Thursday, January 31, 2008

Invitation

He offers life and gives it free
If you would turn from sin and flee
To Him for grace and mercy dear
Oh would you come and would you hear
The words of God, who speaks quite clear
That to you He might show more of Himself
Would you take His great book from your shelf?

His glories are seen throughout the earth
He’s given you all including your birth
He is the reason that all things are here
And He is the only one you should fear
For He holds the keys to death and the grave
And this is why the Lord Jesus died to save
For lost and sinful are we all
But He has made this saving call
To turn to Him and flee from sin
That at the end we may enter in
To His eternal and great abiding place
So we may always enjoy His majestic face


- A. B. Seal

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Meandering thoughts on Scripture and some words from an old dead guy

Calvin’s great statement that our hearts our perpetual idol factories is undeniably true. I was thinking on this statement in relation to a verse I’ve been pondering on for quite a while:
2nd Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

I know it doesn’t seem that these two ideas belong together, but in considering powerful truths I’ve been contemplating the relationship between these two.

I’ve been wondering about the seeing of God (we all beholding… are being transformed) being an essential pursuit of Christianity. I recognize the truths of our not coming to God until He first draws us and would subscribe to the logical implications of that verse and many more like it. I would even add that the "unveiled face" is more evidence of God’s work here because the veil simply cannot be removed by us, but only by Him. But then it occurred to me that in reference to the fall of Satan (which seems somewhat clouded and only lightly covered in Scripture) he (Satan) clearly saw God. This seeing of God didn’t change him. Rather he had likely always (as long has he had been in existence) seen the Glory of God. But at some point his heart departed from loving primarily and worshipping primarily God to loving and worshipping self (pride).

Thus we all, having been born after the fall and thereby in sin, begin life with a broken introverted focus instead of a correct God-verted focus. The worship of self is something that does not have to be taught to children, rather it is something that needs desperately to be untaught.

So my ponderings on the implications of 2nd Cor. 3:18 have finally run into what appears to be some (if not the) major foundation stone of God being delighted in, desired, adored, loved, worshipped, and appreciated. It is absolutely true that seeing God changes you (by seeing I mean understanding with our God given faculties - to behold His character and beauty). But this truth has limits. It is possible to see the glory of God and then have your heart turn from God worship to self-worship (taken from the example of Satan’s fall as well as that of Adam and Eve).

Exodus 3:20 (the first commandment) “You shall have no other gods before me” is a powerful and profound verse which continually overflows with implications for our lives. God, in His all-knowing, all-seeing kindness and wisdom tells us frankly what is best for us and what we were made for. We were not made in order to be worshippers of anything except our maker. That was the issue in the fall and that is the issue today.

I’m very grateful for 2nd Cor. 3:18 and I believe it too has great implications for us. I do think we should pursue seeing Him. But I think this should be done with the focus on God in Christ in order that the only outcome would be that we know Him more and love Him more. To keep our focus on primarily and ultimately on delighting in God, desiring Him, worshipping Him, enjoying Him, adoring Him, and loving Him - will accomplish a great many things not the least of which is effectively combating pride.

Only in Michigan...

It was about 40 degrees yesterday as I left for work at 1pm. Now at about 7am it is 2 degrees with a windchill of around -20 degrees. Last night was one of the most hazardous shifts I have ever worked. The pounding rain changed to blizzard like conditions within minutes at about 8:15pm. Merely a few minutes later and the driving conditions were drastically reduced resulting in numerous cars and semi-trucks in the ditch.

My shift was prolonged an extra 2 hours as I assisted with traffic control for a semi-truck which became stranded in the center lane of I-94 when it's brakes locked up (not a good thing). When I was finally able to get off work and drive home the blinding wind/blowing snow was ridiculous. I was forced to turn back to work because I simply could not see where I was going. For the first time in my career I had to try to get some sleep at work (try is the key word). I had heard of other guys being forced to sleep at the post, but this was a first for me. Many times I've heard the phrase "You're not a trooper until..." but I'll just leave it at that.

Finally after a few hours of closing my eyes I decided to try again. The roads were still just a slick but the wind and blinding snow had slowed enough to allow me to see the road. I left at about 6:05am and got home at about 7:10am (20 miles).

The nagging question remains: Why do I live and work in Michigan?
On days like today I simply do not know...

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Seeing & Praying

Light for all the world to see
Grace to pardon sinners like me
Would that we might see You more
To glory in You, and Your presence to adore

We pray along with Moses, “Show us Your glory”
Would You wash us and give us brand new eyes to see
Will You cover us with Your hand and allow Your glory to pass by
Would You dwell with us and to Your people would You draw nigh

Oh Lord the more of You I see the more my soul does hunger
For another glimpse of You that in Your light I may linger
Do not hide Yourself from us, this is our desperate prayer
Would You draw so very near that we may breath in Your air

We thank You Lord for making a way
For us to enjoy You even this day
Thank You that Your love is displayed most clearly
By enabling us to know You and to treasure You dearly

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Missions Motivations

I was thinking recently of how our family has been increasingly surrounded by missions and misisons minded people. It seems to me that this is but providence granting familiarity and greasing the tracks that we may likely be led along a similar path. Here is some of what we have been surrounded by:

As a teen I was very moved by the story of Jim & Elizabeth Elliot. Jim's famous & prophetic quote has been one of my favorites ever since; "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

My parents felt a call to missions and for several years were involved in a very humble, self-sacrificing, and precious ministry to kids in our own town through a teen center. Many kids heard the gospel there and many experienced the love of God.

When my family and I moved back to Michigan in 2004 our neighbors across the street were the Tompkins, a Dr. and his wife who is a nurse practitioner. As this couple had moved in not too long before we did, we began looking for a church together.  We got to know and love the Tompkins who, all the while were planning to become involved in missions. Only a few years later they moved overseas to an impoverished part of the world for medical missions.

During the last few years since my introduction to the ministry of John Piper and Desiring God I have been dramatically impacted by Pipers teaching on missions. I've been especially moved and impressed by his biographical messages on the lives of missionaries like John Paton, Adoniram Judson, David Brainerd as well as the other biographies.

For years I had been hearing my mom reporting stories of and seeing the photos from her many mission trips with Vision Outreach International to places like Honduras and Borneo.

In early 2006 I had the opportunity to go with Vision Outreach International on a medical mission to Honduras. I learned not to underestimate the ministry that happens to those who go on mission trips as I was deeply ministered to during this trip.

Later in 2006 I had the privilege of going with a few men from our church on a mission trip to a small Bible College in Barberton, South Africa. Words simply cannot do justice to what happened to me there. I consider this trip to have been very instrumental in my appreciation for missions.

