God's Love And Our Circumstances

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
John 11:1-6

A couple of months ago while reading a book by Jerry Bridges called Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts, I came across the following quote:

We must see our circumstances through God’s love instead of, as we are prone to do, seeing God’s love through our circumstances (p.160).

This is one of those one liners that five years after you have read a book you remember even though you've forgotten everything else. It's the kind of line that can change your life if burned into your heart and mind by the Holy Spirit.

What does it look like to see God's love through our circumstances? And what does it look like to instead see our circumstances through God's love as we should? What is the difference between the two? And why does it matter?

From these verses in John, the translation of one word determines, I believe, whether we see Jesus's love for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus through their circumstances or whether we see their circumstances through Jesus's love for them.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are facing agonizing circumstances. Lazarus is sick and on the verge of death. So they send messengers to tell Jesus about these circumstances so that Jesus can change them, right? In verse 5, John tells us of Jesus' love for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. And then verse 6 shows us the connection between God the Son's love for them and their circumstances.

If you are reading in the NIV, verses 5 and 6 are as follows (emphasis added):

Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

If you are reading in the ESV, verses 5 and 6 are as follows (emphasis added):

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

In the NIV's rendering, I can't help but see Jesus's love for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus through the lens of their circumstances. And if I put myself in the shoes of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, my heart is saying: Even though God loves me, these are my circumstances. Which takes higher precedence in my heart: God's love or my circumstances?

In the ESV's rendering, I can't help but see the circumstances of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus through the lens of Jesus's love for them. And now when I put myself in the shoes of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, my heart says: Because God loves me, these are my circumstances. Which takes higher precedence in my heart in this case: God's love or my circumstances?

What's the difference between the two? Does it even matter? Is there anything at stake here?

What do you think?

Glad To Be A Pilgrim!

From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31

A much needed reminder with election week looming:

They're Looking Down Only For A Little While

It was revealed to them [prophets] that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
1 Peter 1:12

The Greek word translated into English as “to look” means to stoop down, to bend beside, or to lean over. The angels so desperately want to stoop down from heaven, to bend or lean over the wall that separates the heavens and the earth. Why? So that they can see the work of the gospel which they have never and will never come into contact with in their own lives. I imagine that they are up there looking at the gospel transform our lives when we first get saved and then in our lives everyday thereafter and they are thinking to themselves and perhaps even asking each other, “What must that be like?”

I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Luke 15:10

Whenever a sinner repents of his or her sins, trusts Christ as Savior, and begins to follow Him as Lord, Jesus tells us that there is joy before the angels of God. The angels of God are filled with rejoicing. Why? Because they are seeing the gospel at work as God is glorified in the salvation of His people.

The psalmist says that God has made humans a little bit lower than the heavenly beings (Psalm 8:5), referring to the angels. Even though it may seem that angels are higher in status than humans because they are now in heaven in the physical presence of God and we are struggling here on earth with our sin away from the physical presence of God, that’s not the way it will always be.

The writer to the Hebrews helps us understand what the psalmist really meant when he wrote Psalm 8.

Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere,

"What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
putting everything in subjection under his feet."

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death...
Hebrews 2:5-9

What does it mean that Jesus was made for a little while lower than the angels? It means that He became a man. But once He rose from the dead, He was crowned with glory and honor and seated at the right hand of His Father so that He is no longer lower than the angels. And one day when we are resurrected, we too will be crowned with glory and honor and seated at Jesus’ right hand (Revelation 3:21) so that we will no longer be lower than the angels.

The angels' song:

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!
Revelation 5:12

Our song:

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!
Revelation 7:10

For Your blood has washed away my sin, Jesus thank You. The Father's wrath completely satisfied, Jesus thank You. Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table, Jesus thank You.

Notice the difference?

Thank You, Father, for this song You have given us to sing that the angels will never sing.

How To Raise The Dead

We can't. And yet this is exactly what we are sent to do.

Evangelism Afterthoughts

Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
John 4:31-38

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Late this past Friday night, I drove home from San Jose to my apartment in Morgan Hill tired and frustrated. Getting less than 5 hours of sleep the night before is probably part of the reason why. But the bigger reason why I was tired and frustrated is because I had just spent the whole night hanging out with a friend of mine who completely rejects Jesus. I’ve known this guy longer than anyone else I know who isn’t a family member. He’s like a brother to me and ever since I started following Jesus in college, I have wanted him to follow Jesus also. So we’ve had lots of conversations about Jesus. And about Buddhism, because that’s his religion. We sat at dinner for over an hour talking about Jesus and I could have sworn it was like he didn’t hear the words that were coming out of my mouth. I tried to patiently listen to him and then engage with him about how Buddhism and Christianity are radically different, but he always concludes that they are more similar than they are different. So by the end I was tired because engaging like that takes emotional and mental energy. And frustrated because I feel like it was a waste of time that could have been spent in a more enjoyable or productive way.

This is often the way that I feel after I talk to people about Jesus. Just the week before I spent pretty much the entire bus ride from San Jose back to Morgan Hill talking to a woman I’ve gotten to know on the bus who describes herself as a non-practicing Jew. When she told me that she was going to the synagogue the next day, I was intrigued because she had told me she was non-practicing. So she explained to me that it was the one time in the year that she goes to the synagogue: to observe Yom Kippur, which for Jews is the day of atonement. In the Old Testament, God created this as a day to conduct rituals that would symbolically remove the sins of the people and cleanse them so that they would be right with God. I asked her what if she could have her sins removed and cleansed once for all so that she didn’t have to keep doing it year after year. At that point she got really defensive, claimed it was impossible, and then laughed as she walked off the bus. I was frustrated and disappointed as I drove home thinking about what I should have done differently.

Do you ever feel that way after you talk to people about Jesus? Tired? Frustrated? Disappointed? Discouraged? Feel like you failed? Or am I the only one? What thoughts are going through your mind after you have just done the work of an evangelist? Well, have you ever asked yourself what thoughts should be going through your mind after you have just done the work of an evangelist?

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That was the introduction to the message I preached to the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship chapter at San Jose State University last Wednesday night. You can read the entire message here.

The Folly Of Temptation

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
1 John 3:3

Last night, my roommate and I were discussing how we should go about fighting temptation to sin. He made mention to me of a book that he is reading about sin being a wisdom/foolishness issue. In the book, an illustration was used (I can't remember specifically) about temptation always looking attractive but having this bitterness and pain always associated that we cannot see. And the author explained that he goes about fighting temptation by reminding himself that it's always unwise to go where danger is certain.

