Matt Chandler Chapel Message at Southern

So I'm at home sick with H1N1 and wanted to finally watch this video that I've seen posted over at The Gospel Coalition's website. Chandler is a great guy. His preaching is always encouraging to me and this message is no exception. I hope you will find the time to watch this, or just listen to it. If you're pressed for time, skip to about the last 15 minutes.

Paul Washer Video

As many people who know of Paul Washer, I'd say 80% of them know about him as a result of his message at a 2002 youth conference, largely referred to as the "Shocking Youth Message." The good folks over at I'll Be Honest have interviewed Washer about that message and his very thoughtful insight can be found here.

The video of the original message is here.

And the audio is here.

Enjoy.

Time Management

I’ve been convicted lately of my poor habits in the realm of time management. I find it incredibly easy to waste many hours reading blogs, watching television, movies, etc. and so very hard to discipline myself to spend considerable time in study, prayer, and meditation. I think the value of time is paradoxical in this microwave generation. We are too impatient to wait a few minutes for our food at a restaurant, we get bent out of shape if we’re stuck behind a slow driver, we expect web pages to load in nano-seconds, and the list could go on and on. And yet, in spite of this apparent understanding of the preciousness of time, we are content to waste hours upon hours “surfing” the web or sitting in front of the television. What if we got a proper understanding of the preciousness of time and actually began “redeeming” it? Listen to these words from Charles Bridges’ Christian Ministry:

“The secret of this efficiency seems to have much consisted in a deep sense of the value of that most precious of all talents—time; and of an economical distribution of the minutest particles for specific purposes. Mr. Alleine would often say, ‘Give me a Christian, that counts his time more precious than gold.’ Mr. Cotton would express his regret after the departure of a visitor—‘I had rather have given this man a handful of money, than have been kept thus long out of my study.’ … But here we should be, like the miser with his money—saving it with care, and spending it with caution. It is well to have a book for every spare hour, to improve what Boyle calls the ‘parenthesis or interludes of time: which, coming between more important engagements, are wont to be lost by most men for want of a value for them: and even by good men, for want of skill to preserve them. And since goldsmiths and refiners are wont all year long to save the very sweepings of their shops, because they may contain in them some filings or dust of those richer metals, gold and silver; I see not, why a Christian may not be as careful, not to lose the fragments and lesser intervals of a thing incomparably more precious than any metal—time…’”
This section really made me ask, “Am I treasuring my time? Am I using it wisely? Am I focusing on things that have eternal value?”

How does one focus on things that have eternal value? Well, it means that you spend more time reading Scripture than you do watching television! It means you spend more time reading books on Theology or Apologetics, or at least Pastoral Ministry than you do watching movies! I’m not saying that we can’t spend any time being entertained or relaxing with our families and friends. But, I don’t think many Americans have any trouble budgeting in time for entertainment. So what will you sacrifice? Well, you probably won’t be up to speed on the latest news. You probably won’t be as knowledgeable about your favorite sport team as you could be. You won’t be able to follow the storyline of the latest season of your favorite television program. But, you will gain eternal rewards in heaven! You will have a deeper understanding of Scripture and God. You will be better able to give an account when someone asks of you. You will be better able to shepherd the flock of your family. You will be better equipped to minister to the saints in your local church. Sure you may give up some “Social Currency,” but I submit that it is worth it, and you won’t regret it.

"Mean" Thoughts of God

I read a sermon by Jonathan Edwards last night entitled, "The Sole Consideration, That God is God, Sufficient to Still All Objections to His Sovereignty." In it Edwards critiques many of the misunderstandings and sinful attitudes that cause men to doubt the sovereignty of God. Of the many great portions of this sermon, I found one quote to be particularly noteworthy:

