Praying Through The Tough Times

A few different things today…

First, I want to thank those of you who were praying for me.  Today I got my medical report and it was good, and we are very grateful to God for answered prayer.

Second, I don’t know why, but I felt a really strong leading to post an old song here that was a popular church solo, I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked.  After looking at what was available, I went with this one by Larnelle Harris which you’ll find after today’s devotional.  (It’s actually recorded from a Gaither Music DVD; I guess I’m not cool/hip anymore!)  Again, I’m not sure why this is here, but if it’s for you, let me know.

Finally, that brings us today’s thoughts.  This has been an exhausting week, but this appeared at T.O.L. on Tuesday and I wanted to share it with any who might have missed it. This of course was written before item one above, so I modified it somewhat…

When I’m going through a period of intense personal pressure, I find myself wondering about the condition and authenticity of my faith in light of the anxiety I am experiencing. There, I said it. Scratch my name off your list of Christian superstars. Whaddya mean it wasn’t there?

I’m a worrier. A sometimes chronic worrier.

My mother often quotes Jeremiah 12:5 to me at times like this:

If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

In the NIV it reads,

 “If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?

In other words, if you panic and are stressed by a little pressure, what are you going to do when something serious happens? Except this week things were more serious. “The swelling of the Jordan,” so to speak.

I say all this to say that it is so easy to espouse certain positional truths in scripture, but it is another matter entirely to live out those things practically when circumstances require a response.

In other words, we generally have all the answers — for someone else. It’s easy to straighten out someone else’s life; it’s hard to accept God’s instructions when we are the ones under pressure.

Mind you, I can’t imagine not having God to turn to.

I walked today where Jesus walked,
In days of long ago.
I wandered down each path He knew,
With reverent step and slow.

Those little lanes, they have not changed,
A sweet peace fills the air.
I walked today where Jesus walked,
And felt Him close to me.And felt His presence there.

My pathway led through Bethlehem,
A memory’s ever sweet.Ah! mem’ries ever sweet
The little hills of Galilee,
That knew His childish feet.That knew those childish feet

The Mount of Olives, hallowed scenes,
That Jesus knew before
I saw the mighty Jordan roll,
As in the days of yore.

I knelt today where Jesus knelt,
Where all alone he prayed.
The Garden of Gethsemane,
My heart felt unafraid.

I picked my heavy burden up,
And with Him at my side,And with Him by my side
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
I climbed the Hill of Calvary,
Where on the Cross He died!

I walked today where Jesus walked,
And felt Him close to me.

Worship Consists of a Life Well-Lived

Jim at Not For Itching Ears recently posted this as a question… Worship: Is it a Life Well-Lived or a Chorus Well-Sung?  I think you already know the answer, but…

We love to discuss those things we are passionate about, don’t we?  Be it our favorite football team (THE Washington Redskins), politics, sports, movies, cultural issues.  Heck we even argue about beer!   Remember the Miller Lite commercials?  For years, Miller Lite drinkers, including the likes of Rodney Dangerfield and John Madden, bickered back and forth on our TV sets.  The argument?  What made Miller Lite such a great beer.   Some said the drink tasted great. Others said it was less filling.  Though they were very entertaining commercials, it makes one wonder:  Don’t we have anything better to discuss than beer?

Of course we do!  Over here at Not For Itching Ears, we’ve been spending a lot of time talking about a topic that is higher up the food chain:  Worshipping God.  If you read these posts (millions of people do each hour)(just kidding), then you know I have been searching and studying and thinking out loud a lot lately.  I don’t know why.  Everywhere I go, every conversation I have, many of the sights I see cause me to reflect on what it means for a Christian to worship our great Redeemer.   The two facts that seem to be fueling this journey are these: 1)  Worship, generally, is not a song we sing, though we can worship God while singing.  2) The church seems to be defining worship as a song we sing.  I think that approach is crippling the church and robbing God of true worship.

Is worship a song that is well-sung or is it a life that is well-lived?

The Bible teaches us that true worship involves the laying down of our lives, and everything that entails.  In turn, we offer our lives back to God, to be lived for Him, His glory, and His alone.   Scripture is full of admonitions like the one Paul gave the church at Ephesus:

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life WORTHY of the calling you have received.”  Eph 4:1 NIV

This word “worthy” literally means “to bring up the other beam of the scales” so that things are equal.   If you put a pound of tomatoes on one side of the scale and a one pound weight on the other side of the scale, the scale will be even.  If everything is working the way it was designed to work, the scale would be perfectly level.  That is the idea here.  The Ephesian believers were being exhorted to conduct their lives in a  way that matched or equaled what they professed.  They were being exhorted to live out their faith.  We might say they were being told to practice what they preached.  With our mouths we say we believe in the Gospel,  will follow Christ anywhere, and want to love Him out loud, but do our lives balance that out?  Or, is one side of the scale higher than the other?  That’s what Paul is talking about here

The more I consider worship, the more I realize that this is EXACTLY what worship looks like.  It is a life laid down.  You and I proclaim God’s worth in every choice we make.   Let’s face it, living for Christ 24/7 is no easy task.  Life is full of temptations, large and small.   Every moment of every day we are bombarded with situations that cause us to choose who we are living for:  Ourselves or our God.  When we choose to follow God and obey His word, we are declaring that what He values is what matters.  We are professing with our deeds that His way is worthy of following.   Isn’t that the essence of worship?  The overwhelming weight of scriptural testimony leads to only one conclusion:  Worship is not what my mouth says, it is what my hands do.  At least that what God likes in a worshipper.

