First Love

Scotty Smith post:  A Prayer about Jesus Coming to Church

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:19-20

I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. Revelation 2:4-5

Lord Jesus, this image of you being on the outside—knocking on the door of the church, is both frightening and inviting. Frightening in this sense: How is it possible to “do church” failing to realize that you’ve “left the house”? How does a church (and individual believer), once enthralled with your beauty, thriving in the gospel, and liberated for your service become tepid and ingrown? What is the path to lukewarm-ness—what are the stepping stones to cooled affections? How do we lose, leak or leave our first love for you, Jesus… and in time, not really notice or care?

What could be more scary bad and potently tragic? Only your love is better than life. Only your love can fill these screaming empty, ugly demanding hearts of ours. Only your love is astonishing and nourishing. Only in vital communion and rich fellowship with you are we really alive. Have mercy on us Lord, have mercy on me.

As frightening as this scenario is, Lord Jesus, there is an inviting part to these scriptures. You are the Bridegroom who pursues your faithless and fickle bride. You DO knock on the doors of our churches and hearts. It’s because you love us that you rebuke and discipline us. It’s because you’re married to us, not just dating us, that you come after us. It’s because you know the wedding feast to come that you keep coming after us. Though we may forget what it means to feast and fellowship with you, you’ll never get used to it, Jesus. Hallelujah… hallelujah… hallelujah.

Grant us repentance, Jesus, grant us earnest repentant hearts. Embarrass us with your mercies and our memories of earlier days—seasons when we followed you like a young, enraptured bride. Humble us with your grace, for the law cannot and will not do this deep heart work. Bring a fresh supply of the new wine of the gospel as you come through the door. Do anything it takes to recapture, refresh and renew us, Jesus, anything. So very Amen we pray, with longing and expectant hearts.

Redeeming Unconditional Love

Tullian Tchividjian post:  Then I Will Go With You

I close my book Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels with a story (not sure if this really happened or is simply parabolic) from Civil War days before America’s slaves were freed, about a northerner who went to a slave auction and purchased a young slave girl. As they walked away from the auction, the man turned to the girl and told her, “You’re free.”

With amazement she responded, “You mean, I’m free to do whatever I want?”

“Yes,” he said.

“And to say whatever I want to say?”

“Yes, anything.”

“And to be whatever I want to be?”

“Yep.”

“And even go wherever I want to go?”

“Yes,” he answered with a smile. “You’re free to go wherever you’d like.”

She looked at him intently and replied, “Then I will go with you.”

Some fear that grace-delivered, blood-bought, radical freedom (to do, say, and be whatever we want) will result in loveless license. But as the above story illustrates, redeeming unconditional love alone (not fear, not guilt, not shame) carries the power to compel heart-felt loyalty to the One who bought us (2 Corinthians 5:14).

He Is There

Michael Milton post:  The Lord of the Storm

In between memories of yesterday's glory and promises of tomorrow's dreams are storms. In yesterday's memories, friends are gathering, rejoicing in the miracle of multiplied blessings. In tomorrow's dreams the unknowns loom: the job you've always wanted; the child you've dreamed for, the approaching empty nest or retirement years. Between yesterday's miracles and tomorrow's dreams lie the unpredictable sea and the inevitable storm.

God's Word calls us to see the storm. In fact, he is the Lord of the storm. We read in Mark 6:45-56:

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

The "storms of life" refer to that place in between the miracles of yesterday and the promises of tomorrow---those seasons of trial and even doubt that come to all of us at some points in our lives.

Four Truths

Four truths are revealed in this passage about the Lord of the storm that will lead us to trust him in our storms.

Look at the opening verse: "Immediately he made his disciples get in the boat." Notice here that Jesus "made" his disciples get in the boat. Here is an unequivocal command to "get in!" Is this what the disciples expected?

Here is the first surprising truth about this passage:

1. The Lord of the storm sends us into the storm to get to the other side (verse 45).

The people, including the disciples, were in danger of domesticating Jesus---turning him into a local god who would give them what they wanted, rather than recognizing him as the Savior they needed. But this Messiah was sending them to a new place of understanding. And that meant, "Get in the boat. You are going out to sea---alone."

Just when things seem to be going well, that's when our Lord sends us to the other side! And to follow Jesus is to cross the sea of life in obedience.

Our second truth to consider from this text is that Jesus, the Lord of the storm, does more than send his people into the storms.

2. The Lord of the storm is above the storm and sees us as he is praying (verses 46-48).

There is healing and and blessed assurance in this powerful biblical picture in these verses; four words describe what we find here related to Jesus being above the storm:

Submission. Jesus at prayer shows his heart resting in the Father's will and guarantees his road to Calvary.

