Reading 2013

This past year I have read over 80 books.  The fact that ebooks and audio books are so available increased the number of books that I read this past year.  29 of the books were ebooks and 3 where audio books.  Apart from the Scripture, which I read through three times, here is my top five  books of the year.

5.  Flatland by Edwin Abbott.  This little mathematical novel is over 100 years old and though I have known about it for years I finally got around to reading it.  It is a delightful story about someone who lives in two dimensions and believes that that is all there is.  When he is introduced to the third dimension by a visitor from the third dimension he challenges his guest to think about a fourth dimension.  Like everyone in his two dimensional world the visitor will not believe that there is another dimension.  I think there is a lesson here for us who think we have everything figured out.

4.  Glorious Ruin by Tullian Tchividjian.  This was a delightful find as it showed up as a free ebook.  It is subtitled How Suffering sets you Free.  This book by the grandson of Billy Graham is worth the read and he shows you that suffering is part of being a follower of Jesus Christ, part of our path to freedom, part of the Gospel.

3.  The Covenant by James Michener.  This massive novel about the Boers of South Africa really opened my eyes to the roots of apartheid.  The Boers were convinced that they were the chosen people living in the promised land.

2.  The Meaning of Marriage by Tim and Kathy Keller.  This book which looks at marriage through the eyes of Scripture should be a must read for everyone getting married.

1.  The number one book on my list is a surprise.  It is an Old Testament commentary.  Deuteronomy, Loving Obedience to a Loving God by Ajith Fernando.  Though I have always loved the Old Testament and in particular I love the book of Deuteronomy this book brought Moses' words alive.  What a great commentary and I would recommend it to any one who wants to preach or teach the whole counsel of God.

I have a few honourable mentions but I may mention them another time.  I am looking forward to the surprises that God has for me in 2014.

Too Many Translations

I sometimes wonder if we have too many translations of the Scriptures.  I started reading this book and the author uses a different translation every time, or so it seems.  Now I know it is important to use different translations when we are studying the Scriptures but why do we do it?  The reason should be to make the original words clearer.  The problem is that too many people use different translations to fit their opinions and ideas.  To me this raises the question, Who is the authority?  The original Scriptures or the one who chooses the translation?  We must be careful to allow Scripture to say what it is intended to say and not to have it say what we want it to say.

Have you unwrapped the best gift?

This year millions of gifts will be given some of which are expensive, some home made, some with great meaning, some ... well you know.
However, in spite of all the gifts very often the best gift goes unwrapped.  It cost more than all of the other gifts combined but yet it remains ignored.  Could it be that we have concentrated so much on "stuff" that we ignore what is important.  Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:15 "Thanks be unto God for His indescribable gift."  If you haven't taken time to unwrap it, claim it as your gift then how can you say with Paul, "Thanks be unto God for His indescribable gift."
I see many signs around my community which say "Christmas is about Christ."   It is true but even behind some of those signs the gift remains unwrapped.
This Christmas remember the most important gift.

Duck Dynasty

This past week the church got its shirt in a knot.  You would think that it was persecuted for presenting the Gospel but rather it was because of the cancellation of the contract of the star of the show Duck Dynasty over some statements that he made to GQ magazine.  Phil Robertson made some very clear statements regarding the gospel but he then made statements about homosexuality.  What he said was his right and I wouldn't call what happened to him taking away his freedom of speech.
What concerns me is the reaction of the church to what happened.  You would think that the Gospel was muzzled.  The problem the church has is that it equates homosexuality to the Gospel.  They way some people talk you would think that a person would have to give up their homosexual life style before they became a Christian.  This puts the gospel message as a works gospel rather than a gospel of grace.
I remember a fellow worker and friend asking me one day, "Can a homosexual be a Christian?"  At first I wanted to answer "no" then I changed my mind and wanted to answer "yes" then I was back to "no" again.  Finally I said, "Anyone can become a Christian.  Becoming a Christian has nothing to do with how good you are but how helpless you are to do anything about yourself.  However, once you become a Christian the Holy Spirit will not allow you to continue in your sinful lifestyle whether it be homosexuality, adultery or any other sin.  Once a person yields themselves to Christ it is Christ who saves but He also changes us."
Christians are not called to be moral policemen.  We should work for the better of society and especially in the area  of abortion we should do our part to stop this atrocity against the helpless.  Christians need to show that Christ loved them so much He died for them but He also loved them so much that once they are adopted into His family He will not let them remain the same.
Is homosexuality a sin?  Yes it is as is fornication, adultery and other sexual sins.  Let us tell the world why we believe that these are sins but the greatest sin of all is the rejection of the Saviour.

Mom

It was 25  years ago today that my mother passed away.  Instead of writing a tribute to her I would like to share with you what my oldest brother wrote about her a few years ago.

Mabel Hall (nee Jasper)

It is not odd to hear one say that they love their mother and I am no different but I also hold a deep admiration and reverence for our Mom. She had a depth of character that almost defies explanation and a steadfastness that was rooted in her faith like a mighty tree that withstands the buffeting of every torment. Life was not easy for our Mom but she was not given to complaining or self pity; she just faithfully persisted in her God ordained task of raising a family that knew “The Way”.

Lilian Frances Mabel Hall was a quiet, unassuming woman, never one for the glamour of spotlights, but she was powerful in a way that extends well beyond her lifetime. In fact, she was a strong link in that virtuous and Christian heritage passed down to each of her eight children from Arthur Roland and Emily Eliza Jasper.

For those of us that had the privilege to know him, Arthur Jasper Sr. was a quiet yet powerful man. Everything on the Jasper home bore the mark of his hand – orderly, practical, efficient, quality workmanship. He ruled his household with a firm but loving hand based on biblical standards and by clear and unwavering example. As a result, what you saw in one of the eleven Jasper offspring, you saw in all. With the exception of Vern, who had Down’s syndrome, they all left that household prepared to make their mark in the world. No, they had no illusions of being headline makers, just faithful witnesses of God’s grace and exemplary parents. A quick review of the number of missionaries, pastors and Christian lay workers among their descendents will give testimony to how well it has worked.

Mom was a product of that household. She was steadfast in her Christian beliefs and living but she was non-condemning. That was the Jasper way. As I remember Mom, she was very clear in her beliefs with a faith that could endure whatever misfortunes, hardships or obstacles life could send her way. That Dad was a spiritual leader is due in large part to the early influence of Mom and her siblings. In fact, the lengthy courtship of Harry and Mabel was because of her determination to see Harry mature spiritual before marrying him.

I recall saying in her eulogy that I could not recall Mom raising her voice or striking out in anger yet her authority was clear. I recall frequent examples of her wise counsel and her firm but loving disapproval of inappropriate behaviors. Of course, there was always a good reason to comply with her wishes since failure to do so meant that it would be taken to a higher court where both Mom and Dad presided. Even more importantly, I know that she averted many potential problems through early intervention and diversion. As you read on you will see an example of this in the paragraph entitled “Horse sense”.

In today’s social climate of “bubble wrapped kids” where parents are regarded negligent if they do not prevent every conceivable exposure to risk, Mom might have been criticized for her somewhat more permissive attitude toward inventive play. For one, I am grateful indeed for this freedom that she permitted in our self regulated activities. In fact, it is my belief that this early independence gives rise to resourcefulness and creativity. If she had known, she might have been horrified at some of risks to which we exposed ourselves but we all survived and I believe we are better for it. 

Thank you John.

He is not my Pope.

