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Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, i
The Theologian
of the Holy Spirit on
the Spirit's Work in the Illumination of the Word of God
"Our mind has such
an inclination to vanity that it can never cleave fast to the truth of God;
and it has such a dulness that it is always blind to the light of God's
truth. Accordingly, without the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the Word
can do nothing. From this, also, it is clear that faith is much higher than
human understanding. And it will not be enough for the mind to be illumined
by the Spirit of God unless the heart is also strengthened and supported by
his power....
In both ways, therefore,
faith is a singular gift of God, both in that the mind of man is purged so
as to be able to taste the truth of God and in that his heart is
established therein. For the Spirit is not only the initiator of faith, but
increases it by degrees, until by it he leads us to the Kingdom of Heaven."
- John Calvin,
'Institutes of the Christian Religion', III.ii.33
READ: 1 Corinthians
2:6-14; 2 Corinthians 3:12-18
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, ii
Faith and Hope
from Calvin's 'Institutes'
"Wherever [true]
faith is alive, it must have along with it the hope of eternal salvation as
its inseparable companion. Or rather, it engenders and brings forth hope
from itself. When this hope is taken away, however eloquently or elegantly
we discourse concerning faith, we are convicted of having none....
Hope is nothing else
than the expectation of those things which faith has believed to have been
truly promised by God. Thus, faith believes God to be true, hope awaits the
time when his truth shall be manifested; faith believes that he is our
Father, hope anticipates that he will ever show himself to be a Father
toward us; faith believes that eternal life has been given to us, hope
anticipates that it will some time be revealed; faith is the foundation
upon which hope rests, hope nourishes and sustains faith." -
'Institutes', III.ii.42.
Read Romans
5:1-5: "Therefore,
having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in
tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and
perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not
disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by
the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, iii
Faith and Life
from Calvin's 'Institutes', Pt. 1
"The object of
regeneration...is to manifest in the life of believers a harmony and
agreement between God's righteousness and their obedience, and thus to
confirm the adoption that they have received as sons [Gal. 4:5]. The Law of
God contains in itself that newness by which his image can be restored in
us. But because our slowness needs many goads and helps, it will be
profitable to assemble from various passages of Scripture a pattern for the
conduct of life in order that those who heartily repent may not err in
their zeal....To show the godly man how he may be directed to a rightly
ordered life, and briefly to set down some universal rule with which to
determine his duties -- this will be quite enough for me....
This Scriptural
instruction of which we speak has two main aspects. The first is that love
of righteousness, to which we are otherwise not at all inclined by nature,
may be instilled and established in our hearts; the second, that a rule be
set forth for us that does not let us wander about in zeal for
righteousness. There are in Scripture very many and excellent reasons for
commending righteousness....From what foundation may righteousness better
arise than from the Scriptural warning that we must be made holy because
God is holy? [Lev. 19:2; 1 Peter 1:15-16]"
-
'Institutes',
III.vi.1-2
This quotation to be
continued...
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, iv
Faith and Life
from Calvin's 'Institutes', Pt. 2
"I do not insist
that the moral life of a Christian breathe nothing but the very gospel, yet
this ought to be desired, and we must strive toward it. But I do not so
strictly demand evangelical perfection that I would not acknowledge as a
Christian one who has not yet attained it. For thus all would be excluded
from the church, since no one is found who is not far removed from it,
while many have advanced a little toward it whom it would nevertheless be
unjust to cast away.
What then? Let that
target be set before our eyes at which we are earnestly to aim. Let that
goal be appointed toward which we should strive and struggle. For it is not
lawful for you to divide things with God in such manner that you undertake
part of those things which are enjoined upon you by his Word but omit part,
according to your own judgment. For in the first place, he everywhere
commends integrity as the chief part of worshiping him [Gen. 17:1; Ps.
41:12]. By this word he means a sincere simplicity of mind, free from guile
and feigning, the opposite of a double heart. It is as if it were said that
hte beginning of right living is spiritual, where the inner feeling of the
mind is unfeignedly dedicated to God for the cultivation of holiness and
righteousness.....
Let each one of us,
then, proceed according to the measure of his puny capacity and set out so
inauspiciously as not daily to make some headway, though it be
slight...Only let us look toward our mark with sincere simplicity and
aspire to our goal; not fondly flattering ourselves, nor excusing our own
evil deeds, but with continuous effort in goodness until we attain to
goodness itself. It is this, indeed, which through the whole course of life
we seek and follow. But we shall attain it only when we have cast off the
weakness of the body, and are received into full fellowship with him."
- 'Institutes', III.iv.5
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, v
The "Good
Life" According to Calvin, Pt. 1
"Let believers
accustom themselves to a contempt of the present life that engenders no
hatred of it or ingratitude against God. Indeed, this life, however crammed
with infinite miseries it may be, is still rightly to be counted among
those blessings of God which are not to be spurned....
We begin in the present
life, through various benefits, to taste the sweetness of the divine
generosity in order to whet our hope and desire to seek after the full
revelation of this. When we are certain that the earthly life we live is a
gift of God's kindness, as we are beholden to him for it we ought to
remember it and be thankful.
Then we shall come in good
time to consider its most unhappy condition in order that we may, indeed,
be freed from too much desire of it, to which, as has been said, we are
ourselves inclined by nature....Let the aim of believers in judging this
life, then, be that while they understand it to be of itself nothing but
misery, they may with greater eagerness and dispatch betake themselves
wholly to meditate upon that eternal life to come." -'Institutes',
III.ix.3-4
Word of
Encouragement
Volume III, vi
The "Good
Life" According to Calvin, Pt. 2
"When [this life]
comes to be compared with the life to come, the present life can not only
be safely neglected but, compared to the former, must be utterly despised
and loathed. For, if heaven is our homeland, what else is the earth but our
place of exile? If departure from the world is entry into life, what else
is the world but a sepulcher? And what else is it for us to remain in life
but to be immersed in death? If to be freed from the body is to be released
into perfect freedom, what else is the body but a prison [not in the
Platonic sense*]? If to enjoy the presence of God is the summit of
happiness, is not to be without this, misery? But until we leave the world
'we are away from the Lord' [2 Cor. 5:6]. Therefore, if the earthly life be
compared with the heavenly, it is doubtless to be at once despised and
trampled under foot.
Of course it is never to
be hated except in so far as it holds us subject to sin; although not even
hatred of that condition may ever properly be turned against life itself.