Intercession. Jesus' prayer, while the disciples are at sea, shows how our Savior is our High Priest who ever makes intercession for us while we are in the storms of life.

One of the greatest comforts in your life, believer, is that while you are in the storm, Jesus is on the throne.

Care. Jesus' watchfulness over us, even as we are in the storm, shows his constant care for us.
This is the Savior who says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Mystery. Jesus' timing for our salvation is mysterious but effective.

Jesus notices the disciples in the late evening but doesn't act until after prayer in the fourth watch.

That is 3 a.m.! Why did he allow them to row against the wind for so long? Why did he allow them to go off course in the storm? The story is shrouded in mystery that defies explanation. Though he comes to you in his own time, according to the secret purposes of his own heart, he is there, ascended to the Promised Land, praying for you.

This truth is before us as well:

3. The Lord of the storm walks on the storm, passing by us, coming to us, commanding our safe passage through it (verses 48-50).

The last part of verse 48 says, "He meant to pass them by." This was relayed by Peter and written by Mark. For Peter, Jesus was there, the image of God passing by them, showing his love and showing his concern. But they didn't understand the image. They screamed, thinking he was some sort of water spirit. But he said to them, "It is I," or "I am he."

Is this not the same God who passed by Moses and hid him in the cleft of the rock? He has called himself, "I AM."

Are you in a storm? The good news is: he is passing by. He is there. He will not leave you alone.

Now this leads us to see the fourth truth:

4. The Lord of the storm is the Lord of salvation and is in the boat---calming the storm, bringing peace in the midst of it, guiding us to the other side (verse 51).

You want Jesus in your boat. You know you need him in your storms. But do you really know who he is? Do you really know that Jesus is the Savior of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Savior of Paul? Do you really know that you are dealing with the living God here?

Let the doubt turn to astonishment, and, if God is pleased, let that turn to faith-filled wonder. Now we go through storms of many kinds, but he is there. We are headed to the place, the good land, where he wants us to go.

Will you stop rowing your own boat and let the Master take control? There will not be peace until you do.

From this passage, we have seen that Jesus did not rescue the disciples out of the sea but calmed it. In like manner, he may not remove you from your sea, but he comes to you to love you, to encourage you, to make the journey with you.

**********
When the wind and waves of life
Drove my soul to find relief,
I was guided by the storm
To find Jesus underneath.

When the storms of life betray
All the promises You've made,
I will cling to Calvary's place;
I will trust Your sovereign grace.

Though Your presence with me goes,
I seem to still be tossed and turned
By an unseen enemy
And I know I need to learn.

When the storms of life betray
All the promises You've made,
I will cling to Calvary's place;
I will trust Your sovereign grace.

And when life is finally o'er
And I stand before You, Lord,
I'll see the storms that stirred despair
Were the winds that blew me there.

When the storms of life betray
All the promises You've made,
Let me cling to Calvary's place;
Let me trust Your Sovereign Grace.

Michael Anthony Milton, "Your Sovereign Grace," He Shall Restore (Chattanooga: Music for Missions, 2005), CD.

Rescue .. Heal .. Transform .. Rebuild

Scotty Smith:  A Prayer for the Gospel to Run “Wild” in Our Churches

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. Col. 1:3-6

Gracious Father, we bring our church families before you today… with their brokenness and beauty; frustrations and fruit; drama and doxology. It’s not only a privilege but a necessity to pray without ceasing for one another in the body of Christ. For until the day Jesus returns, the church is your chosen means for revealing your glory, lavishing your grace, and advancing your kingdom. No wonder she is constantly being assailed by the world and assaulted by darkness.

In harmony with Paul’s prayer, we ask you to inundate, saturate, and liberate our churches with the gospel of your transforming grace—new church plants and aging communities alike. May the gospel run “wild” and wide. There’s no other story, power, motivation, or resources adequate for the calling you’ve given your beloved people. Infuse the DNA of the gospel into everything we are and do.

Deepen and strengthen our faith in Jesus—for he is the Lord and center of the gospel. It’s not the size of our faith but the object of our faith that matters most, so keep revealing more of his mercy and majesty to us. Help us boast in his work, not ours. May the name of Jesus be the most heard, loved, and trusted name in our churches.

Help us to love one another as Jesus loves us—the surest and most necessary mark of our discipleship. For your glory, fill our hearts with his compassion. By your mercy and grace, give us love for all the saints—not just those who are mirror images of ourselves. Tear down our divisions. Rescue us from our prejudices. Heal our wounds. Transform our conflicts. Rebuild bruised and broken trust. May we never get used to loving poorly.

