This post and the following two are an abridgment of Tim Keller's paper on "Kingdom-Centered Prayer." The full version, which contains a study guide of over one hundred pages is available at redeemer.com at the "redeemer store" for a mere $5.
What is spiritual renewal?
Spiritual revival or renewal is a work of God in which the church is beautified and empowered because the normal operations of the Holy Spirit are intensified. The normal operations of the Spirit include: conviction of sin, enjoyment and assurance of grace and the Father’s love, and creation of deep community and loving relationships.
Three marks of revival
In reality, there are three marks of genuine revival. First, there is an outpouring of the Spirit on and within the congregation, so that the presence of God among his people becomes evident and palpable. There is a new and deeper conviction of sin and repentance — not just for major ‘behavioral sins’ but for attitudes of the heart. There is then the experience of a far more powerful assurance of the nearness and love of God, with the end result that Christians become both humbler and bolder at once.
Secondly, as a result of this outpouring of the Spirit, the people of the world are brought into the church and it begins to grow. Why? On the one hand, the renewed believers create a far more attractive community. On the other hand, when Christians who begin to experience God’s love and put their relationship to Christ first in their lives, they become more willing and confident to talk to others about their faith and less judgmental when they do so. As a result, there are numerous conversions — sound, lasting and sometimes dramatic.
Thirdly, there is an impact on the community surrounding the church and even the broader culture. Revivals produce waves of people who become involved in works of social concern and social justice. Major social justice movements such as abolitionism had strong roots in the revivals.
The 1904-05 revival in Wales had created many social changes. Life in the coal pits was transformed; workers and management engaged in prayer meetings on company time. Many working people came to take aged parents home from the workhouses where they had been sent. Long-standing debts were paid, stolen goods returned, and crime rates plummeted.
Summary: These three marks of revival may be small or large, long or short, dramatic or quiet, widespread or localized.
How does spiritual renewal come?
One factor always seems to be present in every revival. It is intense, corporate prayer especially in the face of a specific challenge. This prayer is not so much for personal needs, but a prayer that the world would be awed and amazed by the evidence of God’s power and radiance in the church.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Kingdom-Centered Prayer I
This is an abridged version of a section of Tim Keller's paper on Kingdom-Centered prayer, the kind of prayer that is at the heart of spiritual renewal.
Kingdom-centered prayer calls us to put aside our requests for personal gain and comfort. Instead, we pray for God’s Spirit in our hearts, God’s presence among us, and the glory of God in the city.
1. For God’s Spirit in our hearts (Eph. 3:16-19)
Just as it is one thing to have a bank account and another to draw on it, so it is one thing to have God as Father and Jesus as Lover and another thing to draw on that and actually experience it — to be actually shaped by it in the depth of your emotional life and in the breadth of your life out in the world. He is praying that we would grasp the truth of who and what Christ is until it becomes much more than a rational proposition. For example, do you know God loves you? If you do, why do you get so inconsolable when others criticize you? When the truth of God’s love for you really “catches fire”, when the truth about God’s love gets big — when it disturbs and comforts and thrills you — then you will find that criticism doesn’t harm you as it did before. The truth has descended into the heart. That is what Paul is praying for. It is the difference between knowing that a man is your father, and being held in his arms. When one of us receives this “witness of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:15,16) we have personal renewal. When it is poured out on many people at once, we have a revival.
2. FOR GOD’S PRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE
But the point of corporate prayer is that we come together as a body, seeking God’s presence in the community.
Let’s look at Exodus 33:15-20: Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”…Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said …“you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
In the New Testament, the church is called the ”temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 3, Eph. 2, 1 Peter 2). That is an enormous claim! The Spirit’s presence in our lives through Christ is a fulfillment of the Old Testament promise that God will indwell his people. Paul understood that the Spirit’s presence is not given simply to provide individuals with great experiences, but to make the Christian community a society that is absolutely unique, altogether apart, a community of love and truth and beauty.
Ultimately, times of great spiritual renewal are times in which seekers or visitors can come into a gathering of Christians for worship and immediately sense a love that is so robust and “thick” you could almost cut it with a knife.
What is needed is something so striking and so signal that it cannot be explained inhuman terms. …We can preach the truth, we can defend it, we can indulge in our apologetics, we can try to present a great front to the world, but, you know, it does not impress the world. It leaves the world where it was. The need is for something so overwhelming, so divine, so unusual that it will arrest the attention of the world and prove that we are indeed… the people of God. …What is wrong in our own day is the disappearance of the uniqueness of the church... Ask him to make us something that is so amazing that the world shall be compelled to look on and say “What is this?” as they said on the day of Pentecost. (Lloyd-Jones)
3. FOR THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE CITY
In Jeremiah 29 God calls his people to pray for the peace (shalom) of Babylon. These were violent, pagan societies, yet God’s people were called to pray for God’s glory to be revealed to them. So, corporate prayer renewal in Columbus must be prayer for Columbus. We are to pray for the glory of God to be seen. That is a major theme of the Psalms. God’s glory is his weight, his importance, his reality. Many people in our cities believe in a God, but not in a God of glory. One of the best ways to pray this way is to walk through a neighborhood and pray for it. This kind of prayer can also involve praying for a people group. Here are just a few examples:
the homeless; single parent families; prisoners, the pornography, prostitution, and sex industries (especially runaways caught in prostitution and sexual slavery); people with AIDS ; the colleges and university communities; the business and financial community; the artist and music community; the poor neighborhoods; Latinos, Somalis
Kingdom-centered prayer calls us to put aside our requests for personal gain and comfort. Instead, we pray for God’s Spirit in our hearts, God’s presence among us, and the glory of God in the city.
1. For God’s Spirit in our hearts (Eph. 3:16-19)
Just as it is one thing to have a bank account and another to draw on it, so it is one thing to have God as Father and Jesus as Lover and another thing to draw on that and actually experience it — to be actually shaped by it in the depth of your emotional life and in the breadth of your life out in the world. He is praying that we would grasp the truth of who and what Christ is until it becomes much more than a rational proposition. For example, do you know God loves you? If you do, why do you get so inconsolable when others criticize you? When the truth of God’s love for you really “catches fire”, when the truth about God’s love gets big — when it disturbs and comforts and thrills you — then you will find that criticism doesn’t harm you as it did before. The truth has descended into the heart. That is what Paul is praying for. It is the difference between knowing that a man is your father, and being held in his arms. When one of us receives this “witness of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:15,16) we have personal renewal. When it is poured out on many people at once, we have a revival.
2. FOR GOD’S PRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE
But the point of corporate prayer is that we come together as a body, seeking God’s presence in the community.
Let’s look at Exodus 33:15-20: Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”…Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said …“you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
In the New Testament, the church is called the ”temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 3, Eph. 2, 1 Peter 2). That is an enormous claim! The Spirit’s presence in our lives through Christ is a fulfillment of the Old Testament promise that God will indwell his people. Paul understood that the Spirit’s presence is not given simply to provide individuals with great experiences, but to make the Christian community a society that is absolutely unique, altogether apart, a community of love and truth and beauty.
Ultimately, times of great spiritual renewal are times in which seekers or visitors can come into a gathering of Christians for worship and immediately sense a love that is so robust and “thick” you could almost cut it with a knife.
What is needed is something so striking and so signal that it cannot be explained inhuman terms. …We can preach the truth, we can defend it, we can indulge in our apologetics, we can try to present a great front to the world, but, you know, it does not impress the world. It leaves the world where it was. The need is for something so overwhelming, so divine, so unusual that it will arrest the attention of the world and prove that we are indeed… the people of God. …What is wrong in our own day is the disappearance of the uniqueness of the church... Ask him to make us something that is so amazing that the world shall be compelled to look on and say “What is this?” as they said on the day of Pentecost. (Lloyd-Jones)
3. FOR THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE CITY
In Jeremiah 29 God calls his people to pray for the peace (shalom) of Babylon. These were violent, pagan societies, yet God’s people were called to pray for God’s glory to be revealed to them. So, corporate prayer renewal in Columbus must be prayer for Columbus. We are to pray for the glory of God to be seen. That is a major theme of the Psalms. God’s glory is his weight, his importance, his reality. Many people in our cities believe in a God, but not in a God of glory. One of the best ways to pray this way is to walk through a neighborhood and pray for it. This kind of prayer can also involve praying for a people group. Here are just a few examples:
the homeless; single parent families; prisoners, the pornography, prostitution, and sex industries (especially runaways caught in prostitution and sexual slavery); people with AIDS ; the colleges and university communities; the business and financial community; the artist and music community; the poor neighborhoods; Latinos, Somalis
Kingdom-Centered Prayer II
In this summary, Keller summarizes three principles or characteristics of effective kingdom-centered prayer. It is (1) extraordinary, (2) prevailing, and (3) repentant.
1. First Principle: EXTRAORDINARY PRAYER (Acts 1:14; 2:42)
It is interesting to see that revivals usually start with a very small group of people — sometimes just one person — who begin to pray for God’s glory in the community. Usually it is just a handful of people; always it is some kind of ”extraordinary” prayer beyond the normal services and patterns of prayer.
Jeremiah Calvin Lanphier was a layman in the North Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in New York. He decided to hold a prayer meeting at noon on Wednesdays for businessmen who worked in the immediate neighborhood. The first meeting was held on September 23, 1857. The first person to join Lanphier was half an hour late; several others came even later. But the meeting quickly grew, and one month later they decided to meet daily. Within months, newspapers estimated that 10,000 were gathering every noon to pray. By May 1858, about 50,000 new people had joined the churches, out of a city population of roughly 800,000. It started with one man, and then a small group, who wanted to pray.