In any case, it is still fitting for us to be so affected either by
wearines or hatred of it that, desiring its end, we may also be prepared to
abide in it at the Lord's pleasure, so that our weariness may be far from
all mumuring and impatience. For it is like a sentry post at which the Lord
has posted us, which we must hold until he recalls us." -'Institutes',
III.ix.4
*Note: Calvin had a
sound doctrine of creation. He did not agree with the Platonic and Greek
doctrine of the denial of the body and matter. He did not abhor the body
because matter was evil and spirit was good. He abhored the body in the
estate of sin and misery in which we find ourselves presently, because we
tend to think of our lives in the present body, in the present evil age, as
the end in and of itself. His aim in denying and speaking against the
"prison house of the body" was NOT to deny the resurrection of
our body that will come on the day or Christ's renewal of all things [see
his Comm. on Romans 8:18-24]. HIs aim was to point us away from this present life of sin and
misery to the hope that is to be revealed when Jesus shall come back and
renew all things and we will dwell in the presence of God in our glorified
bodies! HIs comparison between this life and the life to come was to point
us to the most excellent life of that which is yet to be revealed, not to
undermine what God had created as good!- CRB
Word of
Encouragement
Volume III, vii
A Prayer from an
Anonymous Christian from the 17th Century
(This prayer is a good
model to pray often)
"O GOD,
May I never be a blot or
blank in life,
cause the way of truth
to be evil spoken of,
or make my liberty an
occasion to the flesh.
May I by love serve
others,
and please my neighbor
for his good to edification.
May I attend to what is
ornamental as well as essential in religion,
pursuing things that are
lovely and of good report.
May I render my
profession of the gospel not only impressive,
but amiable and
inviting.
May I hold forth the way
of Jesus
with my temper as well
as my tongue,
with my life as well as
my lips.
May I say to all I meet,
I am journeying towards
the Lord's given place,
come with me for your
good.
May I be prepared
for all the allotments
of this short, changing, uncertain life,
with a useful residence
in it,
a comfortable journey
through it,
a safe passage out of
it.
May I never be ashamed
of Jesus or his words,
never be deterred from
fulfilling a known duty through fear,
never be discouraged
from attempting it through weakness.
May I see all things in
a divine light so that they may
inform my judgment and
sanctify my heart.
And by all the
disciplines of thy providence,
and all the ordinances
of religion,
may I be increasingly
prepared for life's remaining duties,
the solemnities of a
dying hour,
and the joys and
services that lie beyond the grave."
-An anonymous Puritan.
Word of
Encouragement
Volume III, viii
Another Prayer
from an Anonymous Christian from the 17th Century
"O God of my
delight,
Thy throne of grace is
the pleasure ground of my soul.
Here I obtain mercy in
my time of need,
here see the smile of
thy reconciled face,
here joy pleads the name
of Jesus,
here I sharpen the sword
of the Spirit,
anoint the shield of
faith,
put on the helmet of
salvation,
gather manna from thy
Word,
am strengthened for each
conflict,
nerved for the upward
race,
empowered to conquer
every foe;
Help me to come to
Christ
as the fountain head of
descending blessings,
as a wide open
flood-gate of mercy.
I marvel at my insensate
folly,
that with such enriching
favours within my reach
I am slow to extend the
hand to take them..."
-a Puritan preacher from
the 17th century.
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, ix
THE BIBLICAL AND
LOGICAL NECESSITY OF UNINSPIRED CREEDS
by Larry Birger, Jr.
[NOTE: Below is
something that should be very helpful to you who pastor, or you who might
be trying to disciple someone who finds difficulty in considering the
creeds of the Christian Church. It is a mock dialogue between two differing
views on the importance of the creeds of the church. Many of us run into
many well-meaning Christians, who do not understand why we study creeds as
helps to our understanding of the Holy and Inspired Scripture of the
Church. Hope this will encourage and help you. St. Paul says in Ephesians
3:18 that we are to know and understand Christ "together with all the
saints" and these are saints who are dead, as well as the with the
saints who are alive in our own generation.- C. R. Biggs. (Forwarded to me
by Stephen P. Levine, OPC)]
-----------------------------------
To see the unavoidable necessity of uninspired creeds, consider the
following conversation between Hans (a paleopresbyterian) and Franz (a
neopresbyterian):
HANS: We're studying the Westminster Confession of Faith. Want to join
us?
FRANZ: No; I don't give heed to the words of men like you do.
H: What do you mean?
F: I go by the Bible. I can't rely on the words of mere uninspired men.
H: Me, too. That's why we're studying the Confession. You should join us;
it'd be very edifying.
F: Wait a minute. I just told you that I only go by the Bible, and yet
you have just equated the study of this Westminster Confession with a
study of the Scriptures!
H: And as I just said, I only go by the Bible, too. So, I'm not going to
pay any attention to what you've just said. You're not inspired, after
all.
F: Of course I'm not inspired; but what I said was right because it was
BIBLICAL.
H: How could it be biblical if it was merely what you -- an uninspired
man -- told me? I only listen to the inspired words of the Bible. Isn't
it lording it over my conscience to tell me to accept your uninspired
words as though they were the very inspired words of God?
F: Oh, come on. I may not have quoted chapter and verse, but I was
telling you what the Bible MEANS. That's why you have you have to pay
attention to it.
H: Are you saying the meaning of the Bible, even if explained in the
uninspired words of uninspired men, is still binding -- in fact, as
binding as the very words written in the Bible?
F: Well, yes, that is what I'm saying. The meaning of the Bible, though
stated in different words, has the same authority as the exact words
found there. And since I'm telling you that the meaning of the Bible is
not to give heed to the uninspired words of men, you still have to
receive it as though those exact words I've spoken were writte n in the
pages of Scripture.
H: Wait a minute. How is what you've just said any different from the
Westminster Confession? After all, the writers of the Confession were
only putting forth what they thought was the meaning of the Bible.
F: Well, er. . . umm. . . .
H: I know of one difference: they were all preeminently qualified to
expound the Word of God. They were recognized as having these gifts by
the various churches that delegated them to sit at the Westminster
Assembly. Any scholar who knows anything about Protestant history knows
that these men were the "cream of the crop", and that almost
certainly
there has never been since that time (and maybe even up to that time,
except for the apostles themselves) one body containing so many godly and
learned men. I don't think you possess the same qualifications, at least
not yet.
F: Hmmm, good point.
H: Furthermore, the Holy Spirit says in Ephesians 4 that Christ has given
to the church teachers as a powerful and necessary means to building up
the body of Christ into "a perfect or complete man." Obviously,
these
teachers do not have the gift of inspiration, and yet the Spirit didn't
view this as a challenge to the sufficiency o f Scripture, but rather as
a necessary outgrowth of it. This is because he desires that we know the
meaning of the Bible, not just the bare words. As R.L. Dabney said, "He
who would consistently banish creeds must silence all preaching and
reduce the teaching of the church to the recital of the exact words of
Holy Scripture without note or comment."
And, just because these men lived in the past doesn't mean
that they're
not a gift from God to us today. The Bible everywhere speaks of the
church as one body throughout all history (Gal. 3:23-24; 4:1-3; Ps. 66:6;
Hos. 12:4; Deut. 5:2-3). Therefore, the astute teachers of the past are
our teachers as well, thanks to God's gracious preservation of their
writings. Actually, because these men were on the crest of the waves of
reformation, and not in the trough of apostasy as we are today, we ought
to pay more attention to them than to contemporary teachers. This is
because all of us -- including our teachers -- have been blinded by our
culture's wretched and extreme departure from the Lord Jesus Christ.
F: What time did you say you were meeting? I believe the meaning of
Scripture requires that I attend!
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, x
The Centurion at
the Crucifixion and St. Matthew's Passion
"In Bach's 'St.
