Twenty Questions

Earlier this year around Valentine's Day, we hosted a "date night" at our church and showed the film Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron.  It as really well done and showed how the only way that marriage can be as it was meant to be is through the love of Jesus Christ.  The gospel is the fountain of a truly Christian marriage.

One resource that became available as a result of this movie is the book The Love Dare which is designed to fan the flame of your marriage.  At the back of the book, authors Steven and Alex Kendrick provide the following "Twenty Questions" to help you get familiar with your spouse all over again.  Keep in mind that these questions are no substitute for Scripture; they are merely a helpful means for applying Scripture on a very practical level.  Here are the questions:

Personal Questions

1. What is your greatest hope or dream?
2. What do you enjoy the most about your life right now?
3. What do you enjoy the least about your life right now?
4. What would your dream job be if you could do anything and get paid for it?
5. What are some things you've always wanted to do but haven't had the opportunity yet?
6. What three things would you like to do before the next year passes?
7. Who do you feel the most "safe" being with?  Why?
8. If you could have lunch with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
9. When was the last time you felt filled with joy?
10. If you had to give away a million dollars, who would you give it to?

Marital Questions

1. What are three things that I do that you really like?
2. What are three things that I do that drive you crazy?
3. What have I done in the past that made you feel loved?
4. What have I done that made you feel unappreciated?
5. What are three things that I can work on?
6. Of the following things, what would make you feel the most loved? - Having your body massaged and caressed for an hour ... Sitting and talking for an hour about your favorite subject ... Having help around the house for an afternoon ... Receiving a very nice gift.
7. What things in the past do you wish could be erased from ever happening?
8. What is the next major decision that you think God would want us to make as a couple?
9. What would you like your life to look like five years from now?
10. What words would you like to hear from me more often?

My wife and I are headed off to Martha's Vineyard for a two-day getaway (compliments of our church family in honor of my tenth anniversary as pastor - thank you, dear flock!).  This would be a great time for us to ponder and answer these questions.  We challenge you and your spouse to do it as well.  In fact, we dare you!

Common Threads in the Facebook Fabric

Facebook has become a real sensation.  My experience has been a very positive one over all.  Early on, I was forced to limit my time on facebook, as it could easily consume my time if I let it.  For the most part I now "check in" two or three times a day, giving a quick read of status updates, recent photos and such.  It's a great way to stay somewhat personally in touch with so many folks at all varying levels of relationship with me, from casual acquaintances to good friends, to dearly loved family members and church members.

Before heading home for lunch, I logged on to facebook to "catch the latest," and something hit me that I hadn't really thought of before, that being the points of common interest.  For instance, moms with young kids tend to post status updates, pictures, and comments that revolve almost entirely around their children.  Adults in general tend to talk about their favorite TV shows and hobbies.  Guys (who do not frequent facebook as much as girls) usually talk about sports - whether it's one they're actually playing or watching on television.

But what I really noticed today was how one or two political topics have a way of drawing attention.  With all the national and global news that inundate us each and every day, I'm amazed at how just one or two items in particular become the subject of conversation.  Today, the two "hot topics" - at least in my facebook sphere - President Obama's speech at Notre Dame, and Miss California's statements regarding gay marriage.  (The discussion on the second issue isn't so much about her original comments that were said some time ago, but the discussion that has ensued since then.)

One former church member who moved out west wrote for his status update:  

"So let me get this straight, Obama wants a change in tone over the abortion debate. Basically what he is saying is, there will be no problems if you just agree with him. So everyone, let's just believe everything he believes and then there will be no more problems! Obama is nuts!"

Another facebook friend, a prestigious Presbyterian pastor down south, posted the following quote by radio Bible teacher Nancy Leigh DeMoss concerning Carrie Prejean:  

"... while I applaud her courage, I also believe some of her choices and public actions, past and present, are representative of many women who consider themselves Christians, but who lack clear biblical thinking and conviction on such matters as virtue, womanhood, beauty, modesty, and discretion."  

In response to that quotation, one of the pastor's friends noted, 

"On Hannity recently, Mrs. California said that 'in California, a bathing suit is no big deal.'  In other words, 'we are accustomed to revealing bathing suits, appropriate or not.'  I really hate that this young lady has gotten nailed for her comments on gay marriage but, she needs to mature some.'"

Facebook is a marvelous tool, so long as it is used properly in terms of time, manner of communication, and other considerations.  Other Christian bloggers have offered some good practical counsel on this issue (such as Dr. Albert Mohler); my point isn't to do that here.  I simply noticed that facebook gives us a personal glimpse into the thoughts, daily activities, and interests of others.  But that also means that it gives others a glimpse into our own thoughts, opinions, daily activities and such.  To me, this is a positive occurrence overall.  It's simply a reality we need to be aware of, and to be careful and conscientious in using facebook to reflect our authentically Christian views and lifestyles.

Atonement Appendix

If someone were to ask me how my vision is, I'd say it's 20/20 - especially in hindsight.  After posting my last article on the atonement, I didn't feel good about it.  Truth is, a topic such as that in a forum such as this tends to generate more heat than light.  This has nothing to do with the comment that was submitted and my response to it, for that was a gracious exchange.  The issue centers on my consideration of the TruthWalk readership and what would most benefit them, to God's glory.  

The atonement debate has been going on for centuries.  We're certainly not going to solve it here.  The reason Bible-believing Christians find it to be such a hot topic of debate in the first place is because there are so many verses that would seem to support both sides of the debate.  This does not mean there is any discrepancy in God's Word - only to our finite understanding.  (The apostle Peter acknowledges near the end of his second letter that some of Paul's writings are "hard to understand."  He doesn't say they are impossible to understand but that they are difficult, nonetheless.)

This evening I read some very wise counsel from theologian Wayne Grudem, whom I highly respect.  (His book, Systematic Theology, is the best of its kind I've come across.  I cannot recommend it highly enough, in light of its theological depth and breadth, its practical wisdom, and pastoral tone.)  Grudem devotes a full chapter to "The Atonement," wherein he explores the various Scriptures and lines of thinking that come into play.  But as he wraps up the chapter, he does something very wise.  He shows how those who hold to particular redemption ("limited atonement") and those who hold to general redemption ("unlimited atonement") agree at several key points.  They include:

1. Both sincerely want to avoid implying that people will be saved whether they believe in Christ or not.
2. Bot sides want to avoid implying that there might be some people who come to Christ for salvation but are turned away because Christ did not die for them....  Both sides want to affirm that all who come to Christ for salvation will in fact be saved.
3. Both sides want to avoid implying that God is hypocritical or insincere when he makes the free offer of the gospel.  It is a genuine offer, and it is always true that all who wish to come to Christ for salvation and who do actually come to him will be saved.
4. Finally, we may ask why this is so important at all.  [Note:  This to me was a critical point in reference to my last blog posting.]  Although Reformed people have sometimes made belief in particular redemption a test of doctrinal orthodoxy, it would be healthy to realize that Scripture itself never singles this out as a doctrine of major importance, nor does it make it the subject of any explicit theological discussion.  Our knowledge of the issue comes only from incidental references to it in passages whose concern is with other doctrinal or practical matters.  In fact, this is really a question that probes into the inner counsels of the Trinity and does in an area in which there is very little direct scriptural testimony - a fact that should cause us to be cautious.  A balanced pastoral perspective would seem to be to say that this teaching of particular redemption seems to us to be true, that it gives logical consistency to our theological system, and that it can be helpful in assuring people of Christ's love for them individually and of the completeness of his redemptive work for them; but that it also is a subject that almost inevitably leads to some confusion, some misunderstanding, and often some wrongful argumentativeness and divisiveness among God's people - all of which are negative pastoral considerations.  Perhaps that is why the apostles such as John and Peter and Paul, in their wisdom, placed almost no emphasis on this question at all.  And perhaps we would do well to ponder their example.

