Filed under: Discipleship
A meditation on confession from J Tripp’s Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy.
It wasn’t a big deal in one way. Just a small conversation that had turned a bit ugly. It wasn’t a dramatic life-altering moment. It was in the privacy of my home with one of my family members. But maybe that’s the point. Perhaps it’s very important because that’s where I live everyday. You see, you and I don’t live in a series of big, dramatic moments. We don’t careen from big decision to big decision. We all live in an endless series of little moments. The character of a life isn’t set in ten big moments. The character of a life is set in 10,000 little moments of everyday life. It’s the themes of struggles that emerge from those little moments that reveal what’s really going on in our hearts.
So, I knew I couldn’t back away from this little moment. I knew I had to own my sin. The minute I thought this, an inner struggle began. “I wasn’t the only one at fault. If he hadn’t said what he said, I wouldn’t have become angry. I was actually pretty patient for much of the conversation.” These were some of the arguments I was giving myself.
Isn’t this interesting. Rather than appealing to the mercy of the Lord in the face of my sin, what I actually do instead is function as my own defense lawyer and present a list of arguments for my own righteousness. The theology behind the defense is that my greatest problem is outside of me, not inside of me. In so arguing, I’m telling myself that I don’t really need to be rescued by the Lord’s mercy. No, I’m telling myself that what I need to be rescued from is that sinner in the room who caused me to respond as I did.
Here’s the point. Before you can ever make a clean and unamended confession of your sin, you have to first begin by confessing your righteousness.. It’s not just your sin that separates you from God, your righteousness does as well. Because, when you are convinced you are righteous, you don’t seek the forgiving, rescuing, and restoring mercy that can only be found in Jesus Christ.
What’s actually true is that when I come to the Lord after I’ve blown it, I’ve only one argument to make. It’s not the argument of the difficulty of the environment that I am in. It’s not the argument of the difficult people that I’m near. It’s not the argument of good intentions that were thwarted in some way. No, I only have one argument. It’s right there in the first verse of Psalm 51, as David confesses his sin with Bathsheba. I come to the Lord with only one appeal; his mercy. I’ve no other defense. I’ve no other standing. I’ve no other hope. I can’t escape the reality of my biggest problem; me! So I appeal to the one thing in my life that’s sure and will never fail.. I appeal to the one thing that guaranteed not only my acceptance with God, but the hope of new beginnings and fresh starts. I appeal on the basis of the greatest gift I ever have or ever will be given. I leave the courtroom of my own defense, I come out of hiding and I admit who I am. But I’m not afraid, because I’ve been personally and eternally blessed.. Because of what Jesus has done, God looks on me with mercy. It’s my only appeal, it’s the source of my hope, it’s my life. Mercy, mercy me!
Filed under: Discipleship
What is a Healthy Church Member by Mark Dever.
What Is A Healthy Church by Mark Dever.
Filed under: Discipleship
Use Time Wisely “Because the Days Are Evil”
From Don Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life:
To use time wisely “because the days are evil” is a curious phrase embedded in the inspired language of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:15-16: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (NASB). Paul may have exhorted the Christians at Ephesus to make the most of their time because he and/or the Ephesians were experiencing persecution or opposition (such as in Acts 19:23-20:1). In any event, we need to use every moment with wisdom “because the days are evil” still.
Even without the kind of persecution or opposition known by the Christians of Paul’s day, the world we live in is not conducive to using time wisely, especially for purposes of spirituality and Godliness. In fact, our days are days of active evil. There are great thieves of time that are minions of the world, the flesh, and the Devil. They may range in form from high-tech, socially acceptable preoccupations to simple, idle talk or ungoverned thoughts. But the natural course of our minds, our bodies, our world, and our days leads us toward evil, not toward Christlikeness.
“Thoughts must be disciplined, otherwise, like water, they tend to flow downhill or stand stagnant. That’s why in Colossians 3:2 we’re commanded, “Set your mind on the things above.” Without this conscious, active, disciplined setting of the direction of our thoughts, they will be unproductive at best, evil at worst.
