A Memorial Day Prayer

Almighty and gracious God,

Thank You for a day such as this that calls us to both remember and honor the sacrifices of all our veterans who have served in our armed forces. It is good and appropriate for us to remember, for far too often we remember the things we ought to forget and forget the very things we should always remember.

So we are both grateful and humbled when we ponder the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in order to preserve our freedoms and to establish or protect the freedoms of others. We ask that You would bless their sacrifices and the labors of their hands by upholding this nation in freedom and justice and righteousness. And may we learn from their examples the lessons of service, sacrifice, and selflessness, diligence and devotion, endurance, loyalty, honor, and patriotism.

And oh Father, we pray especially for Your comfort and strength for the families of those who have died in recent days or years. And for the many who have returned from combat with lingering injuries and wounds, whether in their bodies or their souls, we ask for healing and solace in both mind and body.

God, like You, we all hate war, violence, and bloodshed. And yet we know that the battle must sometimes be joined in a world where injustice, greed, hatred, lies, oppression and terror endure. So give us wisdom to ensure that our cause is ever just. Give us courage and stamina fit for the task. And give us faith to look for the day You have promised when You shall put an end to all war and will mercifully wipe away every tear from our eyes, when all people the world over will beat their spears into pruning hooks and their swords into plowshares. We know this promise is sure for all who look to you, for You have given the down payment to that promise by lovingly giving Your Son as the supreme sacrifice for sin and raising Him from the grave, conquering death itself.

So it is in that beautiful and matchless name of Your Son, Jesus, the coming Prince of Peace and Mighty God that I pray. AMEN.

Book Review: A Gospel Primer

Vincent, Milton. A Gospel Primer for Christians. Focus Publishing, 2008 (97 pages).

"Terror accomplishes no real obedience. Suspence brings forth no fruit unto holiness. No gloomy uncertainty as to God's favor can subdue one lust, or correct our crookedness of will. But the free pardon of the cross uproots sin, and withers all its branches. Only the certainty of love, forgiving love, can do this." ~ Horatius Bonar (1808-1889), in "God's Way of Holiness"

This book was recommended to me about six years ago. When I finally acquired a copy a couple years later (at a T4G conference, I believe) and when I finally read it, I knew right away I had found something “more precious than gold and sweeter than honey.” This was gospel truth that was balm for my soul. I had been in ministry for a very long time even then, but like Vincent, had often wrestled with the nature of God’s countenance toward me as a sinning Christian. I am so grateful to God for the revival of these gospel truths that He has been seeding in my heart over the last ten years or so.

Vincent wrote the book as both a guide and a corrective for Christians in their understanding and application of the gospel (p. 5). It is meant to guide Christians to “experience the gospel more fully by preaching it to themselves each day”; it is meant to correct the flawed understanding of the gospel as necessary for conversion but not for one’s ongoing walk with Christ and growth in sanctification. The value of such a guide and corrective is evidenced from the author’s own struggle which he shares in Part IV, “Surprised by the Gospel.” His story, no doubt, mirrors that of many Christians. “My problem,” he states, “was that I couldn’t seem to figure out how to stay in the good favor of the God who had saved me.” (p. 91)

I appreciated so very much Vincent’s story as he told of his journey to a clearer, more accurate understanding of the ongoing role of the Gospel in a believer’s life. I, too, struggled with perceptions of a God who “was frequently angered at me” (p. 91) when I sinned (or, as I wrote in my margin, “disgusted”). I resonated with his statement, “I figured that if I beat myself up sufficiently in His presence, or pled with Him long enough, or just waited a few hours to put a little distance between me and my sin, then He might warm up to me again.” (p. 92) On and on the see-saw ride would go, often agonizing that the “rest” I often read and sang about seemed to be so elusive and far-removed from my own experience.

My heart was stirred as I read Vincent’s description of how Romans chapter 5 “saved [his] life” (p. 94; cf. also Rom. 6) in helping him see how Paul rejoiced in his justified status before God, leaving the maintaining of that status also to Christ. So the unpacking of the doctrine of Christ’s propitiation (especially on pp. 63-64; cf. 1 Jn. 2:2; 1 Thess. 5:9-10) and God’s countenance toward me “without any admixture of wrath whatsoever” has come to rest on my soul and has brought significant renewal. Of course, it is an ongoing work!

So the book, which is saturated with Scripture texts in the footnotes, will be a valuable aid in helping Christians who wrestle as Vincent did. Vincent helps us to treasure more deeply the gospel in its liberating glory and amazing grace and to find our rest in Christ.

The heart of the book, and I believe where the greatest value of the book lies in personal meditation or in discipling other believers, rests in Part I, “Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily.” It may be coincidence (or rather, providential), but I suspect it may have been intentional that there are 31 such reasons Vincent gives, which makes it very natural to use in a daily “rehearsing” of the gospel, using one of his reasons each day of the month.