"If you had not mean thoughts of God, you would not find fault with him for not setting his love on you who never exercised any love to him. You would not think it unjust in God not to seek your interest and eternal welfare, who never would be persuaded at all to seek his glory; you would not think it unjust in him to slight and disregard you, who have so often and so long made light of God. If you had not mean thoughts of God, you never would think him obliged to bestow eternal salvation upon you, who have never been truly thankful for one mercy which you have already received of him.--What do you think of yourselves? what great ideas have you of yourselves? and what thoughts have you of God, that you think he is obliged to do so much for you though you treat him ever so ungratefully for the kindness which he hath already bestowed upon you all the days of your lives? It must be from little thoughts of God, that you think it unjust in him not to regard you when you call upon him; when he hath earnestly called to you, so long and so often, and you would not be persuaded to hearken to him. What thoughts have you of God, that you think he is more obliged to hear what you say to him, than you are to regard what he says to you?
It is from diminutive thoughts of God, that you think he is obliged to show mercy to you when you seek it, though you have been for a long time willfully sinning against him, provoking him to anger, and presuming that he would show you mercy when you should seek it. What kind of thoughts have you of God, that you think he is obliged, as it were, to yield himself up to be abused by men, so that when they have done, his mercy and pardoning grace shall not be in his power, but he must be obliged to dispense them at their call?"

Calling?

The following is a short position paper I had to write for an elder training program I am a part of at my church. The question being addressed is, "What is your role and the church's role in calling/sending?" I think that the issue of "discerning one's call to ministry" is fairly common, especially in the seminary environment, and therefore I believe this short article might get some people thinking, or perhaps get further discussions started.
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The question, “What is the individual’s role and the church’s role in calling and sending?” is difficult to answer due to the sheer multifaceted nature of the topic. When one begins asking such questions, more immediately arise, such as the legitimacy of various models of church polity, the role of the Spirit in subjective experience vs. the role of Scripture in objective instruction, the very hermeneutical quandary of “descriptive” versus “prescriptive,” and scores more. Therefore, I will only endeavor to present my convictions on the subject while openly admitting that they will be narrowly presented, largely out of context, and grossly underdeveloped. Throughout this paper, I will be assuming my roles in calling/sending in the description of the responsibilities of both a man desirous of ministry and of a member of a congregation.

The most important question to answer before any others can begin to be addressed is, “What is meant by the term ‘calling?’” I submit that this term is largely used in an unbiblical manner. The idea of “calling” to a vocational ministry smacks of Old Testament patterns and practices, in which the Levitical Priesthood, Davidic Monarchy, and the Prophets were Divinely called out from among their brethren to mediate, rule, and speak God’s Words to the people.

In the New Testament, the word “call,” from the Greek kaleo rarely refers to God “calling” a man to do ministry on His behalf. The word, when used of God calling men, almost always refers to the call to salvation (Rom. 8.30ff). Paul speaks of himself as being “called to be an apostle” (note that Paul’s call to apostleship was simultaneous with his call to salvation) (Rom 1.1; 1 Cor. 1.1; Acts 9.3ff; 1 Cor 15.8) and of his readers as “called to belong to Jesus Christ,” and “called as Saints,” or more simply just as the “called.” (Rom 1.6, 7; et. al.) Thus, it is my conviction that the term “call” ought to be only used to refer to the call to salvation and that we ought to dismiss with the terminology “call to ministry.”

The closest thing we see in the New Testament to the idea of an inward, subjective “call to ministry” is seen in 1 Tim 3.1, “The saying is trustworthy: if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” I feel that much of what young men talk about today as “God’s call on my life” would be better described as “what I want to do.” I am in no way seeking to undercut the role of God’s sovereignty in influencing circumstances and situations in order to produce such desires. I am simply saying that there is a great deal of mysticism and not a great deal of biblical wisdom present today. What is Paul’s assessment of a man’s desire of the office of overseer? He states plainly, “He desires a noble task.” How then does Paul instruct those who feel such desires? He immediately lists certain character qualifications they must possess if they are to make their desire a reality. Therefore, the best course of action would be to begin cultivating the character traits listed in 1 Tim 3.2ff.

As an aspiring man begins to develop the necessary character traits, those in the local church to which he has joined himself will begin to take notice. As he matures in Christ, he will naturally begin to exercise his gifting for the edification of the body, which will also be noticed. It then becomes the local church’s responsibility to recognize him as one who may possess the character traits and the gifting required of an overseer or deacon. If the church congregation is so large that they cannot get to know him in the course of regular body life and pastors must step in to make the identification, so be it. However, I believe this necessity speaks more to the need for smaller congregations than it does for elder oversight during the identification process. In the selection of the proto-deacons in Acts 6, the congregation was exhorted to pick men “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom.” These men must have been well known to the congregation in Jerusalem, else they would have been breaking the Apostle’s instructions by appointing men of questionable (that is, unknown) character.

