The Feast of Booths

Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church

2012-01-21T15:20:00.000-06:00

Here's an update on our new church building:
Marinell completed the first of two stained glass windows (48") and it has now been installed in the frame. Hopefully, it will be installed in the building next week. This is the one that goes above the pulpit. The second owe will be slightly smaller (42"); it will be the same design and will be installed in the empty circle you see on the front porch (photo above). The 3' cross, which goes on top of the steeple has come in, and should be installed soon (I hope to ride in the "cherry-picker," and place it up there). The painters have caulked and puttied and as soon as the outside doors are installed, they will begin painting the exterior "china white," with off-white trim, beige side-doors, and burgundy front doors. Some of the exterior corbels are up and the rest should go up next week. They have begun hanging sheet rock inside and the insulation, electrical, sound, security, fire suppression, plumbing and air conditioning are complete regarding the stuff that goes behind the walls. It's possible that they will begin pouring the concrete for the parking lot next week as well. Lord willing, we should be in by early to mid May.
We are grateful to the Lord.

Epiphany

2012-01-06T06:00:00.001-06:00

Here it is the important point that the Magi, who stand for mysticism and philosophy, are truly conceived as seeking something new and even as finding something unexpected. That tense sense of crisis which still tingles in the Christmas story and even in every Christmas celebration, accentuates the idea of a search and a discovery. The discovery is, in this case, truly a scientific discovery. For the other mystical figures in the miracle play; for the angel and the mother, the shepherds and the soldiers of Herod, there may be aspects both simpler and more supernatural, more elemental or more emotional. But the wise Men must be seeking wisdom, and for them there must be a light also in the intellect.... The philosophy of the Church is universal. The philosophy of the philosophers was not universal. Had Plato and Pythagoras and Aristotle stood for an instant in the light that came out of that little cave, they would have known that their own light was not universal. It is far from certain, indeed, that they did not know it already. Philosophy also, like mythology, had very much the air of a search. It is the realization of this truth that gives its traditional majesty and mystery to the figures of the Three Kings; the discovery that religion is broader than philosophy and that this is the broadest of religions, contained within this narrow space. The Magicians were gazing at the strange pentacle with the human triangle reversed; and they have never come to the end of their calculations about it. For it is the paradox of that group in the cave, that while our emotions about it are of childish simplicity, our thoughts about it can branch with a never-ending complexity. And we can never reach the end even of our own ideas about the child who was a father and the mother who was a child.”―G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

The Twelfth Day of Christmas

2012-01-05T06:00:00.001-06:00

“Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” —Matthew 2:2.

Part 2:

“The glad tidings were made known also to wise men, magi, students of the stars and of old prophetic books from the far-off east. It would not be possible to tell how far off their native country lay; it may have been so distant that the journey occupied nearly the whole of the two years of which they spake concerning the appearance of the star. Travelling was slow in those days, surrounded with difficulties and many dangers. They may have come from Persia, or India, or Tartary, or even from the mysterious land of Sinim, now known to us as China. If so, strange and uncouth must have been the speech of those who worshipped around the young Child at Bethlehem, yet needed he no interpreter to understand and accept their adoration. Why was the birth of the King of the Jews made known to these foreigners, and not to those nearer home? Why did the Lord select those who were so many hundreds of miles away, while the children of the kingdom, in whose very midst the Saviour was brought forth, were yet strangely ignorant of his presence? See here again another instance of the sovereignty of God. Both in shepherds and in Eastern magi gathering around the young Child, I see God dispensing his favours as he wills; and, as I see it, I exclaim, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.” Herein we see again another instance of God’s sovereign will; for as of old there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elias the prophet, but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto the woman of Sarepta; so many there were who were called wise men among the Jews, but unto none of them did the star appear; but it shone on Gentile eyes, and led a chosen company from the ends of the earth to bow at Emmanuel’s feet.” ―C.H. Spurgeon, sermon, “The Sages, the Star, and the Saviour”

The Eleventh Day of Christmas

2012-01-04T06:00:00.002-06:00

“Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” —Matthew 2:2.

Part 1:

“The incarnation of the Son of God was one of the greatest events in the history of the universe. Its actual occurrence was not, however, known to all mankind, but was specially revealed to the shepherds of Bethlehem and to certain wise men of the east. To shepherds—the illiterate, men little versed in human learning—the angels in choral song made known the birth of the Saviour, Christ the Lord, and they hastened to Bethlehem to see the great sight; while the Scribes, the writers of the law and expounders of it, knew nothing concerning the long-promised birth of the Messias. No angelic bands entered the assembly of the Sanhedrim and proclaimed that the Christ was born; and when the chief priests and Pharisees were met together, though they gathered around copies of the law to consider where Christ should be born, yet it was not known to them that he was actually come, nor do they seem to have taken more than a passing interest in the matter, though they might have known that then was the time spoken of by the prophets when the great Messiah should come. How mysterious are the dispensations of grace; the base things are chosen and the eminent are passed by! The advent of the Redeemer is revealed to the shepherds who kept their flocks of sheep by night, but not to the shepherds whose benighted sheep were left to stray. Admire therein the sovereignty of God.” ―C.H. Spurgeon, sermon, “The Sages, the Star, and the Saviour”

The Tenth Day of Christmas

2012-01-03T06:00:00.002-06:00

Shaking the Palaces

“(Unless we understand the presence of that enemy, we shall not only miss the point of Christianity, but even miss the point of Christmas....By the very nature of the story the rejoicings in the cavern were rejoicings in a fortress or an outlaw’s den; properly understood it is not unduly flippant to say they were rejoicings in a dug-out. It is not only true that such a subterranean chamber was a hiding-place from enemies; and that the enemies were already scouring the stony plain that lay above it like a sky. It is not only that the very horse-hoofs of Herod might in that sense have passed like thunder over the sunken head of Christ. It is also that there is in that image a true idea of an outpost, of a piercing through the rock and an entrance into an enemy territory. There is in this buried divinity an idea of undermining the world; of shaking the towers and palaces from below; even as Herod the great king felt that earthquake under him and swayed with his swaying palace.” ―G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

The Ninth Day of Christmas

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

“And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” ―Luke 2:17-20.

Every season has its own proper fruit: apples for autumn, holly berries for Christmas. The earth brings forth according to the period of the year, and with man there is a time for every purpose under heaven. At this season, the world is engaged in congratulating itself and in expressing its complimentary wishes for the good of its citizens; let me suggest extra and more solid work for Christians. As we think today of the birth of the Saviour, let us aspire after a fresh birth of the Saviour in our hearts; that as he is already “formed in us the hope of glory,” we may be “renewed in the spirit of our minds;” that we may go again to the Bethlehem of our spiritual nativity and do our first works, enjoy our first loves, and feast with Jesus as we did in the holy, happy, heavenly days of our espousals. Let us go to Jesus with something of that youthful freshness and excessive delight which was so manifest in us when we looked to him at the first; let him be crowned anew by us, for he is still adorned with the dew of his youth, and remains “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” ―C.H. Spurgeon, sermon, “Holy Work for Christmas”

The Eighth Day of Christmas

2012-01-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

Blessed Boomerang

“Christmas is quite certainly the most interesting thing in England to-day. It is the last living link between all that remains of the most delicate religious devotion and all that exists of the coarsest town vulgarity....The return of old things in new times, by an established and automatic machinery, is the permanent security of men who like to be sane. The greatest of all blessings is the boomerang. And all the healthiest things we know are boomerangs—that is, they are things that return. Sleep is a boomerang. We fling it from us at morning, and it knocks us down again at night. Daylight is a boomerang. We see it at the end of the day disappearing in the distance; and at the beginning of the next day we see it come back and break the sky....The same sort of sensational sanity (truly to be called sensational because it braces and strengthens all the sensations) is given by the return of religious and social festivals. To have such an institution as a Christmas is, I will say not to make an accident inevitable, but I will say to make an adventure recurrent—and therefore, in one sense, to make an adventure everlasting. A practice like that of Christmas is, therefore, much the most practical way of resisting the meaningless modern fancy of perpetually advancing into the white fog of a formless future”. ―G.K. Chesterton, “Christmas Versus the Future,” Illustrated London News, December 20, 1913

The Seventh Day of Christmas

2011-12-31T06:00:00.000-06:00

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”—Luke 2:7.

It was needful that it should be distinctly proven, beyond all dispute, that our Lord sprang out of Judah. It was necessary, also, that he should be born in Bethlehem-Ephratah, according to the word of the Lord which he spake by his servant Micah. But how could a public recognition of the lineage of an obscure carpenter and an unknown maiden be procured? What interest could the keepers of registers be supposed to take in two such humble persons? As for the second matter, Mary lived at Nazareth in Galilee, and there seemed every probability that the birth would take place there; indeed, the period of her delivery was so near that, unless absolutely compelled, she would not be likely to undertake a long and tedious journey to the southern province of Judea. How are these two matters to be arranged? Can one turn of the wheel effect two purposes? It can be done! It shall be done! The official stamp of the Roman Empire shall be affixed to the pedigree of the coming Son of David, and Bethlehem shall behold his nativity. A little tyrant, Herod, by some show of independent spirit, offends the greater tyrant, Augustus. Augustus informs him that he shall no longer treat him as a friend, but as a vassal; and albeit Herod makes the most abject submission, and his friends at the Roman court intercede for him, yet Augustus, to show his displeasure, orders a census to be taken of all the Jewish people, in readiness for a contemplated taxation, which, however, was not carried out till some ten years after. Even the winds and waves are not more fickle than a tyrant’s will; but the Ruler of tempests knoweth how to rule the perverse spirits of princes. The Lord our God has a bit for the wildest war horse, and a hook for the most terrible leviathan. Autocratical Cæsars are but puppets moved with invisible strings, mere drudges to the King of kings. Augustus must be made offended with Herod; he is constrained to tax the people; it is imperative that a census be taken; nay, it is of necessity that inconvenient, harsh, and tyrannical regulations should be published, and every person must repair to the town to which he was reputed to belong; thus, Mary is brought to Bethlehem, Jesus Christ is born as appointed, and, moreover, he is recognised officially as being descended from David by the fact that his mother came to Bethlehem as being of that lineage, remained there, and returned to Galilee without having her claims questioned, although the jealousy of all the women of the clan would have been aroused had an intruder ventured to claim a place among the few females to whom the birth of Messias was now by express prophecies confined. Remark here the wisdom of a God of providence, and believe that all things are ordered well.” ―C.H. Spurgeon, sermon, “No Room for Christ in the Inn”

The Sixth Day of Christmas

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

Irritable Guests

“Christmas dinner, as described by a modern minor poet, would almost certainly be a study in acute agony: the unendurable dullness of Uncle George; the cacophonous voice of Aunt Adelaide. But Chaucer, who sat down at the table with the Miller and the Pardoner, could have sat down to a Christmas dinner with the heaviest uncle or the shrillest aunt. He might have been amused at them, but he would never have been angered at them, and certainly he would never have insulted them in irritable little poems. And the reason was partly spiritual and partly practical; spiritual because he had, whatever his faults, a scheme of spiritual values in their right order, and knew that Christmas was more important than Uncle George’s anecdotes; and practical because he had seen the great world of human beings, and knew that wherever a man wanders among men..., he will find that the world largely consists of Uncle Georges. This imaginative patience is the thing that men want [that is, “lack”] most in the modern Christmas.” ―G.K. Chesterton, “Chaucer and Christmas,” Illustrated London News, December 26, 1931

The Fifth Day of Christmas

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

"Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given." Isaiah 9:6

The sentence is a double one, but it has in it no tautology. The careful reader will soon discover a distinction; and it is not a distinction without a difference. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” As Jesus Christ is a child in his human nature, he is born, begotten of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary. He is as truly born, as certainly a child, as any other man that ever lived upon the face of the earth. He is thus in his humanity a child born. But as Jesus Christ is God’s Son, he is not born, but given, begotten of his Father from before all worlds, begotten—not made, being of the same substance with the Father. The doctrine of the eternal affiliation of Christ is to be received as an undoubted truth of our holy religion. But as to any explanation of it, no man should venture thereon, for it remaineth among the deep things of God—one of those solemn mysteries indeed, into which the angels dare not look, nor do they desire to pry into it—a mystery which we must not attempt to fathom, for it is utterly beyond the grasp of any finite being. As well might a gnat seek to drink in the ocean, as a finite creature to comprehend the Eternal God. A God whom we could understand would be no God. If we could grasp him he could not be infinite: if we could understand him, then were he not divine. Jesus Christ then, I say, as a Son, is not born to us, but given. He is a boon bestowed on us, “For God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten Son into the world.” He was not born in this world as God’s Son, but he was sent, or was given, so that you clearly perceive that the distinction is a suggestive one, and conveys much good truth to us.” ―C.H. Spurgeon, sermon, “A Christmas Question.”

The Fourth Day of Christmas

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

“There is something defiant in it also; something that makes the abrupt bells at midnight sound like the great guns of a battle that has just been won. All this indescribable thing that we call the Christmas atmosphere only hangs in the air as something like a lingering fragrance or fading vapour from the exultant explosion of that one hour in the Judean hills nearly two thousand years ago. But the savour is still unmistakable, and it is something too subtle or too solitary to be covered by our use of the word peace. By the very nature of the story the rejoicings in the cavern were rejoicings in a fortress or an outlaw's den; properly understood it is not unduly flippant to say they were rejoicings in a dug-out. It is not only true that such a subterranean chamber was a hiding-place from enemies; and that the enemies were already scouring the stony plain that lay above it like a sky. It is not only that the very horse-hoofs of Herod might in that sense have passed like thunder over the sunken head of Christ. It is also that there is in that image a true idea of an outpost, of a piercing through the rock and an entrance into an enemy territory. There is in this buried divinity an idea of undermining the world; of shaking the towers and palaces from below; even as Herod the great king felt that earthquake under him and swayed with his swaying palace.” ―G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

The Third Day of Christmas

2011-12-27T07:56:00.000-06:00

“They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” —Matthew 1:23.

Those words, “being interpreted,” salute my ear with much sweetness. Why should the word “Emmanuel” in the Hebrew, be interpreted at all? Was it not to show that it has reference to us Gentiles, and therefore it must needs be interpreted into one of the chief languages of the then existing Gentile world, namely, the Greek. This “being interpreted” at Christ’s birth, and the three languages employed in the inscription upon the cross at his death, show that he is not the Saviour of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. As I walked along the quay at Marseilles, and marked the ships of all nations gathered in the port, I was very much interested by the inscriptions upon the shops and stores. The announcements of refreshments or of goods to be had within were not only printed in the French language, but in English, in Italian, in German, in Greek, sometimes in Russian and Swedish. Upon the shops of the sail-makers, the boat-builders, the ironmongers, or the dealers in ship stores, you read a polyglot announcement, setting forth the information to men of many lands. This was a clear indication that persons of all nations were invited to come and purchase, that they were expected to come, and that provision was made for their peculiar wants. “Being interpreted” must mean that different nations are addressed. We have the text put first in the Hebrew “Emmanuel,” and afterwards it is translated into the Gentile tongue, “God with us;” “being interpreted,” that we may know that we are invited, that we are welcome, that God has seen our necessities and has provided for us, and that now we may freely come, even we who were sinners of the Gentiles, and far off from God. Let us preserve with reverent love both forms of the precious name and wait the happy day when our Hebrew brethren shall unite their “Emmanuel” with our “God with us.” ―C.H. Spurgeon, sermon: “God With Us”

The Second Day of Christmas

2011-12-26T06:00:00.002-06:00

“It is no more inevitable to connect God with an infant than to connect gravitation with a kitten. It has been created in our minds by Christmas because we are Christians, because we are psychological Christians even when we are not theological ones. In other words, this combination of ideas has emphatically, in the much disputed phrase, altered human nature. There is really a difference between the man who knows it and the man who does not. It may not be a difference of moral worth, for the Moslem or the Jew might be worthier according to his lights; but it is a plain fact about the crossing of two particular lights, the conjunction of two stars in our particular horoscope. Omnipotence and impotence, or divinity and infancy, do definitely make a sort of epigram which a million repetitions cannot turn into a platitude. It is not unreasonable to call it unique. Bethlehem is emphatically a place where extremes meet.” ―G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

Christin's Quote Book

2011-12-26T06:00:00.001-06:00

Man will do many things to get himself loved; he will do all things to get himself envied. – Mark Twain
Learning music by reading is like making love by mail. – Lucianno Pavorotti
Educated men are as much superior to uneducated men as the living are to the dead. – Aristotle
Learning hath gained the most by those books which the printers have lost. – Thomas Fuller
A criminal is a person with predatory instincts who has not sufficient capital to form a corporation. – Howard Scott

The First Day of Christmas

2011-12-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”—Luke 2:14.