When I put my own life on that scale to see where my life stands, I don’t like what I see.   Like the Ephesians, I need to be reminded that my life should be spent following the master.  To worship Him, we should strive to live lives that are worthy of the King and his message.

Isn’t THAT much more involved than simply singing a few songs?

Many will counter and say that worship can be both a life well-lived and a song well-sung.  Just like Miller Lite could be both great tasting and less filling.  And I agree!  However I believe the church would do well to emphasize the true character of worship:  a life laid down.  When the body of Christ becomes gripped by this understanding of worship, the Gospel will spread like wildfire.

For more on this topic see our series called: Forget About Singing, God Wants Us To Worship Him His Way

~Jim Greer

Unpacking “Fearfullly and Wonderfully”

When we consider what it means to be “fearfully and wonderfully made,” (Psalm 139:14) we tend to think immediately of the physiology of mankind; the skeletal system, the digestive system, the neurological system, the respiratory system, etc.

But I’m wondering if an infinitely powerful designer did not additionally build in to our “making” various shades of meaning associated with our bodies.

For example, end times literature speaks of the “mark of the beast,” a mark associated with the hand and the forehead.  But why those two parts?  One preacher I heard suggested that it spoke to the “beast’s” control over the work of man (hand) and the mind of man (forehead).  In other words, the positioning of the marks, however practical, was also symbolic.

And then there is sex.  When a woman is a virgin, the breaking of the hymen at first sexual experience results in some bleeding.  To a Hebrew mind, this would associate with blood covenants; and a compelling argument against premarital sex is that it places the  sign of the covenant before the actual making of the covenant through marriage.

But Biblical language contains infinitely more than these examples.  The eye is the opening through which light enters the body and the brain, we think of it in terms of input; but scripture calls the eye “the lamp of the body,” which we could think of in terms that the rest of the body is illuminated or informed by what the eye sees, but also in the sense that the eye is a light itself. Do we not sometimes judge character by the way in which someone looks us in the eye? Or chooses not to? Do the eyes not radiate out something inside us?

Invest yourselves in a word study of hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc.  But also consider “the eyes of God,” or “the hand of God,” or “finger of God.” Bible Gateway makes it possible for you to do in seconds what formerly took several minutes with a printed concordance.  Blue Letter Bible is useful when you remember a verse, but have a few words incorrect, as it narrows down possibilities in its search feature.

Just don’t leave me a comment asking about Psalm 91:4, okay?

For Praying Out Loud

Elsie Montgomery is a Canadian, blogging daily since 2006 at Practical Faith. She also teaches people how to write Bible study materials and devotionals. Six months ago, she became an instant ‘add’ to our blogroll at right! This piece appeared last week under the title, Faith and Praying Out Loud.

As a writer, I’ve learned that reading my work aloud helps me spot errors more readily. It is the same with prayer. For that reason, I pray aloud, sometimes intensely loud. In doing this, God has helped me see what I believe and what I only think that I believe.

This morning’s devotional reading is about a man whose son was afflicted with a demon that not only robbed him of the ability to speak, but also drove the boy to suicide attempts. This man brought his son to the disciples and they were unable to help him. Then Jesus appeared on the scene and began asking questions.

And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:21–23)

I love what Spurgeon did with this. He said, “Now there was an ‘if’ in the question, but the poor trembling father had put the ‘if’ in the wrong place. Jesus Christ, therefore, without commanding him to retract the ‘if,’ kindly puts it in its legitimate position.”

I immediately think of all the times I’ve put an ‘if’ in my prayers. Sometimes it is, “If You hear me . . .” or “If You care. . . .” But most often if is like this father, “If You can. . . .” Usually I don’t say those words, but I am thinking them in my heart. That is why praying out loud is important for me.

Even my rational mind apart from pure faith, reasons that God is unlimited. He can do anything or He could not be called God. That makes saying “If You can. . . .” out loud a total nonsense. If I heard myself say that, I would shake my head and maybe give myself a smack. What am I saying? Duh.

However, this man also said something that, for me, seems to come out more easily when I say it aloud.

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

For me, mulling the issue in my mind and in silent prayers, makes it easier to skirt the real issues or to rationalize and deny what is going on in my heart. Out loud, it becomes clearer to me: God knows what I am thinking — I might as well say it. There is no pretending when the words come out. I cannot easily lie to myself when I hear myself talk.