Now I agree with this. And maybe I'm just wired differently than others, but I have never had great effectiveness in fighting temptation to sin that way. When it comes down to it, my heart often will usually bypass my mind. And thinking about what's wise becomes irrelevant when I feel so strongly about what I want in the moment of temptation. This caused me to go back to find this excerpt from a book I read about a year ago in which I highlighted almost the entire section (does this defeat the point of using a highlighter?). It's from a book called Hope, a meditation on 1 John 3:3, written by a Puritan named Jeremiah Burroughs:

PARTICULAR 3. The greatness of their hopes fills their hearts with so much comfort and satisfaction, their souls are so satisfied with the good that they hope for, that they account they have enough and need not look to any other thing for comfort and contentment. They have enough in their own hearts; their hope fills their souls with joy unspeakable and glorious. What is the reason why carnal hearts seek up and down for comfort in this and the other lust? It is because they do not have enough in God. But the saints have the spring of consolation within through these hopes; these hopes fill them with so much comfort that the temptation that would draw them to sin has no power to prevail against them; for where lies the power of a temptation to sin but in that it offers some contentment that the heart did not have before? And therefore people who are discontent are subject to temptation. You do not know how liable you make yourselves to temptations when you are discontent and lack comfort within. When the devil sees such a one, he says, "Here is an object fit for me; he lacks comfort. Now I will go and present some comfort to him, for he is vexed and troubled. And I may draw him to such and such an evil way."

No people are more in danger of temptations than melancholy and discontented persons, for the strength of a temptation lies in offering some contentment that we lack. Now if the heart is filled with comfort, and spiritual and heavenly things, so that I find my soul fully satisfied and quieted, I can say, "Return unto your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with me. Whatsoever I lack in the creature, I have the light of the face of God; and I know I have enough laid up in God, Christ, heaven, the covenant, and the promises."

Now the devil sees that there is little hope of prevailing with such a soul to draw it to sin. He thinks with himself, "How can I offer contentment to them? Their hearts are satisfied with better contentment than I can offer to them!" The reason a temptation prevails is because the devil thinks that he has better comforts and contentment than you have in your own hearts; but the devil, the world, and the flesh (put them all together) cannot offer better and sweeter comforts than this hope in the hearts of the saints fills them with. Hence it is that the greatness of the hopes of the saints helps to purge and keep the heart from sin, because they fill the heart with so much joy and comfort.

If a man should have his body filled with sweet wines, if you should come now to offer him a small beer, do you think you could prevail with him to drink it? The saints have the rich wine of heavenly consolation, and they fill themselves through the hopes that they have in those great things of the gospel. They fill their hearts with the rich wine of the consolation of the Spirit of God, and that which the devil, the world, or the flesh offer is but a little sapless stuff, dead beer, after they are so filled with other comforts.

-Jeremiah Burroughs, Hope, p.62-64

This is the most effective way I have ever been able to fight the temptation to sin in my life. The folly of temptation for me isn't so much the folly of walking into certain danger (though that is always very much the case), but rather the folly of trading an infinitely greater experience of pleasure and joy (in God)--even if I must wait for it--for the short-lived pleasure and joy offered by the sin that tempts me. I don't know why, but by God's grace the latter is much harder for my heart to bypass than the first.

Seeing Sin For What It Really Is In Us

And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled? (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Mark 7:14-23

Here is part of the second message I gave at the high school retreat I spoke at a couple of weekends ago. I spoke on Mark 7:1-23 and the title of my message was "Seeing Sin For What It Really Is In Us." I don't think I've ever been more affected by a message that I have preached than I was affected by this one as I continue to work out the implications of it today. When I really get this, I will say with the apostle Paul that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost" (1 Timothy 1:15), and mean it.

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So how do we see sin for what it really is? From verses 14 and 15, we should understand that sin doesn’t have to do with anything on the outside of our bodies. Sin is not something external.

Jesus says very clearly, “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him…” He’s talking about food because the Pharisees were making a big deal about the disciples eating food that would be touched by unwashed hands. But when he says nothing, He means nothing. Things outside of us aren’t the source of our sin. Wearing certain kinds of clothes or certain kinds of jewelry isn’t sin in itself. Listening to certain kinds of music isn’t sin in itself. What I mean when I say that is that there is no kind of music that you are sinning if you listen to it and not sinning by not listening to it. There is no clothing or jewelry that you are sinning if you wear it and not sinning by not wearing it. Why? Because if this could be the case, then it would be something outside of you defiling you. But Jesus says that nothing outside of a person even if it goes into him can defile him.

So we know that sin doesn’t have to do with breaking the traditions or convictions of men that go beyond the Bible. Sin doesn’t have to do with something external. So what does sin really have to do with?

If you don’t understand yet, that’s OK. Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand either. At this point in verse 17, Mark tells us that they asked Jesus about the parable. They wanted to know what He meant.

Jesus then tells them why something that a person eats can’t make him unclean: because it goes through his stomach and out of his body. It doesn’t go into his heart. What’s the implication? Sin is what is in our hearts. The sin in you is what other people can never see and will never see. They will see some evidences of it. But they will never see it for what it really is. What this means is that we can only see sin for what it really is in ourselves. So how do we see sin for what it really is? We look inside ourselves. That’s the only place we’re going to truly be able to see it. Sin is completely internal.

And that’s why I said that the idea of judging others in our hearts leads to what Jesus teaches sin is really about. Sin isn’t most fundamentally about what we do. Sin is most fundamentally about what we think and feel.

...

So often we have trouble loving others because when we see them we find them hard to love. But here’s the crazy thing about that. Sin is in the heart. We can’t see their hearts. But if we have the eyes to see, we can see most of the ugliness in our own hearts. If we really saw how ugly our hearts were, then I don’t think there is anyone we could look at who wouldn’t be more beautiful and more lovable than what we see in ourselves.

You can get the entire sermon manuscript here.

The Blood Covers More Than We Often Think

But the blood of Christ can do greater things than our questioning hearts can conceive. Its virtue extends farther than either unbelief or self-righteousness will credit. It has the property of covering, not merely our sins before coming, however great these may be, but the defects of our act of coming. Our High Priest bears "the iniquity of our holy things." ... To separate that act of ours in coming, from the sins for the cleansing of which we come, so as to make it a thing by itself, on the right forth-putting of which the availableness of the blood depends, is to say that there is one class of sins to which the efficacy of the blood cannot extend.

Quoted in Christ Is All: The Piety Of Horatius Bonar (p.213, emphasis added)

Let's face it. None of us can come the right way. That's why there is no right way to come. Just come. I love the gospel. What a perfect way to prepare for the Lord's Day!

The Key To Loving Jesus

"Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven--for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."
Luke 7:44-47 (emphasis added)

Two weekends ago, I had the undeserved privilege of being God's messenger as the speaker at the high school retreat for the home school co-op that is run by my church (where I teach Systematic Theology to juniors and seniors every Friday morning). I gave two messages that were directly related to each other. Below is the conclusion from the first message I gave on Luke 7:36-50 called "The Key To Loving Jesus."

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How do we grow in our love for Jesus? We grow in our love for Jesus as we grow in seeing that our sin is greater than we could ever imagine. If our understanding of how great our debt is grows, then our understanding of how great our forgiveness is grows. You see, our brains are finite. So when I say that each of our debts before God is infinite, you hear what I’m saying but you can’t process how big that is. You must continually grow in your understanding of how great the debt is day by day. And as you grow in understanding how great that debt is, you will grow in your love for Jesus.

