Soma

A prayer that David Powlison wrote in his book, Seeing with New Eyes in response to hearing the message of the gospel again.  Words we ought to pray too.

Jesus, open our hearts.  We barely comprehend these things.  We hear the sound of familiar words, but we sleep on.  Make the all-too-familiar so unfamiliar and astonishing that we are compelled to sit up in awe, and to bow in joyous worship.  Make us see you, so that we love you with indestructible and fervent love.

Check out this video on community and relationships:

Best line: “The thing that Jesus came to save us from is us…I need help.”

Over the past few years I have had a few opportunities to email or talk with people or leaders from Grace Church’s on campus ministry, Grace on Campus.  The truth is, I have always been really blessed and impressed by these interactions.  The encouragement only kept on rolling when I read a recent editorial in the Daily Bruin that was intended to blast the group (HT: Jo & Tibi via FB).  Here were some of the charges brought against students that are a part of Grace on Campus:

Don’t believe in Jesus? Then you can look forward to the fiery gates of hell once you die.

At least, that’s what I was made to believe by two members of an on-campus Christian group called “Grace on Campus” who said that the only way to avoid going to hell was by believing in Christ.

…

They ought to invite students to events that make them feel good about themselves, like through community service.

If religious groups are serious about recruiting and hope to be effective at all, they should be as welcoming as possible to other people instead of isolating them.

Let me provide a few passages that might explain this (quite common) reaction from a non-believer, lest we read this article and begin to think that maybe the full message of the gospel should be hidden from those who are interested in the lives and beliefs of those who radically follow Jesus.

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.  But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.                       2 Corinthians 4:1-6

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.  For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.                    1 Corinthians 1:18-24

In light of this, I can only hope and pray that the message carried by members of Shoreline may be met with the kind of ridicule that was met these two faithful brothers or sisters from Grace on Campus.  Without the message that we must be saved from something, the gospel is devoid of its power.  Similarly, without the hope that God has not called us from spiritual death and eternal hell but to eternal life, beginning now and culminating in Christ’s eternal reign, the gospel is also devoid of its power.  This is the foundation of everything we believe, it is the message upon which we stand, it is the truth that ought to cause us to be pitied above all men were it not to be true.  And it is the message that is outright foolishness to anyone who continues to live as their own God and reject the free grace that they so desperately need because of their rebellion.

In loving others, serving others, and demonstrating the gospel to others with our lives we must never forget that we still must communicate the gospel message clearly with our words.  Something that these members of GOC ought to be commended for.

The Puritans get a bad rap in popular culture, but the truth of the matter is that if we were half as captivated by God as most of them were, we would be a fundamentally different people and the church would be a fundamentally different church (for the better!)  Here are some thoughts on knowing yourself from one of the most insightful of Puritan theologians, John Owen.  It is possibly even more apt a comment now than it even was then!

Many men live in the dark to themeselves all their days; whatever else they know they know not themselves.  They know their outward estates, how rich they are, and the conditions of their bodies as to health and sicness they are careful to examine; but as to their inwards man, and their principles as to God and eternity, they know little or nothing of themselves.  Indeed few labour to grow wise in this matter, few study themselves as they ought; on which yet the whole course of their obedience, and consequently of their eternal condition, doth depend.

And also…

The man that understands the evil of his own heart, how vile it is, is the only useful, fruitful, and solid believing and obedient person.  Others are fit only to delude themselves, to disquiet families, churches, and all relations whatever. (Works of John Owens, vol. 6)

A bit of a lack of subsatance this week since I’ve been preparing for this weekend’s marriage retreat.  Since this is Shoreline’s first marriage retreat I feel like I have been constantly reinventing the wheel.  However, I’m really, really excited about our time together…please pray for the married couples at Shoreline and that our time away would be full of the Gospel, grace, truth and love.  And pray for all of our hearts.

In the meantime, I thought I’d pass on these answers from Paul Tripp about positive ways and times to use rewards and threats to motivate obedience.  The answers may surprise you.

Al Mohler seems to think that it might be. But, he still concludes that it is a horrible act of ingratitude to not celebrate it as our culture does.  The great conclusion he draws is that Mother’s Day isn’t necesarilly bad…it’s just no where near enough of a celebration, particularly for those mothers who take their Biblical calling and responsibility seriously.  The result is far more than sentimentism.  Here’s some excerpts:

There is nothing wrong about sentiment in itself, but there is something pornographic about the bathos of sentimentalism that this observance produces — a sentimentalism so often devoid of content.