Our bodies are inclined to ease, pleasure, gluttony, and sloth. Unless we practice self-control, our bodies will tend to serve evil more than God.
We must carefully discipline ourselves in how we “walk” in this world, else we will conform more to its ways rather than to the ways of Christ.
Finally, our days are days of active evil because every temptation and evil force are active in them. The use of time is important because time is the stuff of which days are made.
If we do not discipline our use of time for the purpose of Godliness in these evil days, these evil days will keep us from becoming Godly.”
Filed under: Discipleship
12 Sins We Blame on Others
by Ben Reaoch, pastor of Pittsburgh, PA.
[Some good reminders from Ben.]
It started in the Garden. Adam said to God,
The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate. (Genesis 3:12)
The first man, caught in the first sin, turns to blame his wife. And he extends the blame to God as well! He implies that he would have remained innocent if God hadn’t put Eve in the garden with him.
The blame-shifting in the Garden continues today. Our proud hearts send us desperately looking for someone else to point to every time we’re confronted with our own sin. There must be someone else—our spouse, sibling, parent, boss, co-worker, pastor, friend, or God, himself.
We are so desperate to justify ourselves that we become irrational. Here are 12 examples.
1) Anger
I wouldn’t lose my temper if my co-workers were easier to get along with, or if my kids behaved better, or if my spouse were more considerate.
2) Impatience
I would be a very patient person if it weren’t for traffic jams and long lines in the grocery store. If I didn’t have so many things to do, and if the people around me weren’t so slow, I would never become impatient!
3) Lust
I would have a pure mind if there weren’t so many sensual images in our culture.
4) Anxiety
I wouldn’t worry about the future if my life were just a little more secure—if I had more money, and no health problems.
5) Spiritual Apathy
My spiritual life would be so much more vibrant and I would struggle with sin less if my small group were more encouraging, or if Sunday school were more engaging, or if the music in the worship service were more lively, or if the sermons were better.
6) Insubordination
If my parents/bosses/elders were godly leaders, then I would joyfully follow them.
7) A Critical Spirit
It’s not my fault that the people around me are ignorant and inexperienced.
Bitterness
If you knew what that person did to me, you would understand my bitterness. How could I forgive something like that?
9) Gluttony
My wife/husband/roommate/friend is a wonderful cook! The things they make are impossible to resist.
10) Gossip
It’s the people around me who start the conversations. There’s no way to avoid hearing what others happen to say. And when others ask me questions, I can’t avoid sharing what I know.
11) Self-Pity
I’ll never be happy, because my marriage/family/job/ministry is so difficult.
12) Selfishness
I would be more generous if we had more money.
Making excuses like this is arrogant and foolish. It’s a proud way of trying to justify our actions and pacify our guilty consciences. And it keeps us from humbling ourselves before God to repent of our sins and seek his forgiveness.
Consider James 1:13-15, which leaves us with no way of escaping our own sin and guilt. We cannot blame God, for he “cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”
Instead, we have to accept the humbling truth that “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” This will end the blame game, and it will send us pleading for Christ’s mercy and grace.
Worship – A Daily Thing
Terri Pettyjohn, Experiencing God website
I’ve come to the conclusion that it is almost impossible to come to church on Sunday morning and have a meaningful worship experience if I haven’t worshipped during the week in my own time with God.
It’s like the little child who comes to a birthday party expecting to be the honored guest, everything revolves around them for that moment. How many times have we been that little child when it comes to our worship on Sunday? “Tada, I’m here!”.
I can almost see God shaking His head wondering why we can’t get it right. The party isn’t about us, it’s about Him and all He’s done for us. There would be no reason to celebrate had there not been a cross, I’m not worthy to be at His party except for the blood that washed me clean and lets me stand in His presence. Try worshipping for seven days by yourself and then coming to church to worship with other Christians, you’ll never view worship the same again.
