Prayer

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." Karl Barth

Stormin' the gates...

We are going to emphasize prayer this year at Emmanuel. God wants his children to be in close fellowship with him and to communicate intimately and often in prayer. Our desire is to instill a passion for prayer in the personal and corporate life of the believer, and to provide opportunities to learn and practice principles of effective prayer. The Bible says that “..the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church..” Our first line of preparation, defense, and assault against the power of evil in this world is the power of prayer.

Are you ready? Ready to stand strong......on your knees?

The love of God

Frederick M. Lehman penned these marvelous words
about the love of God in Pasedena, CA, in 1917.


The Love of God

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.

When years of time shall pass away, and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray, on rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure, all measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race— the saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above, would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.

Refrain

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

For the Love of God.........

Question: Why did Jesus come to earth?
A: Fast answer, well because He loved us.
Question: Why did Jesus love us?
A: He just does.
Question: But why, why does he love us?
A: Hmmmmm..... good question. Because we are cute? No. Because he was lonely? No. Because he had to? No. Because we can offer him something? No. Because we have anything to offer at all? No.......... I know, because he wants to show up Satan, by winning us back from the devil's clutches. No...... God has nothing to prove to Satan. Satan is a whooped bully, and he knows it....he is just going to go down, all the way down, kicking and screaming and taking as many blind men and women with him as he can.

Question: So, why does God love us?
A: Because he decided to. No more, no less. God decided to love mankind and offer Jesus as a payment for our sin which demands and justly deserves God's eternal anger. He just decided to. God expressed his love to us by letting us live if we turn to him and trust him. That is the simple message of John 3:16.

Question: Why is this important?
A: Because, we are to love the way God loves. By choice, by decision, by our will and not our willy nilly feelings. This is hard for me. I don't like to love others all the time. More often than not, honestly now, I am too busy loving myself to love anybody else. When I love the way God loves, I look at others and say, How can I love you in a way that is not merely loving myself? Do I love my church so I can keep my job? Or do I love them because I choose to be godly, and long for them to taste and see true, pure, unselfish love? Do I love my children so they will obey me and not embarrass me? Or do I love them to model the kind, committed, and yet firm and disciplining love of God? Do I love my wife so she will meet my perceived needs, or do I love her because it is right, and godly, and models what it looks like for Christ to love the Church....warts and all. (My wife doesn't have warts, but she could, and if she did, well....you get it...)

Friends, to be loved by God is to learn to love like God. I want that. I need that. And I have a long way to go. I want to love my family, my church, my friends, and my neighbors the way Gos loves...by choice....for their good...for His glory....for the love of God.

Year's End

From time to time I like to dedicate a little space to post a prayer from the compilation of Puritan prayers called "The Valley of Vision." These are some of the greatest prayers I have read and encourage me to pray for more than health and travel safety, but for things of eternal value.

O LOVE BEYOND COMPARE,

Thou art good when thou givest,
        when thou takest away,
        when the sun shines upon me,
        when night gathers over me.
Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world,
         and in love didst redeem my soul;
Thou dost love me still,
         in spite of my hard heart, ingratitude, distrust.
Thy goodness has been with me during another year,
         leading me through a twisting wilderness,
         in retreat helping me to advance,
         when beaten back making sure headway.
Thy goodness will be with me in the year ahead;
I hoist sail and draw up anchor,
With thee as the blessed Pilot of my future as of my past.
I bless thee that thou hast veiled my eyes to the waters ahead.
If thou hast appointed storms of tribulation,
         thou wilt be with me in them;
If I have to pass through tempests of persecution and temptation,
         I shall not drown;
If I am to die,
         I shall see thy face the sooner;
If a painful end is to be my lot,
         grant me grace that my faith fail not;
If I am to be cast aside from the service I love,
         I can make no stipulation;
Only glorify thyself in me whether in comfort or trial,
         as a chosen vessel meet always for thy use.

Wordworthy

Not being able to sleep early this morning, I began to read a historical fiction account of none other than 'ol Abe Lincoln. Very good writing; made for an interesting read. In fact, I found myself rather swept away into an idyllic Illinois town, circa 1850. Though still nestled away in the sheets of my bed, I seemed far removed, my mind flitting easily away to the events of Abe's rise to the Presidency.

It occurred to me, then, that the written word may certainly be the most powerful medium we currently enjoy. It has been said, of course, the "the pen is mightier than the sword." There is merit to this observation.

It is no wonder, then, that the Johannine gospel account puts such a primacy on the Word (John 1). 2 Timothy 3:15 speaks to its worth as well. The Bible throughout attests to the value of Scripture (Deuteronomy 6). How dare we neglect its reading and application in our daily lives?!

Do you find yourselves bored with the words of Scripture? Do they seem rigid, stodgy, archaic? Consider the source before you discount them entirely, and consider the era in which you live, that largely discounts the value of the written word, anyway. Don't buy into that; there is immeasurable worth in reading, and all the more so when reading the very words of God Himself.



The written word still lives, and will outlive any electronic medium we now enjoy (including this one). It is where we began, it will prevail even over our apocalyptic end, and it is richly imbued with God's stamp of approval. I pray you find afresh and anew an insatiable desire to drink deeply of the Word. It will not return void, He assures you. Happy Reading!

Christmas Truth or Tradition

Last night in our Bible study we read through the Christmas stories in the gospels of Matthew and Luke then had a discussion using this quiz on what parts of the traditional Christmas story are based in the biblical story. Take a look at the quiz and see how much of your Christmas understanding is based on popular music or on the Bible.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Also for your viewing pleasure, check out this video clip from "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

The Good, the Right, and the Difference

As I knelt to pray this morning, I found myself praying, "Not Your will, Father, but mine be done." Of course, I wasn't that overt, and had the Spirit not chided me otherwise, I would have felt perfectly justified in my prayer. You see, I wasn't praying for anything consummately selfish, or self-satisfying. Rather, I was praying "good" things, and therein lies the rub, as they say.

So often, we pray for, hope for, desire, and effect the "good" that we presume must be God's will. How many of us would have prayed for young Joseph to have gone through all that he did (Genesis 37-40), only to have it later undermined by his own statement, "you (my brothers) meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20). How true it is that "the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26).

Are your groanings your own? I fear mine often are. How can I pray anything less than the Lord's will as expressed in Scripture, and think that my desires and my good intentions are somehow superlative to His?

I would challenge you, then, to check yourself as you pray, and not to be so hasty to pray for the easing of pain, the eradication of tragedy, or the erasure of all that seems uncomfortable and inconvenient. Think about it: While you and I may enjoy a certain discernment between what is right and wrong, can we honestly say, in our sinful depravity, that we best know what should be done in such situations? Can we presume upon God's omni-everything, and pray assuredly for all to be well? I dare say not!

I leave you with two quotes from men brighter than I:
"Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by
unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected
things, ‘above all that we ask or think'" (Andrew Murray).

