Knowledge is Everything!

I've been trekking through a book called The Glory of Christ by John Owen (who is becoming "my favorite" the more I read him). It is the glory of Christ, but the book could rightly be titled The Glories of Christ because each chapter is about a facet of Christ's glory.

I make this distinction because of why I'm reading the book; someone told me that all sin is disbelief in a particular attribute of God. So, usually, when I see an area of weakness (i.e. love, patience, humility v. pride) or a discipline (i.e. prayer, meditation, writing) that is lacking I try to trace it back to an aspect of God's character and an area of the Gospel that I lack belief in. One of the things that I love about the Apostle Paul is that he talked about this kind of thing a lot in his letters (Eph 3:14-21; Phil 3:7,8)--to know Jesus is to grow in Jesus!

"The Glory of Christ? I need to read that. That's what I need," I said to myself. That's my first reason.

My second reason is because I live and go to church in Philly, and my heart really is that they would know know know Jesus! So many know so much about a few small things and so little about the One who made and makes all things (myself included). There are times when I'm walking or driving through a section of the hood (it doesn't matter which one) and I can see the proverbial cloud of deception and sin that cloaks people; I want to scream to hold back my tears.

How can I love my wife and others, serve others and speak truth into the life of the people in our church and community group, that actually affects them, if I'm not growing in my knowledge of Jesus? I can't. If I'm growing more in my knowledge of the Philadelphia Sports beat and where the best restaurants are downtown than I am in my knowledge of Jesus, I am not being culturally relevant or culturally helpful, I'm blending in and as a result, I'm killing my culture. I really believe that. When I sit down to talk with someone or end up having a conversation with someone on the street, I want to have more to offer them than a summary of the sports column, a little tidbit on the recent snowfall or a concurring comment on what the suits at City Hall need to get better at.

I thought, "Other people are looking for answers--ones that are filled with hope and substance and truth. Some of those people are looking to me and others close to me. What will give them? The Glory of Christ? I need to read that."

While I was reading Owen's chapter on 'The Glory of Christ's Work as Mediator' I was convicted of my lack of knowledge of Him and thus my lack of love for others, and hopeful and prayerful that the people in my city and our church would know Him, and grow. Here is what I read. I welcome your thoughts and comments:

When Adam sinned, he stood ashamed, afraid, trembling, as one ready to perish for ever under the severe displeasure of God. Death was what he deserved, and he fully expected the sentence to be carried out. In this sate, the Lord CHrist in the promise comes to him, and says, 'Poor creature! How terrible is your condition! How deformed you are now! What has become of the beauty, the glory of that image of God in which you were created . . . Eternal distress lies before you. But now, look up and behold me. . .do not continue to hide from me. I will take your place. I will bear your guilt and suffer that punishment which would sink you eternally into the hideous depths of hell. I will pay for what I never took. I will be made a curse for you so that you may be eternally blessed.' In the same vein the Lord Christ speaks to all convicted sinners when he invites them to come to him.

The Glory of Christ, Owen, p.60,61

Pick it up here:

That's NOT The Gospel!

The Apostle's Astonishment At Us

Cindy and I are working our way through Galatians at home and in the first chapter we see Paul mention to his brothers and sisters in Galatia that he's astonished that they've begun deserting Christ and following a different gospel (Gal 1:6). There are two ways to approach Paul's astonishment in the text; you can, and should read it in context and only discuss what specifically astonished Paul about the Galatians, or you (we) could consider that we are "foolish Galatians" (Gal 3:1) and search our hearts for reasons why the Apostle Paul might be astonished at us for following a different Gospel. We did the latter and it served our time in the Scriptures well.

Here's the truth--all of us, everyday, are tempted to, wrestle with and sometimes obliviously believe a "different gospel". What I mean by this is that we fail to see the true Gospel's applicability to every single area of our lives and in that momentary blindness we trust in something else as our righteousness, justification, satisfaction, joy, contentment, fulfillment, affirmation, identity, etc. All of the things in that list are truly and wholly realized in the person and work of Jesus Christ, not in how disciplined we are, how entertaining the movie is, how many people "accept us", how much stuff we have, how nice we are, how we look or how long we've been a Christian.

Paul is preaching to us in his epistle. We would do well to listen because we are foolish Galatians who daily desert the true gospel and need the truth of the real Good News to remind us again of the infinite value and worth of the gift of Christ, and what His blood has truly purchased for those who believe and trust in Him (2 Cor 5:21).

Why Does This Matter?

My city is filled with millions of people who believe bad news is good news everyday. My neighborhood is filled with thousands if not millions who believe the gospel of saving money is better than the Gospel of saving grace. My street is filled with hundreds who believe in the waning satisfaction of religious duty over the increasing joy of justification apart from works of the law, and my building is filled with tens, who we know, are boxing and bandaging the ills and wounds of a fallen, broken world with coffee, sports and entertainment, sex and sleep. Oh that we might believe and proclaim with our lives, the true Gospel of King Jesus to those who cannot see it yet!

For Your Consideration

Here are some questions and thoughts that might help you look at Paul's first chapter of Galatians in a more applicable light. I pray they bless you and feel free to leave a response.

