Welcome to Green Run Baptist Church

²Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ³seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. ⁴For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. ⁵Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, ⁶and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, ⁷and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. ¹⁰Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; ¹¹for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (2 Peter 1:2-11)

I once heard John Piper say that some people live better than they think. In other words, some people’s theology is largely inconsistent and filled with error, but their love for God is genuine and their lives reflect this love. I want the Covenant members of GRBC to be persons who live honorable, Godly lives and I want our Covenant members to be persons who think correctly about God and what He has done through Jesus Christ. I do not want us to be unclear on Biblical doctrines.

Certainly we must move beyond right thinking into right living. As R.C. Sproul Jr. writes, “the Christian life isn’t just lived in our minds”. The doctrines which we hold so dear to us must be validated by our daily choices. We must demonstrate that we believe God is sovereign by joyfully entrusting to Him what is most precious to us. We must demonstrate that we believe in the inspiration, authority and sufficiency of Scripture by submitting to its commands. We must demonstrate that we believe in justification by faith alone by courageously coming into the presence of God each day, not relying on our consistently good behavior, but on Christ’s behavior and then His substitutionary death which purchased our salvation.

We must live out the great doctrines of grace in the most mundane circumstances of our lives. If we cannot learn to incorporate sound theology into everyday decisions, then we have missed the point of learning the great truths of God. As we learn to think better, let’s ask God to translate that better thinking into better living. Together as the Church which has been chosen by God and bought by Christ’s precious blood, let us be ever increasing in holiness in the most practical details of life so that our calling and election are confirmed by our very choices.

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Belongs The Glory),
Shane

"for the form of this world is passing away" - 1 Corinthians 7:31

Paul warns us not to cling too tightly to the things we know and experience and love in this world. Whether it is husbands or wives, weeping or rejoicing, loss or gain, he says to live in a way that is not dependent upon them. In other words, our happiness should not be too closely tied to what we see and taste and feel.

Why? Because the "form of this world is passing away". This is not our permanent dwelling place. The world as we know it is not the world God has planned for us to see and taste and feel for all of eternity. Don't put your hope of happiness in a wife or husband because that marriage is not eternal (Mt.22:30). Don't put your hope of joy in the circumstances of your life because life as your experience it now will pass away like a vapor (Jms.4:14). Don't put your hope of satisfaction in what you buy or possess because eternity is not about possessing anything but Christ (Mt.6:19-21).

"For the better we know God, the more we will want all of our existence to revolve around Him, and we will see that the only plans and goals that really matter are those that are somehow tied to God Himself, and to our eternity with Him. " - D.A. Carson (The Cross and Christian Ministry)

There is a greater reality that awaits us. May all our living and planning reflect that truth!

Traveling with you as a fellow pilgrim,
Pastor Joey

"Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us." - Hosea 6:1
O, the surpassing joy that fills my heart to know the hand of God upon me! It is a hand that is strong enough to redeem my lifeless heart. Speaking of the people of Israel who were scattered and in exile, Nehemiah says, "They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand." (Neh. 1:10). And it is a hand that is good enough to govern all of my life and circumstances towards a glorious end. Again Nehemiah speaks of this when he says, "And the king granted them [all his requests for materials, safety, time away, etc. for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem] to me because the good hand of my God was upon me." (Neh. 2:8)

There have been times when I have known His hand of mercy. Those times are too numerous to count. It would be easier to count every beating of my heart or every breath I have taken than to number His merciful works on my behalf. The very fact that I awoke this morning to a cup of hot coffee rather than the burning flames of hell is a testimony to His hand of mercy upon me.

There have been times when I have known His hand of strength and protection. Sometimes it is as visible as a flaming pillar of fire, and sometimes it is the gentle breeze that easily goes unnoticed. Yet it is there guiding and guarding me all the same. Psalm 121 says that "the Lord is [my] shade at [my] right hand. The sun will not harm [me] by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep [me] from all harm; He will watch over [my] life. The Lord will watch over [my] coming and going both now and forever."

There have been times when I have known His hand of discipline. I have failed Him and dishonored His name with a frequency that only brings shame, humility and utter dependence. Yet I am learning to enjoy His hand!

It does not matter so much if it is a touch of mercy or power or protection or discipline; only that I remain in Him and His strong right hand be upon me all the days of my life. May we look for His hand today and find our refuge in it.

Learning to be held rather than to hold,

Pastor Joey

"But if, when you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God." - 1 Peter 2:20b

I am always surprised by the activity of grace in the daily course of life. This past week I came upon some illustrations of martyrs throughout church history that vividly portrayed the manner of their deaths. My soul was pierced as their images lingered in my mind. At the same time, I had been meditating on 1 Peter 2:20 (mentioned above) concerning suffering for Christ. Then, over the weekend I read an article that mentioned the recent anniversaries of two martyrs of past centuries. These three events are not coincidental. They are some of the many activities of grace God is working in my life.

It is not enough to simply suffer for doing what is right. Peter says that God wants us to patiently endure such suffering no matter what the form or intensity of the suffering might be. This is an important reminder for us and we should not pass too quickly over it. How many times have we justified lingering bitterness, discontentment, or envy in our hearts simply because we are going through a time of suffering that we did not bring upon ourselves?

Patient endurance must accompany our suffering because it signifies the depth of trust one has in God as Righteous Judge (2:23) and Christ as Kinsman-Redeemer (2:24) and Good Shepherd (2:25). One can do what is right (by right I mean in outward accordance with God's commands in Scripture), receive suffering because of it, and yet find no favor with God. Isn't this a staggering thought?!

Their response to the suffering gives evidence that there were hidden motives of the heart at work in their outward obedience that had nothing to do with a hope or joy in God through Christ. The reason we can patiently endure suffering for doing what is right is because of what Christ has done for us. He bore our sins in His body on the cross. The result of this is not an outward transformation only. God is not interested in corpses who have been made to look alive with the make-up of morality and the fancy garments of goodness. We have had a very dead heart ripped from our chest and now a supreme love for Christ courses through our veins. Obeying God is our greatest joy. Why would the price of obedience cause us to grumble if it is of little comparison to the benefits it brings to us both now and in eternity?

Let me leave you with the account of one such man who knew what Peter knew and lived it out beautifully to the end. This is the account of Bishop Hooper (1555):

May we this day receive the grace to walk in obedience to His commands, not just with our feet, but with our hearts. And may we be found among those who patiently endure any such suffering as may graciously come our way for His Name's sake!

Finding encouragement from those who have gone before me,

Pastor Joey

There is much to be learned from the voices of the past. God is the God of history as well as eternity. He has chosen, in His wisdom, to communicate and operate in the realm of real times, real events and real people. Every story is in some way God's story. Every event is somehow connected to the Event. The ancient is not disconnected from the modern. The new has not dissected itself from the old.

There is no American history, European history, medieval history, black history or church history. While these categories may be helpful to draw our attention to particular designs, colors and images within the tapestry of all history, we must remember that it is still God's history; God's tapestry.

He has known what this tapestry would look like from before time (history) began. He, in fact, designed it using all of His divine wisdom and beauty and creativity and power according to His own good pleasure. Every weave of the providential loom contains two common threads among the many diverse colors and textures. "I will be their God" and "They will be My people". It is staggering to see how God has moved and is moving all of history towards this one great, glorious end which is really just the beginning.

O, may He help us to look to the past for wisdom, encouragement and perseverance. May the cries of Sodom and the burning smells of Gomorrah warn us against the dangers of allowing sin to live comfortably within us (2 Peter 2:6). May the God-given grace of countless men and women who died with courage in their hearts and Christ upon their lips stir our hearts to boldness as we seek to make Christ beautiful to our neighbors and loved ones. May the timeless insights of the early church fathers, the puritans and modern day giants of the faith awaken our dull, sleepy minds to explore the depths of God's infinite glory. May we not become so enamored with our own small thread that we miss the providential beauty of the design and fail to fully worship the Master Weaver.

Learning history for my own good,

Pastor Joey

"Now for this reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love...And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind." - 2 Peter 1:5-7,15

"Diligence" seems to be the word God has placed upon my heart these days. His Spirit has illuminated it in countless Scriptures during my studies in recent weeks. He has brought me to the table of the past and shown me the diligence of saints who greatly magnified the Lord in life and death, in word and deed. He has made me acutely aware of my own place in His unfolding plan as a family shepherd, a shepherd of the flock here at GRBC, and as a follower of the Way.

I am alive today to give due diligence to these three duties. There is no room in my day for trivial pleasures, idleness of tongue or laziness of mind. May I redeem the time today for Christ that has been purchased for me by Christ. I am enjoying another day of union and communion with the beautiful One at the infinite cost of His own blood. Can I allow even one valuable, blood-bought minute slip away?

Struggling to redeem more time than I waste,

Pastor Joey

Last Sunday’s sermon on baptism has been a focal point of my thinking for a while now. There was a time when I was thrilled to baptize anyone who simply named Jesus as their Savior. I was taught that their profession should be enough to satisfy me and that it was certainly not my job to play “judge” and make any sincere attempt to validate the authenticity of their conversion. The direct consequence of this kind of thinking at GRBC in the early year of my pastorate here resulted in a lot of professions, a lot of baptisms, but very few lasting disciples.

The strange thing about this is that while we were operating as described above, we would have been considered very normal for an evangelistic, Southern Baptist Church. In fact, we probably would have received a few awards for church growth during those years if I had been diligent enough to report our outstanding numbers to the right people within the SBC.

I know that many critics of our methods would say that our problem is that we did not have effective means of doing follow-up with these new converts, but I disagree. The most likely problem is that we were baptizing people who were never converted. It’s not that I would expect a new convert to be spiritually mature, but we should expect a new convert to have new, deep spiritual desires that do not often result in complete abandonment of attending worship services, Bible reading, praying, partaking of communion and meeting together in small groups.

1 John 2:19 helps us understand that those who do not persevere until the end are not only carnal or backslidden, they are lost. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

When we think of genuine conversion and who we should baptize, let us remember these 2 truths: (1) every believer should desires and pursue Christian baptism and (2) every church should be able to reasonably discern the authenticity of that person’s conversion before he or she is baptized. In some circumstances, especially when dealing with children, that may means that waiting is best.

A few final thoughts on the issue,
o The SBC claims over 16 million baptized members, but only slightly over 6 million attend church at all (approximately 37%)
o The practice of Baptists baptizing children is a relatively recent trend and it is largely an American practice
o Baptists of the past often waited until children were young adults before they were baptized. This is still the common practice today in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Blessed to pastor wise and understanding disciples,
Pastor Shane

We sang a new song last Sunday in preparation for taking communion. Actually, Come Boldly To The Throne is an old song that we just recently discovered thanks to Red Mountain Church in Birmingham, Alabama (www.redmountainmusic.org). D. Herbert wrote the song in 1838 and it was published in William Gadsby’s collection of hymns. Gadsby’s stated purpose in compiling such hymns was the express wish …to have a selection of hymns in one book free from Arminianism, and sound in the faith, that the church might be edified and God glorified. Gadsby compiled hymns that emphasized the greatness of God’s sovereignty and taught sound doctrine to those who would sing those hymns. This is no doubt needed in the church today.

The first couple of verses in Come Boldly To The Throne provide an accurate portrayal of what should happen when we approach the Lord’s table.

Come boldly to a throne of grace,
Ye wretched sinners, come;
And lay your load at Jesus’ feet,
And plead what he has done.

“How can I come?” some soul may say,
“I’m lame and cannot walk;
My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth;
I sigh, but dare not talk.”

We are commanded to come boldly to God (Hebrews 4:16), but we must never come arrogantly. We come to take the bread and the cup with confidence because we plead what he has done, never what we have done. (I hope you hear the great doctrines of Christ’s substitutionary death and imputed righteousness in Herbert’s hymn.)

One sure sign of arrogance is that we continue to try to justify ourselves through our words when instead, we should just be quiet. One sure sign of contrition is that we see our sin so clearly that we affirm My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth; I sigh, but dare not talk. We do not approach the Table of the Lord chattering about why we deserve to be there. Instead, we sigh over our inconsistencies, broken promises, powerful appetites for sin, and then, because of Christ, we boldly sing,

Poor bankrupt souls, who feel and know
The hell of sin within,
Come boldly to the throne of grace;
The Lord will take you in.

This is not presumptuous; it is what God requires of those who trust Him. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

In Christ,
Pastor Shane

Pastoring in Virginia Beach for these last 7 years has been a unique experience for a guy who grew up in rural South Carolina. Like many urban areas, Virginia Beach is made up of people from all over the world. The neighborhood where Green Run Baptist Church is located is fairly typical of its larger surroundings in that it is comprised of families from numerous parts of the United States and the world. Thankfully, the covenant membership of our church is a true reflection of the neighborhood where it exists. Ministering to so many types of people has given me the privilege of seeing first hand that the Gospel creates a culture of its own where Christ is all, and in all (Colossians 3:12).

When you live here for a while, you quickly realize how transient the people are. People are moving in and out of this area all the time. Because there is such a large military presence here, we may only have the opportunity to minister to a family for 2-4 years before they are relocated. Each year, GRBC will see numerous families leave our covenant membership and then they are faced with the task of finding a new church. Only recently did I come to understand how difficult this process has become. It is not uncommon for these former covenant members to stay in contact with me and ask advice on how to find a church. Frankly, the vast majority of these families seem to struggle with finding a community of believers with whom to worship.

With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to know what questions to ask the elders of a church one may considering joining. Instead of comprising a list of my own, I thought these questions provided by Donald Whitney would serve us well. Whitney’s list of questions provides a great starting point for all who may be considering membership in a local church.

In addition to Whitney’s advice, let me humbly offer a little additional guidance. First of all, do not seek a church based solely on it denominational affiliation. We are a Southern Baptist Church, but I do not advise our members who leave us to only seek out SBC churches when they relocate. There are many more important criteria by which to choose a church than its denomination. Secondly, when possible, the father of the family should accept full responsibility in choosing a new church home. This is not to say that his wife and children cannot offer wise insight, but he is the covenant head of that home and he is responsible for the spiritual well-being of the entire household. Therefore, to let the children choose a church solely because of its “great” youth ministry or “cool” music, in spite of the fact that the pastor cannot teach God’s Word, is the pinnacle of foolishness. (Remember, kids often worship what is cool, not what is holy). Finally, make sure that the prospective church makes a clear distinction between essential doctrines and non-essential doctrines. For help in distinguishing essential and non-essential doctrines, check out this site. I offer this last piece of advice because legalism is as great a danger as poor teaching. Both of these are prevalent in today’s evangelical churches and they are sometimes difficult to recognize.