Once the man has been recognized as a potential leader, a time of testing must then ensue. The length ought not be set in stone, as no passage of Scripture mentions this time, though practicality demands it. During this time of testing, the congregation ought to examine the man’s life more carefully than they did before. Simultaneous to the time of testing, the potential elder should begin (or hopefully continue) his theological training. It is the church’s responsibility to train its upcoming elders well (Acts 18.26; 2 Ti 2.2). It is unfortunate that this responsibility has been passed on to para-church organizations such as seminaries and Bible colleges. After the time of testing is completed, if he is found to be without any disqualifying character defects and if he is still desirous of the task, he ought to be appointed officially by the leaders of his local church. Robert Reymond notes an interesting nuance in the Greek of Acts 14:23, “they had appointed cheirotoneo) elders for them in every church…” cheirotoneo literally means “choose, elect by raising hands,” thus implying that though Paul and Barnabas appointed the elders, they did not do so without the input (show of hands) of the congregation. Thus, it is up to the man to seek to qualify himself through character development, and it is the responsibility of the church to recognize him as a potential elder.

Once the man is appointed as an elder, he and his fellow elders must determine whether he will stay at the local church or whether he will be sent out to do national or international church planting. The congregation ought to be involved in this process as well, still identifying gifting and making recommendations, though this is not as essential as before. If it is determined that the brother should be sent out, the main role of the congregation during this time is “fasting and praying” for the work, and then sending him off (Acts 13.3).

If the elder does go, the local church should partner with him by committing to pray for him and his family, the new church plant, and to support him financially and administratively (Phil 4.16; Acts 8.14ff, 11.22ff, 15.1-35). This partnering may continue indefinitely, and should not be shunned as infringing upon the autonomy of the local church.

I have not dealt with the issue of “calling” and “sending” of missionaries specifically because I believe that missionaries, unless they are joining a church that has already been established, will in effect be church planters, and thus ought to be sent out as elders; in which case, the above process applies to them as well.

I've been reading C. H. Spurgeon's autobiography for a while now, and I just came across this great paragraph.

The setting is shortly after Spurgeon relates the first sermon he ever preached. He delivered an address of unknown length to a group of poor farmers and tradesman in a thatch-roofed cottage, in Teversham, a village about 6 miles from his home in Cambridge. A lowly beginning indeed!

"Are there not other young men who might begin to speak for Jesus in some such lowly fashion--young men who hitherto have been mute as fishes? Our villages and hamlets offer fine opportunities for youthful speakers. Let them not wait till they are invited to a chapel, or have prepared a fine essay, or have secured an intelligent audience. If they will go and tell out from their hearts what the Lord Jesus has done for them, they will find ready listeners. Many of our young folks want to commence their service for Christ by doing great things, and therefore do nothing at all; let none of my readers become the victims of such an unreasonable ambition. He who is willing to teach infants, or to give away tracts, and so to begin at the beginning, is far more likely to be useful than the youth who is full of affectations, and sleeps in a white necktie, who is aspiring to the ministry, and is touching up certain superior manuscripts which he hopes ere long to read from the pastor's pulpit. He who talks upon plain gospel themes in a farmer's kitchen, and is able to interest the carter's boy and the dairy-maid, has more of the minister in him than the prim little man who keeps prating about being cultured, and means by that--being taught to use words which nobody can understand. To make the very poorest listen with pleasure and profit, is in itself an achievement; and beyond this, it is the best possible promise and preparation for an influential ministry. Let our younger brethren go in for cottage preaching, and plenty of it." C. H. Spurgeon, Autobiography, 184.

Quote de Jour

"Let us not aim at being original thinkers, but at being witnesses and heralds of what God says to men." C. H. Spurgeon

Hebrews 3:12-15

12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, 15 while it is said, "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when the provoked Me."