"We are urgent about the body; He is about the soul. We call for present
comforts; He considers our everlasting rest. And therefore when He sends not
the very things we ask, He hears us by sending greater than we can ask or think" (Richard Cecil).

A Practice, Not a Program

Below is a great article from sfpulpit.com (the "Magazine" of the Shepherds Fellowship) on how evangelism should work in the church. As one of the "evangelists" of our church, I think this is one of the most important emphases I could make on evangelism at Emmanuel. We are all called to rely on God to share the gospel with everyone we meet. Some are more gifted than others, but they are to teach and encourage the rest. Sometimes I find it frustrating when people are apathetic towards evangelism. They see the team doing the work through various events and programs and feel they don't need to participate or step out in their own lives. The most effective "method" of evangelism is when individuals in the church get involved in the lives of non-Christians and share the message of God's judgment on sin, repentance, and faith in Christ who died in our place and now reigns in Heaven. Our team is only here to support, encourage, and celebrate the individual efforts of everyone in the church. May we all be less complacent about the lost souls in our lives.

---

(By Jesse Johnson)

The following is an article Jesse wrote for our church’s weekly bulletin, Grace Today. “What does your church do for evangelism?”

I was meeting with a group of outreach pastors from other large churches in our nation. The topic was what our churches do to transform our communities. When the question about what we “do for evangelism” came my way, I knew the expected answer would look like a list of programs. People around the table—many of them from some of the most program-driven, seeker-sensitive churches in the country—turned to me. They were curious about what Pastor MacArthur’s church does to impact our community.

The man repeated, “What does your church do for evangelism?”

“We evangelize,” I answered. As the group laughed, thinking I was joking, it occurred to me that my answer was more profound that I had intended.

At Grace Church, our philosophy of evangelism hinges on the idea that evangelism is not a program. A church does not transform a community through activities and events. In fact, church-sponsored evangelism programs generally do not produce results. Rather, a church impacts its community through the lives of its members. The kingdom is expanded as believers are faithful in evangelism in their individual lives.

All believers are to be active in evangelism. In fact, all four Gospels end with Jesus commanding believers to bring salvation to the lost (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; John 20:21). Jesus’ last earthly words were another repetition of this same command, to bear witness to the gospel (Acts 1:8). It is not an overstatement to say that all Christians should be driven by a love for evangelism. After all, it is our mission in life.

But while all Christians are called to be active in evangelism, not all Christians are equally gifted at this particular calling. Acts 21:8 and Ephesians 4:11 both imply that some have the gift of evangelism and some do not. But God in His wisdom has still called all Christians to evangelize.

Thus, one of the marks of a Christian is a love for evangelism. If you are fearful, evangelism gives you the opportunity to trust God for courage. If you are timid, evangelism gives you an opportunity to trust God for confidence. Christians are slaves to Christ, soldiers in His service, and sons of God. Our master, our general, and our Father has given us our orders: to reach the lost with the hope of the gospel.

As Christians, we love what God loves, and God loves the lost. As we become more and more sanctified, we become more and more like Christ. This growth causes us to grow in our love for those who are still God’s enemies.

Grace Church impacts our community because our members love those in our community. This love results in us reaching out to the lost, presenting the gospel to them, and seeing some of them saved. As we do this, our church grows, and our evangelism results in changed lives. In fact, 2 Corinthians 4:15 says “that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” In other words, the more we evangelize, the more God’s grace extends to our community. And the more His grace extends, the more He is glorified.
Don’t get me wrong—we do have evangelistic programs and outreaches, and we do have structured events. But what has consistently produced more fruit than any program is the faithfulness of individuals who express their love for their neighbors through evangelism.

So the next time someone asks you what our church does for evangelism, the answer is simple. We evangelize.

Shape Up, Or Sin Out!

There is a universal law in our world termed entropy, and I fear it is true of myself as well. Entropy states that there is a "inevitable and steady deterioration of a system," and my life suffers from it, for sure. Just as things tend to degress naturally (i.e., the cleanliness of my room), so does my spiritual life, which is life itself, to be quite true.

Isn't it true that we are most drawn to prayer when we are at our most pathetic? Don't we often look to God when things are going poorly? Why is that? When skies are sunny and temperatures mild, do we think to go to the One who made them that way?

It seems if I were to take a more preventative stance in my guard against sin, I wouldn't lurch from this spiritual seesaw, "being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine." I mean, let's be honest, we need no false prophets to succumb to the allures of erroneous doctrine. It takes only a furtive glance, a misplaced word, an unguarded mind.

I am challenged to guard against my entropic tendencies, and not rest on the victories of today. As a sinner, I can quickly err tomorrow. It is, perhaps, what we commit to in the easier times that proves us victorious in the hard ones. So, pray in earnest, and do so often. "Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think," and give yourself undue license to indulge.

An athelete proves himself in the offseason; a farmer commits when the ground lies fallow; a soldier enlists before the battle cry ever sounds. A Christian, then, must resolve now that they'll remain ever ready for the Lord's return, lest they be found lacking oil for their lamps (Matthew 25). "The spirit is willing," eh, "but the flesh is indeed weak." Allow the Spirit of God to do vigilant work in your life, then, and avoid the 'slippery skin' you're in.

References: Ephesians 4:14; Romans 12:3; 2 Timothy 2; Matthew 26:41

Christ, Our Judge & Lawgiver

Lord, haste the day when we enjoy the writings of clear, concise thinkers like
R. A. Torrey and John Owens! I have been encouraged yet again by but a few pages of our Puritan brother, John Owens. In his work Sin and Temptation, he deals with the efficacy of the Law to prevail over sin. There is, of course, no such thing, as the Law instead acts to give us knowledge of sin (Romans 7:7; "I had not known sin, but by the law"). The Law even manages to magnify our sin, demonstrating our tremendous need of a Savior.

So, what do we do? We strain and strive to live rightly, casting aside the gross, objectionable sins, while paving the way for the dark insidiousness of "blindness, superstition, self-righteousness, and pride." Per Owens, "what sin loses sensually, it gains spiritually" in these various areas. How often we find ourselves mustering in our own strength and resolve to prevail over sin, ignoring "true gospel grace," as Owens terms it. He makes a powerful analogy: "Locking up wild beasts does not change them, for the inward violence remains. Likewise, it is grace alone that changes the heart of man."

I pray today that you find yourselves not in a humanly straining towards holiness, but in a Godward straining towards the Savior. I am convinced that much of our struggle with sin is in an attempt to conquer it ourselves, rather than leaning on the singular One who proved victorious over it. The spotless, righteous Lamb of God, who was in every way tempted, and yet evidenced no inkling of leaning towards it. Surely He shall prove strong to save, and Victor over sin and its entanglements. Surely we would be wise to place our faith in Him. Though we be His disciples, we are often found to be of such little faith, are we not? Choose this day to lean wholly on Him, and not on your own surmising. As the Law demonstrates your need, go to Him for its satisfaction.

This Month's Memory Verses

James 4:7-11 (HCSB)

James 4:7—To recite Nov. 11th: Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:8—To recite Nov. 18th: Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!