John 4:23 “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”
Discipleship takes determination
A. W. Tozer
Failure and Success: Greatness Has Its Price
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. -2 Timothy 2:3-4
The laws of success operate also in the higher field of the soul — spiritual greatness has its price. Eminence in the things of the Spirit demands a devotion to these things more complete than most of us are willing to give. But the law cannot be escaped. If we would be holy we know the way; the law of holy living is before us. The prophets of the Old Testament, the apostles of the New and, more than all, the sublime teachings of Christ are there to tell us how to succeed….
The amount of loafing practiced by the average Christian in spiritual things would ruin a concert pianist if he allowed himself to do the same thing in the field of music. The idle puttering around that we see in church circles would end the career of a big league pitcher in one week. No scientist could solve his exacting problem if he took as little interest in it as the rank and file of Christians take in the art of being holy. The nation whose soldiers were as soft and undisciplined as the soldiers of the churches would be conquered by the first enemy that attacked it. Triumphs are not won by men in easy chairs. Success is costly.
~ AW Tozer, We Travel an Appointed Way, 26.
“This success may be costly, Lord, but surely nothing in the light of the eternal perspective we looked at yesterday. Give me a willingness this morning to pay any cost which You may exact in my service for You. Amen.”
Failure and Success: True Service
A. W. Tozer
... not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:22-24
Any serious-minded Christian may at some time find himself wondering whether the service he is giving to God is the best it could be. He may even have times of doubting, and fear that his toil is fruitless and his life empty….
The church has marked out certain work and approved it as service acceptable to God, and for the most part the church has been right. But it should be kept in mind that it is not the kind or quantity of work that makes it true service-it is the quality.
Before the judgment seat of Christ, very little will be heard of numbers or size; moral quality is about all that will matter then….
It would be a shock to most of us to learn just what God thinks of our breathless activity, and a greater shock to many to find out the true quality of our service as God sees it. For not all religious activity is accepted of God, not even when it appears to produce results and get things done. The Lord seeth not as man seeth….
In Christian service motive is everything, for it is motive that gives to every moral act its final quality.
~ AW Tozer, The Next Chapter After the Last, 69-70.
The Central Component of Worship
From IsaiahXI site
Within the Christian Church there are many examples of liturgically-structured and less-structured types of worship. Most faith traditions include music, prayer, the observance of the Lord’s Supper, baptism, Scripture reading and homiletics/preaching. Others add to these forms drama, interpretive movement and visual arts. My point is not to enter into a debate between the regulative and normative principles of worship and whether or not these elements should be included in worship. My aim is to discuss the theological content of these elements if they are included in worship.
A common belief within the Church, especially the evangelical Church, is that the purpose of each form of worship is to prepare the congregation to hear and respond to the sermon delivered by the preacher. When I was growing up, we called the worship service “preaching.” “Mommy, are we going to preaching today?” I have not heard that use of the word in many years, although I have no doubt it is still around. Statements such as this one assume that the sermon is the central and only necessary component of any worship service, that everything else is perfunctory and unintentionally sets the sermon on a level equal to Scripture.
Is the belief that preaching is the central part of any worship service a biblical one? I have not found any scriptural support for such a belief. In fact, the Bible commands us at various points to include other elements in our worship, including singing, prayer and exhortation. Too, the goal of preaching, as I understand it, is to exegete and disseminate the Word of God in such a way that the people of God internalize it and apply it to their lives. Haddon W. Robinson defines the word “preach†in hisBiblical Preaching. “Preach means ‘to cry out, herald, exhort‘” (emphasis in original).(1) In his article ”The Preacher and the Text: What Is the Goal of the Message?“ Aaron Menikoff argues well that the ultimate goal in preaching is “to make much of the sovereign, holy, gracious, loving, unchanging Lord.”(2) Preaching, however, is not the only way these goals can be accomplished. In fact, it is imperative that the other forms of worship accomplish these goals as well.
While preaching is an integral part of corporate worship, it is not the central aspect of worship. If there were to be no preaching during any given worship service, God could be glorified by other forms, assuming those forms were grounded in Scripture and worship could still take place. Neither is music the central component of worship; if music were omitted from a worship service, the people of God would still be able to worship. In general, however, both of these forms — and others that might be included from time to time — serve to point the people of God to the Word, written and Living. Their inclusion in worship is to the great benefit of the Kingdom.