Having read that, I think I'll go pray, asking God for a good dose of that apostolic wisdom!

In the same vein, I would encourage the TruthWalk readership to dig deeply into God's Word.  That was my motive behind raising a controversial topic in the first place.  The fact is, too many Christians have "milk" appetites instead of "meat" appetites when feeding on the Word of God.  They skim the surface of Scripture instead of going down deep.  Incidentally, as I was finishing this, brother Don (the gentleman who commented on my last posting) responded to a personal e-mail I had sent him earlier.  By God's grace, we enjoyed a wonderful dialogue via e-mail that was spawned by the initial posting and ensuing comments.  Lots of Scripture shared in a respectful and gracious manner.  That's how it ought to be, with a desire to help one another grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).  

I'd like to summarize our discussion of the Atonement with the following words by Philip P. Bliss:

"Man of Sorrows," what a name

For the Son of God who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim!

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude, 

In my place condemned he stood;

Sealed my pardon with His blood;

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless, we;

Spotless Lamb of God was He;

"Full atonement!" can it be?

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die,

"It is finished," was His cry;

Now in heav'n exalted high;

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,

All His ransomed home to bring,

Then anew this song we'll sing:

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Here endeth the lesson.

Who's Limiting the Atonement?

One of the most controversial questions concerning the doctrine of the atonement is:  For whom did Christ die?  Did Jesus die as the Substitute for every individual sinner in the world, or did He die for the elect alone (i.e. those of every tribe, language, people and nation, whom God chose for salvation before the foundation of the world)?

Typically, Calvinists are said to be the ones who limit the atonement.  But, when you really stop to think about it, every biblical Christian believes in some form of limited atonement.  Otherwise, such a person would be a universalist (one who believes that the whole human race will be saved).  

So, who limits the atonement - the sinner or God?  This really is the crux of the controversy.  And on this point the great Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon set forth a cogent case for the "Calvinist" view:

We are often told that we limit the atonement of Christ, because we say that Christ has not made a satisfaction for all men, or all men would be saved.  Now, our reply to this is, that, on the other hand, our opponents limit it; we do not.  The Arminians say, Christ died for all men.  Ask them what they mean by it.  Did Christ die so as to secure the salvation of all men?  They say, "No, certainly not."  We ask them the next question - Did Christ die so as to secure the salvation of any man in particular?  They answer, "No."  They are obliged to admit this, if they are consistent.  They say, "No, Christ has died that any man may be saved if" - and then follow certain conditions of salvation.  Now, who is it that limits the death of Christ?  Why, you.  You say that Christ did not die so as infallibly to secure the salvation of anybody.  We beg your pardon, when you say we limit Christ's death; we say, "No, my dear sir, it is you that do it."  We say that Christ so died that he infallibly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number, who through Christ's death not only may be saved, but are saved and cannot by any possibility run the hazard of being anything but saved.  You are welcome to your atonement; you may keep it.  We will never renounce ours for the sake of it.

- Cited by J. I. Packer, "Introductory Essay," in John Owen, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (n.p., n.d.; reprint, London: Banner of Truth, 1959), 14.

Years ago while attending a small Bible Conference at which James Montgomery Boice was the keynote speaker, I asked him about his views regarding the doctrine of limited atonement.  I'll never forget his answer:  "I believe that when Jesus said, 'It is finished,' He made salvation complete, not just possible."

That's food for thought.

Holding My Hand

The other day during my morning devotions I came across two passages of Scripture that complemented one another in a very meaningful way.  The first passage was Psalm 37:23-24:

The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD,

He delights in every detail of their lives.

Though they stumble, they will not fall,

for the LORD holds them by the hand.

The next passage was Psalm 55:22:

Give your burdens to the LORD,

and He will take care of you.

He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

(Both passages above are taken from the New Living Translation.)

In reading the first text, I couldn't help but think of a little child just learning to walk.  If you are a parent, you can relate to the joy of seeing a baby take his or her first steps.  Each one was considered a major accomplishment and was met with applause.  The notion that God takes a sovereign, joy-filled interest in each step we take through life astounds me.  Not only that, but He is holding our hand all the way, so that even when we stumble, we are sure not to fall utterly.

For some reason, the second passage caused me to think of older people, even though it still carries the same essential concept of God holding on to us and not allowing us to fall.  I think the reason I thought of older people is that babies don't have the "burdens" that grown-ups do.  I've noticed that the older we get, the more we can be prone to worry.  Maybe this is due to our self-awareness that as we age, our bodies and minds grow more frail and feeble.  The elderly, like little children, often require assistance as they walk.  Yet sometimes they refuse it, convinced that they can do just fine themselves.  It's sad to see them fall and hurt themselves.

The thought that dawned upon me is that as we go through life, God is there to hold our hand.  But for us to hold His hand, we must release the burdens we're clutching.  We must humble ourselves and confess that we can't walk one step without our Lord's help.  We must become like little children, trusting our Father to hold us and help us, to guide us and steady us every step of our lives, until we reach our eternal home.

The following song doesn't have a lot of weighty theological substance, but the strain of truth that runs throughout it is sufficient to comfort any believer of any age:

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.

Through the storm, through the night,

Lead me on to the light,

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

When my way grows drear,

Precious Lord, linger near

When my life is almost gone

Hear my cry, hear my call,

Hold my hand lest I fall,

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

When the darkness appears

And the night draws near

And the day is past and gone -

At the river I stand;

Guide my feet, hold my hand,

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

The Blessing of Firm Beliefs

In last Sunday's sermon, I quoted Dr. Albert Mohler (President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) in his description of this postmodern era as "the age of no truth."  While that certainly sums up the spirit of relativism that pervades our culture, it is refreshing to see some exceptions.  I came across a couple of them recently.  

One has to do with Miss California, Carrie Prejean.  When asked during the Miss USA pageant about her stance on same-sex marriage, Miss Prejean responded, "... I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman."  Many believe that this answer cost Prejean the pageant.  Still, Miss California stood by her answer, saying, "It's not about being politically correct.  For me it was being biblically correct."

The second instance has to do with former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who currently has his own Fox News television show.  In one segment of his recent interview with World magazine, Huckabee was asked various questions regarding the political tactics of Christian conservatives.  (Huckabee himself is an ordained Southern Baptist preacher who pastored for 12 years before beginning his political career.)  When asked, "How do you break out of the Christian 'box'?", Huckabee responded, 

I don't want to break out of the box if that means people think I'm somehow abandoning my faith.  If my faith is the reason people say, "I'm not going to vote for him," then good, don't vote for me, because I'm not going to abandon who I am to get your vote. . . .  When I was governor people asked me, "Is it hard being a Christian?" and I said, "No, it's actually easier.  I don't have to wake up every day and decide what I'm going to believe today."  If I get defeated, I get defeated.  that's part of the deal.  I'd rather be defeated and go to my grave with some sense of consistency of conviction than that I had to win every last office in America including the presidency but had to sell my soul to do it.

