Monthly Archives: May 2012

May
21
2012

Psalm 2

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[2:1] Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

[2] The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,

[3] “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

[4] He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

[5] Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

[6] “As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

[7] I will tell of the decree:

The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

[8] Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

[9] You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

[10] Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

[11] Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

[12] Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

 

May
19
2012

Two Ways

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Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount spoke quite starkly about two ways (Matthew 7:13-14). The two ways ended in either destruction or life. In working through Psalm 1, I was struck by the contrast of the righteous and the wicked, of the outcome associated with those two ways. I wonder if Jesus had this Psalm in mind as he spoke to his disciples.

The Lord knows the way of the righteous. The one on that way will meditate on the law, the torah of the Lord. The “torah” used here is the teaching of the Lord. It encompasses instruction and doctrine, and may well include the prayers and praises included in the psalms. The law is the delight of those on the way of the righteous.

The way of the righteous avoids the counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, and the seat of scoffers. Dale Ralph Davis makes the point that this really represents the “totality of evil”. The righteous want no part of their thinking (counsel), or behaving (way), or belonging (seat). The righteous man or woman “resists the vacuum-cleaner power-moves” that evil uses.

May we all stay on the way of the righteous, for the Lord knows it well.

 

May
17
2012

Healthy Church Members (part 5)

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Mark 9: A Healthy Church Member is a Humble Follower

A humble follower honors the elders (1 Timothy 5:17-19), caring for their financial and physical needs, and refusing to consider unedifying and uncorroborated rumors. A humble follower shows open-hearted love to the leaders, a sweet exchange of affection as they live, grow, and labor together. A humble follower is teachable. A pastor’s instruction is meant to be gentle, kind, and for our good. Pastors watch over our souls as one who must give account to God; we should trust and accept their leadership as a gift from God for our everlasting benefit.

Patiently participate in the selection of leaders. By choosing leaders, a congregation sets the spiritual tone and direction of the church. Obey and submit to leaders (Hebrews 13:17). Joyfully, eagerly, and completely submit to our leaders for our good, their good, and the good of the entire body. Follow the leaders’ example. Pray for leaders (Colossians 4:2-4), for their boldness, clarity, and consistency with the gospel message. Support outside ministry and leader interaction.

Mark 10: A Healthy Church Member is a Prayer Warrior

On the basis of our sonship through faith in Christ, we may speak to God as his redeemed children. “Prayer is our response to God as He speaks to us,” first in the gospel of Christ, and subsequently in his Word. We stand before God receiving a full hearing, involving ourselves in the business that God has with the world.

Pray constantly, without ceasing, continuing steadfastly, with thanksgiving. Pray in the Spirit, according to the will of God revealed in his Word. Pray for laborers and shepherds. Pray for all the saints. Pray for those in authority, from government leaders to parents. Pray for those who abuse and persecute us.

May
15
2012

Healthy Church Members (part 4)

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Mark 7: A Healthy Church Member seeks Discipline

Discipline is about education and learning, order and growth. Discipline in the life of the congregation and the healthy church member provides an atmosphere for growth and development. Two forms of discipline occur in the life of healthy church members, both originating in the Word of God. “Formative discipline” refers to how Scripture shapes and molds the Christian as he or she imbibes its teaching and is trained to live for God. “Corrective Discipline” describes how the Word of God confronts and turns us away from error to righteousness.

Receive the Word of God with meekness, acknowledging it as the source of salvation and instruction in godly living. Recognize chastisement as evidence of God’s love; God himself is a loving Father who disciplines his children. Humbly accept correction from others. Take seriously our responsibility to care for others by sustaining the discipline of the local church; proactively in love seek to restore those who are caught in sin.

Mark 8: A Healthy Church Member is a Growing Disciple

It is normal for Christians to grow, to work for growth, and to expect increasing spiritual maturity. We must not focus superficially on the outward signs and neglect the inward reality (Luke 18:9-14). We cannot fall into the trap believing that good performance and success are related to spiritual growth and discipleship. We cannot judge our well-being by comparing ourselves to others. We should not rely solely on our self-effort. A growing church member is someone who looks more and more like Jesus in attitude of heart, thought, speech, and action.