I have encountered friends from our current church who are very mission focused. One couple in particular have been planning for years to become missionaries in a Muslim country. They fully intend on being in the country within the next several years. It is a hope and a possibility that a few other families may join them.

We have met several dear people from our church who were children of missionaries and who grew up in foreign countries.

An extended family member of some friends at our church came and spoke about his family and friends who will, likely this year, be moving into a Muslim country for missions. This too was a powerful experience.

Last but definitely not least are a few passages of Scripture which have been opened up to me more recently than ever:

Rom 15:20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, Rom 15:21 but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."

Php 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ Php 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- Php 3:10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, Php 3:11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

E-Sword

E-Sword, the free downloadable Bible software has been a tremendous benefit to me and millions more. How wonderful that the person or persons behind E-Sword would make available such abundant and useful material for Bible study free.

This is the only Bible software that I have on my computer. This software is so comprehensive that I do not foresee any need for me to purchase any other Bible software. The E-Sword web-site is jam-packed with numerous Bible versions, commentaries, dictionaries, devotionals, STEP libraries and more. Did I mention that all this is free!

That such a tremendous resource is free is a testament to the grace of God and the humility of his people who would endeavor to provide such a service. Needless to say I am very thankful for E-Sword and I benefit from it regularly.

E-Sword was downloaded for the 6,000,000th time in July of 2007.





Thursday, January 24, 2008

Desiring God, Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

Apart from the Bible, no other book has even come close to having the intense impact upon my life than this dear book entitled Desiring God. John Piper has had a tremendous effect upon countless worshippers of Jesus Christ, and I find myself in the midst of this greatly effected group. I can honestly say that, apart from the Bible, this is my very favorite book.

The magnificence of God echoes throughout the pages of this book which is saturated in Scripture. A brief look at the Scripture index at the end of this book will highlight the Scripture saturation of both this book and it’s author. The appendixes of this book are a great benefit as well.

I recently posted about Rich Mullins and delighting in the impact that one can have upon somebody without even knowing them. John Piper belongs solidly in this category as well.

Many have struggled with the subtitle to Desiring God, “Meditations of a Christian Hedonist.” Considering the baggage that the word hedonism drags along with it, this is understandable, however, the baggage of the word hedonism is simply not what Piper is referring to.

(dictionary.com)
he·don·ism
Pronunciation [heed-n-iz uhm] –noun
1) the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.
2) devotion to pleasure as a way of life: The later Roman emperors were notorious for their hedonism.

Piper uses this word “hedonism” to highlight the very often overlooked premise that God is infinitely glorious and so He is infinitely satisfying. Christian hedonism is simply having God as the most pleasurable, enjoyable, and desirable entity in your life. I believe the word hedonism is here well chosen and aptly used. To the human heart which is divinely designed to have an unquenchable hunger to be satisfied - this is exceedingly good news. C.S. Lewis said it best, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

This book helped me to see these powerful truths. It was essential in helping me to see that I am an idol worshipper. Not the little wooden animal shaped idols, but the idols non-the-less, and especially the idol of self. The very 1st commandment was, “You shall have no other gods before me.” For me to have myself at the center of my affections rather than God is nothing less than idolatry. The most effective weapon in the war on idolatry is to drink deeply from the Fountain of Living Waters (Jer. 2:11-13) and be so satisfied in Him that your heart no longer desires the broken cisterns of this temporal world.

I find it interesting that one can so often heartily thank God for a person that one has never even met. I consider John Piper to be a gift from God to His church. I feel the same way about the book Desiring God.

Check out some of the reviews of this book at Amazon.com.

If you would prefer to listen to audio as opposed to reading, then there is a sermon series which covers the same basic information. I would still highly recommend the book as a life changing resource.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Operation World

Operation World is an informative aid for world prayer. When considering how best to engage in prayer for our world and missions throughout I encountered this book entitled Operation World. I have heard of this book before on a few occasions. Although I do not have this book, it is next on my list to get. My prayer life for anything outside of my very small scope of experience is nearly nonexistent. I am looking forward to assistance in this area.

Considering missions efforts to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the entire world, in obedience to the great commission, this ministry is a great assistance in supporting such missions and missionaries through informed prayer.

Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.


It is my ambition to grow in relation to prayer and I am hopeful that the ministry of Operation World will be of much assistance.

Do you use an aid in regard to world prayer? If so what? Are there any other ministries or books that you have found helpful in this regard?

Monday, January 21, 2008

Addictions, a banquet in the grave


Another great book by Edward Welch. He is member of CCEF, the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation.

I am currently reading this book with the hopes of sharing some of it's helpful & insightful truths at a local jail. Other books and programs have been considered, however, this one came highly recommended as one which is very Christ-centered. As with other helpful books from CCEF such as How People Change, Instruments in the Redeemers Hands, and more, this book reaches deeply into the powerful truths of the gospel to apply them to many of life's struggles and issues.
"When you look at it closely, drunkenness is a lordship problem. Who is your master, God or your desires? Do you desire God above all else, or do you desire something in creation more than you desire the Creator? At root, drunkards are worshipping another god - alcohol. Drunkenness violates the command "You shall have no other gods before me."
"This alcohol worship is actually a form of self-worship."
(Addictions Pg. 23)

This book, as well as the others from CCEF, wields the powerful Scriptures effectively against the enemies of addictions, self-worship, and God-lessness. I know that, according to Scripture, God's word never goes forth in vain but always accomplishes that which He intended it to. Because of this Scriptural principle I believe time will prove these books from CCEF to be tremendously effective weapons in the war against sin.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Andrew Peterson

One of Christianity's tremendously gifted song writers /musicians is Andrew Peterson. You can check out some videos of him as well as some of his writing on his blog.

Andrew Peterson has, by my account, probably the best Christmas album available: Behold the Lamb of God. This album is much more than a Christmas album. I listen to it all year long, and I have heard many others saying the very same thing.

Peterson is, like me, a huge fan of Rich Mullins. His love for Rich, and similar heart, comes out through his music. (If your interested, you can check out something that AP wrote about Rich in his blog.) There is even a reference to Rich in at least one of AP's songs which is entitled "Nothing to say" (an awesome song) from his "Carried Along" album.

AP has several other excellent albums as well. You can listen to samplings of most of Andrew Peterson's music here & here. If you have not become familiar with his music then you have simply missed out on a great blessing (something you don't have to continue to do).