These are some sobering/encouraging words. I pray that today you would continue to hold fast to the assurance of your salvation, Jesus the Christ, and that you would encourage your brothers and sisters to do the same. He is WORTHY, live like it!

Upcoming...

I received my advance copy of Dr. David Alan Black's newest book The Jesus Paradigm, due to be released sometime in mid July. I will be reviewing the book here as soon as a finish it. So far it has been a great read and I look forward to putting down some thoughts to share with you all!

Idolatry and Preacher Worship

I attended the Advance '09 conference last weekend in Durham, NC thanks to the good folks over at Journey Church in Raleigh who provided me with a free ticket 2 days before the conference started! At that conference Mark Driscoll spoke a scathing message against idolatry in every corner of the human heart. I can honestly say that I agreed with just about everything he said in that message. It was so cutting that John Piper declared himself to be "wobbly" when he took the pulpit just minutes later, "wobbly" to the point that he felt he could be "attacked from almost any direction right now." So, Mr. Driscoll had a lot of good things to say about idolatry in the heart and in the church.

So I'm here to add one to the list of his 11 or 23 points: PREACHER WORSHIP.

It seems to me like a no-brainer that you probably shouldn't set yourself or your ministry up as an idol for your people, no matter the size of your church. So, why are so many men ignoring Mark Driscoll's call to cast down the idols in their ministry? Why all the polity and ecclesiology that makes men say, "I am the only qualified elder/pastor/brother,etc. to preach on Sunday mornings"? Why not allow the body of Christ to be edified by many different men who are able to teach or who may be seeking to discover IF they are, in fact, able to teach? It seems to me that the only explination for such pulpit hoarding is preacher worship, whether it be in the heart of the preacher or the people.

I believe the worst manifestation of this sin of preacher worship-idolatry is multi-site video casting.

So I turn to a blog post I read recently, entitled "How to Be in More Than One Place at a Time." The post begins by saying, "This Sunday, June 14th, by God’s grace and enabled by technology, I will be simultaneously preaching four sermons in eight locations scattered across two states. As I prepared these various sermons it dawned on me what a truly amazing day we live in for the proclamation of the gospel."

In order to accomplish said feat of being in more than one place at one time, this pastor isn't even going to be using technology to fly or drive him to multiple locations on the same day. Rather he will be video broadcasting his sermon to several different sites. Did I say sermon? I meant sermons. That's right, 4 different sermons to 8 different locations at the same time. So, scratch broadcasting. Two of these sermons will be pre-recorded. One a week old. The other two will be live.

My question to this pastor is, aren't there any gifted teachers at these 8 other locations (it's actually more like 11 locations)? Couldn't a real live, flesh and blood man get up and preach a sermon to the people at 10 of those locations you're not physically able to be at? Guess not. Besides, once the buidling gets so big, most folks just look at the jumbo-tron screen anyways, right? So what's the difference?

The gross sin of idolatry in the form of preacher worship is running rampant around America.

I believe the only way to curb this form of preacher idolatry is to get invested in small to small-ish churches that are commited to letting all the gifts be exercised (that means you can still participate on Sunday mornings if you can't play the guitar). It just seems ridiculous to me that a man, any man, would come to believe that only he is qualified to preach the gospel to several locations, even in his absence! At least let some eager young teacher give it a shot when you're out of town.

Sorry this post has been more of a rant than anything else, but sometimes you just need to rant.

Oh, and if you're interested in reading that blog post, you can find it here.

Porn Stars as Sisters?

1 Timothy 5:1-2 Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, 2 the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.

Ok, I'll go ahead and admit that I'm taking this passage somewhat out of context, but not really. So bear with me.

I saw a video today that was, dare I say, revolutionary to my heart. I know this is a concept that is thrown around a lot in conservative evangelical circles, but I don't think it really sinks in. That concept is the way we are to look at and think about other members of the body of Christ. I know 1 Tim 5:1-2 is talking about rebuking/encouraging, but I think it can also apply as a general model for how we ought to relate to the body. Older men are fathers, younger men brothers, older women mothers, younger women sisters. SO, to get to the point of this post, I want to encourage all my fathers and brothers out there, perhaps even all my mothers and sisters, to think about this video next time you're tempted to lust after another person, and especially if you're tempted to view pornography:



All nit-picking aside, that video blew me away.

