I recently had a conversation with a pastor who suggested that we should get some guys together and go through the hymnal (Majesty Hymns), discarding songs that don’t reflect our theology as well as songs whose melodies should really be buried in a large hole and then covered vigorously with dirt, lots of it.
The first one on my list is The Church’s One Foundation. One of the last verses mentions the Church’s “mystic sweet communion.” I’m really not sure what this meant at the time of writing, but am pretty sure I don’t believe what it means now!
How about you, which songs would be on your list and why? Be sure to include the perspectives you’re writing from (Dispensational, Covenant, Arminian, Calvinistic, etc).
I just finished Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor (free .pdf here) via the Amazon Kindle application for my ipod touch. I simply couldn’t put this book down. I was drawn to the book because I had never heard of Tom Carson and because being “ordinary” resonates with just about every heart.
Most of the book highlighted Tom Carson’s (DA Carson’s father) struggles as a church-planter in francophone Canada. The man was a militant witness in a highly Catholic atmosphere, often spending significant time in personal correspondence as well as visitation, passionately pleading with men and women to abandon the false teaching of the Catholic church and embrace Jesus Christ alone for salvation. His family sacrificed significantly in the financial realm, but was never characterized by a spirit of complaint or worry. Even towards the end of his life when his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, Tom Carson remained faithful to Jesus Christ and never abandoned his calling as a minister of the gospel.
Of special interest to me as a fundamentalist…
Being a part of Baptist Fundamentalism myself, I was intrigued to read about T.T. Shields of Toronto and the Baptist Union of that time. Having studied a little bit about the debates and controversy there, it was interesting to hear the episodes again from Tom Carson’s point of view, as well as how DA Carson interpreted the happenings through his more broadly evangelical perspective (he believes it unfortunate that Shields was so offensive and that he didn’t heed the warning of Martin Lloyd-Jones). Interestingly, Tom Carson disagreed with Shields on an issue (trying to force a pastor to take a church if I remember correctly) and ended up losing financial support for a mission-church in french-speaking Quebec.
Also of note was Tom Carson’s apparent concern for DA in his pursuit of higher education. Shortly after returning from his PhD studies in England, DA Carson was asked to provide his viewpoint on the atonement in an edition of Christianity Today. Carson boldly defended the penal substitutionary view as being the paradigm through which we can understand all the other angles on the atonement. His father was pleased with the article and wrote a note, rejoicing that DA hadn’t shown any signs of liberalism from his training in England.
Regarding Billy Graham and his campaigns, in one of his journal entries, he didn’t expound much, but indicated that he believed Graham was Jehoshaphat with Ahab.
Have you read this book? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts as well.
Dan Phillips has an excellent post this morning on NT Wright and his view of hell and eternal judgment.
For several years now, many in the Emerging Church have been looking to Bishop Wright to draw up some trickery for their Emerging-play-book.
Some of Wrights comments about hell sound eerily similar to some of Rob Bell’s. See here and here. Is Coach Wright calling the plays in from the sidelines?
How many times have I rolled my eyes in my heart when I heard a familiar text announced from the pulpit? Have I grown tired of hearing the same doctrines explained over and over? Do I find myself skimming when an author cites a familiar verse?
I often forget that there is safety in hearing over and over again the warning of God’s Words.
Philippians 3:1
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble for me, but it is safe for you.
Paul goes on in that text to warn the believers again (he had probably done this while present with them) about the Judaizers — the dogs, evil workers, the mutilators of flesh, the teachers of a false gospel (3:2). Warning against false teaching and warning about the dangers of sin should never get old, should never be viewed as obscurantist, outdated, unfashionable, or uninformed.
The fact is, repetition of biblical truth is not boring but safe. Reiterated spiritual warning is not overbearing but caring.
God’s Word will never be hidden in our hearts unless its truths are repeated over the course of years. Furthermore, many will continue in a child-like state, and will continue to be carried about by every wind of doctrine and by the deception of false teachers, until in wisdom the warnings that have been repeated over and over again are heeded.