Each form of worship mentioned above falls into one of two categories: the Pure Word and the Interpreted Word.
The reading of scripture is a deliverance of the Word of God in the purest form available to us (the issues of translation not withstanding). There is no interpretation to it. There is no alteration. It is Scripture, plain and simple.
Prayer is an interactive conversation with God Himself and, like the reading of Scripture, is a pure form of communication with God. The concepts behind the two ordinances, the Lord’s Supper and baptism, are observances of biblical events. One recalls the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and the other recalls the baptism of Jesus Christ and is a public symbol of obedience to Him. Regardless of the methods used to reenact these ordinances—whether passing containers of crackers and individual cups of grape juice or intinction for the Lord’s Supper, or immersion or sprinkling for baptism (these are altogether separately debatable issues) — the concept of each of these forms is a reenactment of the Word, without repackaging or reframing.
The other forms, however — music, drama, visual arts, interpretive movement and preaching — are all ways of reframing the Word of God; each is someone’s interpretation, extrapolation or explanation of the Scriptures.Some of these forms are inherently affective; others are more intellectual. Nevertheless, each of them takes the Word and repackages it for (hopefully) better understanding, internalization and application. Nowhere in Scripture are we told that any of these forms of worship is more important than another.
At the root of all of these forms, whether they consist of the Pure Word or the Interpreted Word, is the Word. The Word of God, not the ways we package the Word, is central to worship. This has tremendous ramifications for those who plan corporate worship. We must ensure that everything we include in a service is founded on solid, biblically-based theology. If any element is theologically weak, it is better left out of the service altogether.
Beginning around the 1960s and 1970s (these dates are admittedly arguable), Christian music began to abdicate its role as a conduit of biblical theology. Songs began to espouse shallow and often inaccurate images of God. Following this trend closely was the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) movement which sought to provide Christian-based music in an entertainment setting as an alternative to other worldly forms of entertainment. While CCM has filled a niche in modern Christianity, those who plan worship began to use music produced by CCM artists as material for worship, a role it was never intended to play and for which it was and is inadequate. Within the last decade, however, a few song-writers have recognized this error and have begun to write theologically-rich material, often using as their lyrics direct quotations from or faithful adaptations of Scripture.
Doctrinally-rich music in the twenty-first century includes music by Sovereign Grace Ministries, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, each of whom has resisted the temptation to which their predecessors so easily succumbed (and to which many of their contemporaries are guilty of falling), namely writing music that has little to no theological content and is written more for affective expression than intellectual understanding. While Sovereign Grace, Getty and Townend are not the only sources of well-written music, their music is consistently Christ-centered and worthy of consideration for use in corporate worship.
Leaders of worship, both pastors and musicians, have been called to a glorious but weighty task: to point the people of God to the Son of God, through Whom we have unfettered access to the Holy of Holies. The material we include in corporate worship is crucial to the success of our goal. If the material does not point to Christ, we will have failed in our calling. Therefore, we must always carefully examine the material we include in corporate worship to ensure it is theologically rich and accurate. In other words, if any component of worship does not “preach†it does not belong in worship.
Let me make a few disclaimers now:
1) I am NOT directing the content of this post to any individual or group of individuals. I have not had a recent disagreement with anyone on this topic, so this isn’t an attempt to get the last word in a passive-aggressive way.
2) I am NOT saying in this post that preaching is unimportant and/or unnecessary. On the contrary, I am attemtping to set preaching and all other aspects of worship in their proper place, that is as a servant to the Word. To say that I advocate removing preaching from corporate worship services is inaccurate. To say that I am elevating music or any other form of worship above preaching is also a misrepresentation of what I have tried to put forth in this article.
3) I AM saying that whatever is included in corporate worship, whether it is music or drama or preaching, must be grounded in Scripture.
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1 Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages, 18.