Praying for your spiritual safety,
Pastor Shane

We have just finished a 5 part series of sermons at GRBC directed at the young people that attend our worship gathering each week. The goal of the series was to cover basic concepts that are part of Biblical Christianity. I decided to end the sermon series by making an appeal to become intentional learners (to use Donald Whitney’s terminology). There is no doubt that the primary way to learn intentionally is to read. This is obvious to most, yet practiced by few. So to help the folks at GRBC and anyone else who may need some direction toward helpful Christian literature, I will recommend 3 books that I was privileged to read within the last few months.

1. The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes
First published in 1630 by Puritan Richard Sibbes (commonly known as The Heavenly Doctor Sibbes because of his way of healing with words), this book has become a classic example of rich Puritan literature. The central theme of Sibbes’ writing is taken from Isaiah 42:1-3 and Matthew 12:18-20. Without a doubt, this was the most helpful book I read this past year. This book offers a message of hope to every Christian who is feeling overcome by his own sinfulness. Sibbes brought the overcoming power of God’s grace to the forefront of my mind again and again. This was useful to me because it seems that my own failures most often occupy the prominent places in my mind. I offer just a taste of The Heavenly Doctor Sibbes:

2. Sinners in the Hands of a Good God by David Clotfelter
The subtitle of Clotfelter’s work is Reconciling Divine Judgment and Mercy. The author does a wonderful job of addressing the more difficult questions of orthodoxy. His treatment of the doctrine of eternal judgment was useful for my own pastoral ministry and preaching. Clotfelter also offers a sound defense of the reformed view of salvation by carefully explaining the 5 points of Calvinism in terms that any diligent laymen can appreciate. Every pastor who desires to preach evangelistically, yet struggles with the “altar call” (decisional regeneration) approach will gain insight from Clotfelter’s appendix entitled, A Letter to Seekers. And every layman who desires clarification on difficult doctrines will benefit from this book. One example…

3. Federal Husband by Douglas Wilson
Doug Wilson has quickly become one of my favorite authors and preachers. Wilson pastors Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. I do not agree with all that Wilson says or writes, but I find myself drawn to him because as a Presbyterian pastor with a great love for the covenants revealed in Scripture, he emphasizes (perhaps even over-emphasizes) aspects of Scripture that were almost completely neglected in my spiritual upbringing and theological education. Federal Husband brings a clearer concept of covenant into our marriages and provides a healthy approach to building marriages that honor God. This was probably the most challenging book I read in the past few months and I’m sure that in time, it will prove one of the most helpful.

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." - James 1:5-8

Do we truly realize the importance of prayer or do we think we can be wise without a deep and consistent communion with God? Wisdom is much more than a simple quest for knowledge. It is more than an effort to gain and store the right information. I do not mean to say that knowledge is unimportant. The amount of intimacy a relationship enjoys is directly related to how much knowledge one individual has of another. The greater the knowledge, the greater the level of potential intimacy to be enjoyed. However, we must be careful to remember that, while knowledge is necessary for intimacy, it does not guarantee it. That is why we must pray for wisdom.

It seems that there is a way of attaining knowledge that increases our self-love ("Knowledge puffs up."-1 Cor. 8:1). And there is a way of attaining knowledge that increases our zeal (or passion or affection) for God. It is the foolish man who has zeal without knowledge. And it is the obstinate man who has knowledge without zeal. The wise man or woman has zeal that flows out of knowledge. Wisdom is knowledge in action; it is belief that responds in worship. That is why we must pray for wisdom.

Only God can make our hearts rejoice in the truth and make our minds embrace the truth. Only God can give us the power to rightly apply His truth to our lives and live it out in a joyfully consistent manner. There are no more enjoyable thoughts than those centered on God. There are no greater exercises of the mind than meditations upon the awesome truths as revealed in His Word and His world. So let us be people who pray for wisdom as we seek to love God with our minds. May we not shrink back from treasures that are not easily discovered. May our conversations be flavored with the beauties and perfections of God. May we not be like the fool who is "wise in his own eyes" (Prov. 3:7).

Wise and gracious Father, help us break free of this foolish inclination to lean on our own understanding. In You alone we place our trust! Only You can make straight our paths and keep our footing sure. Help us as your people be drawn close to You by the knowledge we have of You. Amen.

Like most of you, I have watched a lot of news coverage from the Gulf Coast this past week. In light of Hurricane Katrina, there are a lot of reasons to feel pity for the people of southern Louisiana and Mississippi; not the least of which is their uncertain futures. It must be horrible not to know where your next meal is coming from, where you will live or if your family members are even alive. Frankly, I’ve never been faced with such circumstances and therefore, I find it very difficult to imagine their collective state of mind.

Some degree of uncertainty is to be expected in such circumstances, but if I pastored a church in New Orleans, instead of Virginia Beach, these are the certainties I would want to instill in my congregation in the midst of a natural disaster:

God is sovereign over all creation.
God is free. His is free to do as He pleases with all of His creation. As Creator, God has the right and the power to plan what He desires and then accomplish that plan as He alone sees fit.

For the kingdom is the LORD'S, And He rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:28)

The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all. (Psalm 103:19)

"But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But

He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, 'What have You done?' (Daniel 4:34-35)

God is good to all people.
One of the most neglected doctrines in our churches is that of Common Grace. This is God’s grace that does not justify us, but sustains life on earth so that some can be justified. Common Grace comes in many forms that are so “common” we often forget that they are actually grace gifts from God. For example, Jesus said , But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:44-45). The sun rise this morning was an underserved gift of grace to all who experienced it. Both believers and unbelievers awoke to a beautiful day here in Virginia Beach. Those who got drunk and committed adultery Saturday night awoke to the same sunrise as those who spent the evening preparing their hearts for Lord’s Day worship. Psalm 145:8-9, The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.

If this disaster is an expression of God’s anger against sin, it is not a temper tantrum, but instead, it is an expression of holy justice.
It is impossible to fully know why God does what He does. Some things are hidden from us (Deuteronomy 29:29). Even though we cannot completely know the mind of God, we do know the character of God. We know this because it is revealed in the pages of Scripture and in the person of Jesus. We see in both a holy and just anger against all sin. But God’s anger is not like our anger. God does not throw tantrums when His patience has been exhausted. He never rages out of control because He’s in a bad mood. He has a consistent hatred of sin and at times, He chooses, according to His own purposes, to make that known in time and space. I cannot conclusively say that this is what happens in every natural disaster, but it would be humbling if we let the destruction we have seen over the last week remind us of the coming destruction of all who rebel against God’s sovereign rule. Humility is a good gift regardless of the package it arrives in.

So pursue them with Your tempest And terrify them with Your storm. Fill their faces with dishonor, That they may seek Your name, O LORD. Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, And let them be humiliated and perish, That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth (Psalm 83:15-18).

For His own people, God will turn these devastating events into means of additional goodness and mercy
Romans 8:28, And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Common Grace is one thing, but Saving Grace is another. Both are necessary, but Saving Grace brings with it this great promise that God will alter every disaster in our lives so the outcome is our good. Anything that helps God’s elect know Him more, rely on Him more and enjoy Him more is good. It does not always seem good, but it is good.

Praying that God’s Name will be honored through Katrina,
Pastor Shane

We have begun our journey through the Gospel of John during our Sunday worship gatherings. Last Lord’s Day, we encountered the Trinity in John 1:1-18. In last Wednesday’s Family Bible Study, we studied the biblical doctrines of justification, sanctification and glorification. Both Sunday’s sermon and Wednesday’s Bible Study should have been a review of essential biblical teachings. These should have been a glorious revisiting of doctrines learned early in our Christian experience. But I fear that was not the case for many who attended our gatherings. For too many of us who have been converted for many years, we still do not understand the most basic bible doctrines which form the very foundations of our faith. We see this same dilemma in the Christians of the New Testament. ¹¹Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. ¹²For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14)

I think that there are a number of reasons why so many of us have never learned the basic teachings of Christianity. First of all, many churches we attended in the early years of our discipleship did not teach these doctrines clearly. They didn’t talk about justification or conversion; they talked about “asking Jesus into your heart”. Therefore, we simply did not hear these biblical terms and now when a pastor actually talks like the Bible talks, it seems as if we are hearing a foreign

language. Secondly, many of us do not read any substantial theological literature. This is an indictment against pastors as well as those who occupy the pews. Check out any 10 church web-sites and look at the pastor’s recommended reading list, if there is one. What is commonly seen is that pastors spend a lot of time reading books that improve leadership skills, organizational skills and most often, church growth skills, but seem to neglect reading theology. Perhaps this is why so many pastors don’t have two theological dimes to rub together (which may not matter to them if they believe preaching doctrine hinders church growth anyway). All of this leads to an inability to think clearly about the Bible and what it teaches us.

So what’s the cure for our ignorance? It has to begin with a commitment to renew our minds daily. Somebody once said, “If you want to change yourself, change something you do every day”. That is a sound principle to live by. So what should a person do daily if she wants to begin to think clearly about Scripture? Here are my suggestions:

Tabletalk is a monthly publication that helps you study through various portions of Scripture by providing a daily Bible reading and then a few paragraphs of commentary on the assigned passage. Many other Bible study helps use this format, but what sets Tabletalk apart is that (1) it moves systematically through the Bible so that you study the Bible as it was meant to be studied. Recently, by using Tabletalk, I have studied through James, 1 & 2 Peter and now I am presently in 1 John. This method should always be preferred above random readings and topics; (2) the commentary is solid theological information that is designed to be applied to daily living. It is substantial theological reading which any lay-person can handle because the terms are explained and reviewed often and the readings are very short; (3) Tabletalk contains additional articles which help us see how these basic doctrines have developed throughout the history of the Church and how they impact the Church today. In other words, Tabletalk is not Our Daily Bread. (As a sample, this month’s edition of Tabletalk is entitled Redemption Accomplished, The Doctrine of the Atonement. For October, Tabletalk deals with Cults, Disguised as Angels of Light while continuing a study of 1 John.)

Pastor Shane

⁸Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part; ¹⁰but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. ¹¹When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. ¹²For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. ¹³But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13

The three great marks of a true follower of Christ are faith, hope and love. The three great pillars of our religion that support and sustain the Church are also faith, hope and love. But it is the excellence of love that is preeminently set forth in Scripture.

This is a dangerous passage in our culture today. There are many false teachers who discard the true God of Scripture for a god made in their own image. There are many deceived souls who readily embrace a worldly concept of love and tolerance and happiness while minimizing the importance of faith and hope.

Genuine faith requires one to acknowledge and embrace God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture and in Christ. Genuine faith will not allow room for subjective, experiential interpretations of who God is. He is the "I AM"! He is free, unchanging, and uncompromising.

True hope requires one to reject the notion that this present life is the fulfillment of all God's promises for us. True hope does not become bitter or downcast in the midst of unmet expectations, difficulties and sufferings, or broken dreams. True hope embraces all such things (James 1:2-3,12; 2 Cor. 4:16-18) as necessary preparations for a future glory (i.e. fulfillment, joy, happiness, peace, rest, etc.) that will not be attained in this life.

So when Paul says that love is greater than faith and hope, he is not saying that faith and hope are unnecessary and may be cast aside. Love is not preeminent because it is the most important quality a Christian must possess. Love is preeminent because it is the most enduring quality of the three. Faith and hope are temporary qualities of the Christian.

While we live in these "last days" we must abide in faith, hope and love. This is because we are not yet what we will be. Our ultimate salvation has not been fully realized. The Apostle Paul says that right now we know in part and see in part. Therefore, faith and hope remain. That is why we need the insight and encouragement that the special gifts of the Holy Spirit give us. Remember, faith is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). But when the perfect comes and we see Christ face to face, we will know Him fully and completely just as He now fully knows us. We will enjoy the fulfillment of all the promises God has made to His children. Faith and hope will no longer be necessary. Prophecy and knowledge and tongues will no longer be needed. But "love never fails".

It is love (our love for God and our ability to enjoy His love for us) that will be ever abiding and ever increasing throughout all eternity. As we endure this present life with steadfast faith and persevering hope, may we also put on the garment of love. One day we will stand at the gates of that great City and all the clothes we have traveled in for so long will be removed except one.

Learning how to love in this world,

Pastor Joey

P.S. For a more excellent treatment of this subject than I have done, see Thomas Watson's work, A Divine Cordial.

Teach Us to Pray is a series of meditations designed to help believers know how to pray. Prayer does not always come easily even for the most dedicated disciples. There are times when we simply do not know what we should pray for (See Romans 8:26-27). Thankfully, the writers of the New Testament record at least 54 specific examples of how the New Testament Church prayed. As we strive for a more effective prayer life, let us look to these 54 examples of how the first century Christians were instructed to pray because it is certain that their prayers were effective prayers that accomplished much (See James 5:13-18).

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)

But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28)

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14)

Our Lord taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Instead of cursing those who persecute us, we are to bless them with our prayers (Romans 12:14). Scripture commands us not to curse our enemies before God or men. Rather, we are to ask God to show the same kindness to our enemies as He has shown to us. As we contemplate this difficult and most unnatural command from Jesus, it is helpful to

remember that we were once God’s enemies and He demonstrated kindness to us. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Romans 5:10). It is helpful to remember that we were only deserving of wrath, but to us, God was merciful. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) (Ephesians 2:3-5). Knowing this, how can we possibly withhold the mercy of prayer from our enemies?

Perhaps the difficulty of obeying Jesus’ command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us should alert us to the ever-present temptation to become bitter when we have been hurt. Anger, bitterness, self-pity and a host of other emotions will almost certainly keep us from obeying Christ on this matter of praying for our tormentors. So how do we overcome such obstacles in order to live a life of humble prayer? The short answer is that we grow to know our God so well that we see Him as our Sovereign Lord who will make every wrong right in His own time.