Think about it this way. Even when we are in heaven, we will never know God fully because He is infinite and we are finite and it will always be that way. So we will be growing in our knowledge of Him each day because there will always be more and more to learn. In the same way we will never fully know in this life how great our sin debt is because it is infinite and we are finite. So we must grow in our understanding of it through our entire lives if we will grow in treasuring our forgiveness and treasuring Jesus.

I didn’t become a Christian very long ago. It was about six years ago. But I became a Christian by becoming aware of my sin debt before God. And I’ll tell you this. From my perspective six years ago, I was only a 50 denarii debtor. Yes, I needed forgiveness. But the sins I recognized were obvious. I needed to stop stealing music. I needed to stop making an idol of worldly success (grades). I needed to stop feeding the lust in my heart. Among other things. By God’s grace He has freed me from the power of those particular sins in my life. But you know what, I now feel like a 5,000 denarii debtor. You probably couldn’t tell by looking at me from the outside because I usually can’t. The sins I recognize aren’t as obvious. And they are more deeply ingrained in my heart. I am often too fearful of people to share the gospel with them. I care too much about what people think after I teach rather than if I was faithful to God and His Word. I compare myself to other teachers of God’s word to see if I am better than them or worse than them in my ability to teach. I secretly judge people in my heart who don’t seem to pursue God as much as I think they should. I give God advice about the way I want things to be in my life. Among other things. And these sins feel harder to be freed from than my former ones. I might look better on the outside, but I feel worse on the inside. But forgiveness is more precious to me now than it was 5 years ago. And Jesus is more precious to me now than He was 5 years ago. But I still don’t know how great my sin debt. I still need to grow in my love for Jesus. And I will do this as I continue to grow in my understanding of how great my sin debt still is.

You can get the entire sermon manuscript here.

For My Sisters In Christ

True Woman Manifesto

May God enable you to more deeply cherish and embrace the glorious, high calling of biblical womanhood--married or single--for the glory of Christ. And may He raise up many more like you.

WOW

I just received Lecrae's new album Rebel in the mail yesterday. I already posted the first song with its lyrics a couple of days ago. I've only listened to the first five songs on it and let me just say that if I could post them all I would. But this will be the last one. If you want to hear the rest, my recommendation is for you to purchase a copy of this CD (also available on ITunes). The truth in Lecrae's lyrics is heart-penetrating and passion-inspiring. If for no other reason, the purchase is worth supporting the labors of Lecrae and his fellow laborers in their missionary efforts to bring the uncompromising, crystal-clear message of the gospel into the inner-city hip hop culture through the gifts God has given them. May God use them mightily in bringing reformation. There's no doubt He already is.



Don't Waste Your Life by Lecrae feat. Dwayne Tryumf

Hook:
(Cam)
Don't wanna waste my life

Verse 1:
(LeCrae)
I know a lot of people out there scared they gone die
couple of em thinking they'll be livin in the sky
but while Im here livin man I gotta ask why, what am here fo I gotta figure out
waste my life
no I gotta make it count
if Christ is real then what am I gone do about
all of the things in Luke 12:15 down to 21
you really oughta go and check it out
Paul said if Christ aint resurrect then we wasted our lives
well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive
everyday I'm living tryin show the world why
Christ is more than everything you'll ever try
better than pretty women and sinning and living to get a minute of any women and men that you admire
aint no lie
We created for Him
outta the dust he made us for Him
Elects us and he saves us for Him
Jesus comes and raises for Him
Magnify the Father why bother with something lesser
he made us so we could bless Him and to the world we confess him
resurrects him
so I know I got life
matter fact better man I know I got Christ
if you don't' see His ways in my days and nights
you can hit my brakes you can stop my lights
man I lost my rights
I lost my life
forget the money cars and toss that ice
the cost is Christ
and they could never offer me anything on the planet that'll cost that price.

Verse 2:
(Dwayne Tryumph)
Armed and dangerous
So the devil jus can't handle us
Christian youth them a stand wid us
Livin' n driven
given a vision
fullfillin the commission he handed us
London to Los Angeles
Da rap evangelist
Ma daddy wouldn't abandon us
"I gotta back pack fulla tracts plus I keep a Johnny Mac"
So are you ready to jam with us
So lets go, gimme the word an lets go
Persecution lets go
Tribulation lets go
Across the nation lets go
Procrastination bes go
Hung on the cross in the cold
Died for da young and the old
Can't say you never know
Heaven knows
How many souls are going to hell or to heaven so we gotta go in and get em
Whaaaaat!

Verse 3:
(LeCrae)
Suffer
Yeah do it for Christ if you trying to figure what to do with your life
if you making money hope you doing it right because the money is Gods you better steward it right
stay focused if you aint got no ride
your life aint wrapped up in what you drive
the clothes you wear the job you work
the color your skin naw we Christian first
people living life for a job
make a lil money start living for a car
get em a house a wife kids and a dog
when they retire they living high on the hog
but guess what they didn't ever really live at all
to live is Christ yeah that's Paul I recall
to die is gain so for Christ we give it all
he's the treasure you'll find in the mall
Your money your singleness marriage talent and time
they were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine
that's why it's Christ in my rhymes
That's why it's Christ all the time
my whole world is built around him He's the life in my lines
I refused to waste my life
he's too true ta chase that ice
heres my gifts and time cause I'm constantly trying to be used to praise the Christ
If he's truly raised to life
then this news should change your life
and by his grace you can put your faith in place that rules your days and nights.

He's fast isn't he? You can find the lyrics to all the songs at the Reach Records website.

The Best Illustration Of Election I've Ever Heard

Words fail me. Thank You, Father.

I Wanna Be A Rebel

Rebel Intro by Lecrae (from his latest album)

I'm in rebellion

Verse 1:
Jesus was a rebel, a renegade, outlaw
A sanctified troublemaker but He never sinned, naw
and He lived His life by a different set of Rules
the culture ain't approve
so you know they had they had to bruise em
that's the way they do
man, they swear they so gangsta but everyones the same
everybody do the same stuff
tattoo, piercing
smokin' up and drinking
money and sex plus them extravagant weekends
if that's the high life
I'll puff puff pass that
you leave evaporated like you missing a gas cap
I guess I'm passed that
cause I am in rebellion
I'd rather have a dollar in my pocket than a mill-ion
I'm scared to worship money, and my wants over Elyon
I'll remain a rebel while the rest of them just carry on
this is what I live fo
this the hill I'm buried on
if Jesus is the truth
that means one of us is VERY wrong
think about it

Verse 2:
No glory in me
all glory to the King on the throne (Jesus)
you either love Him or leave Him alone but you cant do both
yeah, you probably heard that once in song
I pray you hear 10 mo fo ya gone
yeah listen up, holmes
The stage is my corner and my crowd is the streets
That's why I rap the bread of life cause they dyin' to eat
I'm a rebel you know the kind that die in the street
Cause you refuse to conform, won't eat the kings meat
look, if Christ rebelled by shunning the cultured
He eatin' with sinners
givin Pharasies ulcers
He never got married, was broke and plus homeless
yeah that's the God I roll wit
ya boy gotta wife and no I neva cheated
I'm prayin for humility whenever I get heated
forget about the drugs
rebel against pornography
this ain't how it oughta be, homie
this is how it's gotta be
A rebel