Once again Time magazine has named its man of the year and this year it is Pope Francis.  Now he is probably a good choice for the man of the year by a magazine like Time but my concern is not with his relationship with the Catholic church but with many evangelical's quickness to embrace him as if he was their pope.
Now I think that this pope may be good for the Catholic church as an organization.  He is willing to take on many of the issues that have been destroying the Catholic church and he has addressed them in a manner that is both acceptable by the church and the people.  He holds to the traditional catholic doctrines without compromising but he still makes the people feel that they have been heard.
My concern is how the evangelical church has embraced him.  The gospel of the Catholic church is still a false doctrine.  Mixed in with the doctrine of grace is the doctrine of works.  There are Catholics who would deny this but when you study the doctrine it is a mixture of grace and works.
Let us suppose that there are 4 points to true salvation (I am only using this as an example because really there is only one).  Suppose that you keep three of the four but shift slightly on the fourth then you have preached a false doctrine.  Suppose you keep all four but then add a fifth of the church's making then once again you have come short and you have a false doctrine.
Salvation is by Christ alone, not Christ and the church, not Christ and works.  Not some other way.  Christ alone.  Evangelical Christians need to go back 500 years and revisit why there was a split.  Is it any different today?

The Myths Surrounding the Magi

It has always been a source of controversy regarding the magi. Let us take a quick look at a few myths. First, it has often been shown that the wise men or magi went to the stable but if you read the story carefully you will notice that they came to the house where Joseph, Mary and Jesus were staying. The timing was wrong as well as Jesus was no longer a new born baby but maybe even a toddler. Also there is no indication that Joseph was there when the Magi came. He probably was working in a carpenter shop he had set up in Bethlehem. Second, it has often thought that there were three wise men equating the number of wise men with the number of gifts. Though three gifts are mentioned there could any number of wise men. Third, the star was seen in the east but the star was to the west of the wise men as it led the wise men from the east westward to Bethlehem.

Three Babies

Our lesson this week centers around a woman's desire to have a child.  In the culture in Hannah's day there was no significance if one did not have children.  Even though her husband tried to console her she was not to be consoled.  So why should we be concerned about something this trivial?  Before I answer that let me tell you about two other babies that brought many people to their knees.  These two babies are from two different parts of the world.
The story from Scotland is not so much about a baby as the babies mom, my niece.  The baby's grandmother, my sister, is a woman of great faith.  She believes that it is important to speak words of healing over her daughter, words of Scripture.  I am not sure where I stand on this.  I believe in healing, I believe in the power of Scripture but I don't believe that power is our power at all but rather in the author of Scripture.  I believe that our prayers must grow out of Scripture and we must claim God's promises.  These promises reflect the character of God and when we claim these promises we are saying to God that it is His character that we are defending.  We need to be very concerned about the character of our God.  Maybe my sister is right, certainly she is a woman of faith and a woman of the Word.
The second story is from my home town.  Our friends had their sixth child this week and this boy was born with a rare disease vein of Galen.  Though I didn't get permission to tell this story I tell it because it is not really about baby James, or the parents but it is a story about our God.  Here is what the father wrote this morning:

1. As many of you have probably heard, our sweet new son, James is coming home tomorrow. God has used this sweet little child to touch the lives of countless people. Just when you think you're going to have a normal child with no complications, and everything is rosie, God does something like this and totally changes your focus. Life really isn't about the hustle and bustle of life and the constan...t worries we face everyday. Sure those things are very real but it's not supposed to be the object of our affection, Christ is. I have been very much reminded of that this week. Although we have an extremely long road ahead of us with many uncertain twists and turns, it's okay because the God who showed himself to be all powerful this week will still be the all powerful God in the future. We still may lose James in the weeks/months/years ahead but he has always been the in the hands of God, and what better place is there to be than that. I really want to thank all of you who have poured out your love, and your prayers to our Heavenly Father for us during this extremely difficult time. I would ask that you still keep us in your prayers as we walk down this road with James. It's been said that God moves in mysterious ways, mysterious to us maybe but not Him. I'm not perfect and as I have journaled this week with many people, I'm thankful that people have been encouraged, challenged and supported. God deserves all the glory for this. I'm reminded of the time when Jesus was teaching some very hard sayings and many of His disciples turned back and left Him. When Jesus turned to His original twelve He asked them if they too wanted to leave. I love the answer Peter gave, "Lord, where else are we going to go, for you alone have the words of eternal life." How absolutely true that is !

This is a man of faith as well.  My heart is touched by both stories.

So what about Hannah?  Wasn't her request trivial?  It seemed trivial in light of my sister's daughter or my friend's son.  There is no request that is too trivial to bring to our God.  We do not know the outcome.  Hannah did not know that this child would change the course of history for the nation of Israel.  Though she made a bargain with God the bargain she made was with what God had given her for what God would do through this child.  We have nothing to bargain with when we come to God.  We can only call upon is mercy and faithfulness.

Christianity is for losers

Back in 1990 Ted Turner upset a lot of Christians when he made that statement.  Evangelical Christians reacted negatively showing that there were many winners who claimed to be Christians.  However, Ted Turner was right.  Christianity is for losers.  When we try to make it on our own we lose.  We are told over and over again in Scripture that only in Christ we can find victory.  On our own we are nothing but He is everything.  He is the winner, we are the losers.  I know that Mr. Turner knows that today but do we?  Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord.  Zechariah 4:6
David knew that Christianity was for losers.  When Nathan confronted him for his sin he could only bow his head in shame and say that he had sinned.  He was a loser but in God he was a man after God's own heart.

Two Loves

Moses was a man that was torn between two loves.  These loves seemed incompatible; a love for God and a love for the people.  When Moses prayed there were two things that dominated his prayer; his tender concern for the nation and his passionate jealousy for the reputation of his God.  God even gave him an out.  He could destroy these people and begin again with Moses.  This tore Moses apart.  He loved these people and even more he was concerned about the reputation of his God.  This could never happen.  What could Moses do?  Moses understood that God was a God of law, after all he had stood on Mount Sinai, but he also knew that God was a God of grace.  Because God was a God of the law Moses understood the terribleness of sin so his only appeal for the people was grace.  This grace was more than God's mercy on the people it was God's very presence among the people.
Sometimes it is hard to love the people of God.  We see them chasing after the gods of this world.  They seek status, money, things, power, pleasure but they don't seem to seek God.  They seek God for what He can give them or what He can do for them but not for Himself.  This can tear at our heart.
What changed Moses' heart?  Moses had a glimpse of the glory of God.  What we need if we are to have these two loves is a glimpse of God's glory and then we will have shining faces.

Angels

Abraham, Jacob, Moses all had encounters with angels. Angels play an important role in the lives of many of the Old Testament saints. Thirty years ago today I had an unique experience. My mother was in the hospital and was very much alone. Our Pastor and I went to visit her and she asked us if we had seen two children leaving her room as we entered. We told her that we had not and she was surprised that we had missed them. We were surprised that children would be allowed into the hospital by themselves. As we talked with her our Pastor asked her what they said and did while they were visiting her. She said that they came in, sat in the chair by her bed but did not talk. He asked her if she was afraid and she said "no" but rather they had brought her comfort. At that point we sensed that God had sent His angels to bring peace and comfort to mom at a time she needed it. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we have encountered angels unaware.

Hello, My name is

Jacob was given a new name. He was once Jacob the supplanter but he was given a new name Israel which is a Prince with God. Not only was he given a new name but that name was given to a people and a country. Is there another country named after a person? We to have been given a new name. Listen to Matthew West's best selling song:

Insurance

Insurance.  We all have it.  We cannot live without it.  We have life insurance, property insurance, health insurance, car insurance.  Where I live you cannot drive a car unless you have insurance.  We have insurance to protect ourselves against disasters or unforeseen incidents that could bankrupt us.  We are so conditioned about having insurance that we treat the promises of God the same way.  We read the promises of God and we claim them for ourselves but we take out insurance "just in case God doesn't come through for us".
For example, God has promised us that our salvation is secure in Christ Jesus but we want to make sure so we follow certain rules that we think will make us holy.  Now don't get this wrong.  Those rules may be very important but they are not insurance.  Our salvation does not depend upon keeping those rules but rather we show that we have salvation by keeping those rules.  There is a big, big difference.  Are we totally trusting our God or are we trusting Him but with a "just in case" attitude?
Jacob trusted God but he saw nothing wrong with taking out a little insurance "just in case" Esau decided upon revenge.