1) Don't all of us, so quickly turn to another gospel? What gospel have you been turning to lately? How do you "preach" this gospel to yourself and to others? (Gal 1:7,8)

2) Paul says that those who preach a false gospel are to "be accursed". Have you ever thought of the fact that Jesus, at the cross, was accused and punished by His Father as if He he were a false preacher of the Gospel, a Gospel that belonged to and is only realized in Him, and all so we could believe and preach the true Gospel to ourselves and others? Christ became and bore the damning sin of being a false preacher so that we could believe and profess the truth.

3) How do the false gospels we preach to ourselves seek the approval of man? (Gal 1:10)

4) What is your response when you consider the truth that it pleased God, in His sovereignty to reveal His Son to you? (Gal 1:15-16)

Books and Commentaries that I'm using in our family study of Galatians (click on the books for great deals):

"The Buzz" Through Blood Stained Eyes

Unless you don't watch the news, don't read the news or don't browse the various news sites on the internet then you've probably heard about the unfortunate update on world famous golfer Tiger Woods. For many, his situation has been a source of entertainment, for others it's been a chance to hop on a soap box with finger pointing accusations of, "What's his problem! I would never!. . ."

I personally don't tune into stories like this, they sadden me and only serve to remind me of all the work my wife and I and other brothers and sisters in our city have to do in our own community if we want to see the Gospel of Grace transform people from unforgiven adulterers into redeemed lovers of Christ who have a high and holy view of marriage and build their understanding of sex around Christ, and not their lust or want for "companionship".

I do however listen to sports radio on occasion and amidst the buzz about A.I. coming back to town, Tiger's story has been on the radio. After playing football tonight with some friends, I got to talk with one specific friend and we both found that, big or small, we were struggling with being entertained by this story. It's obviously wrong. Were it not for the grace of God, that would undoubtedly be us--running from attention instead of chasing it.

Before our conversation was over he directed me to a blog he'd read recently that helped him with his view on this. It helped me as well; not only with this particular story but with how I'm seeking to see and do all things to the glory of God, watching the news included.

I pray that this blog encourages you and aids in your sanctification in all areas of life.

Some great books on related topics. Get them here:

The Fruit of Surveying Christ

"If we regularly beheld the glory of Christ our Christian walk with God would become more sweet and pleasant, our spiritual light and strength would grow daily stronger and our lives would more gloriously represent the glory of Christ. Death would be most welcome to us."

John Owen, The Glory of Christ

I Was Blind, Now I See

Realife continues the GENESIS | JOHN | REVELATION series in John 9.

I Was Blind, Now I See

By the way, I'm hoping to pick this book up soon.

happy and heavy (2 Cor 6:10a)

happy and heavy

steady

wobbling

steady

bending

breaking levees

crashing waves of Sovereign grace

foam is covering my face

drowning in the salt and spray

undertow that pulls

me

to

the

bottom

while, happy and heavy

I weather the fray

drowning under swells

laughing on the way

where,

happy and heavy

I’m fettered

to Rock

steady

wobbling

steady

happy and heavy

I’m fettered to stay

Touching Down, Catching Up and Recounting “Little” Graces (Pt.1)

(Written on the airplane en route back to Philadelphia)

Cindy and I spent an entire week in Florida at The Wycliffe Bible Headquarters, being trained to raise support as full time missionaries through a great organization called Great Commission Ministries (GCM). What’s funny is that prior to going on the trip, so many people said, “Oh wow! Florida. . .so you’re going on vacation. Doesn’t seem fair that you’re getting to go on vacation in the middle of October.”

“It’s not going to be a vacation,” I kept saying, “We’re going to be working.”

Maybe it’s that people have selective hearing or the assumption that anytime anyone here’s the word ‘Florida’ they automatically think Mickey Mouse, Universal Studios and orange groves. Well, for the record, I did not see Mickey Mouse (which I’m happy about), but I did see at least fifty speedy, little salamanders; none of them could save me any money on my car insurance, even though I asked several times. We did get the chance to go to Universal Studio’s City Walk, but that was because it was our new friend Charlie’s 40th birthday. Furthermore, I saw no orange groves, or oranges (go figure) and I drank no orange juice (mostly Starbuck’s coffee and water). It was officially not a vacation and God’s grace was all over the entire trip.

God’s grace was evident in “small ways”--Cindy and I are on a budget. This means that we were only traveling with ex-amount of dollars and weren’t planning on spending anymore. We walked into Philadelphia International Airport with sixty dollars and after checking our bag and getting coffee (which, in the airport, costs twice the price of every place else in the entire world) walked off the plane in Orlando with thirty dollars in cash. Our pre-trip GCM instruction manual told us that a cab from the airpot would run us close to thirty dollars, so Cindy’s budgeting skills were on point. We hopped into a cab and immediately I thought, “there’s no way this thing is gonna cost thirty dollars. I’m gonna have to wash the cab to pay off the rest of our trip.” You’re probably familiar with the feeling; the meter is like a guillotine only it moves in slow motion. You watch it and hope that doesn’t reach your neck before you have time to squirm free and get out of harms way. As I’m watching the price on the meter ascend at what seems like an unreasonable pace, I get a text from a faithful friend. It read, “I’m prayin’ for u with the body...any requests? You got five minutes.” I know this means that my friends are at church and they’re going to pray in five minutes before service starts. I text, as fast as my fingers can move, “That God would give us a unified growing faith and that we would increase in the fruits of 2 Peter 1:3-11 while we’re here...And that the cab fare would be thirty bucks or less cause that’s what I have in my pocket.”