It is superstitious to worship angels; it is but proper to love them. Although it would be a high sin, and an act of misdemeanour against the Sovereign Court of Heaven to pay the slightest adoration to the mightiest angel, yet it would be unkind and unseemly, if we did not give to holy angels a place in our heart’s warmest love. In fact, he that contemplates the character of angels, and marks their many deeds of sympathy with men, and kindness towards them, cannot resist the impulse of his nature—the impulse of love towards them. The one incident in angelic history, to which our text refers, is enough to weld our hearts to them forever. How free from envy the angels were! Christ did not come from heaven to save their compeers when they fell. When Satan, the mighty angel, dragged with him a third part of the stars of heaven, Christ did not stoop from his throne to die for them; but he left them to be reserved in chains and darkness until the last great day. Yet angels did not envy men. Though they remembered that he took not up angels, yet they did not murmur when he took up the seed of Abraham; and though the blessed Master had never condescended to take the angel’s form, they did not think it beneath them to express their joy when they found him arrayed in the body of an infant.

How free, too, they were from pride! They were not ashamed to come and tell the news to humble shepherds. Methinks, they had as much joy in pouring out their songs that night before the shepherds, who were watching with their flocks, as they would have had if they had been commanded by their Master to sing their hymn in the halls of Caesar. Mere men—men possessed with pride, think it a fine thing to preach before kings and princes; and think it great condescension now and then to have to minister to the humble crowd. Not so the angels. They stretched their willing wings, and gladly sped from their bright seats above, to tell the shepherds on the plain by night, the marvellous story of an Incarnate God. And mark how well they told the story, and surely you will love them! Not with the stammering tongue of him that tells a tale in which he hath no interest; nor even with the feigned interest of a man that would move the passions of others, when he feeleth no emotion himself; but with joy and gladness, such as angels only can know. They sang the story out, for they could not stay to tell it in heavy prose. They sang, “Glory to God on high, and on earth peace, good will towards men.” ―C.H. Spurgeon, Sermon: “The First Christmas Carol”

Under the Floor of the World

2011-12-24T06:00:00.002-06:00

“This sketch of the human story began in a cave; the cave which popular science associates with the cave-man and in which practical discovery has really found archaic drawings of animals. The second half of human history, which was like a new creation of the world, also begins in a cave. There is even a shadow of such a fancy in the fact that animals were again present; for it was a cave used as a stable by the mountaineers of the uplands about Bethlehem; who still drive their cattle into such holes and caverns at night. It was here that a homeless couple had crept underground with the cattle when the doors of the crowded caravanserai had been shut in their faces; and it was here beneath the very feet of the passers-by, in a cellar under the very floor of the world, that Jesus Christ was born. But in that second creation there was indeed something symbolical in the roots of the primeval rock or the horns of the prehistoric herd. God also was a Cave-Man, and had also traced strange shapes of creatures, curiously coloured, upon the wall of the world; but the pictures that he made had come to life.” ―G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

No Room in the Inn

“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³ So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. ⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” ―Luke 2:1-7

Prayer

Our God and Father, we thank You for the gift of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us. Thank You for speaking so clear and loud, and for revealing Yourself to us. You spoke to us in our weakness and now, the joy of the Lord is our strength, for we now rely upon You great power. Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the paths for Your Only-begotten Son: that we may worthily serve Him with grateful hearts by the grace of Your coming to enlighten our darkened minds. Assist us by Your might, so that by Your grace and merciful kindness we may swiftly receive the salvation that our sins impede. By the coming of Christ You have given peace. Amen.

Advent Action

Find a baby to hold, and as you hold that child reflect upon the fact that this is how God came into the world in order to save us. Consider the power of this amazing paradox that the infinite and eternal God was embodied in a single infant for our sake.

Call His Name Jesus

2011-12-23T06:00:00.002-06:00

“Jesus did all that is included in the great word ‘save.’ He did not come to induce us to save ourselves, or to help us save ourselves, or to enable us to save ourselves. He came to save us. And it is, therefore, that His name was called Jesus—because He should save His people from their sins. The glory of our Lord, surpassing all His other glories toward us, is just that He is our actual and complete Savior; our Savior to the uttermost. Our knowledge, even though it be His gift to us as our Prophet, is not our Savior, be it as wide and deep and as high as it is possible to conceive. The Church, though it be His gift to us as our King, is not our Savior, be it as holy and true as it becomes the Church, the bride of the Lamb, to be. The reorganized society in which He has placed us, though it be the product of His holy rule over the redeemed earth, is not our Savior, be it the new Jerusalem itself, clothed in its beauty and descended from heaven. Nay, let us cut more deeply still. Our faith itself, though it be the bond of our union with Christ through which we receive all His blessings, is not our Savior. We have but one Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Nothing that we are and nothing that we can do enters in the slightest measure into the ground of our acceptance of God. Jesus did it all. And by doing it all He has become in the fullest and widest and deepest sense the word can bear—our Savior. For this end did He come into the world—to save sinners; and nothing short of the actual and complete saving of sinners will satisfy the account of His work given by His own lips and repeated from them by all His apostles. It is in this great fact, indeed, that there lies the whole essence of the gospel. For let us never forget that the gospel is not good advice but good news. It does not come to us to make known to us what we must do to earn salvation for ourselves, but proclaiming to us what Jesus has done to save us. It is salvation, a complete salvation, that it announces to us; and the burden of its message is just the words of the text—that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” ―B.B. Warfield, The Power of God Unto Salvation

One Mediator

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, ⁷ for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” ―1 Timothy 2:3-7

Prayer

O Lord, our God, we acknowledge that You alone are the initiator and worker of our salvation. We cannot save ourselves, nor can we assist You in saving us. We are the blessed objects of Your mercy and grace. Clearly, Christ demonstrated His love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, He died for us. Father, in gratitude for Your work of salvation, we commit ourselves to serve You with gladness in this new week, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with You; proclaiming the good news of Your salvation from day to day; declaring Your glory among the nations and Your wonders among all peoples. For You, O Lord, are great and greatly to be praised. Amen.

Advent Action

Make a list of three people who are in need of salvation and offer up special pray for them. As you have now prayed for them, seek an opportunity to speak to them about the good news of Jesus Christ.

The Humbled and Exalted Christ

2011-12-22T06:00:00.001-06:00

The incarnation, the cross, and the resurrection are inseparably connected. When God became a man He knew why He did so, and He knew where He was headed. The incarnation began the journey to the agony of the cross and the victory of the resurrection. And so, when we think of Advent, it should be far more than a cute baby and a Christmas card scene of the nativity. The nativity must be seen in its full context. It’s this context that brings the good news of salvation. The way up is down. This is the beginning of Christ’s humiliation: God—born as a man—in an obscure stable. He slipped into the world through the back door. In due time, the Father would exalt Him above all creation and declare Him to be King of kings and Lord of lords. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks:

Q27: Wherein did Christ's humiliation consist?

A27: Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time.

―Pastor Randy Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX

Coming in the Likeness of Men

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” —Philippians 2:5-11

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we are grateful that You, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily, humbled Yourself for our sakes. You condescended to reach us that we might be lifted up with You to everlasting glory. Work in us and teach us to be humble so that we might be exalted in due time. Amen.

Advent Action

Acknowledge your gratitude (verbally our in writing), to three people who have helped you get where you are (parents, grandparents, friends, pastor, etc.). Let them know that you are blessed by their help and are dependent on the kindness of others like them.

The Point of a Spear

2011-12-21T06:00:00.003-06:00

“We, with our modern democratic and arithmetical presuppositions would so have liked and expected all men to start equal in their search for God. One has the picture of great centripetal roads coming from all directions, with well-disposed people, all meaning the same thing, and getting closer and closer together. How shockingly opposite to that is the Christian story! One people picked out of the whole earth; that people purged and proved again and again. Some are lost in the desert before they reach Palestine; some stay in Babylon; some becoming indifferent. The whole thing narrows and narrows, until at last it comes down to a little point, small as the point of a spear—a Jewish girl at her prayers. That is what the whole of human nature has narrowed down to before the Incarnation takes place. Very unlike what we expected, but, of course, not in the least unlike what seems, in general, as shown by nature, to be God's way of working.” ―C.S. Lewis, “The Grand Miracle”

Little Town of Bethlehem

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting.”

³ Therefore He shall give them up,

Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth;

Then the remnant of His brethren

Shall return to the children of Israel.

⁴ And He shall stand and feed His flock

In the strength of the Lord,

In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God;

And they shall abide,

For now He shall be great

To the ends of the earth;

⁵ And this One shall be peace. ―Micah 5

Prayer

O Lord, our God, we acknowledge that You alone are the initiator and worker of our salvation; we cannot save ourselves, nor can we assist You in saving us. We are the blessed objects of Your mercy and grace. Clearly, Christ demonstrated His love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, He died for us. While we were enemies, You reconciled us to Yourself through Your Son. Amen.

Advent Action

Initiate a conversation with a stranger, showing an interest in them, their family, their career, etc. Don’t forget to pray for them.

The Pre-Existence of Jesus Christ

2011-12-20T06:00:00.001-06:00

Let’s back up—if Jesus came, He must have existed before He came. It’s vital that we interpret His life in the light of His pre-existence. You and I had our beginning at our physical conception. This is not the case with Jesus. You will remember that Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). The Incarnation was not simply the birth of a great man. Instead, it was the only-begotten Son of God entering into human conditions. “Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6-7). Therefore, in Jesus Christ we must constantly realize that we are face to face with not simply a good man, but rather the God-man.

―Pastor Randy Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX

In the Beginning

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” ―John 1:1-5

Prayer

O Ancient of Days, we stand firm, for Your eternity is the strong ground of all our comfort. You are eternal, O God, and You have the right to our perpetual service and You deserve our honor and obedience. In devoting ourselves to You, we serve Him that is, that was (and had no beginning), and that is to come (and shall have no end); by Whom all things have their being, and Who has both eternal knowledge to remember our service, and eternal goodness to reward it in Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Amen.

Advent Action

Sit silently for ten minutes (mark your clock), and meditate on the brevity of earthly your life as compare to the eternal life that Christ brought to His people. He had no beginning and will have no end. You had a beginning, but will live as long as God does in Christ.

Probable or Improbable?

2011-12-19T06:00:00.002-06:00

“Now, if one asks whether that central grand miracle in Christianity is itself probable or improbable, of course, quite clearly you cannot be applying Hume's kind of probability. You cannot mean a probability based on statistics according to which the more often a thing has happened, the more likely it is to happen again (the more often you get indigestion from eating a certain food, the more probable it is, if you eat it again, that you will again have indigestion). Certainly the Incarnation cannot be probable in that sense. It is of its very nature to have happened only once. But then it is of the very nature of the history of this world to have happened only once; and if the Incarnation happened at all, it is the central chapter of that history. It is improbable in the same way in which the whole of nature is improbable, because it is only there once, and will happen only once. So one must apply to it a quite different kind of standard.” ―C.S. Lewis, “The Grand Miracle”

The Word Became Flesh

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” ¹⁶ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” ―John 1:14-18

Prayer

O Lord of creation, we praise You for the miracle of the Incarnation; that the Lord of glory became flesh and dwelt among us―God and man in one person―the only Mediator between us and You. As we remember His coming help us to focus our hearts on Him and to show others His light. Amen.

Advent Action

Give an anonymous gift to someone; and stranger or an acquaintance or a friend in need. Don’t let them know that you were the one giving it. Let it be a sort of “minor miracle” and blessing for them.

Christin's Quote Book

2011-12-19T06:00:00.001-06:00

A man is not necessarily intelligent because he has plenty of ideas any more than he is a good general because he has plenty of soldiers. – Sebastian Chamfort
What is hard to endure is sweet to recall. – Unknown
Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius. – Arthur Conan Doyle
To the one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To the one without faith, no explanation is possible. – Thomas Aquinas
Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. – James Baldwin

Why Are You Here?

2011-12-18T06:00:00.001-06:00

We usually have reasons for going to the places we go to. For example, we go to the mall to shop or to church to worship. While there may be secondary reasons why we go to certain places, we usually have a primary reason that moves us to go. As we celebrate Advent—the coming of Jesus—we should ask: What’s so important about the coming of Jesus to the world? What was His mission? Why did He come? The Bible gives us a straightforward answer to these vital questions: “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...” (1 Tim. 1: 15). The whole Christmas story is centered in this purpose. Many have misunderstood or misrepresented His reason for coming because they have misunderstood or misrepresented who He is. “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him” (John 1:10). “He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets’” (Matt. 16:13-14). We now have the “baby” Jesus, the “sweet” Jesus, the “nice” Jesus, the “good teacher” Jesus, the “good example” Jesus, the “historical” Jesus, and Jesus the “myth.” We have any number of false ideas about who Jesus is and therefore, false ideas concerning why He came into the world.

Jesus knew that people were prone to this and so He warned them (throwing a curveball): “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt. 10:34-38). If we fail to see the real Jesus and the real purpose of His coming, as so many have failed to do, then we may as well forget celebrating His birth; there would be nothing to celebrate. Many men are born every day—even men we might call “good men”—but we don’t sing “Joy to the World…” If we come to understand who He is, then we will also come to appreciate why He came. Then we will have reason to celebrate.

―Pastor Randy Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX

Enemies in Your Mind

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²² in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” ―Colossians 1:21-23

Prayer

O Lord, we confess that Jesus is Lord, and that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Had He not been sent by You―had He not condescended and come for us―we would have justly perished in our sins. We praise You for so great a salvation and rejoice over such a wonderful gift! Amen.

A Great Campaign of Sabotage

2011-12-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

“Enemy-occupied territory―that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed...and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to church you are really listening-in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going.” ―C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Then Comes the End

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. ²³ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. ²⁸ Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.” ―1 Corinthians 15:20-28

Prayer

Our God and Father, we acknowledge that by His grace and power Christ defeated sin, which is the greatest enemy of our souls, and that He completed that work by defeating the final enemy, which was death. We also recognize that there are many other enemies of the gospel, of the Church, and of Christ Himself, and that our Lord and King has conquered and defeated them all. When He comes, He rules. Amen.

Advent Action

If you have not done so already, make the decision once-and-for-all that you will always attend church as one who has enlisted in the service of the Lord. This is not a weekly decision, nor one that is made on each Sunday morning. Make it once, make it firm, keep your oath. By doing so, you begin each week renewed in your focus to seek first His kingdom while also being better equipped for the sabotage of the enemy.