And here is an interview with Lecrae. It's long but really insightful as Lecrae and Mark Driscoll help me understand what it means to be a rebel missionary who brings Jesus to people without all the "clothing" that makes Him no longer visible. I've been thinking lately that perhaps our problem so often in witnessing (in my church context) is that we "dress Jesus up" instead of just bringing Him as He is. A good indicator of this is my answer to the question of what I think a non-believer's life ought to look like after being saved. Yes, internals changes are usually manifested externally but are the changes that I most foresee and hope for merely external ones? Clothes they wear? The type of people they hang out with? The type of music they listen to? If so, I'm probably "dressing Jesus up." There's a line I can't get out of my head from this interview. As Lecrae describes how he got saved, he talks about the people who reached out to him. As he interacted with these people, he would over and over in his mind think to himself, "They can't possibly be Christians." Why, I ask? I think it's because the people who had formerly shaped his understanding of Christianity had "dressed Jesus up" and the Christians he was now encountering brought Jesus as He is "with no extra clothing." The irony is that unless we get "dressed up" in the "clothing" of those to whom we are bringing the gospel (becoming missionaries), we will be "dressing Jesus up" because they will see how we are "dressed differently than them" instead of seeing Jesus in us for who He is. May the Lord make us people who non-believers encounter and think to themselves, "They can't possibly be Christians" because all they see is people who love Jesus and love them with the pure gospel of grace without works.



HT: Mark Driscoll

I Believe In The Holy Spirit

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:2

The following is from the message I gave to our church's high school students on Genesis 1:2 this morning.

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We could read this verse and practically skip over the second half without thinking of the importance of it. It’s easy for us to treat God as the main thing (In the beginning, God…). It’s easy for us to treat Jesus as the main thing (In the beginning was the Word…). But it’s so easy for us to treat the Holy Spirit as secondary (And the Spirit of God…). His sentence begins in a way that would make us treat Him like an addition to something else that is more important.

But think about the significance of Moses telling us that the Holy Spirit was moving over the earth at this time. Even while the earth was without form, the Holy Spirit was moving over it. Even while the earth was empty, the Holy Spirit was moving over it. Even while the earth was in darkness, the Holy Spirit was moving over it. The Holy Spirit was moving over the creation before God said that anything was good.

What is the significance of this? Well the very next thing that happens after we read about the Spirit moving over the face of the waters is that God says, “Let there be light.” God creates! It is the movement of the Holy Spirit that leads to the creative action of God.

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Why? Because God was getting ready to do something! We should read that verse with anticipation and excitement. The Spirit’s moving. God is gonna do something! God is gonna do something! God is gonna do something!

God doesn’t create apart from the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t work apart from the Holy Spirit.

To be born again, you must be born through the Holy Spirit’s movement in your life.
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
John 3:7, 8

To pray the right way, you must pray in the Holy Spirit.
Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Ephesians 6:18

Pray in the Holy Spirit;
Jude 20

To understand the Bible, the Holy Spirit must move in your mind and heart.
And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:13, 14

To walk in obedience, we must have the Holy Spirit in us.
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Ezekiel 36:27

To kill the sin in our lives, we can only do so by the Holy Spirit’s work in us.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:13

To have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control is only possible if the Holy Spirit is living in us.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control: against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22,23

To sing to the Lord from our hearts, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.
Ephesians 5:18, 19

To trust the promises of God, we must have the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
For all the promises of God find their Yes in [Christ]. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
2 Corinthians 1:22

If you are a believer, hopefully you are doing these things almost every day. But do you acknowledge on a daily basis that you can only do them for one reason: because of the Spirit of God that is living in you? The Spirit of God is hovering over our souls as He was hovering over the waters. What might our lives be like if we were aware of the Holy Spirit’s movement within us on a moment by moment basis?

Charles Spurgeon was a popular preacher in England in the 1800’s. He preached in a huge building that seated thousands of people. Whenever he preached, he would have to walk up a long flight of stairs because the pulpit was high up where everyone in the building could see him. And you know what he did as he walked up the stairs each time before he preached? With each step he took, he would say, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” Each step. He reminded himself that the Spirit was moving and this caused him to be filled with anticipation week after week that God was going to do something, that God was going to save people each time he got up to preach. And God saved thousands of people through Spurgeon’s ministry.

What should be so encouraging about Genesis 1:2 is that the Spirit is moving at a time when there is nothing but emptiness, darkness, and formlessness. He hasn’t stopped moving in those times. He’s moving and as He moves God is getting ready to say “Let there be light.” So often we find ourselves stuck in points where we wonder where God is. We question whether He is working and if He is doing anything good in the midst of our life experiences. If you are His, then no matter how empty you feel, no matter how dark it is, no matter how formless life seems, the Spirit is moving in you and around you. And that means that God is getting ready to say, “Let there be light.” You should do it throughout everyday but especially when you have a bad day, remind yourself of the Holy Spirit. Say, like Charles Spurgeon did, “I believe in the Holy Spirit” with each step that you take.

You can get the entire sermon manuscript here.

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I believe in You Holy Spirit. I love You Holy Spirit.

Rapper Of Sovereign Grace

My crew is still repping the King at San Jose State University:

The Urgent Need Of The Church

What is the most urgent need in the church of the Western world today? Many different responses are given to that question....

Some in the church say that what we need is purity in sexual and reproductive matters...

Others locate the most urgent problem of the church less in personal morality than in larger policy issues connected with reproduction...

Others say the church's most urgent need is a combination of integrity and generosity in the financial arena...

Well, then, someone might say, what we need in this hour of spiritual declension is evangelism and church planting...

Perhaps what we most urgently need, then is disciplined, biblical thinking. We need more Bible colleges and seminaries, more theologians, more lay training, more expository preaching. How else are we going to train a whole generation of Christians to think God's thoughts after him, other than by teaching them to think through Scripture, to learn the Scriptures well?...

Time fails to list other ugent needs that various groups espouse. Some groups point to the desperate need for real, vital corporate worship; others focus on trends in the nation and therefore the need to become involved in politics and policies.

Clearly all of these things are important. I would not want anything I have said to be taken as disparagement of evangelism and worship, a diminishing of the importance of purity and integrity, a carelessness about disciplined Bible study. But there is a sense in which these urgent needs are merely symptomatic of a far more serious lack. The one thing we most urgently need in Western Christendom is a deeper knowledge of God. We need to know God better.

When it comes to knowing God, we are a culture of the spiritually stunted. So much of our religion is packaged to address our felt needs--and these are almost uniformly anchored in our pursuit of our own happiness and fulfillment. God simply becomes the Great Being who, potentially at least, meets our needs and fulfills our aspirations. We think rather little of what he is like, what he expects of us, what he seeks in us. We are not captured by his holiness and his love; his thoughts and words capture too little of our imagination, too little of our discourse, too few of our priorities.