Cindy didn’t know that I asked for prayer, she just watched the meter and gave me the “oh no babe” signal (a squeeze of the leg).

With faith in the prayers of the righteous I said, “We’ll be fine.”

As we approached Wycliffe, the meter seemed a little “sluggish” (What could it be?)--The meter read, $26.43.

“Oh wow! That’s great!”, Cindy said.

“Yup, yup,” I said.

I am someone who doesn’t really make a big deal about things like that. In my unbelief, I don’t always see God in them. Something like that will happen and I’ll think, “Well, that’s just the meter...” or “It was only ten minutes away, what did you expect?” I see God’s grace in big things, not “little” things. Often times it is the “little” outpourings of God’s grace that are the greatest testimonies of His Sovereignty.

The clincher for me was when Cindy and I were riding back to the airport with some friends from the training to catch our return flight to Philly. We caught a ride with a friend and were talking about how other people decided to catch a cab to the airport instead.

“I caught a cab from the airport to the training when I came in,” someone said. (The same airport and same cab service Cindy and I used--there’s only one).

“Yea, we did too,” said someone else.

“So did we,” said Cindy.

“That cost too much money,” someone number one said.

“Yea!”, said someone number two.

“Oh...how much did it cost you guys?” my wife asked.

Both someones said, with raised voices, “Forty dollars!”

Behold and Be A Happy Husband

There's that hymn by John Newton, Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder, that makes me think of what is necessary for joy and contentment in the Christian's life--beholding. Loving, singing, wondering, praising, smiling, laughing, breathing sighs of relief; all of these are preceded by beholding Jesus. It is the attention to Jesus that produces all of things we wish would spring up and gush from the caverns of our heart (ex. worship, confession, repentance,joy, gladness, laughter, contentment).

We don't need to read our Bible's and pray because "that's what Christians do", because honestly, many Christians don't do that and many who do, do for the wrong reasons. We need to read our Bible and spend time communing with God because there are a million things during our day that scream, "Behold me! Behold me! Behold me and be . . ." Reading our Bible and spending time with God puts us in front of Christ. So, my terminology has changed as of late. I can't say, "I need to read my Bible". Honestly, that kind of language has been wrecked for me. When I wake up I say, "I must behold God today. He will make me glad and give me strength". When I find myself distracted or my attention is pressured I tell my heart to behold the cross, consider Jesus and be glad. Beholding is different than reading and memorizing Scripture is not for memorization's sake, it's for considering and recalling and beholding when you don't have the words in front of you.

So, what does this have to do with being a husband (hence the title)? Well, a good friend asked me to post something on "being a husband" so this is my crack at it. I've only been in the husband business for a little under two years but I've gained a few things that might be helpful to other husbands. This is one of them; if I need to behold to be glad, to fight sin and live a life pleasing to God than it's only natural (at least to me) that it be my responsibility to lead Cindy in beholding and being glad. This certainly doesn't mean that Cindy cannot do this herself, in fact there will be times and have been times when it was hard for me to "behold and be glad" and Cindy ministered to me and encouraged me with the Gospel, and I was glad! Nonetheless, I'm finding that an affective husband is a husband who is happy because of Jesus. An affective husband is one who looks for opportunities to say, "Look babe, see how Jesus/The Gospel is so (you fill in the attribute)!" or "Do see God's (you fill in the attribute) in this? Doesn't it make you glad? Let's pray for God to reveal Himself to us more and that it please us and make us the most glad."

As I behold, I feel charged with leading Cindy in beholding as well. This seems to be one of the ways we as husbands can aid in the sanctification of our wives and work out Ephesians 5:27-28).

I pray this was helpful and encouraging.

Repent and Believe the Gospel, and Repent and Believe the Gospel, and Repent and Believe the Gospel, and . . .

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel."

Mark 1:14-15

This call to "repent and believe the gospel" was the heart of Christ's message to a dark world drowning in the mire of indifference to sin and unbelief. For His disciples the fruition of this call would unravel itself over the course of three years, as they spent time with their Teacher, at His feet, learning and beholding, learning and beholding etc. The call to repent and believe would find it's culmination in the eerie events of a trial, a beating, and the supernatural consequences of a divine homicide of a slaughtered God Man and His tomb.

For our sake he made him who knew no sin to be sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

That is the gift; never ending grace from God towards sinners, through the channel of His crucified Son, is the consequence of trusting in the Cross. I know this . . . don't I? I do, but, the roots go deeper than that for me and for all of us who call ourselves followers of Christ.

Obviously, initial believe upon Jesus is never enough, an initial "beholding" of Jesus as Savior, God and King is not enough, a moment of grace is not enough for a lifetime filled with doubts, failures, and different manifestations of unbelief. We need "grace upon grace" (John 1:16). Like the father of the boy with the unclean spirit, we who believe need daily help in our unbelief (Mark 9:24) and in that we need to "keep with repentance" (Matthew 3:8;Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20).