Enjoy!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Beholding Him: Essential To Delighting In Him

The only reason that you have not seen His face
Is only because of His timely deliverance of grace
But if He would touch your eyes to see
Then from sin you couldn’t help but flee
To behold His glory and majesty
Is to have a new heart and to bend the knee

For all that your heart could hunger for
Is found only in Christ and here there is more
Than our feeble hearts could ever contain
His gift is Himself and He would maintain
That this life is simply not about you
It’s all about Him and here are some clues

There are Billions of people who live here on the earth
Of the expanse of the universe who can measure it’s girth
The depths of an atom and the light from the sun
Are but little examples of the work He has done
And yes there is more but I struggle for words
There are innumerable fish in the sea and great herds
Of divinely designed animals to see
These are but glimpse of His creativity

He has given you all of this and more
To teach you that He is, that you may adore
Him by all of the things that He has made
All so you may enjoy Him and delight in His shade




A.B. Seal
01-18-2008

Friday, January 18, 2008

The Holy Spirit: He is God!

(The entirety of this post was copied from the Resurgence website. I read this early this morning and was deeply moved. It is more than well worth the time it takes to read. Enjoy!)

The Holy Spirit: He Is God!
Author: John Piper
DATE: 5.02.1984
POSTED ON: 12.05.07
Found on the Resurgence website:

"Surely everyone who loves God will be earnestly seeking to know and experience as much of God as possible--and in our day that means especially, as much of the Holy Spirit as possible."

John 14:15-17, 25-26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.

These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

John 14:15-17, 25-26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15

When I go back and read my journal one of these years, the end of 1983 and the beginning of 1984 will be dominated by two phrases: frontier missions and wartime mentality. More than ever in my life the stark reality of thousands of people groups unreached by a "peaceful" western church, has been branded on my brain. More and more it troubles my heart. The logic of love is irresistible. If I love the lost I will seek to save them from perishing. If I love the glory of God I will work to overcome the worldwide ignorance and belittling of that glory. The blinders are beginning to fall off of my eyes and the bombshells of the unseen war are beginning to explode with terrible brightness all around me. I am coming to see the peacetime mentality that dominates our church and our conference as a tactical victory of Satan--the result of a kind of nerve gas from Satan's arsenal of chemical weaponry that gives the soldiers of Christ a kind of stupor in some and religious euphoria in others, and eventually puts them to sleep at the gates of the enemy, and makes them utterly oblivious to the cries of the P.O.W.'s behind the wall. Who but Satan could devise a chemical weapon which when spread over the army of Christ would make them content simply to hold worship services and support groups at the door of Satan's dungeon? Picture the Allied troops landing in Germany, marching victoriously toward the smoke from the ovens of Dachau, and then stopping at the gates, setting up camp and having a big Bavarian beer bust to celebrate while the Gestapo finishes murdering 5,000 Jews behind the gates. Satan is satisfied with all our religious activity as long as it does not move us to break down those gates to rescue the perishing.

Therefore, at the top of my agenda these days has been the question: how can I get myself and the church awake to a wartime mentality? Is there some way to break the spell? Picture a great army asleep with mighty weapons in their limp hands and armor in their tents. Picture them sleeping in the fields all around one of Satan's strongholds. Suddenly, an eyelid blinks, a head lifts and looks around. Then another and another. A strange awakening spreads through the field. Muscles are flexed. Armor fitted. Swords sharpened. Eyes meet with silent excitement. The light in the commander's tent goes on, the generals gather and the strategy for the attack is laid.
What has happened? The Holy Spirit has begun to move upon the armies of the Lord. "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light … Do not be drunk with Bavarian beer but be filled with the Holy Spirit … Put on the whole armor of God … and take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God … Keep alert … and help each other be bold" (Eph. 5:14,18; 6:11,17-19). There is only one power that can break the spell of Satan, waken the armies of the Lord and rout the god of this age--the power of the Holy Spirit.

On the morning of December 10 (about eight weeks ago) I was praying earnestly about these things and seeking the Lord for direction in my ministry. And the Lord gave me, I believe, the over-mastering conviction that I should preach on the Holy Spirit. I recorded three reasons in my journal:
"If I am burdened for the vital experience of God missing in many of our people and for the present power of godliness, it makes sense to preach not just on what God has done or what he will do or what we must do, but on what God is now doing and how he is now experienced--i.e., the Holy Spirit. 2) The sentence is stunning and full of ominous warning: 'If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live' (Rom. 8:13). The life of my people hangs on a vital experience of the Spirit. 3) There are miracles which God may be willing to perform if we sought his Spirit and were filled anew. And these miracles may win for him glory that is now denied him … Come, Holy Spirit, preach yourself to this people."

So for three days in the third week of January at Shalom House I spent about thirty hours praying and thinking about a series of messages on the Holy Spirit. The result is that today's message is the introduction to a series of twenty messages on the Holy Spirit that, Lord willing, I will preach between now and June 17.

My earnest desire and prayer is that we not just learn about the Holy Spirit but that we come to know him and love him and enjoy him and be awakened by him and empowered by him to formulate and execute strategies to rout the forces of Satan and rescue hundreds from his captivity.

There is a peculiar responsibility upon us today to know and experience the Holy Spirit. Here's why. John Owen in his work on the Holy Spirit (Book 1; ch. 1) points out something so obvious we may overlook it. The Bible portrays for us a history of redemption with three major divisions that reveal progressively the three persons of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Before the first coming of Christ the great testing truth was "the oneness of God's nature and his monarchy over all," especially with respect to the person of the Father. When Christ came the great question was whether a people orthodox on the first point would recognize and receive the incarnate Son of God in whom all the fullness of deity dwells. Then after the Son had gathered a people who received him, he was put to death, raised up and exalted to the Father's right hand, from which he sent the Holy Spirit with new prominence upon the church. Before Christ's coming … the prominence of God the Father; during the days of Christ's earthly life … the prominence of God the son; and since the ascension of the Son … the prominence of God the Holy Spirit. Therefore we live in a unique, climactic period of redemptive history, the days of the Spirit. Just as Israel of old had a special responsibility to know and honor God as Father in the oneness of his nature, and just as the people of Palestine had a special responsibility to know and honor Jesus as the Son of God in the days of his flesh, so now we have a special responsibility to know and honor the Holy Spirit. "The sin of despising His Person and rejecting His Work now is of the same nature with idolatry of old and with the Jews' rejection of the Person of the Son" (Owen).

O, how favored we are as a people to be living in the age of the Spirit. Spread out for us all to see and to marvel at is the history of revelation of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. How thankful we should be that we were born (owing to no virtue in us whatsoever!) in a day when the fullness of God's nature as three in one has been revealed and when the various ministries of Father, Son and Holy Spirit have been displayed and offered for our experience. Surely everyone who loves God will be earnestly seeking to know and experience as much of God as possible--and in our day that means especially, as much of the Holy Spirit as possible.