The Christian vision of motherhood is more about courage and faithfulness than about sentimentalism.  The mothers of the Bible are a tough lot.  Jochebed put her baby in a floating ark of bulrushes, defying the order of Pharaoh that all Hebrew male children be put to death.  Rachel, mother to Joseph and Benjamin, died giving birth to Benjamin.  Hannah promised her son to God, and presented Samuel as a young boy for service in the House of the Lord.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, risked shame and disgrace to bear the Savior, and to provide all Christians with a model of brave and unflinching obedience.  She was there when Jesus Christ was crucified.  As Simeon had told her just after the birth of Christ, “Behold this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” [Luke 2:34-35]

This leads him to the conclusion that:

Mother’s Day is a bad idea because it subverts the reality of faithful mothering and robs faithful mothers of their true glory.  Mothers deserving of honor are handed cards and taken to lunch, when songs of praise should instead be offered to the glory of God.  Undeserving mothers, who abdicate their true responsibility, are honored just because they are mothers.  Children, young and old, who ignore and dishonor their mothers by word and by life throughout the year, assuage their guilt by making a big deal of Mother’s Day.

Although, after admitting that he still celebrated his wife, mom and mother-in-law in typical fassion yesterday, Mohler concludes with a great insight.

So much for avoiding sentimentality.  Let’s just make certain that there is more to Mother’s Day than sentiment.  The mothers we should honor are those who raise children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, who honor their marriages and live faithfully, who teach and nurture and discipline by the Bible.  These are mothers who defy the spirit of the age, protect their children from danger, maintain godly discipline and order in the home, and feed their children the pure milk of God’s Word.

If nothing else, I hope that this post provides me an opportunity to honor my wife and mother-in-law in that way, for they are both women as Mohler has described (as was my own beloved mother).  They are women who display courage, grit, sacrifice, discipline, love and passion in a way unknown to the world around them.  And both I and my children will never fully understand the grandeur of their role or their sacrifice.  Praise and glory be to God for mothers like Lara and her mother Karol, as with everything He does, He deserves the credit and we reap the benefits.

It’s long been quite apparent to me that while little children certainly enjoy their birthday parties, much of what goes on is more for parents than for the kids.  However, it never occured to me that maybe that’s a good thing…something that teaches us about God.

Now, I’m not talking about those over-the-top birthday parties where parents drop a grand on a two year old, but even simple things like decorations, the design on the cupcakes, or even the whole present-opening event is often times more enjoyable for the parents to watch than it even is for the kids.

Last weekend at Harper’s 3rd birthday party (see fun pics here) it hit me: I was enjoying his smile, his laughter, his joy even more than he was enjoying the party.  I mean, sure, he was exstatic about the Lightning McQueen car he got, and the huge steam-engines he got to climb on, and the Dinasaurumpus book which he loves, and the cupcakes that he smashed all over his face.  But, I am convinced, as his father, I enjoyed watching him, interacting with him, and getting to see his excitement even more than he enjoyed those festivitees.

And that’s when I realized it: that’s how God works!  He loves getting to see us enjoy the gifts he gives us.  Our joy is great, but his joy in our joy is greater.  He knows and understands better than anyone the joy of the giver.  For, the joy of the giver is greater.

The sweetest part of the entire day was after we got home and Harper was done playing with all of his toys, and he had taken his bath and gotten ready for bed.  After we finished reading a story from his new picture Bible, he sat on my lap and told me all about how much fun he had had on his birthday.  He told me and his mother “Thank You.”  He hugged me tight and told me he loved me.

But, what would I have done if he had ignored me that night?  What if, instead of sitting with me, reading with me, thanking me and talking with me, he had insisted on playing with his new toys even after I had told him that play time was over.  What if he ignored me, and simply professed his love to his toys?  I’m not sure what would have happened, but I know one thing for sure, the joy of the giver would not have been the same.

I’m so thankful for that moment with my son…I pray I may be a son like that.

If, in the midst of your Christian life, you ever wonder how you could be more connected to non-Christians and how you could connect with people who need the gospel, here’s some really practical and really helpful ideas.  May be a “no-duh” to some, but some of us need the reminder that it’s that easy!

It’s a busy Friday (after a full week) so this is just a nugget that I hope to expand on later, but a truth struck me significantly recently regarding Ephesains 4:28 and Bilical change.  We all are in the midst of change as God makes us more and more into the image of His son, but too often we equate change with the ceasing of sinful actions.  But, since change is a heart issue, and God is not merely interested with our moralistic obedience but with true heart change that manifests in real spiritual fruit, we can never be satisfied with merely the cessation of sin.

This is demonstrated powerfully by the question: When is a thief not a thief?  Is it when he stops stealing?  No.  He could stop stealing for a number of reasons, but in his heart he is still a thief.  Check out Ephesians 4:28:

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

You know a thief is no longer a thief not when he merely stops stealing, but when he gets a job and gives what he earns away.  He has not merely stopped sinning, but he has been completely transformed and is now living a life of repentance (headed in the exact opposite direction he was headed before).

You may not be a thief…but it should still give you plenty to consider over the weekend.