Matthew Passion', towards the close, the centurion's words ['Truly, this
was the Son of God'] are given not to a soloist, as you might expect, but
to the whole chorus, singing softly and penitently. They are not in the key
one might expect for soloist or chorus, but are transposed into the key
normally reserved for Christ himself.
And into the bass line
Bach has woven the musical letters which represent his own name. That, I
suggest, is a true reading and re-presentation of the centurion's words.
They are the response of the awed and grateful people of God to the
all-but-unbelievable revelation of love; and within that response we are,
each of us, to write our names into the chorus. And the key in which we
sing is not our own, a merely human key: it is the key which conforms, as
now at last because of the cross and the Spirit we can conform, to the
initiating sovereign love of God in Christ.
He has been singing his
own song to his people all this time; and now, because of his death, we are
at last able to respond in the same key. Truly, we say, this man dying for
us is the Son of God. On the cross we see dying love, and we recognize it
as the undying love of God [in Christ]."
-N. T. Wright, 'The
Crown and the Fire: Meditations on the Cross and the Life of the Spirit'
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, xi
Fools and Folly
What is a fool according
to the Scriptures? How do we minister to a fool? What kind of foolish
traits do we have as Christians? These quotations are drawn from a helpful
chapter in Dick Keyes' book 'True Heroism in a World of Celebrity
Counterfeits'. Mr. Keyes is Director of L'Abri Fellowship in Southborough,
Massachusetts. I will begin with a few Scripture verses from the Proverbs
that describe the fool. I will follow this with one of Mr. Keyes' helpful
insights and in-depth wisdom on fools in our contemporary culture (and in
ourselves).
What are the
characteristics of the fool?
Simply put, the fool is
self-sufficient and self-confident in all of his/her needs.
(1) "The way of the
fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens
to advice." (Prov. 12:15)
The fool is gullible.
(2) "The fool
believes everything,
but the prudent looks
where he is going." (Prov. 14:15)
The fool never listens
and learns; the fool is very opinionated (whether the fool has knowledge or
not)
(3) "A fool takes
no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing
his opinion." (Prov. 18:2).
Dick Keyes:
"The fool is not
someone who is either uneducated or lacking in mental equipment. At the
most basic level, the fool lacks humility. Sooner or later this lack
of humility make him or her a loser. In biblical terms, 'fools despise
wisdom and instruction,' and so 'they set an ambush for their own lives'
(Prov. 1:7,18). Although this is the overarching pattern of folly, there
are many variations on it. Just as the fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom, so folly begins with a denial of God and his authority. King David
put it this way, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'"
(Ps. 14:1). What matters is not so much what is said out loud but what
is said in the heart. Perhaps their folly is greatest whose mouths are
full of God-talk but who, in their heart of hearts, believe none of it...
...God knows our
thoughts, not only our words said out loud or our actions done in public.
It is not God who is just a mist, a vapor, or an abstraction. It is the
self-important plans of proud people that are 'but a breath'. (cf. Ps.
94:11). But even if only a breath, they do not escape the eyes and ears of
God, who sees and hears everything. Only a fool would think that the one
who created these organs with their intricate functioning would be deaf,
dumb, and blind. Only a greater fool would think that God would not care.
The charge of 'fool' is used also by the prophet Jeremiah, speaking the
words of the Lord, as he takes the argument another step:
"Hear this, O
foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes, but see
not,
who have ears, but hear
not." (Jer. 5:21)."
Psalm 94:8-11:
"Understand, O
dullest of people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear,
does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who chastens
the nations, does he not chastise? He who teaches men knowledge, the LORD,
knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath."
Thanks be to our Lord
Jesus Christ, who became a fool in the eyes of the world, dying a horrible
and foolish death on the cross to make fools wise, and to display God's
wisdom in the midst of our folly!
Word of Encouragement
Vol. III, x
Shame and
Shamelessness
[Note: This is a lengthy
quotation, but I highly recommend you read it in your spare time]
[My introduction] It is
fascinating to me how perceptive some outside the church can be at
interpreting the problems plaguing evangelicalism from within. James B.
Twitchell in his book 'For Shame: the Loss of Common Decency in American
Culture', argues that the church, along with the majority of Americans have
lost the idea and concept of shame in a therapeutic, narcissistic culture,
addicted to 'self'. Shame implies sin and guilt, and therefore since we do
not like to confess our sins (and certainly do not like preachers who
preach about sin and shame), we certainly cannot have any shame. I think
this is another reason why people look at others so strangely when they
mention shame's opposite: honor. How can you have honor among individuals
if the concept of shame is eliminated? If shame is eliminated, who needs
the concept of honor (particularly the idea of 'honoring others above
oneself)?!
Shame has been
deconstructed. The only shame we have is therapeutically handled. That is,
shame becomes blame. We get together with others and confess our common
shame, thus making it acceptable somehow. We do not regret our shame, confess
our sins, or repent. Rather, we blame others (such as parents, the State,
providence, etc.) for our shame [cf. Gen. 3- - there's nothing new under
the sun]. We go to Blah-Blah Anonymous classes to make our shame seem
'normal'. How sad. There is help in community as the therapeutic culture
clearly understands, but true help is found in a community of those who are
hearing the words of the Living God (so that their shame and sin might be
revealed and confessed), participating in the sacraments (as we see a
Savior broken for us and ever feeding us by his Spirit), and praying to God
for one another! May we see that the answer for our shame is in confessing
our sin and guilt, turning from them to the Living God, who has revealed
himself as forgiving and patient in Jesus Christ.
Below is a lengthy
quotation from Twitchell on the absence of shame in modern evangelicalism.
Take a moment to read this important quotation (especially the last two
paragraphs). Ask yourself if you have bought into our culture's idea of the
radical removal and entire elimination of shame and sin. Just ask yourself
when was the last time you used the words 'shame' and 'honor'. As
Christians, do not let these important words slip from our vocabulary, or
from the content of our preaching! "Tsk-Tsk" and "You ought
to be ashamed of yourself" and "That is dishonorable" are
phrases that must never be neglected or forgotten as Christians in modern
culture.
James Twitchell: "If you want to see the disappearance of
shame in Christianity, go to the fastest growing segment - -the so-called
megachurch. Almost every town has one. Where I live, it is called 'The
Rock'. That's all. Just The Rock. These churches are constructed in what
looks to be a mix between shopping center and the local junior college
architecture. There are no crosses, no steeples, no big doors, no arches
anywhere- -just lots of brick.
Nothing soars. Signs out
front say, Welcome to Joy or Experience the Fellowship of Excitement.
Parking attendants are necessary, for the place is so full you have to walk
a quarter mile to attend. These attendants have ear jacks and
walkie-talkies. Instead of gray-haired deacons shuffling you to your seat,
a perky teenager does the job. Each Sunday there are different services for
different demographic target groups- - grumpies, yuppies, teens, peewees -
-just like on TV.
Inside are upholstered
theater seats or individual padded chairs, not hard wooden pews. What you
hear is popular feel-good music, not dolorous hymns. There is no organ but
an electronic synthesizer. It is not located in the apse (there is none)
but smack in the middle of the floor, in the media center. From this
command hub, images are projected to a series of screens.