If going hard after the Holy God is priority number one at Bethlehem, you can see, can't you, how I have been led to direct our attention to the Person and work of God the Holy Spirit. Let's make the next twenty weeks a unique period in our lives--a period of unusual pursuit and openness toward the Holy Spirit. There are attacks to be resisted. There are strongholds to be taken, there is a spiritual war to be won. It may be that in these weeks the troops at Bethlehem will awaken, conceive a new strategy and penetrate farther than we ever have into Satan's domain. If Jesus has sent us even as the Father sent him (John 20:21), then should we not be able to say with Jesus, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives …" (Luke 4:18). When the Holy Spirit falls upon this congregation the undeniable sign will be the impulse and power to invade Satan's prisoner camps and release the captives.

Let me draw this introductory message to a close with two truths about the Holy Spirit that we need to have clear from the beginning. The first truth is that the Holy Spirit is a person not an impersonal force. The second truth is that the Holy Spirit is God not a creation of God. The most important passages to support the first truth is John 14-16. At least three things in these chapters confirm that Jesus thinks of the Holy Spirit as a person not a mere force. 1) Jesus calls him "another Counselor" in 14:16, "I will pray the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth" (14:26; 15:26; 16:7). When Jesus calls him a Counselor or Comforter he treats him as a person not a force. And when he calls him another counselor" he means, "He will be a counselor like me." The Holy Spirit is a counselor like Jesus is--he is a person.

2) In John 14:17, Jesus says, "You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." Then in verse 25 he says, "I have spoken to you while I am with you." Jesus virtually identifies the Spirit with himself. "I am with you and will be in you" is the same as saying, "I am with you and the Spirit will be in you." "You know me now as flesh and blood Son of God. You will know me soon through the Spirit who will be given to you." Therefore, the Spirit is no less a person than Jesus is.

3) The Holy Spirit is described not merely as the voice of God's teaching but as a teacher in his own right. John 14:26, "The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things." And in 15:26 he is a witness in his own right, "When the counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me." And lest we think that the Spirit is just the extended teaching activity of the Father and the Son, John 16:13 says that the Spirit first hears and then teaches: "He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak." The Spirit is treated not as a force, or influence or activity of another person but as a person in his own right, hearing from the Father and the Son, and teaching and bearing witness to men.

It will make a great deal of difference in your own life if you believe that you are being indwelt and led and purified not by impersonal forces from a distant God but by a person who in his essence is the love of God (Rom. 5:5; 1 John 4:12-13). Handley C.G. Moule, the former bishop of Durham who died in 1920, gave witness to the importance of the Spirit's personality:
Never shall I forget the gain to my conscious faith and peace which came to my own soul, not long after a first decisive and appropriating view of the Crucified Lord as the sinner's sacrifice of peace, from a more intelligent and conscious hold upon the living and most gracious Personality of that Holy Spirit through whose mercy the soul had got that blessed view. It was a new development of insight into the Love of God. It was a new contact as it were with the inner eternal movements of redeeming goodness and power, a new discovery in divine resources.
(Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, p. 13).

When you add the second truth about the Holy Spirit, the first becomes even more precious. The Holy Spirit is God. The person who indwells and leads and purifies is no one less than God, the Holy Spirit. The simple evidence for this is the frequent designation "Spirit of God." The Spirit is "of God" not because God created him, but because he shares God's nature and comes forth eternally from God (see 1 Cor. 2:10-12). If the Son of God is equally eternal with the Father, as John 1:1-3 makes clear that he is, then so is the Holy Spirit equally eternal with them both, because according to Romans 8:9-11, the Spirit of Christ is one and the same with the Spirit of God. If this were not so we would have to imagine that there was a time when the Son had no Spirit and the Father had no Spirit. But I want to try to show in this week's STAR that the Holy Spirit is essential to the relationship between the Father and the Son. He is, to use Moule's words again (p. 28), "the Result, the Bond, the Vehicle, of their everlasting mutual delight and love." As far back into eternity as God the Father has been generating or imaging forth the Son there has been an infinite Holy Spirit of love and delight between them, who is himself a divine Person.

Therefore, as Jesus prays for the church in John 17:26, he asks his Father for nothing less than the Holy Spirit when he says, "I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them." The most glorious of all truths that we will discover in the next twenty weeks is that when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, he comes not merely as the Spirit of the Son nor merely as the Spirit of the Father, but as the Spirit of infinite love between the Father and the Son, so that we may love the Father with the very love of the Son and love the Son with the very love of the Father.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Missions: To Every Tribe Ministries

I first encountered David Sitton and To Every Tribe Ministries at a Desiring God conference in which David Sitton spoke on missions. My heart was very impacted for missions there. It is my hope that the Lord may grant us to become more involved in His great plan of missions to people and places that have not yet heard the name of Jesus Christ.

I am very thankful for people like David Sitton, David Brainerd, John Paton, Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, Jim Elliot & his friends and family, and countless others like them throughout history. These have proved faithful by their obedience to the great commission and by their lives which demonstrated that "to live is Christ and to die is gain" and by their example that they "count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus."

To Every Tribe Ministries Mission Statement:

Our missions motto is well stated by the Apostle Paul in Romans 15:20-21.

"It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. Rather, as it is written: Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand."

MISSION STATEMENT: To Every Tribe Ministries exists to glorify God by planting evangelical Christian churches in the interior, unevangelized regions of Papua New Guinea and Mexico. A vital part of our mission includes mobilizing and equipping existing churches to reproduce and become missionary sending churches themselves.

TETM has many responsibilities and ministries, but everything we do is directly related to our mission statement above.

In order to achieve our purpose, we are committed to the following ministries. Each of these areas of ministry is fully detailed in the appropriate places on this web site.

¨ Church Planting in Papua New Guinea

¨ Church Planting in Mexico

- Discipleship and Leadership Training

¨ Short-Term Mission Trips

¨ Tribal Research

¨ Tribal Seminars

¨ Perspectives On The World Christian Movement

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened

Are you tired and lonely
Does it feel as if you are the only
One who goes through such things
And do you fear what tomorrow brings?

Have you fled or have you strayed
And do you feel your nerves are frayed
By the atrocities of this present place?
Do your hands ever hide your face?

Could it be that you have not
Tasted of glories that you ought
And missed the treasure of His face
Which brings calm, and peace, and grace?

Would you turn and seek Him now
Could your hardened heart and knees bow
Before this great and majestic King
Or to this world would you still cling?