D. M. Lloyd-Jones says that revivals start when “We have to go out of our way. Now, this is the question that I want to impress upon your minds… Are you just content with coming to services… and doing some routine things?
2. Second principle – PREVAILING PRAYER (Luke 18:1/Eph. 6:18)
I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. (Isaiah 62:6-7)
What is startling here is Isaiah’s call to “give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” The language seems too bold. As Lloyd-Jones so vividly says it, “Give him no rest, give yourself no rest. Keep on. Bombard God. Bombard heaven until the answers come.”
Consider Abraham praying for Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:16-33). These cities were incredibly wicked and violent, yet Abraham prays to God to spare them over and over and over. “Will you spare them for fifty righteous?” “All right,” says God. “How about forty? Thirty? Twenty?”
God, who obviously does not need us to pray in order to carry out his will, who does not need reminding and repetition, nonetheless wants us to pray in a sustained, prevailing way. Why?
It is not to press God repeatedly because we believe we deserve it. It is not to press God repeatedly because we are simply desperate out of inordinate desire. It is to press God in prayer because he calls on us to do it. This is the way he wants us to seek him and his good things. But why does want us to do it this way?
First, God wants us to do it this way so that our hearts lose their self-sufficiency. Only if we pray in a sustained way do we come to a deep recognition of our utter dependence on God. If God’s blessings came upon us without a lot of prayer, we would be hard-hearted and proud…
Second, God wants us to do it so that our hearts will be prepared to rejoice in God as the author of all blessings. If God’s blessings just came upon us without a lot of prayer, we would not perceive him as the source of everything we need. When the blessing comes, we will not be filled with gratitude — the only proper stance of the human heart toward God and life itself.
Third, when we do prevailing prayer corporately, then the attainment of blessings creates community, knitting our hearts together. When we pray together for our church, it unites us and makes us look to God instead of blaming others for any flaws in the church’s life.
In short, God calls us to do prevailing prayer because he knows that it is very dangerous to give us very many good things unless our hearts and spiritual vision are prepared through lots of prayer.
3. Third Principle – REPENTANT PRAYER (Rev. 2:5)
Kingdom-centered prayer also calls us to a corporate repentance and longing for God. It is characterized by repentance over our lack of love, joy, zeal for the lost, hunger for God and so on. Renewal begins always with a deeper conviction of sin and proceeds to a concomitant (associated, simultaneous) wonder and enjoyment of grace and love. The deeper one feels his or her sin-debt, the more highly he feels the wonder of the payment.
A repentance that is gospel-based is essential. Without an orientation to the gospel, our hearts will repent out of fear of the consequences and God’s rejection. But the gospel leads us to repent because Jesus died for our sins so we would not be rejected. Legalistic remorse says, “I broke God’s rules,” while real repentance says, “I broke God’s heart.” The gospel creates the only kind of grief over sin that is clean and does not crush.
The grace of God creates the only motivation that leads you to hate the sin without hating yourself. It is the only motivation that will cause sin to lose its attractive power over you.
A gospel-based repentance also enables individuals and churches to face their self-righteousness, those forms of the flesh that are the roots of sinful behavior. We come to understand that we should not only repent of our sins, but also of our “righteousness.”
These forms of righteousness” may include good works, spiritual disciplines, and orthodox theology along with things like power, success, and the approval of others. Thus gospel repentance is a repentance that turns from self-sufficiency, self-confidence, self-righteousness and the fears and insecurities that result. Repentance sees them for what they are — a proud refusal to accept the Father’s love, which is free through Christ.
"The broken heart is the healed heart,
the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
and the repenting soul is the victorious soul."
(The Valley of Vision)
1. First Principle: EXTRAORDINARY PRAYER (Acts 1:14; 2:42)
It is interesting to see that revivals usually start with a very small group of people — sometimes just one person — who begin to pray for God’s glory in the community. Usually it is just a handful of people; always it is some kind of ”extraordinary” prayer beyond the normal services and patterns of prayer.
Jeremiah Calvin Lanphier was a layman in the North Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in New York. He decided to hold a prayer meeting at noon on Wednesdays for businessmen who worked in the immediate neighborhood. The first meeting was held on September 23, 1857. The first person to join Lanphier was half an hour late; several others came even later. But the meeting quickly grew, and one month later they decided to meet daily. Within months, newspapers estimated that 10,000 were gathering every noon to pray. By May 1858, about 50,000 new people had joined the churches, out of a city population of roughly 800,000. It started with one man, and then a small group, who wanted to pray.
D. M. Lloyd-Jones says that revivals start when “We have to go out of our way. Now, this is the question that I want to impress upon your minds… Are you just content with coming to services… and doing some routine things?
2. Second principle – PREVAILING PRAYER (Luke 18:1/Eph. 6:18)
I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. (Isaiah 62:6-7)
What is startling here is Isaiah’s call to “give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” The language seems too bold. As Lloyd-Jones so vividly says it, “Give him no rest, give yourself no rest. Keep on. Bombard God. Bombard heaven until the answers come.”
Consider Abraham praying for Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:16-33). These cities were incredibly wicked and violent, yet Abraham prays to God to spare them over and over and over. “Will you spare them for fifty righteous?” “All right,” says God. “How about forty? Thirty? Twenty?”
God, who obviously does not need us to pray in order to carry out his will, who does not need reminding and repetition, nonetheless wants us to pray in a sustained, prevailing way. Why?
It is not to press God repeatedly because we believe we deserve it. It is not to press God repeatedly because we are simply desperate out of inordinate desire. It is to press God in prayer because he calls on us to do it. This is the way he wants us to seek him and his good things. But why does want us to do it this way?
First, God wants us to do it this way so that our hearts lose their self-sufficiency. Only if we pray in a sustained way do we come to a deep recognition of our utter dependence on God. If God’s blessings came upon us without a lot of prayer, we would be hard-hearted and proud…
Second, God wants us to do it so that our hearts will be prepared to rejoice in God as the author of all blessings. If God’s blessings just came upon us without a lot of prayer, we would not perceive him as the source of everything we need. When the blessing comes, we will not be filled with gratitude — the only proper stance of the human heart toward God and life itself.
Third, when we do prevailing prayer corporately, then the attainment of blessings creates community, knitting our hearts together. When we pray together for our church, it unites us and makes us look to God instead of blaming others for any flaws in the church’s life.
In short, God calls us to do prevailing prayer because he knows that it is very dangerous to give us very many good things unless our hearts and spiritual vision are prepared through lots of prayer.
3. Third Principle – REPENTANT PRAYER (Rev. 2:5)
Kingdom-centered prayer also calls us to a corporate repentance and longing for God. It is characterized by repentance over our lack of love, joy, zeal for the lost, hunger for God and so on. Renewal begins always with a deeper conviction of sin and proceeds to a concomitant (associated, simultaneous) wonder and enjoyment of grace and love. The deeper one feels his or her sin-debt, the more highly he feels the wonder of the payment.
A repentance that is gospel-based is essential. Without an orientation to the gospel, our hearts will repent out of fear of the consequences and God’s rejection. But the gospel leads us to repent because Jesus died for our sins so we would not be rejected. Legalistic remorse says, “I broke God’s rules,” while real repentance says, “I broke God’s heart.” The gospel creates the only kind of grief over sin that is clean and does not crush.
The grace of God creates the only motivation that leads you to hate the sin without hating yourself. It is the only motivation that will cause sin to lose its attractive power over you.
A gospel-based repentance also enables individuals and churches to face their self-righteousness, those forms of the flesh that are the roots of sinful behavior. We come to understand that we should not only repent of our sins, but also of our “righteousness.”
These forms of righteousness” may include good works, spiritual disciplines, and orthodox theology along with things like power, success, and the approval of others. Thus gospel repentance is a repentance that turns from self-sufficiency, self-confidence, self-righteousness and the fears and insecurities that result. Repentance sees them for what they are — a proud refusal to accept the Father’s love, which is free through Christ.
"The broken heart is the healed heart,
the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
and the repenting soul is the victorious soul."
(The Valley of Vision)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Pain Not Wasted
I wrote this poem as I reflected on my motives for ministry. I was worried that my life as a servant has over, that I had wasted the past twenty five years in failure.
I asked God in remorse and fear,
“Will I be a success?
Is it too late?
Have I failed?
Were the years away in vain?
Was it a mistake?
Can you explain?
What was at stake?”
In piercing sweet gentleness He answered,
“Failure there was in your haste,
And in your overreach
Me you did not seek,
But your toil was not to me a waste.
I unhinged your venture,
I invaded your barricaded heart,
To fashion you a new start.
“The wells of what you craved I emptied,
I took away that tonic before it poisoned you,
I shattered your idol to refashion you,
To hold living water in endless supply
From Me without cost.”
I asked God in remorse and fear,
“Will I be a success?
Is it too late?
Have I failed?
Were the years away in vain?
Was it a mistake?
Can you explain?
What was at stake?”
In piercing sweet gentleness He answered,
“Failure there was in your haste,
And in your overreach
Me you did not seek,
But your toil was not to me a waste.
I unhinged your venture,
I invaded your barricaded heart,
To fashion you a new start.
“The wells of what you craved I emptied,
I took away that tonic before it poisoned you,
I shattered your idol to refashion you,
To hold living water in endless supply
From Me without cost.”