James 4:9—To recite Nov. 25th: Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow.

James 4:10—To recite Dec. 2nd: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

James 4:11—To recite Dec. 9th: Don't criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

What are areas in your life in which you struggle to be obedient to God because you have weaknesses there?
 Being a more courageous witness of the gospel
 Committing to study the Bible daily
 Leading a Bible study
 Saying no to sin under pressure from others
 Submitting to an authority you disagree with
 Turning the other cheek when someone wrongs you, leaving justice to God
 Missing worship because you are busy or tired
 Giving money to the church when your finances are tight
 Praying in front of others for fear of sounding silly

Often we hear a multitude of excuses for disobedience:
 Knowing we should be better at evangelism we say, “Well, I’m just not a very good speaker…I’m scared I will be thought of as a fanatic…I don’t know what to say.”
 People tell me they don’t study their Bibles because they are good at reading.
 We lash out at people when we feel we have been wronged, and we say that they had it coming, or they deserved retribution.
 When we wake up Sunday morning feeling like a truck ran over us, we think that its not a big deal if we miss church this one time.

There are always good reasons why we shouldn’t do something. The priest and the Levite who passed by the beaten traveler in the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) probably had great excuses for not helping the man. The question is, are we being obedient to the call of God’s commands, whether we feel equipped or not.

Take a look at some examples of people in the Bible who were afraid to obey.
 Moses – Exodus 3 and 4
o Moses said he couldn’t speak very well
o God said He will give him the strength to lead Israel out of Egypt
 Gideon – Judges 6
o Gideon said he was the weakest in his house, from the weakest clan in Manasseh and couldn’t lead Israel into battle.
o God said He will be with him to defeat the Midianites.
 Esther
o This unknown Jewish girl was made queen and was called by God to save the Jews from annihilation.
 Jeremiah – Jeremiah 1:5-10
o Jeremiah said he was too young to take God’s word to the nations.
o God said He would put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth.
 Jesus’ Disciples – Matthew 26:56, 26:69-75
o The disciples fled in fear when Jesus was arrested and Peter even denied knowing Jesus.
o God gave His Holy Spirit to them and they were bold preachers to their deaths.
 Paul – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
o Paul was a poor speaker. He looked like a bum. He was weak, fearful, and trembling when he preached the gospel.
o Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin, and a respected Jewish leader. He had seen Christ himself and had seen into heaven. But he refused to try and convince people of his message by using his own accomplishments. He rejoiced in his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 4:7, 11:30, 12:5-9) so that God’s power and glory would be magnified.

We were promised persecution. It is natural to fear it, but we should be overcoming it, fearing God more than man (Matthew 10:28). Allow your fear to drive you to trust more in Him who will strengthen you and accomplish His will through you. You will begin to see amazing things happening when you trust God in your weaknesses instead of using them as excuses. Prayer will become MUCH more important. Studying the Word becomes increasingly vital to ministry. Thoughts are less often focused on what will happen to you and more on seeing God’s will be done. After the fear is gone and the task is accomplished, you will step back and praise God for doing such a mighty work through you. You suddenly realize that most of the fears were sinful exaggerations of the power of other people. God becomes more real to you because you were trusting in His strength to obey in something you otherwise never would have been able to carry out.

Can you recall any time you experienced great fear, but relying on God, stepped forward in faith to obey? Were you still thinking about yourself or thanking God for His greatness? Did you experience the same fears the next time you were called to obey?

“The weaker the human instrument, there more clearly God’s grace shines forth.” – John MacArthur

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela

How to Pray: The Final Chapter

This is a lengthy portion of the work, as he lists the various hindrances to our prayers. Here goes!

1. (I LOVE this!!) The true purpose in prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer. If we ask any petition merely that we may receive something to use in our pleasures or in our own gratification in one way or another, we "ask amiss" (James 4:3).

Torrey lists a few examples of this, but the most poignant is this: The wife of an unbelieving husband may "pray amiss" that her husband might be saved, for the fear that he "might die and be lost forever." Her true desire should be his salvation because she can't bear the thought that "God the Father should be dishonored by her husband trampling underfoot the Son of God." WOW!! That's radical!

2. Another hindrance to our prayers may be that some sin in the present is cherished, and is very likely not even looked upon as sin. In Torrey's own experience, he remembers confessing, "If this is wrong, I will give it up," when he knew full well that it was wrong. It is no wonder, then, that he received no answer, even though it seemed to him that he must have his request or God would be dishonored. When at last he said, "This is wrong. I have sinned. I will give it up," he found peace, and an assurance of his request having been answered.

For this reason, "anyone who would have power in prayer must be merciless in dealing with his own sins." If there be "any controversy with God," we cannot expect Him to heed our prayers.

3. Perhaps of even more hindrance than this is how idolatrous we so easily become, a point to which Ezekiel 14:3 speaks: "Son of man (speaking to the prophet), these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?" asks the Lord. We all know that idols are not simply of stone or wood, and there certainly are not remnants of the past; nevertheless, we often overlook our own idolatries in this present age, presuming them justified. Ezekiel 14:3 applies as much today as then.

4. Yet another hindrance to our prayers, so often overlooked, is that of a lack of generosity. I'll allow the Word to speak for itself: Luke 6:38 says "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Certainly God answers our requests with an eye to those we have answered around us. Again, 1 John 3:21-22: "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. Consider the context, as it is made in "direct connection with generosity toward the needy." Finally, consider that "my God shall fulfill every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). This, too, was made in direct reference to the generosity of the Philippian church.

5. Per Torrey, "When one thinks of the selfishness of the professing church today (circa 1904), how the orthodox churches of this land do not average one dollar per year per member for foreign missions, it is no wonder that the church has so little power in prayer." Can it be that dissimilar in our present day, if not worse?

6. Torrey further states that "an unforgiving spirit is one of the commonest hindrances to prayer," because, whether we like it or not, we get a certain "miserable gratification in hating somebody."

7. "Many a man who makes great pretensions to piety, and is very active in Christian work, but shows little consideration in his treatment of his wife" is hindering his prayers, according to 1 Peter 3:7. The same applies to "many a woman who is very devoted to the church, and very faithful in attendance upon all services, but treats her husband with the most unpardonable neglect, being cross and peevish toward him, and wounding him by the sharpness of her speech and ungovernable temper." Furthermore, "there is much of sin covered up under the holy name of marriage that is a cause of spiritual deadness."