Now I don't know Mike Huckabee or Carrie Prejean well enough (personally or otherwise) to affirm the validity of their faith or the consistency of their Christian walk.  But at least in terms of their words, they are spot-on.  Believers in Jesus Christ and biblical inerrancy, whose convictions arise from Scripture's teaching, don't have to play the guessing game when it comes to their stance on moral issues.  "What saith the Scripture?" serves as our credo.  The Lord Himself becomes our confidence and keeps our foot from getting caught (Prov. 3:26).

In an age of no truth, it's refreshing to see those who still stand up and affirm the Truth.  I pray that I will be one of them till the day I die.  I want to hear my Savior say, "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!"

You Pay, We Pray

There's an old hymn that goes:  Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord....  

But time is a precious commodity.  So what do you do if you don't want to take the time to pray yet still want to experience the benefits of prayer?  Simple!  You just pay to get a computer to pray in your stead!

This is the service provided by the Information Age Prayer website.  It doesn't matter of you're Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, or whatever.  According to World magazine, you can have the computer recite the Lord's prayer for you each day for just $3.95/month.  Or you can have the "Protestant Daily Prayer Package," wherein you "Get 8 Prayers in One Bundle."  If you're Catholic, you can purchase "The Complete Rosary Package" - purported to be worth nearly $50.  The site also has prayers for Muslims, coupled with a promise to point their speakers toward Mecca.

How exactly does this work?  The company (founded just this year) states, "We use state of the art text-to-speech synthesizers to voice each prayers at a volume and speed equivalent to typical person praying.  Each prayer is voiced individually, with the name of the subscriber displayed on screen.  If the prayer is for someone else, then that name is displayed on screen instead."

Most if not all of the TruthWalk readership would see such a service as absolutely ridiculous and highway robbery, run by religious hucksters "who suppose that godliness is a means of gain" (1 Timothy 6:5).  

I think the broader principle we need to be reminded of and take to heart is:  there are no short-cuts to holiness.  As D. A. Carson has so poignantly written,

People do not drift toward holiness.  Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.  We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith.   We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.

Ouch.  

Dear readers, do we take time to be holy?  Here are some questions for consideration:

• Do I ask people to pray for me or a given situation without devoting significant time to prayer myself?
  
• When I come across something in the Bible that I don't understand, do I take the time to dig into the Scriptures myself, or do I constantly look to a more knowledgeable Christian for a quick answer?
  
• If I'm wrestling with an issue of personal conviction, do I weigh out the matter before the Lord in prayer, asking Him to direct my conscience according to His Word, or do I take someone else's conviction as my own?
  
• When a need arises within my church family, do I ask the Lord what He would have me to do, or do I assume that someone else will meet that need?
  

While we may not be guilty of outsourcing our prayers to some computer, still we may be succumbing to similar sins of a more subtle nature.  

Time is a precious commodity.  And the time we spend in prayer is an indicator of how important prayer, even God Himself, is to us.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone;

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

I Had a Bad Day

Have you ever had one of those days where everything seemed to go wrong?  I have - as recently as yesterday.

And yet the day started off so well!  I got up, grabbed a cup of coffee, and had a great, extended devotional time with the Lord.  When I was done, I looked out the window.  Yep, it looked like it was going to be a mighty fine day.  

Not!

Before getting started with all the yard work we had to do for the day, I went over to church to sign a couple of letters that had to go out in the mail that morning.  I took with me one of those aromatic plug-ins that Ruthie had given me for my office.  When I went to plug it in, I had trouble reaching the outlet behind my big filing cabinet.  I just about had it in, when it fell.  When I went to retrieve it, my fingers were about an inch and a half short of reaching it.  So I had to maneuver the filing cabinet out (not an easy task), pick up the plug-in, put it into the receptacle, then move the filing cabinet back.  Okay!  That's done!

Before going home, I stopped by the church shed to grab an extra shovel.  While in there reaching for a shovel, I dropped something I had in my hand (I can't remember what it was).  It fell right in between all the big equipment (riding lawnmower, snow blower, and hedge trimmers!).  That took some doing to retrieve it.  "Man, why am I so clumsy today?!" I thought. 

By now I was just a wee bit irritated but still doing okay.

Got home and began putting shovelfuls of mulch in a trash can, lugging it around and dumping it wherever my wife Ruthie wanted it.  "Where's the stinkin' wheelbarrow?" I wondered.  "I thought it was over in the church shed!"  Still, this wasn't too bad.  It was good exercise, provided I lifted it right and didn't strain my back.

A couple hours later while spreading mulch amidst our front bushes, I got poked in the eye ... bad.  For the next several hours, I had to flush it every 15-20 minutes, it would get so irritated.  And I still had yet to mow the lawn!  So I did that and got through it.

Are you tired of my story yet?  Just stick with me, I won't be much longer.

Several additional factors (that I won't bother going into) contributed to making this a super-lousy day.  I was anxious to put it behind me as we got ready for the first church softball game of the new season.  After that we could go home and relax.

That wasn't going to happen.

The game weather was great, but my attitude stunk.  I saw everything in gray or black.  Didn't like the line-up.  Didn't like sitting on the sidelines all but one inning.  Didn't like going 0-3 at the plate.

By the time I got home (we hadn't had dinner yet), I was in too foul a mood to eat.  (Let me assure you, I have to be really worked up to not eat!)  I knew my attitude was bad, so I immediately set out on a prayer walk.  Only the more I tried to pray, the angrier I got.  So I started giving God a piece of my mind.  

So what's up, God?  I got up, had a good quiet time, committed my day to You, and this is what I get?  Thanks a lot.  I'm better off not praying or reading my Bible.  Doesn't make much of a difference, does it?  It seems to make my day worse, not better.  Okay, God, I know I don't do what I do to "earn" your favor, but why don't you cut me some slack?  

On and on I went.  I'm telling you, this was a modern-day rehashing of God's conversation with Jonah.

God:  "Is it right for you to be angry...?"

Jonah:  "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!"

This whole scenario was ridiculous.  Yet it was real.  I was mad at God, mad at my wife, mad at my kids, mad at my softball team, mad at the world.  And now, to top it off, I was mad at myself.  How could I let myself get to this point?  Yet there I was, and I believed I was at the point of no return.  "I've already blown it, so I might as well make it worth it."

Have you ever thought this way?

For brevity's sake, let me summarize the rest of last night's experience with one word:  AWFUL.  I yelled at my wife, was rude to my kids, and hated myself.  It took the better part of two hours for the storm to subside, but even as I turned out the light, my soul was still dark.

I woke up this morning early (4:30) - so sad ... broken ... ashamed.  I know I needed to meet with God.  I did and tried to pray.  Couldn't.  Tried again.  Couldn't.  The words wouldn't come.  They felt hollow.  I felt hollow.  Everything felt so trite.  

Have you ever felt this way?

Finally, I picked up my Puritan prayer book, The Valley of Vision, and looked for a prayer that adequately expressed the anguish of my heart.  God in His grace led me to one.  It is entitled Peril and reads as follows:

Sovereign Commander of the universe,

I am sadly harassed by doubts, fears, unbelief, 

   in a felt spiritual darkness.

My heart is full of evil surmisings and disquietude,

   and I cannot act [exercise] faith at all.

My heavenly Pilot has disappeared,

   and I have lost my hold on the Rock of Ages;

I sink in deep mire beneath storms and waves,

   in horror and distress unutterable.

Help me, O Lord,

   to throw myself absolutely and wholly on thee,

   for better, for worse, without comfort,

      and all but hopeless.