There is wisdom in repetition — OT saints were “to bind them [God's Words] upon their fingers and to write them upon the table of their hearts.” Parents were instructed to teach the Word to their children dilligently — when they arose, when it was bed-time, when they were out and about, and when they were sitting in their house (Deut. 6:7).
I need incessant reminders of biblical truth because sin is too appealing, because false teaching is too prevalent, and because I’m not glorified yet.
Repetition may seem lame, but God says it’s safe. Next time the pastor announces a familiar text, don’t respond in pride — be wise, and rest in the safety that repitition brings.
A while back, I pointed out that I was disgusted with Rob Bell’s calling Genesis 1 a “creation poem.”
I took flack for that — for being on a witch-hunt against Rob Bell. I just want to clarify that this is wrong teaching, coming from either side of the aisle. If emerging folks teach this nonsense, it’s wrong. If fundamentalists do (really big “if” here), it’s wrong still. If this heresy comes from the Mecca of reformed-conservative-evangelicalism, it’s wrong.
So it makes sense that in like manner, I was disgusted by the study notes in the ESV Study Bible in that they sent the clear message that six-day creationism was just one choice among “faithful” interpretations. I am equally disappointed that in a recent Christianity Today article, Tim Keller is put on record as identifying Genesis 1 as a poem, indicating that “its six ‘days’ may be poetically long.”
I’ve yet to see it demonstrated cogently that these divergent views arise from faithful exegesis and not from a spirit of accommodation that arose out of modernism and so-called “science.” As I read Genesis 1, the only way I can arrive at a non-literal approach is by reading it through an “intimidated” heremeneutical lens, an unhealthy fear of man that wonders what the intellectual community will think of my interpreations.
In this regard, I was thrilled to hear that John MacArthur’s opening session at this year’s Shepherd’s Conference was entitled “Why Every Self-respecting Evangelical Should Affirm Literal Six-day Creationsim.”
Like MacArthur, we should not back down on this issue. By definition, science is limited to that which is repeatable and observable. Since evolutionary theories are based upon neither, we should not be bullied by pseudo-scientific rhetoric that is foundationally ill-equipped to weigh-in on this issue. It’s time for evangelicals who supposedly believe that the Bible is inspired and inerrant to stand up on this issue, even if it’s not popular in our intellectual communities.
Christopher Cowan writes an excellent critique of Rob Bell’s Nooma video, entitled, “She.”
Cowan concludes that Bell’s view is simply feminism repackaged with cool graphics and that Bell’s knowledge of Hebrew equips him with just enough to be dangerous.
HT: Justin Taylor
People are astonished when you remember their names, especially in the fast-paced suburban areas of our world. We live in a world where people rarely stop to meet each other, much less allow such a meeting to have a significant impact upon their lives. That’s why I keep one of these in the glove-box of my car. It’s just a simple journal-like notebook, but it allows me to jot down the names of each person I meet throughout my week.
Here’s how it works:
- Each establishment I frequent gets a page in the journal.
- On each page, I write down the person’s name that I met, along with any pertinent information, such as — believer or unbeliever — the date when we met — any mutual friends — any particular matter we “connected” on.
- I then review the names the next time I go to that restaurant, coffee shop, store, gas station, fishing spot, etc.
- I pray through the list regularly, asking God to open their hearts to the gospel and to give me more opportunities to share it with them.
This method helps me to follow the example of Paul in Acts 17:16-17, daily meeting people in the marketplace and then enjoying ongoing relationships that lead to gospel-focused conversations.
A while ago, I tried to pull away the facade and admit that I read the Bible with a hermeneutic of arrogance. Although, I must admit, that even in posting something like that, I struggled with pride. It’s a strange sort of pride that glories in admitting the need for humility. That vicious cycle aside, last week as I prepared for a Bible study, I came across Philippians 2:9-11:
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My first thought was to take this text and run with it regarding those outside Christ, as I’ve heard some well-intentioned preachers do. We’ve all heard it said, “they can bow now or they can bow later, it’s their choice.” That’s true. However, that’s not the point in Philippians 2. If you read the Bible with a hermeneutic of arrogance (as I do), you will be prone to missing the true point.