This helps identify doubt, but praying out loud has an upside to it as well. For instance, when I say things like, “You are God, You can do anything,” I am reinforcing my own faith. This is a strong biblical principle. We need to speak what we believe.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9–10)

Verbal confession is vital in salvation. It cements faith, makes it concrete (pun intended) and gives it voice. Obviously, those who say they believe with their mouth, but do not believe in their heart are not saved. On the other hand, if someone thinks they believe, but refuses to say so, they could be holding back so they can change their mind. God wants us to say it, to tell others.

Speaking what I believe works in a similar way in prayer. It affirms and gives strength to what I know is true in my heart. It also battles the Liar, Satan, who whispers words of doubt and deception into my mind. Out-loud words drive away those temptations to unbelief. Singing spiritual songs has the same effect as we give expression to the truth.

Back to prayer. I love to go for long walks and pray, but praying out loud is a bit of a problem. I imagine a well-meaning observer calling for the little men wearing white coats to take me off to the psych ward. So I whisper and move my lips, which is almost as good, but not the same as talking with volume.

************

Lord, the lessons of speaking my heart are important. Speaking out loud may not be for everyone, but the larger lesson here is for everyone, and for me today. I need to watch that I put any “ifs” in the right place. Prayer should firmly stand on the confidence that You keep Your promises and that You hear my prayers, aloud or silent. The “if’s” do not belong to who You are or what You can do. They always belong with my failings, fears and doubts. Forgive me for trying to project my own shortcomings on You, as if You are the doubtful side of this equation. How foolish of me. You are Almighty God, God who is unlimited in power, love, grace and mercy. Truly, all things are possible to those who believe. In my weakness and lack of faith, keep on giving me words that turn my focus away from supposing wrong things about You and that put the onus of my unbelief where it belongs.

The Meaning of “Spreading the Gospel”

An interesting examination into a phrase that was quoted like scripture in the church where I grew up: “Why should anyone hear the gospel twice before everyone has heard it once?”  Eddie Arthur looks at this more  closely:

No one has the right to hear the Gospel twice while there remains someone who has not heard it once. (Oswald J. Smith)

This is the second post in what may become a series on famous sayings about Christian mission (the first one is here). This quote by Smith is one that turns up in lots of missionary writing and at first glance it seems to make sense, but like many things that make sense at first glance, it is actually rather problematic.

On the positive side, this quote encourages us to reflect on the importance of taking the Gospel to places where there are, as yet, no Christians. This is something which is absolutely key to the work of Wycliffe Bible Translators and something which motivated St. Paul, too.

My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. (Romans 15:20)

That being said, this quote raises an awful lot of questions.

“No one has a right to hear the Gospel twice”; I’m not sure where the language of rights comes from – it certainly isn’t in the Bible. Scripture talks about the responsibility of Christians to bear witness to Christ all around the world, but it is silent on the rights of people to hear the message. Surely, hearing the Gospel, once, twice or a hundred times is all about God’s grace in reaching out to His creation, not about our rights to hear.

So, what about this notion that people should only hear the Gospel once while others have not heard?

The first thing to say is that this is not how Paul operated. Despite his desire to preach in new situations, he spent serious amounts of time in some cities, building up and encouraging the Church and on more than one occasion he went back to visit a city where he had previously planted a Church.

This phrase comes from the sort of thinking which I addressed at a number of points in my series on the Great Commission. It stems from the idea that mission is nothing more than announcing the Good News of Jesus and moving on, it ignores the Biblical injunction to make disciples (Matthew 28:19,20) and fails to take Jesus commands to love and care for people seriously. Are we only supposed to give thirsty people one drink? Or should we visit prisoners once and then move on? (Matthew 25:38-40) Of course we wouldn’t limit these commands in this way; but there is nothing about the command to teach the Gospel that would allow us to limit that either.

Christian mission is about long-term engagement with people. It involves building relationships, serving people and telling them the Good News about Jesus. It takes time, often lots of time, for people to move from not knowing Christ to becoming his disciples. They may need to hear the Gospel many times.

However, the main problem with this phrase, and the sort of missiology that it represents, is that it places us and our strategy in the lead position in mission, rather than having us follow the Spirit and joining in where he is at work.

Phrases like this one are powerful, all the more so because they contain a grain of truth, but they can shape our thinking in ways that are not helpful. Sadly, it can be a lot easier to use sayings like this to shape our mission strategy rather than being guided by the complex and sometimes confusing narrative of Scripture.

If you want to look at this quote in more detail, take a look at what Ernest Goodman has to say (and follow the comments), here is a taste of his thoughts:

I cannot accept a missiology that essentially puts us on “auto-pilot” in terms of to whom we should go. The second we assume where and in whom God is going to work, we get ahead of Him and disqualify ourselves from full participation in what He’s doing. This missiology is essentially either/or; missions is either relating to those people that God leads us to, or it is targeting the next “lostest” people group according to our statistics and research. It cannot be both, because the second assumes a monopoly on the first. How else can we explain so many of our workers feeling called to work among “reached” peoples?