Music is central. People
sway and dance while singing. They are proud of this enthusiasm. Many
comment on how this would never occur in their old church. They follow the
words to the songs that are flashed on the wall above the pulpit- - karoke
Christianity. The songs come from a distributor in Chicago and have the copyright
message in big print down in one corner. The words are not really
important. They all say the same thing. We're happy.
The pulpit has a
TelePrompter. A church choir is not dressed in robes but in street clothes
and is backed up by a syncopated band. It is composed of twelve
instruments. One of them is a sultry saxophone. There is not crucified
Christ who died for your sins anywhere. And there is certainly no Satan.
This is an icon-free zone. No one is watching your every move. You do all
the watching, just like at home. Here is user-friendly religion. The
minister smiles a lot and comments on how large the church is getting.
'It's good to see so many new faces. Please be sure to fill out the visitor
cards.' You can almost feel your trigger finger reaching for the remote
when things start to drag....
In the modern world you
buy a service from your church. The service is not hope for an eternity of
salvation, but a next week free from bad feelings. Little wonder [sin] is
rarely mentioned, and never as a source of damnation...Gary Trudeau drew
the definitive cartoon strip of Christianity-by-demand. In the first
frames, a young couple, prospective clients of the Church at Walden, are
seen interviewing the pastor. They are told of the 12-step Christianity
offered. In the last frames they confess they are looking for a church
where they can feel good, and while they certainly like the racquetball
courts, they are not sure they'll be happy at Walden because of the 'guilt
thing.' In the last frame the wife ends saying to the pastor that they'll
shop around and 'get back to you later'."
-James B. Twitchell,
'For Shame', pages 152-54.
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, xi
Passing on the
Christian Faith through our Worship
Marva Dawn is an
excellent church musician and theologian. Her books such as 'Reaching Out
without Dumbing Down' are tremendous resources for developing a
God-centered theology of worship. She emphasizes two very important truths
in this book:
(1) Worship must be
God-centered. That is, God is the object as well as the subject of all of
our worship. We are not the audience- -God is. God is not passive as
audience, but is ever active by His Spirit in changing us through the
worship.
(2) Worship is primarily
for the community of God's people, it is only secondarily
"evangelistic" in nature. Worship is the response of the people
of God to what he has done for us in Christ. God is involved in building
up, nurturing and maturing the community of believers in our worship. In
other words, the community worship of God's people develops character and
Christ-like behavior. Below is a very helpful quotation on passing on the
Christian faith by educating the Church to understand what true worship in
Spirit and Truth IS. Is your worship of God, God-centered or focused more
on you? Do you think of the worship of God's people as building community?
Have you bought into thinking worship is primarily evangelistic?
Marva Dawn:
"We can only pass
on the faith if it has nurtured our character to be its carriers and if we
are part of a community, the Church, that has carried the faith down
through the ages. Worship is a crucial key, for in worship we experience
the presence of the self-giving God to create and nurture our faith.
Worship forms us; all the elements of the service develop the character of
believer in us. And worship forms the community if it unites us in common
beliefs, traditions, renewal, and goals...
...The major reason why
tradition often grows stale is that we have failed to educate worshipers to
know why we do what we do and who we are as a community carrying the faith
together....The problem for many who don't like worship is that they don't
understand it. We have not taught the meaning of symbols, the reason for
certain actions or responses, the value of doing things in certain
ways...To appreciate genuine worship, no matter what style or form,
requires training, sensitivity, and patience with mysteries of God that are
beyond our ken. Worship that is too easy cheats us. It deprives us of the
grandeur of an infinite God.
Our narcissistic culture
makes it difficult for many to get outside of themselves, to appreciate
ideas and ideals that are larger than they are. Worship must, therefore, be
invitation- - invitation to the profound Joy of the presence of God, to
involvement in a community of praise, to disciplines that nurture personal
and corporate growth in character.
The invitation of
worship is most often accepted because of the model of others. Almost 60
percent of citizens in the United States attribute their current religious
beliefs to the example of their parents. Because so many children in our
culture are raised in homes that do not set the example of spiritual
devotion, the Church must encourage its more mature members to provide
mentoring to families, fathering or mothering for children in single-parent
households, extra teaching and time beyond Sunday school and catechism
instruction. The whole community must always be in a process of growth to
become more grounded in the faith it seeks to pass on and to practice its
proclamation."
- Marva Dawn, 'Reaching
Out without Dumbing Down', pgs. 149-50.
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, xii
Thoughts on Sin
from Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Pt. I
The next few WOEs will
come from Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. Dr. Plantiga is Professor of Systematic
Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary. His important and thoughtful book
'Not the Way It's Supposed to be: A Breviary of Sin' is very well worth
your time to read! Here is the first quotation from his book.
Dr. Plantiga: "In commenting on the 'cultural mandate' of
Genesis 1:28, in which God commands Adam and Eve to 'be fruitful and...fill
the earth,' Augustine says that by their sin the first couple obeyed the
command, albeit in a perverse and disastrous way. For this primal pair was
the seed of the whole human race, and their sin contaminated the seed:
'Our nature was already
present in the seed from which we were to spring. And because this nature
has been soiled by sin and doomed to death and justly condemned, no man was
to be born of man in any other condition. Thus, from a bad use of free
choice, a sequence of misfortunes conducts the whole human race, expecting
those redeemed by the grace of God, from the original canker in its root to
the devastation of a second and endless death' [Augustine, City of God,
13.14].
When Augustine and the
succeeding Christian tradition paired the nearly contrary motifs of death
and fruitfulness in their theology of corruption, they were extending and
intertwining lines from Scripture, but they were also disclosing their own
observation of the character of sin. They knew that sin is both fatal and fertile. Like
the drought that prompts a maple tree to announce its distress by producing
hundreds of emergency seed pods, or like a man with AIDS who infects and
impregnates a woman, so sin tends both to kill and to reproduce."
- Plantinga, 'Not the
Way It's Supposed to be', pg. 54. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995.
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, xiii
Thoughts on Sin
from Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Pt. II
In 1993 filmmaker Woody
Allen was caught in a controversial affair with Mia Farrow's teenage
daughter. When he was asked why he engaged in such sinful activity, he
responded: "The heart wants what it wants." Below is a quotation
on sin's influence on what the heart wants.
Dr. Plantinga: "But why doesn't the heart want God, trust
God, look childlike to God for life's joys and securities? Why doesn't the
heart seek final good where it can actually be found? Why turn again and
again, in small matters and large, to satisfactions that are mutable,
damaging, and imperiled?
Because the heart wants
what it wants. That's as far as we get. That's the conversation stopper.
The imperial self overrules all. Inquiring into the causes of sin takes us
back, again and again, to the intractable human will and to the heart's
desire that stiffens the will against all competing considerations. Like a
neurotic and therapeutically shelf-worn god, the human heart keeps ending
discussions by insisting that it wants what it wants.