A.B. Seal
01-16-2008

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Words for a battered friend

For a friend who has been battered by a few storms as of late:


"Shall I not drink from the cup that He has given me."

Bitter cup though it may be
It is a gift He gives to thee
That thou may truly taste and see
Of all that He has borne for thee

For all is His and all is planned
He's granted this pain to now be manned
Do not let your hope be in this land
But Hope in Him, the great God-Man

Oh would it now and ever be
That His great glories you might see
That from trust in yourself you would flee
And only ever trust in He


A.B. Seal
01-15-2008

Monday, January 14, 2008

A recent post from Ray Ortlund

The presidency of the Holy Spirit
"And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord." 1 Kings 8:10-11


Our forefathers used to call this "the presidency of the Holy Spirit," when the Holy Spirit would preside over the gathering of God's people in such a way as gently, wonderfully to take charge. I have seen this. Doubtless, many of you have as well.One Sunday morning at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena -- we were a mainstream church of scientists, real estate agents, stay-at-home moms, just normal folks -- my dad was preaching away. I was not paying much attention. Typical. But then, with no prompting from the pulpit at all -- dad was minding his own business, preaching Christ -- Ed Fischer quietly rose from his place in the choir, went down to the communion table at the front, and knelt in prayer. Then his wife Lita got up from her place and did the same, at his side. I thought, "Hmmm. That's odd." But then I was surprised to see many people from all over the church going forward and kneeling as one at the front, getting right with God. There was no emotionalism. There was no self-display. It was quiet, powerful. Dad was surprised. He hadn't planned on this or even foreseen it. He did not manipulate it. He wasn't even making an appeal. God did it, and dad yielded to the presidency of the Holy Spirit. He stepped back and went to prayer. The organist had the presence of mind to begin playing quietly, appropriately. The service took a surprising direction, in the glorious mercy and power of God. And although this experience was no panacea, and the next morning everyone went back to work in the usual way, still, God had visited us. God bent down and kissed us, bringing us closer to himself, clearing away some problems, opening up new possibilities.We could never be the same again.

Posted by Ray Ortlund Friday, January 11, 2008





Ortlund's recent post was a blessing to me.

I've been thinking lately on the necessity of experiencing God during church services. It seems to me that if God would be most glorified in our midst then we would encounter Him in various and powerful ways. His presence, His holiness, conviction of sin, overwhelming and unspeakable joy, His other-worldliness, and peace that surpasses understanding. The unique thing about these encounters with God is that they cannot be manufactured. But when He chooses to visit His people, there will be no doubt that it was Him alone who arranged it - for His glory and for our benefit.

It occurred to me that Piper's great statement, "God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him" is true here as well. If you are increasingly satisfied in Him, including by the manifestations He makes of Himself, He is thereby glorified.

I read today in Mark 9 about the transfiguration. This ineffable experience is God-glorifying and heart ravishingly satisfying. Would that we might see Jesus in His breathtaking glory, that He would be exalted, praised, adored, worshipped, and that our hearts might revel in His magnificence.

Recent Training

I've had several people ask me what I did during some recent training. Legal updates and other class time review. The most interesting and most adrenal was definitely the training with simunitions.


These are the simunition rounds. Basically plastic bullets with color for hit markings. These are rounds that can be fired from issued weapons w/replacement barrels.


This always proves to be interesting and beneficial training. For those of you with inquiring minds; no I didn't get shot this time, and yes I have previously been shot with these rounds on several occasions. An unlucky college intern working with the training staff was on the receiving end of most of the scenarios. He got some shots in too.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Rich Mullins

My favorite musician of all time is without a doubt Rich Mullins. Although he passed away just over 10 years ago his music still ministers to me and to countless others.

For those who do not know much about Rich, he was a passionate and extraordinarily gifted musician who radically loved Jesus. Rich could have been very wealthy because of his music, but he was not by choice. He chose rather to take the average salary of an American (I think about $26,000 at the time) and he assigned a board to oversee the rest of his money which was used to support many worthwhile causes. He lived on an Indian reservation in New Mexico and spent lots of his time teaching music to and serving the native Americans.

I thought I'd do my best to highlight his musical gifting for your enjoyment - just in case you're not familiar with him. Here are some of my favorite albums of his. You can click on the links to listen to song samples from amazon.com:


A liturgy a legacy & a ragamuffin band











Songs











Songs 2







The world as best as I can remember it Vol. 1











The world as best as I can remember it Vol. 2











The Jesus Record
- This was Rich's last recording. This album consists of 2 CDs; 1 of Rich (rough & awesome audio - not recorded in studio) and 1 of his group and other recording artist friends of his playing his songs from this album. Rich died in a car accident (1997) only a few days after recording these songs.





It is an amazing thing to me that one can love someone so much that they have never even met. I'm astounded at the impact that this man whom I never met has had on me. I was about 14 years old when I first I began listening to Rich. 15 years later his music is still ministering to me, and no doubt many others as well. I have often thought that Rich will be one of the first people I want to meet when I get to heaven. I look forward to singing worship songs with him.

Thank you Lord for the gift of Rich Mullins.

A Rich quote:
"We walk by faith and not by sight - not because we are blind, but because faith gives us the courage to face our fears and puts those fears in a context that makes them less frightful. We walk by faith and not by sight because there are places to go that cannot be seen and the scope of our vision is too small for our strides. Faith is not a denial of facts - it is a broadening of focus."

It is my sincere hope that you may enjoy the music ministry of Rich Mullins as much as I have.

Enjoy!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Watoto!

I recently had to go to Lansing for some refresher training (something all troopers are rotated through every few years). As providence would have it, on the very same night in which I was going to be staying at the Academy the Watoto children's choir was going to be at the church that Jillian and I formerly attended in Marshall. I was able to go and see this worshipful group of youngsters sing, dance, and share their testimonies. Each of these children were orphans and several of them shared their moving stories of incredible suffering - and then the tremendous grace that they had been found and cared for by the Watoto group. These children who came from diversely dire situations were visibly grateful for God's grace in their lives through this tremendous ministry to orphans.

My friend and former pastor there knows the couple, who many years ago started a church in Uganda and then this Watoto ministry to orphans. The goal of these concerts is to raise money to build homes for the orphans and to supply many needs for many needy. I have been blessed to attend several of these Watoto concerts. This concert was very powerful and I was fighting to keep back the tears during most of it.

I was struck by the living illustrations of unconditional election. They had reported that there are approximately 60 million orphans in Africa. The AIDS epidemic and years of civil war in Uganda have devastated the population. Here these few, and several hundred like them, have been rescued from many calamities such as starvation, sickness, dire poverty, being alone, having no one to care for them or to teach them, having no hope, and constantly struggling under the weight of immense loss and suffering. These few chosen rescued ones now radiate with hope and gratefulness to God for His gracious and merciful intervention in their lives.