When we have been persecuted, embarrassed, neglected or abused, it is our understanding that God is sovereign and just that causes us to take our persecutors to His throne of grace in prayer. We confidently ask God to have His way in their lives knowing that either He will judge their sin in hell for all of eternity or He will grant them repentance and saving faith which means that Jesus has already paid for their sins on the cross (even their sins committed against us). Either way, we pray with great assurance that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Either way, we follow Christ’s example, and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously (1 Peter 2:23).

So let us become a people who love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We do this not because we are naturally patient and forgiving. We pray this way because we trust God to execute justice and mercy as it pleases Him to do so and we trust that all His ways are right.

Once His Enemy, but now His Child,
Pastor Shane

GRBC is sending 10 of our members to Jamaica to minister there with Dr. Ron Long from Luther Rice Seminary. This team will leave on October 20, 2005 to participate in local church services, evangelistic meetings, VBS and a number of other ministries. Dr. Ron Long is a faithful partner in our cause to see the glory of Christ spread throughout the world. Please pray for this mission opportunity as well.

I no longer take it for granted that all of us understand the importance of foreign missions. So, let me give a few minutes to clarifying why every local church must be involved in sending missionaries.

1. Because our Lord commanded us to do this
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

2. Because the gospel must be preached throughout the world before the end comes
14This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

3. Because those who never hear the gospel are nonetheless responsible for their unbelief and they will perish
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

4. Because no one will hear the gospel unless someone sends missionaries to preach the gospel
12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." 14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" 16However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?" 17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (Romans 10:12-17)

5. Because God has chosen His elect from every nation
9And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10"You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth." (Revelation 5:9-10)

6. Because God has not only chosen who will be saved, but He has also chosen the means by which He will save them
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love 5He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

13In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

It is a pleasure to pastor a church that loves doing missions. Please pray for us this month as we walk through the doors that the Lord has opened for us.

Pastor Shane

As GRBC prepares to send short-term missionaries to India and Jamaica, it seems to be a good time to remind ourselves why we should not only participate in worldwide missions, but do so with confidence. To give us this confidence, let’s remember God’s words to the Apostle Paul as he took the gospel to the sinful and hostile city of Corinth. ⁹And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; ¹⁰for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city." ¹¹And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:9-11)

When doing missions, even among hardened and hostile people, we should have confidence that God will work because (1) God is sovereign over whatever resistance we meet as we preach the gospel (Acts 18:10) and (2) God has many of His elect scattered throughout the world who have not yet heard the gospel, but when they hear it, they will believe (Acts 18:10).

When Paul was fearful in Corinth, God said Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you. Fear is a normal part of mission work, but speaking the gospel is necessary if anyone is going to repent and believe. God does not magically convert His elect from all the nations of the world. He causes them to be born again through the revealed Word of God. The living seed of the Word is planted and the Holy Spirit mysteriously creates a new nature within a spiritually dead sinner. As Peter states in 2 Peter 1:23-25, ²³for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴For,

Missions is the work of God and God has chosen to do that work through His Word. So we go and preach. We proclaim God’s Word because we know that God has promised to save His chosen ones from among every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 5:9). As God said to Paul, so He says to us, for I have many people in this city. God has multitudes that He calls His own, but they are not yet converted. So in the plan of God, He commands the local church to send out its members that they may speak God’s Word to God’s people and the result will be just as Jesus promised. ²⁷My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; ²⁸ and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29)

Our prayer as we go, Father, as they hear our voices testifying of your eternal mercy that comes through Christ; let them hear the voice of a kind, gentle and wise Shepherd calling His sheep to lie down in green pastures and to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Hebrews 13:20-21, ²⁰Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, ²¹equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Excited to go and return with a good report of God’s faithfulness,
Pastor Shane

When I was a junior in college, my roommate had this prayer on the inside cover of his Bible. When I first read Tozer’s prayer, it left an immediate impression on me; so much so that I asked the Lord to make this my prayer as well. For years, I would pray this prayer as if it were my own because it helped me keep my ministry in focus. For some reason, maybe I lost my copy, I had forgotten about the prayer. Just this morning I came across it once again and as I prepare to leave for India, I made Tozer’s words my own.

(By the time you read this, Joe & I have been in India for a week, Lord willing. Please pray for us. Use Tozer’s words if they are as helpful to you as they are to me).

This is the prayer of a man called to be a witness to the nations. This is what he said to his Lord on the day of his ordination. After the elders and ministers had prayed and laid their hands on him he withdrew to meet his Savior in the secret place and in the silence, farther in than his well-meaning brethren could take him.

And he said: O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou has called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou art about to shake all nations and the earth and also heaven, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. O Lord, my Lord, Thou has stooped to honor me to be Thy servant. No man taketh this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron. Thou has ordained me Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They have rejected Thee, the Master, and it is not to be expected that they will receive me, the servant.

My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness nor my unfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine, but Thine. Thou has said, "I knew thee - I ordained thee - I sanctified thee," and Thou hast also said, "Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." Who am I to argue with Thee or to call into question Thy sovereign choice? The decision is not mine but Thine. So be it, Lord. Thy will, not mine, be done.

Well do I know, Thou God of the prophets and the apostles, that as long as I honor Thee Thou will honor me. Help me therefore to take this solemn vow to honor Thee in all my future life and labors, whether by gain or by loss, by life or by death, and then to keep that vow unbroken while I live.

It is time, O God, for Thee to work, for the enemy has entered into Thy pastures and the sheep are torn and scattered. And false shepherds abound who deny the danger and laugh at the perils which surround Thy flock. The sheep are deceived by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty while the wolf closes in to kill and destroy. I beseech Thee, give me sharp eyes to detect the presence of the enemy; give me understanding to see and courage to report what I see faithfully. Make my voice so like Thine own that even the sick sheep will recognize it and follow Thee.

Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy hand upon me. Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that I should become a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse that lies dark across the modern clergy, the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offering. Help me to remember that I am a prophet - not a promoter, not a religious manager, but a prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity. Save me from bondage to things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver me from overeating and late sleeping. Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

I accept hard work and small rewards in this life. I ask for no easy place. I shall try to be blind to the little ways that could make life easier. If others seek the smoother path I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes. Or if, as sometimes it falleth out to Thy servants, I should have grateful gifts pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me then and save me from the blight that often follows. Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner that will not injure my soul nor diminish my spiritual power. And if in Thy permissive providence honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if men knew me as intimately as I know myself they would withhold their honors or bestow them upon others more worthy to receive them.
And now, O Lord of heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me stand before the great or minister to the poor and lowly; that choice is not mine, and I would not influence it if I could. I am Thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than position or riches or fame and I choose it above all things on earth or in heaven.

Though I am chosen of Thee and honored by a high and holy calling, let me never forget that I am but a man of dust and ashes, a man with all the natural faults and passions that plague the race of men. I pray Thee, therefore, my Lord and Redeemer, save me from myself and from all the injuries I may do myself while trying to be a blessing to others. Fill me with Thy power by the Holy Spirit, and I will go in Thy strength and tell of Thy righteousness, even Thine only. I will spread abroad the message of redeeming love while my normal powers endure.

Then, dear Lord, when I am old and weary and too tired to go on, have a place ready for me above, and make me to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting. Amen. AMEN.

Written in 1950, this chapter has been reprinted many times and widely circulated.

Pastor Shane

This week, Protestants around the world should celebrate the 487th anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of his Ninety Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. In this document, Luther powerfully exposed the corruption of the Catholic Church and its priesthood. Following this event, the history of the Church would never be the same. All Protestant churches arose from such “protests” as Luther’s and all of us should remember the importance of the events of that day. But the truth is that most Protestants have no idea who Martin Luther was or why October 31 should be celebrated for anything more than an opportunity to grab some free candy. Most of us have lost our sense of history and even worse, we cannot stir ourselves up to learn history because it just doesn’t seem useful. But what could be more useful than knowing how a person gets into a right relationship with God? When we stop to think about it, one day that is all that will matter. That is what Luther was so stirred up about. He had come to see that the Gospel was lost to the people of his day and that the Catholic Church was not the solution to this problem; it was the problem.

Luther helped rediscover the Gospel of justification by faith alone. It was not faith plus sacraments, works or membership within the church. It was the Gospel that comes to us by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone! As a former Catholic priest, Luther himself has been set free from fear and dread by this Gospel and now He was going public. For his efforts, he would suffer greatly and even have his life threatened. Luther felt firsthand how the self-righteous hate the true Gospel.

There is much more to Luther than I can write here, but read for yourselves what God has done through this most intriguing man. I highly recommend the brief overview of Luther’s life contained in The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper (This book can be purchased in our resource center at GRBC). Until you are able to read more about him, here are some quotes from Luther. Take time to thank God for such men.

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.

I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, Self.

I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands that I still possess.

Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.

A preacher must be both soldier and shepherd. He must nourish, defend, and teach; he must have teeth in his mouth, and be able to bite and fight.

Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me, Amen. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me, Amen!

Happy Reformation Day,
Pastor Shane

No, I am not asking you to give your opinion as to which animal I most resemble. Nor am I attempting to participate in a childish game of "What if..." It may seem like a ridiculous question at first, but Scripture would seem to ask me to evaluate my life so that I may know the answer. There is much at stake depending on which category I find myself.

The Apostle Peter, in his second letter, describes a pig as one who, after getting cleaned up, returns to wallowing in the mud.

"It has happened to them according to the true proverb, 'a dog returns to its own vomit,' and , 'A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.'" - 2 Peter 2:22

This is the person who hears the gospel, understands his or her own sinfulness, and even experiences a type of moral reformation. Bad habits are broken, addictions are overcome, harmful tendencies are brought under restraint and relationships are restored. Yet for all their cleanliness they are still a pig at heart. They eventually return to what they really love (i.e. their sin).

Scripture paints a much different picture of a sheep. Peter describes a sheep as one who is prone to continually wander away, but always returns to the shepherd.

"For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." - 1 Peter 2:25

This is the person who hears the gospel and is able to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling them, they see their own sinfulness because they are now able to see the beauties of Christ, and they follow Him with a new heart that loves to obey. However, this child of God has not yet been freed from the weaknesses of the flesh. They still battle a tendency to wander. There are old desires that rise to the surface. There are old ways of thinking that cloud their minds, produce selfish thoughts or cause them to forget the promises made to them by God.

How then do we know the sheep from the pig? For all their struggle with sin, the sheep also return to what they love most. They return time and time again to the "Shepherd and Guardian of [their] souls". Only a heart that has been redeemed through the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit will love being in the living waters of Christ. We may have our muddy days, but we will not love it like we once did. It may be hard at times for people to distinguish my sheepish complexion as I fight to be clean, but I am a sheep nonetheless. I have been given the heart and mind of a sheep. No longer am I a slave to the old pig nature that longs for the mud and will not stay clean for very long.

Those of us who are sheep should explode in countless expressions of worship and gratitude. We should not be evolutionists in our understanding of salvation. We who were once pigs by nature did not make ourselves sheep. We did not slowly evolve into sheep over a long period of time. We were born pigs and we were destined to die pigs if not for a merciful Creator God who re-created us from the inside out. He did not clean us up, He made us new!

From a former mud-lovin' swine who is now a sheep for life!

Pastor Joey

We had a 3 hour Elders’ meeting last night. That’s not unusual and no one topic dominated the meeting; it’s just that there are a number of things happening at GRBC right now that demand our attention and prayers. Therefore, I am requesting that you pray on behalf of your Elders. There are a lot of reasons that you should probably increase your prayer efforts for us, but here is one passage that puts this in perspective: ¹⁷Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. ¹⁸Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things (Hebrews 13:17-18).

To motivate your diligence in prayer, you should meditate on these verses. We must pray for the Elders of our church because we must obey the Elders of our church. We certainly want to be in prayer for those men whom God requires that we obey and submit to. I know that most people, when pressed on this issue, would say that you really don’t have to obey church Elders, even if they are godly men. But the truth is God requires more obedience to Elders than most of us comprehend. This is why the writer of Hebrews pleads that people would pray for those who lead the church. Those who lead must have a good conscience and exemplify honorable conduct so that we encourage joyful obedience and submission because God has made us the watchmen over souls. As strange as it seems to Americans in 2005, this whole idea of Elders who lead honorably and church members who obey is designed to be a joyful experience from which everyone spiritually profits.

So pray for us. Here are some specific ways you can pray:

Pray for us as we consider how to most effectively minister to teenagers. This seems to be the hot topic at GRBC right now. The Elders are well aware that there is a lot of discussion concerning how we can best minister to teenagers who the Lord has brought under our care. All 6 of the Elders share those same concerns, it just that we are honestly admitting we do not yet have the answers. This is our primary motivation for bringing Dr. Voddie Baucham to speak to our church on this matter. And let me be clear; it’s not that once Voddie leaves we are going to magically have all the answers for how to help families raise kids through difficult teenage years. I can assure that we will not be able to develop some program that will satisfy everyone, but we will have more biblical wisdom on this matter and that it what we need. So be patient and prayerful. The amount of literature I see on this matter of how the church should relate to teenagers indicates that we are not the only ones struggling with this issue. Just this morning I read these words from Jim Elliff,

Pray for us as we consider new mission opportunities in India, Jamaica and a few other locations. It is amazing what God is doing in my heart and in our Elders concerning missions. Last night in our Elders’ meeting, we discussed a brief outline for beginning to plant churches in India and Jamaica. These churches would be pastored by nationals who had received training from GRBC and these churches would reflect the same theology, leadership structure and values as GRBC. I have spoken with our contacts in India and Jamaica about how we could possibly see this vision become a reality and this week I will also speak with a church-planter who works in Venezuela to get direction on this matter. The details are not yet in place, but I am hopeful that soon, the vision will begin to become a reality.

I have to leave for Richmond this morning and I do not have time to elaborate on all the prayer requests I have for our Elders, but as the Lord guides us, more and more details will be presented to you. Without explanation here are a few more requests:

Anyway, as you can see, we need your prayers. Please do not forget to pray for us.