In the biblical view of things, a deeper knowledge of God brings with it massive improvement in the other areas mentioned: purity, integrity, evangelistic effectiveness, better study of Scripture, improved private and corporate worship, and much more. But if we seek these things without passionately desiring a deeper knowledge of God, we are selfishly running after God's blessings without running after him. We are even worse than the man who wants his wife's services--someone to come home to, someone to cook and clean, someone to sleep with--without ever making the effort to really know and love his wife and discover what she wants and needs; we are worse than such a man, I say, because God is more than any wife, more than the best of wives: he is perfect in his love, he has made us for himself, and we are answerable to him.

A Call To Spiritual Reformation: Priorities From Paul And His Prayers, D.A. Carson, p.11-16

Amen, Don. Amen. This past summer I was blown away when I realized how Paul prays for the church in Ephesus. Paul knows that in the Ephesian church people struggle with lying, anger, stealing, improper speech, strained relationships, unforgiveness, sexual immorality, covetousness, drunkenness, and more. Just read chapters 4 and 5. But how does he pray for this church? Does he pray for the power of lust to be broken in their lives, for them to have restored relationships, or for idols to be destroyed? As good as these things are, no. And it dawned on me. If he prayed in these ways, he'd be fighting the wrong battle. The presence of these things aren't ultimately what their problem is. Their problem is owing to a lack of something. So this is how Paul prays:

I do not cease to remember you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know...
Ephesians 1:17,18

Paul really only prays for one thing in verses 17-23. Everything after verse 17 is an expansion of what that one thing is: that God may grant the Ephesians a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.

That was their greatest need. If this prayer would be answered, all the other issues would disappear. And 2,000 years removed, times haven't changed.

From A Fellow Christian Hedonist

My puritan friend Richard Baxter:

XXIII. 1. A Christian indeed daily delights himself in God, and finds more solid content and pleasure in his commands and promises, than in all this world ; his duties are sweet to him, and his hopes are sweeter. Religion is not a tiresome task to him, the yoke of Christ is easy to him, his burden light, and his commandments are not grievous. That which others take as physic, for mere necessity, against their wills he goes to as a feast, with appetite and delight; he prays because he loves to pray; and he thinks and speaks of holy things, because he loves to do it. Hence it is that he is so much in holy duty, and so unwearied, because he loves it and takes pleasure in it. As voluptuous persons are oft and long at their sports, or merry company all because they love them, and take pleasure in them: so are such Christians oft and long in holy exercises, because their hearts are set upon them as their recreation, and the way and means of their felicity. If it be a delight to a studious man to read those books which most clearly open the most abstruse mysteries of the sciences, or to converse with the most wise and learned men: and if it be a delight to men to converse with their dearest friends, or to hear from them and read their letters, no marvel if it be a delight to a Christian indeed, to read the gospel mysteries of love, and to find there the promises of everlasting happiness, and to see in the face of Christ the clearest image of the eternal deity; and foresee the joys which he shall have forever. He sticks not in superficial formality, but breaking the shell, doth feed upon the kernel. It is not bare external duty which he is taken up with, nor any mere creature that is his content; but it is God in creatures and ordinances that he seeks and lives upon ; and therefore it is that religion is so pleasant to him. He would not change his heavenly delights, which he finds in the exercise of faith, hope, and love to God, for all the carnal pleasures of this world ; he had rather be a door-keeper in the house of God, than dwell in the tents or palaces of wickedness. A day in God’s court is better to him than a thousand in the court of the greatest prince on earth. He is not a stranger to the joy in the Holy Ghost, in which the kingdom of God in part consists. ‘In the multitude of his thoughts within him, the comforts of God delight his soul. – His meditation of God is sweet, and he is glad in the Lord.’ The freest and sweetest of his thoughts and words run out upon God and the matters of salvation. The word of God is sweeter to him than honey, and better than thousands of gold and silver. And because his delight is in the law of the Lord, therefore he meditates in it day and night, he sees great reason for all those commands, ‘rejoice evermore, let the righteous be glad, let them rejoice before God, yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy all that are upright in heart.’ He is sorry for the poor unhappy world, that have no better things than meat, drink, clothes, house, land, money, lust, play, and domineering over others, to rejoice in; and heartily he wishes that they had but a taste of the saint’s delights, that it might make them abandon their luscious, unclean, unwholesome pleasures. One look to Christ, one promise of the gospel, one serious thought of the life which he must live with God for ever, doth afford his soul more solid comfort than all the kingdoms on earth can afford. Though he live not continually in these high delights, yet peace with God, peace of conscience, and some delight in God, and godliness, is the ordinary temperature of his soul, and higher degrees are given him in season for his cordials and his feasts.

The Practical Works of Richard Baxter, Baker (714-715)

HT: kerux noemata

Beware Of Trying To Turn The Light On When God Has Turned It Off

Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.
Isaiah 50:10, 11 (emphasis added)

Are We Hearing From Him? - Part 1

I should probably start by saying that I don't really have time to be blogging right now. In case you didn't notice, it's been a while since my last post. But the title of this post has at least two meanings in my mind and both of them have a sense of urgency associated with them, which is why I figured this shouldn't wait.

So what do I mean when I say, "Are We Hearing From Him?" First off, the Him is referring to God. And, for the sake of this post, I am taking for granted that one of the ways God speaks is by the events that are happening every day all around us if we would have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.

When the Pharisees came to Jesus asking him for a sign from heaven, He said this:

"When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
Matthew 16:2,3

The Pharisees 't didn't have their eyes and ears open to the signs of the times in their day and what God was saying to them in Jesus. They weren't hearing from Him. So the question for us is: do we have our eyes and ears open to the signs of the times in the events that are happening around us today? Are we hearing from God through them?

This past weekend, John Piper began his expositional preaching series through the book of John. He has no idea how long it will last as he preaches verse by verse through this account of the gospel.

A few days before that, he wrote an article about preaching that is tethered to the Word of God compared to preaching that is not.

Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, recently released a book called, He Is Not Silent: Preaching In A Postmodern World. Tim Challies today wrote an excellent review of it here. I have not read this book, but would love to do so soon (though I don't think that will happen).

I just got done teaching my systematic theology class about bibliology, the doctrine that talks about the origins of the Bible and the characteristics of the Bible. We talked specifically about four characteristics of the Bible: it's authority, clarity, necessity, and sufficiency.

So I'm asking myself: am I hearing from God through these providences? What are the signs of our times? Al Mohler's new books says that He is not silent. But God being silent and our hearing from Him are two completely different things.

Lord willing, in the next couple of weeks I will write some reflections based on the hearing from God that I have written about in this post giving a couple of reasons from the Bible why I think that what the Church needs most in order to hear from God is an unflinching commitment to the expository preaching of the Bible (the other aspect of hearing I was referring to at the beginning of this post) by pastors in the pulpit from Sunday to Sunday.

What Is Evangelicalism?

Four men take 4.5 minutes to describe the state of evangelicalism in America today. This is very much in line with my last post on politics and the Church.

November Is Almost Here

What do I mean by that? Well, the conventions are over. The tickets have been filled. And the pundits have plenty to say. That means that it's almost time for us to elect a new president here in the United States.