Wait and See

Jacob had developed a "wait and see" attitude toward the promises of God. He had heard the promises from his parents but he spent his time scheming to get what God had already promised. We saw it with the birthright, the wives, the children, with his father-in-law. What is wrong with hedging your bets? Why not take out a little insurance just in case God doesn't come through. But are we any different? We have all the promises of God and all we need to do is to trust Him but we too take a "wait and see" attitude. God said but we will take out a little insurance. God says trust me in this but we find a way to cover things just in case He doesn't come through.

Wrestling

Sinclair Ferguson writes the following in his book Christ Alone:

"The struggles we sometimes experience in prayer, then, are often part of the process
by which God gradually brings us to ask for only what He has promised to give.  The struggle is not our wrestling to bring Him to give us what we desire, but our wrestling with His Word until we are illuminated and subdued by it, saying, 'Not my will, but Your will be done.'  Then, as Calvin again says, we learn 'not to ask for more than God allows.'"

Jacob spent his time wrestling and striving for what God has promised.  He only need to claim that promise.

Riddles

I love to give my grandchildren riddles.  They always ask me for a new riddle and they love when they have a riddle for me.
The Lord had a question for His two companions.  "Shall we hide from Abraham what we are about to do?"  Why should the Lord take Abraham into His confidence?  Christians are quick to quote Romans 8:28 saying that all things work together for good but do we know that in this life?  We have to trust the Lord that He is in control.  We can only understand this backward but we have to trust forward.
However, God told Abraham in advance what He would do and Abraham had to trust God that the Judge of all the earth would do the right thing.

Cop out!

What do we mean when we add the phrase to our prayers, "If it be Your will?"  Many times it is just a cop out.  Now before you jump all over me I know that the Lord prayed, "If it be Your will let this cup pass from me."  I also know that in the Lord's prayer we are taught to pray, "Your will be done."  However most of the time it is a cop out.  We have not taken time to learn what the will of God is.
I think of a small child making a request of his or her father.  The words come out, "But you promised."  The child never says, "If it be your will can we go to the park."
We need to lay hold of the promises of God and when we pray we say, "You promised."  Prayer of faith is asking God to do what He has promised in His word.  Finding out what God's will is takes time and effort.  We cannot or should not become lazy and say "If it be your will"  when we can find out the will of God by study and meditation on His word.

Questions

I was a teacher so I asked a lot of questions.  Most of the time the questions were used to direct thinking.  Jesus asked a lot of questions and His questions were not for obtaining information but for teaching.
Yesterday the pastor preached on Luke 7, the story about Jesus, a pharisee and a woman.  At one point Jesus turns to Simon the pharisee and asks him, "Do you see this woman?"
Simon might have responded, "Of course I see her.  She came into my house uninvited and invaded my party."
Jesus may have responded, "No Simon, do you really see this woman?"
Again Simon may have responded, "Yes I see her.  She is a woman of loose morals, the kind of woman I wouldn't have anything to do with."
Once again the question, "Simon do you see this woman?"
This woman was one for which Christ came to save.  She is not an intruder, she is not a statistic but a person.
The same question comes to us.  Do you see this man?  Do you see this woman?  Do you see this child?  We may say that we see a drunk, a drug user, a prostitute, a thief, a street person but do we really see that the person is someone who God loves.
Open our eyes Lord that we may see.

Why stop at ten?

When Abraham was interceding for Sodom he started at fifty righteous people asking God to spare the city if fifty righteous people could be found in the city.  When the Lord agreed Abraham knew that there was not fifty righteous people.  I have wondered why he immediately knew that there were not fifty righteous people in Sodom.  He then asked if there was forty five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty and finally ten.  Why did he stop at ten?
One explanation was that Lot's family consisted of ten people.  Lot and his wife, two married daughters and their husbands, two sons and two single daughters.  This sounds good but I don't believe that this was the reason.  Back in verse 25 Abraham said that the judge of all the earth would do right.  I think that Abraham finally came to accept that truth.  He could trust the judge of the earth to do the right thing and therefore he could accept the outcome.
Too often we do not accept the fact that God will do the right thing so we continue to bargain with God.  We act as if we know better than God.
Did Abraham stop praying for Lot and his family and for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah?  I don't think so.  Neither should we stop praying for the people or situations but our focus should change.  We are no longer bargaining with God but accepting the fact that the Judge of all the earth will do the right thing.

What is the issue?

As Abraham interceded for Sodom the real issue was not the saving of Sodom or even the saving of his family.  Earlier he had said, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?"  The issue was the character of God.  Was God just in destroying Sodom?
So often the concern of our hearts in our prayers is for our needs or the needs of others but we need to back up and realize that the real issue is the character of God.  When we claim a promise we are saying that we can trust God to keep His word.  Our concern for the lost is not enough if we do not have God's glory as primary in our prayers.

Who sets the agenda?

How often you have met with a friend and one of you sets the agenda for your conversation?  Usually the one who starts the conversation sets the agenda.  When God met with Abraham it was God who set the agenda not Abraham.  God said, "Shall we hide from Abraham what we are about to do?"
When we come to God in prayer who sets the agenda?  Usually we have a list of requests that we run through quickly and then we are gone.  The agenda for our prayer time is our agenda not God's.  How do we go about changing this?  First, we need to listen to God.  We do this through Scripture reading and meditation.  Secondly, we need to know that it is not so much about our needs than about His glory.  Prayer is not about us but about Him.

Prayer

I am going to begin a new series later this month called Daring to draw near.  This is a series based on Dr. John White's book of the same name.  We will be looking a prayers of Biblical men and women such as Abraham, Jacob, Hannah, David, Daniel and more.

What is prayer?  Everyone can answer that, right?  Prayer is taking council with God on matters that are important to Him.  Therefore it is important to know what is the will of God.  In the Lord's prayer we are told to pray, Thy will be done on earth as it is heaven.  We need to know what the will of God is.  There will be prayers such as Hannah's where we are like a child crawling up on her daddy's lap and pouring out our painful heart to him.  Other times it will be a session of intercession for others.

Let all your thinks be thanks.

When you stop to think about it, What do you have that you did not receive? How dreadful it would be not to believe in God or even a god and see a beautiful rainbow or sunset and feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude but have no one to thank. One of the things that marks a follower of Jesus Christ is our spirit of thankfulness. We have been chosen but it is not because we are special but because the One who chose us is special. In his sermon last Sunday we were reminded that we are all called to be Christlike. To be Christ like we must be a thankful people. "Does the unfathomable wonder of calling grip you like a grand compelling you can never satisfy or shake off?" Os Guinness

Language

I just finished listening to an audio book, a novel I got from Christian audio. It was an interesting story but for some reason the author used a lot of strong language when his characters were speaking. Was that necessary? I know he wanted to be realistic but is it necessary to use the language to be realistic? There is a trend today for even some preachers to use that kind of language in the pulpit. Really now, who are you trying to impress? Keith Price showed us that you don't have to be like the audience to speak to the audience. He spoke to over 175 teen agers at our former church and he did not pretend to be anything other that who he was, a 70 year old preacher. He was effective and they listened to him.

Singing in Church

The above article is from http://www.patheos.com/blogs/afewgrownmen/2013/05/why-men-have-stopped-singing-in-church/


It happened again yesterday. I was attending one of those hip, contemporary churches — and almost no one sang. Worshippers stood obediently as the band rocked out, the smoke machine belched and lights flashed. Lyrics were projected on the screen, but almost no one sang them. A few women were trying, but I saw only one male (other than the worship leader) making the attempt.