NOTHING will help you in your fight against lust and pornography like realizing that the women (and men) involved in that industry are people who desperately need the gospel of Jesus Christ. That video drove that truth home to me. That video burned in my mind the reality that that particular girl, Patrice, formerly Nadia Styles, is now my sister in Christ! Now, more than ever, she is to be viewed as a sister, "in all purity." And she's not alone. Other girls are leaving the sex industry thanks to the mercy of God and the ministry of folks like Shelley Lubben.

In closing, I just want to encourage, exhort, admonish, SCREAM at my brothers in Christ (and perhaps my sisters as well) that people in the sex industry need Jesus Christ, NOT you ogling at them and fulfilling your sinful desires as you watch their lives be destroyed before your very eyes.

So brothers, I say with Paul, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13

The Deification of Man

"We readily acknowledge that it is very humbling to the proud heart of the creature to behold all mankind in the hand of God as the clay is in the potter's hand, yet this is precisely how the Scriptures of Truth represent the case. In this day of human boasting, intellectual pride, and deification of man, it needs to be insisted upon that the potter forms his vessels for himself. Let man strive with his Maker as he will, the fact remains that he is nothing more than clay in the Heavenly Potter's hands, and while we know that God will deal justly with His creatures, that the Judge of all the earth will do right, nevertheless, He shapes His vessels for His own purpose and according to His own pleasure. God claims the indisputable right to do as He wills with His own."
-- Pink, A. W. The Sovereignty of God (Carlisle, PA; The Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), p. 48.

I have been tremendously blessed by A. W. Pink's writings both in the past and present. He has an unwavering commitment to the priority of the Scriptures and it really shows when you read him. After reading The Sovereignty of God, or any book of his for that matter, you will really wonder why there is even a debate between Calvinists and Arminians.

The reality that God is the sovereign Potter cannot be denied from Scripture. All those "theologians" who do so many hermeneutical gymnastics in order to preserve "libertarian free will" are simply making themselves God (as Pink describes, "the deification of man"). This is why I despise Arminian, Molinist, and Open Theist "theology." They are simply man's last ditch effort to dethrone God and take His place as the only potentate.

Why not simply let God be God? Why not accept the plain testimony of Scripture? Why not do away with all the philosophizing? Why not humble yourself before your Maker?!?!

Perhaps because "a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. "1 Corinthians 2:14

Or perhaps they just don't want to see...

Just some thoughts.

Be Thankful for Truth!

Yesterday I was working on a study on "Answered Prayer" I will be delivering in a few weeks. After consulting several commentaries, I was reading Johannes G. Vos' commentary on the Westminster Larger Catechism. As I read the catechism, I began to envy the Presbyterians for their rich history, their strong theological tradition, and their churches. At that moment I wished I could be a Presbyterian and enjoy the benefits of being in a large, well ordered, theologically sound organization. But, I was quickly convicted of the foolishness of that kind of thinking. It wasn't long before I realized that I should be thankful that I have the truth, even if I don't have some temporal comforts. I should be more thankful that I am firmly convinced that I am in a better theological strand than they are. I should be thankful that the Lord has been pleased to open my eyes to things in Scripture like believer's baptism and New Covenant Theology. It is not a small thing to be convinced of the truth. Therefore, I should not envy those whom I believe are in error on certain points.

I am in no way inteding to bash the Westminster Larger Catechism, the Westminster Confession of Faith, or the Westminster Shorter Catechism. They are all three great documents and I have benefited greatly from them. After all, even the 1689 London Baptist Confession is just a baptized version of the WCF (which is why I prefer the 1646 London Baptist Confession, but that's another issue all together).

I guess the reason I'm posting this isn't so much for those of you who may be struggling between different denominational positions. Rather, I am posting this in hope that you will be thankful to God for the fact that there is objective truth, that we have His Word, and that we can know Him! I believe that New Covenant Theology is a more accurate system than Covenant Theology. I believe that believer's baptism is the only scriptural form of baptism. But, that doesn't mean I think everyone who doesn't agree with me is lost. If anything, the differing positions encourage me to search the Scriptures further and seek out which position is accurate.