Give me peace of soul, confidence, enlargement of mind,

   morning joy that comes after night heaviness;

Water my soul richly with divine blessings;

Grant that I may welcome thy humbling in private

   so that I might enjoy thee in public;

Give me a mountain top as high as the valley is low.

Thy grace can melt away the worst sinner,

   and I am as vile as he;

Yet thou has made me a monument of mercy,

   a trophy of redeeming power;

In my distress let me not forget this.

All-wise God,

Thy never-failing providence orders every event,

   sweetens every fear,

   reveals evil's presence lurking in seeming good,

   brings real good out of seeming evil,

   makes unsatisfactory what I set my heart upon,

   to show me what a short-sighted creature I am,

   and to teach me to live by faith upon thy blessed self.

Out of my sorrow and night

   give me the name Naphtali - 

   'satisfied with favor' -

   help me to love thee as thy child,

   and to walk worthy of my heavenly pedigree.

Have you ever prayed this way?

How glad I am that God's mercies are new every morning.  Heavenly Father, as I cross the threshold of this day, I recommit myself to You.  Mold me into the image of Your Son Jesus, my Savior.  May I speak each word as if my last word, and walk each step as my final one.  If my life should end today, let this day be my best day.  Amen.

Our Visit at the Pensacola NAS

As you can see from the date of my last posting, I haven't blogged for awhile.  The reason is that I was on vacation with my family.  Over the course of ten days we traveled nearly 3500 miles to visit family (on both sides) in Pensacola, Florida, and Memphis, Tennessee.

We had a lot of fun.  While in Pensacola, we took a tour of the Naval Air Station.  The kids had a blast sitting in various Blue Angels' planes, watching videos, walking through the fuselage of an aircraft (set up with the original military equipment, bedding, supplies, etc.), and looking at the many black-and-white pictures of a bygone era.

During our visit, we saw individuals and families of all ages.  The ones we really noticed were the elderly veterans wearing their uniforms.  At one point, my wife Ruthie turned to me and said something like, "Nobody can appreciate these things like these war veterans who fought in these wars and flew these planes."  That is so true.  They seemed to take their tour a little more seriously.  They watched the films a little more intently.  As they walked around, they said little, if anything.  No doubt they were reliving many a moment in their memories.

Our kids pretended to fly the planes; these men did fly the planes.  They lived through events caught on film before we were even born.  Their service to our country, coupled with the sacrifice of so many of their comrades, garnered our respect.

I think the same principle applies - or should apply - in the spiritual arena.  I recall Paul's words in his letter to Philemon:  "Yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you - since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus" (vs. 9).   Paul was old and had suffered much as a devoted follower of Jesus Christ.  That meant something, and it no doubt elicited respect on the part of Philemon, considering that Paul used it as a basis for his appeal.

I pray that we will always show a proper respect for our elderly brothers and sisters in Christ, particularly those who have "fought the good fight" and have been "a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

In one of his most famous speeches, often referred to as The Man in the Arena, Teddy Roosevelt said some important things that we should take to heart not only as Americans, but even more so as Christians, as we seek to serve the purposes of God in our generation:

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.

Ruminations on Heaven and Hell

Lately I've thought more about heaven than I usually do.  Not just the idea of heaven in general, but the eternal implications of the truth, "Love never fails" (1 Cor. 13:8).  Love never fails, but only flourishes, in heaven.  The great and godly theologian Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) wrote the following description of heaven in his sermon entitled Heaven, A World of Love:

And from God, love flows out toward all the inhabitants of heaven.  It flows out, in the first place, necessarily and infinitely, toward his only-begotten Son. . . . And the Son of God is not only the infinite object of love, but he is also an infinite subject of it.  He is not only the beloved of the Father, but he infinitely loves him.    The infinite essential love of God, is, as it were, an infinite and eternal, mutual, holy energy between the Father and the Son: a pure and holy act, whereby the Deity becomes, as it were, one infinite and unchangeable emotion of love proceeding from both the Father and the Son. . . .

But this love [also] flows out in innumerable streams toward all the created inhabitants of heaven, to all the saints and angels there.  The love of God the Father flows out toward Christ the head, and to all the members through him, in whom they were beloved before the foundation of the world, and in whom the Father's love was expressed toward them in time, by his death and suffering, as it now is fully manifested in heaven.  And the saints and angels are secondarily the subjects of holy love, not as those in whom it is as in the original seat, as light is in the sun, but as it is in the planets, that shine only by reflected light.  And the light of their love is reflected, in the first place, and chiefly, back to its great source.  As God has given the saints and angels love, so their love is chiefly exercised towards God its fountain, as is most reasonable.  They all love God with a supreme love.  There is no enemy of God in heaven; but all, as his children, love him as their Father.  They are all united, with one mind, to breathe forth their whole souls in love to God their eternal Father, and to Jesus Christ their common Redeemer, and head, and friend.

Edwards goes on to describe in more detail this divine love that so permeates heaven, and he also drives home the practical implications of that love in the here and now.  Basically, the more we love, the more of a "taste of heaven" we get on earth.  The less we love, the farther removed we are from heaven in the framework of our mind and in the disposition of our souls.

In reading these lofty thoughts of love in heaven and the pursuit of heavenly love here on earth, I was taken aback by Edwards' sudden shift to the subject of hell toward the tail end of his sermon.  Not that Edwards' ever shrunk back from preaching about hell, but that I was so consumed with thoughts of heaven throughout this sermon, hell never once crossed my mind until Edwards raised the matter.  But this only served to arrest my attention (and that of Edwards' original audience, I'm sure!).

Here's the basic thought:  If heaven is a world of love, then hell is a world of hate.  "That makes sense," you might say.  But Edwards is not content to let the matter go with a passing, superficial thought.  He wants us to really consider the implications of this.  So he writes,

Everything in hell is hateful.  There is not one solitary object there that is not odious and detestable, horrid and hateful.  There is no person or thing to be seen there, that is amiable or lovely, nothing that is pure, or holy, or pleasant, but everything abominable and odious. There are not beings there but devils, and damned spirits that are like devils.  Hell is, as it were, a vast den of poisonous hissing serpents; the old serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and with him all his hateful brood.

In that dark world there are none but those whom God hates with a perfect and everlasting hatred.  He exercises no love and extends no mercy to any one object there, but pours out upon them horrors without mixture.  All things in the wide universe that are hateful shall be gathered together in hell, as in a vast receptacle provided on purpose, that the universe which God has made may be cleansed of its filthiness, by casting it all into this great sink of wickedness and woe.  It is a world prepared on purpose for the expression of God's wrath. . . .  It is a world overflowed with a deluge of wrath, as it were, with a deluge of liquid fire, so as to be called a lake of fire and brimstone, and the second death.

There are none in hell but what have been haters of God, and so have procured his wrath and hatred on themselves; and there they shall continue to hate him forever.   No love of God will ever be felt in hell; but everyone there perfectly hates him, and so will continue to hate him, and without any restraint will express their hatred to him, blaspheming and raging against him, while they gnaw their tongues for pain.  And though they all join together in their enmity and opposition to God, yet there is no union or friendliness among themselves - they agree in nothing but hatred, and the expression of hatred.  They hate God, and Christ, and angels, and saints in heaven; and not only so, but they hate one another, like a company of serpents or vipers, not only spitting out venom against God, but at one another, biting and stinging and tormenting one another.  