Dependant upon you always,
Pastor Shane

Much planning and discussion has led to Voddie coming to teach us this weekend. I cannot stress how gracious God has been to GRBC by causing this event to take place. Now that the planning and discussion has subsided, it’s time to give ourselves fully to prayer. I realize that the elders have been praying about this for some time and I know that most of you have as well, but now it the time to implore God to cause His Spirit to move among our people. The goal of the weekend is clear: we want to know the mind of God concerning how to best care for the children and young adults that He has sovereignly placed within this covenant community.

All of us know that the discipleship of children begins with their parents. But what exactly can parents do to bring their children to spiritual maturity? Let’s hear the Puritan, Richard Baxter as he instructs us concerning our responsibilities toward our children and then let’s pray that whatever we do as a church begins here.

THE DUTIES OF PARENTS FOR THEIR CHILDREN
Understand and lament the corrupted and miserable state of your children, which they have derived from you, and thankfully accept the offers of a Savior for yourselves and them, and absolutely resign, and dedicate them to God in Christ in the sacred covenant. [In other words, do not minimize the impact of your children’s depravity. Instead, know that the hardness of your own heart has been passed to your children. Just as we must not minimize their depravity, neither should we minimize the effectiveness of Christ in transforming their depraved hearts. Has not Christ done this for us, their parents? Is not the promise of the sacred covenant, But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people (Jeremiah 31:33)? To be fair, Baxter adds to this directive that we should baptize our infants in order to demonstrate their participation in this sacred covenant, but we will forgive him for this because he means well.]

As soon as they are capable, teach them what a covenant they are in, and what are the benefits, and what the conditions, that their souls may gladly consent to it when they understand it; and you may bring them seriously to renew their covenant with God in their own persons. [Baxter presents the correct method for teaching our children the truth of God. We teach them sound doctrine (catechism) before they can fully comprehend its meaning and then when they can understand what they have learned, they have the seed of truth implanted deep within their minds so that the Spirit can cause that living seed to spring forth into salvation. And when this gets difficult because our kids do not seem to be responding, remember Paul’s statement to Timothy, For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory (2 Timothy 2:10).]

Train them up in exact obedience to yourselves, and break them of their own wills. To that end, suffer them not to carry themselves unreverently or contemptuously towards you; but to keep their distance. For too much familiarity breedeth contempt, and imboldeneth to disobedience. The common course of parents is to please their children so long, by letting them have what they crave, and what they will, till their wills are so used to be fulfilled, that they cannot endure to have them denied; and so can endure no government, because they endure no crossing of their wills.

Make them neither too bold with you, nor too strange or fearful; and govern them not as servants, but as children, making them perceive that you dearly love them, and that all your commands, restraints, and corrections tire for their good, and not merely because you will have it so. They must be ruled as rational creatures, that love themselves, and those that love them. If they perceive that you dearly love them, they will obey you the more willingly, and the easier be brought to repent of their disobedience, and they will as well obey you in heart as in outward actions, and behind your back as before your face.

In all your speeches of God and of Jesus Christ, and of the holy Scripture, or the life to come, or of any holy duty, speak always with gravity, seriousness, and reverence, as of the most great and dreadful and most Sacred things: for before children come to have any distinct understanding of particulars, it is a hopeful beginning to have their hearts possessed with a general reverence and high esteem of holy matters; for that will continually awe their consciences, and help their judgments, and settle them against prejudice and profane contempt, and be as a seed of holiness in them.

Speak always before them with great honour and praise of holy ministers and people, and with dispraise and loathing of every sin, and of ungodly men. [2] For this also is a thing that children will quickly and easily receive from their parents. Before they can understand particular doctrines., they can learn in general what kind of persons are most happy or most miserable, and they are very apt to receive such a liking or disliking from their parents' judgment, which hath a great hand in all the following good or evil of their lives. [Who are our children’s heroes? Do we speak favorably of the leadership of our church in their presence? How have we shaped their attitudes toward those who provide spiritual leadership for us?]

Keep them as much as may be from ill company, especially of ungodly play-fellows. It is one of the greatest dangers for the undoing of children in the world; especially when they are sent to common schools: for there is scarce any of those schools so good, but hath many rude and ungodly ill-taught children in it; that will speak profanely, and filthily, and make their ribald and railing speeches a matter of boasting; besides fighting, and gaming and scorning, and neglecting their lessons; and they will make a scorn of him that will not do as they, if not beat and abuse him. [I am certain that this parental responsibility demands more adjustments than most of us are willing to acknowledge, but let’s now begin to consider this matter of whom we require our children to associate with during their early, formative years].

Pastor Shane

We are Calvinists. We love the theology of the Reformers in as much as it reflects Biblical theology and we believe that the Reformers captured the heart of the Gospel. One of the great benefits of understanding what men such as Martin Luther and John Calvin proclaimed from the Scripture is that Christ has secured the salvation of God’s elect by entering into history as the God-man, living in perfect conformity to God’s law, dying as our substitute and rising from the dead to defeat our last, great enemy. Luther and Calvin (and other Reformers) also understood that we reap the benefits of Christ’s objective saving work through faith alone. We contribute nothing to our salvation. The repentance and faith we exercise do not originate from us, they are gifts from God.

But Luther and Calvin understood that justifying faith is a living, transforming faith that changes the most practical aspects of our lives. Calvin said, 'We are justified by faith alone, but the faith which justifies is never alone.' Luther clarifies his understanding of the relationship between justifying faith and our transformed lives when he writes, We must therefore certainly maintain that where there is no faith there also can be no good works; and conversely, that there is no faith where there are no good works. Therefore faith and good works should be so closely joined together that the essence of the entire Christian life consists in both. The implication of both Luther and Calvin’s comments is that the kind of faith that God gives to us when we first believe and are justified, is the kind of faith that goes on gradually transforming our lives so that our sinfulness decreases and holiness increases.

With that said, we must ask how does sinfulness decrease and holiness increase? One answer is that because of the work of God’s Spirit in our hearts at regeneration, we are given a new nature that has a new appetite for holiness. Another answer is that we begin to love the law of God which commands us how we are to live. As justified believers, we are free from the condemnation of the law, but the law still serves as a guide for what a holy life looks like. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law and as our lives are gradually transformed to look like His, we should do our Christian duty and obey the commands of God. Obedience to God’s commands does not contribute anything to our justification, but our obedience authenticates our salvation.

To say that the law serves as a guide for holy living is to say that we cannot individually define what holiness looks like; Scripture alone can do that for us. This is important because we live in a day of extreme individuality and self-expression. This becomes a problem when a guy thinks he is holy because he reads his Bible every morning, but participates in dishonest business dealings throughout the day. This is a problem when a woman attends a great Bible study with other ladies only to neglect her duties at home. We can never trust ourselves to determine what is obedience and what is sin; Scripture alone must do that. We are experts at requiring less of ourselves than God requires.

Why do I take the time to write about this? Because we need to become more familiar with what God requires of us (Christian duty) and less familiar with our own individual concepts of holiness. Our duty is to live out the commands of God no matter how foreign they are to our natural way of thinking. It is not for us to decide which commands are “weird”, “helpful” or “safe”. We must hear God speak in His Word and then faithfully obey. This is our duty. We must come to grips with the reality that Luther and Calvin articulated so clearly, every believer is simultaneously sinner and saint. That is to say that on the one hand, we love obeying God’s commands and on the other hand, we find obedience awkward, confusing and downright painful. If you don’t find a holy life to be difficult, it is probably because you have invented your own version of holiness that is drastically less than what God requires. Take a few moments to consider the cost of Christian duty only as it pertains to family life.

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. (Ephesians 6:1)

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25)

Hear, my son, your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching (Proverbs 1:8)

Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD (Psalm 34:11)

Every father, mother, child, husband and wife immediately realizes how short we fall of obeying these basic commands. We should also realize that we have infinite ability to rationalize why we do not obey such clear commands.

Because you are simultaneously sinner and saint, you will experience your Christian duty as both joyful and difficult. No one should say that obedience is “easy”; neither should we experience these duties as burdensome. The reality of our regeneration is that we delight in obeying God, even when that obedience is costly (See Psalm 112:1; 119:47, 127). Let’s work at ceasing to minimize what God commands us to do and begin to pray that we will love those commands more than we do now.

Learning to enjoy the hard commands,
Pastor Shane

Lottie Moon: Early Influences
(Part 1)

“Send us affliction and trouble, blight our deepest hopes if need be, that we may learn more fully to depend on thee.” (Prayer of John A. Broadus, pastor to Lottie Moon)

For as long as I can remember, I have known the name Lottie Moon. Every Christmas, most Southern Baptist churches collect a special offering for international mission work and this offering is taken in honor of Ms. Moon. I recently finished her biography, The New Lottie Moon Story, by Catherine B. Allen (Broadman Press, 1980) and I gained a new appreciation for this historic figure in Southern Baptist life.

Charlotte Diggs Moon (Lottie) was born December 12, 1840 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Lottie was born to believing parents and when she was 10 years old her uncle went to Jerusalem as a missionary in an effort to evangelize Jews. Her father died when she was 13 years old, leaving Lottie’s mother to raise their 7 children. As a young adult, Lottie attended the Virginia Female Seminary near Roanoke, Virginia; here she distinguished herself as an intellectual and a prankster. Later she attended the Albemarle Female Institute where she was considered “a brain and a heretic.” Her academic ability stood out as she mastered subjects such as Greek and Hebrew.

Although Lottie was surrounded by Christian influence, she had not been converted. In fact, she was skeptical of religion. Her conversion took place in December, 1858. Central to her conversion was the influence of John A. Broadus, pastor of the Charlottesville Baptist Church. Broadus was holding a series of evangelistic meetings near Lottie’s school and surprisingly, she attended a prayer meeting where Broadus was present. Broadus was an outstanding theologian and pastor and the Lord used his efforts to bring Lottie Moon to faith in Christ. In the Charlottesville Church, Lottie gave public testimony to her conversion and was baptized. Broadus’s influence would not stop here. He constantly held before the young people 3 truths: (1) the world desperately needs to hear the Gospel (2) these young people had the ability to take the Gospel to the world and (3) there was no good reason they should not take the Gospel to the world. It was this kind of simplicity that characterized Broadus’ preaching. (I find it interesting that Lottie Moon, one of SBC’s greatest missionaries, was converted and inspired to do mission work as a direct result of the strong Calvinistic theology of John A. Broadus. Obviously, his correct understanding of Calvinism did nothing to discourage mission work among his hearers. Today’s SBC should take note.)

It seems that Broadus’s influence helped Lottie form a Biblical understanding of suffering that would serve her well in China. Her biographer writes, Her faith was tried and deepened by the sorrows falling all about her. “I do not believe that any trouble comes upon us unless it is needed, and it seems to me that we ought to be just as thankful for sorrows as for joys.” She recalled Broadus’s prayer, “Send us affliction and trouble, blight our deepest hopes if need be, that we may learn more fully to depend on thee.”

God used many influences to direct Lottie Moon to the mission field; not the least of which were pastors who understood that God calls His people to reach the nations with the Gospel. Lottie was appointed as a missionary by the Foreign Mission Board on July 7, 1873 and she sailed for China on September 1, 1873.

Lottie Moon: Missionary To China
(Part 2)

On October 25, 1873, a haggard, thirty-three year old Lottie Moon arrived in Tengchow, China, her home for the next thirty-nine years.

Lottie Moon joined her sister, Edmonia, several Presbyterian missionaries and a few Southern Baptist missionaries in China. She was immediately immersed in the work of evangelism, catechism instruction and the teaching of hymns. In many of the rural villages, she was the first white woman ever seen. She was uncomfortable with the amount of attention she received from the villagers. Lottie wrote, Have you ever felt the torture of human eyes beaming upon you, scanning every feature, every look, every gesture? I felt it keenly. In the early years, the locals often called the missionaries “foreign devils” to clearly express their disgust at these people who now lived among them.

During her 39 years in China, Lottie Moon had to face many extreme difficulties. There are much too many to recount here, but loneliness was perhaps her greatest enemy. Near the end of her life she would write, I pray that no missionary will ever be as lonely as I have been. Ms. Moon’s own writings portray the high costs of leaving one’s home, family, nation, and comforts to seek those whom God has chosen from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. In reading Lottie’s own words, the romanticism of mission work fades quickly and one must soon count the cost of following God’s call to China, or anywhere else in the world. She did experience many successes in her years in China and those should not be discounted, but the suffering was immense.

Reading Lottie Moon’s story reminds us that although we are promised rewards for obeying Christ, the greater part of those rewards will be ours in the next world, not in this one. This must be heard in our day of very eloquent and convincing preaching that teaches us that obedience to God is the source of riches, good health and well-being. Just like the saints of Hebrews 11, some faithful Christians will receive great blessings and others will be tortured, “so that they might obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35). Most of Lottie Moon’s rewards were withheld for a future era when all is made right by our just and merciful God.

The pain and strain of the mission work followed Lottie Moon until she died. A famine in China during the latter years of her life caused her to live on little money and less food. She weighed only 50 pounds shortly before her death because she shared her food with the poor. Starved, emotionally spent and exhausted, Lottie Moon was placed on a ship headed back to the United States. In the last days of her life, she was described as being overcome by her own feelings of sinfulness. One of her colleagues said, she became a woman who dozed listlessly by day and tore her hair by night, and never ate.

Lottie Moon would not live to reach America. A nurse who sailed with her remembers her death this way, The ship made its way through the Orient and stopped in Kobe, Japan…There on Christmas Eve, the sleeper opened her eyes. She silently smiled and looked about. Then, with great effort, she raised her fists together in the fashion of a fond Chinese greeting. Her spirit went out to meet the One coming for her. In stating an official cause of death, the ship’s captain wrote, Tuesday, December 24, 1912, Harbor of Kobe, Japan. Miss Lottie Moon, age 72, died of melancholia and senility.

Lottie Moon’s biographer writes, The Chinese people who mourned Lottie Moon did not speak of her noble education, her brilliant mind, or her lofty ideals. They simply said, “How she loved us.”

Lottie Moon: Worth Thinking About Each Christmas
(Part 3)

“She heard her call to China, ‘as clear as a bell!’”