I hope that you will love the Truth, be thankful to God that He has revealed His Truth, that you will search the Scriptures that you may discover what is True and what is not, and that you will be thankful that you have Truth, even if you don't have some of the temporal comforts you may desire.

Middle Knowledge

R. Scott Clark has posted a good article on Middle Knowledge at his blog. It is worth your time to read it, especially if you're a Southern Baptist. Middle Knowledge seems to be in vogue among certain SBC big-wigs. I loathe this aberration of the truth and pray you won't get duped by the false teachers propounding it!

The Deceitfulness of Sin

Sin is a liar.

This is a lesson I have been trying to learn for many years. I have known the truth of this statement since I first became a believer, but yet, I find that I must struggle daily to remember that it is true. It is not a difficult concept to grasp. It is not some "secret knowledge" that one must possess. Rather, the fact that sin is a liar is revealed on almost every page of scripture. And yet, I am too often led away by its deceitfulness.

The writer of Hebrews understood this truth. In 3:12-13 he says, "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." The writer understood that the deceitfulness of sin was a real and present danger for his hearers. If we, as the body of Christ, do not exhort one another daily, we will become gullible, believe the lies of sin, and harden our hearts to the truths of the gospel.

I believe that the number one reason I sin, the number one reason you sin, is because I am so incredibly gullible! I do not preach the truth of the gospel to my own heart. Instead, I allow sin to whisper lies into my minds all day long. Sin promises pleasure, fulfillment, comfort, security, ease, joy, renown, recognition, friendship, LIFE. Sin promises your best life now! Why wait? Why put of "pleasures" in the here and now in the hope that you will receive them in the next life? Sin can deliver them right this moment!

But this is sin's biggest lie of all. Sin promises life, fulfilled life, your best life now! But what does Scripture say? "For the wages of sin is death..." (Rom 6.23), "If you live according to the flesh you will die..." (Rom 8.13). The truth of Scripture blasts darkness dispelling light into the deceitful promises of sin. Sin tells us, "Indulge in me and you will know what it's like to live!" Scripture tells us, "If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

Remember our first parents next time sin tries to deceive you. The serpent promised life and knowledge. But what did they get? Death. Oh sure, they got knowledge, but not the kind they were hoping for. They wanted the knowledge of good and evil in a hypothetical sense. What they got instead was the knowledge of good and evil in an experiential sense! Remember the lie of the serpent. Remember he told Eve, "you will not surely die," even though he knew full well that sin would ultimately result in death. Remember that next time sin comes to call at your door. Remember that it cannot fulfill its promises. Remember that sin is a liar.

The Wretchedness of Sin

“Suppose a man should come to his dinner table, and there should be a knife laid down, and it should be told him, ‘This is the very knife that cut the throat of your child!’ If the man would use this knife as a common knife, would not everyone say, ‘Surely this man had but very little love to his child, who can use this bloody knife as a common knife!’

Look upon the cross on which Christ was crucified, and the pains He suffered thereon—and the seeming sweetness which is in sin, will quickly vanish. When you are solicited to sin, cast your eye upon Christ’s cross; remember His astonishing sufferings for your sin, and sin will soon grow distasteful to your soul. How can sin not be hateful to us—if we seriously consider how hurtful it was to Jesus Christ?”

—Thomas Brooks, “The Golden Key to Open Hidden Treasures”

John Piper is NOT your Pastor!

This post from the guys over at Pyromaniacs really hit the spot for me today. We need to remember that we have been given real, flesh-and-blood shepherds over us to whom we are to look for pastoral leadership. We shouldn't seek to fill that spot with dead men, or pastors from around the country who don't know us from Adam.

I only wish I'd learned this lesson sooner! How different things might be...

Quote de Jour

"By itself the privilege of close contact with God's word is no guarantee of blessing; what is needed is a continuous exposure of the heart to it and a continuous response of faith." -Andrew T. Lincoln

Lincoln's words concerning the Word of God could not be truer.

The Word is a sword (Heb 4:12) that will judge men, either by cutting them asunder in condemnation of sin (John 12:47-8), or by cutting out, as a surgeon's scalpel, the heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh (Ezk 36:25-7).