God is at work redeeming humankind to Himself. I believe that missions is crossing cultural barriers to be part of that. Until we seriously rethink our missiology, we will continue to build our strategies on a broken foundation.

No One Knows The Day, Nor The Hour

This is from the blogger known as Christopher at The Christian Journey

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:36-51

Here are some thought on this passage from the pen of J.C. Ryle:

The… thing that demands our attention, is the dreadful separation that will take place when the Lord Jesus comes again. We read twice over, that “one shall be taken and the other left.”

The godly and the ungodly, at present, are all mingled together. In the congregation and in the place of worship–in the city and in the field–the children of God and the children of the world are all side by side. But it shall not be so always. In the day of our Lord’s return, there shall at length be a complete division. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye; at the last trumpet, each party shall be separated from the other forever more. Wives shall be separated from husbands–parents from children–brothers from sisters–masters from servants–preachers from hearers. There shall be no time for parting words, or a change of mind, when the Lord appears. All shall be taken as they are, and reap according as they have sown. Believers shall be caught up to glory, honor, and eternal life. Unbelievers shall be left behind to shame and everlasting contempt. Blessed and happy are they who are of one heart in following Christ! Their union alone shall never be broken. It shall last for evermore. Who can describe the happiness of those who are taken, when the Lord returns? Who can imagine the misery of those who are left behind? May we think on these things and consider our ways…

[We also see that] True Christians ought to live like watchmen. The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. They should strive to be always on their guard. They should behave like the sentinel of an army in an enemy’s land.

They should resolve by God’s grace not to sleep at their post. That text of Paul deserves many a thought–”let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thess. 5:6.)

True Christians ought to live like good servants, whose master is not at home. They should strive to be always ready for their master’s return. They should never give way to the feeling, “my Lord is delaying his coming.” They should seek to keep their hearts in such a frame, that whenever Christ appears, they may at once give Him a warm and loving reception. There is a vast depth in that saying, “Blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing so when he comes.” We may well doubt whether we are true believers in Jesus, if we are not ready at any time to have our faith changed into sight.

J.C.Ryle

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels Vol 1 Matthew and Mark pg 327-329

It’s Grace

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Grace binds you with far stronger cords than the cords of duty or obligation can bind you. Grace is free, but when once you take it you are bound forever to the Giver, and bound to catch the spirit of the Giver. Like produces like, Grace makes you gracious, the Giver makes you give.

(Eli) E. Stanley Jones

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We tend to give an unbeliever just enough of the gospel to get him or her to pray a prayer to receive Christ. Then we immediately put the gospel on the shelf, so to speak, and go on to the duties of discipleship. The grace that brought salvation to you is the same grace that teaches or disciplines you. But you must respond on the basis of grace, not law.

Jerry Bridges

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Who can estimate the value of God’s gift, when He gave to the world His only begotten Son! It is something unspeakable and incomprehensible. It passes man’s understanding. Two things there are which man has no arithmetic to reckon, and no line to measure. One of these things is the extent of that man’s loss who loses his own soul. The other is the extent of God’s gift when he gave Christ to sinners…Sin must indeed be exceeding sinful, when the Father must needs give His only Son to be the sinner’s Friend!

James Charles (J. C.) Ryle

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The difference between mercy and grace? Mercy gave the prodigal son a second chance. Grace gave him a feast.

Max Lucado

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The Law tells me how crooked I am; Grace comes along and straightens me out.

Dwight L Moody

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Grace is something you can never get but can only be given. There’s no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about anymore than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks. A good night’s sleep is grace and so are good dreams. Most tears are grace. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving you is grace.

Frederick Buechner

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Grace is the incomprehensible fact that God is well pleased with a man, and that a man can rejoice in God. Only when grace is recognized to be incomprehensible is it grace. Grace exists, therefore, only where the Resurrection is reflected. Grace is the gift of Christ, who exposes the gulf which separates God and man, and, by exposing it, bridges it.

Karl Barth

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More quotes and annotation for the ones above available at Daily Christian Quotes

Our Image Determines Our Destiny

It’s really unfortunate that there are not modern language editions of the classic works of Andrew Murray.   Last night I was reading the “eighteenth lesson” of With Christ in the School of Prayer and was amazed again at the depth of his writing.

He begins with Jesus interacting with the Pharisees over the paying of the tribute tax, and Jesus’ question, “Whose image is on this coin?” (Matt 22:29) But then he quickly moves to Genesis 1, and talks about the fact that we were created in God’s image and that even post-fall, we still bear that image.

Our destiny was to fill, to subdue and to have dominion over the earth.  As God’s representatives, we were to rule here on earth.  The idea was that we were God’s representatives here on earth, and that there was a certain power that went with that responsibility.