The trouble is that this
is only a redescription of human sin, not an explanation of it- - let alone
a defense of it. Our core problem, says St. Augustine, is that the human
heart, ignoring God, turns in on itself, tries to lift itself, wants to
please itself, and ends up debasing itself. The person who reaches toward
God and wants to please God gets, so to speak, stretched by this move, and
ennobled by the transcendence of its object. But the person who curves in
on himself, who wants God's gifts without God, who wants to satisfy the
desires of a divided heart, ends up sagging and contracting into a little
wad. His desires are provincial. 'There is something in humility which,
strangely enough, exalts the heart, and something in pride which debases
it'."
-Plantinga, 'Not the Way
Its Supposed to be', pg. 62. Quote from Augustine found in 'City of God'
14.13.
Word of
Encouragement, III:xiv
Self-Piety and
Individualism by David Wells
I first read David
Well's book 'No Place for Truth: Or, Whatever Happened to Evangelical
Theology' back in 1996. I have been re-reading particular chapters lately
and I am struck by the importance of this book! May I recommend if you have
never read this book, that you take the time to do so as soon as possible?!
It is such an insightful look at modern evangelicalism, and a book that we
can all learn from. This is a true book of balanced and reflective wisdom
that will help Christians in their understanding of God. I am not
overexaggerating to say that this has been one of the most influential
practical-theological books that I have ever read and reflected upon.
Consider picking it up and reading it! [Also see the follow-up volume 'God
in the Wasteland']. Below is a quotation from his chapter on 'self-piety'.
Dr. Wells: "The logic of individualism has here [in
America] run not only to excess but to a kind of squalid decadence. Where
once people took pride in their accomplishments and in their character,
other-directed individuals think only of how they stand with others. The
freedom from all that formerly constrained, such as cultural and family
expectations, now 'contributes to his insecurity', Lasch [Christopher
Lasch] argues- -an insecurity 'which he can overcome only by seeing his
'grandiose self' reflected in the attentions of others, or by attaching
himself to those who radiate celebrity, power and charisma'.
Where the older type of
individualist saw the world as a wilderness to be cleared and shaped in
accordance with his or her will [the Jackson Turner Thesis], the
contemporary narcissist sees it as a mirror in which to preen him or
herself; in the television era, the world is no longer hard. As this mood
has rippled through the public, it has brought many changes in our public
psychology, among them a transformation in the way people view their work.
Once people worked to
achieve tangible ends, to accomplish things. Now, such accomplishments are
of far less significance than one's 'image'. Once people worked; now they
manipulate. Once people sweated; now they seduce. Once people wished to be
respected, to have their own accomplishments recognized; now they wish to
be envied, regardless of whether they are envied for anything they have
actually accomplished....
....That is why
accomplishment in the old order has been replaced by the techniques of
survival in the new, and these key not on underlying character but on
surface personality, not on achievement but on manipulation. That is why
managers and psychologists are so admired: they are controllers. Managers
control the external world, and psychologists control the internal world.
Both offer results through technique rather than character, and the actions
of both implicitly affirm the chaos of modernity might yet be
contained."
-David Wells, pgs.
158-59, Grand Rapids, MI:Eerdmans, 1993.
Word of
Encouragement, III:xiii
Thoughts on Sin
by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Pt. III
The Complexity
and Parasitical Nature of Sin
[Note: This one is
convicting, read at your own risk of being very convicted]
Dr. Plantinga: "Roughly until the Enlightenment, sinful
human pride- -that blend of narcissism (love of self) and conceit that we
detest in others and sometimes tenderly protect in ourselves- - was widely
regarded as the first of the seven deadly sins. What sin, after all, causes
more wars, envies, fratricides, tyrannies, ethnic cleansings, and general
subversions of fellowship? What sin makes God seem more irrelevant? God
wants to fill us with his Holy Spirit, but when we are proud we are already
full of ourselves. There's no room for God...
...But now winds are
shifting. Of course, pride itself is still with us. People still have
affairs with themselves. Professors still leave faculty meetings feeling
less enlightened by what they heard than by what they said. People still
feel injured when admirers offer them the sort of sincere but moderate
praise that limits their merit. What has changed is that, in much of
contemporary American culture, aggressive self-regard is no longer viewed
with alarm. Instead, people praise and promote it. This is a culture in
which schoolchildren outrank Asian schoolchildren not in math ability but
in self-confidence about their math ability; a culture in which prophets of
the New Age and gurus of pop psychology (who are sometimes the same)
package transcendence and sell it to consumers, advising them that they are
superconscious beings, Higher Selves growing toward godhood, 'one with the
One', and thus in line for the ultimate job promotion.
In this culture,
avant-garde literary critics teach 'imperial readers' that what they bring
to a Milton text is more important than what the text brings to them, and
trendy preachers imply that the main problem with savings and loan
embezzlers is that they do not love themselves unconditionally. After all,
didn't Jesus and Paul talk a good deal about love? 'I can see it now,' says
John Alexander, 'Jesus gently saying, 'Woe to you, poor scribes and
Pharisees! Nice guys - -but your self-esteem is low'. Or Paul writing the
Judaizers, 'Neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision,
but feeling good about ourselves'."
In an ego-centered
culture, wants become needs (maybe even duties), the self replaces the
soul, and human life degenerates into the clamor of competeing autobiographies.
People get fascinated with how they feel- - and with how they feel about
how they feel."
- 'Not the Way Its
Supposed to Be, pgs. 81-83.
Word of
Encouragement
Volume III,
Issue xv (resuming after a
one month absence)
God's Gracious
Covenant with Man and the so-called "Problem of Evil"
From Michael S.
Horton
"Sinners and
sinned-against, humanity lives 'east of Eden,' in a wilderness of social
constructions that are attempts to flee the presence and reality of
God...It is the same with the problem of evil. If one begins with the
biblical drama (found in Scripture), in which a broken covenant lies at the
very center of a crime scene, the problem takes on deeply personal and
historical overtones. According to this plot, God was in no way obligated to
rescue the creature, who had rejected a noble role as divine representative
and caretaker of creation, in order to seek autonomy
(self-rule-in-submission-to-no-one).
Such a quest for
supercreaturely freedom to construct oneself and one's world, rather than
receive selfhood and otherness as gifts, led to the disintegration of every
relationship. And yet, according to this drama, God not only preserved
nature, history, and culture (even after the arrogance and brutality of
Cain), but executed a redemptive strategy.
But even here, God
triumphs over evil in the end, not by canceling out the human agency that
was misused, but be renewing and restoring the divine image and finally
restoring the entire creation, so that together humankind and the world
subjected to sin will be liberated to enjoy the consummation that never
arrived at Eden. A broken covenant is at last repaired and its conditions
fulfilled by the second Adam, who will make all things new in the likeness
of his own resurrection.
So when 'this' drama is
the context for theodicy (why a good God allows evil in the world), the
tables are turned. Instead of God being on trial, it is the creature who is
arraigned and questioned...And now the problem of evil, though not solved
in our minds, is overwhelmed by the problem of good (why does God allow any
good at all in a sinful world?)."
- Michael S. Horton,
'Covenant and Eschatology: The Divine Drama', Louisville, KY: John Knox
Press, 2002, pg. 93.