Abide in Christ, remaining in the True Vine (John 15:5-8). Study the Word of God, participate in the ordinances of baptism and communion along with the gathered church, and pray. Be strengthened and matured through participation in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16). Meditate on and look forward to the second coming of Christ (Philippians 3:20-21).

May
13
2012

Healthy Church Members (part 3)

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Mark 5: A Healthy Church Member is a Biblical Evangelist

Evangelism does not depend on eloquence, using the correct mood lighting, emotionally sappy songs and stories, or high-pressure sales pitches. We simply and deeply trust God and the power of the gospel to produce the fruit he desires. We plant and water faithfully, confidently trusting that God will give the increase. Faithful evangelism must (1) be content-specific, presenting the truth about God, men and women, sin, Jesus, and Jesus’ work; (2) present Jesus as the exclusive way of salvation; and (3) call the hearer to repentance and faith in Christ.

Mark 6: A Healthy Church Member is a Committed Member

It is God’s intent that the local church be central to the life of his people. While there is no “book of church membership” in the Bible, the idea of membership is nearly everywhere in Scripture. Many practices and commands given to the church lose all meaning if membership is not practiced, visibly identifiable, and important – commands on church leadership, on church discipline, and on keeping lists and voting.

The essence of membership is committed love to another. Love is singled out as signifying to the watching world that we belong to Christ (John 13:34-35). A healthy Christian is one who is committed to expressing this kind of love toward other Christians. Faithful church attendance is associated tightly with stirring each other to love and good deeds. Committed membership is expressed by attending regularly, seeking peace, edifying others, warning and admonishing others, pursuing reconciliation, bearing with others, and preparing for the ordinances.

May
11
2012

Healthy Church Members (part 2)

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Mark 3: A Healthy Church Member is Gospel Saturated

The gospel is not only news for a perishing world, it is the message that forms, sustains, and animates the church. Apart from the gospel, the church has nothing to say. The gospel is absolutely vital to a vibrant, joyous, persevering, hopeful, and healthy Christian and Christian church.

Take steps to be sure we know the gospel with some clarity and depth. Recognize that there is no risk in sharing the gospel, only the reward of faithfulness. Desire to hear the gospel and preach the gospel to yourself. Memorize the gospel, pray the gospel, sing the gospel, review how the gospel has changed you, and study the gospel. Fight for and protect the apostolic gospel delivered and preserved in the pages of Scripture (Galatians 1:8-9).

Mark 4: A Healthy Church Member is Genuinely Converted

Conversion is the radical turn from an enslaved life of pursuing sin to a free life of pursuing and worshiping God. Conversion is a change of life, not merely a decision. This change is not a matter of moral rectitude, self-help, or mere behavior modification. It cannot be accomplished by human effort but only by the power of God.

The book of 1 John is a helpful book to study when examining the work of God in our souls. Do we walk in the light or darkness (1 John 1:6-7)? Do we love God the Father (1 John 2:15)? Do we love other Christians (1 John 3:14-15, 3:18-19, 5:1)? Do we have the testimony of the Spirit that we are children of God (1 John 3:24b)? Are we persevering in the faith (1 John 5:4-5)?

May
09
2012

Healthy Church Members (part 1)

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I recently finished reading “What is a Healthy Church Member” by Thabiti Anyabwile. I read it as part of the deacon training we have been going through in our meetings. I was responsible to read this book and present its ideas to our deacons. I am going to use a series of posts to highlight key sentences and thoughts that I took away. All the words are from Thabiti (if I may presume such familiarity with him). Here are the first two marks of a healthy church member.

Mark 1: A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener

Expositional listening is listening for the meaning of a passage of Scripture and accepting that meaning as the main idea to be grasped for our personal and corporate lives as Christians. Expositional listening gives us a clear ear with which to hear God. Listening to Jesus as it is heard in his Word is critical to following him.

Cultivating the habit of “expositional listening” means meditating on the sermon passage during your quiet time, using a good set of commentaries to help you hear God’s Word with a clear ear. Talk with friends about the sermon after church. Seek answers to questions by searching the Scriptures yourself or with a small group. Listen to the sermon and then act upon it. Seek to meet Jesus each time you come to the Scripture.