8. The final hindrance listed is that of unbelief. God demands that we believe His Word absolutely. To question it is to make Him a liar. How many prayers are hindered by our wretched unbelief! (And so I find myself)

9. In Torrey's final chapter, he recounts when to pray, drawing from Christ's example.
a. "in the morning" (Mark 1:35) - More can be accomplished in prayer in the first hours of the day than at any other time during the day, so that the first thing we do each day should be to go alone with God and face the duties, the temptations, and the service of that day, and get strength from God for them all.
b. "in the night hours" (Luke 6:12) - In the night hours the world is hushed in slumber, and we can easily be alone with God and have undisturbed communion with Him.
c. "before great crisis" (Luke 3:21-22; 6:12-13; 9:18, 28-29; 22:39-46; mark 1:35-38). He found Himself in many crises, and prayed consistently over them. "He prepared for every important crisis by a protracted season of prayer."
d. "after great achievements and important crises" (Matthew 14:23; John 6:15) - Many and many a man in answer to prayer has been endued with power and thus has wrought great things in the name of the Lord, and when these great things were accomplished, instead of going alone with God and humbling himself before Him and giving Him all the glory for what was achieved, he has congratulated himself upon what has been accomplished, has become puffed up, and God has been obliged to lay him aside." A lot there, but very true.
e. "when life is busy" (Luke 5;15-16) - the more the work crowded, the more He prayed.
f. "before great temptations" (Matthew 26:36) - in Gethsemane, especially. "many of the temptations of life we can see approaching from the distance, and in such cases the victory should be won before the temptation really reaches us."
g. "without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18) - "There should be a constant upward looking of the soul to God."

Prayer: Plain & Simple 2

For those of you who have been waiting anxiously to hear more of what R. A. Torrey has to say regarding prayer, I ask, "Why haven't you bought the book yet?" After finishing the read today, though, I am excited to jot down Torrey's concluding thoughts on the subject.

1. God delights in the holy boldness that will not take no for an answer. We must come with "importunity," meaning literally, with "shamelessness." To do so is an expression of great faith, and nothing pleases God more than faith (hence Christ's constant exhortation to those of 'little faith.'). A contrary example would be that of Matthew 15:28. Check it out.

2. Many people call it submission to the will of God when God does not grant them their requests at the first or second asking, and they say, "Well, perhaps it is not God's will." As a rule, says Torrey, this is not submission but spiritual laziness.

3. To abide in Christ (John 15:7) is to renounce all life independent of Christ and constantly to look to Him for the inflow of His life into us, and the outworking of His life through us.

4. When our prayers fail, it is because they are indeed our prayers. We have conceived the desire and framed the petition of ourselves, instead of looking to Christ to pray through us.

5. There are many who wonder why they are so powerless in prayer, but the very simple explanation of it all is found in their neglect of the words of Christ. It is not by seasons of mystical meditation and rapturous experiences that we learn to abide in Christ; it is by feeding upon His Word (this was especially piercing to me). And, be mindful that "mere intellectual study of the Word of God is not enough; there must be meditation upon it."

6. We should be just as definite in returning thanks as we are in prayer. We come to God with most specific petitions, but when we return thanks to Him, our thanksgiving is indefinite and general. Doubtless our heavenly Father refuses to answer petitions that we send up to Him in order that we may be brought to a sense of our ingratitude and taught to be thankful.

7. Returning thanks for blessings already received increases our faith, and reminds us that "there is nothing too hard for the Lord."

Pride is not good......

I found this clip about pride on a catholic website and thought it was pretty good.....

There is a species of pride in every sin, whatever may be the individual nature of the sin itself. Pride is the most dangerous of sins, because it blinds our understanding, and unless something finally makes us realize the truth, we are liable to go on, day after day, in a spiritual self-delusion, imagining our acts to be good and virtuous when certain habits actually may be vicious. When we are blinded by pride, we do not consider our talents and abilities as God’s gifts to us, but attribute our good qualities to ourselves, with the right to use them as we see fit. Everybody is infected with the virus of pride! But there is a particular kind of pride in each individual; at least a particular kind dominates, though there may be several of its viruses in the same character.

This pride determines our temperament or our type of character, or at least is intimately related to it. Searching into our type of pride is very important for obtaining a true knowledge of ourselves, and for making fruitful efforts to root out sin and vice from our life. If we are of a sanguine temperament, our pride takes the form of self-centeredness. We want to be the “hub of the wheel”; we want others to notice us. We are touchy and easily offended. Our pride goads us to seek fame, praise, admiration. We fall into vainglory. If we have a choleric temperament, our pride is manifested in a strong self-will. We find it hard to submit to others or to yield to their opinions. We are often overbearing, critical, given to arguing, inflated with a sense of superiority, inconsiderate of the rights of others. If we are melancholic, our pride conceals itself under the garb of self-pity and oversensitiveness. Resentment, harboring grudges, suspicion, and unexpressed hostility are included in it. Often this pride is not recognized for what it is because it conceals itself as such, so we do not confess it as pride. If we have a phlegmatic character, our pride inclines us to self-complacency and vanity. We are likely to be shocked by faults in others, but quite satisfied with our own selves. Pride of superiority makes us want to control the lives of others, to impose ourselves on them, to “domineer” over them. It makes our will rigid and unbending when others assert authority. It is a self-will and obstinacy that sets us against the will of God, opposes our neighbor and makes us inflexible in carrying out the dictates of our own self-love.

Anger, indignation, arrogance, the spirit of contradiction and haughtiness are some of its offspring. This pride is usually rooted in a strongly opinionated mind which makes us refuse to see the light of reason or the truth evidenced by principles of revealed Faith. This unwillingness actually fosters ignorance. It is the pride which keeps many from entering the Church, or returning to the practice of the Faith when they have fallen away. Closely connected with this kind of pride—or perhaps we should say another name for it—is the pride of independence. This leads us to disobedience and insubordination, to contempt and arrogant contradiction, to refusal of advice and assistance, to resentment of reproof by lawful authority, to blasphemy against God, bitter cursing, oaths and irreverences in word and act. Delusions in regard to our own defects, self-conceit, attributing to ourselves our good qualities of mind, of person or of fortune—rather than to God, reveal pride of intellect. Sins against Faith arise from this pride.

Ok, now what did You say?

The Bible is replete with countless paradoxes, it seems, and one which the Lord has recently brought to my attention is that of "diligent rest" (Hebrews 4:11). "Diligence," by definition, is marked by "persevering, painstaking effort," which seems diametrically opposed to any definition of "rest" that I can conceive. Nevertheless, in the kingdom of God, this paradox, like many others, breaks down completely, once the power of God is entered into the equation. Luke 18:27 sums up this point well.

Regarding Hebrews 4:11, and the verses following, I can do no better than quote it in its entirety. It says this:

" Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

The "same example of disobedience" to which the writer refers is that of the nation of Israel, as they failed to enter the Promised Land, because of their rebellion. We must strive earnestly, then, to enter the promised rest, which has been prepared for us by the Lord Jesus Himself (John 14:2). But, we don't do this in our own strength, do we? We've no power to accomplish what we must, and our strivings fail miserably. Rather, we weigh ourselves against the Word of God, allowing it to discern our thoughts and intents of the heart. Too often, we try to discern/distill what we would like to take from the Word, picking and parsing until it says nothing more than our own preconceived thoughts. Per Jeremiah 17:9, this is a dastardly plan, and patently flawed.