Seeking Relief

2011-12-16T06:00:00.001-06:00

As we seek relief in our Lord Jesus Christ we must begin at His birth. Not only does the Bible tell us that He was made man like us, but that He so emptied Himself and that He was barely recognized among men. He was a lowly or humble man. There was nothing but a stable and a manger to receive Him. Therefore, we know God’s goodness since He willed that His Son should be humbled for our sakes. The Lord of Glory—Creator of all things—condescending to us.

We should notice that from the time of His birth, He was in such a place that when we seek Him we don’t need to look far to find Him. This is why He willed to be subject to every humiliation and was rejected by men. We should therefore learn to be little ourselves, in order to be received by Him. Big things impress men, while God seems to take pleasure in the small, poor and humble things. It makes sense that there should be conformity between the Head and the body. When we know what we really are, then we may offer ourselves to our Lord Jesus Christ in true humility and then He will recognize us and acknowledge us as His own.

―Pastor Randy Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX

The Word Became Flesh

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” ¹⁶ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” ―John 1:14-18

Prayer

Give us true humility before You and before men, O God. Our inclination is to be proud, self-seeking, and promoting our own image and reputation. Give us insight into our own sinful hearts, and enable us to see how dependent we are upon Your grace. If we are proud, even secretly, or subtly proud, You will oppose us. Enable us to bow humbly before You in the attitude of our hearts. This alone will give us true humility toward our fellow men. May we all humble ourselves before You. AMEN

Advent Action

Secretly (before God) perform a household task that no one likes to do (e.g., clean a toilet, scrub the shower, rake the leaves, etc.).

10th Anniversary

2011-12-15T11:25:00.000-06:00

(Guest Post by Aaron Booth)

It has been a pleasure and a blessing to be married to Amy for the last 10 years. Your worth is far above rubies, and because of you I have no lack of gain.

The Way Things Work Now

2011-12-15T06:00:00.003-06:00

“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become the Sons of God. We do not know...how things would have worked if the human race had never rebelled against God and joined the enemy.... You and I are concerned with the way things work now.” ―C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Adoption as Sons

Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, ² but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. ³ Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. ― Galatians 4:1-7

Prayer

Father, by Your gracious provision You have redeemed us from our bondage to the world, wherein we were guilty and condemned under Your holy law. Not only did You set us free from that bondage but went far beyond our rescue by adopting us and making us Your sons and heirs through our Lord Jesus Christ. You have given us Your Spirit and welcomed us as children. We praise You and thank Your for Your marvelous grace. Amen.

Advent Action

Write down three things that you have in your life that you probably would not have had Christ not come for you and made you his child and heir. Give thanks!

What's It All About?

2011-12-14T06:00:00.003-06:00

People are losing the power to enjoy Christmas through identifying it with enjoyment. When once they lose sight of the old suggestion that it is all about something, they naturally fall into blank pauses of wondering what it is all about. To be told to rejoice on Christmas Day is reasonable and intelligible, if you understand the name, or even look at the word. To be told to rejoice on the twenty-fifth of December is like being told to rejoice at quarter-past eleven on Thursday week. You cannot suddenly be frivolous unless you believe there is a serious reason for being frivolous. ―G.K. Chesterton, “The New War on Christmas,” G. K.’S Weekly, December 26, 1925, Quoted in Brave New Family

The Fullness of God

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. ―Colossians 1:15-20

Prayer

Lord, the Advent and Christmas stories are so deep, their symbols are so rich, and carry such potential for nourishing our faith. Prevent us from adulterating the message with so many cultural accumulations that we lose sight of the heart of Christmas as worship.

Advent Action

Chesterton insisted, “There is not anything that signifies nothing.” Look through your home, noticing some of the main Christmas symbols (Advent calendar and wreath; tree and ornaments; colors of green and red; lights, candles, foods, and traditions). If you have access to the Internet or a public library, research the roots of several of the Christmas symbols or rituals that are most important to you and your family in order to provide a deeper understanding of their meaning. If you cannot discover their true origin, assign a meaning that gives spiritual significance to how you desire to honor the coming of Christ. In the next few days, integrate what you have learned into your prayers.

[From: Advent and Christmas: Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton]

Our Joy and Comfort

2011-12-13T06:00:00.001-06:00

It is our joy and comfort to be united with the Son of God. Do you comprehend what this means? He is our Head—we are His body. From Him we receive our life, our salvation and all good things. In fact, our condition would be incredibly miserable if we were not protected and maintained by Him. We might not recognize it at the moment, but a miserable condition can lay hidden for some time, or we might rationalize the miserable condition away. However, we could not reach up to God, unless Jesus Christ first condescended to us, and He has already approached us in His birth when He clothed Himself in our flesh and made Himself like us. We couldn’t have our current position in Him, Who is seated at the right hand of the Father in glory, unless He first stooped down to us. He was made a real man and assumed a condition in common with us. This is why, when He is called the only “Mediator between God and man.” The term “very man of very man” applied to Him. Also, because He is “very God of very God,” He is called “Emmanuel,” that is, “God with us.”

Pastor Randy Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX

In the Likeness of Men

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” ―Philippians 2:5-11

Prayer

O Lord, we were unable to save ourselves when you sent Your Son into the world. He humbled Himself for our sakes that we might be exalted in Him. Even as we groped for Him, yet He was not far from us. “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:27-18). Indeed, He opened our eyes and turned our hearts that we might lay hold on Him; indeed that we might be united to Him in every way; in His death and in His resurrection. We praise Your for Your saving grace! Amen.

Advent Action

Jesus condescended to us―He became one of us―that He might speak to us in our language. In order to remind ourselves of His reaching down to us, let each of us find a child to commune with. Read them a story, ask them questions, and grant them your undivided attention.

Christin's Quote Book

2011-12-12T06:00:00.011-06:00

Nothing is easier than to keep a secret: there needs no more but to shut one’s mouth. – Unknown
‘Tis not the drinking that is to be blamed, but the excess. – John Selden
If we escape punishment for our vices, why should we complain when we are not rewarded for our virtues? – John C. Collins
Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together. – Oscar Levant
To endeavor to forget anyone is a certain way of thinking of nothing else. – Jean de la Bruyere

One Grand Miracle

2011-12-12T06:00:00.010-06:00

“The Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion being that what is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, came into nature, into human nature, descended into His own universe, and rose again, bringing nature up with Him. It is precisely one great miracle. If you take that away there is nothing specifically Christian left.” ―C.S. Lewis, “The Grand Miracle”

God With Us

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” ―Matthew 1:18-23

Prayer

O Lord, when we were without Christ we were without hope. We were in need of the extraordinary; we were in need of the One Grande Miracle. The incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ rescued us from our helpless condition. Through Him we were delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Col. 1:13). Since He descended, we are now enabled to ascend. Thank You Lord for being with us!

Advent Action

Since we have been made a part of the Body of Christ, we now represent Him to others. Look around you and consider who might be in need of some fresh hope and encouragement. Look for an opportunity to be with them in fellowship, hospitality or even conversation. Don’t forget to pray with them and for them.

Grateful

2011-12-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

The test of all happiness is gratitude; and I felt grateful, though I hardly knew to whom. Children are grateful when Santa Claus puts in their stockings gifts of toys or sweets. Could I not be grateful to Santa Claus when he put in my stockings the gift of two miraculous legs? We thank people for birthday presents of cigars and slippers. Can I thank no one for the birthday present of birth? ―G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Gratitude for Sheer Existence

O LORD, how manifold are your works!

In wisdom you have made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

These all look to you

to give them their food in due season;

when you give to them, they gather it up;

when you open your hand, they are filled with good

things.

When you hide your face, they are dismayed;

when you take away their breath, they die

and return to their dust.

When you send forth your spirit, they are created;

and you renew the face of the ground.

―Psalm 104:24, 27-30

Prayer

Lord, perhaps we are not happier right now because we live life without gratitude. We fret frenetically about what we do not have, thus poisoning our appreciation for what we do have. If we were more attentive to the miracles of legs, hands, eyes, ears, and breath—more alert to our very life—perhaps then we could begin to fathom the gifts of sweets and slippers and give proper thanks. Thank you, God, for everything.

Advent Action

If you keep a journal, list the chief four or five things for which you are grateful today. Now imagine that this day were the only day you were granted to live: what would you most appreciate? Demonstrate your gratitude through some creative act offered to God. Sculpt, draw, or paint a picture; write a poem or story; dance or sing a song. As you allow this act of worship to flower, remember, it is not the quality of the finished product that counts, but your expression of love from a sincere heart. God receives our gifts as we would from our own wide-eyed children. If appropriate, display your finished work somewhere prominently in your home where you can reflect on it as a grateful offering to God.

[From: Advent and Christmas: Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton]

Opened From the Outside

2011-12-10T06:00:00.001-06:00

In the sixteenth chapter of Acts we have two examples of Christ initiating salvation, which is the very thing He said He came to do (i.e., “to save sinners”; 1 Tim. 1:15). In the case of Lydia we read: “Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she and her household were baptized…” (Acts 16:14-15). A few verses later we read the story of how God miraculously opened the prison doors at Philippi, which led to the drama of the conversion of the jailer and his household. “Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. ³⁴ Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household” (Acts 16:29-34). Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was imprisoned and killed by the Nazis for his role in rescuing Jews during WWII said: “A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes... and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.”

Pastor Randy Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX

Set Free

“But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. ¹⁸ And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. ²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹ What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²² But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ―Romans 6:17-23

Prayer

O Lord, we too were imprisoned in our sins, and by Your truth, You set us free. We were redeemed by Your blood; bought with a price. Therefore, we acknowledge that we are not our own but now belong to You. Thank You for coming to rescue us, to shake the earth and open the prison doors; to do what we could not do for ourselves. Amen

Advent Action

Seek out someone who is shut in or alone. Go visit them or take them out for a ride or walk, remembering that Christ came to you when you were alone and in need, and He set you free.

A Terrifying Drama

2011-12-09T06:00:00.001-06:00

So that is the outline of the official story—the tale of the time when God was the underdog and got beaten, when He submitted to the conditions He had laid down and became a man like the men He had made, and the men He had made broke Him and killed Him. This is the dogma we find so dull—this terrifying drama of which God is the victim and hero.

If this is dull, then what, in Heaven's name, is worthy to be called exciting? The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused Him of being a bore; on the contrary, they thought Him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround Him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified Him "meek and mild," and recommended Him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies. ―Dorothy Sayers, Creed of Chaos

Not Worthy of Me

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; ³⁶ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ ³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁹ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” ―Matthew 10;24-39

Prayer

We are thankful, Father, that You sent Your Son to intervene, not only in human history but also in our personal history. As we remember all Your mighty acts, along with Your gracious work of redemption, we also see how men have resisted, indeed, how we have resisted. Nevertheless, Your work of salvation has prevailed. Thank You for dramatically changing the course of our lives and the life of our family. Amen.

Advent Action

Recount stories of how following Christ has dramatically impacted your life and the life of your family. Discuss how your life (or lives) would be different if Christ had not come for you.

Expect Nothing, Enjoy Everything

2011-12-08T06:00:00.003-06:00

It is commonly, in a somewhat cynical sense, that men have said, “Blessed is he that expecteth nothing, for he shall not be disappointed.” It was in a wholly happy and enthusiastic sense that Saint Francis said, “Blessed is he that expecteth nothing, for he shall enjoy everything.” It was by this deliberate idea of starting from zero, from the dark nothingness of his own deserts, that he did come to enjoy them. ―G.K. Chesterton, Saint Francis Of Assisi

The Gift of God

This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot. Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil—this is the gift of God. For they will scarcely brood over the days of their lives, because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts. ―Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Prayer

Lord, our days are short, but we have done nothing to deserve even the few years of life that you give us. Teach us to be grateful for small things—food and drink and work—by remembering your servant Saint Francis, who truly expected nothing and enjoyed everything he had.

Advent Action

Each time you sit down to eat today, pause a little longer than you normally do. Meditate on the words from Ecclesiastes, “it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment.” Allow yourself to fill with thanks, to be thank-full.

[From: Advent and Christmas: Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton]

The Camel and the Needle

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

I know that the most modern manufacture has been really occupied in trying to produce an abnormally large needle. I know that the most recent biologists have been chiefly anxious to discover a very small camel. But if we diminish the camel to his smallest, or open the eye of the needle to its largest—if, in short, we assume the words of Christ to have meant the very least that they could mean, His words must at the very least mean this—that rich men are not very likely to be morally trustworthy....There is one thing that Christ and all the Christian saints have said with a sort of savage monotony. They have said simply that to be rich is to be in peculiar danger of moral wreck. ―G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Nothing Is Impossible With God

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” ―Mark 10:23-27

Prayer

Jesus, you spoke hard words about the rich young ruler. We confess that we are too much like him; together we form a camel train trudging toward the tiniest needle, its speck of an eye. How can we hope to pass through into the kingdom of God? We rely on you, God of the Impossible, and not ourselves. Make us into what you would have us be.

Advent Action

Once when she was asked how much money a person should give away, Mother Teresa answered that we should give until it hurts—and then give some more. You can imagine what a camel would feel like trying to squeeze through the eye of the needle. Perhaps our giving should create commensurate pain. Take a moment and think about the charitable giving that you have done this year. What more can you give away, even after it hurts you?

[From: Advent and Christmas: Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton]

A Man of Delicate Sensibilities

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

God could, had He pleased, have been incarnate in a man of iron nerves, the Stoic sort who lets no sigh escape him. Of His great humility He chose to be incarnate in a man of delicate sensibilities who wept at the grave of Lazarus and sweated blood in Gethsemane. Otherwise we should have missed the great lesson that it is by his will alone that a man is good or bad, and that feelings are not, in themselves, of any importance. We should also have missed the all-important help of knowing that He has faced all that the weakest of us face, has shared not only the strength of our nature but every weakness of it except sin. If He had been incarnate in a man of immense natural courage, that would have been for many of us almost the same as His not being incarnate at all. ― C.S. Lewis

Sympathizing With Our Weakness

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. ― Hebrews 4:14-16

Prayer

O Lord, we are so thankful that, in Your infinite wisdom, You sent us a Savior who is like us and can sympathize with our weakness. We know that He has been where we have been yet without sin, and that as our High Priest He now intercedes for us. It is a great comfort and help to know that we may come boldly to the throne of grace. AMEN.

Advent Action

Find an opportunity to interact with a little child, entering into their world, and seeing things from their perspective. Play with their things; talk their talk; experience their world. They will quickly bond with you and feel comfortable in your presence. In a way, this is what Christ does for us.

The Glory of Genealogy

2011-12-05T06:00:00.006-06:00

Matthew 1 sets before us a summary of God’s glorious covenant faithfulness. This is what we celebrate in every season but especially in the season of advent. People who do genealogical research on their family are sometimes known as “genealogy buffs.” It’s nice for people who like that sort of thing, but different hobbies may hold more interest for others. Nevertheless, God views genealogy in a far more significant light. The Bible loves genealogy, because the Bible loves the concepts of covenant and of community. We’re connected to those behind us, and we’re connected to those ahead of us. People are often bored with their own genealogy, much less someone else’s. Yet the inspired, living word of God does not do what we are tempted to do—it doesn’t skip over the genealogies—it goes on and on and on. The genealogical record is a scrapbook of faithfulness i.e., God’s faithfulness. No matter the sins or intentions of men, the purposes and promises of God stand.

Pastor Randy Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX

Son of David

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” ―Luke 1:31-32

Prayer

Father, we give you thanks for adopting us into Your family, as the Church is the household of God and we have been made members by Your grace. We are grateful for the faithful brothers and sisters who have gone before us and delivered the gospel to us We pray that You would enable us to be likewise faithful as we pass the gospel down to those who come after us. Amen.

Advent Action

Take a look at your own genealogy (as far as you can). Did you come from a long line of believers or are you an example of God’s intervening grace? In either case, you have much to be thankful for. Ask your parents or grandparents to give you some additional background information on your family history. Don’t forget, as a Christian, your covenantal family history is in Christ. You are part of the family of God.