The point here is not that others will one day bow before the exalted Jesus Christ. The point is that one day, I will bow before Jesus and confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The point is that every member of the body will be there, humbly prostrated before the Lord. The Philippians were struggling with unity; Paul reminds them that while they think they are pretty high and mighty right now, that one day, each of them will occupy the same position, sprawled out, face to the ground, as the Lamb of God is glorified for who He is.
My knees will bow.
My tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
God, by your grace, deliver me from the hermeneutic of arrogance.
Being involved in a church-plant is a unique opportunity to see God work. Jesus told us in Matthew 16 that He would build His church. I believe He does that in this age by building local expressions of His church, i.e. local churches. So, being a part of building a local church means that I am a construction worker in a larger project of which Jesus Christ is the chief-contractor, or master-builder, if you will.
As my wife and I, along with our core group of believers, laborer away at the seemingly daunting task of church-planting, it is so comforting to know that as we swing the hammer, lay the sod, frame the walls, and install the plumbing, that the Lord is the ultimate builder and guides each move with intimate knowledge and providential planning.
Over the course of the last few months, the Lord has done some amazing things to assure us that He is indeed the master-builder and that He is ordering our steps. Here’s a taste of what I mean:
- The Lord has lead four families to form our core team. They are great folks and we already dearly love them!
- The Lord is working on 2-3 other potential core families.
- Evangelistic doors continue to swing wide open as the Spirit goes before us.
- One of my best friends and his wife are moving from New York City to help us with music and children’s ministry.
- We were able to reserve, for an affordable price, the school in which we will be meeting for Sunday worship beginning in September.
- Our Wednesday night location is allowing usage at 1/3 the normal price.
- Emiley and I got a lake-view apartment at a very affordable price. The believing land-lord wanted us in it!
- We have a mother-church as well as a couple other churches already planning on supporting us.
- So many people have expressed their prayers.
- A close friend is supporting us monthly.
- Emiley has a good job.
- People and churches keep donating many things that we will need.
- We are having so much fun!
That list was just off the top of my head; I’m sure there are many more things I could mention. God has done so many things to show us that He is in this and completely in control.
I usually refrain from recommending movies. It has potential to cause a lot of problems for ministry. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, however, is an instant exception to my rule.
Set in Hitler’s Germany, the movie portrays the family of a prison-camp operator with special focus on their 8-year-old son, Bruno, who believes that the camp is really just a strange farm. The family moves near the prison-camp, and the plot thickens as Bruno makes friends with an 8-year-old Jewish boy, who is being held in the camp.
Amazingly, this movie didn’t contain any curse-words (that I can remember, confirmed here). Usually, one would expect that a clean movie would be low-budget and poorly produced. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas exceeded my expectations; this drama was well-done and left me pondering its intricacies and ironies all weekend.
After visiting a church-plant here in Wisconsin, sadly, my wife and I left thinking, “where was the preaching?” What the pastor did could really only be called, “sharing.”
CH Spurgeon said,
The gospel does not come to us as a premium for virtue, but it presents us with forgiveness for sin. It is not a reward for health, but a medicine for sickness
Lest I elevate a personal hero to the place of authority that only God, as revealed through the Bible, should maintain in my life, let me clarify. The above is true not because Prince Charles said it, but because it’s thoroughly biblical. As I read Ephesians 2:1-10 this morning, I was reminded with the truth that my pre-salvation works were worthless, but yet after my “by grace through faith salvation,” I can walk in the good works that God has prepared for all those who are in Christ.
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
The gospel provides forgiveness for the wickedness described in verses 1-3 and frees us from the power of our former sinful desires. I was worldly in the truest sense; I did what I wanted to do — fulfilled the desires of my flesh and mind. Certainly, if I were to be rewarded for these works, I would receive the wages guaranteed by Romans 3:23 — spiritual death. Thankfully, though, God does not reward me for my efforts. The gospel does not give me what I deserve or else it would not be good news. Jesus gave me what He deserved, and that’s grace.