Music and the Gospel
Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (NIV)
This passage is not necessarily commanding us to sing every time we get into scripture, but is seems to at the very least commend songs as a way to experience the richness of the word of Christ. I want to make two basic points about the role of gospel-centered songs:
1. Gospel-Centered Songs help the Word of Christ Dwell in You Richly
For close to thirty years, I have been more or less a critic and a cynic (a Spirit-quencher) when it comes to Christians singing. Part of this was based on having a caricature of Christians singing (that people who like doing that are not really into serving God in a vigorous way), and partly from smugness (that my intellectual way is superior). My attitude was also from a sense of emotional awkwardness.
Then, about a year ago, I was in New York City for a conference on the gospel. Like many Christian conferences, the schedule indicated there would be “worship time” before the talks. So I planned on tuning out or putting up with the worship time. But my friends and I ended up standing with the group and singing along (and enjoying it). This happened not only because the musicians were good and the content of songs gospel-centered, but God Himself did something to my heart during that time of worship. He filled me with joy about His grace shown through Jesus on the cross in a new way. God had been working on me in this way for a few months before going to New York. On the drive there, I was really moved by Van Morrison’s version of Be Thou My Vision.
I believe one of the reasons that music drives home the gospel is because the joy of the grace of God is not full without a certain kind of expression or engagement. Think about what these lyrics are saying:
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
“Tune my heart!” Yes, that’s it, because the subject matter (“streams of mercy”) demands expression (“call for songs of loudest praise”). When I read or hear the gospel, my mind is pleased and satisfied with the truth and reasonableness of it. But there is another part of me, my heart, which wants to respond to the gospel. It wants to unleash emotion! I want to jump! You do too, but you don’t want to risk embarrassment and disappointment! It is like Ps. 95, where the author calls on us to “shout joyfully.” As C.S. Lewis said, “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment.”
It is similar to when I feel a strong sense of love or appreciation for my wife and I move close and touch her and say, “I love you! I’m so glad I know you!” I are not at this moment saying, “I have come to see your objective value and will be committed to serve you.” That is there, but something more is there… Songs are a universal human way of engaging with what we believe and love.
Music also works the other way. Not only can it be a way of expressing joy, but music can bring you into joy from a state out of sorrow and despair. I think the devil can be fought with music (sometimes only with music) because he attacks and lures the heart and imagination with art and music. That is, he deceives us by stealing our affections.
2. Gospel-Centered Songs Help Non-Christians Become Aware of their Need for God
I used to think that songs of praise would turn-off non-Christians, so we should have musical entertainment instead. But notice Paul’s view:
But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. ( 1 Cor. 14:24,25)
One of the things Paul included in what a vital Christian meeting has going on is hymns. Along with teaching and discussing the word of God, people seemed to be singing the word of God. I know of people who were initially more impacted by exposure to Christians singing grace-oriented songs than they were by teaching.
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts. (Ps. 105:1,2)
Thus believers are continually told to sing and praise God before the unbelieving nations. God is to be praised before all the nations, and as he is praised by his people, the nations are summoned and called to join in song.
This passage is not necessarily commanding us to sing every time we get into scripture, but is seems to at the very least commend songs as a way to experience the richness of the word of Christ. I want to make two basic points about the role of gospel-centered songs:
1. Gospel-Centered Songs help the Word of Christ Dwell in You Richly
For close to thirty years, I have been more or less a critic and a cynic (a Spirit-quencher) when it comes to Christians singing. Part of this was based on having a caricature of Christians singing (that people who like doing that are not really into serving God in a vigorous way), and partly from smugness (that my intellectual way is superior). My attitude was also from a sense of emotional awkwardness.
Then, about a year ago, I was in New York City for a conference on the gospel. Like many Christian conferences, the schedule indicated there would be “worship time” before the talks. So I planned on tuning out or putting up with the worship time. But my friends and I ended up standing with the group and singing along (and enjoying it). This happened not only because the musicians were good and the content of songs gospel-centered, but God Himself did something to my heart during that time of worship. He filled me with joy about His grace shown through Jesus on the cross in a new way. God had been working on me in this way for a few months before going to New York. On the drive there, I was really moved by Van Morrison’s version of Be Thou My Vision.
I believe one of the reasons that music drives home the gospel is because the joy of the grace of God is not full without a certain kind of expression or engagement. Think about what these lyrics are saying:
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
“Tune my heart!” Yes, that’s it, because the subject matter (“streams of mercy”) demands expression (“call for songs of loudest praise”). When I read or hear the gospel, my mind is pleased and satisfied with the truth and reasonableness of it. But there is another part of me, my heart, which wants to respond to the gospel. It wants to unleash emotion! I want to jump! You do too, but you don’t want to risk embarrassment and disappointment! It is like Ps. 95, where the author calls on us to “shout joyfully.” As C.S. Lewis said, “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment.”
It is similar to when I feel a strong sense of love or appreciation for my wife and I move close and touch her and say, “I love you! I’m so glad I know you!” I are not at this moment saying, “I have come to see your objective value and will be committed to serve you.” That is there, but something more is there… Songs are a universal human way of engaging with what we believe and love.
Music also works the other way. Not only can it be a way of expressing joy, but music can bring you into joy from a state out of sorrow and despair. I think the devil can be fought with music (sometimes only with music) because he attacks and lures the heart and imagination with art and music. That is, he deceives us by stealing our affections.
2. Gospel-Centered Songs Help Non-Christians Become Aware of their Need for God
I used to think that songs of praise would turn-off non-Christians, so we should have musical entertainment instead. But notice Paul’s view:
But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. ( 1 Cor. 14:24,25)
One of the things Paul included in what a vital Christian meeting has going on is hymns. Along with teaching and discussing the word of God, people seemed to be singing the word of God. I know of people who were initially more impacted by exposure to Christians singing grace-oriented songs than they were by teaching.
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts. (Ps. 105:1,2)
Thus believers are continually told to sing and praise God before the unbelieving nations. God is to be praised before all the nations, and as he is praised by his people, the nations are summoned and called to join in song.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Way to Pray for Others
This is an example I came across in The Valley of Vision of how to pray for people to find Jesus that is God-centered and God-glorifying:
"God’s Cause"
Sovereign God,
Your cause, not my own, engages my heart,
and I appeal to you to set up your kingdom in every place where Satan reigns,
Glorify yourself and I shall rejoice,
for to bring honor to your name is my sole desire.
I adore you that you are God,
and long that others should know it, feel it,
and rejoice in it.
O that all men might love and praise you!
To the eye of reason everything respecting the conversion of others
Is as dark as midnight,
But you can accomplish great things;
and it is to your glory that people are saved.
Lord, use me as you will,
Promote your cause,
Let your kingdom come.
Oh do bring great numbers to Jesus!
let me see that glorious day,
and give to me to grasp for multitudes of souls;
let me be willing to die to that end;
and while I live let me labor for you.
It is your cause and kingdom I long for, not my own.
(The Valley of Vision, 177)
"God’s Cause"
Sovereign God,
Your cause, not my own, engages my heart,
and I appeal to you to set up your kingdom in every place where Satan reigns,
Glorify yourself and I shall rejoice,
for to bring honor to your name is my sole desire.
I adore you that you are God,
and long that others should know it, feel it,
and rejoice in it.
O that all men might love and praise you!
To the eye of reason everything respecting the conversion of others
Is as dark as midnight,
But you can accomplish great things;
and it is to your glory that people are saved.
Lord, use me as you will,
Promote your cause,
Let your kingdom come.
Oh do bring great numbers to Jesus!
let me see that glorious day,
and give to me to grasp for multitudes of souls;
let me be willing to die to that end;
and while I live let me labor for you.
It is your cause and kingdom I long for, not my own.
(The Valley of Vision, 177)
Don't Be a Chameleon
There is an intense pressure for the church to be "relevant" If that means talking about things that matter and talking in a way that is understandable, I'm all for it. But I worry when "relevance" means being viewed as cool or culturally hip. Hear what Tozer had to say on this:
The church’s mightiest influence is when she is different from the world in which she lives. Her power lies in her being different, rises with the degree in which she is differs and sinks as the difference diminishes.
Men are impressed with the message of the church just as far and as long as she is different from themselves. When she longs to be like them they no longer respect her… And contrary to common opinion, men are more inclined to follow the way of Christ when they are compelled to make a radical alternation in their loves than when the way is made easy for them. The human heart senses its need to be changed, and when religion appears offering life without such change, it is not taken seriously by thinking men. (A.W.Tozer, The Set of the Sail, 35)
Are you afraid of being different?
The church’s mightiest influence is when she is different from the world in which she lives. Her power lies in her being different, rises with the degree in which she is differs and sinks as the difference diminishes.
Men are impressed with the message of the church just as far and as long as she is different from themselves. When she longs to be like them they no longer respect her… And contrary to common opinion, men are more inclined to follow the way of Christ when they are compelled to make a radical alternation in their loves than when the way is made easy for them. The human heart senses its need to be changed, and when religion appears offering life without such change, it is not taken seriously by thinking men. (A.W.Tozer, The Set of the Sail, 35)
Are you afraid of being different?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Rivals to Jesus
If we lived in a totalitarian state, we would be well aware of it. And even totalitarian, authoritative leadership in a church probably makes us feel uncomfortable, like a coat that is too tight. More difficult to detect, however, is making a phase of Christian work central instead of Christ central. When Christian work becomes the integration point, it too is wrong…
It is curious that we can do things in Christ’s name while pushing Him off the stage. Fighting for evangelism should not become primary either; yet how often this happens! Other people, quite rightly, see the church of our generation threatened by apostasy, but then have made [this fight] the center of their lives. In all of these Jesus may remain as a topic of conversation, but His real centrality has been forgotten. In the name of Christ, Christ is dethroned. When this happens, even what is right becomes wrong. (Francis Schaeffer, “Jesus Only,” in No Little People)
It is curious that we can do things in Christ’s name while pushing Him off the stage. Fighting for evangelism should not become primary either; yet how often this happens! Other people, quite rightly, see the church of our generation threatened by apostasy, but then have made [this fight] the center of their lives. In all of these Jesus may remain as a topic of conversation, but His real centrality has been forgotten. In the name of Christ, Christ is dethroned. When this happens, even what is right becomes wrong. (Francis Schaeffer, “Jesus Only,” in No Little People)
Stott on having a Christ-Centered Mission
John Stott wrote:
Nothing is more important for the recovery of the church’s mission (where it has been lost) or its development (where it is weak), than a fresh, clear, and comprehensive vision of Jesus Christ. When He is demeaned, and especially when he is denied, in the fullness of his unique person and work, the church lacks motivation and direction, our moral crumbles, and our mission disintegrates. But when we see Jesus, it is enough. We have all the inspiration, incentive, authority and power we need.