Word of
Encouragement
Preaching as the
Primary Means of God's Grace in Our Lives
Vol. III, xvi
1 Cor. 1:21 says:
"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not
know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to
save those who believe."
2 Cor. 4:5-7 says:
"For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and
ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who
commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of
us."
These two Scriptures are
support for the claims made by the Church that God has appointed preaching
as the primary means of grace in order to exalt His sovereign grace. Below
are quotations concerning the supremacy of preaching from the Larger
Catechism and the Heidelberg Catechism.
Westminster
Confession of Faith
"How is the word
made effectual to salvation? The Spirit of God makes the reading, but
especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of enlightening,
convincing, and humbling sinners; of driving them out of themselves, and
drawing them unto Christ; of conforming them to his image, and subduing
them to his will; of strengthening them against temptations and
corruptions; of building them up in grace, and establishing their hearts in
holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation."
Heidelberg
Catechism
"What are the keys
of the kingdom of heaven? The preaching of the holy gospel and church
discipline, by these two the kingdom of heaven is opened to believers and
closed to unbelievers. How is the kingdom of heaven opened and closed by
the preaching of the gospel? According to the command of Christ, the
kingdom of heaven is opened when it is proclaimed and publicly testified to
each and every believer that God has really forgiven all their sins for the
sake of Christ's merits, as often as they by true faith accept the promise
of the gospel. The kingdom of heaven is closed when it is proclaimed and
testified to all unbelievers and hypocrites that the wrath of God and
eternal condemnation rest on them."
Meditate on
Romans 10:13-17- "For
"whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."14 How
then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall
they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher?15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it
is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel
of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"16 But they have not
all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our
report?"17 So then faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, xvii
Is Hell
Separation from God?
Jesus soberly warns us
in Matthew 10:28: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both
soul and body in hell." Some Christians today believe that hell is
separation from God. However, although the Bible does use imagery of
"outer darkness" and the "place of the devil and his
angels", we must never forget that God is present everywhere, or
omnipresent. (Ps. 139:7-12). At the crucifixion of Jesus, you have the
Father turning away from his son, while Jesus receives his Father's just
wrath (read: Romans 3:21-26). The most frightening thing about hell is God
himself in judgment. We are all in relationship with God as his creatures.
What is our present relationship to God, Heavenly Father, or Heavenly
Judge? Below is an interesting quotation from Michael Horton on hell being
terrifying and painful because God IS present!
"Whatever the exact
nature of...everlasting judgment, it is horrible ultimately for one reason
only: God is present. This sounds strange to those of us familiar with the
definition of hell as 'separation from God' and heaven as a place for those
who have a 'personal relationship with God.' But Scripture nowhere speaks
in these terms. Quite the contrary, if we read the Bible carefully we
conclude that everyone, as a creature made in God's image, has a personal
relationship with God. Therefore, God is, after the fall, either in the
relationship of a judge or a father to his creatures.
And God, who is present
everywhere at all times, will be present forever in hell as the judge.
'Hell reigns wherever there is no peace with God,' John Calvin wrote,
refusing to speculate on its salacious horrors. When our conscience
condemns us, 'We carry always a hell within us'. Just as heaven is not
purely future, but is breaking in on the present through the kingdom of
God, hell, too, is breaking in on the present. 'The wrath of God is being
revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men
who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about
God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.' But they are
left without excuse (Romans 1:18-19).
Their tortured
consciences drive them to expel the thought of God entirely from their
horizon, but they cannot evade the revelation of God's wrath. Hell is not
ultimately about fire but about God. Whatever the exact nature of physical
punishments, the real terror awaiting the unrepentant is God himself and
his inescapable presence forever with his face turned against them....But
the genuine 'good news' of revelation is that God justifies the wicked who
place their trust in Christ and find God a reconciled friend now and
forever, world without end. Amen."
- Michael Horton, 'Is
Hell Separation from God', Modern Reformation, Vol. 11, no. 3, May/June
2002, pgs. 18-19.
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, xviii
Christ the King,
Our Divine and Gracious Warrior
"The sovereignty of
God is not only an essential tenet of the Christian faith...but it is also
immensely practical for our confidence that God fights our battles for us;
evil can never have the last word. At the cross, we are told, our debt was
not only canceled, but 'having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made
a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross' (Col. 2:15).
Is it not the height of arrogance, bordering on blasphemy, to suggest that
it is the believer's victory over demonic forces rather than Christ's
once-and-for-all triumph that secures liberation from bondage? It is be
proclaiming the Gospel, Paul declares in his famous passage on spiritual
warfare (Eph. 6), not by taking it upon ourselves to eradicate spiritual
darkness, that God's kingdom is extended and Satan's diminished.
Often, our political
causes, like our evangelistic crusades, tend to ignore this fundamental
truth, so that we sometimes sound as if the latest, greatest movement (the
Christian Right in politics or Promise Keepers, the Sings and Wonders
movement, or Vision 2000 in evangelism and missions) of our own frenetic
activity and ambitious, entrepreneurial projects will achieve the work
credited in Scripture to the Cross of Christ. Or, on the other end, if the
wrong person occupies the White House, we give the impression that the
universe is out of control, as if God depended on us and our machinery for
the realization of his kingdom.
....Of course, this is
not to say that Christ's triumph at the Cross eliminates our responsibility
to evangelize the nations or the teach them righteousness, but it is to say
that the only way we bring this victory to the nations is by proclaiming
what Christ has already accomplished, not by our feats of grandeur and
glory...The sovereignty of God comforts us in crisis and curbs our pride in
triumph, reminding us that it is not we who determine the outcome of our
spiritual battles, but Christ the King who fights for us and has already
secured the final victory."
- Michael S. Horton,
'Where in the World is the Church?: A Christian View of Culture and Your
Role in it.', pages. 18-19.
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, xix
The Story of Our
Redemption
According to the Apostle
Peter's preaching in Acts 2:16 through the end of the chapter, the 'last
days' or 'end times' began or dawned with the ascension of Jesus to God's
right hand and the pouring out of His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. That
means, as one teacher/theologian once said, that we live in the same time
period (or age) as Peter, Paul, and John in the New Testament.
Do we often think about
how closely related we are to the New Testament revelation or story?
Oftentimes, we think a great deal of time has passed and some get busy
merely focusing on the future of 'when these New Testament events will take
place' when the emphasis should be on the present, as the New Testament
story is 'taking place' daily in our own lives as the revelation forms our
interpretation of God, His world, and ourselves. If we are living in the
same time period as Peter, Paul, and John -- the end times, or last days-
-then this revelation ought to shape the way we think about our lives. In a
postmodern culture, looking for a grand story [or meta-narrative], this is
a revelatory gift that only Christ's Church can bring to the world in the
present. Below is an excellent quotation from Marva Dawn on how the New
Testament revelation forms our lives.
Marva Dawn: "The Revelation [of God in the Bible] is
not a book of rules that gives us step-by-step procedures for life. There
could never be enough rules to cover all the possibilities, and usually our
response to rules and regulations is to resist them. Nor is the Bible a
collection of timeless truths from which we draw our basic principles or
goals toward which we aim....Rather, the Scriptures must be understood as a
master story with multiple narratives that form us as we are immersed in
them. We become part of the genuine story as we then live out of the
character shaped by all of God's Revelation.