To that end, following are just some of the key gospel truths Vincent urges us to keep before us:

• The gospel, as “the full armor of God,” (Eph. 6:11,13), provides our daily protection (pp. 17-18). Vincent states, “I am vulnerable to defeat and injury unless I seize upon the gospel and arm myself with it from head to toe.” (p. 16) Often, many of our problems stem from leaving ourselves vulnerable due to not being adequately clothed with the resources God has already provided.
• Since a questioning of God’s goodness lies essentially behind our disobedience (Gen. 3:4-6), rehearsing the gospel helps reinforce trust in God’s good character and intentions toward us (Deut. 5:29; pp. 17-18). This is a great corrective when questions of God’s character surface in our lives or in counseling situations.
• Our righteous standing before God is not only secured by the work of Christ, it is also maintained by Him; therefore, we are able to rest from our labors of seeking God’s favor (p. 20; Rom. 4:5; 5:1-2, 18-21; Matt. 11:28; Heb. 4:3; 1 Jn. 2:1-2). Our efforts to please God then flow out of love and delight in that secure favor, rather than laboring out of uncertainty or fear of losing it.
• When Christ’s atoning work is applied to our lives, God’s wrath is fully satisfied, appeased, propitiated by Jesus who absorbed it all on our behalf; therefore God’s continuing countenance toward us is one of love, affection, and compassion, “without any admixture of wrath whatsoever” (p. 63; 1 Jn. 2:2; 1 Thess. 5:9-10). This does not mitigate our need to confess and repent of our sin, but doing so is not to win back God’s favor. Instead it restores our own reception of the grace and love that God had longed to display all along (p. 64; 1 Jn. 1:9).

In Parts II and III, Vincent provides a “Gospel Narrative” in both prose and poetic forms, respectively. The prose version (pp. 55-65) contains 41 statements that are summarized under a common gospel outline of “The Glory of God,” “My Sin Against God,” “God’s Work on My Behalf,” and “My Salvation.” Both the prose and poetic versions are, like Part I, liberally footnoted with Scripture. Those with a more creative or artistic bent should especially appreciate the application of the same gospel truths in the poetic version of Part III (pp. 67-88). Both sections are quick, easy reads; they are thorough without being exhaustive. Either section could be effectively used not only in a daily rehearsal of the gospel by Christians, but also in evangelistic discussions with someone inquiring about the gospel or the claims of Christianity.

My one suggestion to those who pick up this book is to read Part IV first. I’m not sure why the author and/or publisher chose to put Vincent’s story at the end, but I feel it is tremendously helpful to begin with his story that provided the impetus to the writing of the book in the first place.

I believe this little book can be used powerfully and effectively in accomplishing the author’s desires in writing it, expressed at the conclusion of his Introduction:

“…this book is based on the premise that all Christians should become expert in their knowledge and use of the gospel, not simply so they can share it faithfully with non-Christians, but also so they can speak it to themselves every day and experience its benefits. In fact, if Christians would do more preaching of the gospel to themselves, non-Christians might have less trouble comprehending its message, for they would see its truth and power exuding from believers in indisputable ways.”

I look forward to continuing to use the book as Vincent intended – as a “guide” and “corrective” – both in my own life and in the lives of those God entrusts to me in ministry to the end that God will be greatly glorified and His church strengthened in the gospel of Christ!

A couple follow-up notes

In a follow-up to my previous post, first here are three quotes...

"He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake." (Augustine)

"...every moment in every circumstance we stand on the brink between the lure of idolatry and the delight of seeing and knowing God." (John Piper)

"Tolerate nothing in your life that might diminish your hunger for God's Word." (Sam Storms)

Also, an excellent article by Douglass Moo from Ligonier Ministries' daily devotional, "Tabletalk" Magazine, has been posted at Desiring God, entitled "The Key to Christian Living". It speaks of the Christian's "new relationship to sin."

Read, reflect, and "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 3:18)

We Have Too Small a View of Sin

"Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight." (Psalm 51:4)

The following is perhaps the best analysis of sin and exposition of David's confession in Psalm 51:4 that I have read. It effectively gets deeper to the root of sin than most people usually go. Sin is so much more than just doing or thinking things I shouldn't that displease God ("sins of commission") or not doing or thinking things I should ("sins of omission"). I commend to you this excerpt of a sermon by Rick Gamache entitled "Whiter Than Snow" for your thoughtful, prayerful meditation.

I believe what David is saying in verse 4 is that all sin is a preference for the fleeting pleasures of the world and the flesh over the everlasting joy of God’s fellowship. This is why the Christian life is a life of repentance (like Martin Luther said), not because every time we sin we lose our status as God’s children and have to get saved all over again. Our status never changes. We are always God’s children, we are still declared to be holy even when we sin, we are still the heirs of his Kingdom.