What a world of difference there is between heaven and hell! And indeed, we presently live in that world of difference!  Earth hangs between heaven and hell, and on earth we see the expression of both love and hate.  Only now hate is restrained by the presence of love, just as love is hindered by hate. But in eternity, both hate and love will run rampant, each in its own unrestricted environment.

To which of these worlds will you go?  The answer is, it's up to you.  Though an ardent defender of God's sovereignty in salvation, Edwards takes great pains to press home the issue of personal responsibility, saying,

God gives us our choice.  We may have our inheritance wherever we choose it, and may obtain heaven if we will but seek it by patient continuance in well-doing. . . . If we heartily choose heaven, and set our hearts entirely on ... that land of love, and if we choose and love the path that leads to it, we may walk in that path; and if we continue to walk in it, it will lead us to heaven at last. 

If you're not sure whether you're on your way to heaven or hell but would like to know for sure that you are on your way to heaven, click here.  And for those of you who do know that you're on your way to heaven, then "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, ... standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" (Phil. 1:27).

Humble Theology

One of our church members, Amanda Losee, is a student at Baptist Bible College (Clarks Summit, PA).  Recently, Amanda posted a note on facebook, and she has granted me permission to post it here at TruthWalk.  

Lately I have been thinking a lot about theology. On a college campus it is not unlikely to run across people who have different views than the ones that you personally hold. It is easy to find people with whom you agree and those with whom you disagree. As I study the Scriptures for myself and seek counsel from the spiritual mentors in my life it is encouraging to see that I am being pushed to look first to the Word of God and to remember that my theology does not save me. While having Biblical theology is highly important, I have discovered that having a "humble theology" is equally important. It is so easy to dismiss our common ground as brothers and sisters in Christ and to argue over what may be minor differences. We tend to try to put God in a box and believe that we have Him all figured out. Our minds are such finite things. While we were created to know God, I believe it is extremely dangerous to claim to have the "perfect theology." We serve a God who is infinitely greater than we are, who is sovereign over all creation and over all events, and whose divine plan is far greater than any scheme of man. Yes, we do need to seek truth, but we need to be humble enough to admit that our theology may be incorrect and that perhaps we do not have God all figured out. In a 2006 blog posting Mark Dever stated, 

Anyway, I think that such reading encourages the right kind of humility. How can we as Christians be humbled without hearing the Word to which we should submit? How can we be humbled apart from hearing and heeding the Word of God? How will our churches ever be the truly humble assemblies we want them to be if they do not hear and submit themselves to God's Word? What we need is humble theology--theology which submits itself to the truth of God's Word. "Liberal" theology--theology which does not view Scripture as finally trustworthy and authoritative--is not humble before the Word. Churches which are tentative and decry dogmatism may sound humble, but it is not truly humble to do anything other than to submit to God's Word. Christian humility is to simply accept whatever God has revealed in His Word. Humility is following God's Word wherever it goes, as far as it goes, not either going beyond it or stopping short of it.

As I listened to these words on my ride home I could not get over how true they are. Dogmatism is a dangerous road to travel. Yet, it is an easy trap to fall into. We must examine ourselves and ask, "Are we being dogmatic?"

My Bulletin Board

Like most people, I have a bulletin board mounted on the wall near my desk.  Actually, I have two:  one in my office at church and another one here in my study at home (which is where I am now).  My bulletin board consists of an eclectic assortment of items representing various facets of my life.  Here's what I have posted, starting in the upper left corner and moving clockwise:

Voice Mail Instructions:  These tell me how I can call in to the church phone system remotely to manage my mailbox, listen to my messages, change the answering system, and perform other tasks as needed - especially in the event of a snowstorm.

A Preacher's Decalogue:  This is a list of "ten commandments" (really exhortations) by Sinclair Ferguson to fellow preachers.  Here they are, in summation:

1. Get to know your Bible better.
2. Be a man of prayer.
3. Don't lose sight of Christ.
4. Be more deeply Trinitarian (i.e. give proper attention to and appreciation for all three Persons of the Godhead).
5. Use you imagination.
6. Speak much of sin and grace.
7. Use "the plain style" (i.e. speak with simplicity, not sophistication).
8. Find your own voice.
9. Learn how to transition.
10. Love your people.

Missionary artifact and photograph:  The artifact is from Turkey, and the photograph is a picture of Sean and Lisa L. and their children, dearly loved members of our church whom we have commissioned to share the Gospel in that beautiful, historic, and yet spiritually-impoverished land.  Whenever I see their picture, I am reminded to pray for them.

Ten Accountability Questions:  These are questions that a Christian can ask of him/herself or that close Christian friends can ask of one another.  It's simply one means of accountability, provided that these questions take place in the context of sincere love and humility, with a desire to build one another up in the Lord.  Here are the questions:

1. How often have you spent time in the Bible and prayer this week?
2. What have you done this week to spend quality, relational time with your family?
3. What did you do this week to maintain your joy in spite of life's daily circumstances?
4. What did you do this week to take care of your body (exercise, diet, and rest)?
5. What steps have you taken this week to guard yourself against lustful thoughts, actions, and/or materials?
6. How have you shaded the truth this week to make yourself look better to others?
7. How did you give your best this week (at work, school, etc.)?
8. In what ways have you been above reproach in financial matters this week?
9. Who have you shared your faith (the Gospel) with this past week?
10. Have you answered these questions truthfully?

A Pyromaniacs Decal:  Don't worry, I'm not some sort of crazy fire-starter!  This decal is from a website (blogspot) that features a lot of good reading material on theology, church life, and more.

Vision 2020 Card:  This lists all our ministry goals as a church for the coming year(s).  It includes all of our short-, mid-, and long-term objectives, as well as those we have already attained by God's grace.  For the sake of space, I'l just list our Immediate Goals for this year:

• Promote authentic worship
• Increase corporate prayer
• Strengthen local evangelism
• Institute annual conference
• Upgrade church website
• Revamp missions ministry
• Attend to property/facility needs

A Note from My Son:  This is without question my favorite item on the board.  It's a note that one of my children wrote to me more than two years ago.  It reads:

Dear Dad,

You are kind to me.  You teach me about basketball, church, and paying attention to my teachers.  I like when you let me drive the lawn-mower tractor around.  You are a good dad!

Love,

Ethan

What's on your bulletin board?

Baby Talk

Recently I visited some family members in Florida after having attended a Bible conference. One of my cousins brought over a box of books that were free for the taking. Among them was a prayer journal with insights from Billy Graham. One in particular really made an impression on me.  The aged evangelist wrote,

Think back to your own childhood for a moment. When you were young, did you talk with your father in a series of carefully memorized sentences? No, of course not. You talked with him freely and openly about everything – and he delighted in that. The same is true with God, your heavenly Father. He delights in the prayers of His people! Don’t worry whether you’re eloquent enough; your father didn’t turn you away when you spoke baby talk – and neither does God.

Though I’ve been a Christian for nearly four decades, I still feel as if I’m given to “baby talk” in my prayers. The more I know of God’s holiness, majesty, sovereignty and glory, the more inadequate my prayers seem. How good it is to be reminded that God is not only the High and Holy One, but He is also my heavenly “Daddy.” As such, He longs for me simply to come and share my heart with Him.

The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8 that “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (vv. 14-16 NIV).

We hope that you’ll keep this in mind as you pray, too. Most likely you have struggled with the same sense of inadequacy at one time or another. Perhaps this is one reason that Jesus taught us to begin our prayers with “Our Father....” What a great reminder. What a great and loving God!

Was the 'Religious Right' Wrong?