A few months ago I blogged, “Have Christians Stopped Singing?” I did some research, and learned that congregational singing has ebbed and flowed over the centuries. It reached a high tide when I was a young man – but that tide may be going out again. And that could be bad news for men.

First, a very quick history of congregational singing.

Before the Reformation, laypersons were not allowed to sing in church. They were expected to stand mute as sacred music was performed by professionals (priests and cantors), played on complex instruments (pipe organs), and sung in an obscure language (Latin).

Reformers gave worship back to the people in the form of congregational singing. They composed simple tunes that were easy to sing, and mated them with theologically rich lyrics. Since most people were illiterate in the 16th century, singing became an effective form of catechism. Congregants learned about God as they sang about God.

A technological advance – the printing press – led to an explosion of congregational singing. The first hymnal was printed in 1532, and soon a few dozen hymns became standards across Christendom. Hymnals slowly grew over the next four centuries. By the mid 20th century every Protestant church had a hymnal of about 1000 songs, 250 of which were regularly sung. In the church of my youth, everyone picked up a hymnal and sang every verse of every song.

About 20 years ago a new technological advance – the computer controlled projection screen – entered America’s sanctuaries. Suddenly churches could project song lyrics for all to see. Hymnals became obsolete. No longer were Christians limited to 1,000 songs handed down by our elders.

At first, churches simply projected the songs everyone knew – hymns and a few simple praise songs that had come out of the Jesus Movement. People sang robustly.

But that began to change about ten years ago. Worship leaders realized they could project anything on that screen. So they brought in new songs each week. They drew from the radio, the Internet, and Worship conferences. Some began composing their own songs, performing them during worship, and selling them on CD after church.

In short order we went from 250 songs everyone knows to 250,000+ songs nobody knows.

Years ago, worship leaders used to prepare their flocks when introducing a new song. “We’re going to do a new song for you now,” they would say. “We’ll go through it twice, and then we invite you to join in.”

That kind of coaching is rare today. Songs get switched out so frequently that it’s impossible to learn them. People can’t sing songs they’ve never heard. And with no musical notes to follow, how is a person supposed to pick up the tune?

And so the church has returned to the 14th century. Worshippers stand mute as professional-caliber musicians play complex instruments, sung in an obscure language. Martin Luther is turning over in his grave.

What does this mean for men? On the positive side, men no longer feel pressure to sing in church. Men who are poor readers or poor singers no longer have to fumble through hymnals, sing archaic lyrics or read a musical staff.

But the negatives are huge. Men are doers, and singing was one of the things we used to do together in church. It was a chance to participate. Now, with congregational singing going away, and communion no longer a weekly ordinance, there’s only one avenue left for men to participate in the service – the offering. Is this really the message we want to send to men? Sit there, be quiet, and enjoy the show. And don’t forget to give us money.

There’s nothing wrong with professionalism and quality in church music. The problem isn’t the rock band, or the lights, or the smoke machine. The key is familiarity. People enjoy singing songs they know.

How do I know? When that super-hip band performed a hymn, the crowd responded with gusto. People sang. Even the men.

What is Sin?

There is a fundamental misunderstanding of the Gospel when we say “that is the way God made me and He will not send me to hell.” That is wrong. This statement says that you will only go to hell if you do things that God will punish. We are born in sin. We are sinning against God everyday of our lives. We begin with a position of rebellion against the Creator. Also what is being said is that God must accept me on my own terms. When we define ourselves we must be careful. We cannot define ourselves in terms of a certain sin and say that is the way that God made me so He better deal with it. We cannot say God made me this way and He won’t send me to hell because of it. We cannot define ourselves in the way that makes sense to ourselves. We need to understand how God defines us in Scripture and then work backward from there. We come to God and say “that is the way I am deal with it” that is the very root of sin itself. So often people who are caught in the trap of sin hate themselves but the Gospel is not about hating ourselves but hating sin. Repentance is not about hating ourselves but hating sin.

Take up your cross

When Jesus said that we are to take up our cross and follow Him I don't think He was talking about those things in our lives that we sometimes call crosses. He could have said that when hardships come we are to "grin and bear it" but that is not what He said. A person who was carrying a cross in Jesus day was on his way to his death. Too often we try to get rid of our difficulties and then we add that they are the crosses that we must bear. Those difficulties are only difficulties, inconveniences but not an instrument of death.

Electronic Giving

At our church AGM the subject of electronic giving was brought raised by the treasurer. He said that the office was going to print cards for the people to put into the offering plate if they gave electronically. One person thought that was a waste of money while another suggested that if everyone had church envelopes then they should just indicate on the envelope that they were giving electronically. There are advantages to giving electronically and almost all of them are convenience. It is more convenient for the giver, for the teller, for the treasurer. However, I see one big disadvantage. It detaches giving from worship. As we bring our offerings week by week we are coming to worship bringing a gift. I think that it is important that we make people aware of the fact that giving is an act of worship. I see the placing of an offering envelope which has been marked as electronic giving is a good compromise. People are still aware that their giving is an act of worship. I give to missionaries electronically. I know that as my gift is given I haven't taken time to pray for the receiver as I would if I was to write a cheque. Is this a compromise? Yes it is. However, I can still make it a matter of prayer to pray for those missionaries daily and not just when I send a cheque. I want to state my one concern again. We should never detach our giving from our worship.

Family Meeting

We had a family in our church that we attended in another city who had family meetings. When we asked one of the boys what they did at family meetings he said that they mainly talked about Melissa, his sister, and her hiding the potato chips in her closet. Last Sunday we had a family meeting at our church. It was the annual business meeting. Though AGMs are important for all organizations it is easy to think of them has all important. We were reminded that the real business of the church is not what happens at the AGM but what happens as the family helps to grow together and to grow the kingdom of God. In our former church the business meetings were anything but a family meeting, they were more like a family fight. At one meeting one member threatened to beat up another member and sometimes the language was not appropriate for a family gathering. Some people always watched to see how one of the old time members voted before the would cast their vote. I am glad that our meeting was a family meeting where we talked about family matters.

Bring Your Bible to Church

Last Sunday when it came time for the sermon our Pastor asked us to turn to the Scripture and stand in reference to the Word of God while He read the Scripture. I looked around and saw many people with their Bibles open and following while He read. Sadly to say that is not the case in many churches. There are many who come to church and if they use a Bible at all it is one that is provided for them. Other churches project the Scripture onto the screen for all to see while still other churches don't even preach from the Bible. Now I know that not everyone in our church brings their Bible but I was impressed with the number of Bibles I did see open while the Scripture was being read. Some people follow on their iPads or phones or kindles and though that is okay I still do not think that it should replace the printed Word of God in a book.

One Hour

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest He took three of His disciples with Him to pray and then leaving them He went off by himself to pray.  When He returned He found them sleeping and He said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour?"  Matthew 26:40

I wonder how many who call themselves Christians would hear Jesus say to them Sunday morning, "Could you not watch with me one hour?" 

Only one hour?  Too many are either too tired or too busy or some other excuse would miss church and then hear Jesus say, "Could you not watch with me one hour?"

Betrayed with a kiss

We all know that Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss but do you know that Judas wasn't the only betrayer who betrayed a friend with a kiss?  Joab betrayed Abner with an act of friendship.  "Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died." 2 Samuel 3:27
But I wonder if we are not any better?  Surely we have betrayed our Lord with what would seem to be an act of friendship.  We say we will follow and obey but it is only on our terms.  When we run into obstacles then we turn away. 

Two Small Coins

I was reading in Luke this morning about the widow who dropped two small coins in the offering.  Jesus noticed her even if no one else did.  It made me stop to think about how we treat offerings.
First, it was never the size of the offering.  There is nothing too small to give to God and there certainly nothing that is too big.  In fact, whatever we give cannot be big enough.  I know people who give generously but they give out of their abundance and not our of their very existence.