Christin's Quote Book

2011-12-05T06:00:00.001-06:00

Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving in words evidence of the fact. – George Eliot
The time to stop talking is when the other person nods their head affirmatively but says nothing. – Henry S. Haskins
Nothing knits man to man like the frequent passage from hand to hand of cash. – Walter R. Sickert
Before using a fine word, make a place for it. – Joseph Joubert
Praise undeserved is satire in disguise. – Broadhurst

Appreciation

2011-12-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

The aim of life is appreciation; there is no sense in not appreciating things; and there is no sense in having more of them if you have less appreciation of them. ―G.K. Chesterton

Learning Contentment

“I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” ―Philippians 4:11b-13

Prayer

Lord, may we learn what it means to appreciate what we do have instead of constantly stewing over what we do not have. Teach us this secret of contentment that Chesterton and the Apostle Paul knew so well.

Advent Action

Find an ordinary object that you already own and truly value. The object may be as commonplace as a handbag or pair of boots, as homey as a basket or bowl, as symbolic as a book or soccer ball. Place this object as the centerpiece on your table or in a prominent place where you will notice it frequently. Each time it comes to your attention, consider a new way of appreciating it, thanking God for its qualities and the joy it brings you.

[From: Advent and Christmas: Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton]

A House Built on Sand

2011-12-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

“Do not forget this. At first it is natural for a baby to take its mother's milk without knowing its mother. It is equally natural for us to see the man who helps us without seeing Christ behind him. But we must not remain babies. We must go on to recognize the real Giver. It is madness not to. Because, if we do not, we shall be relying on human beings. And that is going to let us down. The best of them will make mistakes: all of them will die. We must be thankful to all the people who have helped us, we must honour them and love them. But never, never pin your whole faith on any human being: not if he is the best and wisest in the whole world. There are lots of nice things you can do with sand; but do not try building a house on it.” ― C.S. Lewis

Good Gifts from Above

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. ¹⁸ Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” ―James 1:16-18

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help us to see behind the gifts that surround us. We are grateful for the people who bless our lives, but we acknowledge that even they are gifts from You. We are especially thankful that You gave us Your Son as the greatest gift of all. AMEN.

Advent Action

Think of three people who have been a great blessing in your life and tell your family members why they have been such a blessing. Write a brief note of thanks and send it to those people if they are still living). Now, thank God for giving them to you.

Starting Off Briskly

2011-12-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

“The Christian story starts off briskly in St. Matthew's account with a place and a date: "When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King."' St. Luke, still more practically and prosaically, pins the thing down by a reference to a piece of government finance. God, he says, was made man in the year when Caesar Augustus was taking a census in connection with a scheme of taxation. Similarly, we might date an event by saying that it took place in the year that Great Britain went off the gold standard. About thirty-three years later (we are informed) God was executed, for being a political nuisance, "under Pontius Pilate" — much as we might say, "when Mr. Joynson-Hicks was Home Secretary." It is as definite and concrete as all that.” ―Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos

In the Flesh

Prayer

O Lord of history, we gladly acknowledge that You are sovereign over all the events of this world and that no one can frustrate Your perfect plan. We worship You for the glory of Your awesome power for that which You have ordained and decreed cannot help but come to pass. In Your wisdom and love You sent forth Your Son into the world―at the right time and place, a real man of flesh and blood―to bear our sins in His body on the cross. For this, we are eternally grateful. Amen.

Advent Action

Pay a visit to someone who is alone and in need of physical companionship. Hold their hand or embrace them as you offer them the comforting words of Scripture and pray with them.

Adam, Eve and Advent

2011-12-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

Perhaps even Adam and Eve celebrated advent. Immediately after the fall of man, God promises to send His Son. God said to Satan: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15). From that point forward, Adam and Eve must have anticipated the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Savior. God keeps all of His promises because it is His nature to be a covenant-keeping God. And so, the coming of Christ was a fait accompli. “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Deut. 7:9). From then on, all of God’s people trusted in His promise and looked ahead to that glorious day of His coming. Abraham saw Christ’s day and rejoiced (John 8:56).

Pastor Randy Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX

All in God’s Time

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” ―Galatians 4:4-7

Prayer

O Lord, we thank You for Your faithfulness; that You keep all Your promised to us. We have difficulty in keeping all of our promises. Help us, we pray, to imitate You by keeping our word even when it is difficult to do so. May we “swear to our own hurt and not change,” for You have promised to bless those who do (Ps. 15:4). As You promised a Savior to our first parents, even so, in Your good time You brought it to pass for our eternal good and Your eternal glory. Amen.

Advent Action

Reflect on the promises you have made to God (in your baptism), to your spouse (in your marriage covenant), to your church and to your family. Renew in your heart your life-long commitment to these promises even as Jesus promised to never leave us or forsake us.

Mirrors of Christ

2011-11-30T06:00:00.003-06:00

Men are mirrors, or “carriers” of Christ to other men. Sometimes unconscious carriers. This “good infection” can be carried by those who have not got it themselves. People who were not Christians themselves helped me to Christianity. But usually it is those who know Him that bring Him to others. That is why the Church, the whole body of Christians showing Him to one another, is so important. ― C.S. Lewis

Letting Your Light Shine

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” ―Matthew 5:16

Prayer

O Lord, as You sent Christ to the world, so now You send us to represent Him; to reflect His image; to show His love. Having been engrafted into His Body by our baptism, help us to remember that we are always in Him and that we are always being watched by the world. Amen.

Advent Action

At night, turn out all the lights and sit in the darkness for a few moments. Then turn on one lamp and see what a difference one light makes. Remember, like Christ, you are a light to the world.

Eternity Steps Into Time

2011-11-29T06:00:00.003-06:00

Jesus came into the world to enable God to take on the likeness of a man, in order that thenceforth men and women might be encouraged to aspire after the likeness of God. Eternity steps into Time, and Time loses itself in Eternity. Hence Jesus; in the eyes of God a man, and in the eyes of men and women; God.

In humanistic times such as ours, a young woman would regard a message from the Angel Gabriel that she might expect to give birth to a son to be called the Son of the Highest as ill-tidings of great sorrow and a slur on the local family planning center. As a matter of fact under existing conditions it is extremely improbable that Jesus would have been permitted to be born. Mary's pregnancy, in poor circumstances, and with the father unknown, would have been an obvious case for an abortion; and her talk of having conceived by the Holy Spirit would have pointed to the need for psychiatric treatment, and made the case for terminating her pregnancy even stronger. Our generation, needing a saviour more, perhaps, than any ever other, would be too humane to allow one to be born, too enlightened to permit the light of the world to shine in its darkness.

It was precisely to replenish the world's stock of faith that the Bethlehem birth took place. Seen with the eyes of faith, the shepherds rejoice, wise men prostrate and offer gifts, the very stars rearranged to guide them. Seen with the eyes of faith everything falls perfectly in place, faith being the key which enables us to decipher God's otherwise inscrutable communications.

―Malcom Muggeridge, Jesus - the Man who Lives

The Magnificat

46 And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;

For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,

And holy is His name.

50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him

From generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with His arm;

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

And exalted the lowly.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things,

And the rich He has sent away empty.

54 He has helped His servant Israel,

In remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

―Luke 1:46-55

Prayer

Father, we thank You for sending Your Son to take on our flesh; to be our Mediator and Savior. We are grateful for Your faithful servant, Mary, who remembered Your covenant promises and who, by faith, walk with You and delivered Her son and our Lord. Teach us to know and remember Your promises to us and grant us the faith to see beyond the moment and to stand firmly on Your word. Amen.

Advent Action

List tree promises from God’s word that provide comfort and hope to you and your family.

Trading Mirth for Madness

2011-11-28T06:00:00.007-06:00

"You cannot be too solemn about golf to be a good golfer; you can be a great deal too solemn about Christianity to be a good Christian. You may put into your neckties solemnity, and nothing but solemnity, because neckties are not the whole of your life—at least, I hope not. But in anything that does cover the whole of your life—in your philosophy and your religion—you must have mirth. If you do not have mirth you will certainly have madness." ―G.K. Chesterton, Lunacy and Letters

Humility

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ―Romans 12:3

Prayer

Grant us, O God who hung the stars, a holy sense of humor akin to humility; that having a sane estimate of who we are in Christ and who Christ is as your Son, we might allow ourselves and others to try and to fail. Let us walk humbly today. And let humility grow in us habits of patience, kindness, and love—love that is not irritable, or arrogant, or resentful, or rude.

Advent Action

Bless someone this week for the love of Christ through an act of service done in kindness and humility. Take out the trash every night; fix something for someone; rake leaves or shovel snow for a neighbor; offer to baby-sit for a friend. Smile while you work—especially at yourself. While you are “doing your good deed,” repeat a Christmas verse or a line from a carol as a prayer.

[From: Advent and Christmas: Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton]

Christin's Quote Book

2011-11-28T06:00:00.006-06:00

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. – Herm Albright
Fortune does not change men; it unmasks them – Suzanne Necker
If you speak the truth, have a foot in the stirrup. – Turkish proverb
They always talk who never think. – Matthew Prior
There are two ways of telling the truth: anonymously and posthumously. – Thomas Sowell

The Origins of Advent

2011-11-27T06:00:00.015-06:00

This is the first Sunday of the Advent season, which marks the beginning of the new Church year. Happy New Year! Advent is an individual, ecclesiastical, and national liturgy, but as is true of all liturgy or form, it can point to a true or a false declaration. There is much in the national liturgy that points away from the advent of Christ. Is this a season which simply culminates in the Christian equivalent of “Independence day”; another paid holiday; another day off; another day or season of self-indulgence, or should we see the annual celebration of Advent as much more? This is the season that marks the days leading up to the moment in history when God became a man, celebrating the greatest gift ever given.

A Sense of History and a Sense of Destiny

We must know where we have come from if we’re to have any hope of knowing where we’re going. This is why our doctrine of origins is so vitally important. I’m not simply speaking of the origins of the Christmas holiday, but of what lies behind it. So, what is the origin of the advent of Jesus Christ, and how important is the advent?

The Advent Story is the Most Ancient Story

It’s not simply an isolated story alongside many other stories, it’s the central story around which all else revolves. To miss it, is to miss everything. It’s a story that starts before human history began, since Christ was “the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4). “Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM’ ” (John 8:58). It’s a story that embraces all of human history, for we were “chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.” Human history is the story of redemption. Moreover, it’s a story that is still being told. This is the good news—the Gospel—God delivering on His promise. To understand this story is to understand where we came from, where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.

Pastor Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX

Object of Love

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” ―John 3:16

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” ―1 John 4:9-11

Prayer

O Lord, as we enter a new Church year help us to refocus our attention on Your greatest gift to us, Your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Establish in us an awareness of His presence and His importance for our whole life. May we come to think of our own lives in terms of His life and sacrifice for us. Remind us that He came to save us from our sins, to reconcile us to You, and transform us into His image. AMEN.

Advent Action
Give an unexpected gift to someone this advent season (you don’t have to wait for Christmas Day). The gift doesn’t have to be expensive (it can be homemade); but your gift should be thoughtful. Giving, in imitation of God, is an act of love.

Happy New Year!

2011-11-26T06:55:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow starts the new Church year. I have previously offered a collection of Advent/Christmas Readings (which has been updated for 2011), and which you can download HERE. Since some of you have used these readings in the past, I plan to offer a new set of daily readings this year on the blog. I will write some of them and others will be taken from noted writers like Chesterton, Lewis, Sayers, Muggeridge, etc. Each reading will begin with a devotional thought, followed by a Scripture reading, prayer and suggested advent action. I hope these will be useful to you and your family.

Advent is a period of great anticipatory joy—it’s a time of preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem as a helpless infant. In the Western liturgy, Advent begins four Sundays prior to December 25—the Sunday closest to November 30. Because Christmas falls on a different day of the week each year, the number of days varies from year-to-year. This year, since Christmas is on a Sunday, the Advent Season is at its longest (28 days).

Permission Granted

2011-11-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

I have faults, short-comings, quirks, failures, oddities, annoyances, inconsistencies, immaturities, insecurities and disappointments. Oh, and I’m a big sinner too. There, I said it, and I hereby grant you permission to say it about me as well. That’s right, you can talk about me; you can even talk about me even behind my back. You’re likely going to do it anyway and probably already have (if you know me). That’s what people do; they talk about people. Now I don’t want to unduly surprise you, but folks are talking about you as well. They do it a lot. You’re an interesting person, and we want to figure you out; we want to learn from you, even from your shortcomings. In some ways (perhaps), we want to be more like you. In other ways, we hope to avoid being like you. This is one of the reasons God puts us in families, churches and communities. We learn a lot from one another; positively and negatively.

Now, with that permission granted, I do have a few guidelines for your conversation about me. As you talk about my sins (and other deficiencies), please do not sin yourself.

Speak the truth, but speak it in love (Eph. 4:15).
Make sure your criticisms are constructive (Eph. 4:29).
If you’re angry with me, come see me soon (Eph. 4:26), I don’t want the devil to get between us and hurt our relationship. You can talk to me about me.
Allow yourself no gossip, giving or receiving (1 Tim. 5:13).
Guard your heart, remember grace, mercy and kindness, and grant me the benefit of the doubt (Eph. 4:31-32).

An Act of Thanksgiving to God for Great Blessings

2011-11-24T07:33:00.000-06:00

O God, it is good to be alive, and numbered with

the men whom thou hast made:

and

I thank thee for thy gift of life.

O God, it is good to have the power of thought, and
to seek and learn and know:
and
I thank thee for thy gift of mind.

O God, it is good to dwell beneath the sun in the
world which is thy handiwork:
and
I thank thee for earth's beauty, and thy rule
within its laws.

O God, it is good to come to each new day, and to
find the passing years a cure for wounds innumerable,
and
I thank thee for the ministries of time.

O God, it is good to count in word and deed
for ends beyond our own:
and
I thank thee for thy use of me if I have been
of any service to thy purposes.

O God, it is good to rejoice and to be glad,
and
I thank thee for each person, for each experience of life,
that has brought me happiness.

O God, it is good to feel the disciplines
that school the spirit,
and
I thank thee for the trials and troubles
which have wrought in me some hardihood of soul.

O God, it is good to have thine everlasting arms
beneath us,
and
I thank thee now for all thy mercies,
both temporal and spiritual,
those I have known, those I have not recognized,
wherewith thou hast upheld me in
thy wisdom, power, and love.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him, all creatures here below;

Praise him above, ye heav'nly host:

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

―Miles Lowell Yates (1890-1956)

Deep Grace

2011-11-23T08:04:00.002-06:00

To be gracious is nice, attractive and pleasant. But to extend true grace (in the biblical sense), is far deeper than a mere social grace; it’s even more than undeserved favor. We’ve all been the recipients of kindness or gifts that were not particularly deserved; blessings that seem to come from nowhere. For these we should be grateful and, as a matter of course, we should frequently be the source of such blessings to family, friends and strangers. Deep grace takes it several steps further; this kind of grace is ill-deserved favor. It’s what Jesus extends to His people on the cross. He shows favor to those who have really offended and sinned against Him, and He shows that favor at His own expense.

⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. ―Romans 5:6-11

If the offended God, who is holy and perfect, can extend His grace (His ill-deserved favor) to sinners like us, then what should we, the recipients of such grace, extend to those who have sinned against us? Are we full of His deep grace? This has some very practical applications for all of us. As imitators of our heavenly Father, we should be the picture of deep grace. We should be people who are not primarily concerned about demanding justice for ourselves, but rather extending grace―ill-deserved favor―toward those who have offended us. That’s not to say that offenders should not repent of their sins, confess them, and ask for forgiveness (that does make reconciliation much easier). Godly grace, however, lays down its life even while the sin is still present; it takes the hit; it pays the price. Grace is motivated by love for the object of grace. It’s a sacrifice (which is what love is); it’s a free gift for the good of its recipient. The giving of this kind of grace is an act of self-denial in pursuit of peace. Jesus was our Peace Offering. He bore our sins in His body. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). When the grace comes first (as it did with Christ), then it is common for the sinner to come to see his sins in the light of grace.

This is an issue that comes up repeatedly in all of our lives. In a fallen world there are lots of sins and sinners. We are offenders and we are sometimes the offended. And so we must regularly ask: Who do you need to be reconciled with and what price are you willing to pay to accomplish that reconciliation? What price did Christ pay to be reconciled with you?

³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. ^5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. ―Ephesians 4:30-32―5:1-2

Loving the Real Jesus

2011-11-22T06:00:00.001-06:00

It’s fairly easy to love the abstract, invisible Jesus. He never gets in the way; He never tells us what to do; and He’s there when we need Him. Of course, this is the Jesus of our imagination, not the Jesus that reveals Himself in the Bible.

Now the real Jesus expects considerably more. He calls us to things like sacrifice, suffering and self-denial. He places us in His Body; a Body of real people with names and personalities and He insists that we love them, and forgive them, and put up with them, and honor them, etc. Moreover, Jesus says that there are two primary ways that people will know that we love Him. First, if we love Him we keep His commandments” (John 14:14), and His commandments are not burdensome to us (1 John 5:3). All of His commandments are concerned with loving God and loving our neighbors. Second, we love Him when we love one another (John 13:35). The invisible realities of the heart are always seen: “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? ²¹ And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21).

The Bible gives us some powerful metaphors that teach us how we’re to express our love for Jesus. The first one is seen how we conduct ourselves as members in the household of God (Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15). This is not the invisible church, but the church where you’re a member; the place where people have names and faces; even the ones that are hard to love. We love Jesus when we love His Body. The second metaphor is similar, in that we are to love the bride of Christ, (which is the Church). Now she still has spots and blemishes, but Jesus is at work removing those and is busy beautifying His bride (Eph. 5:25-27). A third picture of our love for Jesus is seen in how we treat His brethren. Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matt. 25:40).

All the expressions of love (i.e., sacrifice), that are shown toward those in the church are the true expression of love for Jesus; anything less is less. In other words, if we don’t love the church (i.e., the Body, the bride, the household), then we don’t really love Jesus at all.

Christin's Quote Book

2011-11-21T06:00:00.002-06:00

Before borrowing money from a friend, decide which you need most. – Unknown
Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not re-heat his sins for breakfast. – Marlene Dietrich
It’s a sad house where the hen crows louder than the cock. – Scottish Proverb
The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it emotionally. – Flannery O’Connor
Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills. – Minna Antrim

Under Orders

2011-11-20T06:00:00.001-06:00

"It was not accident that brought Rebecca to the well to welcome Abraham's servant (Gen. 24), or that sent Joseph into Egypt (Gen. 45:8; 50:20: 'God meant it for good'), or guided Pharaoh's daughter to the ark among the flags (Ex. 2), or that, later, directed the millstone that crushed Abimelech's head (Judges 9:53). or winged the arrow shot at a venture to smite the king in the joints of the armor (I Kings 22:34). Every historical event is rather treated as an item in the orderly carrying out of an underlying Divine purpose; and the historian is continually aware of the presence in history of Him who gives even to the lightning a charge to strike the mark (Job 36:32)."

―B.B. Warfield

Cap-Maker

2011-11-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Apostle Paul instructs Pastor Timothy in some of his tasks as a pastor when he says to him (and to all pastors): “reprove, rebuke and exhort will all longsuffering and instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2). As ministers of the Word and Sacraments this pastoral work comes in many forms: from the pulpit, the lectern, articles and books, and in this case, a pastoral blog. Reproof, rebuke and exhortation involves both positive and negative words, all of which have as their goal the formative (positive) discipline in the lives of God’s people. Most issues cut across the board, but certainly some will apply more or less to a given individual at a particular time. Sometimes we’ll be reminded of what we already know, sometimes we’ll be convicted, and sometimes we’ll feel encouraged. Each of these, when received with a humble heart, will move us forward in our sanctification.

Charles Spurgeon wrote a couple of books titled: John Ploughman’s Talks, and John Ploughman’s Pictures. In the preface to the latter volume, he said: “Ploughman is a name I may justly claim. Every minister has put his hand to the plow; and it is his business to break up the fallow ground.” Here is a sample of his opening chapter:

Last time I made a book I trod on some people’s corns and bunions, and they wrote me angry letters, asking, “Did you mean me?” This time, to save them the expense of a halfpenny card, I will begin my book by saying

Whether I please or whether I tease,

I’ll give you my honest mind;

If the cap should fit, pray wear it a bit,

If not, you can leave it behind.

No offence is meant; but if anything in these pages should come home to a man, let him not send it next door, but get a coop for his own chickens. What is the use of reading or hearing for other people? We do not eat and drink for them: why should we lend them our ears and not our mouths? Please then, good friend, if you find a hoe on these premises, weed your own garden with it…. so, though I am not a hatter, I will again turn cap-maker, and those who have heads may try on my wares; those who have none won’t touch them.

It's Dominion We're After

2011-11-18T06:00:00.001-06:00

But it is dominion that we are after.
Not just a voice.
It is dominion we are after.
Not just influence.
It is dominion we are after.
Not just equal time.
It is dominion we are after.
World conquest.
That's what Christ has
commissioned us to accomplish.
We must win the world
with the power of the Gospel.
And we must never settle
for anything less.
―George Grant

How Do You Look? Changing the Inside First (3 of 3)

2011-11-17T06:00:00.002-06:00

God’s Work of Changing Us Begins Where it is the Ugliest and Most Corrupt:

He renews our hearts “...by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)
He renews our minds, (Rom. 12; Eph. 4)
He makes us new creatures, (2 Cor. 5:17)
He conforms us to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29)
We are His workmanship (Eph. 2:10)

God Changes the Outside Last:

“As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake.” (Ps. 17:15)
“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.” (1 John 3:2)

Conclusion

We might go on focusing on the outside. We might impress our friends. And we might even deceive ourselves. But until we own-up to what we look like on the inside we can never be helped. If we ever get a glimpse of how ugly we really are, then we will flee to the only remedy which is Christ.

The mirror of the heart is God’s Word:

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:23-25)
“Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter)
“Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Then stand back and see God’s transforming grace! He will take the dirty and make it clean. He will take the ugly and make it beautiful.

How Do You Look? The Inside Story (2 of 3)

2011-11-16T06:00:00.007-06:00

We may make light of the physical since in reality it’s the least of our problems. But when we pull back the curtain of our physical bodies, there’s no more room for light-heartedness. Suddenly, things become dark and serious, and we stand naked before God.

Scripture Paints an Ugly Picture of Us

Heart: “The heart is more deceitful than all else an is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer.17:9); “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceeds the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” (Mark 7:21-23)
Mouth and tongue: “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6)
Mind: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor: 4:4)
Feet: “Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths.” (Rom. 3:15-16)
Thoughts and intentions: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Gen. 6:5)
The whole body: “And you were dead in trespasses and sins.” (Eph. 2:1)
General: “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19); “Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Rom 8:7-8)

The Bible is Describing Each of Us

This is not just some people, somewhere, a long time ago, this is the mirror that exposes each of us for what we are on the inside. We spend a lot of time trying to impress other people, but God is not impressed.

“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?” (John 5:44)
“For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends” (2 Cor. 10:18).
“For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor.4 :7)
“Then it came about when they entered, that he looked at Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam.16:6)

You can wash and powder a hog, but he's still a hog.

How Do You Look? (1 of 3)

2011-11-15T06:00:00.002-06:00

You’re Standing in Front of The Mirror:

Hair: too curly, too strait, too thick, too thin, wrong color, or perhaps you just don’t have any.
Face: too round, too long, lopsided, nose is crooked, ears stick out, lips too thick or thin.
Body: too tall, too short, to fat, too skinny, legs too long, no neck, sway-backed, hunch-backed, pigeon-toed, knock-kneed, or bow-legged.
General: something is either too big or too little, or you have a blemish, or a scar, or perhaps a birthmark that looks like a pig in the middle of your back.
Other: you’re clumsy, slow, weak, dumb, or born without a personality.

Even These “So-called” Physical Defects Come From God

“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker; an earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’...” (Isa. 45:9)
“And the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I the Lord?’“ (Ex. 4:11)

We may kid around a bit about all this, but the truth of the matter is that many are quite angry with God concerning the hand they’ve been dealt. But this body is but a dim reminder of our real condition. If your body and mind were suddenly made perfect they couldn’t remain that way for a moment. The reason being that the body is but a container, and the container is affected by that which it holds.

Christin's Quote Book

2011-11-14T06:00:00.002-06:00

Work as if you didn’t need the money, love as if you’ve never been hurt, and dance as if no one’s watching. – Unknown
Our names are labels, plainly printed on the bottled essence of our past behavior. – Logan Pearsall Smith
Men show their character in nothing more than by what they think laughable. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Popularity? It’s glory’s small change. – Victor Hugo
The fruits of philosophy are the important thing, not the philosophy itself. When we ask the time, we don’t want to know how watches are made. – Georg Christopher Lichtenburg

How May God Be Known?

2011-11-14T06:00:00.001-06:00

“How can we discover whether there is a God at all? I have something rather simple to say about that question at the very start. It is something that seems to me to be rather obvious, and yet it is something that is quite generally ignored. It is simply this—that if we are really to know anything about God it will probably be because God has chosen to tell it to us. Many persons seem to go on a very different assumption. They seem to think that if they are to know anything about God they must discover God for themselves. That assumption seems to me to be extremely unlikely. Just supposing for the sake of argument that there is a being of such a kind as that He may with any propriety be called “God,” it does seem antecedently very improbable that weak and limited creatures of a day, such as we are, should discover Him by our own efforts without any will on His part to make Himself known to us. At least, I think we can say that a god who could be discovered in that way would hardly be worth discovering. A mere passive subject of human investigation is certainly not a living God who can satisfy the longing of our souls... A divine being that could be discovered by my efforts, apart from His gracious will to reveal Himself to me and to others, would be either a mere name for a certain aspect of man’s own nature, a God that we could find within us, or else at best a mere passive thing that would be subject to investigation like the substances that are analyzed in a laboratory. I think we ought to stick to that principle rather firmly. I think we ought to be rather sure that we cannot know God unless God has been pleased to reveal Himself to us.”

―J. Gresham Machen, The Christian Faith in the Modern World

Progress and the Fall

2011-11-13T06:00:00.001-06:00

Without the doctrine of the Fall all idea of progress is unmeaning. [Some] say that there was not a Fall but a gradual rise. But the very word "rise" implies that you know toward what you are rising. Unless there is a standard you cannot tell whether you are rising or falling. But the main point is that the Fall like every other large path of Christianity is embodied in the common language talked on the top of an omnibus. Anybody might say, "Very few men are really Manly." Nobody would say, "Very few whales are really whaley."

If you wanted to dissuade a man from drinking his tenth whisky you would slap him on the back and say, "Be a man." No one who wished to dissuade a crocodile from eating his tenth explorer would slap it on the back and say, "Be a crocodile." For we have no notion of a perfect crocodile; no [record] of a whale expelled from his whaley Eden. If a whale came up to us and said: "I am a new kind of whale; I have abandoned whalebone," we should not trouble. But if a man came up to us...to say, "I am a new kind of man. I am the super-man. I have abandoned mercy and justice"; we should answer, "Doubtless you are new, but you are not nearer to the perfect man, for he has been already in the mind of God. We have fallen with Adam and we shall rise with Christ; but we would rather fall with Satan than rise with you."

―G.K. Chesterton

Cutting Across the Lines

2011-11-12T06:00:00.001-06:00

“In the church at Antioch the Christians included Jews and Gentiles and reached all the way from Herod’s foster brother to the slaves; and the naturally proud Greek Christian Gentiles of Macedonia showed a practical concern for the material needs of the Christian Jews in Jerusalem. The observable and practical love among true Christians that the world has a right to be able to observe in our day certainly should cut without reservation across such lines as language, nationalities, national frontiers, younger and older, colors of skin, levels of education and economics, accent, line of birth, the class system in any particular society, dress, short or long hair among whites and African and non-African hairdos among blacks, the wearing of shoes and the non-wearing of shoes, cultural differentiations and the more traditional and less traditional forms of worship.”

―Francis Schaeffer, The Church at the End of the 20th Century, p. 140.

The Hot Tub Experience

2011-11-11T06:00:00.004-06:00

“…the hot tub experience is sensuous, relaxing, floppy, laid-back: not in any way demanding... but very, very nice, even to the point of being great fun.”

“Many today want Christianity to be like that, and labor to make it so. The ultimate step, of course, would be to clear church auditoriums of seats and install hot tubs in their place; then there would never be any attendance problems....”

“But if there were no more to our Christianity than hot tub factors—a self-absorbed hedonism of relaxation and happy feelings, while dodging tough tasks, unpopular stances, and exhausting relationships—we should fall short of biblical God-centeredness and the cross-bearing life to which Jesus calls us, and advertise to the world nothing more than our own decadence.”

―J.I. Packer

Church Attendance (10 of 10)

2011-11-10T06:00:00.003-06:00

From a piece written by Greg L. Bahnsen, titled: “Is It Our Moral Obligation to Attend Church?”

Assembling For, and Participating in, Worship is Explicitly Required

The New Testament normative pattern, then, is for God’s people to gather together on the Lord’s day as “the church” for the specific purpose of worship as defined by God’s word (praise, corporate prayer, hymns, Scripture reading, authoritative preaching, and the Lord’s Supper) under the oversight of the elders.

It is nothing less than the moral obligation of believers to attend these worship assemblies and not have other interests or activities take priority over them―precisely because assembling for worship is a matter of obedience to God’s word, rather than personal discretion.

The New Testament, no less than the Old, requires us to assemble for the purpose of worship. This was the apostolic pattern, as we see in these words: “If therefore the whole church be assembled together..., so he will fall down and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed” (1 Cor. 14:23-25).

The New Testament explicitly commands that we not voluntarily absent ourselves from the church’s recognized gathering for ordained worship. “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another” (Heb. 10:24-25).

When we miss attending the church’s worship service or do not participate in its activities, we are not living up to the Scriptural command for us to stand together in worship: “that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:6; cf. Eph. 5:19-21). It is expected that believers will regularly partake of the Lord’s Supper (Jn. 6:53; 1 Cor. 10:17; 11:24-26), and when it is served, the New Testament exhorts believers to (examine themselves and thereby) actually participate in the eating and drinking (1 Cor. 11:27-28).

We conclude by seeing, therefore, that congregational worship is not a matter of entertainment and personal discretion (e.g. "shall we go to church or brunch this morning?"). Nor is it an informal get-together with other Christian friends where religious activities take place (e.g., "we met at their house, sang together and prayed"). God's holy and authoritative word says more.

Scripture makes it our moral obligation not to forsake the assembling of God's flock "as the church" for the specific purpose of corporate worship, as defined by the Lord, under the leading of the shepherds. If we profess to obey Him in all things, let us not be lax or self-willed especially at this important point! It is the highest privilege of the Christian to stand with fellow believers as God's redeemed people, in His presence, to render to Him the praise, adoration and worship which are due to His name. It is preparation for eternity.