Motivation is a very important aspect of every human enterprise. We need to not only know what we should be doing, why we should be doing it. When our motives are strong, we can persist in any task almost indefinitely. But when our motivation is faulty, we immediately begin to flag. Sharing our faith is hard work, widely unappreciated and unpopular. The church will need powerful incentives, therefore if it is to persevere. It is my argument in this section that the exaltation of Jesus Christ to the Father’s right hand , that is, to the position of supreme honor, provides the strongest of all missionary incentives (Eph. 1:21, see 1:10 Jesus was elevated above all possible rivals to the highest place of supremacy; Phil. 2:9; Col. 1:18)
If God has given this supreme honor to Jesus, and desires every one else to honor him, the people of God should share this desire. This is sometimes spoken of as “zeal’ or even “jealousy.”
This same sense of pain whenever Jesus Christ is dishonored, and this same sense of jealousy that should be given the honor due him, should stir us... The primary motive for mission is neither obedience to the Great Commission, nor even love for those who are oppressed, lonely, or lost and perishing, important as those incentives are, but rather zeal or ‘jealousy’ for the glory of Christ. It is this zeal for Christ which integrates the worship and witness of the church. How can we worship Christ and not mind that others don’t? It is our worship of Christ that impels us to witness to Christ, in order that others may come and worship him too. (John Stott, "The Christological Basis of Mission," in The Contemporary Christian)
Nothing is more important for the recovery of the church’s mission (where it has been lost) or its development (where it is weak), than a fresh, clear, and comprehensive vision of Jesus Christ. When He is demeaned, and especially when he is denied, in the fullness of his unique person and work, the church lacks motivation and direction, our moral crumbles, and our mission disintegrates. But when we see Jesus, it is enough. We have all the inspiration, incentive, authority and power we need.
Motivation is a very important aspect of every human enterprise. We need to not only know what we should be doing, why we should be doing it. When our motives are strong, we can persist in any task almost indefinitely. But when our motivation is faulty, we immediately begin to flag. Sharing our faith is hard work, widely unappreciated and unpopular. The church will need powerful incentives, therefore if it is to persevere. It is my argument in this section that the exaltation of Jesus Christ to the Father’s right hand , that is, to the position of supreme honor, provides the strongest of all missionary incentives (Eph. 1:21, see 1:10 Jesus was elevated above all possible rivals to the highest place of supremacy; Phil. 2:9; Col. 1:18)
If God has given this supreme honor to Jesus, and desires every one else to honor him, the people of God should share this desire. This is sometimes spoken of as “zeal’ or even “jealousy.”
This same sense of pain whenever Jesus Christ is dishonored, and this same sense of jealousy that should be given the honor due him, should stir us... The primary motive for mission is neither obedience to the Great Commission, nor even love for those who are oppressed, lonely, or lost and perishing, important as those incentives are, but rather zeal or ‘jealousy’ for the glory of Christ. It is this zeal for Christ which integrates the worship and witness of the church. How can we worship Christ and not mind that others don’t? It is our worship of Christ that impels us to witness to Christ, in order that others may come and worship him too. (John Stott, "The Christological Basis of Mission," in The Contemporary Christian)
Your Mission is Only as Good as Your Jesus
Without a high and balanced view of Jesus Christ, the church will lose its way. If we stress the humanity of Jesus at the expense of His deity, we will tend to be compassionate and involved, but lacking in authority. If we stress the deity of Jesus at the expense of His humanity, we tend to be aloof and self-righteous. Mark Driscoll sums it up well:
Sadly, without an acknowledgement of the full humanity of Jesus, we are left with a Jesus who appears eerily similar to Superman. We are left to believe that although Jesus looked like a Galilean carpenter, he did not really endure temptation and suffering as we do. The deity of Jesus without the humanity of Jesus tragically leaves us to see Jesus as a faker, not unlike Clark Kent. All we are left with is someone who cannot really sympathize with us in our weakness, as Hebrews says, because he was not fully human.
By itself, an incarnational Christology, though true, is not truly complete. Without a robust recognition of the corresponding deity of Jesus, the humanity of Jesus has the propensity to leave us with a marred false image of Jesus—little more than a limp-wristed, marginalized, hippie-esque, unemployed Galilean pacifist in a dress with feathered hair and open-toed sandals—a guy that the average man would be remiss to worship because he could beat up that Jesus. Therefore, in addition to the humble incarnation of Jesus where his humanity shines forth, we must also retain the glorious exaltation of Jesus where his divinity likewise shines forth.
If we were to see Jesus today, we would not see him in his state of humble incarnation. Rather, we would see Jesus as both Isaiah and John saw him enthroned in glory as King of kings and Lord of lords. This Jesus rules over gays and straights, men and women, young and old, rich and poor, black and white, simple and wise, healthy and sick, powerful and powerless, Republicans and Democrats, married and single, Christians and non-Christians, angels and demons, and the living and the dead.
The sovereign, unprecedented, and glorious exaltation of Jesus is typified by a throne. The imagery of a throne is used roughly 196 times in Scripture, with 135 occurrences in the Old Testament and 61 occurrences in the New Testament. Of the New Testament occurrences, 45 of the 61 are in the book of Revelation. The imagery of the throne appears in seventeen of its twenty-two chapters. The book of Revelation breaks into earthly scenes of sin and the curse, as well as heavenly scenes of worship and rule.
(Mark Driscoll, “The Church and the Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World,” in The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor)
Sadly, without an acknowledgement of the full humanity of Jesus, we are left with a Jesus who appears eerily similar to Superman. We are left to believe that although Jesus looked like a Galilean carpenter, he did not really endure temptation and suffering as we do. The deity of Jesus without the humanity of Jesus tragically leaves us to see Jesus as a faker, not unlike Clark Kent. All we are left with is someone who cannot really sympathize with us in our weakness, as Hebrews says, because he was not fully human.
By itself, an incarnational Christology, though true, is not truly complete. Without a robust recognition of the corresponding deity of Jesus, the humanity of Jesus has the propensity to leave us with a marred false image of Jesus—little more than a limp-wristed, marginalized, hippie-esque, unemployed Galilean pacifist in a dress with feathered hair and open-toed sandals—a guy that the average man would be remiss to worship because he could beat up that Jesus. Therefore, in addition to the humble incarnation of Jesus where his humanity shines forth, we must also retain the glorious exaltation of Jesus where his divinity likewise shines forth.
If we were to see Jesus today, we would not see him in his state of humble incarnation. Rather, we would see Jesus as both Isaiah and John saw him enthroned in glory as King of kings and Lord of lords. This Jesus rules over gays and straights, men and women, young and old, rich and poor, black and white, simple and wise, healthy and sick, powerful and powerless, Republicans and Democrats, married and single, Christians and non-Christians, angels and demons, and the living and the dead.
The sovereign, unprecedented, and glorious exaltation of Jesus is typified by a throne. The imagery of a throne is used roughly 196 times in Scripture, with 135 occurrences in the Old Testament and 61 occurrences in the New Testament. Of the New Testament occurrences, 45 of the 61 are in the book of Revelation. The imagery of the throne appears in seventeen of its twenty-two chapters. The book of Revelation breaks into earthly scenes of sin and the curse, as well as heavenly scenes of worship and rule.
(Mark Driscoll, “The Church and the Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World,” in The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor)
1 Peter 1:22-2:3 Spiritual Dynamics of Holiness (part 2)
by Gary DeLashmutt
Holiness grows through loving community & God’s Word
Holiness begins with a new birth—but it doesn’t end there. Like new-born children who must grow gradually into physical and intellectual maturity, so reborn Christians must gradually grow and develop in holiness. Arrested growth and development is an aberration and tragedy with both physical and spiritual life. Just as young children require nurture and nourishment to thrive, so Christians require loving community and the nourishment of God’s Word to grow. But whereas parents bear the primary responsibility to give their children nurture and nourishment, Peter says that each Christian is primarily responsible to participate in these spiritual activities that are essential for growth in holiness.
The verbs “love each other” (1:22) and “crave pure spiritual milk” (2:2) are imperatives. These are not things that others are required to do for us; they are steps we are required to take for ourselves (see also Acts 2:42). If we are not growing in holiness, the first place we should look is right here. Let’s take a closer look at both of these so we’re clear about these spiritual dynamics.
What kind of involvement with other Christians must we have if we want to grow? Christians often answer this question inadequately—to the detriment of their spiritual development. Most American Christians answer: “Become a member of a church” and/or “Attend weekly worship.” We in Xenos often answer in a similarly inadequate way: “Come to Central Teaching and join a home group.” These steps are good starts—but they will not result in your growth in holiness beyond a very primitive level! Peter’s answer goes much deeper than this (re-read 1:22b)—we need to love one another “sincerely, deeply, and with all of our hearts.”
