spirit will do more good than weeks of unapplied sermons" (Joel R. Beeke, The Family at Church: Listening to Sermons and Attending Prayer Meetings, 28).

Active Listening + Prayer

"As you listen to the Word of God, ask yourself, how does God want me to be different on account of this sermon? Ask what God wants you to know what you did not know before. Ask what truths you are learning that he wants you to believe. And ask how He wants you to put those truths into practice. In every sermon you hear--even those on the most basic gospel-themes--God offers you truths to believe and put into practice. Pray for grace to work at listening" (Joel R. Beeke, The Family at Church: Listening to Sermons and Attending Prayer Meetings, 20-21).

Active Listening

"As you listen to the Word of God, ask yourself, how does God want me to be different on account of this sermon? Ask what God wants you to know what you did not know before. Ask what truths you are learning that He wants you to believe. And ask how He wants you to put those truths into practice. In every sermon you hear--even those on the most basic gospel themes--God offers you truths to believe and put into practice. Pray for grace to work at listening" (Joel R. Beeke, The Family at Church: Listening to Sermons and Attending Prayer Meetings, 20-21).

Be Spared Many A Bitter Tear

"Young men, young men, I wish you did but know the comfort of a conscience not burdened with a long list of youthful sins. These are the wounds that pierce the deepest. These are the arrows that drink up a man's spirit. This is the iron that enters into the soul. Be merciful to yourselves. Seek the Lord early, and so you will be spared many a bitter tear" (J.C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men, 17).

Teaching Children About Sermons

"Teach your children that every sermon counts for eternity. Salvation comes through faith, and faith comes through hearing God's Word (Rom. 10:13-16). So every sermon is a matter of life and death (Deut. 32:47; 2 Cor. 2:15-16). The preached gospel will either lift us up to heaven or cast us down to hell. It will advance our salvation or aggravate our condemnation" (Joel R. Beeke, The Family at Church: Listening to Sermons and Attending Prayer Meetings, 11-12).

Defense and Demonstration

"As twenty-first-century evangelical Protestants, we must combine our defense of biblical inerrancy with a positive demonstration of the transforming power of God's Word" (Joel R. Beeke, The Family at Church: Listening to Sermons and Attending Prayer Meetings, 5).

Aphoristic Commentary: Isaiah 59:21

Isaiah 59:21, As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

Generational blessings, that.

Blessings and Benefits

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter VII, Section IV--This covenant of grace is frequently set  forth in Scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed.

A. A. Hodge expounds:

Christ as mediatorial King, administers to his people the benefits of his covenant; and by his providence, his Word, and his Spirit, he causes them to become severally recipients of these blessings, according to his will. These benefits he offers to all men in the gospel. He promises to grant them on the condition they are received. In the case of his own people, he works faith in them, and as their Surety engages for them and makes good all that is suspended upon or conveyed through their agency. In the whole sphere of our experience every Christian duty is a Christian grace; for we can fulfill the conditions of repentance and faith only as it is given to us by our Surety. All Christian graces also involve Christian duties. So that Christ at once purchases salvation for us, and applies salvation to us; commands us to do, and works in us to obey; offers us grace and eternal life on conditions, and gives us the conditions and the grace and the eternal life. What he gives us he expects us to exercise. What he demands of us he at once gives us. Viewed on God's side, faith and repentance are gifts of the Son. Viewed on our side, they are duties and gracious experiences, the first symptoms of salvation begun--instruments wherewith further grace may be attained. Viewed in connection with the covenant of grace, they are elements of the promise of the Father to the Son, conditioned upon his mediatorial work. Viewed in relation to salvation, they are indices of its commencement and conditions sine qua non [something that is essential, something that is indispensable] of its completion (A. A. Hodge, The Confession of Faith, 127-128).

Lord God of Hosts

Lord God of Hosts

Lord God of Hosts will judge the wicked;

Lord God of Hosts will judge righteously.

    To the wicked -- He declares warnings, but

    Words of kindness go out from the Lord's lips

    To the ears of the righteous.