But our sin affects our relationship with God. Our sin breaks our fellowship with God. David realizes that before he ever committed adultery with Bathsheba, he committed spiritual adultery against God. Why did he need her? Why was he willing to murder his own friend for her? It is because before David ever sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, he lost the joy of his salvation. That is why he asks for the joy to be restored [Psalm 51:12].

We sin because we forget God’s steadfast love and abundant mercy. When we are not ravished by him, we forget the superior pleasures that there are in God and give ourselves to the inferior pleasures of sin. And this is why David says, “Against you God, you only have I sinned.” He goes deep with his confession because he knows repentance is the way back to fellowship with God.

I think it is absolutely amazing and very telling, given what we know about the situation, that David never mentions sexual sin in Psalm 51. He’s not mainly praying that the Lord would provide him with good accountability. He’s not mainly praying that God would give him self-control and protect his eyes and his mind. Those are all good things. But David does not mention them here because his sexual sin — and every sexual sin — is the symptom of the disease not the disease. Sexual sin is a symptom of lack of fullness of joy and gladness in Jesus. It’s a symptom of a lack of being ravished by the love and kindness and mercy and goodness and beauty and excellence and majesty and glory and honor and power of God.

Are you willing to admit with me that multiple times on any given day we lose our joy in God and His salvation? We are so easily distracted and lose the "fullness of joy and gladness in Jesus" and fail to be enthralled with the greatest Treasure of the universe who should be at all times our Supreme Joy.

When we view it this way, sin becomes the hideous monster that it is. "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom. 7:24,25a)

Dear reader, when we truly see our sin for what it is and the offense that it is to a holy and loving God, we will recognize our need to become abandoned to our glorious Savior and to His Spirit-empowered Word which alone transforms our calloused hearts to embrace new and holy affections!

"God came through"

"The Lord does whatever pleases Him..." (Psalm 135:6)

"Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." (Psalm 115:3)

"I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2) 

The other day I was watching a short promotional video online for some new church ministry resource. I honestly don't even remember what it was for, but one thing did catch my attention - hence this blog post today... The speaker painted the picture of some bleak situation and as he set up the resolution for how God intervened, he said, "God came through."

I'd like to invite us to think carefully and critically about that expression, as it's one that probably crops up from time to time, and of course used in innocent ways by people who want to honor the Lord and His sovereign intervention in our lives to help those in need. But think about what that expression implies. Doesn't it subtly suggest that things were really out of control (even God's?!) until God finally figured things out and got the upper hand? Doesn't it likewise carry with it the idea that we are wiser than God and are the ones who really should be calling the shots and that we are glad that God finally came around to our point of view and finally did what we always knew needed to be done?

We also need to think about what we're implying if God did NOT "come through" in the prescribed manner. Did God fail to "come through" for Stephen as he breathed his last with his eyes beholding the glory of Christ at the right hand of the Father (Acts 7)? Is God failing to "come through" for our many Christian brothers and sisters who face another year of imprisonment and/or persecution for their enduring faith? And did God fail to "come through" for our own Savior, who asked that He might be spared from having to drink the cup of God's wrath for our sin?

Friends, God's back is never up against a wall. He is never wringing His hands, trying to figure out a way to help us out of our predicaments. If you are prone to using this expression, may I urge you - I hope lovingly! - to stop, and to instead allow God to test and refine your faith as you endure in Your delight in Him, regardless of what He may or may not do according to your expectations!

Tolerance Based on What?

Once upon a time "tolerance" was based on truth. Specifically the truth that if I am able to coerce you (by manipulation or force) to adopt my position/belief/faith, I have not truly converted you; I have simply driven your convictions below the surface because of my superior force or intellect or threat of retribution. Conversion by force is no true conversion. This kind of "truth-based tolerance" used to be "the power that kept lovers of competing faiths from killing each other" (Piper). When practiced (and of course it was not always practiced!), such tolerance allowed those with competing truth claims to live peaceably, but also encouraged healthy dialogue regarding those truth claims.

Of course, "once upon a time" seems oh so long ago, for the prevailing sense of tolerance is no longer based on truth, but (I would argue) on "peace." Especially when it comes to matters of religious faith, the prevalent view is that the various faiths do not compete with one another, but rather complement each other. It takes the "truth-based tolerance" beyond the truth that we cannot seek to bring about conversions by force, adding the idea that attempts to convert others should not be practiced, since they are unnecessary because there are no superior truth claims with all being equally valid. This is (supposedly) the path to peace. This is the solution to, "Why can't we all just get along?!"

I am compelled to ask:  How can it not be readily seen that truth claims that are mutually exclusive do not and can not "complement" each other? How is it that all it takes for someone's beliefs to be "true for them" is their level of sincerity of those beliefs (or perhaps how widely held or respected those beliefs are by others)?