Then, Andrew Murray points out that God’s relationship with man, and man’s relationship with creation underwent a great change when sin was introduced; but with redemption, we have “the beginning of a glorious restoration.”  This is also seen as God introduces what we could call ‘the road back’ through Abraham.

This road extends to us, where we have the opportunity to be new creations in Christ, and be brought back to our original destiny as God’s image is restored, and with it, the power to have dominion.  He then states that this will allow us to be bold in prayer.

There is much more in this lesson, but Murray concludes with the reminder that we, the church, have no idea of the high calling we have been given as we begin to understand, and move in, our original destiny.

…There’s no way I’ve done this justice in a few short words;  as good as paraphrasing Andrew Murray would be, trying to summarize him robs the text of its original depth and richness.  I’d encourage you to pick up a copy of With Christ in the School of Prayer and dedicate yourself to taking very small sections at a time, i.e. a chapter a day and slowing your reading speed to half its normal pace so you can absorb all that this great writer is saying.

 

 

Timothy Keller: Information from God is on a Need-To-Know Basis

In this video clip, Timothy Keller affirms that he knows of no other way to find God than through Jesus Christ.  He’s really clear that if some other way exists, nothing we have in scripture affirms or suggests this.  It’s a 6-minute clip worth watching, because the interviewer drives his questions really hard and if anyone is equipped to be in that situation, it’s Tim Keller.

However, you may notice that in the video title Keller is referred to as “hedging” as to whether or not Jesus is the only way.  I checked out other videos uploaded to YouTube by the same person, and it’s important to note that we’re dealing with a self-styled discernment ministry person who is, basically looking for problems.  You can read a good short quotation on this by C. Michael Patton;  or my own article about people and ministries that seem to want to believe the worst about everyone.  Steven Furtick — a frequent target of this type of person — had some fun with a rap video response to the people he calls ‘haters’ which I posted at the end of this article.

I found this originally because it’s a fairly recent clip and hasn’t had a lot of online visits. I agree that the uploader collected some strange preaching clips — not sure what the motivation is here when there are so many other possible uses of YouTube — but I don’t think Keller belonged in this particular collection. Besides, sometimes you can’t help notice the glass is half-full, not half-empty.  And in this case the always eloquent Tim Keller is worth watching, no matter what the guy titled the video; the glass is full and by more than half. 

Many people are obsessed with the question, “What does God know and when does he know it?”  I think an equally good question is, “What does God choose to reveal to us and when does He choose to reveal it?”  Timothy Keller is sufficiently convicted of the truth of God’s word to fully trust it, but humble enough to realize that we “see through a glass darkly;” and that we “understand in part.” Nonetheless, whatever might be revealed at some future date, our responsibility is to live 100% in the light and revelation that we now possess.

Furthermore, this is the approach that needs to be taken with the furor over Rob Bell’s latest book that erupted this year. There’s nothing wrong with asking questions — if we don’t obsess on them — but our ultimate responsibility is to live in response to what God has told us in scripture. So when we look at God’s character, and see things that seem to create conflicts, we need to proceed on the basis of what he has revealed, and in so doing, we are basically learning to trust his character, even when we find things unsettling. To do differently is to undermine the idea that he has chosen what and when to reveal to us concerning the totality of his master plan.

Pastoral Relations

One of the ways we can demonstrate spiritual maturity is in the way we respond to the host of conflicts which come up in the life of a typical church.  It’s been awhile since we linked to Keith Brenton at Blog in My Own Eye, but I appreciated the practicality of this piece which he called, Pastoral Care.

HOWEVER, for those of you who want to dig a little deeper — maybe something a little more Christianity 301 –  you might enjoy his balanced approach to the Calvinist versus Arminian positions on the depravity of man, which he deals with in two parts, here and here. 

I begin with my standard disclaimer: I am not a minister or pastor, nor do I play one on TV.

I work in a church office, but I am not employed specifically to share the gospel of Jesus Christ or tend the flock of the Great Shepherd. But I work with a good number of priceless ministers who are, and priceless colleagues who support them, and I just want to offer a few words of advice on the care and feeding of church leaders, whatever their titles: ministers, preachers, pastors, elders, shepherds, deacons, interns, and staffers.