I could not help but see the similarities between the Watoto children and God's children. The orphans rescued from the atrocities of suffering in Uganda and the orphans rescued from the atrocities of sin have this in common: both have been rescued by God's, conscious and decisive, gracious and merciful intervention.

My heart thanked God for the couple who began that church in Uganda and then started this ministry to orphans. Their light, rather God's light through them, is shining in Uganda. Much fruit is visible on their tree.

Thank you Lord for salt in an otherwise bland world and for light that shines brightly in the darkness.

You too can help.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Clouds & Glory

When covered under clouds divine
And up this mountain you would climb
Do not fear the arrows by day
And do turn from off of your way

Place not your hope in the things that are here
But trust only in God and He’ll keep you near
True life is His and He’ll give it to you
If you would repent and ask to be new

Clouds of darkness last not forever
Pursue your God and let Him be your treasure
Taste not from the cup of this worldliness
Drink only of Him and He’ll be your happiness

Until that great and glorious day
When you would hear your dear Master say
Well done My good and faithful friend
Enter the joy of your Master, it shall never end


A.B. Seal
01-05-2008

Friday, January 4, 2008

Journaling through the book of Job

(This is the previously posted 5 parts combined into 1 with light editing)

Chapter 1
Worship a result of suffering?
In one day Job’s wealth, friends, and family were devastated:
1) Attacking Sabeans stole away 500 donkeys and 500 yoke of oxen (1,000 oxen) and then killed the servants who cared for those animals.
2) Fire destroyed Job's enormous flock of 7,000 sheep and a the servants who cared for those animals.
3) Chaldean raiding parties stole away his herd of 3,000 camels
4) A mighty wind demolished his son’s home which was filled with all 10 of his children who all died as a result of this calamity.

Yet Job responds with worship:
Job 1:20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. Job 1:21 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

Chapter 2
More pain.
As if all this were not enough, more truckloads of suffering are lined up and on a collision course with the already battered and tragedy torn Job:Satan gains permission from God to afflict Job’s body.
Job 2:4 Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. Job 2:5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face." Job 2:6 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life."

Interesting to note that previously Satan did not have permission to do this:
Job 1:12 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand."

Physical malady is the next in line awaiting it‘s appointment with the miserable Job. Job is afflicted over his entire body with painful sores. His wife, who is as affected by these tragedies as Job, becomes a mouthpiece for Satan himself when she tempts him to forsake his God.
Job 2:9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die."

Chapter 3
Suffering under the weight of such tragedy, Job pours out his complaint.

Friends
Job has three good friends who come to his aid. Three loving friends who care so much for Job that they sit with him in mourning for a week without speaking. This is love. When words fail, love is still seen in the silent companionship of those who will accompany Job along his pathway of pain.

Chapters 4 & 5
Accusation tears through the air as arrows in flight. Jobs first friend fires at him. Surely Job you would not be suffering like this if you had done no wrong.
Job 4:7 "Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off? Job 4:8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.

Job 4:13-16 is a chilling description of what appears to be a demon planting seeds of accusing thoughts in this friend of Job. Those seeds grew and bore the fruit of cutting accusation.

Sovereignty
In the background of this story of Job’s suffering is another deeper and profound telling of the Sovereignty of God over suffering. Satan came before God and it is God who highlights the righteousness of Job. Satan mocks God’s reference to Job saying that Job merely holds to God because God has been so good to him by protecting him and blessing him. God first grants Satan permission to go after Job, but this leash only goes so far. Satan tears away Job’s possessions and his loved ones. After further relation with God about Job, Satan gains more permission, more length to his leash, but again is limited in not being allowed to take Job’s life.

God allows suffering for His reasons. He knows what He is doing. The seeing of who God is, is much more valuable than the maintaining of Job’s protection and blessing. Job’s astounding suffering enabled us (& God’s people throughout history) to see a tremendous display of God being in absolute control over suffering. God grants beauty for ashes - a glimpse of who God is came through a taste of pain. Some would say that this is not fair. And that would be correct, but things are not exactly as they might perceive them. They might say that Job’s suffering was not fair because he did not deserve to suffer like that. Others (including me) would say that it (beauty for ashes) was not fair because God is so immensely valuable that the seeing of Him is of infinitely more worth than any and every suffering. God is so glorious and magnificent that Job’s suffering was a bargain, a good deal, a steal… because the priceless can never be purchased. It was by grace that Job suffered, so that he might see more of God and so that God’s people throughout history might also see more of God through Job’s amazingly painful ordeal.

Chapters 6 & 7
Job replies to Eliphaz. Job remains in anguish and feels that he is standing on the very edge of the grave.

Chapter 8
Job’s second friend, Bildad, enters the conversation and joins in the accusation:Job you’re full of hot air. Maybe your kids died because of their own sin. Job, friend, what you need is to repent and plead for mercy that God might relent.

Chapter 9
Job replies to Bildad. Who can contend with God. How can my feeble words diminish His wrath. He is God, He is powerful and I am not.

Chapter 10
Job pours out his complaint to God before his friends:
Job 10:1 "I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. Job 10:2 I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me.

Chapter 11
Zophar, friend #3, chimes in.
Job 11:14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents.

Chapters 12 & 13
Job replies to Zophar, "I’m innocent." This is God’s doing, is it not plain for all to see? Job continues his rebuttal:
Job 13:4 As for you, you whitewash with lies; worthless physicians are you all. Job 13:5 Oh that you would keep silent, and it would be your wisdom! Job 13:15a “Though He slay me yet will I hope in Him."

This is probably one of the most potent demonstrations of hope in the completely sovereign God in the Bible. Job clearly saw that it was God's arrows that were lodged in his heart and yet magnificently Job says that his hope remains in God. Job saw in God, obviously from his knowing of Him before this unspeakable suffering, His goodness, mercy, and sovereignty. Job's knowing of God was the foundation of his hope in God.

Chapter 14
Job 14:1 "Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.
Job 14:7 "For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.
Job does question God as to the reasons for his intense suffering. Would you bring such questions if you were in Job's place? I cannot imagine that I would do otherwise than he. Why God? Why this? Why me? Why oh Lord would you bend your bow in my direction?

Chapter 15
Eliphaz regroups and returns for his counter attack at Job. More arrows of accusation, aimed at the heart of Job, flung sharply from the mouth of Eliphaz:
Job 15:12 Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash, Job 15:13 that you turn your spirit against God and bring such words out of your mouth?