By the hope-filled gospel, liberate our time, talents and treasure for the work of your kingdom, in our cities and among the nations. May the gospel bear fresh and lasting fruit, in us and through us. May we be like well-watered gardens in our cities—offering much needed nourishment to many. By the irrepressible gospel, revive us, transform us, and free us for your sovereign and saving purposes. So very Amen we pray, with longing hearts in Jesus’ exalted name.

Be Hungry

Steven Furtick post:  Greedy for God

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…Do your best to come to me quickly…When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
2 Timothy 4:6-7, 9, 13

Paul is about to die, and he knows it.

And yet other than a cloak to stay warm, all he wants are his “scrolls,” which most scholars believe are the fragments of the Old Testament that he owned.

This doesn’t make much sense. He’s already written 2/3 of the New Testament and hammered out his theology. He’s not going to preach another sermon. Lead another Bible study. Write another letter. He knows the Scriptures backwards and forwards – enough to at least sustain a couple more quiet times until he’s executed.

Why does Paul want to read the Bible when He’s about to die and meet its Author face to face?

Because Paul is greedy.

Greedy for God.

We should expect nothing less. After all, this is the same Paul who said he wanted “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10). Paul wanted every bit of God that he could get until his last dying breath. Every insight about Him he could glean from His word. Every ounce of His presence and power. And nothing less would satisfy him, even in his last moments.

I think that should be a challenge to all of us. It’s good to be greedy for God. It’s good to get all you can of Him.

Greed often gets a bad rap, and usually rightfully so. But I’m coming to find that greed isn’t bad in and of itself. Greed is just an insatiable appetite. In its bad form, it has become fixed on something that 1) is limited in its ability to give and 2) isn’t the true source of everything our souls desire.

Well, God is the source of everything. And the only lid on God’s ability to give of Himself is our capacity to receive. So it’s good to be greedy for Him.

God is never going to run out of love. He’s never going to run out of joy. He’s never going to run out of grace and our mercy. He’s never going to run out of anything.

So why should we be content with settling for scraps from His table?

He Is Jealous for Us

How He Loves Us

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Humbly Hope

Jonathan Parnell post:  Do You Know This Confidence?

John Newton:

When we are deeply conscious of our defects in duty. If we compare our best performances with the demands of the law, the majesty of God, and the unspeakable obligations we are under; if we consider our innumerable sins of omission, and that the little we can do is polluted and defiled by the mixture of evil thoughts, and the working of selfish principles, aims, and motives, which though we disapprove, we are unable to suppress; we have great reason to confess, "To us belong shame and confusion of face."

But we are relieved by the thought, that Jesus, the High Priest, bears the iniquity of our holy things, perfumes our prayers with the incense of his mediation, and washes our tears in his own blood.

This inspires a confidence, that though we are unworthy of the least of his mercies, we may humbly hope for a share in the greatest blessings he bestows, because we are heard and accepted, not on the account of our own prayers and services, but in the beloved Son of God, who maketh intercession for us.

"The Intercession of Christ," Sermon 47, The Works of John Newton, vol. 4, 1820 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2007), 531, paragraphing mine.

Arminian Criticisms of Calvinism

Excerpts from Book Review | Against Calvinism by Roger E. Olson | Review by Thomas S. Kidd

Arminian theologian Roger Olson represents both a small and also a very large theological tribe. The large group comprises American evangelicals and mainliners for whom common-sense Arminianism is the default theological position. These Christians think it is obvious that a loving God would never send people to hell without giving them a fair shot at salvation (if indeed God sends anyone to hell at all). The smaller group, today at least, comrprises principled Arminians, defenders of the theological tradition of Jacobus Arminius, John Wesley, and Charles Finney. 

The principled Arminians seem beleaguered when set in contrast to the vibrancy of the “new Calvinism,” Olson’s primary opponent in his book Against Calvinism. In recent decades, American Calvinism has sharpened its influence and intellectual coherence through a host of conservative Presbyterian seminaries and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and through remarkably effective popularizers, including John MacArthur, R. C. Sproul, Albert Mohler, John Piper, and Tim Keller. New Calvinists are particularly adept at using the tools of the internet and social media (led not least by the work of The Gospel Coalition) to spread their message. The impression that these Calvinists are making on college students and seminarians is not likely to pass quickly.

...

Overall, Olson’s Against Calvinism lays out Arminian criticisms of Calvinism in a cogent manner that will prove useful to even the most thoroughgoing Calvinists. It is worth reading both by people newly energized in their faith by Calvinism, and by those who may have doubts about Calvinist tenets. These are flush times for American Calvinism, but new Calvinists need to remember that there is a formidable Arminian tradition that has to be answered, not just disparaged or dismissed. 