Second, it is not about a percentage.  Some people give ten percent or twenty or even ninety percent but that was not the point with Jesus.  The woman gave one hundred percent.  She gave all she had to live on.  It would have been easy for her to give one of the coins and kept the other as she did need to buy food and after all, she did give fifty percent. 

Some how today we make a big deal about the size of the gift.  We visit a museum and see plagues that tell us that Mr and Mrs So-n-so gave such a large gift.  There will be no such plagues in heaven but there will be a special place for the widow who gave the two small coins.

The other day I received a cheque for $500 that I didn't expect.  I thought of spending it on myself after all I wanted a new camera but instead I put it aside and sent $300 to a friend who was a retired missionary.  As I started to feel good about myself I realized that I still had kept $200 for myself.  I sent the $300 and it didn't make any difference in my life at all.  It certainly wasn't anything like the widows two small coins.  I gave out of surplus not out of my very existence. 

Just one more thought about giving.  Too often we give because we get a tax deductible receipt.  Now if the receipt is available we should take advance of it so that we can give even more but that should never deter us from giving. 

Worldliness

Growing up I knew what worldliness was.  I saw people who smoked and drank, who used bad language, who played cards and so on.  It was even easier on Sunday.  They were the people who stayed home from church and worked on their yards or their farm or their car or played sports but ignored church.  We were not worldly as we honoured the Lord's day.
Now they can be the marks of worldliness but that is not worldliness.  Worldliness has to do with having a world view that is not based upon the Bible.  People can follow all the rules and still be worldly.  David Wells says, "Worldliness is that system of values and beliefs, behaviours and expectations, in any given culture that have at their centre the fallen human being and that relegate to their periphery any thought about God.  Worldliness is what makes sin look normal in any age and righteousness seem odd."
We desperately need to regain a God-centred view of our own lives, in which what we do is measured by what God has done and will do in and through Christ.

Being a follower

The other day I was reading in a Devotional and the author was commenting on this verse:  "Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”  At once they left their nets and followed him.

Matthew 4:19 - 20.  The author wrote the following: 

Jesus calls us to Himself with a purpose in mind: that we can reach others with the Good News.  The disciples had to give up something in order to follow Jesus.  Is Jesus calling you to give up something in order to be a fully devoted follower?

So why do I have a concern about this?  I will save my comments about the purpose for another time but I will comment on the giving up of something.  Yes Jesus calls us to give up something but not just a thing.  He calls us to give up our very lives.  As Bonhoeffer said, "When Jesus calls us He calls us to come and die."  When we give up something we feel that since we have given up something for God then He is indebted to us.  When we give up our lives then we owe Him our very life.  Too many people think that because they have given up something to follow God then God is in their debt.  When we realize that if we give up something it is only giving up what is not really ours in the first place. 

Jesus has not called us to give up something to follow Him, He as called us to give up everything.

Helen Roseveare

 Last Sunday Pastor Gord revered to Helen Roseveare who was a medical missionary in the Congo in the 1960s.  During that time she suffered greatly but she had great faith in her God. 

Did you catch what she said?  "Can you thank me for this even if I don't tell you why?"

I have decided to follow Jesus

A couple of weeks ago we had a preacher from India who told us the powerful story about the writing of the song, I have decided to follow Jesus.  Listen to it here.
"I Have Decided To Follow Jesus" - Hymn History & Presentation (Klondike Baptist Church) from Klondike Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Just messy

We celebrated communion this morning and I got to thinking about how we have sanitized so much of Christianity.  Now I am not saying it is wrong but as I listened to Pastor Gord preach about the church in the book of Acts then communion I thought about what that first communion would have been like.  We are so careful about sanitation I think we sometimes miss what it means to be a family.  Most families are not that careful.  We sometimes drink from an other's glass or eat something from their plate.  I think that is what families do.  That first communion I am sure that they drank from a common cup and ripped pieces of bread from a common loaf.  I am sure that some got bigger portions than others and some spilled the wine on the table cloth. I am sure that it was a little messy but a whole lot of meaning.  Much of that meaning didn't come until later.
Think about the event that the Lord's supper replaced.  The Passover.  Talk about messy.  It was more than messy, it was noisy, smelly and I am sure not all that clean.  Now we don't need to go back to all of that but we do need to think about being a family and having a family meal with our older Brother.  Just thinking.

Gilbert Keith

G. K. Chesterton said, A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed."  I heard one emergent church leader say that the reason that Peter began to sink when he stepped out of the boat was that he doubted himself.  The greatest sin according to this leader is not to believe in yourself.  I think Chesterton knew what this man was thinking.  It is time to put things back into perspective, God's that is not man's.  Jude reminds us that we are to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.  Jude 3.  Truth was given to us by God and passed on to us by the apostles.  It did not come from within us.  Our hearts are deceitful and idol factories.  Let us doubt ourselves but be undoubting about the truth.

Founded not emergent

I believe in a church at was founded not emergent.  Jesus said that He would build His church.  He did not say that His church would emerge from the vast discussion as people talked together but rather that He would build His church upon the truth of the Gospel.
I believe in the truth of the Gospel.  I believe in a creed not a discussion.  Truth is found in God's word not as we pool our opinions.  I believe in a creed nor a conversation to be joined.  Jesus said, "Believe in me." He did not say, "Let's talk about it."  We need to invite people to the rock not to a discussion.

Faith is the victory

This was a post from three years ago.  I just want to repeat it because there is much about faith that is a myth of Christianity.  Christianity is more than just believing.  During the 2010 winter olympics in Vancouver there was a comercial on tv that said that we just needed to believe.  Believe in itself has no power.  It is nothing more than positive thinking.  What is needed is faith but faith in a person.  It is never our faith that does anything but it is our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His power to do anything.  Just believe?  Yes, but believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is the post from March 2010.

There is an old hymn that goes;


Faith is the victory,
Faith is the victory,
Faith is the victory
That overcomes the world.

Is this true? It could be argued that in one way it is true but it is also misleading. Our faith is never the victory, even our faith in Jesus Christ is not the victory but rather it is Jesus and Jesus alone that is the victory.

Now scripture says in 1 John 5:4 "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." When you read this in its context you know that it is faith in Jesus Christ and you must believe that He is the Son of God.

Overcoming the world is different than signs and wonders. Overcoming the world is overcoming the world's influence on our lives and having a new world view, one that is shaped by the Gospel.

Without Holiness

Before I say anything else I must say that it is true that without holiness no one will see the Lord.  The writer of Hebrews makes that clear.  However, it cannot be our holiness.  There are holy men who are not Christians who will not see the Lord because they have trusted in their own holiness.  We must be holy, we are called to be holy but while we know that we must be holy we fail over and over again.  We fail in so many ways so does that mean will not see the Lord?
The holiness we need is His holiness.  Now you may quote Peter who says, "Be holy, because I am holy".  1 Peter 1:16.  Remember a holy God will have a holy people. 
The writer of Hebrews says, "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."  Hebrews 10:10.  We have been made holy not by what we have done but by what He has done for us.  Therefore, we can be holy.
So what about those that fall into habitual sin?  Are they a holy people?  Again let me ask you, are you a holy person apart from Jesus Christ.  We can admonish those who fall into habitual sin not to do it again but once again they fail.  We can pray for victory but what they really need is to have such a love fro the Lord that they will no longer want to sin.
It is true that we cannot see God without being a holy people but the myth is that we can make ourselves holy.  Only God can do that.

Power in the Blood

Growing up in rural Saskatchewan I did enjoy the rousing singing we did at our little church.  One of the songs we sang often was Power in the Blood.  Later I thought about that song and wondered why there was power in the blood.  The blood itself has no power but it represents the life.  When Jesus blood was shed on Calvary it represented that His life was given for our sins.  If Jesus had cut His finger do you think that there would have been power in the blood of that finger?  As Christians we need to always remember that the power in the blood is because of whose blood and why it was shed.
Similarly people often wear crosses or hang crosses around their necks.  Why?  The cross has no power in itself but the cross is where our Lord and Saviour died.  The cross without Christ has not significance.  The blood without the life and death of our Lord has no power. 
I still sing that wonderful hymn but I know now what it means. 