“Sincerely” means unhypocritical—not putting on a mask or being superficially nice, but being honest and open about what’s really going on in our lives. “Deeply” and “with all your heart” means with intense commitment—not just when it’s personally convenient and enjoyable, but when it’s costly in terms of time and emotional investment and forgiveness/apology/repentance (2:1). Peter is describing more than a large network of casual acquaintances; he is describing a much smaller band of close spiritual friendships.
If you want to grow in holiness, you must build and maintain close and committed spiritual friendships with other Christians. The best advice I ever received as a young Christian was: “Isolated Christians are defeated Christians.” Only in such friendships will you receive the kind of love and nurture that you need in order to grow. Only in such friendships will you learn how to give God’s love effectively to others—which is the very essence of holiness (1 Thess. 3:12,13).
How do you build these friendships? The place to start is by agreeing with God that you need this, and then by asking him to tutor you in learning how to be a good spiritual friend (1 Thess. 4:9). He will probably urge you to commit to meet regularly with a smaller group of Christians for Bible study and prayer. But then he will call on you to go deeper with one or more of these people—to talk share your fears and doubts and problems with one another, to gradually understand what makes each other tick, to encourage one another, to challenge one another, to pray for and with one another, to work through conflict, to serve others together, etc. Over time, these friendships will take up a significant portion of your time and mental and emotional energy—and they will become a precious avenue of spiritual insight and encouragement and stability and sanity. You will grow in holiness!
In order to grow in holiness, we also need the nourishment of God’s Word (re-read 2:2). For many Christians, this means listening to a weekly sermon, or attending a weekly Bible study, or even reading the Bible daily. Again, these are good starts, but they will not result in extensive growth in holiness. Peter says that in order to grow, we need to “crave” the milk of God’s Word like newborn babies crave their mother’s milk. Peter is not merely saying that we need regular exposure to the Bible; we need to become addicted to it![1] The point is not just that we learn biblical truths; it is that we delight in what God says (as in Ps. 119:16,47,70). I remember feeding my new-born daughter for the first time—she was anything but blasé about the milk! Newborn Christians have the same response to God’s Word. It is not just the stimulation of learning something new—it is the delight in receiving spiritual life! It is this craving for, this delight in God’s Word that enables us to receive his nourishment and grow in holiness. How can we get and keep this health-giving addiction? On the one hand, you can’t simply make yourself feel this desire or delight. On the other hand, you can do things to cultivate it. Here are some pointers:
Remember that the Bible is not first of all an owner’s manual or a rule book. It is first of all God’s love letter to you—written by One who loves you, and written to fill you with his love. This motivated me to read Bev’s letters—and it motivates me to read and reflect on God’s Word![2]
Because the Bible is God’s love letter, always pray before you read or listen to it like Ps. 119:18: “Open my eyes, that I may see wonderful things in your Word.” He will increase your understanding of his love and deepen your delight in his Word.
Sit under Bible teaching by people who are not only knowledgeable and gifted, but who also crave and delight in the Word. God speaks through them not only to inform you, but also to draw you into the joy of living in his Word!
Discuss what God is teaching you from his Word with your close spiritual friends (Col. 3:16). This deepens your spiritual friendships, and increases your delight in God’s Word! Consider these words from Ajith Fernando, which explain how craving truth and close spiritual friendship go together:
“One key to a deep friendship is time spent in long conversations . . . Many people do not seem to have time for long conversations. They have so many things to do! When they have free time, it is spent on entertainment . . . We can’t bear the thought of just sitting and discussing issues . . . (But such discussion) has a richness to it. It satisfies the deep desire in our hearts implanted by a God who is committed to truth. God’s understanding of truth includes more than facts. Christian truth has a qualitative and experiential aspect to it. So truth can be enjoyed only if we are willing to linger with it, to ask what its implications are, to ask how it should influence our thinking and acting . . . Those who set aside time for enriching discussions on issues, on the things of God, will rediscover the joy of truth. They will bring new depth of true personal fulfillment to their lives. We need to bring long chats back into our schedules, allowing significant slots of time for truth-related discussions . . . It is in such times that minds meet, that we experience together the joy of truth which is one of the most precious forms of joy. People who let long conversations eat into their schedules—and that is a sacrifice—will know the joy of minds meeting on a deep level. From such depths true friendships will be forged . . .”(Ajith Fernando, Reclaiming Friendship (Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 1993), pp. 28-35)
[1] Epipotheo means “earnestly desire,” “long for,” even to “lust.” This is the proper counterpart of epithumeia (idolatrous over-desires). Edmund Clowney says: “Christians must be addicted to the Bible.”
[2] “What quickens our desire for the life-giving word of God? . . . Those who read the word of God . . . must never forget why the word is given and whom it reveals. The word shows us that the Lord is good; his words are sweeter than honey to our taste because in them the Lord gives himself to us.” Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter.
Holiness grows through loving community & God’s Word
Holiness begins with a new birth—but it doesn’t end there. Like new-born children who must grow gradually into physical and intellectual maturity, so reborn Christians must gradually grow and develop in holiness. Arrested growth and development is an aberration and tragedy with both physical and spiritual life. Just as young children require nurture and nourishment to thrive, so Christians require loving community and the nourishment of God’s Word to grow. But whereas parents bear the primary responsibility to give their children nurture and nourishment, Peter says that each Christian is primarily responsible to participate in these spiritual activities that are essential for growth in holiness.
The verbs “love each other” (1:22) and “crave pure spiritual milk” (2:2) are imperatives. These are not things that others are required to do for us; they are steps we are required to take for ourselves (see also Acts 2:42). If we are not growing in holiness, the first place we should look is right here. Let’s take a closer look at both of these so we’re clear about these spiritual dynamics.
What kind of involvement with other Christians must we have if we want to grow? Christians often answer this question inadequately—to the detriment of their spiritual development. Most American Christians answer: “Become a member of a church” and/or “Attend weekly worship.” We in Xenos often answer in a similarly inadequate way: “Come to Central Teaching and join a home group.” These steps are good starts—but they will not result in your growth in holiness beyond a very primitive level! Peter’s answer goes much deeper than this (re-read 1:22b)—we need to love one another “sincerely, deeply, and with all of our hearts.”
“Sincerely” means unhypocritical—not putting on a mask or being superficially nice, but being honest and open about what’s really going on in our lives. “Deeply” and “with all your heart” means with intense commitment—not just when it’s personally convenient and enjoyable, but when it’s costly in terms of time and emotional investment and forgiveness/apology/repentance (2:1). Peter is describing more than a large network of casual acquaintances; he is describing a much smaller band of close spiritual friendships.
If you want to grow in holiness, you must build and maintain close and committed spiritual friendships with other Christians. The best advice I ever received as a young Christian was: “Isolated Christians are defeated Christians.” Only in such friendships will you receive the kind of love and nurture that you need in order to grow. Only in such friendships will you learn how to give God’s love effectively to others—which is the very essence of holiness (1 Thess. 3:12,13).
How do you build these friendships? The place to start is by agreeing with God that you need this, and then by asking him to tutor you in learning how to be a good spiritual friend (1 Thess. 4:9). He will probably urge you to commit to meet regularly with a smaller group of Christians for Bible study and prayer. But then he will call on you to go deeper with one or more of these people—to talk share your fears and doubts and problems with one another, to gradually understand what makes each other tick, to encourage one another, to challenge one another, to pray for and with one another, to work through conflict, to serve others together, etc. Over time, these friendships will take up a significant portion of your time and mental and emotional energy—and they will become a precious avenue of spiritual insight and encouragement and stability and sanity. You will grow in holiness!
In order to grow in holiness, we also need the nourishment of God’s Word (re-read 2:2). For many Christians, this means listening to a weekly sermon, or attending a weekly Bible study, or even reading the Bible daily. Again, these are good starts, but they will not result in extensive growth in holiness. Peter says that in order to grow, we need to “crave” the milk of God’s Word like newborn babies crave their mother’s milk. Peter is not merely saying that we need regular exposure to the Bible; we need to become addicted to it![1] The point is not just that we learn biblical truths; it is that we delight in what God says (as in Ps. 119:16,47,70). I remember feeding my new-born daughter for the first time—she was anything but blasé about the milk! Newborn Christians have the same response to God’s Word. It is not just the stimulation of learning something new—it is the delight in receiving spiritual life! It is this craving for, this delight in God’s Word that enables us to receive his nourishment and grow in holiness. How can we get and keep this health-giving addiction? On the one hand, you can’t simply make yourself feel this desire or delight. On the other hand, you can do things to cultivate it. Here are some pointers:
Remember that the Bible is not first of all an owner’s manual or a rule book. It is first of all God’s love letter to you—written by One who loves you, and written to fill you with his love. This motivated me to read Bev’s letters—and it motivates me to read and reflect on God’s Word![2]
Because the Bible is God’s love letter, always pray before you read or listen to it like Ps. 119:18: “Open my eyes, that I may see wonderful things in your Word.” He will increase your understanding of his love and deepen your delight in his Word.
Sit under Bible teaching by people who are not only knowledgeable and gifted, but who also crave and delight in the Word. God speaks through them not only to inform you, but also to draw you into the joy of living in his Word!