In February, 1873, Lottie Moon sat under the preaching of R. B. Headden as he repeatedly called for his parishioners to consider foreign missions as their life’s calling. Lottie Moon got up from her seat on the front row and headed straight for the privacy of her room to spend the afternoon in prayer concerning such a call to missions. She later said that she heard her call to China “as clear as a bell.”

All of her life, God prepared Lottie Moon for China. From the early missionary influences within her own family to the preaching of John A. Broadus, God graciously worked to prepare this young lady for a life of hardship and fulfillment among the people of China. Why should we think about people like Lottie Moon on Christmas? Let me offer a couple of reasons:

1. Lottie Moon is not the only one who left home to take the Gospel to foreign and hostile people. Is that not what Christ has done for us? Is this not what we celebrate on Christmas? Before time began, God the Father and God the Son agreed they would create human life. The Father also ordained that sin come into this human existence and therefore, a Savior would be required. The story of the Bible centers upon God sending His precious Son to an indifferent and even hostile people. John writes, ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him (John 1:10-11). Lottie Moon illustrates this well. No matter what we sacrifice and accomplish as missionaries, we do not even get close to what God has sacrificed and accomplished through sending His Son.

As we meditate on this, we should grasp the true nature of Christmas. God became a man! God became a missionary! God left the comforts and glories of heaven to pursue us! It is not wonder we sing:

2. Lottie Moon reminds us that all missionary efforts are costly. Sure it’s hard to take the Gospel to China. To leave one’s family, home and country for the burdens of adjusting to a strange land is difficult enough. But to do this solely for the sake of declaring a bizarre and offensive message such as the Gospel is doubly difficult. But sharing the Gospel in a foreign land among strangers can actually be easier than sharing the Gospel with family and friends. Many of you will sit down to eat Christmas dinner today and across the table will be an unbelieving father, a lost son or a spiritually dead uncle. Proclaiming the Gospel to those family members is no easy task, yet God requires that we not be ashamed to speak for Christ in any context. Our role as servants of Christ is to call everyone to repent of serving themselves and implore them to live in unqualified obedience to Jesus Christ. Make no mistake, to call loved ones to repent and trust Christ will involve suffering of some kind. Let’s Paul’s words strengthen you for this Christmas, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

As we gather on the Lord’s Day and as we commemorate His birthday, let us joyfully sing,

We have come to that time of the year when resolutions are a part of our thinking and planning. For a little guidance, look to Jonathan Edwards and his 70 resolutions. If you are unfamiliar with Edwards and these remarkable declarations, here is a sampling.

Edwards began the process of making resolutions with a clear understanding of his own sinfulness and therefore, his inability to keep any noble resolution without God’s help. Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ’s sake.

Resolution #1, Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence….

Resolution #6, Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live

Resolution #7, Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life

Resolution #14, Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge

Resolution #28, Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

Resolution #57, Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as providence orders it. I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin.

If you would like to read all 70 resolutions, you can find these on our Link of the Week.

Happy New Year,
Pastor Shane

Teach Us to Pray is a series of meditations designed to help believers know how to pray. Prayer does not always come easily even for the most dedicated disciples. There are times when we simply do not know what we should pray for (See Romans 8:26-27). Thankfully, the writers of the New Testament record at least 54 specific examples of how the New Testament Church prayed. As we strive for a more effective prayer life, let us look to these 54 examples of how the first century Christians were instructed to pray because it is certain that their prayers were effective prayers that accomplished much (See James 5:13-18).

Jesus Taught Us To Honor God’s Name & Call On Him To Spread His Fame In The World

God commands us to honor His name. Therefore, we should pray and ask for His help in carrying out what He has commanded us to do. God has always loved the glory of His own name so much so that He threatens those who live in some way that consistently shows disregard for His name. After God led His people out of Egypt, He says ⁵⁸"If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the LORD your God, ⁵⁹then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses. ⁶⁰"He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they will cling to you. ⁶¹"Also every sickness and every plague which, not written in the book of this law, the LORD will bring on you until you are destroyed (Deuteronomy 28:58-61). King David experienced severe discipline following his sin with Bathsheba because David had given the enemies of God a reason to dishonor God’s name. ¹³Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD" And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴"However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." At the close of the Old Testament, God rebukes the priests of Israel because they do not honor His name. ⁶" 'A son honors his father, and a servant his master Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?' ⁷"You are presenting defiled food upon My altar But you say, 'How have we defiled You?' In that you say, 'The table of the LORD is to be despised’ (Malachi 1:6-7).

It is impossible to carefully read God’s Word and not see the importance that God attaches to His name. When we speak of God we must speak in a way that honors His name. One of the foundational commandments given to guide God’s people is You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain (Exodus 20:7). We must pray that whatever we undertake to do in life be done in such a way that God is honored.

God not only commands us to honor His name, but we must also spread His fame. God created this world to make His glory known, yet so many have not heard of our great and glorious God. As God’s grace pours into our lives and our lives become more of what God intended, God’s glory will spread. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:15). I pray that God will work so powerfully in the prayers of our families and in our church that we will one day hear what Joshua heard, They said to him, "Your servants have come from a very far country because of the fame of the LORD your God; for we have heard the report of Him and all that He did in Egypt (Joshua 9:9).

We must fear forming any habit, speaking any words, living in any manner that would bring reproach upon God’s name. We must be utterly committed to spreading God’s fame; so begin now to pray that God would enable you to flesh this out in your homes, jobs and churches.

To God alone be the glory from first to last,
Pastor Shane

Hard words to live by (Part one)

"...I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory." – 2 Timothy 2:10

Over the past few months I have begun to realize in a whole new way just how important our words, and the meaning we attribute to those words, are in the course of daily life. My daughter, Grace, has recently developed into a very "talkative" two-year-old. It is amazing how she is now repeating all those words and phrases she used to hear us say when she was younger. Not only does she repeat those words, but she oftentimes even understands the meaning behind them even though we had never formally sat down and explained them to her. However, there is also the wonderful task that her mother and I have of interpreting some of her own unique words. It can be entertaining at times to us, but it is very frustrating to a little girl who is trying to tell us something and we are obviously missing the meaning.

In 2 Timothy 2:10, I find three hard words and three glorious words in Paul's statement that we can sometimes miss if we are not careful. First, let's address the hard words. The apostle says that he "endures". This is a hard word because the very nature of the word implies suffering, hardship and laborious effort. To endure is to fight and strain. This is not an easy reality to embrace for our lives. I find it especially difficult is a culture that is constantly promoting an ideal of life called the "American dream" (not to mention the challenge we face when many pastors and churches begin to adopt a God-flavored version of this dream).

The apostle then says he endures "all" things. This little word makes the first word doubly hard. For now we see that our endurance cannot be selective or conditional. There is absolutely nothing the apostle is not willing and able to endure. The length or severity of the endurance seems to be of little or no consequence to him. I say this because every man and woman is born with a certain capacity for endurance. For example, you will find some who have a greater tolerance of pain than others. It is often brought to my attention as a man that I could never endure the pains of childbirth in the way that most women are able to endure it. You will also notice that one person's disposition allows for more patience in some situations while another's dispositions allows for patience in another situation. I can sit in traffic with great patience, but I cannot easily endure a lengthy phone conversation. Yet every person in their natural capacity has a limit to their patience and a breaking point in their endurance.

Yet, here we have Paul saying that he "endures" and he endures "all" things. This brings us to Paul's third hard word. He endures all things for the sake of "those" who are chosen. Why is this a hard word? It seems quite ordinary until you understand what it really means here. It is one thing for a man to endure suffering and hardship for personal gain. Many a man has made his fortunes off the blood and sweat of his own brow. Many a man or woman has endured the most terrific circumstances for the sake of their own survival. It is quite another thing altogether to endure for the sake of another. This is exactly what the apostle has in mind here. He suffers and struggles and labors continuously for the sake of other men and women who have been purchased for God by Christ. This is much harder than it sounds, for it rarely results in much earthly gain for us if we do so. Instead, we will find ourselves continually being "poured out" as a drink offering to the Lord (2 Tim. 4:6). This, too, is a difficult reality to embrace. The next time I write, we will address the three glorious words found in this passage and how they motivate us to love and pursue the hard words and their meanings we looked at today.

Praying for ears to hear, understand and love "every word" God has spoken,

Pastor Joey

Hard words to live by (Part two)

"...I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory." – 2 Timothy 2:10

A few weeks ago we meditated on three hard words from the Apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy. Now we will look to three glorious words from the same passage that should cause us to love and embrace the hard things. Paul affirms his willingness to endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen. And he does this "so that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus..."

Let me first dwell upon this word "also". What an extraordinary thought this little word conveys within the context of the apostle's statement! This word "also" makes me look around to what is being said. Here we have two subjects: the Apostle Paul and all other believers that are the elect of God. The use of "also" here means that what is true of one subject is true of the other subject. What Paul has obtained the elect will obtain; what the elect have obtained Paul will obtain as well. While I am often concerned about my own tiny little hut nestled within a quaint little village (i.e. my own life and surroundings), our eternal, sovereign King is concerned about the whole of His Kingdom ("All that the Father gives to me will come to come to me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out." – John 6:37). My often narrow scope of life has just been enlarged a thousand times over. Paul never thinks about Paul. He always has in view the entire Kingdom of God. While I am prone to act like an only child at times, Paul reminds me that I am to function as a part of a very large family with millions of brothers and sisters whom I dearly love.

Now that the capacity of our vision has increased, the apostle fills it to overflowing with two other magnificent words: salvation and glory. Those who belong to the King have an inheritance awaiting them. Paul endures much suffering in this life because he understands the infinitely greater value of the inheritance that ultimately will be his in Christ. This inheritance comes to him in the form of two priceless gifts. Salvation from the judgment and wrath he deserves has been purchased for him by Christ and with such mercy comes the ever increasing pleasure of experiencing eternal life in the midst of the eternal glory of the King.

Not only this, but Paul endures whatever may be required of him so that through his suffering God may gather His other children into the kingdom thus making Paul's joy in Christ doubly full! We will never be people who endure the hard things well if we do not learn to see past our own mini-kingdoms and gaze with awe and wonder at the beautiful, awesome kingdom that is ours in Christ both now and for all eternity.

May I be willing to endure all things for your joy this week,

Pastor Joey

[Below is a summary outline of Section 1 from Doug Wilson's Federal Husband which served as our Gatekeeper's Men's Ministry Bible study topic on February 6, 2006. All of the following statements are either direct quotes from Wilson's book or summarized statements which attempt to be true to Wilson's writing.]

What Does Federal Mean?
Federal comes from the Latin word foedus, which means covenant. The union between husband and wife is a covenant (federal) union.

(1) Adam’s relationship to the human race was a covenant relationship. God made a covenant with the entire human race (Covenant of Works), with Adam serving as the representative head of that race. [Romans 5:12-14]

(2) Under the same covenant structure, God accomplished our salvation through Christ, the second Adam. God sent Jesus into the world to be the representative head of a new human race. His obedience was representative and was imputed to His elect, who are identified as such by their faith. [Romans 5:14-19]

(3) Now we must see how this covenantal structure applies to husbands. Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. [Ephesians 5:25] For a husband to biblically love his wife, He must love her in a covenantal manner.

(4) In opposition to covenantal love is sentimental love. If we love our wives sentimentally, then a woman, when she is loved at all, will be loved, not for very long, or in fits and starts. Many of us assume that marriage is a permanent “roommate” arrangement between two individuals with certain sexual privileges included. But the Bible describes marriage as a covenant:

¹⁶To deliver you from the strange woman, from the adulteress who flatters with her words; ¹⁷That leaves the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God (Proverbs 2:16-17)

¹³"This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. ¹⁴"Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant (Malachi 2:13-14).

(5) Central Application: At the heart of this covenantal relationship is the issue of responsibility. Wherever there is genuine federal headship, the head as representative assumes responsibility for the spiritual condition of the members of the covenant body.

(6) Illustration of how covenant headship is misunderstood: One of the most difficult things for modern men to understand is how they are responsible for their wives. Men come into a pastoral counseling session with the assumption that “She has her problems,” and “I have mine,” and the counselor is here to help us split the difference. But the husband is responsible for all the problems. This is the case for no other reason than that he is the husband. This does not mean that the wife has no responsibilities as an individual before God. She certainly does, just as her husband has individual responsibility. They are both private persons who stand before God. But he remains the head just as Christ as the head assumed all responsibility for all the sins of all His people, so the husband is to assume covenant responsibility for the state of his marriage.

Headship & Covenant
(1) Husbands must understand the implications of 1 Corinthians 11:3, But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. The Son is equal to the Father in both nature and being, but in their relationship, the Father has authority over the Son. In no way does this make the Son less than the Father. Therefore, covenantal ruling and submitting are both God-honoring activities.

(2) This proper understanding of headship and covenant, forbids husbands from playing the “blame game”. A husband can no more blame his wife for the state of their marriage than a thief can blame his hands.

(3) If we apply this teaching to our marriages, will our wives begin to live more irresponsibly? When a wife understands that her husband is responsible and knows that he assumes this responsibility willingly, she will be more responsible as an individual, not less.

(4) Why do we find this teaching so strange? We frequently struggle with what we think is the conflict between such federal responsibility and personal responsibility, because the individualism of our age has taught us to think of responsibility in either/or terms instead of both/and.

As Christ Loved the Church
Characteristics of Christ’s love for the Church that should manifest themselves in our marriages:

Christ loved His Church with a sacrificial love- Picture Christ murmuring against His wife to the Father, “The woman Thou gavest …” Imagine Christ blaming the Church, pointing an accusing finger. Try to picture Christ wishing that He were with someone else.
Christ loved His church with a transforming love-
Christ loved His bride with an incarnational love- Christ did not love the Church from a distance. Rather, He took on the form of a servant and emptied Himself.
Christ loved His Church with a responsible love- In His loving, He took on Himself all the sins of His people. (It does not matter if the husband is at fault, he remains responsible).
Christ loved His Church with an instructional love- Christ washed His Church in the Word, as should husbands. Christ does not simply pile on information, he instructs His Church in a way that cleanses her.

