Unbreakable and unspeakable joy comes uniquely from a relationship with God, who alone can ultimately satisfy the human heart
Thursday, July 31, 2008
And the winner is...
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Behold the Lamb of God
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
"Behold the Lamb of God."
I heard somebody say recently that some of the best sermons ever preached were given only to a handful of people. John's 5 word statement "Behold the Lamb of God" is likely one of the greatest messages ever given. The ramifications of these 5 words are innumerable and the depths of the implications bottomless. John's very life echoed his words and also preached this exact message.
"Behold the Lamb of God."
Are you seeing Him? Are you trying to see Him? Are you digging to find more of that great treasure hidden in a field? Do you want to see more of Him, or have you seen enough? Does your life echo the message preached by John some 2,000 years ago? If not what is your life preaching?
There are many things to do in our day, many things to occupy our time with. Yet there is no greater treasure to pursue, no greater love to be sought. The very same struggle highlighted in the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:42) is something we too often struggle with.
Our hearts are aimed at that which is of most value to us. What is your heart aimed at today? What was it aimed at yesterday? What will it be aimed at tomorrow? There's a story about a rich man who was trying to aim at eternal life, but missed because he would not aim at Jesus and because he was already aiming at what he thought was most valuable, namely his possessions (Matthew 19).
What are you aiming at?
Life is war!
The battle is for the affections of your heart!
Behold the Lamb of God!
I'm writing this today as much to myself as for anyone else who may read it. What is my life preaching? If my life is preaching anything less than behold the Lamb of God, than it's time for some target practice and some "sighting in" of my life.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Driscoll's Confessions
Here are a few highlights from Chapter Zero:
Gospel + Culture - Church = Parachurch
Culture + Church - Gospel = Liberalism
Church + Gospel - Culture = Fundamentalism
Gospel + Culture + Church = Reformission
"Does your or ministry community exist for the mission of reaching lost people or primarily for itself?"
There seems to be a recurring theme in my reading as of late: Hybrid.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Unwanted Weapons of Warfare
Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
In battle soldiers do not refuse a weapon when offered or available. With life and death at stake the desperation causes a willingness, in fact an eagerness to use all the weapons in the arsenal. The more effective the weapon the more it is desired.
Christian soldiers often, in the midst of this war called life, leave much needed weapons laying unused and strewn about on the ground. Many of these friends and loved ones leave the sword of the Word of God unopened and dusty upon a shelf. Many still leave lay the laser aimed weapon of prayer. Many would foolishly ignore and despise their own army, yeah even their own battalion, and chose to face this battle alone.
Some soldiers refuse certain weapons simply because they have heard bad reports of them or because they have not been trained in the use of such weapons. These effective implements of war suffer the fate of the despicable and often remain hidden away in some forgotten bunker.
Could it be that there yet remain weapons needed for this warfare called life that you have left unattended to and have possibly even disdained?
I have watched as Christian soldiers in different battalions have despised the weaponry and tactics of those not in their respective group. I have experienced these friends and loved ones refusing even to consider the weaponry and tactics that they're not familiar with.
As a Christian soldier myself I consider that I may need many different weapons at different times and in different circumstances. As a police officer I can greatly appreciate the wide variety of weapons at our disposal. Foolish would be the officer (or soldier) who takes only one weapon and denies himself the unique assistance available with the others.
Paul has some powerful words to say about such things. I wonder if we're giving him an adequate hearing. I wonder if we would refuse to allow him into our camps. I wonder if we would deny a weapon for our arsenal if it were handed to us by him.
I write this with zero hostility towards those who find themselves in the position of the soldiers in one camp that are having a hard time with the soldiers from another camp. Both camps would be strengthened and better equipped to engage more openly in some cross training with the other.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Great Foolishness of Prayerlessness
3 minutes extremely well spent.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Meditations upon God: Medicine for Hearts Sickened by Poisonous Pleasures
For those few of you who may not be familiar with the jail ministry / addictions class which I was referring to, the theme of this class is that God is more satisfying than anything else which our hearts desire. The problem of addictions as Ed Welch has put it is "a worship disorder." The answer therefore to the poisonous pleasures of this life is the ultimate and most satisfying pleasure, namely God Himself.
One of the things we have been discussing about adding / increasing teaching on is this question:
"How is it that God is more desirable than the other things which we often desire?"
The addictions class has previously been only four weeks in length and we will likely change it to five weeks. I think week five will focus on answering this question in as many God glorifying ways as possible. In an effort to provide opportunity for those in the class to "taste and see that the Lord is good" we hope to delve into the character of God and some of his very many attributes.
Here are just a few (10) examples:
(We may or may not use some of these listed below - but this is the type of thing we are considering)
God has never had a beginning - HE IS
God will never have an end
God is Holy, Pure, Righteous
God is Sovereign - He never makes mistakes, and He even arranges to fix our mistakes and make them ultimately work for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28),
God is Just - He is the most Just being in existence. All injustices on earth will ultimately find justice before His Judgment seat.
God is Merciful - His mercies are new every morning
God is Loving - This very God who spoke the universe into being, loves so much that He became flesh and died to bear our deserved punishment
God is Kind - He cares enough to cloth the flowers of the field and feed the birds of the air... How much more will He kindly care for you who were made in His image.