I read and value books. So did Paul. I enjoy reading Christian blogs. I love to listen to mp3 sermons. These avenues — Christian blogs, devotional books, and commentaries — while very helpful as supplements to God’s Word, contain a subtle danger, namely, that they will overstep their supplemental position and inadvertently steal a prominent position that does not belong to them.
On a recent visit to New York City, I had the opportunity to reason out of the Scriptures with some orthodox Jews, studying at an orthodox Jewish university. Throughout our discussions, I continually hearkened back to the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings — trying to explain that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of the living God. While these men were highly versed in the commentary on the Old Testament, they did not know much of its content. One individual did not even know that Jeremiah and Ezekiel prophesied regarding a new covenant. They were well-versed in man-made traditions and the interpretations of many years of teaching, but were unaware of many of the actual words of the Torah, Writings, and Prophets. Their community so over-emphasized what their teachers thought about the Word that they forgot to study the Word itself.
Our Christian community must recognize that what happened in the Jewish community could happen to us 100 years from now, if we ever forget to maintain the sufficiency of the Word.
While I appreciate Christian blogs, audio sermons, devotional resources, and commentaries, every time I interact with one, it presents a subtle danger if I unknowingly allow it to displace the supremacy of the Word in my life. The day I allow commentary to replace that to which it bears witness is the day that my Christianity will become irrelevant.
Here’s some questions that should help evaluate whether or not one is falling prey to this subtle danger:
- Do I check my google reader before I have my devotions?
- When approached with a Bible or theological question, is my first instinct to search the Scriptures or to look it up in Grudem or Erickson?
- Do I believe that “God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him” is a Bible verse?
- Can I name the editors or contributors of the ESV Study Bible, while not knowing the details of Paul’s second missionary journey?
- Do I read the Ryrie or MacArthur notes before I read the actual text of Scripture?
Let us be men of the book first, then let us pursue the teachings of others. If we fail to do so, we will end up destroyed by that which we thought would build us up.
If Paul could tweet the gospel, I’m positive it would look something like this:
…Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures…
Rob Bell’s tweet, on the other hand, would look like this (so he says in this Christianity Today article):
I would say that history is headed somewhere. The thousands of little ways in which you are tempted to believe that hope might actually be a legitimate response to the insanity of the world actually can be trusted. And the Christian story is that a tomb is empty, and a movement has actually begun that has been present in a sense all along in creation. And all those times when your cynicism was at odds with an impulse within you that said that this little thing might be about something bigger—those tiny little slivers may in fact be connected to something really, really big.
HT: Denny Burk
My pastor preached this message last night. He opened by reading the following email:
I just wanted to call your attention a potential problem and I don’t know what the solution is, but we need to start talking about it and brainstorming or whatever. My wife mentioned to me a new believer with whom she works — she has recently been attending our church. Because she comes from a different background, she has a number of tattoos. She has already been spoken to in a way that I wouldn’t dream of speaking to a visitor and questioned about the tattoos. I frankly don’t know what she can do about them because she acquired them prior to salvation. My fear is even when we see someone saved through our ministry…they will end up leaving and going to another church because our church doesn’t know what to do with folks who don’t fit in and who don’t fit in quickly enough. I’m not for lowering our standards, but we have created a sub-culture that isn’t very loving or accepting and have forgotten that sanctification takes time. Thanks for listening. I just fear that if we don’t start talking about this soon, we’ll lose the opportunity to minister to some very precious people and we will become, at least in perception, irrelevant.
He explained Luke 15:11-32 as the story of the Prodigal son Prodigal Sons. He explained that we can live in three places, but that we should be living in just one of them — the choices are (1) pigpen of sin, (2) pinnacle of pride, or (3) the palace of love.
I was greatly convicted, for at times in my spiritual journey I have lived in all three places. I know the stench of the pigpen and have a box seat in the stadium of pride. Nevertheless, God is still doing that time-consuming, life-long, difficult, always worth it, but sometimes painful, work of sanctification in my heart.
Side note: here’s some great resources on this passage.
- Kenneth Baily, The Cross and the Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Easter Peasants.
- Tim Keller, The Prodigal God.
- John MacArthur, A Tale of Two Sons.