What shall we do, then? What hope do we have? Verse 13 of Hebrews 4 reminds us that "no creature is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." He sees right through you. Try as you might, you cannot enter that rest by your own workings and yearnings. Lean wholly, then, upon the "great High Priest, Jesus the Son of God," since He lives always to intercede for the saints (Hebrews 7:25). Only then can we "come boldly to the throne of grace," obtaining mercy and finding grace in our time of need. Brothers and sisters, we are needy people. "I Need Thee Every Hour;" you know that song? How true it is!

So, yeah, go ahead and rest. Rest in Him, though, not your own laurels or self-satisfaction. Diligently strive to come before the Word, that your deeds may be exposed, and your faith driven to trust in His intercession, His perfected work, His supplanting of your grave failings. Here is where true rest is found; peaceful, conscience-clean, quiet rest.

Members of the Local Body

I want to point out that there are two definitions of the church. Jesus said that He will build His church, meaning that every person who He calls from darkness into the light (i.e. Christian) is part of the church. Every believer around the world is in fellowship with one another as part of the body of Christ. The second part of the church is the local congregation. When God calls us out of the world, He gives us certain spiritual gifts and sends us to serve with those gifts in a local body of believers. The latter meaning is what I mean to discuss.

Why do we join a church? There are reasons that benefit us individually and reasons that benefit the group as a whole. This could be answered in many long books, but I wanted to explore the importance and the command for us to be an active part in a church home.

There is a common tendency in American Christianity for people to attend a church for a while on Sundays, but not get involved enough to be held accountable by the rest of the church. They feel comfortable enough to sing some praise and hear a nice message and are to be left alone for the rest of the week. As soon as they begin to feel uncomfortable, they move on to the next church in town. Why is it important for us to be more involved than this?

First of all, when we are saved by the grace of God through faith in the Savior, we are given new desires. Upon conversion we have fellowship, with other believers and we know that we are saved because we have a special love for others in Christ. If you have no desire to be part of the body of Christ, you need to spend some time examining your own faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Have you ever heard someone say that they don’t need to go to church to be a Christian? While technically it is true, there is something very wrong with that statement. If you are a Christian, you desire to be in church. It is the highlight of your week to be fed meat from the Word and to worship your King. Additionally, as Paul tells the Corinthians in the twelfth chapter of his first letter to them, the Holy Spirit gives each of us special gifts to be used in the body. We are one unit made up of many parts (v. 12). Each one of us is sent to do a task as part of the body; some are ears or noses, some are hands or feet and we cannot operate properly as a body if we are missing a part. An individual cannot say they don’t need to be in church to be a Christian because the church needs the gifts God gave to them to function as the church Christ calls them to be in the world. There are no inferior gifts (v. 21 -26); every person is vital to the church, and needs to be held accountable by the rest of the body.

To be part of the church is to be growing and to help others to Grow. Ephesians 4:11, 12 says there are some people in the church who are specifically gifted to help the rest of the church. The teacher isn’t simply there to teach, but to help others to be able to teach the truths of Scripture during the week. The evangelist isn’t there to do all of the evangelism for the church, but to help you be more faithful in your own evangelism efforts. Our evangelism team doesn’t meet on Wednesday nights just so we can do evangelism, but so we can help the rest of you “go, make disciples.” We need to be in church to share our gift with others to help others with their gifts and to grow our own gifts.

Joining a church is not about how it benefits you, a set of rights you gain, a group of friends you acquire, or social-service club to attend. Being part of the church shows the world your new heart that displays godly fruit in your service at the church. It shows a love for the brethren and willingness to be held accountable to them for the growth in your life. It takes a good shot to the pride to submit yourself to the direction and authority of the church. Many people don’t join a church because they still want to be able to back out quietly if things get difficult. This is simply a manifestation of pride and rebellion against God’s call in your life to be joined to the body.

What does active membership look like? How does a member behave who is in participation in a local congregation? By definition of the fellowship, the church must only be comprised of believers, who therefore act according to godliness growing in Christlikenss and desiring more intimate knowledge of Him. Keeping non-Christians out of membership protects the members from false teaching and avoiding unnecessary complication, infection and discord. Unregenerate attenders have no spiritual gifts to contribute to the body, so there is no reason to try and graft them in by our own efforts. Members must display a lifestyle of continual repentance of sin and belief in Christ.

What other fruits are evident in members? Christians have a desire to be in worship, so regular attendance is expected. If someone who claims to be a believer is often absent from the gathering of believers, something must be deficient in their spiritual life allowing them to not feel like they are missing out on worship and teaching from the Word.

An amazing thing about Christians is that no matter how little we have, we still desire to give. Paul commended the Macedonian churches (2 Corinthians 8:1-8, 9:1-5) for giving money to the other churches despite their severity of their own trials and extreme poverty. They were so overcome with generosity that individuals gave money beyond their ability. A good book that is very convicting on the subject is Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn. Alcorn discusses how the ten percent that we are all accustomed to hearing about is actually training wheels to our giving. We should start out with ten percent of our gross income and feel such overflowing joy in giving that we desire to give more to the church. A Christian understands that all of their money is God’s and desires to use the money God has given to him to use for the church not for selfish gain.

Another large part of the New Testament gatherings is the coming together for the breaking of the bread. An ordinance established for the remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice for us, it brings us all together to share in this commonality. We should thirst for this time together when we confess our sins and consider the depth of His work on the cross.

The least glamorous aspect of church membership is the dreaded business meeting. It seems so dry and pointless to attend business meetings, but the huge decisions that influence the direction of the church are made here and the majority of the members aren’t even present. Often times, there are so few people present that a few people can have more influence in the church than they should; a minority of members tends to make the majority of the decisions. Most of us are so uninvolved in the church that we could show up one Sunday and wonder when a change was made. If we care enough about the body we are a part of, we should be in attendance whenever decisions need to be made so we can apply our gifts, knowledge, and experience to the pressing issues of the church.

Failing to emphasize the importance and obligations of membership allow people to be part of the church without any accountability and encourage a weak witness of Christ within the community. The church fails to make its budget continually because only 8% of professing Christians give 10% of their income. The majority of the church’s decisions are made by the outspoken minority because most of the members don’t think it’s important enough to attend meetings. Without proper discipline when sin appears in members of the church, the church looks like the world and offers no alternative of purity and love to the world. When we don’t fulfill our obligations to the church we say to the world that we are no different; we are selfish with our money, we let other people do the work for us, and we aren’t committed to repentance and righteousness. We also give professing Christians who are unconverted excuses for their sinful behavior, believing that everyone else in church is sinning without any discipline. For the sake of non-Christians, for immature believers, for the church, for ourselves, and for the gospel of Christ, we need to be an essential member in a local church.