Give Him Thanks Humbly

Ray Ortlund post:  Up down, down up

Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low.  Isaiah 40:4

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.  Luke 14:11; 18:14

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. . . . Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.  James 4:6, 10

It’s all through the Bible – God bringing low the proud and self-justifying but honoring and raising up the meek.  This being so, wherever we are at any given moment, we can expect God to flip us.  If we are high, and okay with that, he will bring us low.  If we are low, and okay with that, he will bring us high.

The only way to face the future is to stay low and surrendered to him with no strings attached, eager to be “fully pleasing to him” (Colossians 1:10).  The One who is high and lifted up dwells in the high and holy place (where we cannot go), and he also dwells with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit (where we can go) (Isaiah 57:15).

The best way – not the only way, but the best way – to steward the historically significant blessing God is giving in our time – this delightful nexus of TGC/T4G/SGM/A29/etc – is to bow down before the Lord, give him thanks humbly, confess our sins honestly, listen to one another carefully, monitor our own hearts constantly for that impulse toward self-exaltation and bring it crashing down immediately in self-rebuke.

The Lord will do all he has promised.

A Good Time?

Weekly Words with Dr. Larry Crabb

"The problem sincere Christians have with God often comes down to a wrong understanding of what this life is meant to provide.  We naturally and wrongly assume we're here to experience something God has never promised.  More than perhaps ever before in history, we assume we are here for one fundamental reason: to have a good time--if not good circumstances, then at least good feelings.  We long to feel alive, to sense passion and romance and freedom.  We want the good time of enjoying godly kids, of making a difference in people's lives, of involvement with close friends, of experiencing God's peace.  So we invent 'biblical' strategies for seeing to it that our dreams come true.  We call them models of godly parenting and disciplines of spiritual living and principles of financial stewardship--all designed to give us a legitimately good time.  What's wrong with that?"

Shattered Dreams, Page 31

Questions for Reflection:
What stirs in you the most as you read this?
What "biblical" strategies have you used to ensure your dreams come true?

Get a Pulse

Mark Batterson post:  Catalyst Reflections

This is my 11th straight Catalyst and yesterday ranks as one of the best days I can remember.  So many takeaways!  I’ll highlight one thought from one session.  I love the way Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, juxtaposed two words: empirical creativity.  It’s the best of the right-brain and best of the left-brain.  He said, “The great challenge is marrying creativity and discipline so the creativity is amplified.”  So true.  I have a mantra: I’d rather have one God idea than a thousand good ideas.  And that God idea is the essence of creativity.  It is God conceiving something in your mind, in your spirit. But you still have to do your homework.  You still have to count the costs.

Over the years, one of the ways we’ve gathered “empirical data” is with a survey.  It helps us “get a pulse” on the congregation when we’re considering options.  The key to spirit-led leadership is keeping one ear tuned to the Holy Spirit and the other ear tuned to the people you are leading.

One of the metaphors that Collins used was firing bullets instead of firing canons.  Too often we use all of our gun powder firing canons when we could have fired a few bullets to figure our where to aim.  Then fire the canon.  We’re going to be firing some bullets at NCC in 2012.

Without Reservation or Hesitation

Scotty Smith:  A Prayer for Loving Jesus as He Desires to Be Loved

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord, ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.’” Jer. 2:1-2

Lord Jesus, that you are jealous for our love is as humbling as it is astonishing. What greater compliment could you possibly pay us? To know you actually miss our affection both thrills and convicts me. That you ever made me a part of your bride in the first place continues to move me to cry out, “I believe—help my unbelief!”

When I slow down enough to remember; when I allow myself enough quiet to reflect; when I rid myself of defensiveness and excuse making, of course I have to agree with you. There was a time, early in your relationship with me in the gospel, when I loved you with the passion, delight, and devotion of a young bride. Without reservation or hesitation, wherever you led me, even through the desert and barren places, I went with joy, because you were my oasis, nourishment, and utter satisfaction.

But in time, I began to depend on other things and other people to supplement the joy of belonging to you. You weren’t quite enough for my foolish, demanding, longing heart. I thought my earthly spouse, the approval of people, more stuff, or ministry success were also necessary to fill me up. And though it grieves me to say it, these “good-things-turned-idols” still wage war for the primary affection of my heart, sometimes with clear success.

Jesus, I confess and repent. It would be one thing if you were a harsh, disengaged, demanding bridegroom. But you love us as no one else could ever love us. You lived and died to make us your beloved bride forever. You have robed us in the bridal gown of your own righteousness. You care for our hearts and carry our burdens. You never stop praying for us and advocating for us before our Father. You enjoy us, delight in us, and rejoice over us with loud singing.