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings;
Daniel 2:20,21

Though we will soon be electing a man to sit in the White House for eight years at most (should he be re-elected), there is One who has been sitting on a throne in Heaven from eternity past and will sit there for all of eternity to come. He is not elected by men. And He cannot be impeached by men. And it is this presiding One who ultimately will elect the next person to fill the executive seat in the White House. Indeed, He has already chosen.

But if you're like me, you have to be reminded that the way God goes about removing presidents and setting up presidents in the democracy of our country is by the votes of individual citizens like you and me. To tell you the truth, I would prefer to stay away from a ballot box when November comes and let the cards fall where they will because I'm not dazzled by any political party or the candidates who represent them.

But God has called us to be faithful stewards of the things that He has entrusted to us. And here in the United States one of the many things we have been entrusted with as citizens of this country is the right to vote. Woe to us if we imitate the behavior of the servant who buried the one talent that his master entrusted to him (Matthew 25:18). So what does it mean for us to in this way (with our voting rights) be faithful stewards of the citizenship that God has entrusted to us? I'm not really sure. But I want to be faithful to Jesus.

Is it reduced to nothing more than supporting the candidate who protects the lives of unborn children and rejecting any other? Or the candidate who upholds the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman? Those were the basic (biblical, I thought) lines along which I thought until my pastor recently finished a series in Romans 13:1-7 called "The Christian, the Church, and Government."

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Romans 13:1-7

In case you hadn't figure it out by now, I don't like politics. But when my pastor began to preach about Christians and politics, I wasn't expecting what I got. What do you think he might say about politics when addressing the issue of politics? You might be surprised by the answer: very little. But I know that after listening to them I have alot more to consider as I get ready to go to the ballot box in November.

For my blog friends or anyone else who doesn't attend West Hills, I highly commend the following two sermons (if you don't want to listen to the entire series) from the timely 5 message series my pastor recently finished. I'm pretty sure it's not what you expected.

The Christian, Politics, and Government (3)

The Church, Politics, and Government (4)

And for those who are interested, here are the other three:

The Christian, the Church, and Government (1)

The Government as God's Minister (2)

When Government Goes Bad, What Should the Church Do? (5)

Note: The number in parentheses after each sermon is the order in the series in which the sermon was preached.

Not What You Would Expect In A Rap Song

Cling To You
By Trip Lee featuring Shai Linne

Verse 1 - Trip Lee:
Lord, I'd like to start by saying I can hate where I'm at
When this life is hard and situations take me aback
The fight is hard and I can hardly face it in fact
In life it's hard to get up like a bar with weights thats attached
It really seems the situations that I'm facing is wack
I been awakened but now I'm feeling forsaken and trapped
With no hope and I'm broken open for Satan to trap
I been bothered since You Father put this weight on my back
So please erase it's wack, cause when this pain it attacks
My weakness is at it's peak and I'm feeling strained and I lack
The trust in You I struggle through the ways that I should come to You
Lord, what am I gonna do? It's true this pain it distracts
But I see my only hope when my backs on the ropes
Is in You so I read through the facts that You wrote
The pain may fade away, but if that's my only hope
Then You don't get the glory alone not even close

Hook:
Lord, it may get better but it may not
So when I pray God, I pray I
Would trust You whether or not the pain stops
So when the the pain falls, coming down like rain drops
I just gotta cling to You

Verse 2 - shai linne:
Heavenly Father, in Your Word You say we can build
Because of Jesus and the blood that He graciously spilled
Lord, I thank You for real, cause my Dad's always there
I can cast all my cares plus the weight that I feel
My situation is ill, I ain't asking to be making a mill
But is all my money for paying my bills?
It gets crazier still, my soul's on dangerous hills
A target for the world, flesh, and Satan aiming to kill
While the wicked who be hating your will
Sit by the lake as they chill, taking in sensational thrills
Lord, Your Son I admire, He's the one I desire
I'll run through the fire if You say it's Your will
But at times it's hard to hear You, the world doesn't fear You
Lord, give me a clear view Your face is concealed
Help me to be patient until Your grace is revealed
And in the mean time, between time, be praising You still

Hook:
Lord, it may get better but it may not
So when I pray God, I pray I
Would trust You whether or not the pain stops
So when the the pain falls, coming down like rain drops
I just gotta cling to You

Verse 3 - Trip Lee:
Lord, You know I'm hoping that my situation will switch
That You'll show me You're amazing by erasing it quick
But I've noticed that my hope was in You changing it quick
Instead of knowing You're enough Lord I was chasing Your gifts
But then I opened up Your text and looked at David and them
Their situations was grim, but it ain't change them within
They prayed You'd take it away but sought Your face in the end
And found comfort in Your justice and the grace You extend
So in this life full of strife if my days get grayer
I'm content with the fact that You'll stay my Savior
No change in my King, man, it ain't no greater
Comfort than what's found in You that's so major
So in this life full of strife if my days get grayer
I'm content with the fact that You'll stay my Savior
No change in my King, man, it ain't no greater
Comfort than what's found in You that's so major
So in this life full of strife if my days get grayer
I'm content with the fact that You'll stay my Savior
No change in my King, man, it ain't no greater
Comfort than what's found in You that's so major

Hook:
Lord, it may get better but it may not
So when I pray God, I pray I
Would trust You whether or not the pain stops
So when the the pain falls, coming down like rain drops
I just gotta cling to You

More Prophetic Words ...

... from a suffering man:

Think about it - if I pray that my son gets up and walks, and then stick "not my will but Yours, Lord" on the end as I finish, aren't I really leaving myself a loophole so that if it doesn't happen I can say "Well, the Lord didn't will it"? Actually, as I read back over that last sentence, even writing that down demonstrates that my faith isn't where I want it yet - faith that moves mountains doesn't concern itself with "if it doesn't happen". So if I pray "not my will but Thine", Isn't it possible that what I'm really saying is "OK, I don't believe You're actually gonna give me what I want, so You go ahead and do whatever You think You need to do"? At which point I am not really praying, but expressing my unbelief instead. In that case, my muttering of the phrase allows me to give up anytime I want and say "Well, I guess the Lord doesn't will it", whereas NOT praying it means I have to keep praying until I am answered, or give up and call it what it is - throwing away my confidence. Muttering that rote phrase then becomes a cop-out, because it negates the whole meaning and purpose of my prayer, which is to lift my need to the throne.

Read the whole thing here: Day 77 - August 31 - My Atrophied Faith - Part 2

And here is the first: Day 60 - August 14 - My Atrophied Faith - Part 1

More and more, the psalmist's words ring true because I don't think this biblical insight would have come to Eric any other way:

It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
Psalm 119:71

What follows is my response to Eric that I left as a comment to his post:

Eric,

I go to WHCC and, though I have never interacted with Connor (I met your daughter this weekend), I have been following the blog pretty much daily since it started and have been praying daily for him, you, and your family. It is amazing how, though you have never met them, you can feel so invested in another. I guess that's what it means to be part of one body. Only in the Lord. You have challenged and encouraged me as I have watched God work in you and through you. Thank you.