Additional Study:
9Marks Ministry: Mark 6: A Biblical Understanding of Membership
Grace Community Church’s Membership Statement
Book When People Are Big and God is Small. Read the chapters on the proper understanding who you are. It discusses how your Christian walk is more than a “personal relationship with Christ.” It is also a relationship with His body, the church.
TeamPyro Blog Posts discussing the importance of being part of a good church:
The Church
Coleco vs. NFL
Why I Left
How to Stay Well
How to Feed the Children
Some Mixture of Error
Your Whole House, and Everything in It
The Tombstone of a Wife

Resting on your oars.....

This quote is from The Soul Winner by Charles Hadden Spurgeon.

"One thing more, the soul winner must be a master of the art of prayer. You cannot bring souls to God if you do not go to God yourself. You must get your battle ax and your weapons of war from the armory of sacred communication with Christ. If you are much alone with Jesus, you will catch His Spirit. You will be fired with the flame that burned in His breast and consumed His life. You will weep with the tears that fell upon Jerusalem when He saw it perishing. And if you cannot speak so eloquently as He did, yet shall there be about what you say somewhat of the same power which in Him thrilled the hearts and awoke the consciences of men. My dear hearers, especially you members of the church, I am always so anxious lest any of you should begin to lie upon your oars and take things easy in the matters of God's Kingdom. There are some of you, I bless you and I bless God at the remembrance of you who are in season and out of season in earnest for winning souls. And you are the truly wise. But I fear there are others whose hands are slack, who are satisfied to let me preach but do not themselves preach, who take these seats and occupy these pews and hope the cause goes well but that is all they do."

Brothers, do not rest on your oars!!

Prayer: Plain & Simple

If you're not already familiar with the writings of R.A. Torrey, I would say get familiar. His undeterred exposition of the Word serves him well, and results in a no-nonsense approach to the subject of "How to Pray," which serves as the title of his classical work on the subject. Perhaps Rosalie de Rosset says it best: "Deceptively simple, organized, and clear, Torrey's book, while addressing familiar concepts, is anything but cliched." I'll simply list some enumerated points Torrey makes regarding prayer, referring you to my church's blog for any further commentary (http://ebcrochester.blogspot.com).

1. Ephesians 6:18 - "With all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."
--Paul realized the natural slothfulness of man, and especially his natural slothfulness in prayer.

2. Regarding James 4:2, the secret of the poverty and powerlessness of the average Christian is the neglect of prayer.

3. "Praying is the principal thing Christ is doing in these days," after the ascension, as he ever liveth to make intercession, according to Hebrews 7:25. "That is the principal occupation at present of my risen Lord;" ergo, it shall be mine.

4. "The measure of our appropriation of grace is determined by the measure of our prayers," per the application of Hebrews 4:16.

5. "God delights to have us 'shameless' beggars," being constant and persistent in our asking, "for it shows our faith in Him, and He is mightily pleased with faith."

6. "When we ask something definite of God, and He gives it, how real God becomes!"

7. "There is no greater joy on earth or in heaven than communion with God, and prayer in the name of Jesus brings us into communion with Him."

8. "Oh, the unutterable joy of those moments when in our prayers we really press into the presence of God!"

9. "Time spent in prayer is not wasted but time invested at big interest."

10. Per Luke 21:34-36, Torrey posits that "there is only one way in which we can be prepared for the coming of the Lord when He appears, that is, through much prayer."

11. "In very much of our prayer, there is really but little thought of God. Our mind is taken up with the thought of what we need, or our mind is wandering here and there throughout the world."

12. In approaching God in prayer, we must first wrestle with the immensity of His might and love, and "should not be in hasty in words."

13. Regarding "prayer without ceasing," it literally means to pray "stretched-out-ed-ly," with an earnest and intense desire. It is the same word that describes Christ's prayer in Luke 22:44, where "His sweat was as it were great drops of blood." That, then, is a "stretching out toward God in intense and agonizing desire."

14. Regarding Matthew 18:19, it speaks not simply of casual acquiescence, but rather of the instance "where there is real agreement, where the Spirit of God brings two believers into perfect harmony as concerning that which they may ask of God, where the Spirit lays the same burden on two hearts; in all such prayer there is absolutely irresistible power."

15. "Much prayer is insincere. People ask for things that they do not wish."

...more to come...

New Beginning

Each Sunday I would like to dedicate a little space to post a prayer from the compilation of Puritan prayers called "The Valley of Vision." These are some of the greatest prayers I have read and encourage me to pray for more than health and travel safety, but for things of eternal value.

INCOMPREHENSIBLE, GREAT AND CLORIOUS GOD,

adore thee and abase myself.
I approach thee mindful that I am less than nothing,
   a creature worse than nothing.
My thoughts are not screened from thy gaze.
My secret sins blaze in the light of thy countenance.
Enable me to remember that blood which cleanseth all sin,
   to believe in that grace which subdues all iniquities,
   to resign myself to that agency which can
      deliver me from the bondage of corruption
      into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
Thou hast begun a good work in me
   and canst alone continue and complete it.
Give me an increasing conviction of my tendency to err,
   and of my exposure to sin.
Help me to feel more of the purifying, softening influence of religion,
   its compassion, love, pity, courtesy,
   and employ me as thy instrument in blessing others.
Give me to distinguish
   between the mere form of godliness and its power,
   between life and a name to live,
   between guile and truth,
   between hypocrisy and a religion that will bear thy eye.
If I am not right, set me right, keep me right;
And may I at last come to thy house in peace.

One Man's Trash...

Check out this article from Tim Challies. He talks about the show Antiques Roadshow where things that were apparently junk often are revealed to be great treasure. What an awesome picture of how we used to think of Jesus as unimportant and then God opens our eyes and reveals Him as the greatest treasure of all.

For a little extra conviction. Consider if you were on the show and found out that your junk was worth $1,000,000. Would that bring you to tears? Would you jump for joy? Would you run to tell everybody you know? What was your reaction when you realized that Christ is your infinite treasure? Or haven't you realized that yet?

Humiliation

Each Sunday I would like to dedicate a little space to post a prayer from the compilation of Puritan prayers called "The Valley of Vision." These are some of the greatest prayers I have read and encourage me to pray for more than health and travel safety, but for things of eternal value.

I also realize this is not Sunday and I have fallen behind on these so I am starting back up again.

hen clouds of darkness, atheism, and unbelief come to me,
I see thy purpose of love in withdrawing the Spirit that I might prize him more,
in chastening me for my confidence in past successes,
that my wound of secret godlessness might be cured.
Help me to humble myself before thee by seeing the vanity of honour
as a conceit of men’s minds,
as standing between me and thee;
by seeing that thy will must alone be done,
as much in denying as in giving spiritual enjoyments;
by seeing that my heart is nothing but evil,
mind, mouth, life void of thee;
by seeing that sin and Satan are allowed power in me that I might know my sin,
be humbled, and gain strength thereby;
by seeing that unbelief shuts thee from me,
so that I sense not thy majesty, power, mercy, or love.
Then possess me, for thou only art good and worthy.