When Others are Feasting and You Have Been a Long Time Waiting

Consider for a moment the scene. There is feasting in the city. We are not sure exactly why they are feasting, but it is quite probable that the occasion is both festive and crowded. A casual walk through the streets takes you on a journey through the senses. You pass the enticing smells of roasted lamb, fresh bread, and flavorful herbs. You hear the joyous sounds of voices singing and instruments playing. You see the crowds of people who have come to the city for this special occasion. It is a time to get away from the usual activities of their village and enjoy the celebration.

Now you come upon an area with five colonnades and a pool set among them. A different crowd has gathered here today as they do nearly every day. Here there is no feasting, no celebration, although the sights, sounds and smells of the surrounding city are still present. No, here there is only waiting and a hope that fades with each passing day.

This is the scene into which Jesus walks in the fifth chapter of John's gospel. With feasting all around him, one man in particular attracts the interest of the Master. He is either crippled or paralyzed; has been so for thirty-eight years. What takes place between this one man and our Lord is a picture that may be all too familiar to your own life right now. If not, consider it carefully anyway, because it will be at some point. It has been for me—more often than I would like to admit.

Do you find yourself a long time waiting for hope to be restored, promises to be fulfilled, unmet expectations to become a reality? This man did...so have I. Maybe you have, too. What can we learn from this one event to help us in our times of doubt, impatience or downcast spirit?

Look at the question Jesus asks the man. He says, "Do you wish to get well?" This seems like an obvious fact given that the man goes to the trouble of getting himself to the pool on a regular basis. For the popular belief of the day was that the waters had healing power whenever they were stirred up by an angel of the Lord. Yet, Jesus is setting the stage to take this man's eyes off of the present relief of his condition to the superior comfort of a righteous standing before a holy God.

How often do we get so fixated on relieving difficulty or attaining certain desires that we easily fall prey to vain superstitions and unbiblical remedies that promise quick results. How often do we find our words, like this man, seasoned with discontent or self-pity? Our understanding of "wellness" must exceed far beyond our physical bodies, our circumstances or desired blessings. Our wellness starts and ends with the redemption of our hearts from slavery to sin to citizenship in the kingdom of Christ. In other words, do we want to be well in a way that allows us to enjoy the pleasures of this world or do we want to be well in a way that allows us to enjoy the pleasures of eternity?

Now, look at the man's response. "The sick man answered him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.'" There are times when we will feel like both the one who is stirring up the waters and the one who cannot get himself into them on his own. It is the place of endless frustration as we grow tired of sitting by the pool as others are feasting. We attempt to stir up the waters of our feelings. We stir the waters of our desires. We stir the waters of our circumstances. "If only things were different" is our motto. "If only I could change this..." or "if only I could have that..." And yet, for all our effort, we remain crippled and unable to move.

So what do we do in these times?

Seek to understand what desire or expectation has brought you to the waters. What defines "wellness" to you right now? How do you respond when life does not meet that definition? We're looking for root causes of the downcast spirit, self-pity or bitterness you are experiencing.
Redefine your understanding of "wellness" in terms of eternity not present circumstances. Meditate on passages such as Romans 5:1-11 or Romans 8:18-39.
"Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." Stop stirring up your own waters or waiting for someone else to come along that can get you in the pool first. Look to Jesus to make you well and live in such a way as to show how sweet and sufficient is His healing touch.
Don't think for a moment that you deserve anything good! Anything that you get in this life short of immediate judgment and eternity in hell apart from God is more than you deserve. Learn to see all of life through the lens of sovereign grace. There were many sick people around the pool that day. Only one was told to get up and walk. Crippled because of his own sinfulness (see v.14) and now walking and feasting because of the kindness and mercy of God.

Learn to feast in humility or wait with undiminished hope and joy,

Pastor Joey

A Word of Thanks

I made it home from Jamaica after midnight Sunday morning, much later than I was scheduled to arrive. Bad weather here in the States created some problems, but all is well. After a week of teaching the book of Acts for 3 hours each morning and then preaching in a local church each evening (Jamaican church services will average at least 2 and one-half hours), I am a bit tired on this snowy Monday morning.

As I think back over the last 7 years (almost 8 now) at GRBC, I am thankful both to God and to the Covenant Members for the continuing vision to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world. Over these past several years, the members of GRBC have allowed me to travel extensively in order to ensure that we remain involved in world missions. The church has not only allowed me to do this, but the members have funded each trip, prayed for me while I am away and encouraged me to travel as the Lord leads. More than that, increasing numbers of our Covenant Members are participating in these mission trips.

Never one time has a member of our church discouraged me taking time away to preach internationally. The church has never begrudged providing the funds for numerous trips abroad even when money was tight. Our vision for mission work has only expanded over the years and now we are seriously pursuing a vision for planting churches in these countries where we have been active for so many years.

In short, thanks for the support. You are a gracious people and I am encouraged. I try to be wise in scheduling travel and in bringing mission opportunities to the church to consider. I just wanted you to know that your faithfulness does not go unnoticed.

For those of you who have not yet gone with us on a mission trip, now is the time to begin praying and planning. At least 3 trips will happen each year, Lord willing. Thanks again for your kindness.

Now I’m off to see Curious George with Luke!

Pastor Shane

First Worship, then Murder

When I was a young boy I always found within me an uncontrollable urge to take things apart. When my parents bought me a child's piano, it did not take long before I had scattered pieces of various piano parts spread out around me. I was not content with the sounds of the piano. I had to know why the piano made those sounds. I must confess that the same boyish tendency has not been completely lost. Where there is an effect I have to know the cause behind it.

But what happens when we are not dealing with children's pianos anymore? How well do we ascertain the cause and effect relationship when we are dealing with our own sinful actions? I think the tendency for many of us is to look for outside reasons for why we do what we do. We are in a foul mood all day because we didn't get enough sleep last night. We spoke disrespectfully to our wife yesterday evening because we had a difficult day at work. We chose not to forgive that certain person because they have offended us one time too many. But where does the cause really lie?

Let's look at the example of two brothers found in Genesis chapter 4. It is generally thought that God's displeasure with Cain was a result of his insufficient sacrifice. For while his brother offered a blood sacrifice from the choicest of his flock, Cain simply offered a portion of crops from his fields. Yet, it does not appear that the problem lay in what the brothers offered to God. God certainly accepted offerings that did not include the slaughter of an animal (see Leviticus 2). And David proclaims in Psalm 40:6 that God's desire goes much deeper than mere sacrifices and offerings.

Instead, we find that God's displeasure gives us insight into the hearts of these two brothers. For, it was their hearts that determined the true nature of their worship. Abel's worship resulted in the pleasure of God because it flowed from a heart of faith and gratitude. Cain's worship led to the murder of his own brother because it flowed from a heart of selfish pride. Cain's murderous actions started with an idolatrous heart. He may have outwardly worshipped the God of Abel, but inwardly he worshipped a much different god.

It was not an insufficient sacrifice or the displeasure of God that lead to Cain's murderous actions. It was the object and motives of his worship that determined his course. How we worship will always determine how we live. So the next time we find ourselves making excuses for some sinful action in our lives, let us stop examining outward circumstances and look at our worship. We would do well every now and then to stop playing the piano and take the cover off to see why it is making the kind of music it is making in the first place. God's ears are tuned to the inward affections and motives of our heart.

Not living well to worship God, but worshipping God in order to live well,

Pastor Joey

When Darkness Seems to Hide His Face

"A dreadful melancholy has drifted into my life as a thick fog and slowly lingers there day after day. There seems to be no sign of it lifting. It has been many weeks since I have enjoyed the warmth and brightness of the Sun. How do you resist that which you cannot see and touch? What power has the mighty ship against the rolling fog? The danger lies not so much in the fog itself, but in the dangers hidden by the heavy mist. A downcast soul is always at risk of suffering shipwreck in regard to the faith."

Those were my own words taken from a journal entry. I share these words because I know from conversations over the years that many of you have been there. It may be that some of you are fighting through the fog today.

God's Word is not silent when it comes to the dark days of our lives. Scripture has much to say about the reality of the darkness. Often, we as believers can become so preoccupied with depression that we cannot heed the warnings or dangers that lurk around it.

What are some of the warnings our ears should be listening for in the mist of the fog?

Could there be any guilt or unconfessed sin hidden within our hearts? In Genesis 4:6 God asks Cain, "Why has your countenance fallen"? Cain's guilt over the murder of his brother produced a depressed spirit within him. In Psalm 32:3-4 David paints a vivid picture of depression brought about by unconfessed sin: "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of the day."
Am I becoming too focused upon present circumstances or desires to appreciate the future promises of God for His children? The Psalmist poses an interesting question to himself in Psalm 42: "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me"? His remedy to the problem sheds much light on the source of his depression. "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God".
Are there physical factors that I must be aware of that are contributing to my depression? While the Bible never speaks of sinful behavior as originating from physical problems, it does make clear the unique relationship between the body (physical) and the soul (spiritual). Just as hidden sins can affect us physically (see #1), our physical bodies can also affect the heart. Job's testimony is one good example of this when he describes how the disease of boils affected him. "When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise, and the night be ended?' for I have had my fill of tossing till dawn. My flesh is caked with worms and dust, my skin is cracked and breaks out afresh."—Job7:3-5

What are some of the dangers our eyes should be looking for in the mist of the fog? We will let Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 4 guide us through possible dangers.

Is our depression leading us towards an inability to live out an obedient and worshipful life to God? Paul says that we may be hard pressed by circumstances, but they should not lead to crushing effects. (v.8a)
Is our depression taking us dangerously close to a weakening of our faith in God's wisdom and goodness? At times we may be perplexed and "in the dark" as to the purposes of God in our life, but we should never let our present circumstances produce despair as to God's character or plan. (v.8b)
Is our depression causing us to lose sight of the home and inheritance that awaits us in Christ? Difficulties and unmet expectations in this life should not be met with a growing sense of covetousness or discontentment. (v.9a) We must never lose our identity as God's chosen people, bound by His covenant love, purchased by Christ's perfect atonement, secured for an everlasting glory by His Spirit.

God's Word never condemns us for the fog that comes rolling in our lives at times. In fact, it seems to assume that our ship will encounter such fog. However, we must be diligent to recognize those times, listen for any warnings within the fog, look for the dangers that lurk within the fog, and fix your eyes firmly upon the light of Scripture to guide you safely through in a way that protects your faith and upholds the beauty and faithfulness of God.

With grace as my feet and faith as my eyes,

Pastor Joey

Additional Thoughts on Discipleship
March 27, 2006

The theme of my communion meditation and sermon from this past Sunday was following Christ. Jesus lays out some difficult requirements for discipleship when he says, ²⁴"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵"He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. ²⁶"If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him (John 12:24-26).

As we contemplate what it means to follow Christ, let’s think about the words of some great Christians.

Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Holiness has never been the driving force of the majority. It is, however, mandatory for anyone who wants to enter the kingdom. --Elisabeth Elliot

If Christ does not reign over the mundane events in our lives, He does not reign at all. --Paul Tripp

Wherever you are, be all there. -- Jim Elliott, [missionary martyr]

Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord. -- J.I. Packer

For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by His fatherly care, that He is the Author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond Him — they will never yield Him willing service. Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in Him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to Him. --John Calvin

I hope these are helpful words for you as you pray for greater depth in discipleship. One last quote that sums up the issue very well; Discipleship never consists in this or that specific action: it is always a decision, either for or against Jesus Christ. --Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Following with you,
Pastor Shane

The Fear of Men
April 3, 2006

⁴²Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. (John 12:42-43)

The rulers of verse 42 were not wrong about what would happen if they publicly confessed Jesus as their Lord; they would have been put out of the synagogue. At some level they fully agreed with Christ claims to be the promised Messiah, yet Calvin writes, they embraced the doctrine of Christ, because they knew that it had come from God, but that they have not a lively faith, or a faith so vigorous as it ought to have been; for Christ does not grant to his followers a spirit of fear, but of firmness, that they may boldly and fearlessly confess what they have learned from him. It is difficult, if not impossible to know how many of these secret disciples were true converts and how many only possessed a temporary faith that would give way in the end. Nevertheless, we know that they desired acceptance in the synagogue more that they desired to honor Christ.

Surely we can sympathize with their position. They are rulers of some sort and that denotes a position of power, prestige, influence and affluence. These guys had a lot to lose if they opened up about their faith. Yet Christ demands that we publicly confess Him as our Lord regardless of the consequences. ³²Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. ³³But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32-33).

There are numerous reasons that account for our fear to speak for Christ. Perhaps one of the greatest fears we have in speaking for Christ is the loss of respectability. We want to be respected at work, home and in every other venue as well. Often, speaking clearly about our faith in Christ will cause others to think we are fanatics of one kind or another. We get lumped in with the televangelists, cult leaders and general religious nut-cases simply because we believe that Christ is God, lived a perfect life, died in our place and then arose from the dead. But it is not right to remain silent. Jesus said, ²⁴ "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. ²⁵"It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household! ²⁶"Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷"What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. ²⁸"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:24-28).

Following Christ’s example means meeting ridicule, accusation and criticism for speaking truth. And God often reminds us that we should fear Him and no other person. Calvin asks, Can any thing be more foolish, or rather, can any thing be more beastly, than to prefer the silly applause of men to the judgment of God?

So how do we get help to overcome our fears? Look to the Apostles as they faced real persecution and were commanded to no longer speak in Christ’s name; ¹³Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). And ²⁹"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, ³⁰while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." ³¹And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:29-31).

It is the filling of the Spirit that enables us to speak clearly and boldly for Christ. So let us join the Apostles and pray, And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence.

Praying with you for this courage,
Pastor Shane

Better to be the King's Fool than the Fool Who Thinks Himself King

"Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." — Proverbs 26:12

Why is this so? Why is it better to be foolish than to be self-deceived? Even as I write this article I realize that is more likely to be read by one who is a fool than one who already feels himself or herself wise. If you feel like this article is of no use to you, then it is for that very reason I urge you to read on. The above proverb is a warning that is meant to give us hope. It is not as though the proverb is saying that being foolish is ok but a false assurance of wisdom is not. Neither the foolish nor the self-deceived man or woman have much hope of growth and change. Therefore, both groups must recognize their need. Yet it is to those who consider themselves "good enough" that the stronger warning is given.