[1] The Old Testament festivals of firstfruits and pentecost (looking forward to Christ's resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit) were celebrated on the first day of the week (Lev.23:11, 16, 35, 39). Likewise, the new creation began on the first day of the week, having been brought about by Christ's resurrection from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20-28; 2 Cor. 5:17; Col. 1:13-19).

2.That is, a time of instruction based upon God's revealed word. This entails a number of things, including:

(1) "exhortation" (PARAKLASIS; Rom. 12:8; 1 Tim. 4:13; 1 Thess. 2:3; cf. Acts 13:15; 1 Cor. 14:3; Heb. 13:22), which involves beseeching men in earnest (e.g., Rom. 12:1; 2 Cor. 5:20);

(2) "teaching" (didasko; Acts 18:11; 1 Tim. 4:13; 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:2; cf. 1 Cor. 14:9), which includes authoritatively laying down the truth (1 Tim. 4:6) and delivering commands (1 Tim. 4:11); and

(3) "proclamation" (karusso) - a word which was used to cover a wide variety of discourses; the preaching of the prophets to God's people (Joel 2:1 LXX), synagogue lessons among the Jews (Acts 15:21; Rom. 2:21; cf. Lk. 4:19, 21; Mk. 1:39; Acts 9:20), evangelistic heralding to unbelievers (Matt. 4:17; 20:7, 27; Lk. 24:47; Acts 8:5; 1 Cor. 1:23), and the declarations of the full theological system to believers (Acts 20:20, 25, 27), proclamations within the Christian assembly (2 Cor. 11:4), words entailing comfort and exhortation among converts (1 Thess. 2:9-14) or against heresy in the congregation (1 Cor. 15:11ff.), and pastoral addresses to professing believers who are tempted to turn away from sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:2-4).

The recent, novel opinion that authoritative preaching of a sermon (exhortation or lesson monologue) is inappropriate within a Christian assembly of believers has no linguistic or theological basis in Scripture, as we see above. Note the example of Paul in Acts 20:7-9. We read that he "discoursed"; according to Kettle, the Greek word refers here to "the delivering of religious lectures." Further, we read that Paul continued his "speech" past midnight; the Greek word (LOGOS) does not (especially unqualified, in the singular, and with definite article) mean dialogue or joint discussion, but an individual's oral presentation, message, or statement (cf. Mk. 2:2; Matt. 15:12; Lk. 1:39; Jn. 4:41; Acts 10:44; 15:32).

Church Attendance (9 of 10)

2011-11-09T06:00:00.002-06:00

From a piece written by Greg L. Bahnsen, titled: “Is It Our Moral Obligation to Attend Church?”

Worship Assemblies are Not Just Any Gathering of Believers

In the New Testament, those assemblies which constituted the corporate worship of God were understood as something clearly distinct from informal household fellowship and eating, even though the worship assembly may have been in an actual home. Paul distinguishes between “the Lord’s Supper” at the assembly and the ordinary meals in one’s house (1 Cor. 11:20, 22).

Being in “the church” at worship is, thus, something more than any normal gathering with other believers―even if at the gathering we engage in eating, singing, and prayer. This is evident from the way Paul speaks, for instance, in 1 Corinthians 14:35. He differentiates the situation of a woman asking question at “church” from her asking them “at home.”

Moreover, despite the fact that “the church” is the body of believers (i.e. the people), Paul uses the following language: “it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church.” The expression “in the church” cannot mean within any gathering of believers, or else women would be prohibited from ever speaking when other Christians are present! “In the church” obviously denotes the assembly of believers for the special purpose of ordained worship.

Worship assemblies for Christians are to be characterized by good order, not confusion (1 Cor. 14:26, 33, 40). Thus New Testament congregational worship is led and governed by the overseers (elders who “take care of the Church of God,” 1 Tim. 3:4-5). That this is the rule for New Testament worship is illustrated by the fact that Paul wrote to deliver instructions for the life of the church, including its corporate worship services, to pastors like Timothy (e.g. 1 Tim. 2:1,8,11; 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2).

These pastoral letters had as one of their purposes that men “may know how they ought to conduct themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God” (1 Tim. 3:15). In short, the assembling of God’s flock is under the oversight of the shepherds (1 Peter 5:-12) who “preside” over it in all matters, including worship (1 Thess. 5:12-13; Acts 20:28).

Church Attendance (8 of 10)

2011-11-08T06:00:00.004-06:00

From a piece written by Greg L. Bahnsen, titled: “Is It Our Moral Obligation to Attend Church?”

The New Testament Normative Example

Regarding the Old Testament Sabbath, New Testament believers confess that Jesus Christ is “the Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). In the New Testament age, it is thus appropriately called “the Lord’s day” (Rev. 1:10). Scripture shows that since the Lord’s resurrection, this day has been changed from the last to the first day of the week. The Old Testament festivals of firstfruits and Pentecost (looking forward to Christ’s resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit) were celebrated on the first day of the week (Lev.23:11, 16, 35, 39). Likewise, the new creation began on the first day of the week, having been brought about by Christ’s resurrection from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20-28; 2 Cor. 5:17; Col. 1:13-19).

Regarding the Old Testament temple, New Testament believers confess that they themselves now constitute “the temple of God” wherein God’s Spirit dwells (1 Cor. 3:16-17; Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Pet. 2:5). The outward trappings of Old Covenant worship have changed in the days of the New Covenant. The basic moral obligation of “holy convocation” has not.

The early church of Jesus Christ regularly gathered together as “God’s temple” for corporate worship, daily at first (Acts 2:46) and eventually weekly on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2), “the Lord’s day.” The early church did not break with the long standing requirement, revealed previously in God’s word, for believers to participate in worship assemblies―even when they saw their New Covenant practice (outwardly changed) against the background of the Old Covenant pattern.

The priestly ritual of the temple has passed away, to be sure; yet, God’s New Covenant people looked at their practice of worship in the light of it. For instance, “through Him (Christ) then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to His name” (Heb. 13:15), or again “you are a spiritual house for a holy preisthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

From various indications in the New Testament we learn what constitutes the congregational worship of the New Covenant people of God. It includes at least the following items:

1. Praise to God (Heb. 13:15; 1 Peter 2:9 [Is. 43:21]),

2. Corporate Prayer (1 Tim. 2:8; Cf. Phil. 4:6)

3. With Congregational Amens (1 Cor. 14:16),

4. Hymns (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19),

5. Scripture Reading (Col. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:27; 1 Tim. 4:13),

6. Preaching (1 Tim. 4:6-16; 2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 20:7-9).

7. The Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42; 20:7; Cf. 1 Cor. 11:20).

We should remember that God’s word is normative for us; it is a law, even when not prefaced with a formula such as “Thou shalt do...” What we find in the New Testament practice of worship, accordingly, is the standard of worship to which we must adhere.

Worship is defined, not by personal whims and religious imagination, but solely by the revealed word of God (cf. Col. 2:23). Thus the second commandment forbids us to devise, use, or approve of any religious worship which is not instituted by God Himself―as well as prohibiting us from neglecting, or taking away from, that worship which God has ordained (Ex. 20:4-6; cf. Lev. 10:1; Deut. 4:2; 32:46; Matt. 15:9; 28:20).

Therefore, our obligation to gather with God’s people for worship must be understood and measured by the elements of New Testament worship set forth above. If we are doing what God requires of His people, we engage in worship assemblies which are characterized by praise, corporate prayer, hymns, Bible reading, authoritative preaching, and the sacraments.

Piney Woods Family Camp 2011

2011-11-07T18:59:00.000-06:00

What a great weekend at our Piney Woods Family Camp! I’m beyond blessed with such a faithful congregation. All the other families from our CREC Texas congregations (and our Louisiana friends) are also a tremendous encouragement. Thanks to everyone who participated and helped make it a success and a joy. It’s a privilege to worship and serve with such folks!

Christin's Quote Book

2011-11-07T06:00:00.005-06:00

This review is a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham. – Review of a Woody Allen movie
May those that love us love us, and those that don’t love us, may God turn their hearts. And if He does not turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles, so we’ll know them by their limping. – Old Gaelic song
People hate those who make them feel their own inferiority. – Lord Chesterfield
The gentle mind by gentle deeds is known. For a man by nothing is so well betrayed as by his manners. – Edmund Spenser
Man only can be aware of the insensibility of man towards a new gown. It would be mortifying to the feelings of many ladies could they be made to understand how little the heart of man is affected by what is costly or new in their attire. – Jane Austen

Church Attendance (7 of 10)

2011-11-07T06:00:00.004-06:00

From a piece written by Greg L. Bahnsen, titled: “Is It Our Moral Obligation to Attend Church?”

Old Testament Law, Piety, and Prophets

The Mosaic law commanded God’s people to gather together for corporate worship and the hearing of God’s word (e.g., Deut. 12:5-12; 31:11-12). Indeed, the law of God required that the weekly Sabbath in particular be a “holy convocation” (Lev. 23:3). Regardless of outward circumstances (e.g., seventh-day Sabbath, a localized central tabernacle), the worship required in the Old Testament law entailed the basic moral element of assembling with God’s people to hear His word and praise His name.

The religious piety of the Old Testament saint was evident in his desire to “Render unto Jehovah the glory due unto His name, bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship Jehovah in the beauty of Holiness” (1 Chron. 16:20; cf. Ps 96:8-9). The believer is eager to worship in the midst of the assembled people of God. David the Psalmist wrote, “I will declare Thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the assembly will I praise Thee” (Ps. 22:22). “I will give Thee thanks in the great assembly; I will praise Thee among the people” (Ps. 35:18; cf. 116:12-17). Many of the psalms emphasize the fact that David worshipped along with a congregation of other believers (e.g., Ps. 42:4; 55:14; 122:1; 132:7).

David’s inspired testimony shows that his desire for congregational worship is normative for all God’s people, He declared to all believers; “O come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker” (Ps. 95:6), “Come before His presence with singing...Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Give thanks unto Him and bless His name (Ps. 100:2,4), “Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the seat of the elders” (Ps. 107:32). “Praise ye Jehovah, Sing unto Jehovah a new song and His praise in the assembly of the saints” (Ps. 149:1).

Old Testament prophecy likewise shows us that those who are true believers will desire to assemble with God’s people to hear His word and praise His name in congregational worship. For instance, Isaiah the prophet indicated that converts to the Lord would join themselves to the corporate worship of God’s people in “Jehovah’s house of prayer” (Is. 56:6-7; quoted by Jesus in Mark 11:17).

One of the burdens of Malachi’s prophecy was that the corrupt worship among the Jews of his day would, in the future age of God’s advent, be replaced with pure worship among the Gentiles in every place (Mal. 1:11; 3:3-4).

Therefore, the law, piety, and prophecy of the Old Testament all combine to point us to our moral obligation to gather together with God’s people for worship.

“But that was the Old Testament, with its Jerusalem temple and seventh-day Sabbath,” someone might complain. This complaint diminishes the full authority of God’s inspired word. Referring to the Old Testament, Paul taught “every scripture” is inspired and is profitable for...instruction in righteousness? (2 Tim. 3:16). Of course, changes from the covenantal administration and foreshadows of the Old Testament to the redemptive realities of the New Testament must be recognized (much of the book of Hebrews serves this very purpose).

Nevertheless, Jesus obliges us to submit to the continuing validity of “every jot and tittle” of the Old Testament (Matt. 5:17-19), and Paul teaches that “whatever was written previously in the Old Testament was written “for our instruction” (Rom. 15:40. In that light, we would naturally expect that the moral obligation of corporate worship which is taught in the Old Testament will continue into the New. God continues to call a people for himself in the New Testament, and God surely continues to be worthy of their praise.

Church Attendance (6 of 10)

2011-11-06T06:00:00.001-06:00

The remainder of my posts on “Church Attendance” come from a piece written by Greg L. Bahnsen, titled: “Is It Our Moral Obligation to Attend Church?”

For The Record

This regular feature is an attempt to provide an elementary Biblical analysis of various topics in Christian theology and practice. We anticipate that this and future contributions will be helpful in explaining fundamental theological issues to those who may be relatively unfamiliar with them.

Attending church is far from being the chosen Sunday activity for most people in our culture. This should not surprise us, of course, when those who sleep in, go to work, or find other recreations in the place of attending church are unbelievers. Unregenerate hearts do not seek God or find pleasure in worshipping Him. What is surprising (and dismaying) is that today many professing believers also neglect the corporate worship of God.

Why is this? On the one hand, some Christians see church as just one of many personal options along with Sunday brunch, the ball game, etc. On the other hand, some Christians consider informal fellowship groups or Bible studies an adequate replacement for church attendance. But all Christians must be open to the teaching of God’s holy word, and it is to this standard that we turn for an answer to our original question.

Church Attendance (5 of 10)

2011-11-05T06:00:00.004-05:00

Punctuality

Punctuality is "the quality or habit of adhering to an appointed time"; "strict observance in keeping engagements, promptness; antonym: tardiness"

Now I know some folks are “naturally” early or late, meaning that we all develop certain habits, and a habit (good or bad), feels natural. Like other virtues, punctuality will come easier for some than others, however (like other virtues), there are good reasons for making efforts to improve this virtue. This is especially true as it relates to arriving on time for services of the church. Now I am not referring to the occasional lateness due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., a flat tire), but rather the habitual practice of being late due to a lack of concern of being on time.

It’s true that a person can become a “slave of time,” but that is a different problem than the perpetual lack of punctuality. The Bible tells says, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40). As a part of the covenant community our focus and full-participation is important. Our assembling with the church (i.e., with the family), means recognizing or discerning the body. Like other areas of our lives, neglect in punctuality sends a message (even when it is not our self-conscious intention to do so). The lack of punctuality does have an adverse effect on the spiritual growth and health of a congregation. We might ask, “Is it a sin to be habitually late for one's appointments?"

Lack of punctuality is a theft of someone else's time. This would be obvious if we were thinking about an employee who is late for work, but it’s also true when we’re part of a group that has agreed to meet at a set time. Lack of punctuality is a lack of respect for others e.g., our brethren whom we are to honor (Rom. 12:10; Phil. 2:3), including our Lord, Who honors us with His presence (cf. Matt. 18:20). Most of us would be unlikely to be late for an appointment with a V.I.P., someone whom we want to honor. If we wish to honor others over ourselves, we will make it a point to be on time when meeting with them. When we are perpetually late it sends a message (even though it might not be intended), that we’re important and busy people, unlike the others who are waiting for us.

At church meetings, it is likely that people have spent time preparing lessons, sermons, meals, etc. When we show up late for dinner, it’s not only a disappointment, it’s a disruption. The host of dinner doesn’t want to start without their family or guests, neither do they want to serve it cold. Moreover, it is common for church meeting to start late to accommodate the late-comers, which means the lesson either has to be cut short (to stay on time), or else the meeting itself runs overtime, which is inconsiderate of others.

Lack of punctuality (especially for worship) is also a violation of the Greatest Commandment. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). How can we be late for an appointment with Christ? As William Shakespeare put it: "Better three hours too soon than a minute too late." Being on time is really quite simple...plan to be early, and start out early.

Church Attendance (4 of 10)

2011-11-04T06:00:00.002-05:00

Odds-and-Ends

Caveat: I recognize that a person can’t do everything, every time. Not all events are of equal importance, and a variety of legitimate circumstance might impact our decisions. There’s an old saying that goes like this: “If you have the reputation for rising early, you can sleep in occasionally.” A reputation for a good attitude and regular attendance and participation is what is needed here.

Lessons Being Taught

The regular, committed, steady attendance and full participation in all the regular and special meetings of the church (e.g., Sunday school, worship, fellowship meals, camps, conferences, Bible Studies, etc.), sends a message to our children (and to the rest of the world). The lack of regular, committed, steady attendance and full participation in all the regular and special meetings of the church also sends a message to our children (and to the rest of the world). This is another one of those inescapable concepts. So, every time we’re considering sleeping in, skipping, or excusing ourselves, we should remember that lessons are being communicated, and those lessons will have consequences.