Indeed, Lord Jesus, restore to me the joy of your salvation, and the love I had for you at first. I have no power to change me, but you have all power. I love you now only because your first loved me. I would love you more in light of the day I will love you fully. So very Amen I pray, in your all-sufficient name.

Rest for Your Souls

Excerpts from Tullian Tchividjian post:  Grace Without Buts And Brakes

...


The truth, whether we admit it or not, is that grace scares us to death. It scares us primarily because it wrestles control and manageability out of our hands–introducing chaos and freedom. And so we find creative ways to qualify it. We speak and live with a “yes grace, but” tone. We’re afraid to simply let it be as drastically unsafe, unconditional, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and undomesticated as it truly is.

That’s one reason why I am rejoicing over my friend Dane Ortlund’s new book Defiant Grace. Dane has written a book on grace with no “buts and brakes.” He’s a fearless writer and scholar who rightly acknowledges the unsettling, messy, counter-intuitive nature of amazing grace–”beyond price and yet totally free.” In the introduction he writes:

For the grace that comes to us in Jesus Christ is not measured. This grace refuses to allow itself to be tethered to our innate sense of fairness, reciprocity, and balancing of the scales. It is defiant…However much we may laud grace with our lips, our hearts are so thoroughly law-marinated that the Christian life must be, at core, one of continually bathing our hearts and minds in gospel grace. We are addicted to law. Conforming our lives to a moral framework, playing by the rules, meeting a minimum standard—this feels normal. And it is how we naturally medicate that deep sense of inadequacy within. The real question is not how to avoid becoming a Pharisee; the question is how to recover from being the Pharisee we already, from the womb, are.

Law feels safe. Grace feels risky. Rule-keeping breeds a sense of manageability; grace feels like moral vertigo. After all, if all that we are is by grace, there is no limit to what God can ask of us. But if some corner of our virtue is due to personal contribution, there is a ceiling on what God can ask of us. He can bring us only so far. He can only ask so much.

Such is not the call of Christ. The Jesus of the Gospels defies our domesticated, play-by-the-rules morality. It was the most extravagant sinners of Jesus’ day who received his most compassionate welcome; it was the most scrupulous law-abiders who received his most searing denunciation. The point is not that we should therefore take up sin. The point is that we should lay down the silly insistence on leveraging our sense of self-worth with an ongoing moral record. Better a life of sin with penitence than a life of obedience without it.

It is time to enjoy grace anew. Not the decaffeinated grace that pats us on the hand, ignores our deepest rebellions, and doesn’t change us, but the high-octane grace that takes our conscience by the scruff of the neck and breathes new life into us with a pardon so scandalous that we cannot help but be changed. It’s time to blow aside the hazy cloud of condemnation that hangs over us throughout the day with the strong wind of gospel grace. “You are not under law but under grace” (Rom 6:14). Jesus is real, grace is defiant, life is short, risk is good. For many of us the time has come to abandon once and for all our play-it-safe, toe-dabbling Christianity and dive in. It is time, as Robert Farrar Capon put it, to get drunk on grace. Two hundred-proof, defiant grace.

Pure gold, huh? I think so.

So, as you listen to people talk about grace here’s a good litmus test: listen for the “but.” You won’t hear it in Dane’s book. You won’t feel the tapping of the brakes and you won’t see a list of qualifications. What you’ll encounter is “grace unmeasured, vast and free.” It’ll frighten you and free you at the same time. After all, that’s what grace does.

As I’ve said before: whether it’s a sermon, a book, a blog post, or a tweet-if the lasting impression you get causes you to focus more on what you must do than on what Christ has done, the gospel of grace has not been communicated and the communicator (albeit, unwittingly) is no better than the Pharisees who were charged by Jesus with “tying up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and laying them on people’s shoulders” (Matthew 23:4). Beware of preaching that, in the words of Herman Bavinck, “acknowledges that we are justified by the righteousness of Christ but then seems to think that we are then sanctified by a holiness we ourselves have acquired.” It is through the preaching of grace that Jesus summons sinners (both Christians and non-Christians) and says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). The difference between “religion” and the gospel of grace is that religion gives burdens by announcing that Jesus plus something equals everything while the gospel of grace absorbs burdens announcing that Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

Thanks, Dane, for reminding us of this without flinching!

Deliver Us Good Lord

By Thy Mercy (Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory) | High Street Hymns

Jesus, Lord of life and glory,
Bend from Heav’n Thy gracious ear;
While our waiting souls adore Thee,
Friend of helpless sinners, hear:
By Thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord.