Is the need the call?

Growing up I often heard that the need was the call but as I studied scripture I saw over and over again that to go without the Lord sending you was disobedience.  For example in Jeremiah 14:15, "Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine."  When Isaiah saw the need his prayer was that the Lord would send him.  He did not assume that because there was a need that he should go.  His prayer was, "Here am I, send me."  Isaiah 6:8  When Jesus saw the people He told His disciples that they would, "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  Matthew 9:38
So how should we view the need if it is not the call?  It should lead us to pray that the Lord would send workers into the field.  We should also pray that we would be willing to go ourselves if the Lord would send us.  The need is all around us and if the need is the call then what would we do?  What need would we respond to?  Let us pray that the Lord send workers and let us pray "here am I, send me."

Aren't we all God's Children?

At a former church we attended I remember a member chastising us regarding a group of people (I don't remember who or the context now) and telling us that they were God's children.  I wanted to ask her why she thought they were God's children.  Was it because they were created by Him?  We all have that in common but does that make us God's children?  The Scriptures tell us, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."  John 1:12  John is telling us that we become the children of God by receiving Him and believing in Him.  We have to be born into the family and we have to be adopted into the family.  We are born by the Spirit and we are adopted by the Spirit.  To quote J. I. Packer, " Sonship to God is not, therefore, a universal status upon which everyone enters by natural birth, but a supernatural gift which one receives through receiving Jesus."  Knowing God Chapter 19.
This is one of the myths of Christianity.  Some would have us believe that everyone is a child of God but Scripture makes it plain that only those who have been adopted into the family are children of God.  "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."  Romans 8:14 - 17

Rude in church

What are some of the rude things that people do in church.  One pastor made up the following list:

1. Talking during a service.




2. Texting or surfing the web during a service. (One person mentioned seeing people playing video games on their phones.)



3. Sleeping—or snoring!—during a sermon.



4. Clipping fingernails during church. (I was amazed at how many people listed this offense. One person said his church’s sound technician clipped his nails routinely during the sermon, and it was amplified over the loud speaker.)



5. Answering a ringing phone in church.



6. Constantly getting up and leaving the auditorium, presumably to use the restroom.



7. Walking out of a service early, especially during a prayer.



8. Letting babies cry incessantly in the service.



9. Chewing or smacking gum. (One friend from Puerto Rico said he is particularly annoyed when people “chew gum like a goat.”)



10. Public display of affection. (One person complained about a man and wife who enjoy giving each other back rubs during worship.)

He got his attention

This year I decided that I would do something different on Sundays.  I have been reading the Bible through in three different translations, NIV, NASB, ESV, but on Sundays I would read from the Gospels.  Each Sunday I would read two chapters and this morning I was in Luke 5.  Pastor Gord preached from Luke 5 this morning. 

Peter was a fisherman and to get a fisherman's attention you need to do something with fish.  That is what happened.  Peter ended up with the biggest catch of his life.  I am sure that he noticed that it was no mere man that had told him to let down his net.

Peter was just a casual follower but he had learned to live in daily obedience.  His act of obedience resulted in his life being changed forever.

Take a listen to Gord's sermon.  You will find it here at http://www.gregorydrive.com/?i=9087&mid=18  It hasn't been uploaded yet but listen to it when it becomes available.

Mathematics

I studied mathematics in university and then I taught mathematics for 35 years.  The one thing I realized as I learned more and more mathematics is that there is more and more mathematics to learn. 

Suppose my seven year old grandson came to me and told me that he knew how to add, subtract, multiply and divide so he knew everything about mathematics.  Certainly I would not want to hurt his feelings but I also would want to show him that there is much more mathematics to learn.  He would not understand if I told him that he didn't know Calculus.

Sometimes as Christians we think of God the way that a seven year old thinks of mathematics.  They know the basics so they think that is enough.  Their knowledge of God may be that God is love but though that is true they are missing so much of the theology of God.  God is love is not just a definition of God or a description of His character but it is the basis of the justice, wrath, and so much more.

May we learn this:  The more I learn about God the more I learn that there is so much more.  Unlike mathematics which is finite, God is infinite so we can never understand with our finite minds everything about God.

I want this

There is an ad that runs on TV in Canada where a guy walks into an electronics store to buy batteries but ends up wanting everything else so he buys it.  This is a reflection on our consumer society.  The ad ends with the saying, "I want that".

When you say that you want something there are still restrictions.  Is it available?  Can you buy it with your money or credit?  Even the restriction does it exist?

When God says "I want that" He doesn't have to check to see if His credit is good, if it is available or even if it exists.  When He says "I want this" then it exists and it is His.

We often forget that when we say we want something there is the possibility that we may not be able to have it but that never happens with God.  He spoke and the worlds existed.  He didn't have to get the raw materials for He made all things out of Himself.  He is infinite so after He made the universe out of Himself He was not less than He was before.

Satan, you can't have my song

When Pastor Gord talked about this on Sunday I was reminded of my father who passed away twenty five years ago.  My father suffered from cancer and he did not take pain very well.  However, while he was in the hospital he had many visitors and most of them came away singing the old hymns of the faith.  The one thing my father always wanted to do when people came to see him was to sing.  Many testified to the fact that their hearts were blessed by such a visit.  Now my father wasn't a great singer, he was better than my mother, but he always loved music.  Satan didn't take his song away.

Idols

Here is another entry from my journal in 1995.

In his book, No God But God, Os Guiness condemns the modern church because of its idolatry. Like a prophet of old, Guineas will not be well received by many of the established churches.


In what way has the church turned to idols. Well one way is that we worship success and therefore we do our best to be successful. We think that if our program is a little more professional, a little more polished, then more people will come. We must be careful not to offend them when they come so our message is softened. We replace the preaching of the cross with entertainment and the sermon is often replaced with drama. Our music must be professional so we are careful not to allow just anyone to minister in music. The church has become like the world.

On the other side of the coin in the evangelicalism is the concern over signs and wonders. We are afraid that people need more than Jesus, what they need is something spectacular like miracles or other manifestations. When Christ has to share the centre stage with anyone or anything it is idolatry. Christ will not even share the stage with His works.

The church needs to forsake its idols and refocus itself upon Christ. He is the only message. He is all we need.

Gay Pride

Today marked the start of gay pride week in Toronto so I thought I would post an entry from my journal of 18 years ago.

Yesterday there was a parade in Toronto. It was called the gay pride parade. They began at a church where a member of parliament address the gays and lesbians about their rights. Then they proceeded to parade through the streets of Toronto.
I find two problems here. First, what does the church have to do with homosexuality? We may not have a right to tell non-Christians how they should live but the church has a message, the gospel, which is the message of hope for those living in sin. The church must not condone sin, it must speak out against it.

Second, what does the church have to do with pride? Pride was the original sin. Pride is another sin that the church must speak out against. When the church fails to speak against sin the church has lost any relevance for the world today. We cannot change the way people want to live, only the gospel can do that. However, we must continue to cry out against both sins that the parade represented least we find it coming in our door.

What If There Was No Genesis?

I wrote this 17 years ago but I would like to share it now.

I have just finished studying Genesis in my Sunday School class and I was thinking, What if there was not Genesis in our Bible?
Genesis is the book of beginnings. Without Genesis we would not know where this earth came from; where man came from; why there is sin in the world; what is God's remedy for sin; why must man suffer and die; why is man tempted; why are there different languages, nations and races; why we have governments; why we have different seasons; and what does the rainbow mean.

We would not know where the Jewish people came from and why the land of Israel is so important to them.