Thou dost not play in convincing me of sin,
Satan did not play in tempting me to it,
I do not play when I sink in deep mire,
for sin is no game, no toy, no bauble;
Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature of the sin committed,
as in the greatness of the Person sinned against.
When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch,
but that in Christ I am reconciled, made alive, and satisfied;
that I am feeble and unable to do any good,
but that in him I can do all things;
that what I now have in Christ is mine in part,
but shortly I shall have it perfectly in heaven.

Standing in the Presence of God

Imagine you are out for a stroll through the park. The sun is shining, warming your skin to the perfect comfort. The leaves are rustling in the slight breeze. You notice the birds in the branches singing their songs and the squirrels chattering at you as you disrupt their hunt for acorns. The many colors of the leaves, grass, flowers, and birds blend together more perfectly than a rainbow. You can’t help but be thankful to God for providing such a beautiful place to enjoy His creation.

Then He suddenly appears face to face with you. When you think of God’s character, what attributes come to mind? What would you do when confronted by Him? What would you say? How you answer the questions will give you some insight into how highly you think of God and of yourself. A proper understanding of God’s Holiness and your own sinfulness drives you closer to the Savior and deeper into your calling.

The word holy is very difficult to define. Literally, it means to be separate. In Bible study, we once talked about what it means to be consecrated and we discussed it as being set aside for specific use. When we are saved, God makes us holy, cleansing us and making us different from the world to be used for His glory. Holiness encompasses all that is God: His purity, righteousness, goodness, love, and sovereignty. The depths of God’s holiness are so great that I could never cover them in such a short piece like this. I only want to mention a couple interesting points about the holiness of God and discuss how a few people in scripture react to His holiness (for deeper study on holiness check out The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul, Holiness by J.C. Ryle, and The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges).

Exodus 33:12-23 gives us a glimpse into the relationship of God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness. God is talking to Moses on the mount explaining His commands for Moses to lead Israel and Moses asks God to let him see His face. God tells Him that it cannot be done, because nobody can see the face of God and live. God is so holy, and we are so sinful, that we would be consumed faster than a dry leaf on the surface of the sun. He tells Moses to hide in a crack in a rock while He passes by and will allow Moses to see His back but not look upon His face.

In Hebrew language, when you want to place emphasis on something you are saying, you say it repeatedly. Jesus often said to those he taught, “Truly, truly” or “Verily, verily.” He was telling His listeners that what he was saying is extremely important. A few times scripture expresses the importance of something to the third degree, emphasizing its supreme importance. In Revelation 8:13 the angel calls three “woes” upon the inhabitants of the earth. Jeremiah (7:4) addresses the hypocrisy of the people by saying “This is the temple of the LORD” three times. Only one of God’s attributes is raised to the third degree. You would think that listening to today’s Christian music or many popular Christian messages that it would say God is “love, love, love.” Isaiah shares his vision of God (chapter 6) and says the angels surrounding Him were saying, “holy, holy, holy.” God isn’t simply holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy.

Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah records his experience of seeing God sitting on His throne and then his response to such a revelation. He didn’t say, “Oh boy, I feel so comforted in the presence of God.” Or, “I feel such an overwhelming joy in your presence Lord.” Isaiah cried out, “Woe to me. I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips and live with people of unclean lips and I have seen God.” He was immediately aware of his utter sinfulness and knowing what God told Moses about seeing God and living knew that he should die. Isaiah called a curse upon himself and said he was “undone,” or “coming apart at the seams.”

Mark 4:35-41 (Luke 8:22-25)
Consider the story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. The disciples were afraid their boat was going to sink and they would die, but Jesus was sound asleep. They were extremely frightened and they woke Jesus up to help. Jesus didn’t respond to them at all but simply commanded the sea to be calm. Even though Jesus controlled the sea miraculously, the most surprising part of the story is the reaction of the disciples; “They were terrified…” Their lives were spared. Their boat sat still. The sun was shining. No wind. Birds chirping. And they were terrified! They knew at once they were in the presence of the holy God.

Luke 5:1-8
Finally, look at the story of Jesus taking Peter off shore and telling him to drop his net in the water. Peter complains, saying he has been fishing all day and night and hasn’t caught a thing, but despite not being able to understand, he obeys anyway (another great sermon in here). They ended up catching so many fish that when other boats came to help they all began to sink.

In a book I just read and reviewed, the author explains that knowing the fear of God prevents us from being casual about sin and that it actually encourages us to flee to Him for holiness. These men knew that the Person who was in their presence knew every intimate detail about them. There was no hiding, no running, and no making excuses for their sins. There was nothing they could do but be terrified and hope for mercy. This is a proper reaction to the presence of God. Part of us should fear God for we are unclean and He is righteous; another part runs to His holiness for we know we must be holy and only he can grant that to us.

The good news, however, is that God did not leave these men in their condition. An angel came to Isaiah with a hot coal and purified his lips. Ultimately, Christ died on the cross and was raised from the dead so that we could be made holy and righteous. Though we are sinful and unclean, He cleanses us from our unrighteousness, then calls us to obedience. There is a pattern in of these stories (as well as our stories), it starts with brokenness and ends in a mission. If you have been broken over your own sins, repented and trusted in Christ, you have been called to serve Him.

Now the trick is deciding what He wants you to do.

Finding Relevance

I have been hearing a lot lately of the church needing to be more “relevant” in sharing the gospel with the world. I think I understand that the sentiment is coming from the idea that people are just sitting around in their churches enjoying their pot lucks and not trying to share the gospel with other people they normally wouldn’t come across. I would partially agree with this thought, but it seems like it is becoming more of a mantra than a legitimate concern. Trust me, although I love to digest the meat of God’s Word, and hear verse-by-verse sermons, and enjoy reading books on doctrine and church history, I have a passion for obeying the Great Commission. I am a leader in my church’s evangelism efforts and have spent time on the streets “meeting people where they are at” to try and share the gospel. However, I have a couple of concerns about this push to be “relevant.”

My first issue is that the gospel is already relevant to every culture. There is no need to make any adjustments for the listener beyond speaking in the same language as they do; and as far as I can tell, the majority in the United States already knows English.

This video clip from a John Piper sermon explains better the point I am trying to make. We were all born sinners who offend God with everything we do, but God came to earth as a human to redeem us from our fallen condition by dying on the cross and rising from the grave. How is that not already relevant? Everyone in every culture is a sinner. Everyone in every culture can be saved.

Another thing that caught my attention with the push for relevancy is the language calling us to “change lives” or “have an impact on the culture.” We aren’t called simply to do these things, but to faithfully preach the Word of God and be living proof of transformation by God’s Holy Spirit, which as a result by God’s blessing will change lives and cultures. Noah preached for a hundred years and didn’t have any positive impact on the culture. Not one person responded positively to his preaching; but he was faithful. Many of the Old Testament prophets lost more followers because of their faithful preaching than they gained. Stephen wasn’t fortunate enough to see lives changed by his preaching when he was stoned to death from his refusal to preach the hard truth to a stiff-necked people. It doesn’t matter how “relevant” you are, there will always be hard-hearted people who hate you because of the message you carry.