From the depth of nature’s blindness,
From the hardening power of sin,
From all malice and unkindness,
From the pride that lurks within:
By Thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord, good Lord.

When the world around is smiling,
In the time of wealth and ease,
Earthly joys our hearts beguiling,
In the day of health and peace,
By Thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord, good Lord.

In the solemn hour of dying,
In the awful judgment day,
May our souls, on Thee relying,
Find Thee still our Rock and Stay:
By Thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord, good Lord.

 

Gospel-Hope

Scotty Smith:  A Prayer of Hope When Hoping Isn’t Easy

     Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor. 4:16-18

     Heavenly Father, the gospel makes all the difference in the world, period. What but the gospel of your grace could possibly explain Paul’s attitude of faith and hope reflected in these few verses? He experienced crazy-making, danger and betrayals, from both outside and inside the Body of Christ. He was flogged five times by the Jews, beaten with rods, stoned, thrice shipwrecked, floated boat-less in the ocean 36 hours; he went sleepless and foodless, was cold and naked… among other loses and crosses. (2 Cor. 11:23-33). And yet—and supernaturally yet, he didn’t lose heart and he didn’t kill hope. Nothing but the truth and power of the gospel can explain this.
     No pity-parties or numbing binges; no throwing in the towel or throwing of temper tantrums; no excuse making or excusing himself from life; no angry blaming or cynical shaming. Rather, Paul modeled for us the way of the cross, the way of the gospel, the ways of your heart. Please cultivate the same attitude of hope in our lives, Father. Though most of us will only experience a small percentage of the disappointments and suffering Paul experienced, nonetheless, we need the transforming power of gospel-hope in our lives.
     When we are tempted to lose heart, harden our hearts, numb our hearts or indulge our hearts, help us to see Jesus clearly—the author and perfecter of our faith. Help us to see the glories of the new heaven and the new earth, and not just the brokenness of the first heaven and earth. May a vision of unseen eternal realities transcend and transform our vision of temporal heart-wreckers and heart-breakers. May the endless triumph of heaven be more real to us than the momentary troubles of today.
     Help us, like Paul, to be honest about the ways we are outwardly “wasting away,” for you’re not asking us to pretend or deny the reality of our weakness. But also, help us to be convinced about the inward renewal that you effecting in our lives, day by day. You will bring to completion the good work you have begun in us and all around us. How we praise you for this great assurance.
     Gracious Father, as you renew and deepen our hope, help us to live as conduits of hope. Every gift and grace you give us is meant to be shared with others, every one of them. So very Amen we pray in Jesus’ name, with fresh humility and eternal gratitude.

More Gospel

Excerpts from Tullian Tchividjian post:  Law Without Gospel Leads To Licentiousness

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He wrote:

Over the last couple of years, we have really been struggling with the preaching in our church as it has been very law laden and borders on moralistic. After listening, I feel condemned with no power to overcome my lack of ability to obey the law. Over the last several months, I have found myself very spiritually depressed, to the point where I had no desire to even attend church.

We don’t have an evening service so we started listening to sermons as a family on Sunday evenings on the Internet. (We have 4 children, with another due on Monday!). We have listened to part of your “Pictures of Grace” sermons on your church website over the past few weeks. Additionally, we have been reading your blog. I just want to thank you for your commitment, and faithfulness to the gospel of grace. Since reading your blog and listening to your sermons, it is like a fresh ocean breeze blowing through my face. You rightly put the focus on the finished, completed work of Christ, and point us away from ourselves. I have found myself gradually crawling out of my spiritual depression and wanting to do the things God has called me to do. This isn’t a result of more law in my life, but more gospel.

Grace is not dependent on anything, and if it is, then it wouldn’t be grace! Pastors are so concerned about somehow preaching “too much grace” (as if that is possible) as they wrongly believe that type of preaching leads to antinomianism or licentiousness. But, I can testify that the opposite is actually true. I believe preaching only the law, and giving little to no gospel, actually leads to antinomianism. When mainly law is preached,  in my opinion, that leads to the realization that I can’t follow it, so I might as well quit trying. When the remedy to the law (gospel) is not presented, the hearer is left without any power to perform good works. Only the gospel gives the power to obey. I know what to do; I need the power to do it.

The ironic thing about legalism is that it not only doesn’t make people work harder, it makes them give up. Moralism doesn’t produce morality; rather, it produces immorality. We make a big mistake when we conclude that the law is THE answer to licentiousness. In fact, the law alone stirs up licentiousness. People get worse, not better, when you lay down the law.