Genesis shows us that God is a powerful God, a loving God, a faithful God, and a caring God. Without Genesis I would not know why we are sinners and why we need a Saviour.

I am glad that God placed Genesis in our Bible. Without Genesis the story of redemption would not be complete.

A Dumb Question

I find dumb questions amusing. Some one once asked if you could buy a complete chess set in a pawn shop. Before the days of cell phones and answering machines my dad would phone and ask me if I was home. Things have changed. I was recently at a large conference and I overheard a man on his cell phone saying, “Are you here?”
One day Jesus asked a blind man what seemed to be a dumb question. Blind Bartimaeus had called out to Jesus to have mercy on him and Jesus asked him what he wanted Jesus to do for him. Now this may seem like a dumb question but Jesus never asked meaningless questions. Jesus knew what the man really wanted but He wanted the man to truly understand what he really needed. The man needed to know that though he needed mercy he needed healing for his eyes.

We often come to God with requests and it seems Jesus asks us what we want rather than answering us right away. We may ask for healing of our bodies but Jesus knows that if He heals us then we will not see our true need. We may think that we need mercy but we need more than God’s mercy we need God’s grace.

The Rock on Trial

In Exodus 17 we are told that the people had no water so they quarreled with Moses. What was Moses to do? He knows that their quarrel is not just with him but they are upset with God. Moses takes this complaint to the Lord and the Lord answers him. Moses is told by the Lord to come before the people with the elders and his rod and He, the Lord Himself, will stand before Moses on the rock at Horeb. This is the only time we read that Lord stands before the people. Every other time the people are to stand before the Lord.
As Moses comes to the rock he knows that there will be a trial but who will be on trial? Moses has his rod of judgment, the rod he used to judge Egypt and to part the Red Sea. Moses has the elders as his council to pass judgment on the guilty party. But who will be judged today? When Moses arrives at the rock he is surprised to find out that it is God Himself who is being judged. Moses is to take his rod and strike the rock upon which the Lord Himself was standing before the people. The Lord would be taking the judgment for the people. It is only when Moses passes the judgment upon the Lord that the water of life comes from the rock.

This is the Gospel.  God has stepped into the dock to take the judgment that was ours upon Himself.  This is the good news.

Interesting Resources

At the start of the summer I would like to suggest a couple of good resources.

If you have an e-reader you may want to check out David C. Cook publishing as they have a free ebook every week.  The link is http://www.dccebooks.com/

The second resource is for a free monthly audio book.  This month it is the Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler.  The link is http://christianaudio.com/

Another good source of information is to follow Tim Challies on twitter or facebook as well as connect to his blog. 

If you have other good sources I would love to hear from you.

Words matter

The other Sunday I heard one of our youth refer to the platform as the stage.  Does it matter what we call it?  I think it does.  A stage is where people preform but a platform is used so that people are visible.  In the church we don't have performers but we do have leaders.  Leaders need to be seen so they can lead.  If we think of the platform as a stage then we think of a performance rather than being led in worship.

It was A. W. Tozer who corrected a young pastor who said that he was going to his office.  It is not an office but a study.  Once again I think the name makes a difference.  An office makes it sound like the Pastor is a CEO but a study implies that he is in the Word of God to lead his people as a shepherd.  There is a trend among some young pastors to refer to themselves as a CEO and maybe they are but that is not the Biblical model of the church.

Another word switch which I think has implications in how we view the church is calling the sanctuary the auditorium.  An auditorium is where people go to be entertained while a sanctuary is where people go to meet God.  Now I know that the place is not important but I think that the name is.

Those are a few of my concerns in how we follow the world's leading even in doing church.

Attention to details

I was so embarrassed.  There in my PowerPoint presentation was a rosary.  Why hadn't I seen it earlier?  I guess it is because I don't always pay attention to details.  I would make a terrible witness.  What was the colour of hair? Did she wear glasses?  What colour was his eyes?  What was he wearing?  I can seldom answer these questions because I don't pay attention to the details.
I taught mathematics and in mathematics I always stressed the importance of details.  Signs, brackets, equal signs, etc.  The details always are important in mathematics but they are also important in life and certainly in Bible study.
In the parable of the prodigal son if you miss the details you miss much of the message of the parable.  The father was watching for his son, the father ran to his son, and so much more.  There is always truth at the surface but as you dig deeper into the Word of God you will discover greater and greater riches.  I need to learn to pay attention to details.

We would see Jesus.

In John 12 some Greeks had come to Philip with a request.  The request was that they wanted to see Jesus.  Philip then had the honour of taking them to the Master.
When we read the Psalms we should want to see Jesus.  Psalm 16 is a Psalm about Jesus.  He is our refuge in life, He is our portion, He is our strength, He is our hope in death.  It is at His right hand that we have pleasures for evermore.  It is in His presence that there is fullness of joy.  John says in John 15:11, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." 
Do we see Jesus when we read the Old Testament?  Do we want to see Jesus when we read the Psalms?

Right hand

David says in Psalm 16:8, "I keep my eyes always on the Lord.  With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."  Later he says, "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."  Psalm 16:11

The right hand is usually a symbol of strength.  With the Lord at my right hand I know that He is my strength.  However, in the last verse he says that at the Lord's right hand there is pleasure for evermore.  When I am at the Lord's right hand I know that I am under His care.

When I was a child and I went for a walk with my dad he would take my left hand in his right hand and walk with me.  I was at his right hand but he was caring for me and protecting me.  When I became a man and my father was old and ill I would again walk with him but now he took my right arm and I gave him strength.  I often feel like the child walking with the Lord with my left hand in His right hand.  But sometimes I feel like the feeble old man who needs to put my left hand in His right so that he can help me walk.

Turning sorrow into joy

What brings joy?  Certainly it is not possessions.  How many people have won the lottery only to have their lives come apart afterward?  Many families fight over inheritances only to destroy relationships.  David says, "Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips."  Psalm 16:4
The other gods that we run after are money, pleasure, power, self but none of these will bring joy.  They may bring temporary happiness but it is only for a time.
David ends this Psalm with these words, "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."  Joy is found in the presence of the Lord.  Other translations such as the ESV say, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  I like this translation.  It tells us that in the presence of God there is joy.  Notice the tense of the verb.  It does not say that there will be but that there is joy.  We can experience the presence of the Lord and His joy today.
What are you looking to for joy?  Remember that other gods will not bring joy.

Nothing good

When I look at my possessions I realize that I don't have a lot of good things.  If my life was measured by what I own then my life would not be worth very much. 
However, I do have good things but they are not measured in money but they are still good things. 
David says that apart from the Lord he has nothing good.  However, a few verses later he says this, "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."  Psalm 16:6  When we measure our lives by our possessions we are poor but when we know that we have a delightful inheritance then though we may appear to the world to be poor we are rich.  Paul writes to the church in Galatia, "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."  Galatians 3:29
Can we say that we have nothing good when we are heirs with God's people, joint heirs with Jesus Christ?  We have nothing good in ourselves but in Him we are rich.

Security

When we lived in the Philippines we saw security guards everywhere.  They were at the school we taught in, they were at the church we attended, they were at every store we visited. 

Psalm 16 begins with this prayer, "Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge."  David prays that the Lord will be his refuge, he is being hunted by Saul and his life is in danger.  Then a few lines later he makes this statement, "Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure."  David's prayer for security is answered in the Lord.  Too often we pray for things when the answer is not in the things we pray for but in the Lord himself.  We pray for patience but He is our patience.  We pray for love and He is our love.  We pray for these things as if the Lord will wrap them up and send them down to us but that is not what happens.  We need to know that our security is in the Lord himself. 