1. If your pastor says something you disagree with, keep it to yourself. Seriously. If it’s a difference of opinion over something which scripture doesn’t dare to touch (and scripture dares to touch a lot), then the guidance I’d suggest is ” … So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” (Romans 14:22a) And consider the possibility that you heard something you needed to hear; needed to be convicted by … in order for you to turn around and draw closer to God again.
2. If your pastor says or does something that conflicts with scripture, go to your pastor. Not to someone over them or under them or beside(s) them. Go to them. Follow the steps: “… just the two of you … if they will not listen, take one or two others along … if they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church.” (Matthew 18:15-17) No shortcuts. No keeping it to yourself. No withholding of love or fellowship or willingness to discuss, listen, correct, reprove. You can do this kindly, lovingly, privately — in a way that does not affect your pastor’s influence — just the way Aquila and Priscilla did for Apollos, in their own home (Acts 18:26).
3. If your pastor has something against you, go to your pastor. Now. Today. Don’t wait until Sunday when you bring a gift to God. Don’t expect Him to accept it when He knows you have something unresolved with your minister. “First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:24b)
4. If you have something encouraging to say to your pastor, say it. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5) Do it often. Daily if you think they need it. And, again, don’t put it off until tomorrow. “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3)Your church leaders and staffers find out thing about people … things they don’t want to know about. They don’t want to know because they love the flock and want to think the best of them. Sometimes they don’t feel comfortable even sharing this information with a spouse who also loves and cares for the flock. The wise ones share it with God and turn it over to Him and do what they can to comfort, admonish, and encourage the strays and the injured and the sick and the dying among the flock. They are not the hired hands Jesus talks about in John 10:12. They don’t run away; they stay with the flock at risk to their own safety and security.Their hearts break on an irregular but frequent basis — sometimes several times a week. Don’t overlook the ones who oversee you. Don’t fail to serve the ones who serve you. Don’t miss administering care to the ones who minister to others.
5. If you have a pastor who imitates the Great Shepherd (who laid down His life for the sheep), thank God for your pastor. You have a treasure in your church family worth more than all you could ever afford to pay. So give what is due. “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” (1 Timothy 5:17)

This is by no means an exhaustive list of admonitions from scripture — but it’s a great start. They’ll nourish any believer who does them or receives through them, church leader or not.

What we headstrong and occasionally brainless sheep fail to see, too often, is how famished and weary our pastors can become doing what they love for those they love to the glory of the One they love.

Feed the ones who feed the flock.

They’re trying to help Him look after your soul.

~Keith Brenton

Repetitive Worship

 ^{NASB: Matt 6:7}  “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for theirmany words.

Actually, the above verse isn’t mentioned in the article that follows, but I wanted to mix things up a bit and give you something more to think about.  This is from Thom Turner at the blog  Everyday Liturgy. If you wish your worship leader wouldn’t do another circuit of each chorus, you might find this somewhat challenging.  The original title was, Is Repetition Unholy?

“Is Repetition Unholy?”

I remember the first time I heard the bizarre statement that repetition took away from worship. It was, not surprisingly, in a Baptist church. I had, probably naively, asked why the church didn’t practice communion more often. The response was that repetition made spiritual practice meaningless and unimportant: “If you do something too much it no longer has any value, so we only practice communion every now and then to keep it fresh and exciting.”

That is an American response.

That is the response of a person who was raised on instant gratification.

That is the response of a person who expects new, exciting forms of entertainment.

That is the response of a person who values change over consistency.

That is the response of a person who values feeling more than commitment.

Most importantly, that is not a Christian response.

The Christian response is that our spirituality and worship are everyday, every hour, every minute happenings. We are admonished to take communion each time we gather, to pray without ceasing, to pray in a certain way, to sing songs, confess sins, listen to the reading of Scripture, meditate, teach, learn. These are all things we repeat. Unceasingly.

Repetition is not unholy. It is a deep, elongated experience that should make us into disciples.

Repetition in worship is just like when you tell a family member you love them.

Repetition in worship is just like when you take a drink of water.

Repetition in worship is just like when you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Repetition in worship is just like when you go to sleep.

Repetition in worship is just like when you go to work.

Repetition in worship is just like when you turn on a light so that you can see clearly.

Yes, I can readily admit that we can stumble into laziness or unfocused action in repetition, but that is not the fault of the spiritual practice, just as much as it is love’s fault when a spouse just mumbles the words “I love you” without any thought or care. We need to learn to embrace repetition in worship, the normalcy and comfort of sameness in worship, just like we accept this normalcy and comfort of routine in the rest of our lives.

I repeat: we need to learn to embrace repetition in worship. And when we do, we will become aware of the slow and steady movement of the Spirit in every aspect of our life. When we do, we will become aware of how God is steadily working on our holiness: through repetition.

Thom Turner

The Discipline of Devotional Writing

A couple of days ago I raised the possibility that some of you reading this might like to consider doing devotional or Bible study writing yourselves.  At the time I suggested starting a blog and attempting to get into writing something daily, and added that this is a wonderful spiritual discipline, that I would pursue now even if nobody showed up to read it.

Today, I want to help some of you make this a practical step.  Of the many devotional books and booklets published, the Upper Room Devotional is unique in that it accepts submissions from readers around the world.  Here are a few of their guidelines which are worth reading no matter what your approach to Bible study time:

Objectives for writers:

1. Study the Bible and listen for how it connects to your daily life. Then include those insights in a meditation to help others connect scripture with their life.
2. Study less-well-known parts of the Bible for insights that you can share with our readers. We get more meditations based on the New Testament than on Old Testament/Hebrew scripture. Since we try to balance New Testament and Old Testament readings and quoted verses, basing meditations on Old Testament books of Law and prophecy puts writers in a smaller pool of writers. However, we receive many more meditations based on the Book of Psalms than we could ever use.
3. Write about current events and what constitutes Christian response to them.
4. Write in a conversational way, as if you are talking to a friend. Don”t try to be literary or eloquent. Just be yourself. We want real people to talk to other real people about what it means to live their faith in specific situations.