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So, the law serves us by showing us how to love God and others. But we fail to do this every day. And when we fail, it is the gospel which brings comfort by reminding us that God’s infinite approval of us doesn’t depend on our keeping of the law but on Christ’s keeping of the law for us. And guess what? This makes me want to obey him more, not less! As Spurgeon wrote, “When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.”

Indeed, it is “the kindness of the Lord that leads to repentance” (Romans 2:4).

Great Eminence of Spirit

Miscellanies post:  Counting Others More Significant

Jeremiah Burroughs (c. 1600–1646) was an outstanding Puritan preacher and writer. He wrote the following in his book Excellency of a Gracious Spirit, a quote that made its way inside a very good new biography on the man by Phillip Simpson, A Life of Gospel Peace (RHB, 2011):

Rejoice in the good of others, though it eclipses your light, though it makes your parts, your abilities, and your excellencies dimmer in the eyes of others. Were it not for the eminence of some above you, your parts perhaps would shine more brightly and be of high esteem. Yet to rejoice in this from the heart, to bless God from the soul for His gifts and graces in others, that His name may be glorified more by others than I can glorify it myself; to be able to truly say, ‘Though I can do little, yet blessed be God there are some who can do more for God than I, and in this I do and will rejoice’—this is indeed to be able to do much more than others. This shows a great eminence of spirit.

Beliefs of Biblical Christianity

Ed Stetzer post:  Mormonism, Cults, and Christianity

The news is abuzz with the question of Mormonism, cults, and Christianity.

A cult is often understood as a religious group with strange beliefs out of the cultural mainstream (which many today increasingly consider biblical Christianity). Since "cult" is difficult to define, scholars tend not to use it.

However, the question of what beliefs characterize Christianity is not a new debate, and is one we should not shy away from if words and definitions matter.

Many people are shocked at the idea that some pastors believe Mormons are not Christians-- "judgementalism" is decried and "intolerance" proclaimed. Yet, as that may be new news to some, the view that Mormons are not Christians is historic and very widely held view.

In 2007, LDS spokesman Michael Otterson provided a forthright article in the On Faith section of the Washington Post / Newsweek. He explains,

The question, "Are Mormons Christian?" is a good starting point for this discussion. When some conservative Protestants say Mormons aren't Christian, it is deeply offensive to Latter-day Saints. Yet when Latter-day Saints assert their Christianity, some of those same Christians bitterly resent it. Why? Because both sides are using the same terms to describe different things...
When someone says Mormons aren't Christian... he or she usually means that Mormons don't embrace the traditional interpretation of the Bible that includes the Trinity. "Our Jesus" is somehow different from "their Jesus." Further, they mean that some Mormon teachings are so far outside Christian orthodoxy of past centuries that they constitute almost a new religion.

Otterson is correct here. For evangelicals and others, "Christian" is more than a self-identified label. It is hard for people in tolerant America to hear, "I know you SAY you are a Christian, but you are not."

Yet, basic to evangelicalism (and historic Protestantism) is that some people are Christians, some people are not, and not all people who think that they are Christians actually are.

"Christianity" is not based on what you say about yourself or your beliefs. "Christianity" must be connected to how your beliefs agree with the beliefs of biblical Christianity.

With Mormonism becoming a major topic of discussion, about a year ago LifeWay Research decided to ask Protestant pastors their view. According to our random sample, most pastors feel strongly Mormons are not Christians. After several reporters asked if we had some data, I decided to release it.
You can download the full report here: Protestant Pastor Views of Mormonism.

The survey polled 1,000 American Protestant pastors asking them to respond to the statement, "I personally consider Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) to be Christians." It's a forthright question some will find offensive, but it will be an increasingly important question.

Three-quarters of Protestant pastors (75%) disagree with the statement, "I personally consider Mormons... to be Christians," including 60 percent who strongly disagree and 15 percent who somewhat disagree. Just 11 percent somewhat agree, 6 percent strongly agree and 9 percent do not know.

In other words, the view that "Mormons are not Christians" is the widely and strongly held view among Protestant pastors. That does not meant they do not respect Mormons as persons, share their values on family, and have much in common. Yet, they simply view Mormonism as a distinct religion outside of basic teachings of Christianity. Many of these pastors may know Mormons consider themselves Christians, but Protestant pastors overwhelmingly do not consider them such.

I know this is an unpleasant question to many, and one that some will use as a hammer on evangelicals, but let me encourage a different view.

The fundamental issue is: how divergent can your views be and still be a part of a faith group (in contrast to forming a new one). Can you believe, for instance, that Muhammad is not the prophet and still call yourself a Muslim? The vast majority of Muslims would say you cannot. For Christians, calling yourself a Christian while not believing that God has always existed as the triune Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is as inconceivable.