Mark 2: A Healthy Church Member is a Biblical Theologian

To practice biblical theology is to know God himself, to know God’s macro story of redemption – the history of revelation, the grand themes and doctrines of the Bible, and how they fit together. Biblical theology helps us to see how God has spoken the same message to his people in diverse places and diverse ways. We follow in the steps of Jesus and the apostles by mastering the unity of Scripture, seeing Christ and the gospel throughout.

Allot some portion of your private devotions to study the Scriptures thematically. The Bible is one story about God’s redeeming for himself a special people. Train yourself to link what you learn in the New Testament to the Old Testament. Ask yourself how the Old Testament fits together with the revelation of the New Testament. Study the books of prophecy in the Old Testament. Commit yourselves to upholding the doctrinal integrity of your church. Know the difference between beliefs that are essential to biblical Christianity and beliefs that are nonessential. Avoid strife and contention over things that are not essential to the gospel.

 

May
07
2012

Summer Memorization

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A few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel in Israel and Jordan on a tour group led by my father-in-law. Traveling in the Holy Land sounded so cliche, and at first, I resisted taking the trip. My wife had gone already on another tour, also with her father, and she could not stop talking about it — and she signed me up to go when her dad began setting up another group. It was a wonderful trip, one that I am glad I took.

Yet, this post is not about the trip or pictures or food. It is about the Psalms. As we wrapped up our tour, we spent several days in and around Jerusalem. Our guide, Harrison Cohen, read from Psalm 122 as we ascended in the bus to Jerusalem. As you might guess, he read Psalm 122:6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” Later as we began our tour of the temple mount area, we stopped by the Western Wall. Many of the men were praying aloud or reading aloud, so I decided to read the “songs of ascent” (Psalm 120-134) while standing at the Western Wall.

When I finished memorizing Philippians using the “memory moleskine,” I wanted to make sure that I did not lose the momentum I had gained. I wanted to learn more Scripture. As a summer project, I laid out the songs of ascent. I had always heard great things about the Psalms, yet it was not until this effort to learn them that I grew to share that opinion. The songs of ascent seemed so real, so down-to-earth, focusing on what felt like our own real life struggles. The songs covered times of blessing and times of despair, times of worship and times of scorn from others, times of excitement and times when all seem against you.

Each summer if the schedule allows it, I am going to work through the Psalms. This summer, I will start at the beginning, working through the first twelve psalms. I have several books to help me as I study these, but I am most excited about reading “The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life” by Dale Ralph Davis.

 

May
06
2012

Psalm 1

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[1] Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

[2] but his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

[3] He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

[4] The wicked are not so,

but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

[5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

[6] for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

 

May
06
2012

Past Easter

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With Easter now almost a month past, I find myself reflecting on the church experience with memorizing Isaiah 52:13-52:12 (the “Suffering Servant”). On one level, I have no idea how many participated in learning these fifteen verses. We did not ask anyone to sign up. I was hopeful that many would work on it since it was a shorter passage than the Sermon on the Mount. Yet, the few folks I knew working on it were not able to completely memorize the passage. Maybe the flow of the ESV threw off some who tried; it did take some getting used to. Although I really enjoy using the ESV, maybe a different translation would benefit more people.

On another level, I am very grateful for our pastoral staff, David, Jud, and Billy, who had a hand in weaving the passage throughout the church life during the five weeks prior to Easter. We read the passages together aloud in church. We received emails with the passages to remind us about the church-wide memorization effort. We listened to parts of this “servant song” set to music. We studied all the “servant songs” on Wednesday nights. We used the words of Isaiah to frame our Maundy Thursday and Friday Tenebrae services. I was pleased and encouraged by all the staff did to make this relevant to the church, to bring this passage alive to everyone. It was beneficial to me personally as well. I was not merely learning and studying a passage from a dead prophet. I was seeing the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus again, with fresh eyes, having witnessed the inner thoughts of the “Arm of the LORD” as revealed by Isaiah.