Last week I was in Orlando for a Bible conference.  After it was over, I hung out for an afternoon with some family members who live in the area.  One of them brought a box of books that were free for the taking.  I sifted through them and found one entitled Is God on America's Side?  It was published during the 2008 election season. The author was Erwin Lutzer (Senior Pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago), with contributions from other evangelical leaders such as Philip Graham Ryken, James MacDonald, Kay Arthur, Jim Cymbala, R.C. Sproul and others.

In answering the question "Is God on America's Side?", Lutzer lays out seven principles from Scripture:

1. God can both bless and curse a nation.
2. God judges nations based on the amount of light and opportunity they are given.
3. God sometimes uses exceedingly evil nations to judge those that are less evil.
4. When God judges a nation, the righteous suffer with the wicked.
5. God's judgments take various forms.
6. In judgment, God's target is often His own people, not just the pagans among them.
7. God sometimes reverses intended judgments.

Any one of these principles would make for a good blog discussion. But something that was said under principle #6 got me to thinking, and I thought it would be good for TruthWalk readers to consider as well.  In presenting his case that the evangelical church is experiencing God's judgment, Lutzer says that one sign of this is that "the church has increased visibility but diminishing influence."  In expounding this point he writes,

The so-called Religious Right had great plans to reverse the moral trends of our nation.  We are told that we have helped elect presidents and have impacted public policy and even the selection of judges.  But by identifying these gains as those won by the "Religious Right," namely, Christians who are in cahoots with a particular party, we have made this nation believe that the church is a political base rather than the dispenser of the Gospel.  Any gains we have made (mixed at best) came about at the price of the loss of the Gospel in the wider culture.  We have cheapened Christ before a watching world.

Unfortunately, Christianity, in the minds of millions of Americans, is right-wing politics.  I believe we are under judgment because we have cast about for a solution to our nation's problems and thought that it lay with political muscle and even with a specific political party.  By becoming publicly partisan and implying that one party is more "Christian," we have clouded the issues of what Christianity really is.  Religion is being redefined as politics; the flag has replaced the cross.  And we are feeling the negative repercussions.

Today evangelicals are in the news not because of the Gospel but because of their political support or endorsements.  The scenario of various religious leaders endorsing one political candidate or another is truly deserving of tears.  Some Christian leaders have formed coalitions to "take America back."  They want to "put God back" into our political, legal, and educational institutions....  In identifying ourselves with a political party and battling for civil religion, we have lost our identification with Jesus Christ.

Some pastors share Lutzer's concern and have taken practical measures to buck against this evangelical trend.  Mark Dever, the Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in D.C., had the American flag removed from the sanctuary - not because he is anti-American but because he knows that the kingdom of God is bigger than America.  It includes people of every ethnicity.

Ligon Duncan, another prominent evangelical leader who serves as Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi, takes a similar stance in a very personal way.  On his facebook profile, where it says "Political Views," Ligon writes: "I have them, but prefer to keep them to myself for the sake of the Gospel."  

Does this suggest that these pastors do not care about America's moral condition?  No, certainly not.  They as much as anybody support a biblical morality.  They long for righteousness to prevail here in America (and throughout the world).  But they rightly believe that the solution is not to be found in political pressure or intimidation but rather through Gospel witness.  

Our goal as believers should not be to moralize America but rather to see individual people transformed by the power of the Gospel.  Morality in and of itself does nothing to procure God's favor.  The Pharisees of Jesus' day proved that.  Morality does nothing to save a person; it does nothing to save a nation.  In a sermon entitled The Deadly Dangers of Moralism, John MacArthur reminds us as Christians, "We are not a kingdom of politicians.  We are a kingdom of priests.  And what is a priest?  He's a reconciler.  We bring people to God through Christ."

The Christian influence in America is eroding.  The only way to regain it in a manner that is truly effective and God-honoring is through the faithful proclamation of the Gospel.  That is where our time, energy, and other resources ought to be invested.  Political activism can never accomplish what the preaching of the cross alone can do, which is to bring people to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  

"Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things" (2 Tim. 2:7).

Looking Back on Ligonier and "The Holiness of God"

Yesterday the pastoral staff, along with one other gentleman from our church, got back from the national conference of Ligonier Ministries. The theme was The Holiness of God.  We are so thankful for a church body and elder leadership that allows us to attend such conferences so that we can be fed and, as a result, better feed the the souls of those under our care.

I asked each of these men to summarize their thoughts on the conference. Here's what they had to say . . .

Mr. Joe Capozzi:

Prior to attending the Ligonier Conference, I always considered that I had a high view of God. Well, hearing from these men and their description of God through The Word, has elevated my present understanding to an even higher level. Oh, how I now revere God and His Holiness! The Friday morning sessions were the most special, as Sinclair Ferguson, Steve Lawson and Alistair Begg, proclaimed Hallowed Be Your Name: The Holiness of the Father; The Holy One of God: The Holiness of Jesus; and The Breath of the Almighty: The Holy Spirit; all in rapid succession. Magnificent!

I don't want to leave out RC Sproul's "I Am The Lord, There is No Other". Even the Q&A sessions were inspiring. I'm so glad that I attended the conference - The Lord knows that I needed to hear about Him in this way, especially during such a trying time, now that I'm unemployed for the past four months.

Pastor Nick Jones:

Conferences are always hard to describe afterward. You get to travel to another city, meet many new people, and take a break from your daily routine. In this sense, it seems like a vacation. But then you have the other side. At this year's Ligonier Conference, we had seventeen sessions spread out over three days. You start out early and end late; when you're not sitting in a session, you're waiting in line for the bathroom or food, and there is very little "free time." In this sense, while it's not work, you're often more tired after the conference than before! Nevertheless, it was well worth it, mainly because of what happened during those seventeen meeting times. The speakers were not just salesmen or businessmen giving the latest updates or news on gadgets, but they were instead pastors and teachers who care very much for the Church and for us. Most of them didn't just teach, they preached, and with that God moved in great and many ways. Again and again we were taught, hammered, and massaged with the theme of this year's conference: the holiness of God. It was so devastating and encouraging to be shown anew the greatness of our God. His holiness calls for, inspires, demands, and even enables our complete love and affection throughout every facet of our lives. In this sense, the conference was a magnificent grace of our Redeemer, and I thank you so much for letting us take part.

Pastor Paul Tessari:

The Ligonier’s Conference was outstanding on many levels. From a biblical prospective I learned much about the Holiness of God. R.C. Sproul’s sermon entitled “I am the Lord, There is No Other” was a reminder to me of the transcendent Holiness of God and that He is worthy to be worshiped. In an evangelical culture where God is often painted as a "buddy," this conference exalted the Lord to His rightful place as Creator, Redeemer, exalted Father, Son, and Spirit. It increased my reverence for a Holy God and caused me to wonder again at the words, “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple…Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa. 6:1-3).

From a ministry perspective I was challenged to spend more time in the Word learning about this wonderful God in order that I might paint this picture to all who will listen. The preaching was so outstanding that I was also challenged to be a better communicator of the Word—to preach with powerful simplicity.

From a fellowship perspective I had the joy of getting to know Pastor Nick’s humility as he kindly put others before himself ... Joe Capozzi's ministering to us daily in renting a car and driving us wherever we needed to go ... and Pastor Matt’s leadership as he organized much of what we did. It was wonderful to see the same Spirit of God moving in believers in such a way that you could sit down next to perfect strangers and feel as though you’ve known them all your life.