God will never leave us nor forsake us? What else in your life can truly say that? Not your wealth, health, spouse, child, family, friends, retirement plan, nothing...
God is good - (Romans 8:32) If He did not spare His own Son... How or why would He keep any good thing from us? He gave us His very best in order that we could know Him and enjoy Him for eternity.
If you can think of any characteristics or attributes of God that might be particularly helpful in ministering to inmates at the jail, feel free to highlight them in a comment on this blog post. Your sharing your view of God's character and attributes may be implemented in this ministry endeavor. Thanks for your help!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
CCEF: Addictions Conference
"The Bible is quite savvy when it comes to our temptations. God, after all, knows the human heart and sees everything. But there is more. Contrary to expectations, God goes into the streets, the alleys, the bars to find the addicted and the stuck and offer them freedom.
The aim of our Annual Conference is to accurately describe how God pursues and frees stuck people. Prepare to be inspired. And, in keeping with how God speaks to the nitty-gritty details of life, prepare to be equipped with specific strategies and skills for your life and ministry."
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A God Glorifying & Heart Moving E-mail
This e-mail is definitely worth reading. It is probably not inaccurate to say that my heart has never been more moved by the reading of an e-mail. Needless to say I'm very glad that such an e-mail was shared with others.
HT: JT
Monday, July 7, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Convergence: A Much Needed Effort in Cross-Pollination
A good friend directed me toward this book almost two years ago. It has since sat unread upon my shelf. A unique set of circumstances has caused me to finally crack open this unusual book. These circumstances include both my personal spiritual journey and my dear friendships with those in both the reformed camp and those in the charismatic camp.
Storms' experience lead him first deeply into reformed doctrine which he still holds to be very dear and foundational. His later experience included becoming more involved with those in the charismatic camp, which he admittedly had previously spoken against. Storms' personal journey is inter weaved throughout of both the reformed and charismatic camps and has caused a unique cross-pollination of sorts. The author's experientially unique perspective allows him to highlight both the shortfalls and the benefits as seen in both camps.
Convergence and the other works like it (which Storms also highlights) may well serve to assist in bringing a much needed unity to the body of Christ.
The Scripture is clear that there is one bride of Christ, one body of Christ. Those in the army of God need much training to avert further fratricide and to engage in healing each others wounds, not causing them.
Ephesians 5:27
so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Convergence is another comfort zone expanding book that is well worth reading.
Interestingly enough Storm's said his change of position was first drastically impacted by D.A. Carson's exposition of 1 Cor. 12-14 in his book entitled, "Showing the Spirit." Storm's admitted he simply could not refute Carson's excellent exposition.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Dependence Day
Dependence Day! That will be the shout of hope echoing through the quaking halls of our hearts as we tremble in the presence of the One before whom all things are laid bare. Dependence Day will be the cry our hearts. Our only hope to stand before this great Judge is to be blameless and this we most certainly are not. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” On that dreadful day we will know beyond knowing how severely and how incredibly often we have fallen short. Though on that day we will indeed truly behold our sinfulness we, who are hidden in Christ, will also behold more clearly than ever the magnificent love of God in Christ. To see our wretchedness, as drastically displayed by His unapproachable light, will free us from every last hope in our own dependence.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly trust in Jesus’ Name
The glory that we behold on that day will cause our hearts more to eternally love and treasure our great Savior. Oh the unspeakable love of God that will be seen in that hour as He clothes us with the very righteousness of His Son and counts not our sinfulness against us. When He clothes us with the King’s robe, though we deserve it not, we will adoringly behold and treasure His amazing mercy. As we see the scars of the Lamb of God, who was slain on our behalf, we will begin to consider for the first time the immensity of the wrath-atoning and death-shattering power of the love of God.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
Independence will on that day grant severe and deserved punishment for the highly treasonous crime of exchanging the glory of God for things infinitely less valuable and eternally less glorious. Those who come to that Day of Judgment and have not the great high Priest to intercede on their behalf must face the immeasurable wrath of God in independence.
I am very grateful for our country's freedom and for those who have gone before us that paid a high price for America's independence. That said, I do not however, want to become enslaved to the God-less independence that so saturates our society.
We will celebrate today as Independence Day, but I will long for the magnificent revelations of the glory of God upon that infinitely greater Dependence Day.
The Solid Rock
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
—Edward Mote (1797-1874)
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Missions Motivations: To Every Tribe Ministries
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Malachi 1:11a
For from the rising of the sun to its setting My name will be great among the nations
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Book Giveaway: God's Pursuit of Man
Here is a great quote from this book:
"It is well that we accept the hard truth now: The man who would know God must give time to Him. He must count no time wasted which is spent in the cultivation of His acquaintance. He must give himself to meditation and prayer hours on end. So did the saints of old, the glorious company of the apostles, the Godly fellowship of the prophets and the believing members of the holy church in all generations. And so must we if we would follow in their train."
To qualify for this book giveaway simply leave a comment on this blog post. At the end of the month I'll draw names from a hat and ship the book to the winner for free.
You may also be interested in another book giveaway at While We Sojourn, where John's giveaway book for this month is Tozer's Knowledge of the Holy.