....The first act of the
play is the creation, which teaches us that all the people of the world are
brothers and sisters, designed to live in harmony with each other and the
cosmos; thus the first act prohibits the violence toward other people
against which the postmodernists rightfully protest. The second act of the
drama is the fall, which enables us to understand the world's brokenness
and destruction. Acts III and V include the stories of Israel and of the
early Christians, respectively, to offer us examples of both disobedience
and trust and to demonstrate the consequences of each. Act IV is the record
of the life of Jesus and manifests God's covenant action on behalf of the
world as the pinnacle of all God's interventions in Act III and as the
foundation for the Spirit's work through the saints in Act V. We know a
little bit of the end of the drama (Act VII) from the book of Revelation,
but what we know of the culmination of the world is only a sketch meant to
encourage us in the struggles of the present.
Act VI is where we fit
in, formed by what we have learned in the preceding parts. Immersed in the
meta-narrative, the grand story of the people of God -- the commandments,
goals, chronicles, poetry, warnings, promises, and songs of the entire
Revelation- - we are formed to act with the character of God's people,
imitating the virtues and deeds of God himself. And we have a great
advantage, for, as we improvise Act VI in keeping with the spirit of the
rest of the drama, we know that the Author is still alive!
What a great gift this
meta-narrative is! It offers the people of the world around us a story into
which they can place themselves and find forgiveness for their past,
purpose for their present, and hope for their future."
- Marva Dawn, "A
Royal 'Waste' of Time: The Splendor of Worshiping God and Being Church for
the World", Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999, pgs. 53-54.
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, xx
The Whole Gospel
to the Whole of our Lives- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
D. Martin Lloyd-Jones
was one of the most faithful and greatest preachers of the 20th century.
Here is a quotation from his sermon on Romans 6. He is speaking concerning
the failure to understand the fullness of the gospel to our lives.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones:
"People are often
unhappy in the Christian life because they have thought of Christianity,
and the whole message of the gospel, in inadequate terms. Some think that
it is merely a message of forgiveness. You ask them to tell you what
Christianity is and they will reply: 'If you believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ your sins are forgiven', and they stop at that. That is all. They
are unhappy about certain things in their past and they hear God in Christ
will forgive them. They take their forgiveness and there they stop- - that
is all their Christianity.
There are others who
conceive of it as morality only. Their view of themselves is that they do
not need forgiveness, but they desire an exalted way of life. They want to
do good in this world, and Christianity to them is an ethical, moral
program. Such people are bound to be unhappy.
....The gospel is not
something partial or piecemeal: it takes in the whole life, the whole of
history, the whole world. It tells us about the creation and the final
judgment and everything in between. It is a complete, whole view of life,
and many are unhappy in the Christian life because they have never realized
that this way of life caters for the whole of man's life and covers every
eventuality in his experience. There is no aspect of life but that the
gospel has something to say about it. The whole of life must come under its
influence because it is all-inclusive; the gospel is meant to control and
govern everything in our lives...
...We must realize the
greatness of the gospel, its vast eternal span. We must dwell more on the
riches, and in the riches, of these great doctrinal absolutes. We must not
always stay in the gospels. We must start there but we must go on; and then
as we see it all worked out and put into its great context we shall realize
what a mighty thing the gospel is, and how the whole of our life is meant
to be governed by it."
Word of
Encouragement
Vol. III, xxii
D. Martyn
Lloyd-Jones on Bargains and Rights in the Kingdom of God
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
was preacher at Westminster Chapel in London, England for over 30 years.
Here he comments on the tendency to try and bargain with our Sovereign God.
This is a very challenging quotation. I think many of us need to think
about what Dr. Lloyd-Jones says below.
---------------------
"Do not think in
terms of bargains and rights in the Kingdom of God. That is absolutely
fatal. There is nothing so wrong as the spirit which argues that because I
do this, or because I have done that, I have a right to expect something
else in return. This is met with frequently. I know very good evangelical
Christian people, who seem to be thinking like that.
'Now,' they say, 'if we
pray for certain things, we are bound to have them, for instance if we pray
all night for revival we must have revival.' I have sometimes described
this as the 'penny in the slot' idea of Christianity. You put a coin and
you draw out a bar of chocolate or whatever else you want. Now this is the
same attitude.
Because men in the past
have prayed all night that revival might come and revival has come,
therefore let us have an all-night prayer meeting and revival will come...I
do not care what it is, whether praying or anything else, in no respect
must I ever argue that because I do something I am entitled to get
something- - never....Think of the many such prayer meetings that have been
held. And yet the revival has not come, and I am going to venture to say
that I thank God that it has not. What would the position be if we could
command these things at will? But we cannot.
Let us get rid of this
bargaining spirit, that if I do this then that will happen. You cannot have
revival whenever you want it and as a result of doing certain things. The
Holy Spirit is Lord, and He is a Sovereign Lord. He sends these things
in His own time and in His own way. In other words we must realize that we
have no right to anything at all. 'But', says someone, 'does not Paul teach
about judgment and rewards in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, in the
fifth chapter?'
Certainly he does and he
does so likewise in the third chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians,
and our Lord Himself in the twelfth chapter of Luke talks about those who
are beaten with many stripes and those who receive few stripes and so on.
Well, what of that? The reply is that even the rewards are of grace.
He need not give them,
and if you think you can determine and predict how they are to come to you
will be quite wrong. Everything is of grace in the Christian life from
the very beginning to the very end. To think in terms of bargains and
to murmur at results, implies a distrust of Him, and we need to watch our
own spirits lest we harbor the thought that He is not dealing with us
justly and fairly."
-D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones,
from his sermon on 'Laborers in the Vineyard' (Matt. 20:1-16.
Word of Encouragement
Vol. III, xxiv
Another Great Prayer from an Anonymous Purition: On Resting in the LORD and
His Faithfulness and Loving-kindness to His People
When trouble and suffering have made their presence known in our lives, it
seems at times that our God is absent. When trouble and suffering speak
loudly, it seems that God is extremely quiet. But, the Living God does not
sleep. In times of trouble and suffering, we must remind ourselves that our
God is up to something good-- the end and purpose he has in mind we do not
know- - but we do know that it is meant for our good and His glory (Rom.
8:28). This too is by faith and resting in God's grace and goodness. We
must remind ourselves of God's faithfulness to His people in the past, his
faithfulness to us in our own lives, as well as his ultimate good purpose
and the goodness of God's purposes for his people! When we question God, we
are ultimately asking the question of whether God is good; can he be
trusted? Below is a helpful prayer for all of us during these difficult
times. It is a prayer to focus us off ourselves and our real problems, to
our good and gracious Heavenly Father who helps us in our times of trouble
and suffering. It focuses us on Jesus who can sympathize with us in our
weaknesses, because he has experienced the confusion, pain, trouble and
suffering of this present age, yet without sin.