Friends & attempts to comfort
Lessons to be learned remain written here in the responses of Job's friends who saw not the God who reigns supreme over absolutely everything. Attempt not to comfort those sitting in the seat of much suffering with judgment and accusations of "surely you brought this upon yourself" or "this must be your fault."Rather the God-loving and God-fearing friends will hold the tongue of accusation and exchange it for a loving and Scripture-sharing encouragement:
Psalm 42:11 Why cast down, oh my (your) soul, and why are you in turmoil within me (you)? Hope in God: for I (you) shall again praise Him, my (your) salvation and my (your) God.
Romans 8:28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

The God whom we serve is able to sustain you through whatever you may face. And more than that He can even make trials and tribulations ultimately work out for your good. Our God is the God who can make good come from much trouble, much sickness, and much suffering. This vision of the God who is completely sovereign, who is good, and who never makes mistakes (even if we don't understand what it is that He is doing) is that which we must bring to our ailing acquaintances if we are to be of any aid.

Chapters 16 & 17
Job replies to Eliphaz:
Job 16:2 “miserable comforters are you all”

Job continues his reply to his would be comforters now turned tormentors. He obviously struggles to maintain hope while under the weight of his affliction.

Chapter 18
Bildad again acts as a mouthpiece for the enemy of our souls:
Job 18:5 Indeed, the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire does not shine.
18:21 Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous, such is the place of him who knows not God."

Chapter 19
Job responds to Bildad:
Job 19:2 "How long will you torment me and break me in pieces with words?
Job 19:21 Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me!
Job 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

Chapter 20
Zophar, apparently not satisfied that his message has sunk in to Job’s head yet, sounds the same note: Suffering comes for the wicked...
Job 20:24 He will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow will strike him through. Job 20:25 It is drawn forth and comes out of his body; the glittering point comes out of his gallbladder; errors come upon him. Job 20:26 Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not fanned will devour him; what is left in his tent will be consumed. Job 20:27 The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him. Job 20:28 The possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of God's wrath. Job 20:29 This is the wicked man's portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God.

Chapter 21
Job confronts Zophar with his error:
Don’t you have eyes to see that the wicked are prospering all around us?
Job 21:7 Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
Job 21:13 They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. Job 21:14 They say to God, 'Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. Job 21:15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?'
Job 21:34 How then will you comfort me with empty nothings? There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood."

Chapter 22
Eliphaz comes armed well for this conflict:
Job 22:4 Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you?
Job 22:5 Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities. Cutting words and accusation are flung from Eliphaz like darts at the already wounded and miserable Job.
Job 22:10 Therefore snares are all around you, and sudden terror overwhelms you, Job 22:11 or darkness, so that you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.Surely Job, you suffer because you have not yet repented. Turn from your wickedness and turn to God then all will be well.Job 22:23 If you return to the Almighty you will be built up; if you remove injustice far from your tents

Chapters 23 & 24
Job deflects the assault of Eliphaz and maintains his innocence and God's sovereignty.
Turn back to God?
Job 23:10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. Job 23:11 My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. Job 23:12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. Job 23:13 But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. Job 23:14 For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.

Again, Eliphaz, can you not see that the wicked all around regularly get away with their vileness? It is all around us. If the wicked prosper in their wickedness, then your statement that God only punishes the wicked is clearly false - because they remain thus far unpunished.

Chapter 25
Bildad continues to pile up words.
25:4a How can man be righteous before God

Chapter 26
Job responds to Bildad.
Job 26:4 With whose help have you uttered words, and whose breath has come out from you?

Chapters 27 & 28
Job maintains his innocence. God does as He pleases and the Godless will eventually face His wrath. Man does great exploits in pursuit of the riches of silver, gold, and fine jewels but he searches not for wisdom - because he does not realize it’s worth.
Certainly God knows where it (wisdom) is hidden:
Job 28:23 "God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.
Job 28:28 And he said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"


Chapter 29 & 30
Job summarizes his defense.
Men used to have respect for me and listen to my words before all this tragedy came upon me.
Now they only mock and torment me.
God has done this:
Job 30:19 God has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes. Job 30:20 I cry to you for help and you do not answer me; I stand, and you only look at me.

Chapter 31
Job insists, “I’m innocent“. Oh that there were balances to weigh me out and confirm my innocence. If I had sinned I would and should bear just punishment if I exchanged the glory of God for idols, then I would deserve all this.
Job 31:24 "If I have made gold my trust or called fine gold my confidence, 31:25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant or because my hand had found much, 31:26 if I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the moon moving in splendor, 31:27 and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand, 31:28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have been false to God above.

If I sinned I deserve all this and more, but I maintain my innocence before God and before you all.

Chapter 32
Friend #4, Elihu, after patiently waiting finally enters the conversation. He is the youngest of the group (v.4).
Elihu is very upset with Job because “Job justified himself rather than God.” (v. 2)
Elihu is also upset with Job’s friends:
Job 32:3 He burned with anger also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. Job 32:18 (Elihu) For I am full of words; the spirit within me constrains me. 32:19 Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent; like new wineskins ready to burst. 32:20 I must speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer.

Elihu says that he must speak or he will burst. This seems to me to be an explanation of a spiritual event which took place inside his heart. It seems that it is the Lord who has so filled his heart that he will burst if He does not let it out. It is very much like God, throughout the Bible, to use the least (or youngest) to accomplish what he wants (I think of Joseph, Jeremiah, David, and the small city of Bethlehem where Jesus had appointed to be born). Elihu is also later left out of the rebuke given to Job’s other three friends, which seems to add weight to Elihu’s words.

Chapter 33
Elihu first rebukes Job. He speaks kind but tough words to his friend.Salvation is illustrated:
Job 33:26 then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. 33:27 He sings before men and says: 'I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. 33:28 He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.'

Chapter 34 & 35
Elihu confronts job with the fact that God is just.
Job 34:10 "Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

Chapters 36 & 37
Elihu speaks of God’s greatness and majesty:
Job 36:15 He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.Job 36:22 Behold, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him? 36:23 Who has prescribed for him his way, or who can say, 'You have done wrong'? 36:24 "Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung. 36:25 All mankind has looked on it; man beholds it from afar. 36:26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.

Considering that God begins to speak in the very next chapter, Elihu seems to be the preceding agent, preparing the way for God’s word (not that He needs it but Jesus didn't need it either - yet He assigned John the Baptist to this task of preparing the way).