Jesus' call to "repent and believe the gospel" is not merely a call to be saved, it is a call to be saved and be "being saved" (1 Cor 1:18; 2 Cort 2:15). It is a call "to repent and believe the gospel" and continue to repent and believe gospel. Every one of my failures is filled with shards of unbelief in some facet of the Gospel of Christ. So, in response to my failures I need to repent, turn from them and turn to and believe in the one who has never failed or missed the mark. This is the "rinse and repeat" of my life (and every Christian's life). Repenting and believing in the Gospel is how we deal with the failures of life. If we don't handle them that way, they will deal with us harshly. 

This blog was for me; if you read it and were sharpened, gently rebuked or encouraged then you shared in grace with me. 

God Dwells In You Christian!

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:14-19

The preceding passage in Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus is one that I've read time and time again. I've prayed it for myself and for others and I've picked it apart as much as I'm able at this point in my life; it is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. I've also been enjoying the writings of John Owen, most recently, The Glory of Christ. In it, Owen says this about God and the burning bush in Exodus:

"The fire in the bush which was there only temporarily, was a type of him in whom 'the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily', and that for ever (Col 2:9). The eternal fire of the divine nature dwells in the bush of our frail nature, yet our frail nature is not destroyed. So God dwells in this bush, with all his goodwill towards sinners." (p.30)

When I read that I trembled at the very thought of God actually dwelling in me. He dwelt in me today, all day! Did I even consider that today during worship, during conversation, hanging out with friends? The God of Glory dwelling in me, a sinner, is a thought that is more than sobering--all of this at the cost of Christ's blood, a thought that humbles in a very grinding way for me.

While Owen's words caused me to tremble they also made me think about Ephesians 3, where Paul prays that Christ dwell in the hearts of believers, through faith (3:17) that we might be filled with all the fullness of God (3:19).

Undoubtedly, Christ does indwell Christians already but Paul seems to be praying for the indwelling of God in believers in a way that provokes things in their hearts. I read that, coupled with Owen's words and think that it can't be enough to simply understand that Christ dwells in me, understanding does almost nothing for me. I have to (we have to) know in a way that compels us, convicts us, moves us and enlightens our eyes. This has to be an understanding that produces something. How about, "strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge"? Why an understanding of God in us in that way? Clearly, the reason Paul prays that we understand this way is because, by knowing in this way, we will be filled with all the fullness of God (3:19b)!

To know Christ and His love is to be filled with the fullness of God! So, my prayer when I read both Owen's words and Paul's was and is this, "God, through faith in Your crucified and risen Son, You dwell in me. Strengthen me with power through your Spirit and give me grace to know, realize and enjoy, the love of Your Son in a way that fills me with your fullness."

Marveling at the harmonious paradox that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Zeal for Your House Will Consume Me

For zeal for your house has consumed me,
and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

Psalm 69:9

It's clear, from passages like John 2:13-25, that Jesus was seething with passion for the work that His Father had given Him to do (John 4:34) and He would let nothing or no one keep Him from it.

We are wading in John's Gospel and looking at the person and work of Christ as seen in the Gospel of "the one whom Jesus loved". Here is a looks at Jesus' cleansing of the Temple and the heart of the fervency with which He did it. I pray you are blessed by it.

Zeal For Your House Will Consume Me

So That You May Believe That Jesus is the Christ and Have Life In His Name

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20: 30-31

We're going through the book of John and just finished the first two chapters this past Sunday. I've had the privilege of preaching on John 1:35-51 and John 2:13-25. The Lord was quite gracious to me in my preparation for both sermons; the glory of the Father revealed in the Son (John 1:14-18) was made more evident than in times before and the Jesus who came filled with grace and truth (1:14) was seen anew for me. I've posted links to the two sermons I preached; prayerfully, you're blessed my the fruit of my preparation. If you get the chance to listen I would invite any kind of feedback that you'd like to give (encouragement, criticisms, insights, how it was helpful, etc.)

Come And You Will See (John 1:35-51)

Zeal For Your House Will Consume Me (John 2:13-25) (There's no link for this one yet because the sermon isn't up. When it is I'll just post the link to this same entry).

Morally Neutral Things Compete For My Affections Everyday

I was listening to a sermon today and the preacher said that it wasn't the heinous things (drugs, pornography, drunkenness) that compete for his affections anymore, it was the morally neutral things. As I listened I thought, "Yes! Everyday, it's morally neutral things that tug at my affections!" The fact that I was pricked by his comment(s) led to thinking; What are those things? Right away I thought to myself, Philadelphia sports is a morally neutral thing that lately, has been competing for my affections (especially with the Phillies recent success). Why am I thinking for more than a minute about whether or not the Phils will get Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays? That's stupid! Why, because of my on and off distaste for Christian radio, do I tune into to sports radio and let my mind drift into things that have no baring at all on my eternity with Jesus? Is my commute time worth 30 minutes of hearing a 45 year old man's opinion on minor league pitching and steroids in the majors? No, Jesus is. Things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable are (Phil 4:8,9). 