2 Aaron Menikoff, ”The Preacher and the Text: What Is the Goal of the Message?” [introduction], ( 9Marks, 2006).
Joy in Christ
Unknown writer:
Recently during one of our mid-week praise and prayer services, our pastor read from 1 John 1. In verse 4, John says, “And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” He’s writing about Christ, he’s talking about God Himself, to fulfill His joy! He already has joy in Christ; and he’s fulfilling his joy in Christ by talking about Him and all He did during His ministry on earth. John says, “We’ve seen it. We have reason to praise Jesus Christ. Now we’re telling you about Him for two reasons: 1) so you can join us in praising Him and 2) because it fulfills our joy in Him.”
What does that mean, ” . . .so that our joy may be complete“? John Piper quotes C. S. Lewis in his book “Desiring God. I think this quote may help answer the question.
But the most obvious fact about praise—whether of God or anything—strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise . . . The world rings with praise — lovers for their mistresses, readers for their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game . . .
My whole, more general difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value.
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. (emphasis mine)
John was declaring everything he had seen Jesus do not because he had a duty to do so but because it completed his own joy in Christ!
As 21st-century followers of Christ, can we say we have that much joy in Christ? Do we have so much joy in Christ that it spontaneously overflows into praise so that others will join us in fellowship with Him and so that our joy in Him will be complete? I believe John has put into one sentence the very essence of the gospel. It is good news.
Lord, restore to me the joy of your salvation. ~ Psalm 51
A call to worship
Many church services begin with a “call to worship.”
Here are the comments of a worship leader on this topic.
In one sense, we’re telling people to focus all their energies on declaring, magnifying, and savoring the riches of God in Christ through song, prayer, and the Word. But Harold Best makes this insightful observation, in his book, Music Through the Eyes of Faith:
There can only be one call to worship, and this comes at conversion, when in complete repentance we admit to worshiping falsely, trapped by the inversion and enslaved to false gods before whom we have been dying sacrifices. This call to true worship comes but once, not every Sunday, in spite of the repeated calls to worship that begin most liturgies and orders of worship. These should not be labeled calls to worship but calls to continuation of worship. We do not go to church to worship, but, already at worship, we join our brothers and sisters in continuing those actions that should have been going on privately, [as families], or even corporately all week long. (p.147)
My goal as a worship leader is not simply to magnify God at the moment, but to inspire worshipers to spread the sweet aroma of the Savior’s glory in the church and beyond through their everyday words, actions, and choices.
So how do we help people see that worship is more than a meeting? One way is to reference ways other than singing that we can bring praise to God. Serving, giving, and evangelizing, to name a few, are all acts of worship that take place outside a Sunday gathering. Often, at the end of a time of singing, I’ll ask God to help us remember every day the realities we’ve been proclaiming. We might also draw attention to the fact that God doesn’t change when we’re in the midst of challenging times. While acknowledging the struggles, problems, and weaknesses we all deal with, we must remind ourselves that God is a very present help in time of trouble. (Ps. 46:1) God is just as worthy of worship when our car breaks down as He is when we meet on Sunday morning.
We can also choose songs that talk about the moment-by-moment worship in daily life to which God calls us. The hymn “Take My Life” is one example that comes to mind. Finally, those who lead on Sundays can refer to other parts of the meeting as worship. “Let’s continue our worship through our tithes and offerings.” “Let’s prepare our hearts to worship God as we hear His Word proclaimed.” Comments like these help people realize that every act can be done for the glory of God. David Peterson comments:
Church meetings should not be regarded simply as a means to an end — a preparation for worship and witness in everyday life — but as “the focus-point of that whole wider worship which is the continually repeated self-surrender of the Christian in obedience of life.” Engaging with God, p.220
Sundays are not an escape from the world, but an affirmation of our faith and an encouragement to maintain our confidence in Jesus in the midst of an unbelieving world. For God is worthy of worship not only when we gather, but at every moment of time, by every creature in creation, for all eternity. That mindset should be the goal not only of our corporate worship leading, but of our entire lives.