Discuss what God is teaching you from his Word with your close spiritual friends (Col. 3:16). This deepens your spiritual friendships, and increases your delight in God’s Word! Consider these words from Ajith Fernando, which explain how craving truth and close spiritual friendship go together:
“One key to a deep friendship is time spent in long conversations . . . Many people do not seem to have time for long conversations. They have so many things to do! When they have free time, it is spent on entertainment . . . We can’t bear the thought of just sitting and discussing issues . . . (But such discussion) has a richness to it. It satisfies the deep desire in our hearts implanted by a God who is committed to truth. God’s understanding of truth includes more than facts. Christian truth has a qualitative and experiential aspect to it. So truth can be enjoyed only if we are willing to linger with it, to ask what its implications are, to ask how it should influence our thinking and acting . . . Those who set aside time for enriching discussions on issues, on the things of God, will rediscover the joy of truth. They will bring new depth of true personal fulfillment to their lives. We need to bring long chats back into our schedules, allowing significant slots of time for truth-related discussions . . . It is in such times that minds meet, that we experience together the joy of truth which is one of the most precious forms of joy. People who let long conversations eat into their schedules—and that is a sacrifice—will know the joy of minds meeting on a deep level. From such depths true friendships will be forged . . .”(Ajith Fernando, Reclaiming Friendship (Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 1993), pp. 28-35)
[1] Epipotheo means “earnestly desire,” “long for,” even to “lust.” This is the proper counterpart of epithumeia (idolatrous over-desires). Edmund Clowney says: “Christians must be addicted to the Bible.”
[2] “What quickens our desire for the life-giving word of God? . . . Those who read the word of God . . . must never forget why the word is given and whom it reveals. The word shows us that the Lord is good; his words are sweeter than honey to our taste because in them the Lord gives himself to us.” Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter.
Friday, February 13, 2009
1 Peter 1:22-2:3 Spiritual Dynamics of Holiness (part 1)
By Gary DeLashmutt
The section of 1 Peter is beginning in 1:13 is about holiness (“be holy for I am holy). “Holiness” has negative connotations in our culture (“holy roller;” “holier than thou”), so we tend to avoid it (and use a more relevant synonym like “sanctification!”). Actually, the biblical meaning of holiness is intensely positive. Holiness means fulfilling the special purpose for which something or someone was designed. Conversely, to use something or someone for a different purpose is to make it profane.
There is a saying: “The right tool for the right job.” This is a maxim about tool holiness. When I use my screwdriver as a hammer or pry bar, I make my screwdriver profane. But when I use it only for driving screws, I make it holy. I make it last, and I make the other things it interacts with work better.
When Peter tells us: “Be holy in everything you do,” he is simply saying: “Live every aspect of your lives the way God designed you to live.” God has created us in his image, and therefore our lives have a high purpose—to demonstrate his character (his love, righteousness, justice, etc.) in this world. To live otherwise is to profane my life—to misrepresent God’s character and to damage myself and others.
For example, I am to be a holy husband. That means (among other things) that I am to be completely faithful to my wife sexually. To profane our sexual relationship would bring great damage to our marriage and family—and it would misrepresent the way God is completely faithful to his people.
Peter will say more about what holiness looks like in these areas later in his letter. But it is not enough to merely know what holiness looks like. Moral will-power alone cannot produce true holiness—it can only produce frustration or ugly caricatures (“holier-than-thou”). True holiness requires access God’s spiritual power. This is why Peter begins by focusing on the spiritual dynamics of holiness. In 1:22-2:3, he speaks of two key dynamics.
1. Holiness begins with a new birth.
There is a lot in this brief passage—but the first thing I want you to notice is that holiness begins with a new birth. Everything Peter says about holiness in this passage is rooted in the assumption that his audience has “been born again” (1:23). To be born again means to be adopted into God’s family, to be made his son or daughter. Why must holiness begin with adoption? Because the very core of God’s purpose for your life is to belong to his family. You must be adopted first to provide the foundation for the rest of your development.
Let’s say your neighbors are interested in a certain young child, so they bring him home and enter into an arrangement with him: “You can visit once a week. Learn to bathe and dress yourself. Do well in school. Develop your talents. Get a career. If you do all of these things well, then I’ll make you a member of my family.” You would be outraged! This will be disastrous! Because they did not start by making this child their son, he will lack the foundation of belonging that is necessary for his development in these other areas.
What we would never do with a child, many people think God does with us! Christian “religion” portrays God this way: “Be good. Learn how I want you to behave, and follow my instructions. If you do this well and long enough, I will let you become my child.” No wonder the people who are raised with this view of Christianity are either wracked by anxiety and insecurity, or reject the whole thing!
God is the ultimate good Parent. He says: “I start by adopting you. This cleanses you from all your sins (1:22a), and makes you my child forever (1:23). I welcome you into my presence and shower you with my kindness (2:3). On that secure foundation, let me teach you the rest of my purpose for your life.” Don’t you see how this lays the foundation for true holiness? When you are forgiven from your guilt, and secure in your destiny, and experiencing God’s kindness—you want to learn how he designed you to live. Anyone who loves you enough to give you all this must be good and wise enough to teach you the rest of your life-purpose!
The section of 1 Peter is beginning in 1:13 is about holiness (“be holy for I am holy). “Holiness” has negative connotations in our culture (“holy roller;” “holier than thou”), so we tend to avoid it (and use a more relevant synonym like “sanctification!”). Actually, the biblical meaning of holiness is intensely positive. Holiness means fulfilling the special purpose for which something or someone was designed. Conversely, to use something or someone for a different purpose is to make it profane.
There is a saying: “The right tool for the right job.” This is a maxim about tool holiness. When I use my screwdriver as a hammer or pry bar, I make my screwdriver profane. But when I use it only for driving screws, I make it holy. I make it last, and I make the other things it interacts with work better.
When Peter tells us: “Be holy in everything you do,” he is simply saying: “Live every aspect of your lives the way God designed you to live.” God has created us in his image, and therefore our lives have a high purpose—to demonstrate his character (his love, righteousness, justice, etc.) in this world. To live otherwise is to profane my life—to misrepresent God’s character and to damage myself and others.
For example, I am to be a holy husband. That means (among other things) that I am to be completely faithful to my wife sexually. To profane our sexual relationship would bring great damage to our marriage and family—and it would misrepresent the way God is completely faithful to his people.
Peter will say more about what holiness looks like in these areas later in his letter. But it is not enough to merely know what holiness looks like. Moral will-power alone cannot produce true holiness—it can only produce frustration or ugly caricatures (“holier-than-thou”). True holiness requires access God’s spiritual power. This is why Peter begins by focusing on the spiritual dynamics of holiness. In 1:22-2:3, he speaks of two key dynamics.
1. Holiness begins with a new birth.
There is a lot in this brief passage—but the first thing I want you to notice is that holiness begins with a new birth. Everything Peter says about holiness in this passage is rooted in the assumption that his audience has “been born again” (1:23). To be born again means to be adopted into God’s family, to be made his son or daughter. Why must holiness begin with adoption? Because the very core of God’s purpose for your life is to belong to his family. You must be adopted first to provide the foundation for the rest of your development.
Let’s say your neighbors are interested in a certain young child, so they bring him home and enter into an arrangement with him: “You can visit once a week. Learn to bathe and dress yourself. Do well in school. Develop your talents. Get a career. If you do all of these things well, then I’ll make you a member of my family.” You would be outraged! This will be disastrous! Because they did not start by making this child their son, he will lack the foundation of belonging that is necessary for his development in these other areas.
What we would never do with a child, many people think God does with us! Christian “religion” portrays God this way: “Be good. Learn how I want you to behave, and follow my instructions. If you do this well and long enough, I will let you become my child.” No wonder the people who are raised with this view of Christianity are either wracked by anxiety and insecurity, or reject the whole thing!
God is the ultimate good Parent. He says: “I start by adopting you. This cleanses you from all your sins (1:22a), and makes you my child forever (1:23). I welcome you into my presence and shower you with my kindness (2:3). On that secure foundation, let me teach you the rest of my purpose for your life.” Don’t you see how this lays the foundation for true holiness? When you are forgiven from your guilt, and secure in your destiny, and experiencing God’s kindness—you want to learn how he designed you to live. Anyone who loves you enough to give you all this must be good and wise enough to teach you the rest of your life-purpose!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Being an Insider
Yesterday I listened to a very insightful and moving talk on 1 Peter 2:4-10 by Tim Keller. He got into the idea of the church being a holy priesthood. Priests are those who have access to God. In the New Covenant, all believers have unhindered access to God. We are all "insiders" now! But unlike all other forms of being an insider, the priesthood of God is not elitist. We get inside by the mercy of God. We not better than anyone. Keller referred to C.S. Lewis's famous essay called "The Inner Ring," where Lewis describes the universal human passion to be part of an elite insider group. The harder we try to be inside, the surer it is that we will remain outside. But Jesus has gained total access by his precious blood. Wow! If I really believe I am in with the God of the universe, who's approval do I need? Nobody's! Then why do I worry about it? Why do I try to impress others? I must not believe I am in.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Humility
This is part of an article by Tim Keller on humility:
Innumerable Christmas devotionals point out the humble circumstances of Jesus' birth—among shepherds, in a crude stable, with a feed trough for a bassinet. When Jesus himself tried to summarize why people should take up the yoke of following him, he said it was because he was meek and humble (Matt. 11:29). Seldom, however, do we explore the full implications of how Jesus' radical humility shapes the way we live our lives every day.
Humility is crucial for Christians. We can only receive Christ through meekness and humility (Matt. 5:3, 5; 18:3-4). Jesus humbled himself and was exalted by God (Phil. 2:8-9); therefore joy and power through humility is the very dynamic of the Christian life (Luke 14:11; 18:14; 1 Pet. 5:5).
The teaching seems simple and obvious. The problem is that it takes great humility to understand humility, and even more to resist the pride that comes so naturally with even a discussion of the subject.