Lord God of Hosts is the LORD;

Lord God of Hosts, in battle, will destroy the wicked.

    But the way of the righteous will prosper.

    The righteous will plant their vineyards;

    And they will drink their wine.

    The righteous will also gather the bounty of their fields.

    They will sing songs to Lord God of Hosts;

    Songs of Thanksgiving for Bread and Wine.

Lord God of Hosts is mighty in battle;

Lord God of Hosts is the King of Kings!

Wise Stubb on Laughter

The wisdom of Stubb: "Because a laugh's the wisest, easiest answer to all that's queer; and come what will, one comfort's always left--that unfailing comfort is, it's all predestinated. . . . Well, Stubb, wise Stubb--that's my title--well, Stubb, what of it, Stubb? Here's a carcase. I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing" (Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 168).

On Not Listening Like A Philistine

In 1 Samuel 5 and 6 the Ark of the Covenant is taken into captivity by the Philistines for seven months. The Ark is bad-news for the Philistines: it brings judgment on the idol-worshipers and judgment on their idols.

The idol-worshipers took the Ark captive, but they don't know what to do with it. The wicked don't know what to do when they are in the presence of a Holy God. Colloquially speaking, the Philistines were freaking out.

And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place (1 Samuel 6:2).

 So they brainstorm to send the Ark away.

The takeaway message:

• Don't listen like a Philistine--they heard God's voice--they saw God's judgment on their idols--but they refused to listen and draw near to the Holy God. Instead of truly listening, and being changed by God's word of judgment, they opted to keep their idols and send the Ark (God) away.
• Don't listen like a Philistine--draw near to God in humility and repentance--chuck your idols, pursue the Holy God that spoke a word of judgment. 

Kudos to Pastor Nate Harlan at Trinity Evangelical Church, Larwill, IN. Content for this post inspired by personal notes from his sermon series from 2009.

Thom Rainer on American Churches in 2014

Thom Rainer recently posted "Fourteen Predictions for American Churches for 2014" at his blog in a two-part post: Part-One (Predictions 1-7) and Part-Two (Predictions 8-14). Below I've listed the "predictions" that caught my attention.

Prediction #2: Downsizing of denominational structures. Many denominational structures are becoming smaller because their churches are declining. Others are feeling economic pinches. This trend of smaller and more efficient denominational structures at all levels will only become more pervasive in 2014. 

Prediction #3: Decline in conversion growth. American churches that grow are more likely to get their growth at the expense of other churches. Evangelism is waning in many churches, and fewer non-believers are becoming Christians. The negative reaction to programmatic evangelistic methods has evolved into an overreaction. Too few churches emphasize personal and church-based evangelism. 

Prediction #7: Increased challenges for congregations to build and acquire land due to restrictive governmental policies. American churches will experience more frustration with governmental authorities as they seek to expand, build, and acquire land. Part of the reason will be due to the authorities’ concern about traffic and congestions. Another part is the underlying concern of losing a property tax base to a nonprofit organization. In a few cases there will be outright animosity and prejudice against Christians and churches. 

Prediction #11: Longer pastoral tenure. There will be incremental but steady growth in the length of tenure of pastors at a given church. Part of the reason is the influence of the Millennials who do not view larger churches as their next step in ministry. Part of the reason is economic; moving in today’s economy is not nearly as easy in pre-recession days. Hopefully, the main reason is a sense of God’s call to stay rather than move. 

Prediction #12: Local churches increasing their roles as ministry training leaders. The role of ministry training in the past decades fell largely upon Bible colleges and seminaries. More churches in 2014 will partner with those colleges and seminaries to provide contextual training at a local church. 

Prediction #14: More multiple teaching/preaching pastors. In larger churches, there has been a decided trend toward having more than one teaching and preaching pastor. Now the trend is taking place in smaller churches. We will see more churches with attendance under 200, even some under 100, with more than one teaching/preaching pastor. Of course, not all of them will be full-time vocationally at the church, so there will be more bi-vocational pastors whose role is to be a second or even third pastor in these smaller churches.