Decisions Have Consequences

While a gracious and merciful pastor will help you pick up the pieces after a train wreck, if you have neglected the very things that would have help you avoid that very wreck, he is not obligated to feel sorry for you as he helps you. If you (and your children) skip 20% or 50% of the lessons and other forms of nourishment that the overseers of the church provided, you’ll never know what you missed until it’s too late. Even then, since you missed that particular lesson or sermon or fellowship, you probably won’t make the connection between your current difficulty and the thing you are missing. But pastors and elders know which families prosper over the long-haul and which ones don’t; it’s pretty predictable.

Idolatry

We’re all tempted to worship idols, and idols come in many forms. We all inescapably pay out tithes (i.e., paying tribute), to the person or thing that we think will bless us. Likewise, we all worship someone or something. Our commitment to Christ as our Lord is 24/7 for a lifetime. Not my will, but His will be done. Where He leads, we will follow, (even when it’s inconvenient). Moreover, we have made commitments to a particular covenant community that must be made a priority in our decision process. As I previously mentioned, there are legitimate exceptions. However, we must be careful not to excuse ourselves in order to pursue or own pleasure. The real question is, what is our FIRST priority? The answer to that question will be seen in what we do.

Boycotting

One of the petty and immature forms of disregarding the assembly comes in the form of boycotting a church event because it isn’t being done the way we want it done. Like all forms of immaturity, selfishness drives this action. It’s a way of protesting, a way of saying that if I can’t have it my way then I won’t participate. Maturity frequently requires self-denial and putting others first. The question ought not simply be, “What’s in it for me,” but rather: “How can I serve others?” “How can I support the church and her leaders?” “How can I be an encouragement?”

For Your Listening Pleasure

2011-11-03T10:41:00.000-05:00

For those who enjoy Pandora, here are three of my favorite instrumental stations (great nap music). First, recommended to me by Pastor Oleg Volkov, is the Nuevo flamenco guitarist, Armik. You can read about him HERE and you can hear a sample of his music HERE. Second, recommended to me by my wife, is pianist George Winston. You can read about him HERE and you can hear a sample of him music HERE. Third, is Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, with their unique blend of bluegrass and orchestra. You can read about them HERE and you can hear a sample of their music HERE.

Church Attendance (3 of 10)

2011-11-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

Fellowship

In addition to the regular meetings of the local church, members also have an obligation to socially interact with the other members of the church. Fellowship was one of the things that the early church devoted itself to as a means of serving and encouraging one another (cf. Act 2:42). This is simply a personal and informal extension of what we do when we officially gather as a church. As a covenant community we are in a perpetual relationship to each other. We are the “household of God” (1 Tim. 3:15) and thereby have a continual interest in the well-being of the other members. If the only time church members are together is when they are at official church meetings then it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for an intimate loving relationship to develop. We would be left with a superficial relationship that would hinder the genuine growth of the body―we would simply be acquaintances and not a family.

While the congregation has an obligation to make new members feel welcomed and to reach out for fellowship opportunities, the new member likewise has certain obligations as well. Every now and then there surfaces a complaint by someone who says that they “don’t feel like they fit in with anyone.” While it’s possible that fifty or a hundred (or however many members there may be) are all snobs or contrary, it’s unlikely that, out of a large group of Christians, another Christian cannot find anyone to “fit in with.” If this is the case, it seems more likely that the person who “doesn’t fit in” may be at least part of the problem. We cannot complain about no one speaking or calling or visiting if we don’t speak, call or visit. There is a mutual obligation among church members to seek and develop friendships with others.

Naturally, you will find it easier to develop close friendships with some church members more than you do others. Not everyone can be your best friend and neither can you be close to everyone else; especially as a church grows in her numbers. However, we do all have an obligation to one another to show forth Christian kindness and love as we have joined in mutual commitment to our Lord and each other. If we are all friendly to others then it is likely that we too will have friends.

A Follow-Up on Dressing for Worship

2011-11-02T17:40:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the comments and emails on the “Dressing for Worship” post. You’ve asked some good questions that are helpful in rounding out this topic. First, allow me to point out that my brief post was a “cut-and-paste” from the “Guide to Our Worship” book that is available as a PDF download HERE. I wrote this in 2009 and published it in the spring of 2010.

The essence of several questions that came my way had to do with the need to guard against the deceitfulness of our hearts and the temptation for some to dress up in order to show off their fashion sense or their wealth. In other words, how do we offer our best without violating the admonitions in the book of James?

As we guard against falling in the ditch on one side of the road, we must not fall into the ditch on the other side. Wisdom requires that we stay on the road. My point was simply that we should present our best regardless of what our best is. However, presenting our best doesn’t mean being a showoff. There’s a time and place for some things that are inappropriate in others. While God looks first at the heart, nevertheless, what's in the heart will usually be reflected in what we say and do. Grace must be extended, but that must not become an excuse for "anything goes.”

Another question observed that: “There are times in the Bible when God's people have come before Him in ‘sackcloth and ashes.’ They have come humbled, depressed, or moved in some way by his working in their life. I am assuming that today also there may be a season in our lives where we may come to church in something close to that according to his leading. A thought or comment on that?”

Wisdom recognizes that special occasions require special attire. Weddings, picnics, funerals, worship, etc. call for different outward expressions of the heart. Sackcloth and ashes are not simply casual attire but rather formal expressions of lament; they would usually be out of place at a wedding or in corporate worship. One other point is that when we’re dressing for worship, we’re not dressing simply for ourselves or our private mood. We’re part of something that’s bigger than ourselves and thus we should seek to dress in a manner that is appropriate to that particular gathering.

Church Attendance (2 of 10)

2011-11-02T06:00:00.003-05:00

The Assembly

The word “church” comes from the Greek word “ekklasia” which means “an assembly.” It’s that gathering together of God’s covenant people, with Christ as its head, which constitutes a body or church of Christ. In the wisdom of God He ordained that His people be joined together in local churches for the purpose of ministering to other Christians (Eph. 4:12) and for the purpose of being ministered to (Eph. 4:11-16). Neither one of these tasks can be properly accomplished if a member does not attend the appointed meetings of the church. It’s in the context of the assembly where instruction from God’s Word takes place and the sheep are fed. It’s where Christians come to know one another and discover the needs of their fellow Christians; it’s where others have the opportunity to get to know the needs of that individual member.

When a church member fails to assemble with the people of God on a regular basis it indicates either a lack of understanding when it comes to what God requires for a Christian to be healthy, or else it indicates the fact that some spiritual difficulty has arisen. Love of the brethren is one of the clear evidences of genuine Christian faith (1 John 3:14) and the fact that we are true disciples of Christ (John 13:35). Failure to attend church shows a disregard for the other members of the church as well as a lack of respect for what God has said each Christian needs. Hebrews 10:23-25 provides clear admonition in this matter:

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.

The local church is God’s idea―it’s what He determined to be good and necessary for the well-being of His people. When a person is slack in attending the meetings of the church he is claiming to know better than God what is good for him or that somehow he is a special case. Moreover, the elders of the church (the overseers), are charged with the feeding and protection of the flock and therefore must determine what they think is needed in order to provide the appropriate spiritual nourishment and protection. Just as parents are given the general charge by God to raise their children in “the fear and admonition of the Lord,” and then to implement that general charge with specific household rules, so too, the overseers of the church are given the general charge from God to “shepherd” His church, and therefore they must also implement specific ways of accomplishing this (e.g., determining which meetings are good and necessary). Parents don’t leave those decisions to their children and elders must not leave those decisions to each individual church member.

It is certainly recognized that there are legitimate situations where a person may not be able to attend church for a particular meeting. Sickness, works of necessity or employment obligations may occasionally prevent an otherwise committed church member from attending his church for a particular meeting. Likewise, a person may find it necessary to travel for family or work related matters. Again, for an otherwise committed church member these exceptions to the rule are not a problem. However, they can become a problem when, coupled with other signs of negligence or decline, they become regular occurrences. What may be a legitimate reason for one person may become an excuse for another person who is looking for a reason not to be at church.

The pastors or shepherds of the congregation not only have the right, but also the duty to keep up with the attendance of the members of the church. Their spiritual nourishment is their concern and God-given duty. God has made them overseers who shall give an account to Him concerning how they performed their duties (cf. Heb. 13:17). In this day of humanistic pluralism, where every man does what is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25), it’s often thought that “no one has the right to tell me what to do.” However, as Christians, we know that God does have the right to tell us what to do, and to delegate His authority to His agents (e.g. parents―Eph. 6:1-2, civil government officials―Rom. 13:1-7, and pastors and elders―Heb. 13:17). Pastors and elders may no more look the other way regarding a church member’s lack of attendance than a parent could overlook the failure of their child to come home. Habitual failure to attend the appointed meetings of the church could lead some additional level of discipline.

Church Attendance (1 of 10)

2011-11-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

In a meeting with our church session and deacons, the leaders of our church asked me to blog on the subject of our moral obligation to attend church. And so, with that directive, here we go. I intend to write a series of posts on the subject, covering several dimensions of this essential subject.

In our church (and I presume in many other churches as well), members take public vows before God whereby they enter into a solemn covenant with the other members of the local church, obligating themselves to certain duties that both honor God and benefit the Body of Christ. By affirming these vows, we all make an oath to be faithful to our word and loyal to the very church that Christ purchased with His blood. This is no mere ceremony. Our membership vows include these promises:

To diligently make use of the means God has provided for growth in your Christian life, such as, regular Bible study and reading, prayer, fellowship, church attendance and the Lord’s Supper…. To support this congregation by your prayers, attendance, giving and labor…”

Membership vows are an indication of humble submission to the legitimate authority of the church over certain aspects of our lives and recognition that, having become a part of something that is larger than each individual, there are certain things that supersede our own personal preferences or convenience.

Moreover, our church constitution, under the heading of “Expectation of Members,” says:

Members of GCPC shall devote themselves to both the private and public means of grace including the regular attendance of all appointed church services (e.g., Sunday School and Worship Services), fellowship meetings, special meetings or conferences…

Again, the membership vows include this commitment:

To submit yourself to the discipline of this church and its elders, as the Scriptures require, and as expressed in the church constitution…

King David, in writing about the character of those who may dwell with the Lord, asked this question in Psalm 15: “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?” Part of the answer he provides is found in verse 4: “He who swears to his own hurt and does not change.”

The decision to attend church is made one time; not weekly. When we join ourselves to the Body of Christ we declare that decision. Church attendance is part of who we are, not simply something we do.

And so, we begin this discussion with a reminder that we have, by becoming members of a church, obligated ourselves by our own words and public vows to regularly attend the appointed meetings of the church (meetings appointed by the elders, who are the legitimate overseers and shepherds of the church). To neglect this duty is to not keep our word. Sometimes this is an indication of open disobedience and rebellion (i.e., “no one is going to tell me what to do.”), and sometimes it is simply a matter of laziness, sloppiness, or selfishness.

Dressing for Worship

2011-10-31T11:52:00.000-05:00

If jeans and a T-shirt is the best we have, then God is pleased to receive us. However, our goal is to elevate worship and to offer God our best, while showing respect to the occasion of worship. Worship attire reflects our understanding of what we are about to do as well as our inward attitude. Most people have a “dress code” for their place of work. Do you dress better for work than you do for worship? Appropriate dress for worship should be modest and clean. While each person or family is understandably limited as to what they can offer, nevertheless, we should all seek to offer our best as we come before the Lord.

Christin's Quote Book

2011-10-31T06:00:00.002-05:00

I don’t get it. I’m not allowed to ask a Chinese person where a Chinese restaurant is? I mean, aren’t we getting a little too sensitive? I mean, somebody asks me which way is Israel, I don’t fly off the handle! – Jerry Seinfeld
Lady Ann Percival had, without any pedantry or ostentation, much accurate knowledge, and a taste for literature, which made her the chosen companion of her husband’s understanding as well as his heart. He was not obliged to reserve his conversation for friends of his own sex, nor was he forced to seclude himself in any branch of knowledge. The partner of his warmest affections was also the partner of his most serious occupations; and her sympathy and approbations and the daily sense of her success in the education of their children, inspired him with a degree of happy social energy, unknown to the selfish solitary votaries of avarice and ambition. – Maria Edgeworth
Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the first one. – Albert Einstein
What can you say about a society that says God is dead and Elvis is alive? – Irv Kupcinet
Ever notice how irons have a setting for permanent press? I don’t get it. – Steven Wright

Christin's Quote Book

2011-10-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very”; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. – Mark Twain
An angry man is seldom reasonable; a reasonable man is seldom angry. Wrath has no place in friendship, else friendship cease altogether. – Sir Walter Scott
A family of ten children will always be called a fine family, where there are heads and arms and legs enough for the number. – Jane Austen
He was a solemn, unsmiling, sanctimonious old iceberg who looked like he was waiting for a vacancy in the Trinity. – Mark Twain
You don’t have to be faster than the bear; you just have to be faster than the slowest guy running from the bear. – Unknown

Evolution―Smooth and Slow

2011-10-23T07:24:00.000-05:00

This notion of something smooth and slow like the ascent of a slope, is a great part of the illusion. It is an illogically as well as an illusion; for slowness has really nothing to do with the question. An event is not any more intrinsically intelligible or unintelligible because of the pace at which it moves. For a man who does not believe in a miracle, a slow miracle would be just as incredible as a swift one. The Greek witch may have turned sailors to swine with a stroke of the wand. But to see a naval gentleman of our acquaintance looking a little more like a pig every day, till he ended with four trotters and a curly tail would not be any more soothing. It might be rather more creepy and uncanny. The medieval wizard may have flown through the air from the top of a tower; but to see an old gentleman walking through the air in a leisurely and lounging manner, would still seem to call for some explanation. Yet there runs through all the rationalistic treatment of history this curious and confused idea that difficulty is avoided or even mystery eliminated, by dwelling on mere delay or on something dilatory in the processes of things….The question here is the false atmosphere of facility and ease given by the mere suggestion of going slow; the sort of comfort that might be given to a nervous old woman traveling for the first time in a motor-car.

―G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

Brad and Stacey Booth

2011-10-21T10:07:00.002-05:00

Dear friends,

It’s been a difficult yet blessed week as we have said farewell to our brother and friend, Zach Ramsey. May the Lord grant His peace to all who loved him. The grace of God has obviously been active in many quarters during the last few weeks and months. Please pray that the gospel will continue to go forth and that many will be blessed as a result.

One blessing that came my way was the opportunity to meet an outstanding Christian couple while I was visiting Zach and Dori at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, TX at the end of June. Zach and Dori had granted me the liberty of sitting in Zach’s hospital room and leaning against the wall to take a short nap. When I awoke, there was this young couple standing in the room and visiting with Zach and Dori. I introduced myself to them; their names are Brad and Stacey Booth (no relation to me that I know of). They were from Birmingham, AL and had traveled from Brad’s parents’ home in Baton Rouge, LA. The Ramseys had come to know them via the Internet and had, in fact, picked them up at the Houston airport a couple of nights earlier, which is when they met for the first time (face-to-face).

Brad was obviously an athlete. He was bald, so I presumed that he might also be undergoing chemo therapy. In fact, Brad had been diagnosed with the same cancer Zach had [DSRCT], in December of 2010 and he was at MD Anderson to continue his treatment. Brad and Stacey were so cheerful and encouraging to Zach and Dori. They had a definite joy in the Lord. After some conversation, we prayed together and they soon went on their way. We have continued to pray for them.