Finally, while sitting in a Wendy’s eating lunch after the conference and pondering the awesomeness of our God, engaged in biblical discussion, we had the joy and privilege to meet Jeff. Jeff (who was in a wheel chair), was sitting next to us as we began to eat. We noticed that he lingered much longer than those around us as we continued in our discussions. Upon finishing eating and getting up from the table Jeff said to us, “Thank you guys…” to which we replied, “For what??” and he said, “For your conversation, it really spoke to my heart.” We quickly discovered that Jeff had received formal theological education at Word of Life Bible Institute and Appalachian Bible College.  But soon after entering the ministry as a youth pastor, he went through a series of trials which culminated in domestic crisis and heartache.  Jeff was forced to leave the ministry, saddened and dejected.  Yet in God's providence, he had overheard everything we said and, unbeknownst to us, was encouraged by our talk of the Lord. At that point we all gathered around Jeff and prayed for him. This proved to be one of the greatest blessings of the conference.

What more can I add to these three wonderful testimonies except, "Amen, amen, and amen!"  The Lord granted us a wonderful week, even as far as the weather was concerned.  We know that many were praying and want to assure you that those prayers were answered.  What more could servants of Christ hope to glean from such a conference than to have a higher view and greater love for God, sweet fellowship with one another, and an earnest desire to get back and serve our precious congregation!  God is good, abundantly gracious, and we give Him all the glory.  May His name be praised!

Distributing with Discernment

This month World magazine put out a special issue on Wealth and Poverty in America's Cities.  Interestingly, the first city referenced is Boston.  Here's how the article begins (you'll have to work through some of the Old English in the second paragraph):

Christians want to be generous, and that's as it should be.  But we can learn from our predecessors who emphasized that generosity is only the first step.  If we act without discernment, our generosity may actually be selfishness that give ourselves a warm glow but hurts others.  

We can learn from the oldest charity still existing in the United States, the Scots' Charitable Society of Boston, founded in 1657.  The Society from its start resolved to "open the bowells of our compassion" but to make sure that "no prophane or diselut person, or openly scandalous shall have any part or portione herein."  They viewed poor people not as standing at the bottom of a ladder but halfway up, capable of ascending to independence and even wealth if they saw themselves as created in God's image and were willing to work and live accordingly, but likely to descend into abject dependence and despair if they started to see themselves as animals.

Boston pastor Cotton Mather three centuries ago asked his church members to be charitable but also careful not to "abuse your charity by misapplying it."  A half-century later prominent pastor Charles Chauncey instructed leaders of the Society for Encouraging Industry and Employing the Poor to be careful in "the Distribution of Charity" so they would not "dispense in promiscuously" and "bestow upon those the Bread of Charity, who might earn and and eat their own Bread, if they did not shamefully idle away their Time."

Let me stop there for a minute, because we certainly see this particular principle taught in Scripture within the life of the church.  The apostle Paul wrote, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" (1 Thes. 3:10).  Just so we're clear, Paul was not referring to those who were without work (i.e. the unemployed) but rather those who will not work (i.e. the idle and disorderly).  It's amazing to think that our government used to take roughly the same approach.  Marvin Olasky, the writer of this article, goes on to note,

Two centuries ago Americans did not subsidize others in self-destruction.  Some 23 Boston charity societies declared in 1835 that recipients should believe it "disgraceful to depend upon alms-giving, as long as a capacity for self-support is retained . . . [To] give to one who begs . . . or in any way to supersede the necessity of industry, of forethought, and of proper self-restraint and self-denial is at once to do wrong, and to encourage the receivers of our alms to wrong doing."  The groups declared that relief should be given only after a "personal examination of each case," and "not in money, but in the necessaries required in the case."

Similarly, the Boston Provident Association (established in 1851) gave food, clothes, and coal to those willing to work but in temporary need.  The association refused requests from drunkards and asked supporters to give beggars not money but cards proposing a visit to the Association's offices, where volunteers would examine needs, make job referrals, and provide food and temporary shelter.  It also developed a list of "impostors" -- able-bodied persons who refused to work!

Imagine if our government as a whole - or even our beloved city of Boston - practiced such protocol today!  I am thankful for how these Bible-based principles are applied so lovingly and carefully by the Deacons of our church.  They distribute to the needs of others, but not without discernment - and always with the Gospel.  And after looking into a situation, if there is still a question as to what would be best, I have found them to "err" on the side of grace.  

When Christ comes to set up His kingdom, what a difference it will make in our welfare system!  In the meantime, may we the church operate by kingdom principles and serve as a prototype of what one day will be operating on a global scale, when "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. 11:2). 

Modern-Day Martyr

Before heading off to prayer meeting last evening, I checked my e-mail and logged on to the Internet.  My home page is Fox News, and the cover story was about Fred Winters, a pastor in Illinois who was gunned down in the pulpit while preaching in morning service.  You can read all about it here.

I checked out the church website, and from everything I've seen, this pastor was a godly man who was utterly committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the authority of God's Word.  He had a great love for the Lord and for people.  Supposedly, as the gunman walked down the aisle toward the pastor in the middle of the service, the pastor said to him, "Can I help you?" - something that another pastor on staff did not find surprising at all.  Here's the video clip this morning from Fox News:

Yesterday morning started out like just any other Sunday morning for this preacher.  He simply got up behind his pulpit and started preaching God's Word to his flock.  As a pastor, I am reminded of how important it is for me to "to preach ... as a dying man to dying men" (Richard Baxter).  And certainly all of us should pray, as Moses did, 

Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.

- Psalm 90:12

What are the practical implications of this verse for us as believers?  Perhaps they are best stated in the following two resolutions of Jonathan Edwards:

1. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
2. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

By all accounts, Pastor Fred Winters finished well.  God help us to do the same.

Advice to High School Christians

Recently I asked our new associate pastor, Paul Tessari, to write an article for the TruthWalk blog.  Here's what Paul had to say:

I was recently invited to speak at a Bible study given on the campus of a local public high school. To be honest I was amazed that anyone from a public high school would even want to attend a Bible study. Let’s face it, even when I was in high school (over 20 years ago), there were few who would dare attend such an event, even if you were a Christian.

I admit, I was a bit nervous. After all, just prior to my visit I received a call from the principal emphasizing the separation of church and state. He was both kind and courteous and confessed to me that he too was a Christian. Yet there was a tension there and I knew it.

“What can I share from the Word that might help these youngsters?” I thought. How can I encourage them when they are faced daily with temptation, scorn, and ridicule?

I thought of Matthew 5:13-16,

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become taste-less, how can it be made salty again; It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the World. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

When I entered the class room I was surprised to see several students and a teacher. “These,” I thought, “are the soldiers of Christ in this school.” They are the “light” amidst the darkness. In a day where high schools hold Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender Appreciation Days (Newton North High, Dec. 17th, 2008)—How are these young warriors to respond? Again, I thought of Matthew 5:13-16.

This text calls us to be an influence for the Lord in whatever circumstances we find ourselves; and this is what I shared with them that day.

We are not to shrink back from the opposition but told to be salt and light.

Salt was an immensely valuable commodity in the ancient world. The Romans considered its importance second only that of the sun. In fact, at times, Roman soldiers were paid their wages in salt. That is where the phrase “worth his weight in salt” comes from. The primary thing the Lord had in mind when speaking of salt in this text was its ability to act as a preservative and to prevent decay. It is our call to stop the spiritual and moral spoilage of our time and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. This however, is not a call to protest in the conventional sense. It is through our love for Christ that we impact our community and affect the culture we live in. By this we are the salt of the earth.