My last concern is that in an effort to be relevant, we accommodate the culture more than expecting them to have their minds transformed. The church, instead of being a place of worship for people from every culture, becomes an evangelism tool focused on a sub-culture. We have “relevant music” that the target audience will be comfortable with. We preach “relevant sermons” that sound like self-help guides on how to love Jesus but still be cool. Our first goal of sermons should be to understand what is says, to whom it was written, why it was written, who wrote it, and how it compares to other scriptures. Our last step should be how it applies to my life, but the trend to be relevant seems to put the life application first in the steps of biblical interpretation. If we want to see lives changed, we need to preach God’s coming kingdom an alternative to the culture, not something to be added to an existing lifestyle.

How do we reach the culture with the message of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ? Go to work, meet some people, and tell them about Jesus as you evidence your faith by being a kind, dedicated employee. Go to the gym, meet some people, and tell them about Jesus as you evidence your faith by controlling your pride in taking part in a delightful competition. Go to the mall, meet some people, and tell them about Jesus as you evidence your faith by displaying your commitment to modesty and purity in the things you purchase. Go to the homeless shelter, meet some people, and tell them about Jesus as you evidence your faith by sacrificing your time and money to help a person in need. Go to your family gatherings, and tell them about Jesus as you evidence your faith by your love for them, joy in all situations, peace in your difficulties, patience through trials, gentleness with the truth, goodness in your deeds, faith in His promises, meekness in sharing, and self-control. We make too much of culture differences. There have always been separate sub-cultures, and the beauty of God’s Word is that it applies to all nations. So let’s get out there and share it with them.

I don’t mean to come across as overly critical or hateful in any manner. This is not an attack on anyone, but more of a plea for right understanding and right motives, and a request for guidance in my efforts. I have a passion for both a deep understanding of God’s Word and a desire to share Christ’s transformation of my life with everyone I have met and will meet; and I fall short on both of them way too often. As a newer believer (~4 years) I know I have a lot of growing to do and am willing to accept correction from wherever it may come, and I simply want to make sure my efforts and those of my own church are grounded in Scripture and solely for God’s glory. Please share with me any misunderstandings I may have presented or ideas we can use to be more effective at preaching the Word to a lost world and teaching new believers how to grow in Christ. Soli Deo Gloria!

God's Will for Your Life

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

How many of us have had to make a difficult decision in our lives and just prayed that God would reveal the answer to us? What are some big decisions you have needed to make that you prayed for a great deal before you made them? We pray all the time that God will open the door for us, or show us which decision to make. We worry ourselves sick wanting to be sure God will be happy with the job we choose, what school to attend, what person to date and marry, or which house to buy. How do we know we are in God’s will when making these decisions?

Psalm 37:4 says to delight yourself in the LORD. Last week we discussed how you know you are a Christian. We love others, we obey His commandments and they aren’t a burden but a delight, we love reading and learning from His Word, etc. This is key in understanding God’s will for your life.

When you get up in the morning and go to eat breakfast, do you pray to God asking which cereal you should eat? When you pick out which clothes to dress in for the day, do you pray for God to reveal which outfit is his will for you that day? When you are driving to work, do you pray to God which route is in His will for you to take? What is the difference between these apparently petty decisions and the decisions that give us ulcers?

Searching for God’s will in the Scriptures reveal a few things:

1. Salvation (1 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9) He wants people to repent of their sins and follow Christ.
2. Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:17-18) He wants us to be controlled by His Spirit revealed through His Word.
3. Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7) He wants you to be continually growing in Holiness. You should be sinning less as you live and learning more from His Word. You should be loving others and serving the body more.
4. Submission (1 Peter 2:13-15) God says you should obey the commands of those in authority over you. Listen to guidance from your pastors, teachers, parents, and government. You shouldn’t ever violate clear prohibitions in the Bible, but you should trust those God placed in authority over you before you make your own decisions.
5. Suffering (Philippians 1:29, 2 Timothy 3:12) We discussed a couple weeks ago that God promises His children that they must endure suffering for His name. We shouldn’t be avoiding God’s work so we can avoid suffering. When we make decisions, we must consider if we are doing it simply to make our life easier at the cost of serving Christ, we are making a decision against God’s will.

No Scripture says that God will “lay on our hearts” or whisper in a “still small voice” or give you a perfectly timed sign or signal for the right decision we are to make (divination is actually prohibited). If you wait for God to give you a supernaturally spoken voice to guide your decision, you are going to be guessing at which of the voices in your head is the correct one, which will make your decision even more frustrating.

Important Steps in Making Big Decisions:

1. Read the Bible – that’s where you find God’s revealed will.
2. Listen to Your Conscience – God’s Spirit will convict you of unwise decisions
3. Pray Without Ceasing – Be constantly asking God for guidance and keep your eyes and ears open for answers from unlikely places and people.
4. Look for Godly Counsel – We are a body together for one purpose. Together we encourage, rebuke, teach, support, and comfort. Pastors, parents, brothers and sisters, elders, and deacons are not here to just to have something to organize. Seriously consider their thoughts when they oppose what you think you want.

When all of these things come into agreement, make your decision assured you are in God’s will. Don’t disregard the people God has placed in your life. They are there for the benefit of the church (which includes you). If you dive into a decision without spending time in prayer, how can you be sure you have listened for God’s direction or searched for guidance from His Word.

There are no stories in the Bible that tell us how to buy the right car or house, which specific person to marry, or which job to take. There are principles that guide us in making all decisions that can only help us by reading the Bible to learn them and looking for guidance from your pastor or other people who can help you make godly decisions. When buying things we need to be sure we are not wasting money God has entrusted to us. When marrying someone we need to be sure they are a believer who is going to serve God with you in that marriage. When getting a job we need to be sure we won’t be forsaking our family and church responsibilities and that we are witnesses of Christ in the workplace. If you understand and obey principles learned from studying the Bible, God says in Psalm 37:4b He shall give you the desires of your heart. If you are conforming to God’s revealed will as discussed, He places in your heart desires that reflect His will and you can choose what you want to! If the Bible does not offer any guidance for your decision, and one choice is as good as the other, you are free to do whichever you want and God works out His plan through your desires. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil (Matthew 12:34-36) If you are renewed by the Spirit, cleansed by the blood of Christ, your desires are now to please Him and the majority of the decision you make throughout the day will reflect the new heart inside.

John Owen

"The world put Him out of a house and into a stable, when He came to save us. Let Him now turn the world out-of-doors, when He comes to sanctify us, [so that] the baits of sin lose their attraction and disappear."

Memory Verse(s) 9/30/07-11/04/07

1 John 5:1-5 (HCSB)

1 John 5:1—To recite Sept. 30th:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves his child.

1 John 5:2—To recite Oct. 14th:

This is how we know that we love God's children when we love God and obey His commands.

1 John 5:3—To recite Oct. 21st:

For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden,

1 John 5:4—To recite Oct. 28th:

because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.

1 John 5:5—To recite Nov. 4th:

And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?