Much can be/needs to be/has been written about this, so I will simply - for now! - conclude with this longing for the Church of Jesus Christ. I hope followers of Jesus will quickly see that such "peace-based tolerance" is no tolerance at all, but rather a strategy of our enemy to silence the Church! Peace (or "love," or "unity," etc. - or the world's view of these things) cannot and will not come at the expense of Truth! Truth trumps this kind of peace all the time.

Speak the Truth, friends! But do so in love!

"Foolish and Dangerous"

In his preface to his book, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals ("A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry"), John Piper writes, "More and more, true Christianity is becoming what it was at the beginning: foolish and dangerous.

The Gospel and "true Christianity" is "foolish" to the world because until the Spirit of God enables blind eyes to see and corrupt hearts to desire the truth and beauty of the glorious Gospel, it remains incomprehensible (1 Cor. 1:18-23). God actually became a Man? Most people did not recognize this Man to be God-sent? He was rejected by the very rulers of His own people who knew their religious system better than anyone else? He was crucified along with other common criminals? And then He supposedly came to life again?! And His followers claim that trusting this crucified, risen-again God-Man is the ONLY way to know God or enter heaven with your sins forgiven and wiped clean, without any contribution of your own? I will endure the eternal wrath of God for my "sin" if I continue on my own way without this Jesus? ~ Scandalous! Incredulous! "Foolish"!

Those whose eyes have been opened and hearts have been changed to turn to embrace the glorious Gospel will then likewise be seen as "foolish." And therefore - for many - the "way of the Cross" will also become "dangerous". "Dangerous" because those who daily take up their crosses to follow their Master will live lives and hold values that are in stark contrast to everyone else. And as they do so - living as "the light of the world" - the world will run from the light (John 3:19-20), as the cockroaches used to do in our home in South Carolina! The result will be that some will think they are doing good by doing harm to Christians (John 16:2).

In this context, the temptation for individual Christians and churches alike will be to try to find ways to make the Gospel more attractive and less confrontational. Against this tendency we must reinforce our resolve to proclaim the scandal of the Cross. To this point Piper writes, "the center of Christianity...is the dishonorable, foolish, gruesome, and utterly glorious reality of the tortured God-Man, Jesus Christ. More and more, He must become the issue. Not a vague, comfortable, pleasant Jesus that everybody likes but the one who is a "stumbling block" to Jews and "foolishness" to Gentiles. The closer you get to what makes Christianity ghastly, the closer you get to what makes it glorious." (Emphasis added.)

Dear Christian, are you willing to endure hardship for our Captain? Are you prepared to sacrifice whatever it takes to make the glorious Gospel of our Jesus known to those for whom Christ died? You are the aroma of Jesus to the world around you - perhaps the only source of that for some. We all want to be the fragrance of eternal life, but for some we may be the stench of death! (2 Cor. 2:15-16) March into the fray today, dear friend, with your eyes on Jesus and let Him lay out the course you are to run (Heb. 12:1-3)... then run as a "fool for Jesus"!**

(**Two businessmen once approached a man walking the streets of New York wearing a sandwich board over his shoulders. They snickered in mockery as they read the front: "I'm a fool for Jesus Christ." Their sneers turned into thoughtful contemplation as they read the back: "Whose fool are you?")

Two Kinds of Sinning?

Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. (Psalm 19:12-13)

"So is a born again Christian susceptible to presumptuous sins that knowingly contradict God's will?"

That's how this interesting and thought provoking post from DG Ministries begins. And the way it should end is with some honest and diligent soul searching by every child of God.

I urge you to read the post here.

"You Put This Love In My Heart"

With all that's going on in my life right now I suppose it's time to get back to blogging a bit about some of it! Most pertinent to this post is that at present, Sue and I are preparing to adopt a 12 year old girl from NH whose mother irrevocably relinquished all parental rights last fall. We met at the beginning of February and are currently in the mode of visiting once midweek and then she spends the weekend with us. This in preparation for the newly settled move-in date of March 30! Our girl, whom I'll call KC, has been in 8 foster homes in the last 5-6 years.

So the latest very cool "God thing" is that last week we were bringing her home after our mid-week visit. I had been listening to an old CD in my car in recent days, but at the time did not have the player turned on. It had been so long since I had listened to the CD (a compilation of classic Christian songs) that I didn't really even remember what was on it. Well, about 2/3 of the way to her present foster home, I decided to put some music on. The following song was cued up (again, I didn't know!) and after only the first couple of lines KC said, "This is a really appropriate song!" And then after a few more lines, she said, "This should be OUR song!"

Without further comment I'll just post the lyrics to the song here, and I think you'll see why Sue and I got a bit choked up!

You Put This Love In My Heart

I found it hard to believe

Someone like You cared for me.
You put this love in my heart.