I was surprised to see that Brad and Stacey traveled to Little Rock for Zach’s funeral. They were at the visitation on Wednesday night at the funeral home and I was blessed to visit with them and learn a bit more about their own situation. I am writing this to encourage you to learn more about them as well so that you too can pray for this family. You can read about Brad at his CaringBridge web page. I also want to encourage you to take the time to watch a video of Brad’s remarkable testimony as to how God is working in his life through his illness. You can find that video HERE.

Zach Ramsey's Funeral Service

2011-10-20T14:48:00.000-05:00

An Mp3 audio recording of Zach Ramsey’s funeral is available for download by going HERE and clicking on the “Launching the Media Player” button. Scroll down until you find the “Ramsey Funeral" in the “Series” column. You can listen to, or download the audio file and you can also download the PDF of the Order of Service.

If you would like to donate to the Ramsey Memorial Fund, please make checks payable to “Covenant Presbyterian Church” (Note: Deacons’ Benevolence Fund), and mail to: Covenant Presbyterian Church, #1 Covenant Drive, Little Rock, AR 72211.

The Ancient of Days

2011-10-18T07:19:00.003-05:00

Old men and women have once been young. Young Men and women have never been old. Stop and ask an older person about their life―where they’ve been―you’ll be surprised. Your assumptions about them are probably wrong. There’s a wisdom that only comes from living long enough; some of it―much of it―comes from learning things the hard way. You can avoid some of these hard lessons if you will learn to learn vicariously. The Ancient of Days has something to teach us all.

Memorial Fund

2011-10-17T16:53:00.000-05:00

On Friday Morning, Zach Ramsey finished his seven year fight with cancer. His body will be laid to rest at 1:00 on Wednesday and the service will be at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1 Covenant Drive, Little Rock, AR 72211. Knowing that this battle was costly both emotionally and financially, many people have asked how they can help. Zach and Dori’s church, Covenant Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, has a fund to aid with the funeral expenses. You can make checks out to the church and include on the memo line “Deacons Benevolence Fund” and the church will assist in this effort.

NOTE: Some of our churches will be taking up love offerings.

Christin's Quote Book

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Never praise a sister to a sister in hopes of your compliment reaching the proper ears. – Rudyard Kipling
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant’s life, she will choose to save the infant’s life without even considering if there are men on base. – Dave Barry
You ask whether I have been in love: fool as I am, I am not such a fool as that. But if one is only to talk of first-hand experience, conversation would be a very poor business. But though I have no personal experience of the thing they call love, I have what is better – the experience of Sappho, of Euripides, of Catallus, of Shakespeare, of Spenser, of Austen, of Bronte, of anyone else I have read. – C.S. Lewis
Talk not of wasted affection. Affection was never wasted. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Reader – suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of congress – but I repeat myself. – Mark Twain

Slip, Slide and Away

2011-10-15T08:07:00.002-05:00

Few people wake-up one morning and run toward the edge of a cliff. Those who do fall over the edge do so by inching their way to the precipice, reassuring themselves that they can handle it. The devil loves to get a foothold in our lives; a little leverage to ease us in the wrong direction. Since sin is deceitful, our own sins start out by deceiving us. We can handle it. It’s not that bad. It’s a little thing. We’ll be ok. Little-by-little we get comfortable in the bad habits. Having taken a few steps in the wrong direction, and having not yet fallen, we reassure ourselves that all is well.

God has set aside one day in seven―the Lord’s Day―for His worship and our rest. Historically, this is often where God’s people start their slide away from Him and in to a casual and careless place. It will soon show up in others areas of their lives as well. Psalm 137:31 reminds us that “The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.” When we honor Him first―when we walk with Him―we stay safe. When we find ourselves justifying ourselves or making excuses, we have now started to inch our way to the edge. Look out below…

A Tribute to Maturity

2011-10-14T11:52:00.000-05:00

I know I’m not alone in observing that chronological age is not a reliable indicator of maturity. Since immaturity is measured by selfishness and shortsightedness, years-lived are only one of the factors that can help people overcome immaturity. I’ve heard some young persons proclaim that they are “mature for their age,” but such proclamations are usually the delusions of self-centered children. While we expect a certain immaturity in the young, and there’s no shortage of immaturity among the elderly, there are a few who do rise above the normal chronology of years to achieve a maturity that us usually born of adversity.

I have had the privilege of knowing such a man. His name is Zach Ramsey. I’ve known him since he was about six-years-old. I’ve pastored him, taught him in school, and been a friend of his family. I had the privilege of performing the wedding service for him and his lovely wife Dori a little over three years ago. Sometime next week, I will have the honor of being one of the ministers for his funeral in Little Rock, AR.

As a boy, Zach could be an adventuresome rascal, and he had most of the usual teenage cockiness. On July 31, 2004 Zach (age 22), was diagnosed with a rare cancer [DSRCT]. This began a rollercoaster journey that turned a boy into a man beyond his years. If he had won the lottery at age 22 I don’t know how his story would have ended. But his hard circumstances gave him a focus on the important and the eternal that not only advanced his own maturity and sanctification, it also enabled him to serve others, which is the mark of maturity. His love for his wife, parents, family and friends was demonstrated continually. Moreover, His love for his Savior was unwavering and powerful to all who knew him and watched him live. He was an extraordinary, ordinary man that I have come to respect, admire, and look up to. At 5:55 this morning, Zach left this world of shadows for the real world; a soldier who fought the good fight. I salute you sir!

Christin's Quote Book

2011-10-10T06:00:00.002-05:00

I like terra firma: the more firma, the less terra. – George S. Kaufman
Travel is 90% anticipation and 10% recollection. – Edward Streeter
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experiences of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. – Douglas Adams
I do not want people to be agreeable as it saves me the trouble of liking them. – Jane Austen
It is your business when the wall next door catches on fire. – Horace

Picking Up the Pieces (12 of 12)

2011-10-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Conclusion

Salvation is always by grace—we are saved in spite of who and what we are. Success in child-rearing is therefore not cause for pride but rather humility. We cannot save ourselves by our works and neither can we save our children by our works. As long as there is breath, it is never too late for grace to conquer even in the worst of situations. As long as there is life, it is never too late for the prodigal to come home.

Often, these trials with our children turn out to be bad chapters in otherwise good books. God's severe mercy proves His love for us: "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives" (Heb. 12:5-6). Just as our parental failings were instrumental in our children's unbelief, so God can and will use our humble and faithful reclamation efforts to regain our children. Let us renew our efforts, pick up the pieces, and seek the Lord. "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Heb. 12:11).

Picking Up the Pieces (11 of 12)

2011-10-08T06:00:00.003-05:00

Redemption

Mending will not begin by nurturing animosity but rather by creating an atmosphere for redemption. Paul admonishes the church regarding a repentant sinner, "On the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him" (2 Cor. 2:7-8). There must be hope. Most of us have done plenty of sinful and stupid things in our past, and we owe a debt of love and gratitude to those who have not perpetually held them against us but rather helped us to stand again.

As we move ahead to accomplish reconciliation and redemption, we must leave behind any remaining bitterness in ourselves and seek the good of our children. There is always hope in Christ. Since salvation and sanctification are gracious, undeserved works of God, healing and hope can come to any situation. Sinners are converted. By the power of the Holy Spirit, husbands and wives can change. Broken lives can be put back together. Lost children, by the grace of God, sometimes come to their senses and embrace the faith of their parents. And like our Savior, we earnestly seek after our lost sheep.

The Proverbs teach us that "the way of the transgressor is hard" (13:15). The consequences of sin often bring enough pain that the sinner is humbled, making a return possible. Without compromising God's standards, we must facilitate this possibility by providing an environment in which such a return is safe. We long for humble repentance on the part of the sinner, but this is not accomplished by an attempt to humiliate. We do not want repentance to be any more difficult than necessary.

The parable of the prodigal son provides a model of redemption between a foolish son and loving father. There are few pictures more profoundly moving than that painted by this verse: "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him"

(Lk. 15 :20).This captures the heart of the gospel of redemption. As John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord, the effect of his message was to "turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (Mal. 4:6; Lk. 1:17). This is one of the powerful effects of the work of Christ; without it there is no hope of redemption.

Picking Up the Pieces (10 of 12)

2011-10-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Forgiveness

Sin always inflicts damage to ourselves and to others—it hurts. Biblical love provides the only environment for dealing with the damage. It does not ignore the sinner or his sin: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). God loves us even though He is the offended party. Despite the offense, He provides a way for reconciliation: "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled us in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight" (Col. 1:21-22). The Bible lays out the way, telling us, "If we will confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 2:9). God may not take away the consequences of our sin, but He will take away the guilt of our sin along with its shame. Forgiveness clears the ground of past offense so that a new relationship may be built in its place. Reconciliation is the goal.

Picking Up the Pieces (9 of 12)

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Confrontation

Having listened to God's Word and responded by going to Him in repentance and confession of our own sins, we now face some remaining obstacles. Wisdom is necessary as we move to repair damaged covenantal relationships. Repentance toward our children often requires much humility, especially when our children might have been horribly offensive and sinful toward others and us. Admitting our own failures is not an approval of their sins. Moreover, we can love our wayward child without approving of his or her sinful behavior.

Pastoral counsel is recommended before initiating such a confrontation; we want to be sure not to make the situation worse. Guidance in what should be said and done is needful. A face-to-face conversation or a well-thought-out letter might be a good place to start. Some situations may seem hopeless, but we must remember the words of our Lord: "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Mt. 19:26), and again, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (Mk. 9:23). Not all relationships will be repaired, but all can be improved, some marvelously so.

Godly confrontation need not be hostile. Our approach should be gentle in manner while remaining resolute in purpose. The apostle Paul admonishes us,

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph. 4:29-32)

God's Word remains the standard for godly relationships; our desire to remove any possible tension must not be allowed to reduce the standard. Nevertheless, the goal is to make true repentance and reconciliation as easy as possible. Clear, calm, and humble communication that lays out biblical expectations for all the parties involved provides the only solid foundation for restoration. Establishing new trust will likely be a slow process. We probably cannot deal with every issue at once, so setting priorities is important.

Picking Up the Pieces (8 of 12)

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Repentance and Confession

The despairing belief that failure cannot be repaired is simply not true. With God, all things are possible for them that believe (Mk. 9:23). The solution to any failure begins by turning away from the things that caused the failure. As we honestly evaluate our own sins and failures, care should be given not to assume our children's guilt as well. We should, however, assume all the parental responsibility. There is a time and place for dealing with the real sins of others, including the sins of our children, but only after we have removed the beam from our own eye. My sins do not excuse the sins of my children and my children's sins do not excuse mine.

Men, as covenant heads, are especially given the responsibility for their families. Godly men eagerly own up to their sins. They humble themselves before God and before men, and this includes their families. They set an example for others by accepting the responsibility for their households (including its failures) and by demonstrating true repentance, graciously seeking reconciliation and repairing relationships.

We must remember, though, that sorrow and regret are not repentance. We may feel sorrow and regret for many things and still fall short of repentance. Sorrow and regret might lead us to repentance, but it is possible to have the former and still fall short of the latter. True repentance begins with the honest acknowledgment of our sins. To repent, or turn from our sins, is to change the way we think and the way we live. The Bible teaches us that God's mercy awaits those who repent of their sins. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Tor My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord" (Is. 55:7-8). Repentance gives us a new perspective that enables us to look away from ourselves and look to Christ, and in Christ there is always hope. It enables us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33). Making excuses, rationalizing, and blaming others is the opposite of repentance. We need the grace of repentance to enable us to have an unqualified turning away from our own sins.

Confession is agreeing with God that He has been faithful and true and that what He says about us and our situation is true. Confession flows from repentance to an outward expression of our sins. With our words we humbly admit to the offended parties that we were wrong. Having honestly evaluated ourselves in the light of God's Word, we now need to bow before Him and say: "I was not as diligent and faithful as I should have been in training my children in the ways of the Lord." On our knees before God is the place where remedy and healing begin. It is here that we ask the Holy Spirit to deal with us and to comfort and help us. In addition, confession to our children, spouses, or other offended parties may be necessary. Our confession needs to be as broad as our sin, The necessary groundwork has now been laid for forgiveness.

Picking Up the Pieces (7 of 12)

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sins of Abdication

Having committed sins of presumption, Christian parents often wind up in the ditch (or canyon) of failure. We are then tempted to another kind of failure―abdicating our responsibilities, shifting the blame, or simply giving up. Perhaps the children are out of control and it seems too late or too hard to rein them in. Or perhaps they are grown up and it seems that all is lost. Sins of abdication are manifested in quitting or giving up, crawling into a hole, failing even in our failures. This abdication of our responsibilities denies the power of God to strengthen and change lives, to repair the ruins. "What's the use? It's too late. The damage has been done. We cannot make up for our past sins." Abdication says that failure is all there is, and there remains no hope for future success.

Picking Up the Pieces (6 of 12)

2011-10-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

Sins of Presumption

Presumptuous sins are a frequent cause of household failures. We presume that the rules do not apply to us the way they do to others. As unbelievers, some parents never thought the Word of God applied to them at all. Many Christian parents falsely presume that because they are Christians, God will bail them out regardless of their conduct. After all, He has promised to forgive us, so we operate on the edge. Having been presumptuous we eventually fall. "Be sure, your sins will find you out" (Num. 32:23). "Do not be deceived, you reap what you sow" (Gal. 6:7). Such falls are, at best, painful and humiliating.

We must distinguish, however, between biblical presumption (called faith), which rightly believes what God has promised, and the sin of presumptuousness, which wrongly assumes God's blessings are automatic. The former, taking God at His word, employs the means God has ordained for raising godly children—"faith working through love" (Gal. 5:6). It takes seriously the duty to "train up children in the fear and admonition of the Lord" and to "diligently" teach them the Scriptures (cf. Deut. 6:6-7; 2 Tim. 3:15). The latter ignores God's ordained means and expects the benefits anyway—"The rules may apply to everyone else but they don't apply to me." We expect covenant blessings while being covenant-breakers. These are presumptuous sins.

We see the flipside of this in overzealous parenting—parents who are determined to raise perfect children. Parental pride at this point can crush the spirit of the child. Some parents allow their lambs to wander from the fold; others drive them away. Sin is doing less than what God commands and it is doing more than He commands. A man can fall off a horse on the left or the right side (Josh. 23:6). Both licentious parenting and legalistic parenting can produce rebellious \children. Even children who have been educated in a Christian school and yes, even home-schooled children—can be rebellious products of such presumptuous parenting. Any time we assume that something can take the place of loving, godly, diligent, disciplined parenting, we risk a bad outcome. God's covenant blessings are conditional promises.

The Bible offers many prominent examples of sinful parental presumption: Eli and his corrupt sons Hophni and Phinehas, Isaac and his famously opposed sons Jacob and Esau, David and his rebellious sons, and so on. Likewise, many Christian parents have raised children who have grown up to deny the faith. Why is this? Is God not keeping His promises? We must remember that He promises both blessings (i.e., happiness) and curses (i.e., misery). Like the Pharisees, we often offer up the excuse that we were busy with many godly pursuits our jobs, our ministries, church work, etc. But Jesus reminded them and us: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone" (Mt. 23:23). There are consequences to persistent disobedience in regard to our children, intended or otherwise.

Christin's Quote Book

2011-10-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

You can lead a man to the university, but you can’t make him think. – Finley Peter Dunne
Americans are like a rich father who wishes he knew how to give his son the hardships that made him rich. – Robert Frost
Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a function. – Garrison Keillor
Television enables you to be entertained in your home by people you wouldn’t have in your home. – David Frost
Airline travel is hours of boredom interrupted by moments of stark terror. – Al Boliska