Where do you stand under the sharp blade of the Word?

MacArthur Speaks Out

My pastor from home alerted me to the following articles by John MacArthur concerning Mark Driscoll's sermon series on the Song of Solomon. I recommend them to you as a sober analysis of the plague that is sweeping through the evangelical world.

Part I

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Spurgeon Gems

I've been reading C. H. Spurgeon's autobiography recently and I must say, it is by far the best reading I've ever done in the biographical genre. As you probably already know, Spurgeon was an amazing communicator. His ability to communicate clearly and powerfully was not limited to his sermons, but spilled over into his publishing as well. Here are a couple of gems that I have enjoyed up to this point.

An account from his school days at Stockwell School:
"After I had once succeeded in gaining my position at the top of the class, I was careful to retain it, except at one particular period, when I made up my mind to get right down to the bottom. My teacher could not understand my unusual stupidity, until it suddenly occurred to him that I had purposely worked my way from the head of the class, which was opposite a draughty door, down to the foot, which was next to the stove. He therefore reversed the position of the scholars, and it was not long before I had again climbed to the place of honour, where I had also the enjoyment of the heat of the fire."

An account of a conversation with his mother:
"My mother said to me, one day, 'Ah Charles! I often prayed the Lord to make you a Christian, but I never asked that you might become a Baptist!' I could not resist the temptation to reply, 'Ah, mother! the Lord has answered your prayer with His usual bounty, and given you exceeding abundantly above what you asked or thought.'"

Returning education to local churches

This essay from Dr. David Alan Black is very helpful. In it he explains why he believes theological education needs to be restored to the local church. I could not agree more fully! Enjoy.

George Muller on the Scriptures

I just finished reading George Muller's diary today, having only picked it up yesterday. Needless to say it is an amazing read that will greatly encourage your heart to trust in the Lord. I may post more quotes from the diary, but for today I will relay this account of Muller's belief in the sufficiency of the Scriptures as an example to us to be of a like-mind in this matter.

"As to the other means of grace I would say: I fell into the snare, into which so many young believers fall, the reading of religious books in preference to the Scriptures. I could no longer read French and German novels, as I had formerly done, to feed my carnal mind; but still I did not put into the room of those books the best of all books. I read tracts, missionary papers, sermons, and biographies of godly persons. The last kind of books I found more profitable than others, and had they been well selected, or had I not read too much of such writings, or had any of them tended particularly to endear the Scriptures to me, they might have done me much good. I never had been at any time in my life in the habit of reading the Holy Scriptures. When under fifteen years of age I occasionally read a little of them at school; afterwards God's precious book was entirely laid aside, so that I never read one single chapter of it, as far as I remember, till it pleased God to begin a work of grace in my heart. Now the scriptural way of reasoning would have been: God Himself has condescended to become an author, and I am ignorant about that precious book, which His Holy Spirit has caused to be written through the instrumentality of His servants, and it contains that which I ought to know, and the knowledge of which will lead me to true happiness; therefore I ought to read again and again this most precious book, this book of books, most earnestly, most prayerfully, and with much meditation; and in this practice I ought to continue all the days of my life. For I was aware though I read it but little, that I knew scarcely anything of it. But instead of acting thus, and being led by my ignorance of the Word of God to study it more, my difficulty in understanding it, and the little enjoyment I had in it, made me careless of reading it (for much prayerful reading of the Word, gives not merely more knowledge, but increases the delight we have in reading it); and thus, like many believers, I practically preferred for the first four years of my divine life, the works of uninspired men to the Oracles of the living God. The consequence was that I remained a babe, both in knowledge and grace. In knowledge I say, for all true knowledge must be derived, by the Spirit, from the Word. And as I neglected the Word, I was for nearly four years so ignorant, that I did not clearly know even the fundamental points of our holy faith. And this lack of knowledge most sadly kept me back from walking steadily in the ways of God. For it is the truth that makes us free (John 8. 31, 32), by delivering us from the slavery of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The Word proves it; the experience of the saints proves it; and also my own experience most decidedly proves it. For when it pleased the Lord in August, 1829, to bring me really to the Scriptures, my life and walk became very different. And though even since then I have fallen very short of what I might, and ought to have been, yet, by the grace of God, I have been enabled to live much nearer to Him than before."

Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions and Mine

The beginning of the new year is always a good time to reevaluate one's life. American culture promotes that, and Jonathan Edwards believed agreed: you'll see how he makes mention of assessing certain things on an annual basis in the following resolutions. I read these 70 resolutions today as I sought to begin the new year with a fresh look at my life and my walk with the Lord and I'm attaching them here for you to read for yourself that you too may benefit from reading them.

One of my goals this year is to write more meaningful content on this blog in order to keep in the habit of communicating thoughts clearly and succinctly across the written media, as I won't be forced to do that anymore by any educational institutions. I do hope that I will be faithful in that, more for my sake than yours, but perhaps the Lord will see fit to benefit other folks as well. Either way, may He be magnified by all that is said on this blog in 2009. Happy New Year!

THE RESOLUTIONS

of

Jonathan Edwards

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BEING SENSIBLE THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT GOD' S HELP, I DO HUMBLY ENTREAT HIM BY HIS GRACE TO ENABLE ME TO KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS, SO FAR AS THEY ARE AGREEABLE TO HIS WILL, FOR CHRIST' S SAKE.

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Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God' s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.

2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the aforementioned things.

3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. July 30.

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder.

12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.

13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.

14. Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge.

15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.

16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

18. Resolved, to live so, at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.

19. Resolved, never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.

20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance, in eating and drinking.

21. Resolved, never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him. (Resolutions 1 through 21 written in one setting in New Haven in 1722)

22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God' s glory, to repute it as a breach of the 4th Resolution.

24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.

25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.

26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do abate my assurance.

27. Resolved, never willfully to omit any thing, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.

28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.

30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.

31. Resolved, never to say any thing at all against any body, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said anything against anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.

32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Proverbs 20:6,‹A faithful man who can find?Š may not be partly fulfilled in me.

33. Resolved, to do always, what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without overbalancing detriment in other respects. Dec. 26, 1722.

34. Resolved, in narrations never to speak any thing but the pure and simple verity.

35. Resolved, whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.

36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. Dec. 19, 1722.

37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,- what sin I have committed,-and wherein I have denied myself;-also at the end of every week, month and year. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.

38. Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord' s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.

39. Resolved, never to do any thing of which I so much question the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not; unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.

40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.

41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.

42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism; which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-23.

43. Resolved, never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God' s; agreeable to what is to be found in Saturday, January 12, 1723.

44. Resolved, that no other end but religion, shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. January 12, 1723.

45. Resolved, never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan. 12 and 13, 1723.

46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye: and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family.

47. Resolved, to endeavor, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving and sincere temper; and to do at all times, what such a temper would lead me to; and to examine strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have done so. Sabbath morning. May 5, 1723.

48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.

49. Resolved, that this never shall be, if I can help it.

50. Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.

51. Resolved, that I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.

52. I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.

53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.

54. Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it. July 8, 1723.

55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if, I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments. July 8, 1723.

56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as providence orders it. I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin. June 9, and July 13 1723.

58. Resolved, not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity. May 27, and July 13, 1723.

59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July 11, and July 13.

60. Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4, and 13, 1723.

61. Resolved, that I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it-that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, etc. May 21, and July 13, 1723.

62. Resolved, never to do anything but duty, and then according to Ephesians 6:6-8, to do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man:‹knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.Š June 25 and July 13, 1723.

63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. January 14 and July 13, 1723.

64. Resolved, when I find those ‹groanings which cannot be utteredŠ (Romans 8:26), of which the Apostle speaks, and those‹breakings of soul for the longing it hath,Š of which the Psalmist speaks, Psalm 119:20, that I will promote them to the utmost of my power, and that I will not be weary of earnestly endeavoring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness, of which I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance; according to Dr. Manton' s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119. July 26, and Aug.10 1723.

66. Resolved, that I will endeavor always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.

67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what am I the better for them, and what I might have got by them.

68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. August 11, 1723.

70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak. August 17, 1723.

The text of these resolutions can be found here.