This is not simply a conservative evangelical Christian view. Methodists have said "the LDS Church is not a part of the historic, apostolic tradition of the Christian faith." Even Roman Catholics (hardly conservative Protestants) don't recognize LDS baptism.

As I said before, a cult is difficult to define. But Christianity has been defined a certain way for centuries. There is no reason to be shocked that devout Christians consider those with a different view of Christ as non-Christians. In the current cultural climate it may be uncomfortable, but it is anything but shocking.

No End to Gospel Exploration

Justin Taylor post:  Is the Gospel Influencing Your Daily Life?

From Tim Keller’s foreword to J.D. Greear’s new book Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary :

The angels never get tired of looking into the gospel. This means there is no end to gospel exploration. There are depths in the gospel that are always there to be discovered and applied, not only to our ministry and daily Christian life, but above all, to the worship of the God of the gospel with renewed vision and humility.

The underlying conviction in my preaching, pastoring, and writing is that the gospel—this eternally fascinating message craved by the angels—can change a heart, a community, and the world when it is recovered and applied.

It is one thing to understand the gospel but is quite another to experience the gospel in such a way that it fundamentally changes us and becomes the source of our identity and security.

It is one thing to grasp the essence of the gospel but it quite another to think out its implications for all of life. We all struggle to explore the mysteries of the gospel on a regular basis, but we should strive to immerse ourselves in it and allow its message to influence our life daily.

A key part of the book is J.D.’s “gospel prayer”:

1. In Christ, there is nothing I can do that would make You love me more, and nothing I have done that makes You love me less.
2. Your presence and approval are all I need for everlasting joy.
3. As You have been to me so I will be to others.
4. As I pray, I’ll measure Your compassion by the cross and Your power by the resurrection.

For more on the book, see this discussion with Trevin Wax.

Yes Bias

Steven Furtick post:  A 30 Day ‘Yes’ Experiment

A while back a friend of mine told me about a guy named, Sasha Dichter, that he had seen on a TED video. I want to introduce him to you today because I think he could radically change your life over the next 30 days.

Sasha does more to change the world in a week than many of us will in a lifetime.  Through his post directing the innovative non-profit Acumen fund, Dichter has investors all over the world pouring resources into parts of India, Pakistan and East Africa where the average income is less than $4 per day. They have a goal to make 100 million in investments, touching 50 million lives.

That’s amazing. But it isn’t the part of Sasha’s story that fires me up.

See, Sasha has spent much of his life saying ‘no’ to people, professionally and personally.  When you direct a large operation looking for maximum impact, saying ‘no’ goes with the territory. But after a while, it started getting to him. It seemed to clash with the generous nature his company was built on.

One night, everything changed. Just after boarding a train to go home, a man approached him saying he needed money. Sasha met him with the standard autoresponse ‘no’ he had become so efficient at providing. Only, it was the last ‘no’ he would say for the next 30 days. He went home, and before cooler heads could prevail, went public on his blog about his intentions.

A 30 Day Generosity Experiment. For 30 days, he would give money to anyone who asked of him.

Whether that was his spare change, or millions of dollars of resources that his firm controls.

He knew everybody wouldn’t think this was a great idea.  He knew people would say giving to a guy on the train wasn’t the smartest way to give—that he should give to a homeless shelter instead.  But Dichter realized his generosity experiment was about him.  If he really wanted to see broken places and people in the world healed, he had to start by being more open himself, being willing to take risks. He was “tired of hiding behind what was smart instead of doing what was right.”

The experiment changed his life. Sasha now has a ‘yes’ bias to his calling that gives purpose to every encounter. He is trying to live life as a ‘yes man’ in response to the issues that grip his heart.

The vast majority of us aren’t about to venture into microfinance in the next 30 days. But we could learn a lot from the spirit of Sasha’s experiment. It could be life changing to make a commitment to God: God, for the next 30 days, if I see a need, emotional, physical, spiritual, financial, I’ll do my small part toward meeting it. I’ll start saying ‘yes’ to every prompting I feel from your Spirit within my sphere of influence instead of saying ‘no.’

A 30 Day ‘Yes’ Experiment.

How much difference do you think it would make in the world if you had that kind of availability to God? That kind of intentionality towards others?

I’ll answer that for you: it would make a huge difference. Consistent obedience, a heart that’s open to give God back everything he’s placed in your hands, is enough to change everything.

Make the commitment. 30 days. If you see a need, do as much as can to meet it. If you hear from God, say ‘yes.’ I can’t promise you’re going to end up changing 50 million lives. But I can promise you’ll change the lives of the people God wants you to.

And you’ll be changed in the process.