So, today I was confronted with "the deceitfulness of Christian liberties" (if you will). Quite fittingly, I've been wading in 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul addresses this very thing; this is a slippery slope for any Christian and it seems that Paul's emphasis is not, "Surrendering my rights makes me more of a holy man, and more worthy of leadership and recognition etc." No, we already know how he feels about those things (Phil 3:1-11). His drive seems to be, "I am so enamored by this Jesus that it really makes me glad to know him and make him know, that's my boast" (1 Cor 9:15-18). He's not concerned with "seeming holy" he's concerned, consumed rather, with knowing Jesus and making him known. Everything else just kind of has it's place neatly off to the side and if it doesn't directly concern knowing Jesus and making Him known, then it's really not a concern for Paul. He gives up his rights because he's consumed with something and someone else.

Man . . . I want to be like that. Today, I see (once again) that I'm not like that. Thank God, through His Son, that He chooses to reveal my heart to me day after day. At times, the convictions that hurt the most, bring me great joy at the same time because they are affirmations of His love for me (Heb 12:1-17). 

Here's to making war against those sly morally neutral affections that compete for the affections that belong to Jesus. 

By Grace, We Are Fighters

I'm scheduled to go to the LEGACY 09' Conference in Chicago this summer. Needless to say, I'm excited; I'm going to have the privilege of sharing time with some great friends and others who I've been greatly encouraged by but have yet to meet.

One of the phrases I'm positive will come up in conversation will be, "Don't waste your life!"

This phrase will challenge, encourage, convict and prayerfully set hearts ablaze for the King, His Kingdom and His service in the Kingdom. If I'm honest, I think that phrase has popped up in my brain at least once a day for the past 4-5 years (Thank you John Piper and more recently, Lecrae and Reach Records). 

One of the ways my wife and I have tried to not waste our time and concurrently, our life is by the movies we choose to watch or not to watch. I personally tend to like movies about war, perseverance, battle, determination and adversity because those kinds of words are synonymous with the Christian life. 

Today, a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time, maybe my favorite, popped into my head and I think it hits the nail right on the head. 

We as Christians are called to make war, as warriors, fighters, men and women in the field of battle, against our sin. By God's grace we are new creations in Christ Jesus and thus, we are fighters; we are fighters against desires that prior to our conversion, we never fought against. Once we are in Christ, God gives us the grace to be great fighters everyday. Let's not waste "it".

Here's the quote. I hope I don't have to tell you what movie this is from, especially if you're from Philadelphia.

Adam v. The Eschatological Adam

We are trekking through Genesis on Sunday mornings. I've read through Genesis a number of times and God has been gracious to me in revealing different and deeper realities to me from His Word each time through (some places more than others). Two Sundays ago we arrived at what seemed like the most tragic event in human history--The Fall. Man disobeys God's command and neglects responsibility, leading to the total depravity of Adam and Eve and all of their descendants. This is tragic, is it not? Think about it, man has gone from what is seemingly untroubled and uninterrupted bliss, in the garden, into the complete ruin in sin because of their actions and it's their fault:

And to Adam he said,

Because you listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you,

You shall not eat of it,

cursed is the ground because of you;

in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life

Genesis 3:17

As I read this I thought to myself, "Wow. Aside from the Cross, this has to be the most tragic event in human history." Then I thought, "Where is Jesus in this text? How does this text reflect Christ and how does He shine through to make this text both tragic and wonderful, just like the Cross?" 

Answer: Jesus is everything that Adam was not. He accomplished, by His obedience, everything that Adam's disobedience ruined. Adam was next to his bride while she was being deceived by the serpent and did nothing. Jesus protects His bride, loves her her and never lets her go (John 10:28). Indeed, God fights for His children. Adam blame shifts when He is called out by God in the garden, blaming his sin and laziness on his bride (Gen 3:12). Jesus accepts the blame and punishment for the sins of His bride, owning them without complaint or a word of accusation (2 Cor 5:21). Adam runs from the presence of God so that he doesn't have to face the shame of his own sin in the presence of the God he's disobeyed (Gen 3:8). Jesus joyfully runs toward his cross, despising the shame that sin brings (Heb 12:2; Luke 9:51). Adam's sin brought "sight" and knowledge of good and evil to mankind but this sight is one that doesn't actually see, it's a "blind-sight" (Gen 3:7; Matt 13:3; Luke 8:10; 2 Cor 4:4). Jesus is a light to the blind and His finished work purchases a grace for believers that gives them spiritual eyes to truly see (John 9:25). Adam works to try and cover his own sin with leaves from a tree that God created (Gen 3:7). Jesus covers the sins of believers with His blood and His righteousness; sinners are forgiven in Him (Rom 3:25, 4:7, 5:9, Eph 1:7). As a result of the curse Adam is made to work the ground for fruit so that he can live. Consequently, this fruit and these plants will die, just like Adam (Gen 3:17-19). Jesus' finished work and the forgiveness that is found in Him brings forth lasting fruit by His Spirit, fruit that will never die and that leads to eternal life (Rom 6:22, 7:4-5; Phil 1:9-11). Jesus is the ultimate and perfect Adam.

I'm confident there are more contrasts you can draw from Genesis that shed light on Christ. Needless to say I am truly enjoying seeing Christ in Genesis and all the Scriptures.

"Biblical Optimism" and Strip Clubs

And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

Acts 4:3-4

Last Tuesday night I had the unfortunate opportunity to sit in front of a new building with three of my closest friends, brothers and co-laborers; the building, when finished, would be the largest of it's kind on the entire east coast . . . It was a strip club, with it's construction nearly finished. Worst of all--it's in our neighborhood, roughly a mile from the church and when it's complete, our neighborhood will be sandwiched by two strip clubs. 