As I started to read your post, my first thought was that the answer to questions 2 and 3 is surely no, but not the answer to question 1. The answer to that question must be yes. But by the time I had finished reading, I realized that through you God had put your finger on my lack of faith.

The amazing thing is that in God's providence I had just read an exposition of James 1:5-7 (only this part!) last night in a set of Puritan works I recently received that I was just getting into for the first time (out of 22 volumes, these 10 pages in volume 4, apart from the introduction in volume 1, were the ones I chose to read first out of the 22 volumes and hundreds of pages I could have chosen from).

Though James is specifically writing about asking God when we lack wisdom, do the same conditions (faith without doubting) not apply when we approach God to ask for anything? Now I'm going to quote you an excerpt at length that, even though I had read it last night, I still must not have fully understood it until I had finished reading your post because if I did I would have completely agreed with you on question 1 from the beginning:

(commenting on James 1.6: But let him ask in faith ,with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.)

When we have no certain assurance of his will, the work of faith is to glorify and apply [God's] power. Unbelief stumbleth most at that, rather at God's can than will; as appeareth partly by experience.--Fears come upon us only when means fail and the blessings expected are most unlikely; which argueth that it is not the uncertainty of God's will, but the misconceit of his power, that maketh us doubt. The present dangers and difficulties surprise us with such a terror that we cannot comfortably use the help of prayer out of a faith in God's power:--partly by the testimony of the scriptures. Search, and you shall find that God's power and all-sufficiency is the first ground and reason of faith. Abraham believed, because 'God was able to perform,' Romans 4.21. And that unbelief expresseth itself in such language as implieth a plain distrust of God's power; as Psalm 78.19, 'Can the Lord prepare a table in the wilderness?' It is not the will but can: 2 Kings 7.2, 'If the Lord should open the windows of heaven, how can this be?' So the Virgin Mary: Luke 1.34, 'How can these things be?' and so in many other instances. Men deceive themselves when they think they doubt because they know not the will of God; their main hesitancy is at his power. Look, as in the case of conversion, we pretend a cannot, when indeed we will not; so, oppositely, in the case of faith, we pretend we know not God's will, when we indeed doubt his can. Therefore the main work of your faith is to give him the glory of his power, leaving his will to himself. Christ putteth you, as he did the blind men (Matt. 9.28), to the question, 'Am I able?' Your souls must answer, 'Yes, Lord.' And in prayer you must come as the leper: Matt 8.2, 'Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.' Whether he grant you or not, believe; that is, say in your thoughts, Lord, thou canst (The Works of Thomas Manton, Volume 4, pp. 48-49).

Now, I don't in any way think that Thomas Manton is an inspired apostle. But it cannot be coincidence how what he writes here (about 400 years ago, can you tell by the grammar =P?) almost completely coincides with what you wrote yesterday, at least to me having read Manton last night and Eric Williamson this morning.

Perhaps what we might view Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane in light of is the fact that Jesus isn't a totally depraved sinner whose heart is filled with all kinds of unbelief like the rest of us. Jesus knew His Father's power, as well as everything else about His Father (Matt 11:27), perfectly. We don't (Is that not why there are so many exhortations and prayers in the epistles for us to grow in the knowledge of God? Jesus didn't have to). Therefore He, unlike us, isn't deceived by what is really in His heart when He prays "Not my will, but Thine." And though this prayer ought to be the posture of our hearts flowing out in the way we live our lives, we must be very careful with our use of it (we must know our hearts) because praying it could result in the very opposite of what we think and want:

For that person [who doubts in unbelief] must not suppose that he will receive anything [not just wisdom] from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 1:7,8

Scary words that we would all do well to ponder the implications of.

So thank you again, Eric. Your faith (according to the measure that God has assigned) is greater than mine.

I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.
Luke 7:9

And I join with you in continuing to pray for Connor with boldness, "Lord, if you will, you can raise him up."

Growing in the knowledge of His power,
Chris Gatihi

The Greatest Human Evidence For The Sovereignty Of God In Salvation: The Conversion And Life Of Saul Of Tarsus

We sing the glorious conquest before Damascus gate,
When Saul, the church's spoiler, came breathing threats and hate;
The rav'ning wolf rushed forward full early to the prey;
But lo! the Shepherd met him, and bound him fast today.

O glory most excelling that smote across his path!
O light that pierced and blinded the zealot in his wrath!
O voice that spake unto him the calm, reproving word!
O love that sought and held him the bondman of his Lord!

O Wisdom ord'ring all things in order strong and sweet,
What nobler spoil was ever cast at the victor's feet?
What wiser masterbuilder e'er wrought at thine employ
Than he, till now so furious thy building to destroy?

Lord, teach thy church the lesson, still in her darkest hour
Of weakness and of danger, to trust Thy hidden pow'r:
Thy grace by ways mysterious the wrath of man can bind,
And in Thy boldest foeman Thy chosen saint can find.

-John Ellerton, quoted in Paul: Missionary Theologian by Robert Reymond, p.55

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy be cause I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life...
1 Timothy 1:12-16

How do you respond to what can only be described and explained as a pure work of sovereign grace? Doxology:

...To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:17

Therefore, let us continue to pray boldly and without ceasing to the immortal King who overflows with grace for the conversion of the most rebellious and hardened unbelievers we know and love, whose salvation right now seems unimaginable.

The Both/And Of Biblical Evangelism

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
2 Corinthians 4:5

I don't think I have a "life verse." But if I were to choose one, I'd be hard pressed to find a verse that better sums up what my life in this world is about.

I once heard John MacArthur talking about why we as Christians are in the world. There's really only one reason. We're not here to enjoy the world because it's not our home. We're not here to worship because our worship here is so messed up and doesn't come anywhere near what God is worthy of and what it will be like in heaven. We're not here to live holy lives because the holiness we attain here as we struggle with the flesh is nothing compared to what it will be when we are in heaven. Everything we do here, we will do better in heaven. Except for one thing: proclaim the gospel. Because there won't be anyone there to tell. So we're here for one reason: evangelism.

This verse is short. It's to the point. It's crystal clear, which well suits a guy like me who is so black and white and linear in his thinking. But every part of it oozes with meaning.

In a day when there are so many methods for sharing the gospel, this verse is so helpful for me. It beautifully sums up the life of evangelism.

For what we proclaim is not ourselves...

The first thing that marks Paul's life of sharing the gospel is proclamation. Evangelism is first and foremost about proclamation. He didn't say share. He didn't say suggest. He said proclaim. The Greek word behind proclaim is the same word that we translate as preach. It is what a herald does when he cries out in public, "Hear ye! Hear ye!" It makes an announcement. It makes a declaration. It has authority because it is based on what really is true. According to Matthew, the first thing that Jesus did after He was baptized was to "preach (same word - proclaim), saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' " (Matthew 4:17). Jesus' first task before anything else was to make an announcement. It was to make a declaration. And it was done with authority. There was no doubt that Jesus had authority in His life and preaching (Matthew 7:29, Matthew 21:23). He had received it from His Father (Matthew 28:18). And then He says of us:

As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
John 17:18

Jesus was sent with authority. Likewise we are sent with authority (Matthew 28:18-20). We are given this authority in large measure because we are sent to proclaim. And we can't proclaim without authority.