I tried but could not refuse,

You gave me no time to choose.

You put this love in my heart.

          I want to know where the bad feelings go

          When I'm depressed and I get down so low

          And then I see You coming to me and it's alright.

I want to tell You right now

I'm not afraid to say how

You put this love in my heart.

There are sometimes when I doubt,

But You always find me out.

You put this love in my heart.

          Cause when I see all that You've done for me

          It's hard to doubt, I just have to believe,

          Cause You followed up, provin’ all of Your love.

Well I know the loneliness I had before

Is gone now, I'll never feel it anymore.

‘Cause Your lovin’ has released me from all that's in my past.

And I know I can believe You when You say I'll never be forsaken,

Your love is gonna last.

There's so much more I should say
If I could just find a way.
You put this love in my heart.
Is all this real or a dream?
I feel so good I could scream!
You put this love in my heart.

by Keith Green, from the album, For Him Who Has Ears To Hear (Sparrow Records, 1977)

My New Master

a meditation on Romans 4 - 6 (Feb., 2011)

I’m amazed at Your mercy, enthralled by Your grace.
You’ve loved me and drawn me to gaze on Your face.
Condemned by Your righteous and holy decree,
Your Son took my place and now I am free.
With Jesus’ blood covering my guilt and my shame,
My heart is now stirred and with passion enflamed.
I’ll live for Your glory and name and renown
Until Jesus my Savior with worship is crowned.

My master, once cruel, a taskmaster grim,
Reminded me always of my guilt within.
Enslaved by my sin, I was hopeless and lost,
My death and destruction, the infinite cost.
But blind eyes were opened, You caused me to see
That Jesus in love came, my Ransom to be.
Now clothed in Your righteousness, walking in love,
I gladly surrender to Your will above.

Your mercy and kindness, no merit could earn;
Your glory, the standard of righteousness spurned.
In Jesus alone is forgiveness assured,
My standing in glory forever secured.
When guilt or despair seem to flood o’er my soul,
When even my victories others extol,
When Satan my past puts before me to see,
Then “Jesus, my Righteousness” shall be my plea.

I’m amazed at Your mercy, enthralled by Your grace.
You’ve loved me and drawn me to gaze on Your face.
Though wretched and vile, Your love set me free
To magnify Jesus, the whole world to see.
With Jesus my Life and my Joy and My All,
My once heart-of-stone is now heeding Your call.
I’ll live for Your glory and name and renown
Until Jesus with honor and worship is crowned.

A Christmas Prayer

We so enjoy this season, Lord. We thrill at the sights and sounds of Christmas. We love the glitter, the tinsel and the lights. But Father, the lights can, if we're not careful, blind us to the One True Light of Christmas. And as much as we love the Christmas carols and holiday songs, we confess that they are too capable of drowning out your gentle call to us to faithfully come and worship. And Father, we love the decorations and the wreaths and the Christmas trees... But oh how easily they can obscure that other tree of Christmas - the one that stands in the shadows of the manger - the tree of Calvary.

So God, would you persistently point us this Christmas to the manger - and then on to the Cross to recognize Your consummate gift of love. Help us look to the Babe of Bethlehem as the Light of the World; let us see Him born and laid in a humble manger, yet destined to die and be laid in a borrowed tomb – the One born King was "enthroned" on a cross! All because of His great love for us! And Lord, let us do more than just sing songs that tell the story; let us come and joyfully, triumphantly worship.

"I praise You 24/7!!!" - Oh really?!

Reading the first line you might be encouraged. "I praise You 24/7!!!!..." So Tweeted Steve Johnson, the Buffalo Bills wide receiver who dropped what would have been the game winning touchdown pass in overtime of last Sunday's game against the Steelers. He was wide open in the end zone and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick did what he needed to do and laid the ball right into his hands.

Now I don't know if Johnson claims to be a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, but one might have read that and thought he would continue along the lines of, "...And I continue to praise You. My identity and security do not come from my profession as a football player. I dropped the ball and let my teammates down, but You never drop me..." That would have been awesome. But instead, here's the full edition of Johnson's Tweet:

"I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO...,"

I'm taking the time to briefly blog about this because it bears on at least two very important issues. First and foremost, it has to do with taking responsibility for our actions. May we all learn from this negative example to not pass the blame for our failures - both our sinful actions, but also our honest mistakes & shortcomings - onto someone else, least of all God! Whether it's sinful behavior that is exposed or failing to fulfill a responsibility that affects others on our team (at work or play), may we be quick to admit, "It's on my shoulders alone."

The second of the obvious issues this raises is how we see God and the reason why we follow Him. Do we really believe the cliche, overused and yet true, "God is good all the time"? Or is God only good when He's good... to me? And then, do I follow Him because He's good to me? ...because of His (material) blessings He bestows? Or do I follow Him because He is God, worthy of my praise, adoration, and obedience, regardless of what I may (or may not) receive from His hand?

