∞
The Ones Everyone Else See
We take it very seriously when someone says something wrong about Jesus, rightly so. Beliefs can only be true or false, and false things about Jesus, false teaching about the Logos, makes the difference between life and death, between heaven and hell. An elder must “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able…to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). We work toward the day when the saints in the church are no longer “carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).
∞
Fathers Who Give Hope
Fathers Who Give Hope ➔ I listen to this sermon from John Piper regularly. The message comes from Colossians 3:12-21, especially verse 21:
Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. (ESV)
His outline is:
The Address - “Fathers” The Command - “Do not provoke your children” The Purpose - “lest they become discouraged” Paul requires Christians to rear children who are not discouraged.
∞
A Weekly Refrain
Doing almost anything on a regular basis, especially religious anythings, can make it mechanical, stale, and/or hollow. There is no shortage of externally busy, highly liturgical, religious churches that dutifully go through many motions but do not do them the right way, with the right heart. A weekly observance of the Lord’s table is certainly not beyond this danger.
As the Israelites remembered God’s salvation repeatedly at their Passover feast1, Christians remember the cross at communion.
∞
History's Tan Line
This certainly must be the quote of the day regarding Rob Bell on the cover of TIME magazine.
[I]n the big scheme of things, and I do mean big, it is nothing more than a pimple on history’s tan line.
—Paul Lamey, The significance of Bell on Time Magazine
∞
The Other Gutter
While I wouldn’t say that the Bible requires us to celebrate the Lord’s table every week, it does seem that the early church observed it often. As an act of corporate worship, it unites the congregation together in Christ (cf 1 Corinthians 10:16-17) so regular observance befits the symbol.
There is also a certain tone or perspective that befits communion. While we dare not cherish our sin while commemorating Christ’s death for our sin, the remembrance of His sacrifice is not primarily about making ourselves feel miserable.
∞
A Hole in the Boldness Tank
Unbelief as sin justifies God’s judgment because it is an affront to Him. Unbelief goes about as if He weren’t trustworthy, as if His demonstrations were insufficient, and as if His commands were optional. Not only does unbelief deserve God’s wrath, unbelief also damages our witness and worship.
Unbelief torpedos our courage to witness. If I don’t believe that eating fruits and vegetables will help me be healthy, then I won’t eat them and I’m likely to be silent about their benefits in conversation.
∞
No Less Wrath Deserving
We usually think about (our) wrath-deserving sin as transgression, as leaping over the fence He forbids us from jumping. Our spiritual death certainly activates transgressions (see Ephesians 2:1), but our spiritual death also animates unbelief. Unbelief is no less a wrath-deserving sin.
Unbelief deserves wrath because, whether we would say it like this or not, unbelief questions God’s honesty, His trustworthiness. God never lies (Titus 1:2) and He never fails to fulfill His promises (Romans 11:29).
∞
Reign of the Gray Witch
I like the rain but my wife’s tweet is clever, and true.
Just wanted to announce the reign of the Gray Witch (close relative of Narnia’s White Witch) over all of Snohomish County.
—@hobbsandbean
∞
No Small Substitute
The good Shepherd laid down His life for His sheep (John 10:11, 15). There are a number of causes for worship prompted by this part of the story.
The shepherd did not deserve to die; the sheep deserved death. A dead sheep is a much smaller deal than a dead shepherd, especially this Shepherd. But it is the good Shepherd who lays down His life in their place. He did not cease to be fully God so that He might bear the full weight of our wrath.
∞
Owning Our Offenses
A key word for Christians is the word offense. It scales from annoyance, to resentment, to anger brought about by perceived insult or disregard. Proverbs 18:19 states, “A brother offended is more unyielding (harder to be won - KJV) than a strong city.” That doesn’t mean that it is entirely impossible, but it means that we could have avoided a lot of work for ourselves by avoiding offense in the first place.
∞
A Certain Kind of Person
[O]ur time of confession ought not to be about a list of items, kept or broken. We are in the process of becoming a certain kind of person. Everything we confess is that which interfered with that process. If it did not interfere with it, then there is nothing to confess. But the rules are not floating above our heads, independently autonomous. No, God’s rules are simply a description of what He is like, and what we would like to become like.
∞
The Mutual Funds of Missions Funding
The Mutual Funds of Missions Funding ➔ Doug Wilson writes about a local church’s advantages “to support a hundred missionaries at $25 a month,” namely, to diversify and minimize risk. The entire article is worthwhile, but this is his summary.
I think it was Andrew Carnagie who said to put all your eggs in one basket, and then to watch that basket. But watching the basket involves work. We would rather put 25 eggs in 25 different baskets, and then not watch anything.
∞
Loving the Wife of a Pastor
Loving the Pastor’s Wife ➔ If it were up to me, I’d tweak the title of this Driscoll post from “loving the pastor’s wife” to “loving the wife of a (or any) pastor,” but I know what he means. Read the wrong way, the whole thing may seem whiny. A pastor’s wife also needs to be a clay pot given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested, but the article shows some of the ways she may be particularly worn out.
∞
Better Together
In a recent sermon I preached Ephesians 3:10, that the church makes known the manifold wisdom of God in heavenly places. The church is Christ’s Body, an assorted mix of individual members joined together under His headship. We’re better together, not meant to be separated.
While not written to the church, Proverbs 18:1 certainly applies for us in the church.
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
and he breaks out against all sound judgment.
∞
Not Forgiving Others
Not everyone knows the gospel. Even fewer actually live the gospel.
The gospel, the good news, is that we who rebelled against God–and that was every one of us–can be reconciled to God through Christ. We who disobeyed God’s law can be forgiven in Christ who bore our punishment on the cross. We who stand before Him in blatant guilt of unrighteousness, incapable of providing the righteousness He requires, can be declared righteous in Christ who imputes His own righteousness into our account.
∞
Practical Foolishness
Professing atheists1 are fools. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). There are also practical atheists, those who, whether God exists or not, live like He doesn’t. Our lives, more than our lips, reflect what we believe in our hearts.
Idolators are also fools. There’s no wisdom in saying that there is no god, there’s also no wisdom in making up a god. And this is key for professing believers: there are practical idolators, too, those who live like the true God is different than He really is.
∞
Address the Issue
In Mark 7 the Pharisees and scribes came to interrogate Jesus about His disciples’ failure to follow the proper eating liturgy. They asked, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” (v.5) Jesus answered their question with a quotation.
Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
“This nation honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
∞
Distinguishing Marks of a Quarrelsome Person
Distinguishing Marks of a Quarrelsome Person ➔ This is a helpful article by Kevin DeYoung about how to identify “habitually disagreeable, divisive, hot-headed church people.” Here’s a humbling taste:
3. Your only model for ministry and faithfulness is the showdown on Mount Carmel. There is a place for sarcasm, but when Elijah with the prophets of Baal is your spiritual hero you may end up mocking people instead of making arguments.
∞
Better Than a Dead One
Before the ages began, God promised eternal life. He did so out of love for His Son, and note that the gift is eternal life, because a living gift is much better than a dead one. In order for the living God to give and receive a living gift, the Son had to die for the dead. Through the death of the one, the sins of the many were justly punished.
∞
A Closet Full of Clothes
Unthankful people dominate our culture. We are skilled at identifying all the existing or potential problems rather than identifying all the things that enabled us to see the problems. We are better at thinking about all the things that are missing or undone than about all the work already finished. It bothers us when a light bulb burns out; it does not bother us that many people don’t even have electricity.