They also list some possible subjects through the list of categories they use to sort submissions:

• Spiritual Disciplines
• Forgiveness
• Relationships
• Evangelism/Witness
• Nature/Animals
• Personhood/Uniqueness
• Trust and Obedience
• Biblical Story Retold
• Christian Action
• Family
• Healing/Illness/Death
• Struggle/Growth through Hard Times
• Personal Relationship with Christ
• Catholicity of Faith
• God’s Love/Grace/Praise

Because of their world-wide distribution, Upper Room places a value on avoiding divisiveness:

“….Our title page describes the magazine as “International, Interracial, Interdenominational.” We seek to build on what we have in common as Christian believers, not on the points of doctrine that divide us, and we welcome diverse perspectives. We believe that our diversity is one of our riches within the family of God, and we seek to reflect that diversity in our publications. “

Another page deals with how to begin:

You begin in your own relationship with God. Christians believe God speaks to us and guides us as we study the Bible and pray. Good meditations are closely tied to scripture and show how it has shed light on a specific situation. Good meditations make the message of the Bible come alive.

Good devotional writing is first of all authentic. It connects real events of daily life with the ongoing activity of God. It comes across as the direct, honest statement of personal faith in Christ and how that faith grows. It is one believer sharing with another an insight or struggle about what it means to live faithfully.

Second, good devotional writing uses sensory details — what color it was, how high it bounced, what it smelled like. The more sensory details the writing includes, the better. Though the events of daily life may seem mundane, actually they provide the richest store of sensory details. And when we connect God’s activity to common things, each encounter with them can serve as a reminder of God’s work.

Finally, good devotional writing is exploratory. It searches and considers and asks questions. It examines the faith without knowing in advance what all the answers will be. It is open to God’s continuing self-revelation through scripture, people, and events. Good writing chronicles growth and change, seeing God behind both.

I should add here that many people reading a devotional with a name like Christianity 201 would find the end product that appears daily at Upper Room somewhat light.  However, the point I want to make today is that there is an entirely different dynamic involved when you are writing.  There are people with graduate degrees in theology or Christian education who write curriculum for toddlers and preschoolers.  Their work at the end of the day may convey the simple message that “God is Love,” but most of us never see the behind-the-scenes effort that went into painstakingly mapping out the entire lesson.

BTW, if this propels some of you to actually submit something to Upper Room, let us know if you get published.  Also remember that you are welcome to submit things here at C201; we don’t have a page of guildelines, but reading through past entries will give you an idea of the style and substance sought.

What It Means to Say, “He Emptied Himself…”

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  Phil. 2: 5-7 RSV

The phrase “he emptied himself” was, to me, an obvious reference to Philippians chapter two, but when I tried to find it, it occurs neither in the NIV or the King James version.  It actually appears in the RSV (Revised Standard Version)…

…Each weekend, Phil Johnson at the reformed blog Pyromaniacs posts something from Charles Spurgeon.  I discovered today I’ve had this one bookmarked for a few weeks.  In addition to seeing the humiliation of Christ’s incarnation, I hope it whets your appetite for reading more of Spurgeon and other classic authors.

Though he was rich, “he became poor.” I am only telling you something that you know full well, but let your minds be refreshed with the remembrance that Christ was so poor that he was swaddled with bands just as any other infant was. Although he was the Infinite, he was so poor that he had to be sheltered in a stable because there was no room for him in the inn. Afterwards, he was so poor that he was banished from his own country and had to flee into Egypt. He was so poor that he was the fit companion of a humble carpenter at Nazareth; so poor that, when he came out into public life, his dress was the common garment of a laborer, woven from the top throughout without a seam.

He had not where to lay his head, though foxes had their holes, and birds their nests. He was so poor that he was indebted for his daily bread to the charity of gracious women who followed him, and ministered to him of their substance. Though the cattle on a thousand hills were his, he sat upon a well at Sychar, and said to a poor woman, “Give me to drink.”

Oftentimes, he knew what faintness and hunger meant; and the longer he lived the more intense his poverty became, until, at last, he was left without a friend when most he needed sympathy,—without one to speak a good word for him when he was arraigned before the bar of those who had resolved to condemn him to death. Since was he taken out to die without a rag to cover him; and when he was dead, he was indebted for a tomb to one who lent it to him out of love.

Never was there anywhere else such poverty as the poverty of Christ, for it was not merely external, it was also internal. He became so poor, though bearing our sin, that he had to lose the light of his Father’s countenance; emptying himself of all the repute he had, he became a spectacle of scorn and shame because our shameful sin had been laid upon him. See him on yonder shameful cross, mark his many wounds, hear his expiring cry, and as ye gaze upon that spectacle of majestic misery, remember that although he was rich, he became thus poor.