In the midst of our silent disgust, one of the men our caravan said, "This is going to ruin a lot of families . . ." My initial reaction was anger. I wanted to burn it down. I hate the array of sinful, wicked possibilities that an establishment like this presents--hate them. My feelings moved from anger to sorrow and a lump crept up in my throat, "God. Sin is killing people. It's killing them. This is going to kill people God." (Rom 6:23) I was grieved. All of those feelings happened in about a minute or two. Then, another thought came to mind; it was a verse. It was several verses actually, one of them being the verse I quoted from Acts 4. Have you ever had several verses from Scripture flash before your mind all at the same time; kind of like clicking through slides super-fast so that you only get a glimpse of each, then those glimpses produce a single thought? It was like that. The thought that this "slide show" brought forth was an optimistic one--The Spirit of God, particularly the Gospel, tends to thrive in situations like this, doesn't it? Satan means things for bad, for ruin and for misery and God uses them for good. 

Isn't this the constant picture in Scripture and even today in places like China and Africa? As I've done my best to keep up with and pray for the growth of the church in China and Africa (and other places as well) it seems that the general report is that people are doing anything and everything to stop it (the Gospel and the growth of the Church) and the more they kill and arrest, and maim, the more the Church grows stronger, and bigger, and bolder, and fervent! 

So, I sat in the mini-van thinking, "Why can't that be the case here? Aren't these the kinds of things, with fervent and laboring prayer and Gospel proclamation, that precede revival?" 

Picture it: men and women, coming to Jesus as a result of the biggest strip club in the east coast dropping down on the edge of Northeast Philadelphia. People saying, "That place was destroying my marriage, my sexuality, my family, my health, but praise God! I once was blind and now I see! I hate my sin and I love God and His righteousness and His grace that was bought for me with the blood of His Son Jesus!" Isn't that the way the Gospel works? Doesn't thrive and flourish in the face of what seems like real opposition? The truth is, nothing stops the Gospel because it is indeed, the power of God (Rom 1:16,17).

I have been made a minister of the Gospel. In the jar of clay that is my body, I carry the greatest treasure in the entire world. A treasure that outshines money, success, fame, family, vane glory and good looks and every strip club and porn shop on the face of the planet. 

God, please give me the courage and love to be a light, with the rest of your saints, shining in the darkness of this wicked city. Give us a sense of urgency and obligation as ones who carry the Truth in our hearts and minds. Help us to see, increasingly that our lives are not our own and that we're free to give and give away because we will (and do) own everything when everything is made new. We've been born again, for the purpose of making you look beautiful in a world where people think wicked things are beautiful. Give us grace Father, so that we can make you look beautiful with our lives and proclaim your Gospel with our mouths so that people who think that strip clubs are beautiful will be given eyes to see that You are the most glorious, most infinitely precious treasure in all the world. For from you, through you and to you are all things. To you be glory forever. 

Amen

Salutary Sunday Quotes

Off to worship, listen, commune, pray, encourage and be encouraged by the Kingdom. While I'm there, I'll be on the hunt for evidence of God's grace in the lives of His kids.

"It is an evidence that we are partakers of God's grace, if we can look upon the lives of others much better than ours, and love and esteem them glorious. A man may see grace in others with a malignant eye, for natural men are so vainglorious that when they see the lives of other men outshine theirs, instead of imitation, they darken them; that grace they will not imitate, they will defame; therefore when persons can see grace in others and honor it in them, it is a sign they have grace themselves. Men can endure good in books and to hear good of men that are dead, but they cannot endure good in the lives of others to be in their eyes, especially when they come to compare themselves with them, they love not to be out-shined."

Richard Sibbes

Salutary Sunday Quotes

Two nights ago I had the privilege of preaching on Grace at church in our network--a church filled with many beloved and close friends who genuinely love Jesus, which made the privilege an even greater honor. My message came out more like a proclamatory conversation over Titus 2:11, 3; Eph 2 and Acts 11:22-24. Nonetheless, I've been thinking about grace. Here's something to stoke the embers of the heart towards the God of Grace.

"Grace" is more than mercy and love, it superadds to them. it denotes, not simply love, but the love of a sovereign, transcendly superior, one that may do what he will, that may wholly choose whether he will love or no. There may be love between equals, and an inferior may love a superior; but love in a superior, and so superior as he may do what he will, in such a one love is called grace: and therefore grace is attributed to princes; they are said to be gracious to their subjects, whereas subjects cannot be gracious to princes. Now God, who is an infinite Sovereign, who might have chosen whether ever He would love us or no, for Him to love us, this is grace.

—Thomas Goodwin

"New" Calvinism?

On it's list of 10 Ideas That Are Changing the World Right Now, Time Magazine listed The New Clavinism was #3. For me, this is exciting because I am a Reformed. I hesitate to use the term Calvinist because John Calvin was not a Calvinist, he was a leader in the Reformation, he was Reformed. Does my theology fall in sync with Calvinistic doctrines? It does. Do I celebrate John Calvin, his life, his rigor and the gracious gift that he is to the church? I do. Do I prefer the term Calvinist? No. Do I even prefer the term Reformed? I do, but I most prefer the term Christian. That is what I am--a Christian.