Yet, we are also described by our Lord as the “light of the world,” The properties of light do many wonderful things. Primarily though, light dispels the darkness and reveals the truth of our surroundings. Without light we cannot see. We are blind. As children of the Light (Eph. 5:8) we reveal the truths of Scripture and we proclaim Christ until He comes. This is our blessed responsibility, no matter what our surrounding. We are His witnesses on earth, His ambassadors. We proclaim the culminating truth of Scripture that Jesus Christ is Lord.

How then did I attempt to encourage these high schoolers? Do not hide your Christianity. Influence the world around you and be dif-ferent than the world. Be yourself! Be a Christian! Let every action point people to Christ. Live what you believe and God will be glorified by it. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21).

Practically this works itself out in not yielding to the peer pressure of those around you; resisting the appeal to be involved in sex, drugs or any other worldly enticement. Don't be a hypocrite, live what you believe. You may not be able to stop the actions of others but, by your witness, you can reveal them for what they are—darkness. Remember, that God has not left us as orphans but promises to be with us during times of temptation and trial (Matt. 28:20). In these circumstances Scripture tells us to cast all our fears on Him for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). We need only be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (not ours).

In the same way that one little candle can illuminate the darkness of an entire room so should our witness be for Christ. Ever burning until He comes.

Get Ready to Get Old

Within the last ten minutes I have crossed paths, and had two brief conversations with, two elderly gentlemen who love the Lord.  They both are long-time members of our church and are a constant source of encouragement to me.  They have a heart for others, and the joy of the Lord is their strength.  Though one of them is approaching ninety and the other is well past ninety, they have a youthful zeal that many a fraction of their age lack.

What is their secret?  Obviously the main one is that they both enjoy a close walk with the Lord.  As I said, the joy of the Lord is their strength (Neh. 8:10).  But more specifically, it can be said that they honestly believe (and rightly so) that the Lord has a purpose and plan for them to fulfill even as they are well into their twilight years.  They are absolutely convinced that as long as they are alive, they have something further to contribute to the work of the kingdom.  They are "not lagging in diligence" but are "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (Rom. 12:11).  As I spoke with these gentlemen, one was headed out with a handful of Gospel tracts to a nearby nursing home.  The other was preparing to place inserts into two hundred and twenty bulletins in preparation for this Sunday's worship service.  

God tells us in His Word, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut. 33:25).  These men believe that and live accordingly!

This all fits very well with a blog I read on the Internet just two days ago.  It was a blog written by Jay Adams, the "guru" of biblical counseling, who just turned eighty.  He just started blogging ... at eighty years old!  Gotta love it!

Dr. Adams begins the blog with the following:

Eighty years old!  I truly never thought I'd live this long.  It makes me wonder what the Lord has in mind for me to do during the last few years that I have left.  Surely, without some worthwhile project or projects, I'd dry up and blow away.  Whether writing these blogs is or is not a worthwhile activity I shall find out in time.  For the moment, in addition to teaching at my church, this is my major activity.

I find it interesting how Dr. Adams acknowledges the need to have something worthwhile to occupy his time and energy.  He goes on to speak about the physical limitations that he has as an older person.  He can't walk as well or hear as well.  He can still drive but would prefer not to.  He thanks the Lord that his mental faculties are still intact.  He then goes on to say:

At eighty, I ought to have some sage advice to give to the young.  Let's see, if I were to pick one thing only, that might be of importance, what would it be?  Hmmmm . . .

I know one!  Prepare for old age.  True, you may never make it; for there are former students of mine who have died already.  If you don't have some activity that you can engage in for the Lord, you will probably end up a sour and regretful old person.  There's always something one can do so long as he has control of his basic faculties.  If he is bedridden, he can pray. . . .

Let me stop right there, because in addition to the two fine men I interacted with this morning, there are several other godly people in our congregation who are infirm and laid up in bed.  But they are some of the greatest prayer warriors I know.  Thus their contributions to the body of Christ and the advancement of His kingdom are beyond our ability to estimate.  They are a vital part of the work that God is doing in this generation because of their positive, God-oriented outlook.  They think the way that Dr. Adam's thinks at this stage of his life, asking the same sort of questions that he asks in the closing paragraph of his blog:

What is next to do?  To learn?  To experience?  That orientation, I think, has kept me current as I can be - given my physical limitations.  Inwardly, I don't think of myself as old.  I just think, "Here's another day - what shall I make of it?  How shall I use it to honor God, and how can I be a blessing to someone else?"  So long as I can continue that orientation, I think I'll be able to carry on reasonably well for another few years.  If God wills.  We're all immortal until God is through with us. . . .

Amen, Dr. Adams.  May your tribe increase!

Forced to Die

My heart raced slightly when I read the AP headline, Virginia Inmate Forcibly Carried to Death Chamber.  What would it be like to know that you are going to die, and no amount of resistance on your part will keep the inevitable from happening?

Such was the case with Edward Nathaniel Bell as the door between his cell and the death chamber opened. He planted his feet and thrust back his hips, refusing to move forward.  But six burly guards pulled him through and lifted him up on the gurney, where he would receive the lethal injection.

Ten years earlier, Bell was convicted of shooting down and killing a police officer during a foot chase.  Bell was supposed to be executed last year, but Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine held off the execution while the U.S. Supreme Court considered a Kentucky case challenging the constitutionality of lethal injections.  The court upheld the method in April.  

The following month, the court granted Bell a temporary reprieve to consider whether his lawyer did a poor job representing him.  The court later dismissed his appeal.  

Shortly before his execution, Bell met with four of his five children, his sister, and two women with whom he had children.  He didn't request a special last meal because he remained hopeful till the end that he would receive a pardon.  So he had a cheese sandwich, just like the rest of the inmates.

A half dozen protesters assembled outside the prison during the execution.  Beth Panilaitis, the executive director for Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said, "One of the scariest parts of the death penalty is that it's hard to ever be certain.  And ending someone's life takes away any opportunity to correct any wrongful conviction."

After being forcibly carried into the death chamber, Bell insisted that he was innocent, saying, "You definitely have the wrong person.  The truth will come out one day.  This here, killing me, there's no justice about it."

As I read this article, I could only begin to imagine what it would be like to be dragged to one's death.  To be forcibly executed.  To know that my demise is inevitable, that no matter how much I might resist, I will be overcome.  The gavel has fallen, and now my sentence will be carried out.

Yet this is the fate of all who are outside Christ, only their execution is not over in a matter of seconds or even minutes.  Theirs is an eternal death.  And there is no ten-year-gap between the sentence and the execution.  It all happens in one fell swoop.  Behold the ominous depiction of this event by the apostle John near the close of God's Book:

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away.  And there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened.  And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.  And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.  The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them.  And they were judged, each one according to his works.  Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

- Revelation 20:11-15

What Edward Nathaniel Bell experienced was the first death, which is physical.  What every person outside of Christ will experience is the second death, which is spiritual.  Jesus said, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell" (Matt. 10:28).

On Judgment Day, no one will be able to claim his or her innocence. For the God that passes judgement is omniscient; He knows all.  "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Heb. 4:13).

If you are reading this and want to know how you can be saved from God's holy wrath against sin, please click here.  If you know that you are saved, let us remember what we have been saved from and that we are ambassadors for Christ whom He has commissioned to share the Good News of salvation.  We are God's "rescue team" who are to be out in the world, "pulling [people] out of the fire" (Jude 23).