We are on slippery ground because humility cannot be attained directly. Once we become aware of the poison of pride, we begin to notice it all around us. We hear it in the sarcastic, snarky voices in newspaper columns and weblogs. We see it in civic, cultural, and business leaders who never admit weakness or failure. We see it in our neighbors and some friends with their jealousy, self-pity, and boasting.
And so we vow not to talk or act like that. If we then notice "a humble turn of mind" in ourselves, we immediately become smug—but that is pride in our humility. If we catch ourselves doing that we will be particularly impressed with how nuanced and subtle we have become. Humility is so shy. If you begin talking about it, it leaves. To even ask the question, "Am I humble?" is to not be so. Examining your own heart, even for pride, often leads to being proud about your diligence and circumspection.
Christian humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less, as C. S. Lewis so memorably said. It is to be no longer always noticing yourself and how you are doing and how you are being treated. It is "blessed self-forgetfulness."
Humility is a byproduct of belief in the gospel of Christ. In the gospel, we have a confidence not based in our performance but in the love of God in Christ (Rom. 3:22-24). This frees us from having to always be looking at ourselves. Our sin was so great, nothing less than the death of Jesus could save us. He had to die for us. But his love for us was so great, Jesus was glad to die for us.
Innumerable Christmas devotionals point out the humble circumstances of Jesus' birth—among shepherds, in a crude stable, with a feed trough for a bassinet. When Jesus himself tried to summarize why people should take up the yoke of following him, he said it was because he was meek and humble (Matt. 11:29). Seldom, however, do we explore the full implications of how Jesus' radical humility shapes the way we live our lives every day.
Humility is crucial for Christians. We can only receive Christ through meekness and humility (Matt. 5:3, 5; 18:3-4). Jesus humbled himself and was exalted by God (Phil. 2:8-9); therefore joy and power through humility is the very dynamic of the Christian life (Luke 14:11; 18:14; 1 Pet. 5:5).
The teaching seems simple and obvious. The problem is that it takes great humility to understand humility, and even more to resist the pride that comes so naturally with even a discussion of the subject.
We are on slippery ground because humility cannot be attained directly. Once we become aware of the poison of pride, we begin to notice it all around us. We hear it in the sarcastic, snarky voices in newspaper columns and weblogs. We see it in civic, cultural, and business leaders who never admit weakness or failure. We see it in our neighbors and some friends with their jealousy, self-pity, and boasting.
And so we vow not to talk or act like that. If we then notice "a humble turn of mind" in ourselves, we immediately become smug—but that is pride in our humility. If we catch ourselves doing that we will be particularly impressed with how nuanced and subtle we have become. Humility is so shy. If you begin talking about it, it leaves. To even ask the question, "Am I humble?" is to not be so. Examining your own heart, even for pride, often leads to being proud about your diligence and circumspection.
Christian humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less, as C. S. Lewis so memorably said. It is to be no longer always noticing yourself and how you are doing and how you are being treated. It is "blessed self-forgetfulness."
Humility is a byproduct of belief in the gospel of Christ. In the gospel, we have a confidence not based in our performance but in the love of God in Christ (Rom. 3:22-24). This frees us from having to always be looking at ourselves. Our sin was so great, nothing less than the death of Jesus could save us. He had to die for us. But his love for us was so great, Jesus was glad to die for us.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
"So Sweet a Sense..."
I find Jonathan Edwards' (1730's) description of his experience of spiritual awakening and renewal very arresting:
There came into my mind so sweet a sense of the glorious majesty and grace of God, as I know not how to express… The appearance of every thing was altered; there seemed to be, as it were, a calm, sweet cast or appearance of divine glory, in almost every thing. God's excellency, his wisdom, his purity, and love, seemed to appear in every thing…I had vehement longings of soul after God and Christ, and after more holiness, wherewith my heart seemed to be full, and ready to break . . . My mind was greatly fixed on divine things; almost perpetually in the contemplation of them . . . Prayer seemed to be natural to me, as the breath by which the inward burnings of my heart had vent.
At first it sounds unrealistic, out of touch. But then Edwards goes on to tell the painful part:
Often . . . I have had very affecting views of my own sinfulness and vileness; very frequently to such a degree, as to hold me in a kind of loud weeping, sometimes for a considerable time . . .
(quoted in Richard Lovelace, Renewal as a Way of Life)
There came into my mind so sweet a sense of the glorious majesty and grace of God, as I know not how to express… The appearance of every thing was altered; there seemed to be, as it were, a calm, sweet cast or appearance of divine glory, in almost every thing. God's excellency, his wisdom, his purity, and love, seemed to appear in every thing…I had vehement longings of soul after God and Christ, and after more holiness, wherewith my heart seemed to be full, and ready to break . . . My mind was greatly fixed on divine things; almost perpetually in the contemplation of them . . . Prayer seemed to be natural to me, as the breath by which the inward burnings of my heart had vent.
At first it sounds unrealistic, out of touch. But then Edwards goes on to tell the painful part:
Often . . . I have had very affecting views of my own sinfulness and vileness; very frequently to such a degree, as to hold me in a kind of loud weeping, sometimes for a considerable time . . .
(quoted in Richard Lovelace, Renewal as a Way of Life)
Seeing and Savoring
John Piper wrote:
Seeing and savoring Jesus Christ is the most important seeing and savoring you will ever do. Jesus spoke of two kinds of seeing. He said of the uncomprehending crowds, “Seeing they do not see” (Matthew 13:13). One kind is seeing with physical eyes, and the other is with spiritual eyes. When we see with our spiritual eyes, we see the truth and beauty and value of Jesus Christ for what they really are. Everyone can read the stories of Jesus and “see” the portraits painted by the words of those who knew him. But not everyone sees truth and beauty and infinite value. Savoring Jesus Christ is the response to this second kind of seeing. When you see something as true and beautiful and valuable, you savor it. That is, you treasure it. You cherish and admire and prize it. Spiritual seeing and spiritual savoring are so closely connected that it would be fair to say: If you don’t savor Christ, you haven’t seen Christ for who he is. If you don’t prize him above all things, you haven’t apprehended his true worth. (John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ)
Seeing and savoring Jesus Christ is the most important seeing and savoring you will ever do. Jesus spoke of two kinds of seeing. He said of the uncomprehending crowds, “Seeing they do not see” (Matthew 13:13). One kind is seeing with physical eyes, and the other is with spiritual eyes. When we see with our spiritual eyes, we see the truth and beauty and value of Jesus Christ for what they really are. Everyone can read the stories of Jesus and “see” the portraits painted by the words of those who knew him. But not everyone sees truth and beauty and infinite value. Savoring Jesus Christ is the response to this second kind of seeing. When you see something as true and beautiful and valuable, you savor it. That is, you treasure it. You cherish and admire and prize it. Spiritual seeing and spiritual savoring are so closely connected that it would be fair to say: If you don’t savor Christ, you haven’t seen Christ for who he is. If you don’t prize him above all things, you haven’t apprehended his true worth. (John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ)
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tozer on God's Love
God's love is an incomprehensibly vast, bottomless, shoreless sea before which we kneel in joyfulsilence and from which the loftiest eloquence retreats confused and abashed.
Yet if we would know God and for other’s sake tell what we know, we must try to speak of His love. All Christians have tried, but none has ever done it very well. I can no more do justice to that awesome and wonder-filled theme than a child can grasp a star. Still, by reaching toward the star the child may call attention to it and even indicate the direction one must look to see it. So, as I stretch my heart toward the high, shilling love of God, someone who has not before known about it may be encouraged to look up and have hope.
We do not know, and we may never know, what love is, but we can know how it manifests itself, and that is enough for us here. First we see it showing itself as good will. Love wills the good of all and never wills harm or evil to any. This explains the words of the apostle John: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.” Fear is the painful emotion that arises at the thought that we may be harmed or made to suffer. This fear persists while we are subject to the will of someone who does not desire our well-being. The moment we come under the protection of one of good will, fear is cast out. A child lost in a crowded store is full of fear because it sees the strangers around it as enemies. In its mother’s arms a moment later all the terror subsides. The known good will of the mother casts out fear.
To know that love is of God and to enter into the secret place leaning upon the arm of the beloved - this and only this can cast out fear. Let a man become convinced that nothing can harm him and instantly for him all fear goes out of the universe. The nervous reflex, the natural revulsion to physical pain may be felt sometimes, but the deep torment of fear is gone forever. God is love and God is sovereign. His love disposes Him to desire our everlasting welfare and His sovereignty enables Him to secure it. Nothing can hurt a good man.
Yet if we would know God and for other’s sake tell what we know, we must try to speak of His love. All Christians have tried, but none has ever done it very well. I can no more do justice to that awesome and wonder-filled theme than a child can grasp a star. Still, by reaching toward the star the child may call attention to it and even indicate the direction one must look to see it. So, as I stretch my heart toward the high, shilling love of God, someone who has not before known about it may be encouraged to look up and have hope.
We do not know, and we may never know, what love is, but we can know how it manifests itself, and that is enough for us here. First we see it showing itself as good will. Love wills the good of all and never wills harm or evil to any. This explains the words of the apostle John: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.” Fear is the painful emotion that arises at the thought that we may be harmed or made to suffer. This fear persists while we are subject to the will of someone who does not desire our well-being. The moment we come under the protection of one of good will, fear is cast out. A child lost in a crowded store is full of fear because it sees the strangers around it as enemies. In its mother’s arms a moment later all the terror subsides. The known good will of the mother casts out fear.