However, because the doctrines of grace and the teaching of the Gospel have been so distorted and millions of people across America (and the world) are being doped with bad doctrine, I at times feel forced to make distinctions. So, I am Reformed and if you must, I am a five point Calvinist (not a Hyper-Calvinist).

I've had a growing sense of the impact that Reformed theology is having on America's "twenty to thirty somethings", particularly Philadelphia and in the hip-hop culture. It's exciting to say the least--there is probably nothing that excites me more than seeing the grace of God manifested in people's growing passion for the Gospel and the glorious doctrines of the Bible. These are the seeds of revival, maybe even the budding fruit of revival--very exciting, and that's putting it lightly.

My question is this: Is this really the New Calvinism? John Calvin believed the Bible, the Bible is filled with old and ancient truths. Maybe I'm a stickler for words, their interpretation and their meaning, but the article begs the question, at least for me (and other Reformed twenty-somethings). Do I say, "I'm part of the New Calvism," because it sounds cool to say? Is it really new? 

Answered Prayer: Today, I Saw the Love of God

This morning I read a prayer from a little book I have called The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions. I was convicted about my love for God and for others so naturally, I turned to the table of contents looking for love. I found it under the subtitle "Gifts of Grace".

As I read through the prayer, I came to a portion that prodded at my heart and the fact that I would be leaving for church with my wife in a less than an hour. It read:

Let me see thy love everywhere,

not only at the cross,

but in the fellowship of believers

and in the world around me.

When I feel the warmth of the sun

may I praise thee who art the Sun of righteousness

with healing power.

How fitting; I would be presented with the strong possibility of seeing my prayer(s) answered in less than an hour. I would be surrounded by believers so the chances of seeing God's love in the fellowship of believers was very likely, almost inevitable.

We arrived at church and Cindy and I were greeted by people that we know and love--the love of God. We worshipped the King of Glory together--the love of God. We sat under the teaching of the Word and rejoiced together at God's wisdom unfolded to us from the Scriptures--the love of God. We examined ourselves, repented, embraced the Cross and came to the communion table together--the love of God. Afterwards, we worked together to turn our Sunday gathering spot back into a high school gym, and we did it with a smile on--the love of God. A few of us made plans for a picnic in the park. No t.v., no restaurant crowds or coffee shop chatter, just fellowship, food and God's creation as seen at Pennypack Park--the love of God. 

In the parking lot, close friends of ours said, "We have something that belongs to you." I wasn't sure what it could be because I hadn't given them anything (that I was aware of). To my surprise, it was a gift--a French Press coffee maker; The irony lies in the fact that just last night Cindy and I were in Target and I said, "I'd like to buy a French Press." We didn't buy one. There it was, the love of God, in a French Press. I turned to our friends and said, "You know what's funny? This morning I prayed that I would see the love of God in the fellowship of believers and here it is. I see it." 

After the parking lot gift giving, we drove towards the park for our picnic. In short, there was family, food, fellowship and a trip to the creek so the kids could play in the mud and the water (funny to watch)--the love of God. On top of that, I did feel the warmth of the sun, and it came from the Sun of righteousness--the love of God.

God was so gracious to me today in showing me manifestations of His love through the lives and hearts of His people. Soli Deo Gloria.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:10

Ma'am, I'm sorry to tell you this but your son is a sinner and he needs Jesus.

I am laughably speechless. 

Today, I received a packet in my mailbox at work and at the top of 

the packet, in big letters, it said OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER (ODD). I'm not sure if this is a "new" diagnosis for individuals (particularly people from the ages of 8 t0 18 years of age) but the characteristics sound eerily familiar to me. Here they are:

1. Often loses temper
   
2. Often argues with adults 
   
3. Often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults' requests or rules
   
4. Often blames others for his or her misbehavior or mistakes
   
5. Is often touchy or easily annoyed by others
   
6. Is often angry and resentful
   
7. Is often spiteful and vindictive

Wow! Those are some really terrible symptoms! They sound terribly familiar though--very close to home. Do I have ODD?

This is evidence for how far we've come in the world of modern medicine and social sciences. We've gone backwards to the point of giving the following, a medical diagnosis:

For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:

"None is righteous, not one;

no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; 

no one does good,

not even one."

"Their throast is an open grave;

they use their tongues to devieve."

"The venom of asps is under their lips."

"Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."

Their feet are swift to shed blood;

in their paths are ruin and misery,

and the way of peace they have not known."

"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Romans 3:9b-18

Sin has now been diagnosed as a psychological disorder. Please understand, I know this is nothing new and that people have been doing things like this for the last twenty to forty years but ODD is a new one for me. Probably the most baffling moment in my reading of the packet was under the heading, WHERE DOES ODD COME FROM? In my head I'm thinking, "I can't wait to hear this one." So where does it come from? The article answered, "No single cause for ODD has been determined." Another article says, "It is not clear what causes Oppositional Deviant Disorder"

This sounds like a firm cause for the ODD:

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned--for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

Romans 5:12-14

So just how does a child or teenager get rid of or treat something ODD? The article told me that 'because there are many factors, often interrelated, there are a variety of treatments that are used to address the problem. Most of them were just parenting tips for any child, absent of "the rod" (Prov 13:24). 