I think this is so because self-deception is a guest who comes quickly and unexpectantly but is not easily sent away. There are many "dangers, toils and snares", as the old hymn says, through which we more easily recognize their repulsive brutality and more readily engage them in battle. However, self-deception is a lover not a fighter. It constantly woos and allures the mind with those things which the mind desires the most. Our own fleshly desires are the adornments with which deception makes herself beautiful.

That is why it is so important to allow God's Spirit through His Word to expose those hidden desires and bring them to the light. As we study the Scriptures, are we allowing them to be a mirror that gives us a true and accurate reflection of our own hearts? [Heb.4:12] Many a man can be familiar with the failures of Sampson or David and yet fail to see himself in their stories. Many a woman can marvel at the faithfulness of a Ruth or the courage of an Esther and yet fall short of expecting as much from their own hearts. Let God's Word speak to us today as to the true nature of our thoughts and desires.

That is why we must daily battle to replace self-exalting desires and habits with Christ-exalting ones. It is the fool who lives foolishly because he does not know the way of the wise. It is the self-deceived one who lives foolishly because he is comparing himself with the fool. How often have we condemned the idolatry of others while allowing our own little gods to live in our houses and play in our hearts simply because we have dressed them up in a Christian t-shirt? Christ-exalting desires and habits are not the edited versions of worldly desires and habits. Are we really making the gospel beautiful today by the words we use, the thoughts that come spontaneously into our minds, the way we eat or sleep or plan? Or, are there patterns of speaking or behaving in my life that are like an old favorite shirt or pair of shoes? They are so comfortable and have been a part of my life for so long that I don't even realize how ugly, stained and smelly they are to those around me. Let us see our personal idols in light of Scripture and throw them in the trash. Then let us strive by the Spirit's power to clothe ourselves with new and better things [Col.3:1-17].

That is why we need people around us who know our struggles and will speak the truth in love. Part of becoming wise is realizing how easily we become un-wise. This means that we recognize our need for the wisdom and help of others [Heb.10:23-25]. You will quickly be robbed of any hope for true growth and change if you are not willing to receive the teaching, reproof, correction or training given by other brothers or sisters in accord with God's Word [2 Tim.3:16,17]. It is person who is wise in their own eyes who values their privacy more than their sanctification. It is the truly wise person who will suffer humiliation and inconvenience for the sake of exalting Christ in their life.

"...in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."—Eph. 4:22-24

"Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."—Eph. 5:15-17

Becoming more wise by your faith and example,

Pastor Joey

Trusting in the Promises and Praying for the Promises

There is an old southern hymn I learned as a child growing up in the hills of West Virginia.

"Tis' so sweet to trust in Jesus; Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise; Just to know, 'Thus saith the Lord'..."

It wasn't until I was much older that I understood the important correlation between resting and trusting and between promises and prayer. This past Sunday Pastor Shane drew for us a beautiful and powerful picture from John 14 of the inheritance of peace that comes to the children of God through the promises of God. A believer's life would be poor indeed without embracing the rich promises of grace. Let me say a few additional words concerning these promises of God and how we are to relate to them in our everyday lives by looking at an actual situation from Genesis 32.

⁹Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,' ¹⁰I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. ¹¹"Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. ¹²"For You said, 'I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.'"

First, we are to trust in the promises of God. The scene is a familiar one. Jacob is about to encounter a situation and he is not sure how all the details are going to play out. He remembers well the circumstances under which he last saw his brother, Esau. If time is a healer of old wounds, Jacob certainly did not think so. He is fearful for his life and the life of his family. Yet, when confronted with the possibility of impending danger, Jacob immediately turns to a promise. He says, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, [here comes the promise] 'Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,'" What is it about this statement that gives evidence of Jacob's trust in the promise God made to him?

He acknowledges the covenant faithfulness of God: Jacob looks back to God's faithfulness to Abraham and His faithfulness to Isaac. He is reminded that this is not an arbitrary God he is speaking to. This is a God who has always kept His promises. This is a covenant-keeping God.
He makes decisions based upon the promise made not visible circumstances: God told Jacob to pack up his family and his possessions and move back to his hometown. The only problem was that there were unsettled scores awaiting him there. But in Genesis 32 we find Jacob doing exactly what God told him to do. He and his family have already left safety and prosperity behind. They are almost home.

Second, we are to pray for the promises of God. Wait a minute! I thought we were supposed to trust. If we ask God to keep His promise, doesn't that indicate that we are not trusting Him to keep His promise? Good question. I think the opposite is true. It is because of Jacob's trust in God's faithfulness that he has the confidence to remind God of His promise and ask Him to prove Himself faithful once again in fulfilling it. For he says, "Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother...For You said, 'I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea..." So how do we pray for the promises of God in a way that shows we are trusting rather than doubting?

We must acknowledge that these promises are gifts we do not deserve. Jacob is very quick to point out his own unworthiness for the gracious way God has dealt with him when he says, "I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant;" We will approach God's promises rightly when we realize that they are promises of grace. And no one deserves grace! It is not an inheritance owed to you. It is an inheritance purchased for you.
We must love the promises made because they reflect the heart of the Promise-Maker. Pastor Shane rightly pointed out on Sunday that one of the main reasons we do not enjoy the inheritance of peace given to us through the promises is because we are often so ignorant of what those promises are. But I would also submit that another reason some people find no pleasure or peace in God's promises is because they don't really love what those promises offer. For example, the promise of heaven for every person who is "in Christ" will only be precious to those who love what awaits them in heaven, namely, the beauty of Christ and the glory of God and the fellowship of the saints. Not everyone finds such a picture very promising. We pray for these promises because we love what they offer us. Ultimately, they offer us the Reality behind the promise. And that is worth trusting in and praying for at any cost!

May you taste the sweetness of the promises while awaiting the Wedding Feast,

Pastor Joey

GRBC BIBLE INSTITUTE
THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH

The Elders at GRBC are especially encouraged about the participation in the GRBC Bible Institute. We will soon finish our third class of the year, A Puritan Vision of the Christian Life. In June, I will teach four Thursday evenings (7:00-8:15pm) on The Doctrine of the Church (ST102). I encourage each of you to register for and complete this course. Almost every person I know needs a better biblical understanding of the Church. If we can better grasp why the Church exists, we will be more inclined to understand the need for a covenantal relationship with a local church.

As a church that believes the Reformers rediscovered valuable doctrinal truths that serve us well today, we appreciate the Reformers’ emphasis on the high priority of local churches in the lives of God’s children. No Christian is called to live in isolation from other believers. God is gathering a people for Himself; He is not simply gathering individuals. The local church provides essential means of grace that cause believers to endure until the end (Hebrews 10:19-25). Therefore, church membership is to be taken very seriously. The primary benefit of membership is the protection that qualified spiritual leaders and other believers provide to the covenant members.

In short, Scripture never presents Christians who exist apart from the Church. We at GRBC certainly believe in the perseverance of the saints. We believe that true believers continue believing until they die. But we do not believe that this persevering faith is maintained apart from the Church, but instead, the church exists to strengthen one’s faith so that perseverance becomes possible.

Let us dedicate four Thursday evening’s in June to rediscover the nature and importance of the Church. You can register on-line if you like. I hope to see you in class. One last word on the Church, Jesus promised that when he left, he would send the Spirit to testify concerning him, bringing conviction and forgiveness through the gospel proclaimed. In the meantime, our Lord went "to prepare a place" for us to be together forever (John 14:3). It will be a permanent address at last. At its best, the church below is the staging area for the things to come: a kingdom of grace, not yet a kingdom of glory; a church militant, not yet the church triumphant (Michael Horton).

Pastor Shane

The Flesh and Bones of the Christian Life

From time to time it is good for us to be reminded of elementary things. I am currently enjoying reading through Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Yet, I cannot enjoy the literary beauty of this classic without first remembering my ABC's. Of course, this does not mean that I have to relearn the alphabet every time I read. But it does mean that I cannot foolishly think that I can read apart from t hat early foundation that was built when I was a child. Even though I am rarely conscious of it, that foundation must still remain with me today. In fact, it is the very reason why I am able to write this article. So what does all this have to do with you?

I simply want to make us aware of the elementary things that are still essential for our lives today. I want us to be reminded of how we function at the core of our identities as followers of Christ. It is upon Love and Truth that we are to live today. For nothing built on foundations other than these will prove eternal in value. The Apostle John says that the truth "will be with us forever" [2 John 1:2], and the Apostle Paul states that "love never fails" [1 Corinthians 13:8]. To see this more clearly, let's go back to middle school biology (or "Junior High" for those of you slightly older than me, or the "School House" for you seasoned saints). I encourage you to get your Bible and really look at the passages mentioned.

As the skeleton is to our bodies, so truth is to our lives. It is the framework upon which everything else is built. Science tells us that the skeletal system serves many important purposes for our bodies. Those purposes are protection, support, formation of blood cells, and leverage to magnify speed of movement or force. The same is true of God's truth as He has revealed it in the Scriptures.

In God's Word we find protection against our own sinful desires [Psalm 119:11], protection against the sinful actions of others [1 Peter 2:19-23; Romans 12:19], and protection against overwhelming despair [2 Corinthians 4:8-18].
In God's Word we find the framework that supports and gives shape to every area of life [2 Peter 1:3; 1 Timothy 3:16-18].
In God's Word we find the life-giving Spirit breathing life into our souls first in the regeneration of our hearts [Ezekiel 37; Titus 3:4-7], then in giving us hope that produces perseverance [Romans 15:4,13].
In God's Word we find God's power at work in us to bring us to spiritual maturity [John 17:17; 1 Peter 2:2-3], to promote godly change [Hebrews 4:12], and to establish His kingdom [Romans 1:16].

Secondly, as the flesh is to our bodies, so love is to our lives. The covering of our bodies is commonly called "skin" or "flesh". It also serves many important purposes such as identity, protection, ability to sense and touch, and insulation. The same is true of God's love as poured forth into our hearts.

It is through love that our identity as God's chosen people is most evident [John 13:35].
It is through love that we protect ourselves from resentment [Romans 12:14], from conflict that dishonors God [Matthew 5:38-47; Romans 12:20], and from the damage sin can inflict on our relationships [1 Peter 4:8].
It is through love of others that we see and taste and feel the covenantal love God has towards us [1 John 4:9-21].
It is through love that warmth of God's truth is insulated against anything that would seek to corrupt its beauty and the heat of God's truth is insulated against cold legalism or lukewarm antinomianism [Matthew 5:43-48;1 Peter 4:10-11].

May we be ever mindful today to meditate on God's truth more diligently so that our hearts may be motivated to love more fervently.

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart." -1 Peter 1:22

May our love in action today always be done for the sake of the truth and, in so doing, further magnify the love of the Father and the Son. It is then that we will be living by the power of the Holy Spirit. For He is the "Spirit of truth" and the perfect personification of the Father's love for the Son and the Son's love for the Father.

Grace, mercy and peace will accompany us as we walk in the way of truth and love,

Pastor Joey

Wisdom for the Family

Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it than a house full of feasting with strife (Proverbs 17:1). One of the reasons that we must more clearly define the roles of husbands and wives is to cut down on strife in our homes. Matthew Henry comments, Those that live in contention, that are always jarring and brawling, and reflecting upon one another, though they have plenty of [nice things], a house full of [feasting], live uncomfortably; they cannot expect the blessing of God upon them and what they have, nor can they have any true relish of their enjoyments, much less any peace in their own consciences.

When husbands and wives neglect the biblical exhortations concerning their roles, the most likely scenario is that the atmosphere of the home becomes chaotic. If we do not gain some biblical clarity on who should provide for the expenses of the home and who should handle the daily administration of the home, the resulting conflict will be common. Sure, we now have two incomes and can buy nicer things, but with this “feasting” comes “strife”. This is not an accurate portrayal of every two-income home, but it is descriptive of far too many. How much more peace would fill our homes if every Christian husband simply acknowledged that he is the spiritual leader and provider for his family? How many consciences would be put at rest if every Christian wife joyfully accepted her role as helper to her husband and keeper of their home? Our desire for cultural approval makes life at home much more difficult than it needs to be. Can we not return to a commitment to simplicity with our family structures?

` We must ask God to help us desire the quietness of a well-ordered home more than we desire the feasting of a home filled with chaos and strife. We seem to put up with a lot of strife for a little bit of feasting.

Today, my family’s morning prayer came from The Collects of Thomas Cranmer and this was his prayer (a “collect” is a short prayer):

Almighty God, which dost make the minds of all faithful men to be of one will;
grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest,
and desire that which thou dost promise; that among the sundry and manifold
changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are
to be found; through Christ our Lord. (1549)

The meditation that goes along with today’s prayer reads, The prayer bids us love that which we are required to do. The vision is for people to obey God’s commandment not out of constraint, nor even out of a sense of duty, but rather out of spontaneous desire. What a revolutionary idea! For the “I ought” to be the same thing as the “I want”.

These are instructive words for mothers and fathers, husbands and wives. By accepting these roles, we have accepted many obligations, many difficult obligations. Let us begin to pray that regardless of how society and its expectations have changed, we will love what God has commanded us to do and we will do it in full expectation of joy being the result of our labor. This is a matter of faith. Do we really believe that God-assigned roles for husbands and wives will produce the most joy in the end? May God keep us from unbelief in these matters. May the Holy Spirit come to teach, guide and comfort us in doing what God requires of us.

Pastor Shane

Fighting Words for a Weary Soul

This past weekend was indeed time well spent for those of us who had the privilege of sitting under Dr. Donald Whitney's teaching on the Lord's Day and true Christian fellowship that both builds up and refreshes the soul. And yet, much talk about rest does not produce rest. So today I find my mind and body in a weary state. Does this mean my soul gets the day off from pursuing righteousness and glorifying God with my thoughts and actions? Of course not! There is war to be waged both within my own heart and against a godless culture around me. Today I must fight; and you must fight. So here are a few words to help stir up my own soul to fight today. Maybe you need the same.