Steve Johnson begins saying he praises God "24/7," and yet by his comments reveals that he knows nothing of the nature of true praise. Justifying himself by his own righteousness and then castigating God is in fact blasphemy. A far cry from praise.

There's so much more that I want to say about this, but I don't have time. I need to take responsibility for my work and get to it!

Soli Deo gloria!

Broken Crystal

It may be the statement from Robert Schuller that comes the closest to the truth:  "No church has a money problem; churches only have idea problems." (From his 1986 book, "Your Church Has a Fantastic Future".) And in the wake of the Crystal Cathedral's filing for bankruptcy last month (with well over $50 million in debt to its creditors!), it may also be his most ironic statement, let alone prophetic.

Any good start that he may have had (he was ordained in the Reformed Church in America), was quickly torpedoed, indicated with this comment from his autobiography in 2001, "My Journey":  I realized that every sermon I preached (whether formally from the pulpit, or casually at the coffee shop) should be designed, not to 'teach' or 'convert' people, but rather to encourage them, to give them a lift. I decided to adopt the spirit, style, strategy, and substance of a 'therapist' in the pulpit.

There's an old gag about preaching that actually contains a lot of truth, which, if Schuller had taken to heart may have steered him in a better, more God-honoring direction. The joke is that the role of the preacher is "to afflict the comfortable, and comfort the afflicted." As it is, it seems to me that Schuller's own words condemn him, as they seem to very much echo Paul's warning to Timothy:  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (1 Tim. 4:3)

I agree whole-heartedly with Al Mohler on this issue who assesses the situation this way: The most significant problem at the Crystal Cathedral is not financial, but theological. The issue is not money, but this ministry's message. The "gospel of success" is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, therapy is no substitute for theology, and "Possibility Thinking" is not the message of the Bible. (See http://twe.ly/uHl)

We can only pray that the leadership of the Crystal Cathedral will repent of its errors, and correct its "idea problems." God may yet redeem the situation for His greater glory.

My Singular Passion

While I know that one's heart is deceitful, even to the point that we cannot even be fully confident of our own motives (Jeremiah 17:9), I believe I can honestly say that in my sanest moments my following paraphrase of Paul's passion reflects my own passionate pursuit...

All my past accomplishments, present credentials, future ambitions - all the things I once thought were so important and significant in my life are as nothing to me when compared to the far-surpassing, greater value of knowing Jesus Christ. In fact, I will even abandon them altogether if they keep me in any way from embracing Christ and being embraced by Him. Whether I experience His resurrection power, or become a partner with Him in His suffering, I want to know Him!

This will be my constant pursuit. I have not yet arrived, and I will at times stumble, but my gaze is set on my glorious Savior. I am determined to press forward through any obstacle and renounce any distracting pleasure, reaching out to Christ who first took the initiative to reach out to me with His love mercy and grace. I will extol the supremacy of His power, the sufficiency of His presence, and the satisfaction of His Person alone. I have a singular pursuit. My vision is clear. I've burned my bridges. There's no turning back. This is what I was made for and I will continue to run the race God has set before me until I cross the finish line and enter His glorious presence and hear His welcome. Until then, I will make much of Jesus, for His glory is my delight. (Personal paraphrase of Philippians 3:7-16)

And now, dear reader, I urge you with Paul's next words in verse 17, "...join in following my example". (See also 1 Cor. 11:1.)

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" - Amazing video!

The Endowment for Human Development, rooted in promoting the science of health from prenatal development through all of life, and not a pro-life organization, has inadvertently provided the pro-life cause tremendous support with its research and phenomenal imagery.

Take a look at just one of the many, many samples! (Then check out their web site at www.ehd.org)...

T4G Quotables

I attended the T4G ("Together for the Gospel") conference in Louisville, KY this week. It was, as I anticipated, truly exceptional. I encourage you to check out the T4G resource page to listen to or watch the messages, all FREE. (Audio is available for download.) Go to:  http://www.t4g.org/resources/

One of the things I've decided is that for any future conferences I deem of enough value to expend the time, energy, and money to attend, I want to (if possible) plan into the time and travel an extra day to linger on in order to reflect, pray, assimilate, and plan some concrete action steps based on what God taught me. It is just so hard to do any of that when you immediately leave and then return to hit the ground running in ministry again.

So anyway, having said that, I wanted to quickly get some key points and quotes down here... both for some of my own review and reflection and to also share with any who may happen by my blog.

Please note that the following are not necessarily quotes (yet). They are close, but taken from my notes I took on the fly. Perhaps I'll come back and edit this blog after I review the messages again and get more accurate quotes. So bear all this in mind as you reflect on the following "[near] quotables" from T4G 2010...