Chapters 38-40
God speaks.
The Lord questions Job in order to show Job’s finiteness, weakness, temporaries, and foolishness also in order to highlight God’s infiniteness, glorious power, eternality, and unfathomed wisdom.
(paraphrase)
Do you not see my glory and majesty displayed in the created universe. If so how could you or why would you question me? Do I make mistakes? Do I not know what I am doing? Has one star fallen out of existence without my knowing or my allowing it to do so? How would you mere clay vessel question the potter who made you? You questioning shows your blindness and your foolishness. Brace yourself. All creation shudders at my voice, at my very breath yet would you dare to speak wrong of me? I even feed the lions and the ravens - not even they in all their God-given resourcefulness can sustain themselves apart from my provision.

Entirely humbled and in trembling Job says he will speak no more and covers his mouth (40:3-5).

The Lord continues to speak to Job:
Job 40:8 Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?

Chapter 41
The Lord references Leviathan, which seems to be a veiled reference to Satan.
Job 41:33 On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. Job 41:34 He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride."

This reference seems to indicate that God is using Satan in order to show that God's sovereignty over all things including him, and that God even allows him to be used as God wills and for specifically for His purposes. Satan runs not free but only at the length of leash given Him by God. Satan would that he could unleash his wickedness and wrath at will, but he is only allowed to do so at God's discretion. Even when he is allowed to run at a prescribed length, he is able to do so it only because it serves the purposes of God. The premier example of this is found in 1st Corinthians 2:8.
1Co 2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (ESV)
1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (KJV)

Chapter 42
Job 42:1 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 42:2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 42:3 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 42:4 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.' 42:5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 42:6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

The Lord rebukes Job’s three friends (who are named v. 42:7-10). Elihu’s distinction of not being named in this rebuke is evidence of his righteousness in dealing with Job (his right words in this matter).

Verses 8-10 displays an Old Testament example of a New Testament principle: pray for your enemies (which includes even your friends that become enemies - who can sometimes be more difficult to pray for than your non-friend-enemies). The Lord accepted Job’s intercessory prayer for his befriending-enemies.

Job is blessed by God after this entire incident more than he had been at first.

Overview:
Job’s suffering was not in vain. An enormous burden was placed upon Job, that through his devastating situation God might be seen. Glimpses of God are very costly.

God’s truth is and always has always been eternally true. Therefore the truths of Romans 8:28 and Psalm 84:11 were true long before they were ever written in the Scriptures.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Because of these truths we can view the book of Job through the lens of such texts and see that God had purposes in allowing Job's suffering. No suffering of God’s people is ever in vain. In Job’s case, he and his three friends saw more clearly who God is through Job‘s trying ordeal.

A glimpse of the infinitely holy, breathtakingly glorious, majestic, and all wise God is worth whatever price solely because God is infinitely valuable. Job’s tragedy was God’s designed method of allowing more of Him to be seen. The ultimate example that the seeing of God is absolutely priceless is the God-Man, Jesus Christ. The infinitely valuable God, became Man, and lived and died to bear our much deserved punishment and to bring us to God (1 Pet. 3:18). All this that God may be glorified (seen for who He is) and that He may give us an eternity of seeing Him and enjoying Him, something otherwise too infinitely expensive for us ever to purchase.


Thank you Lord for the costly visions of You in the lives of your suffering servants and in the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

What's on your Mp3 player?

Although I'd admit that the majority of Mp3 files that I listen to on my iPod are sermons/messages, I do often enjoy a collection of great worship songs on my iPod.

Here are the songs currently in the "Worship" file on my iPod:


Title, Artist, Album (if known)

Indescribable, Chris Tomlin, Arriving
God With Us, MercyMe, All That Is Within
No Sacrifice, Jason Upton, Faith
I Will Glory In My Redeemer, Sovereign Grace Music, Upward
Every where I go I see You, Rich Mullins
Come Spirit of God, West Coast Revival WCR
O Praise Him (All This for a King), David Crowder Band, Illuminate
Glory Come Down, Jason Upton, Faith
All Who Are Thirsty, Vineyard UK, Be the Centre: Best of Vineyard UK
Poverty, Jason Upton, Faith
Praise You In This Storm, Casting Crowns, Lifesong
I Need You, Jars of Clay, The Eleventh Hour
How majestic is Your Name, Soveriegn Grace
Listen to Our Hearts, Geoff Moore & Distance
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), Chris Tomlin, See the Morning
Surrender, Vineyard UK, Be the Centre: Vineyard UK Worship
God Will Lift Up Your Head, Jars of Clay, Roots & Wings
Come you saints, West Coast Revival WCR
Who Am I, Casting Crowns, Casting Crowns
Only You, West Coast Revival WCR
How Great Is Our God, Chris Tomlin, Arriving
Freedom Reigns, Jason Upton, Faith
Oh the deep, West Coast Revival WCR
Oh My God, Jars of Clay, Good Monsters
Holy Is the Lord, Chris Tomlin, Arriving
My Savior's precious blood, West Coast Revival WCR

These songs and more are available at:

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Unbreakable Joy

I have entitled this blog "Unbreakable Joy" not because my joy can never be broken, but because the source of my joy, God, can never be broken, nor hindered, nor can He ever be taken away from me (rather I can never be taken away from Him).

The Apostle Peter writes that this joy is inexpressible and filled with glory (1Peter 1:8-9). Experience teaches that sometimes our hearts can be so filled with joy in God and with His presence and touch that words simply cannot do this justice. Although this joy can never really be entirely expressed - because of the infinite, eternal, and ineffable nature of God - yet I (and many others) have desired to express this joy in God to the very extent of my ability.

Feeble though words may be, this joy can be somewhat expressed, although not entirely. It might be like an ant who deeply enjoys and loves the mountain on which his ant hill is built (which the ant likely imagines includes the very reaches of existence), but the ant because of it's significant limitedness cannot explore the entire mountain, nor could it fathom the glories of the countless other mountains near by, nor the depths of the oceans or the underwater mountains therein, nor the mountains on the other side of those oceans. But the ant could enjoy what the ant could experience and that is in similar fashion where God's people are in relation to enjoying God.

Here is a brief collection of a few Scriptures on our joy in the value and glory of God:

Psalm 4:7-8
You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 27:4
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart

Psalm 65:4
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!

Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 84:11-12
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Psalm 90:14
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Psalm 103:10-13
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

Psalm 119:111
Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

Psalm 119:72
The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Isaiah 29:18-19
In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. 29:19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 55:2
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Isaiah 58:11
And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Matthew 13:44-46
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Matthew 25:21
His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'

Luke 2:9-11
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

John 15:11
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 16:24
Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Galations 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Hebrews 12:2
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Philippians 3:7-8
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

1Peter 1:8-9
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Jude 1:24-25
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.