David goes on to say, "I keep my eyes always on the Lord.  With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

Send them out with honour

This past Sunday we were able to give one of the class members who is going on a missions trip $200 to give to the people she will be working with.  It is part of sending them out with honour.  One of the people who contributed money was an elderly lady who handed me $50 and said that she was going to spend it on herself but this was more important.
Too often we send our missionaries out with a verbal blessing and a promise to pray for them but do we send them out with honour?  To send them out with honour is to make their work easier.  It is not giving them the left overs or giving them of our abundance but giving them out of love; love for them, love for the people that they are going to and love for the Lord. 
Let us always remember to treat those involved in God's work with honour.

Who invited him?

I know a pastor who told me that the speaker at their general assembly was a person who I know to be emergent.  I have read two of his books and so when I was told who this speaker was I shuttered.  "What is the problem?" I was asked.  So I said that this was a well known emergent leader.
So what is the problem.  This pastor did not know who this man was and I am sure that he gave a very excellent address to the assembly.  However, I wondered how many of the pastors at that assembly knew who this man is and what he represents.  I am not faulting the pastors if they buy his books and use them to shape their theology, after all, the denominational leaders recommended him by inviting him to the assembly.  Denominational leaders have a great responsibility that the truth of the gospel is upheld.  They need to make sure that those they invite to speak to the pastors also hold to a biblical view of the gospel.  They will be held accountable.

Love with Truth

We often hear about truth with love after all the Bible tells us to speak the truth in love but I think it is equally important that we love with truth.  So what does that mean?
First of all the love for the sinner will not mean whitewashing the message of the Gospel but with love proclaim the truth that Jesus is the only way to God and without Him the sinner is condemned to eternal death.
Second, we need to remind people the importance of fellowship with other believers.  You cannot love and not be part of a body of believers.  The local church is where this happens.  Love with truth reminds Christians that they are not to forsake the coming together of the body.
Third, we need to encourage others to walk in the truth.  That means that they must know the truth and that truth is found through the reading, memorizing, meditating and hearing the Word of God. 
When we love our children we want them to obey and respect us.  We know that they show that they love us when they show respect and obedience.  If they say that they love us and then always are disrespectful then we will question that love.  It is the same with the body of Christ.
"It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us."  2 John 4

Save me from your followers

Recently I saw a bumper sticker that read:

There are people today who say that they love Christ but they don't like Christians.  Others say that Christ saves but the church enslaves. 
The Apostle John loved the church.  He believed in the church.  Now some may say that is the church universal but not the local church.  The problem is that the church universal is made up of local bodies of believers.  If you say that you love the church universal but not the local body you are not being accountable to anyone.
The church is where the truth is proclaimed, where the truth is guarded.  When people ignore the local church they have no one to answer to but themselves.  They may argue that they follow the Bible but do they?
The local church is not perfect but to be a Christian means to belong to one another.  How can you do that without the church.  When you read the New Testament take time to notice all the "one another" references.  You cannot obey the "one another's" of Scripture without belonging to one another.

Home

Where is home?  What is home?  Home is a refuge.  Home is where your parents are.  Home is where you are loved for no other reason than because you are part of the family.  You are loved unconditionally.  You are loved because you are loved. 
Two of our sons came home for awhile when they were not feeling secure.  They had never lived in the house that we now live in but they came "home".  It was not the place but it was where mom and dad were and it was where they could have a sense of security, where they could be loved, where they belonged.

Moses tells us that God is our dwelling place.  God is where we have refuge, God is where we have security, God is where we are loved, God is where we can be satisfied.  He is our home.  Our home is where our Father is.

That was the lesson of the first two verses of Psalm 90.  What a powerful lesson.  We don't come to God to escape judgment primarily but to find satisfaction for our souls. 

Return

In Psalm 90:3 we are called to return to our God.  We often think that we are immortal and we have plenty of time before we need to answer to God but Moses reminds us that we have only a few days and his plea to the people is to return to God while there is time.  We are prone to wonder and we need to be drawn back to God.
In Psalm 90:13 the pray is that God will return His mercy and favour to us.  We need His grace and mercy so that we can find significance in this world.

25568

A few years ago Keith Price came to our church in Thunder Bay and he spoke to the youth.  He was about seventy years old at the time and he told us that he had never preached in a t-shirt.  As you can see in the picture he is wearing a t-shirt with the number 25568.   He asked what that meant. 
In Psalm 90 Moses tells us to number our days.  We count our years but we fail to number our days.  The reason we are to count our days is to understand that we are finite but God is eternal.  By numbering our days we get a heart of wisdom.  When we know that our time here on earth is small then we turn our hearts toward eternity.  Moses tells us that our days are seventy years and if we have the strength then maybe eighty.  Seventy years is 25568 days.  On my next birthday I will be seventy years old.

Some final thoughts

Last Sunday was the last lesson on Deuteronomy.  Someone asked me if it was what I expected.  I had to say that it wasn't.  Deuteronomy spoke to me in a powerful way.  It gave me a new appreciation for Moses and his ministry but more that that it gave me a new appreciation for our God.  Moses loved God and he wanted his people, and us his readers, to love God the same way.  I will never look at Deuteronomy the same way.  It is a powerful book.  It led to two known revivals in the Old Testament, it was often quoted by our Lord and by the Apostle Paul. 
Most of all I have a deeper love for our God because of Deuteronomy. 

John Piper and Jason Meyer

In the following interview John Piper and Jason Meyer talk about the transition in pastoral leadership at Bethlehem Baptist Church.  This is worth watching.

Piper and Meyer Talk Succession for the First Time from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Peoples Church

A modern example of a church that passed the leadership to new pastors and yet kept its mission is the Peoples Church of Toronto.  Oswald J. Smith had a heart for missions and when he was unable to go as a missionary he founded a church that would send and support missionaries.  Each pastor following has been carefully chosen to keep the the mission of the church in focus.  There have been four pastors, Oswald J. Smith, Paul Smith, John Hull and Charles Price who is the current pastor.  As the baton was passed from one pastor to the next it was done in a way that continuity of mission was followed.
Leaders come and leaders go but the God of the church remains.  Moses was to step aside but Joshua was to continue the mission.  Moses commissioned Joshua but it was God who called him.
I heard Oswald J. Smith preach when I was twenty one years old.  He had come to our church in then Fort William as the speaker at the opening of our new church.  I do not remember a lot but I do remember that his sermons were about missions. 

Legacy

What kind of a legacy would you want to leave?  A plaque on a building?  A bridge named after you?  Maybe you could have a star named after you.

What was Moses' legacy?  In one word, the Word.  When we think of the law, we think of Moses.  When we begin at the beginning of our Bible we think of Moses.  However, Moses' legacy was more than just giving us the first five books of the Bible it was that the Word was to be an integral part of our lives.  It was to be our very life.  But Moses didn't stop there.  He wanted the Word to be an integral part of our community living.  It was to guide our relationships, our families, our business.  And we were to ensure that the Word was to be taught to generations following us.

What if Moses' only legacy was a statue, a great statue by Michael Angelo, but only a statue.  No, it was much more than that, it is the very Word of God.

What will be my legacy?  I will never write Scripture as Moses did but I can teach the Word.  May it be that my legacy will be that I loved the Word and I loved to teach the Word.

Should I go?

I have never been to Israel and I do hope that some day I will be able to go.  Often I heard it said that walking where Jesus walked helps us to understand the New Testament better.  Though it may help to visualize the places that we read about in the New Testament it does not make it easier to understand.  That goes against Scripture itself.  Moses told the people that they didn't need to go anywhere to understand but they needed to obey.  If going to Israel made people a better preacher or teacher then it should be a requirement but that also would make it hard for people to have that important aspect of their education.  No, Moses makes it clear in Deuteronomy 30:13, 'Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” '  He then adds, "No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it."  Deuteronomy 30:14.  The key issue is never place but always obedience.  "For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws."  Deuteronomy 30:16

Someday I hope to travel to Israel and see the places where Jesus walked, talked and did miracles but until then I can still understand and obey.  Going to the place will be a great experience but our faith is based upon obedience and the Word of God.