Mark Dever - Message: "The Church is the Gospel Made Visible"

• You can "lose the Gospel" by failing to proclaim it in its purity; but you can also lose it (for your community) by failing to have it lived out and manifest in the congregation.
• Our lives are to make clear what God is like.
• Our culture treats casualness as the epitome of intimacy.
• When exercised appropriately, authority creates a thirst in others.
• What kind of Gospel is your church making visible?

Al Mohler - Message: "How Does It Happen? Trajectories Toward An Adjusted Gospel"

• The Cross is beautiful but it isn't pretty.
• We'd rather think of ourselves as "sick" than "evil".

Thabiti Anyabwile - Message: "Fine-sounding Arguments - How Wrongly 'Engaging the Culture' Adjusts the Gospel

• Some strategies can sound so right, but in reality be wrong and lead to mission-drift and adjust the Gospel.
• (Definitely NOT a quote...) We need to make the culture in the church the alternative to the culture at large.
• The church is multi-ethnic, but it is not multi-cultural; it is mono-cultural! (Chew on that one for a while. You'll have to hear/see the message to get the context and support for that comment! ~ Thabiti, by the way, is a black man!)

John MacArthur - Message: "The Theology of Sleep" (In my opinion, a very poorly titled message, though I understand what he meant. It really had nothing to do with sleep!)

• ...the Good News is not miracles, free food, (etc.)... It is the Cross!
• Usefulness in evangelism is directly proportional to the seed sown and leads to eternal reward.

C. J. Mahaney - Message: "Expository Faithfulness"

• Others may be able to witness better to the Gospel, but no one can witness to a better Gospel!

Josh Harris - Message: "Dug Down Deep: Helping Others Build Their Lives on Christ-centered Doctrine"

• Jesus loves to save religious hypocrites.
• "Truth" and "devotion to Jesus" are not two separate things!
• The issue is not whether you know doctrine; it's whether you are doing it!

A Quote to Chew On

(No, I'm not trying to "catch up" from almost 3 weeks of not posting!)

How would you complete the statement, "The fundamental problem in the evangelical world today is..."? There are probably many good ways one could complete that statement, and it could be fun to sit around a table and banter some possibilities around. But here's how David Wells puts it, in God in the Wasteland... (Tell me what you think!)

"The fundamental problem in the evangelical world today is that God rests too inconsequentially upon the church. His truth is too distant, His grace too ordinary, His judgment is too benign, His gospel too easy, and His Christ too common."

"Purpose" = "Plan"

Clearly, over the last few weeks I've been out of sync with my goal of blogging once a week. My apologies. But here's to trying to get back into gear...

Very rarely, if ever, do I remember my dreams. And last night was no exception. (That's not what you expected me to say, right? You thought I'd say something more like, "But last night I dreamed..." But bear with me...)

Last night, however, I did wake up in the middle of the night, roused out of my dream (and I do remember that I had been dreaming, though I don't remember about what; weird, I know) by... something; I don't really know what woke me, which is also very unusual as I am a very sound sleeper. (Just ask my wife!) What was very clearly on my mind, however, was... a thought. An idea. An idea that somehow I knew was directly related in some way to the dream. It seemed fairly significant to me at the time, and I almost got up to write myself a note on my phone so I could think more about it in the morning, but I brushed the thought off in favor of going back to sleep. (In other words, I was too lazy!) I thought to myself, If it was really a worthwhile thought, I'll remember it in the morning, then silently prayed, Lord, help me remember, all the while knowing that it was highly unlikely, as this kind of thing has happened a couple times before, and I've almost always racked my brain - unsuccessfully! - in the morning trying to remember.

Well, by now you're probably realizing that this time I did indeed remember, or else I wouldn't have taken the time to write this account of something that I didn't remember! So let me finally get to the point after this far-too-lengthy introduction!

Two words were successively on my mind last night in that brief moment of consciousness. The first word was purpose, and the second very quickly on its heels was plan. And then my mind very quickly inserted an "equals" sign in between. Purpose = Plan. If there is a purpose, there must be a plan. Purpose requires plans.

Those who know me well may be chuckling right now, for "planner" is not usually a word people think of associating with me. By nature I am a visioner, a dreamer, I see the big picture and how the parts are supposed to fit to make the whole. I have struggled most of my life with taking initiative and being intentional Though I believe I am better than I used to be, I still have a long way to go. So now perhaps you see why this little early morning equation seemed significant to me.

Let me finally get to the nuts and bolts of this post... I have a purpose. You have a purpose. And I'm not talking about a subjective purpose... to be happy, to make money, to provide for my family, to make a difference, to raise good kids, to save enough money to retire, etc. I'm talking about our objective purpose. Our raison d'etre - our reason for being. That is, why God has created us. It's true, we could identify multiple purposes which should drive our lives. I still uphold the five purposes of Worship, Community, Maturity, Service, and Mission as a very helpful way of articulating them, but really there is only one at the very core of them all. That one is God's own purpose, what He is most determined to do, and the very reason you and I are here: "As surely as I live," declares the Lord, "all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord" (Num. 14:21; see also Isa. 43:7). Paul's words to the Corinthians articulates our purpose well: Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31); or again, You have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:20); or to the Romans, Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Rom. 12:1).