I won't want to ramble anymore than I have to, but I'm relieved to know that I do have ODD! So does my wife, so do my brothers and sisters, and my dad, and my mother, my aunts, uncles, and so does everyone else. The only reason I'm relieved is because my "ODD" has been paid for, at the cross, by Jesus and because it has been paid for, and death has been defeated in Christ's resurrection, I am growing in my hatred for my ODD and my love for holiness. God is sanctifying me, from ODD to righteousness!

Kids are sinners, adults are sinners and without the redemption that comes through Christ, we're all damned to hell and the judgement of God, ODD and all. 

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgement following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Romans 5:15-18

Blogging, from my phone? Has it gone too far?

I now have the option of blogging from my phone. I don't have the internet on my phone but apparently this "application" works like Twitter--if  I text it to the corresponding number, it posts text to my blog. I enjoy blogging, it's similar to journaling and I consider journaling to be a spiritual discipline. Blogging is good, especially for pastors and people involved in ministry (see J. Piper's rationale for this). Blogging is something that is redeemable and therefore, can be used for to the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31) and for the edification and good of His Church. Something as tedious as Twitter is even redeemable, permissible, and able to be used to the glory of God. 

I have an account with Twitter. I have an account with Blogger. I did have an account with Facebook and I got rid of it (which is much harder to do than it should be). None of those are "bad" in and of themselves; I've said before, to myself and others, that one way to look at sin is the use of good things for bad, i.e., sex turns to sexual immorality, hard work turns to an addiction to success and love of money, a love for holiness and Godly living (w/ no accountability) turns to legalism and arrogance. Sin takes good things and things that can be used for good and uses them for the gratification of the flesh. We as Christians are supposed to guard ourselves against these things so that we don't wander from moderation and self-control to obsession, sequestering yourself from community and being consumed by things like Blogger, Twitter, Facebook etc. and all in the name of "it's within my liberties as a believer to. . ."

My question is, when do we die to our liberties and how do we apply a verse like 1 Corinthians 10:23 to things like Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and the like?

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 1 Cor 10:23

While you're thinking, check this out. Very funny, very effective.

But God, I thought. . .

"From of old no one has heard

or perceived by the ear,

no eye has seen a God besides you,

who acts for those who wait for him."

More Grace

To God's commands and a deep sense of or inadequacies, someone might say, “This is hard! I just don’t understand how God can expect these kinds of things from me and just leave me out here to fend for myself! How can I love what God loves and hate what God hates? That’s impossible! This world pulls at me everyday to do the things I used to do, say the things I used to say and go where I used to go and frankly. . .there are times when I’m too weak too fight and it’s easier to give in, even if I don’t want to. How can I be wise the way He wants to be wise? I’m not wired that way! How am I supposed to be like that?”

And to you James says,
“But he gives more grace. . .God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
I love this passage. It’s one that’s given great comfort when I was in my room alone and feeling inadequate. This is not a question, it’s a declaration. This isn’t “saving grace”, every Christian has that kind of grace; without it we wouldn’t be saved. The word here literally means “greater grace”—it’s the grace God gives us to live the way He calls us to live while we’re alive in the world.
The writer of Hebrews says,
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb 4:16)
Pauls says, in Romans chapter 5,
“But where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Rom 5:20)
And Saint Augustine says,
“God gives what he demands.”

There is always more grace. God is endless and so His grace is endless too. Remember the words to “Amazing Grace” by John Newton,
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come: ‘Tis grace has brought
Me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
There’s always more. Whatever your situation is: getting through the loss of a loved one, being away from home, being kind to a co-worker who is nothing but mean to you, doubt and fear because your financial situation seems “shaky” or “uncertain”. God gives grace and more grace. For practical reasons, we can say that God helps us. He gives us strength when we’re weak, peace when we’re anxious and nervous, contentment when we’re tempted to covet.--those are all outpourings of God’s grace.

This grace; is it given because of who we are? Is it given even because we need it? Yes it's given because we need--God knows His children need more grace and He gives it to them, in their time of need. But, this grace is given all-because-of Jesus! Because of the goodness and finished work of Christ, we are recipients of God's grace. Who will deliver me from this body of death (and give me help?) Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

An Old Journal - 8.19.05

To be hated in the name of Jesus should bring sort of excitement, boldness, eagerness, humility. So happy, in fact, that the world would not even want me as one of their own.

4.3.06 - Flipping Through An Old Journal

A Prayer Model-4.3.06

Honesty (with the LORD and the body)

Humility (before the LORD)

Hunger (for His Glory)

Flipping Through An Old Journal. . .

I have an old journal that I started three years ago, in college. I've been flipping through my entries and sketches and thought some of them would be "blog worthy". Reading through my old entries is very encouraging, not because I'm encouraging but because I can see God's grace and preservation over three years of life--all because I decided to pick up a journal and jot down things that were on my heart (which is God's grace as well). Praise God for the Cross! If you're reading this, you love Jesus and you don't keep some kind of journal, I recommend it.
Some of my entries are very short, some are very long and some are pithy quotes or nuggets that I thought would be good to write down. Hopefully they provoke thought, reflection and some blog pong from my fellow blood washed hermano y amigo.




4.2.06

Love & Truth both go together. They're never separate. Love without truth is spineless, truth without love is cold.