...but Jesus Christ as Lord...

The message that we are given to proclaim is simple. It has one point to communicate. Jesus Christ is Lord. This is supposed to be the essence of all of my proclamation. It is supposed to be the essence of my life. Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth who made me and you and everything in it and is worthy of all worship and praise and adoration. And He's not just my Lord. He's Lord of all. That's what the psalmist means when he uses two words to call God Lord in Psalm 8:

O LORD (Yahweh), our Lord (Adonai), how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8:1

Yes, Jesus is my Master. But before that He is Yahweh, the One who rules over all and governs all, infinitely glorious and perfectly satisfied in Himself without me or any of His creation. We don't just proclaim a Lord who has revealed Himself to us. We proclaim a Lord who simply is and commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30).

... with ourselves as your servants ...

But in case we thought that gospel proclamation was simply about saying something, Paul throws in this phrase. It's easy to just say something to someone and be done. In fact, it's really tempting (at least for me), especially when you feel like you aren't "doing" enough evangelism, to feel like you need to tell someone the gospel because that's what you are supposed to do. If I could just let the words come out of my mouth that God is holy and we are all sinners by birth but Christ died to receive the punishment for and give eternal life to all who will trust in Him, then I would feel so much better about myself. I'd feel less guilty. At least until a couple of weeks go by and this same feeling returns. But there are at least a couple of problems with this.

The first problem is that having such a mentality tends to cause us to think that we are "off the hook" and have done our duty. Therefore, I don't necessarily have to share the gospel again today because I already did with so and so. Or I can feel better about not sharing the gospel today because I did so yesterday. The reality is that even if we were sharing the gospel once a day, we wouldn't even be close to doing "enough" evangelism. There is no such thing as "enough" evangelism, especially when you become convinced it's the only reason you're still in the world. There are too many perishing sinners around us to ever let such Satan-originating thoughts (I mean that) enter our minds. But maybe I'm the only one who thinks such thoughts.

The second problem is that having such a mentality leads to cultivating a heart that is the opposite of what it should be in our evangelism, one that is broken-hearted and longing for the salvation of perishing souls. What I mean is that our evangelism becomes focused on me (the proclaimer) when it is supposed to be focused on them (the one who is perishing). I'm serving myself because I simply need to find someone to share with so that I can get rid of my own guilty feelings rather than serving the perishing by enabling them to escape from the wrath to come. My main motivation becomes the ease of my conscience rather than the eternal life and joy of another.

But Paul says that we are their servants. The true meaning of the Greek word is slave. We are to seek their eternal well being in the way that a slave in all things lives to seek the well being of his master. We are to feel the burden that this person is perishing and ache for them to come to know Christ. This is what Paul means when he says of his fellow Jews who don't know Christ, "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh" (Romans 9:2, 3). How many nights of sleep do you think this caused Paul to lose? Alot more than I have lost over even any of my own family members who don't know the Lord.

What is so challenging about this phrase is that it makes evangelism anything but cookie-cutter. In a certain sense, it's so easy to do cookie-cutter evangelism. I can "just do it," move on, and forget about it. But to be someone's slave is to meet their needs. That takes being interested in their needs and taking the time to learn what those needs are and then getting down on your knees and washing someone's feet. It means saying to them not just what I'm supposed to say ("Repent and believe"), but saying to them that which will minister to them in their need ("Yes you are guilty before God, but Christ died so that though you feel abandoned you would have a Father in heaven who has promised to never leave you nor forsake you"), which I can only say after I've taken the time to get to know how the gospel speaks to their specific need. Slavery is a time investment. It's a resource investment. It often means doing what I don't necessarily feel like doing, not because I feel guilty but because I'm indebted to someone. It means I regard the one I am enslaved to with honor (1 Timothy 6:1).

Where did Paul get this idea? From Jesus:

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:44, 45

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, thourhg he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing , taking the form of a servant (slave)...
Philippians 2:5-7

Whose slave? Ours.

... for Jesus' sake.

Though our focus should be on the other person rather than ourselves when we do evangelism, our focus ultimately should be on Jesus when we proclaim the gospel. This is what He has commanded us to do. And it is our love for Him that causes us to keep His commands (John 14:15). Our longing for the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing through the praises of as many men and women as possible from all tribes and peoples and languages is what the deepest motivation for our evangelism should be (Revelation 5:11-13, 7:9-12). The Lamb deserves nothing less than everlasting praises for spilling His blood. That's what my salvation is ultimately about. That's what their salvation is ultimately about. Therefore, that's what my evangelism is ultimately about.

I titled this post the way I did because there seems to be a contradictory nature to a couple of the aspects that I believe Paul lays out for our evangelism. How in the world does a slave proclaim? How does one walk in humble meekness while meeting the felt needs of others and at the same time declare with authority to these same people that they are blind to what their greatest need is?

When I look around the landscape of the church today, I see mostly one or the other. I see slaves who love to go around meeting felt needs but shy away from proclaiming with authority that apart from Christ "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). The problem when we shy away from proclaiming with authority is that we do the very opposite of what Paul aims not to do: though we think we are proclaiming Christ, if we don't proclaim Him as Lord over all then what we are really proclaiming is ourselves in our own benevolence rather than Him.

Or I see "triumphalist" proclaimers who breathe down fire when they tell the world with authority that God is going to judge them in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed (Acts 17:21) and therefore you must repent and believe, start reading your Bible, and do what it says. Ourselves as your servants?

The devastating part of this is that the slaves who are hesitant to proclaim look over and see the "triumphalist" proclaimers and how others are responding to them and move farther away from a desire to proclaim with authority rather than closer to. And the "triumphalist" proclaimers look over and see the slaves who who are hesitant to proclaim and how others respond to them and move farther away from a desire to serve and meet needs rather than closer to. Both sides, instead of helping each other are hurting each other. Slaves refuse to proclaim. Proclaimers refuse to serve. But we must do both. It is not either/or. It is both/and.

What, then, is the answer? What it always is. We look to Jesus, in order that we might imitate the One who most beautifully and mysteriously shows us what it means to be a felt-need meeting slave who proclaims with authority for the glory of His Father.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Mark 1:15

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45

And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
Mark 10:51

Oh, the admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies in Your Son, Father! Thank You for those words that You gave Jonathan Edwards. It is so stunningly and beautifully true that at the same time that Your Son can cause the mountains to tremble by His infinite power He will not quench a smoldering wick or break a bruised reed. Please make that true of me in my evangelism. Give me a heart that proclaims with authority being rooted in a true servant's heart of love. Make me a man who makes His proclamation with broken-hearted contrition over the sins of those who reject You. In other words, conform me more into the image of Your Son. For Jesus' sake, Amen.

The Only Reason For Being

"Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
Isaiah 6:8

Amen.

HT: Christ Is Deeper Still