Charles H. Spurgeon

Short Devotionals With Big Ideas

Once again today, God totally provided something to be re-posted here through a comment left at T. O. L.   Carley Evans is in her third year of blogging almost every day at Grace Partakers, which is now listed in the blogroll here.  Each day’s devotional title is based on a phrase of the key verse and I appreciate her use of a variety of translations.  I read through about a dozen of her recent posts and a few of her very first, and ultimately decided to give you a sample of two of her most recent; something we’ve never done here before.  Her posts are shorter than some we’ve done here, but she digs into some deep ideas and leaves you with something to consider. 

Don’t rush through these. Perhaps you can take a minute to read each one through a second time. The title of each post is also the direct link to the article.

“Don’t Handle, Don’t Taste, Don’t Touch” ( Colossians 2: 21, NIV )

“Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom,” says Paul. However, “they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” (Colossians 2:23) Instead, these rules calling for you to not handle, not taste and not touch create only a “self-imposed worship,” a “false humility” and offer only “harsh treatment of the body” without any lasting effect on the state of the soul. (Colossians 2:23)

“Do not let anyone,” says Paul, “judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17)

People get puffed up with false humility, warns Paul. They go on and on about conforming to rules and regulations, “which depend on human tradition.” (Colossians 2:8) Instead, rejoice that “God makes you alive with Christ. He forgives [you] all [your] sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that is against us and that stands opposed to us; He takes it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He makes a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-15)

Because God cancels the written code, why then put yourself back under that which has no authority?

~Carley Evans

“We Know And Believe The Love” ( 1 John 4: 16, KJV )

One of the saddest personality flaws is the inability to know and believe that you are loved. Janis Joplin had such a personality flaw; she was incapable of believing people loved her. Despite accolades for her music, she lead a barren existence of self-doubt, self-hatred, and abject loneliness. By loneliness, I am not referring to solitude, but to that feeling of complete isolation in the midst of shouting people — people shouting adoration and respect and yes — love. The loneliest moments for Janis were likely those in the midst of her public admirers. Janis also unfortunately did not know and believe the love of those closest to her, no matter how they tried to convince her. She found herself totally unlovable.

The author of 1 John writes that “we know and believe the love that God has to us. God is love.”

What an amazing statement — read it again. “We know and believe the love that God has to [or toward] us.” Why? Because “God is love.” And if we know and believe God, then we know and believe His love. Like Paul reminds, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) “What shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35) Essentially, assures Paul, nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)

Do not insult God. Do not hold yourself in such low esteem that you fail to realize God is love. Know and believe the love God has toward you! His love does not depend upon you; His love is wholly dependent upon the sacrifice of His Son.

~Carley Evans

Footnote: I want to add something here that I don’t usually share. Writing a post a day like Carley does or like I’ve been doing takes a great deal of discipline; but I am so much richer for doing this, as it has propelled me into considering scriptures and ideas that I never would have previously. 

Have you ever considered doing something like this? Even if no readers showed up — and actually, they will — it would be of great benefit.

Standing Up For Your Faith

^{I Kings 18:21} Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

Sometimes the process by which an item appears here is amazing, especially when you’re the one composing the daily study/devotional!  Derrick Boyd left a comment at T.O.L. this morning and included a link to his blog, Encouraging Thoughts For Life, where this item appeared a few weeks ago under the title Stand for What Is Right.

In this day and time it seems harder and harder to find people that are truly devoted to God. Now many people will jump on the bandwagon of saying that they believe in God, but there is nothing in their life to give supporting evidence.

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” James 2:26 “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

Some of the people you ask will say that it does not matter if you believe or not. It just matters that you are a good person. Some that we come in to contact with have a hatred for anything to do with God. It seems like they are always willing to pick a fight. Then, you have the many different religions in the world that all teach different things. So, which is right? Are we willing to stand up for what we believe against all odds? How strong is our faith in the fact that God is there and that He will do all that He has promised us? We need to be willing to stand alone on what we believe. No matter what people may say to us, do to us, or think of us.

A perfect example of this is Elijah of the old testament. In 1 Kings chapter 18 we see that Elijah was willing to stand alone on the promises of God against 450 other men who believed in Baal. He offered a test to prove who the real God was. Many of us have heard the story, and I encourage you all to go and read it again. Because the message is so clear. Elijah did not go to prove who he was, but who God was. He was willing to stand alone on what he believed. And God answered his prayer. Are we standing in the face of adversity?

Are we prepared to defend the Gospel, even if no one else is there to support us? Or do we tuck it in and wait for someone to go with us?

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

If we are truly His, we will witness. We will defend the Gospel. We will stand up for what is right, whether we are with others who share our belief, or we are alone.

~Derrick Boyd