Word of Encouragement
Vol. III, xxv
Meditations from Henry Scougal and John Piper on the Affections of the Soul
Today, I have included a short and memorable quotation from Henry Scougal,
with a short commentary on the implications of this meditation by John
Piper. Henry Scougal lived in the 17th century and died at the early age of
twenty-seven. The quotation is from a book he wrote entitled: 'The Life of
God in the Soul of Man' which is still in print (Harrisonburg, Va: Sprinkle
Publications). John Piper is an excellent teacher and pastor who has
written excellent books such as 'Desiring God' and 'The Pleasures of God'
(both published by Multinomah Press).
Henry Scougal: "The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured
by the object of its love...The love of God is a delightful and
affectionate sense of the divine perfections which makes the soul resign
and sacrifice itself wholly unto him, desiring above all things to please
him, and delighting in nothing so much as in fellowship and communion with
him, and being ready to do or suffer any thing for his sake or at his
pleasure....The most ravishing pleasures, the most solid and substantial
delights that human nature is capable of, are those which arise from the
endearments of a well-placed and successful affection." (The Life of
God, pgs. 46-47, 66)
John Piper: "Without doubt for human beings the affection of love is
"well-placed and successful" when placed in God. For this is the
first and greatest commandment: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart' (Matthew 22:37). So the most excellent soul is the soul that
loves God most. And to the degree that such love is openly manifest, to
that degree is the loving soul revealed in its worth and beauty.
So it is with God. The worth and excellency of God's soul is to be measured
by the object of his love. It is even more true for him than for us that
love is that powerful and prevalent passion of the soul on which both its
perfection and happiness depend. So if God's love is his powerful and
prevalent passion - -the omnipotent energy of his approval and enjoyment
and delight- - then 'the pleasures of God' are the measure of the
excellency of his soul...If the excellence of God could be admired in his
pleasures, and if we tend to conform to what we admire, then focusing on
the pleasures of God could help me to be conformed to God."
2 Corinthians 3:18- "We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory
of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory
to another."
To order either book for your library: The Life of God in the Soul of Man-
(Sprinkle Publications) www.sprinklepub.com,
or The Pleasures of God- (Westminster Bookstore) www.wts.edu/bookstore
Word of Encouragement
III:xxvi
J. I. Packer on the Nature of the Church
"The church of God, 'that wonderful and sacred mystery', is a subject
that stands at the very heart of the Bible. For the church is the object of
the redemption which the Bible proclaims. It was to save the church that
the Son of God became man and died; God purchased his church at the cost of
Christ's blood. It is through the church that God makes known his redeeming
wisdom to the hosts of heaven. It is within the church that the individual
Christian finds the ministries of grace, the means of growth, and his
primary sphere for service. We cannot properly understand the purpose of
God, nor the method of grace, nor the kingdom of Christ, nor the work of
the Holy Spirit, nor the meaning of world history without studying the
doctrine of the church.
But what is the church? The fact that we all first mee the church as an
organized society must not mislead us into thinking that it is essentially,
or even primarily, that. There is a sense in which the outward form of the
church disguises its true nature rather than reveals it. Essentially the
church is not a human organization as such, but a divinely created
fellowship of sinners who trust a common Savior, and are one with each
other because they are all one with him in a union realized by the Holy
Spirit. Thus the church's real life, like that of its individual members,
is for the present 'hid in Christ with God', and will not be manifested to
the world until he appeals. Meanwhile, what we need, if we are to
understand the church's nature, is insight into the person and work of
Christ and of the Spirit and into the meaning of the life of faith."
-J. I. Packer, 'The Nature of the Church' (essay written in 1962)
Word of Encouragement
III:xxvii
Christopher Lasch on the Eclipse of Achievement in American Culture
These observations by Christopher Lasch on the way success is defined in
our culture is quite interesting and worthy of our thoughts and
considerations. While writing this out, I couldn't help but think of the
success of magazines and television shows such as 'People', 'US' (why are
"we" included- - "US" - -it's never about me and my
family), and the 'E! True Hollywood Story'. Why are these
"people" and these "stories" about celebrities so
interesting? Is this success? Hmmmm. I wonder how much the
"image-idea" of celebrity and success has effected the way we as
the people of God dress, act, worship, and serve Christ in His Kingdom. An
interesting documentary worth watching is entitled: 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Bakker'- get a closer look at this video at www.imdb.com,
and search for title.
Christopher Lasch: "Nothing succeeds like the appearance of
success...In a society in which the dream of success has been drained of
any meaning beyond itself, men have nothing against which to measure their
achievements except the achievements of others. Self-approval depends on
public recognition and acclaim, and the quality of this approval has
undergone important changes in its own right. The good opinion of friends
and neighbors, which formerly informed a man that he had lived a useful
life, rested on appreciation of his accomplishments.
Today men seek the kind of approval that applauds not their actions but
their personal attributes. They wish to be not so much esteemed as admired.
They crave not fame but the glamour and excitement of celebrity. They want
to be envied rather than respected. Pride and acquisitiveness, the sins of
an ascendant capitalism, have given way to vanity. Most Americans would
still define success as riches, fame, and power, but their actions show
that they have little interest in the substance of these attainments. What
a man does matters less than the fact that he has 'made it.' Whereas fame
depends on the performance of notable deeds acclaimed in biography and
works of history, celebrity- - the reward of those who project a vivid or
pleasing exterior or have otherwise attracted attention to themselves- -is
acclaimed in the news media, in gossip columns, on talk shows, in magazines
devoted to 'personalities.'
Accordingly it is evanescent, like news itself, which loses its interest
when it loses its novelty. Worldly success has always carried with it a
certain poignancy, an awareness that 'you can't take it with you'; but in
our time, when success is so largely a function of youth, glamour, and
novelty, glory is more fleeting than ever, and those who win the attention
of the public worry incessantly about losing it. Success in our society has
to be ratified by publicity."
- Christopher Lasch, 'The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in An Age of
Diminishing Expectations', pgs. 59-60.
Word of Encouragement
III:xxviii
Wise Meditations on Living in the Real World (God's World) from Cornelius
Plantinga and J. I. Packer
Wisdom from God's word and our experience in life should make us all
realists. That is, we should learn to "fit in" to God's creation,
and adjust to the way things "really are", as Cornelius Plantinga
teaches ('Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin). Dr.
Plantinga gives some valuable wisdom below from his study of Proverbs and
Ecclesiastes. He states these wise truths in modern language. Meditate upon
these.
"The wise eventually learn and then accommodate themselves to such
truths as these:
a.. The more you talk, the less people listen.
b.. If your word is no good, people will not trust you, and it is then
useless to protest this fact.
c.. Trying to cure distress with the same thing that caused it only makes
matters worse.
d.. If you refuse to work hard and take pains, you are unlikely to do much
of any consequence.
e.. Boasting of your accomplishments does not make people admire you.
Boasting is vain in both senses of the word.
f.. Envy of fat cats does not make them slimmer and in the end will rot
your bones.
g.. If you scratch certain itches, they just itch more.
h.. Many valuable things, including happiness and deep sleep, come to us
only if we do not try hard for them."
J. I. Packer: "Wise people know that acc
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