So what's your plan? God is a planning God. His purpose is being worked out according to His plan. Jesus came to do the work of His Father (to be read, to carry out His Father's plan). He planned creation, and He planned our redemption, and He has planned the culmination of all of human history to accomplish His desired ends, His purpose and plan. What's your plan?

Here's part of mine, to learn to better align myself with God's purpose. I have written out three questions that I plan to ask myself every day as soon as I get out of bed. These will be entered into my phone for me to read, perhaps even before I leave the side of my bed in the morning. But more importantly, I will come up with some concrete answers to these questions over the course of the morning before 9 a.m. (This is not meant to be a theoretical or simply devotional exercise!) They may be modified over the course of the next few weeks, but here are my questions. (Notice the common element in each is the word, "today"!) Feel free to adopt or adapt them for yourself!

1. What will I do today that will intentionally express the infinite worth of God?
2. How will my choices today reflect that I prefer God over any other thing? (I suppose this one really is just another way of phrasing question #1.)
3. What plans will I take action on today in order to accomplish God's purposes? (Both for me, and for the world through me.)
   

A Great Definition of Worship

"The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." (Shorter Westminster Catechism)

As one who believes that worship of God through His Son Jesus Christ is "the chief end of man," the subject of worship is of great interest to me. So I've read some very interesting definitions of worship over the years... and have tried to come up with some of my own. But I read this definition of worship the other day that is perhaps the best I've ever come across. It demonstrates just how comprehensive the true worship of the true God is. It comes from a former archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple (1881-1944). Note that it encompasses our conscience, our mind, our imagination, our heart, and our will. Here it is, as I've formatted it for more effective meditation. I trust it both blesses, but also challenges you, as it has me...

"To worship is...

• to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God,
• to feed the mind with the truth of God,
• to purge the imagination by the beauty of God,
• to open the heart to the love of God,
• to devote the will to the purpose of God"*

 *William Temple, The Hope of a New World, p. 30; cited by James Montgomery Boice in Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001), p. 175.

The Preparations of Advent (Both of Them!)

“Despair is most often the offspring of ill-preparedness.” (American novelist and poet, Don Williams, Jr.)

As the season for preparing for the celebration of our Savior’s birth, Advent is a time of remembering how the world waited – and prepared – and despaired for the Savior to come. John’s testimony that “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (Jn. 1:11) demonstrates just how unprepared the world really was.

But what about Mary? Like any expectant mother today, the time between the conception and birth of her baby were probably the longest nine months of her life. No doubt there is much more preparation necessary today. There are new clothes to buy, the crib and nursery to set up, the car seat to install, books and toys to purchase, birthing and/or new parent classes to take… So it’s interesting to consider how Mary prepared herself.

The first thing she did was go on a personal retreat for three months where she would be mentored and ministered to by her relatives, Elizabeth and Zechariah, who themselves had miraculously conceived a baby who would be the forerunner to Mary’s own, the Messiah.

Certainly there must have been dozens of questions and times of deep anxiety. But slowly as Mary steadfastly trusted God, meditated on His promises, and saw God at work (there was the revelation to Joseph to convince him of the truth, for example) her heart was filled with ever-increasing joy, and trust, and confidence.

Advent is also a time of looking forward to Jesus’ second coming, of waiting – and preparing – and never despairing. What the angels told the disciples on the Mount of Olives so long ago they say to us today: This same Jesus will come back! As Christians, we’re supposed to long for Christ’s return. And when the world’s injustice, pain, and senselessness bear down on us, we do so long for that day. God’s grace and patience in His “delay” are giving us time to prepare… to get our minds and hearts on track so that when He comes, there shall be nothing to regret.

The anxiety and the questions that accompany the months of pregnancy are forgotten when the new parents hold their long awaited child. They disappear as the parents first meet the person to whom they have already committed their heart and soul (and for the mother, her body!). When the Lord comes again, the long-anticipated, prepared-for day will no longer be someday, but today. Like the newborn baby who even before his birth is known and loved though not yet seen, we will likewise finally see our Lord face to face. Come, Lord Jesus, come! May we be found prepared, even if You come tonight!

"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy." (1 Peter 1:8, NIV)

Note: Portions of this blog post borrowed, adapted, and expanded from “Anticipation and Preparation” by Elizabeth Honeycutt, p. m36 in the Advent meditation, “Preparation” from the new “Mosaic Bible” (published by Tyndale; meditations © 2009, Credo Communications, LLC)