To know that love is of God and to enter into the secret place leaning upon the arm of the beloved - this and only this can cast out fear. Let a man become convinced that nothing can harm him and instantly for him all fear goes out of the universe. The nervous reflex, the natural revulsion to physical pain may be felt sometimes, but the deep torment of fear is gone forever. God is love and God is sovereign. His love disposes Him to desire our everlasting welfare and His sovereignty enables Him to secure it. Nothing can hurt a good man.
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still His kingdom is forever.
Martin Luther
A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
A gem from A.W. Tozer on God's Mercy
Here is an excerpt from A.W. Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy:
But we who were one time enemies and alienated in our minds through wicked works shall then see God face to face and His name shall be in our foreheads. We who earned banishment shall enjoy communion; we who deserve the pains of hell shall know the bliss of heaven. And all through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us.
When all Thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view,
I’m lost In wonder, love, and praise.
Joseph Addison
When through the blood of the everlasting covenant we children of the shadows reach at last our home in the light, we shall have a thousand strings to our harps, but the sweetest may well be the one tuned to sound forth most perfectly the mercy of God.
For what right will we have to be there? Did we not by our sins take part in that unholy rebellion which rashly sought to dethrone the glorious King of creation? And did we not in times past walk according to the course of this world, according to the evil prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience? And did we not all at once live in the lusts of our flesh? And were we not by nature the children of wrath, even as others?
But we who were one time enemies and alienated in our minds through wicked works shall then see God face to face and His name shall be in our foreheads. We who earned banishment shall enjoy communion; we who deserve the pains of hell shall know the bliss of heaven. And all through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us.
When all Thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view,
I’m lost In wonder, love, and praise.
Joseph Addison
More about the Valley of Vision
Yesterday, I mentioned a book called The Valley of Vision, and quoted from it. This is book of prayers that I found out about from a godly older man named Terry Gyger. Terry helped found Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City with Tim Keller. Terry was helping teach a class called "A Quiet Time in a Noisy City" in May of 2008 and I had the chance to sit in. He told us how much he had been helped by The Valley of Vision because it models how to pray in a gospel-centered way: honest, repentant, and joyful for the cross of Jesus. The Valley of Vision has been a great help to me, not because I read prayers instead of talking to God personally, but because it helps me express myself to God in way that is rooted in grace and awes me before His greatness. The book is edited by Arthur Bennett and is available on Amazon. Here is another sample, called "The Awakened Sinner" (p. 36)
O MY FORGETFUL SOUL,
Awake from your wandering dream,
turn from chasing vanities,
look inward, forward, upward,
view yourself,
reflect upon yourself,
who and what you are, why here
what you must soon be.
O GOD,
When I think of your greatness and your goodness,
I am ashamed at my insensibility,
I blush to lift up my face,
For I have foolishly erred.
I confess that you have not been in my thoughts,
that the knowledge of yourself as the purpose of my being
has been strangely overlooked.
Break the fatal enchantment that binds my evil affections,
and bring me to a happy mind that rests in you.
Let your spirit teach me the vital lessons of Christ,
for I am slow to learn;
Hear my broken cries.
O MY FORGETFUL SOUL,
Awake from your wandering dream,
turn from chasing vanities,
look inward, forward, upward,
view yourself,
reflect upon yourself,
who and what you are, why here
what you must soon be.
O GOD,
When I think of your greatness and your goodness,
I am ashamed at my insensibility,
I blush to lift up my face,
For I have foolishly erred.
I confess that you have not been in my thoughts,
that the knowledge of yourself as the purpose of my being
has been strangely overlooked.
Break the fatal enchantment that binds my evil affections,
and bring me to a happy mind that rests in you.
Let your spirit teach me the vital lessons of Christ,
for I am slow to learn;
Hear my broken cries.
Monday, February 2, 2009
A Reflection in Poety on 2008
This is poetic prayer I wrote looking back on what God has done in our ministry in 2008:
Lord,
This year you sent forth your word,
in startling measure,
Sweet as honey,
Comforting as an affectionate touch,
Yet sharp and unsettling,
Wounding self-righteousness and pride.
Your renewal is like a great forest fire,
Burning dead works,
Clearing the way for colorful and varied new growth,
Bringing into view Your Son,
Present everywhere in your Word,
Active everywhere in our world,
Clung to in our shaky hearts.
Thank you for the memorials of years past,
How by them we fight the good fight,
But with you our best years are ahead of us,
And then the great day when the battle is won, And our toil is done.
What sights, what sounds,
Will fill Jerusalem that day.
Edible sounds that shake the land,
Luxurious sights that flood our senses.
The sound of joyful noise,
The harmony of a multitude in tune.
The sight of the Lamb,
Whose blood reserved our seat,
At the Great Feast.
The sight of radiant glory,
Cleansing our sight with liquid gold.
The sound of “Well Done,”
Resounding like a cascade.
The sight of the pleased Smile,
Gazing on our blushing teeth.
Lord,
This year you sent forth your word,
in startling measure,
Sweet as honey,
Comforting as an affectionate touch,
Yet sharp and unsettling,
Wounding self-righteousness and pride.
Your renewal is like a great forest fire,
Burning dead works,
Clearing the way for colorful and varied new growth,
Bringing into view Your Son,
Present everywhere in your Word,
Active everywhere in our world,
Clung to in our shaky hearts.
Thank you for the memorials of years past,
How by them we fight the good fight,
But with you our best years are ahead of us,
And then the great day when the battle is won, And our toil is done.
What sights, what sounds,
Will fill Jerusalem that day.
Edible sounds that shake the land,
Luxurious sights that flood our senses.
The sound of joyful noise,
The harmony of a multitude in tune.
The sight of the Lamb,
Whose blood reserved our seat,
At the Great Feast.
The sight of radiant glory,
Cleansing our sight with liquid gold.
The sound of “Well Done,”
Resounding like a cascade.
The sight of the pleased Smile,
Gazing on our blushing teeth.
"The Undiscouraged Perseverance of God"
We often think of "perseverance" as mainly our job, while God coaches and waits. Oswald Sanders wrote eloquently of God's gracious and enduring loyalty to Jacob:
In the face of onslaughts of the common temptations, the great majority of people commonly experience failure. The same old sin revives, gathers strength and masters them. The same tragic failure or flaw of character pursues them throughout life like a bloodhound. Paralysis of hope develops through a succession of defeats.
The God of Jacob is pre-eminently the God of the second chance to Christians who have failed and failed persistently. The second chance does not avert the consequences of past failure, but even failure can be a steppingstone to new victories. To the child of God failure can have an important educative value. God does not waste even failure.
The outstanding lesson of Jacob’s life is that no failure need be final. There is hope with the God of Jacob for any disposition or temperament. No past defeat puts future victory out of reach. When God has saved and apprehended a person, He pursues him with undiscourageable perseverance that He might bless him. God will turn the tables on the Devil by creating a wider ministry out of our very defeats.
(Oswald Sanders, “The Undiscouraged Perseverance of God,” in Spiritual Maturity)
In the face of onslaughts of the common temptations, the great majority of people commonly experience failure. The same old sin revives, gathers strength and masters them. The same tragic failure or flaw of character pursues them throughout life like a bloodhound. Paralysis of hope develops through a succession of defeats.
The God of Jacob is pre-eminently the God of the second chance to Christians who have failed and failed persistently. The second chance does not avert the consequences of past failure, but even failure can be a steppingstone to new victories. To the child of God failure can have an important educative value. God does not waste even failure.
The outstanding lesson of Jacob’s life is that no failure need be final. There is hope with the God of Jacob for any disposition or temperament. No past defeat puts future victory out of reach. When God has saved and apprehended a person, He pursues him with undiscourageable perseverance that He might bless him. God will turn the tables on the Devil by creating a wider ministry out of our very defeats.
(Oswald Sanders, “The Undiscouraged Perseverance of God,” in Spiritual Maturity)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
An Old Prayer about the Cross
Last Spring, I came across a book called The Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennet. It is nothing but gospel-centered prayers. I used this one in my teaching today on the redeeming love of Jesus (1 Peter 1:13-21)
"Love Lustres at Calvary," (p. 42)
Enlarge my heart, warm my affections, open my lips,
supply words that proclaim ‘Love Lustres at Calvary.’
There grace removes my burdens and heaps them on Your Son, made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me.
There infinite punishment was due,and infinite punishment was endured.
Christ was in anguish that I might be all joy,
cast off that I might be brought in,
trodden down as an enemy
that I might be welcomed as a friend,
surrendered to hell’s worst
that I might attain heaven’s best,
stripped that I might be clothed,
wounded that I might be healed,
athirst that I might drink,
tormented that I might be comforted,
made a shame that I might inherit glory.
My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes,
groaned that I might have endless song,
bore a thorned crown that I might have a glory-diadem,
bowed his head that I might uplift mine,
experienced reproach that I might receive welcome,
expired that I might ever live.
"Love Lustres at Calvary," (p. 42)
Enlarge my heart, warm my affections, open my lips,
supply words that proclaim ‘Love Lustres at Calvary.’
There grace removes my burdens and heaps them on Your Son, made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me.
There infinite punishment was due,and infinite punishment was endured.
Christ was in anguish that I might be all joy,
cast off that I might be brought in,
trodden down as an enemy
that I might be welcomed as a friend,
surrendered to hell’s worst
that I might attain heaven’s best,
stripped that I might be clothed,
wounded that I might be healed,
athirst that I might drink,
tormented that I might be comforted,
made a shame that I might inherit glory.
My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes,
groaned that I might have endless song,
bore a thorned crown that I might have a glory-diadem,
bowed his head that I might uplift mine,
experienced reproach that I might receive welcome,
expired that I might ever live.
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