Why I should fight to worship with gladness today:

"In the morning I took the Bible; and beginning at the New Testament, I began seriously to read it, and imposed upon myself to read awhile every morning and every night, not tying myself to the number of chapters, but as long as my thoughts should engage me. It was not long after I set seriously to this work, but I found my heart more deeply and sincerely affected with the wickedness of my past life.

The impression of my dream revived, and the words, 'All these things have not brought thee to repentance' ran seriously in my thought. I was earnestly begging of God to give me repentance, when it happened providentially, the very day that, reading the Scripture, I came to these words, 'He is exalted a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance, and to give remission.' I threw down the book; and with my heart as well as my hands lifted up to heaven, in a kind of ecstasy of joy, I cried aloud, 'Jesus, Thou Son of David! Jesus, Thou exalted Prince and Savior, give me repentance!'

This was the first time that I could say, in the true sense of the words, that I prayed in all my life; for now I prayed with a sense of my condition, and with a true Scripture view of hope founded on the encouragement of the Word of God; and from this time, I may say, I began to have hope that God would hear me.

Now I began to construe the words mentioned above, 'Call on Me, and I will deliver you,' in a different sense from what I had ever done before; for then I had no notion of anything being called deliverance but my being delivered from the captivity I was in [He had been stranded alone on a deserted island for some time]; for though I was indeed at large in the place, yet the island was certainly a prison to me, and that in the worst sense in the world. But now I learned to take it in another sense; now I looked back upon my past life with such horror, and my sins appeared so dreadful, that my soul sought nothing of God but deliverance from the load of guilt that bore down all my comfort. As for my solitary life, it was nothing; I did not so much as pray to be delivered from it or think of it; it was all of no consideration, in comparison to this. And I add this part here, to hint to whoever shall read it, that whenever they come to a true sense of things, they will find deliverance from sin a much greater blessing than deliverance from affliction."

[excerpt from Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe]

Why I should fight to live righteously today:

"The children of Israel were not under the power of Amalek—they were free men [see Exodus 17]; and so we are not under the power of sin any longer. The yolk of sin has been broken by God's grace from off our necks, and now we have to fight not as slaves against a master, but as freemen against a foe. Moses never said to the children of Israel while they were in Egypt, 'Go fight with Pharoah.' Not at all; it is God's work to bring us out of Egypt and make us His people, but when we are delivered from bondage, although it is God's work to help us, we must be active in our cause. Now that we are alive from the dead we must wrestle with principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness if we are to overcome."

[excerpt from sermon "War with Amalek", by Charles Spurgeon]

Now those are fighting words! Fight well today...

Pastor Joey

Two Important Events

There are two important events taking place for the leadership of GRBC in the next several days. First, we Elders will hold our annual retreat this Thursday through Saturday. Please pray for us as we plan for the next 12 months. If you want a good theological summary of why planning is important, read John Piper here.

Following the Elder’s retreat, Pastor Joey and I will leave for Greensboro, NC to attend the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please pray for our convention as it meets to elect new officers and handle other necessary business. I realize that many of you are not familiar with the SBC and if you would like to know more about what takes place at this annual meeting, their website is here.

Lastly, let me once again thank you for allowing us this time away each year. I do not know of a more gracious church when it comes to encouraging your pastors to attend conferences, lead mission trips and take advantage of other such opportunities. Personally, there is no other people to whom I would rather preach than to the covenant members of GRBC and their children. But while we are away, I request your prayers so that our planning and praying may represent the will of our Lord Jesus and that lasting fruit will result.

Gratefully,
Pastor Shane

Creator of All, Father to Some (Part 1)

"We are all God's children." This oft-spoken statement has become the mantra of humanity in our world today. Everyone from politicians to Hollywood stars to human rights activists has proclaimed the all-encompassing fatherhood of God. Speak these words in any context and you will rarely find a dissenter in the midst. How are we to understand the fatherhood of God? Does it really matter or are we just arguing over semantics?

All of humanity does indeed have a unique relationship with God. Out of the vastness and breathtaking beauty of the creation, only human beings are seen as the crowning glory of God's creative work. Notice the scope of God's purpose for humanity from Colossians 1:16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible...All things were created through Him and for Him. Everything else God spoke into existence served to help men and women know, enjoy and glorify Him. Therefore, all of humanity is connected to God inasmuch as every person is obligated to acknowledge His sovereign rule over them and gladly submit to that authority. God is creator of all.
The frightening thing about this truth is that it offers no hope or assurance to mankind.

It speaks of our obligation to God: perfect obedience to His rule in every action and thought with every breath of life He grants us. With the fall of each grain of sand that God allows to pass through the hourglass of our lives, there comes with it the responsibility of responding perfectly and completely to His desires alone.
It speaks of God's obligation to us: nothing! Consider these sobering passages.

Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—an earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'? [Isaiah 45:9]

...who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, 'Why did you make me like this' will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? [Romans 9:20-21]

God is creator of all, and as such, deserves the perfect worship and perfect obedience of all peoples. So why are we not paralyzed by fear and crushed from despair at the thought of a God who demands everything and is obligated to nothing? Because for countless millions throughout history, God the creator has freely chosen to obligate Himself as a father. Many of us who were once as stillborn babies, dead to the authority of our Creator, a tiny lifeless heart that did not beat with affection towards Him, brought into the world not as a source of goodness and happiness but as a grief and sorrow, were one day passed by, lying in an open field in our own bloody guilt and shame, by the Creator of all life [see Ez.16:3-6]. And He said to us, "LIVE!" As Pharoah's daughter pulled the baby Moses from the deadly waters of the Nile, so God has pulled us out of death and into life. Why did He do it? How could He respond to us in this way? What difference does it make for us that He now calls himself our Father? These questions we will look to next time.

May we rejoice with trembling today before our life-giving God,

Pastor Joey

Creator of All, Father to Some (Part 2)

Last time we looked at the unique relationship all of humanity has with God. It is not a unique fatherly relationship as many would like to think. Rather, it is unique in the sense that mankind is set apart as the crowning glory of all that God created. Every man and woman ever born was brought into this unique relationship. Inherent in the relationship between Creator and creation is an obligation on every person's part to respond perfectly and joyfully to the rule and desires of God. On the other hand, our Creator God has absolutely no obligation to His creation. This presented a fearful problem for us.

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith states the problem as thus: "The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience to Him as their creator, yet they could never have attained the reward of life but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which He hath been pleased to express by way of covenant." [Article 7.3]

There is so much that could be said here, but I want to focus on just one encouraging aspect of all this for us today. God created men and women in such a way as to display His glory throughout the earth and forever enjoy the perfections and beauties of Him. We gladly received all the benefits of God's creation then turned around and used our Garden of Eden as a brothel for every other lover that might come our way. God could have wiped his hands clean of every one of us sinners.

Amazingly, God, although completely free and under no obligation to anyone other than Himself, chose to willfully and joyfully obligate Himself to some of His rebellious creatures. An eternal covenant was transacted between the Father and the Son before time began. This covenant, sealed in the redemptive slaying of His Son, opened the way for us to know God, not simply as Creator, but as Father!

The lovingkindness of our God shines so brightly here! Yes, He passed by a lifeless corpse and breathed life into it. We who were once dead have now been made alive through the death of Christ. But so much more than this, we have been adopted into God's family. We now enjoy all the privileges and freedoms of the children of God. We have His name written on us. We have access to His very throne of grace. He protects us, provides for us, and gently heals our wounds. He disciplines us for our good, while never giving us cause to fear being cast off or rejected. All the powers of heaven and earth are moved at His command [see Psalm 18] to bring us safely into His kingdom as heirs of the promise of life eternal.

Pray that this child makes his Father look glorious and His family look inviting,

Pastor Joey

Let Freedom Ring for a New Generation

We live in a noisy culture. Silence is associated with boredom. Dead air is a lethal enemy to a market thirsty for our attention. The ears of our young people are filled with a revolving feast of Ipods, ring tones, and thirty second commercials. What does all this have to do with the celebration of our nation's independence?

This week many of us will enjoy the child-like thrill of watching colors splash across the sky to the accompaniment of powerful booms and dazzling sparkles. We will eat way too many hot dogs and drink way too much sweet tea (my apologies to our northern folk who are confused as to the beverage I am referring to). The familiar laughter of family and friends will fill the air. And yet, for all the sounds of merriment and celebration, the ring of Freedom will most likely be lost in our own ears and the ears of our children.

Our children will gaze up at a wonderful display of fireworks and never see "the rocket's red glare". They will hear the heart jumping sound of a firecracker and fail to connect it to "the bombs bursting in air". In other words, we do not know and cherish the story of our nation (its humble beginnings, its rich heritage, its great leaders, its growing pains and lessons learned), therefore, our children will not grow up being able to recognize, much less love, the "Freedom Ring" of the past.

This Independence Day, let us find it an occasion to look to the past and celebrate God's providential hand in the birth of our nation. Let us give honor where honor is due. Let us find lessons to be learned rather than mistakes to be repeated. Let us love these blessed United States of America neither too much nor too little. But, rather, inasmuch as our nation's interests have furthered and advanced our own interests as citizens in the Kingdom of God, let us rejoice and give thanks. Alexander Hamilton once wrote:

"The Nation, which indulges towards another an habitual hatred, or an habitual fondness, is in some degree a slave...to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest...[Such a] passionate attachment...produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest...where no real common interest exists..."

The danger for the next generation is that the "illusion of an imaginary common interest" will come in the form of life as a department store. There are many good options upon which to build your life (which translates into image for them). Just pick the one that looks good on you today. Remember, they have music players that hold 1000 songs. They have phones with a different ring for every person that calls. They have churches that go to great lengths to offer something better than the one across the street. Who needs a history lesson in a world like this? Apparently, we all do.

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of You fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?" —Psalm 8:3,4

A story untold is a story soon forgotten. Let freedom ring from our lips and in our hearts!

Pastor Joey

How to Pray for Israel

Even as I write this article, there is escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Although conflict is nothing new to the nation of Israel, it does not diminish the terrible impact it has upon the nation and its people. It was not long ago that 1900 years of exile for the Jews was ended with the founding of Israel in 1948. There have been five wars and countless difficulties since that time.

There is often some confusion as to how we as Christians should look upon the nation of Israel. There are many within evangelicalism who feel a very strong sense of loyalty to the nation in every respect. They point to Scriptures such as Genesis 27:29, "Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. be master over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!" They feel it our Christian duty to stand with Israel at all times. There are others among the Christian community that would have us give no homage to Israel whatsoever for they have broken their covenant with God and are no longer under His favor.

So how can we, as those chosen of God through Christ, respond biblically and faithfully to the nation of Israel particularly in these dark days of conflict? I do not claim to have perfect clarity on all the specific aspects of God's dealing with Israel. I do not know for certain the exact nature of His plan when He says through the Apostle Paul in Romans 11 "that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved..." So let me briefly offer us a few points of certainty to help guide our hearts and minds towards Israel.

The Jewish people should have a special place of gratitude and respect in our hearts.
"But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you." [Rom. 11:17,18]

We have received the benefits of Christ through the covenantal and redemptive workings of God through His chosen nation. The gospel that came to us is the fulfillment of their Jewish heritage.
The nation of Israel should not be confused with the true Israel with whom God has made His covenant promises.
"But it is not as though the word of God has failed. for they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: 'Through Isaac your descendants will be named.' that is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants." [Romans 9:6-8]

We should not give blind allegiance to the nation of Israel under the presumption that God is blessing them as His covenant people and will bless us as we support them. Our ultimate allegiance is to Christ and to His bride, the true Israel, of whom we are heirs also.
We should pray for the nation of Israel in the same way we pray for other nations with a special eye towards the salvation of the Jewish people.
"I have set a watchman on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise to the earth."[Isaiah 62:6-7]

"Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! [Romans 11:12]

Only 0.2% of the people of Israel are evangelical Christians. That is a staggering percentage compared to the Jewish population at 80% and the Muslim population at 15%. Pray that God's remnant would boldly and clearly proclaim the Gospel within a hostile environment.

The conflict between Jews and Muslims is complex and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Likewise, the conflicts going on now between the Arabs and Israelis are equally complex and deeply rooted. Pray that the body of Christ will pursue justice and mercy that transcends cultural and national loyalties.
Let us not become narrow in our scope of God's providences and redemptive purposes.
The kingdom of God is being established throughout every corner of the world. God's eye is on the world. So, too, should our eye be upon all peoples. Where there is suffering let us be moved with compassion. Where there is injustice let us lend our voices to those who have no voice. Where there is darkness let us offer light though it may risk extinguishing our own light upon this earth. Pray that God would lift the veil from Jewish and Arab eyes alike that they may see the glory of God in the face of Christ!

May we have eyes for both present sufferings and future glory!

Pastor Joey

Asking for Ourselves

Two Sundays ago I preached through John 17, Jesus’ prayer for Himself, His disciples and all who would ever believe. One of the points that I stressed was the need to pray for ourselves. I was hesitant to mention this point because it seemed so obvious that every believer should spend a significant amount of time in prayer for himself. Yet, most of the comments I have received about that sermon have been directed at this one thought; “I should pray for myself as Christ did.” It appears that we are predisposed to feel guilty when asking for God to provide something for us rather than for someone else. This I understand, but we must reeducate our consciences along these lines. God delights in prayers that request His help. Psalm 50:15, Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me. It is a remarkable thing to realize that God enjoys hearing our voices call out to Him in our weakness and ignorance. Even when we do not know precisely what to ask for, God enthusiastically hears us and helps us according to Romans 8:26-27. Beyond this, God command us to ask again and again (Matthew 7:7-12 & Luke 11:1-13). Pay special attention to Luke 11:8b, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

We should not be ashamed because we need to ask God for help on a daily basis or perhaps even several times a day. Neither should we be embarrassed when God delights in our prayers and provides for us. Certainly we must realize that God’s greatest gift to us is Himself. God often displays His glory and power in this world by providing for His children’s needs; in many cases, He provides much more than what we need. When God does provide richly for His children, we should not become prideful; neither should we be uncomfortable with those blessings. Our lives should be characterized by faithful asking and humble receiving.

Like Augustine, we should ask for the Holy Spirit’s help: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.

Like Augustine, we should ask God to increase our spiritual appetite: Dear God, I seek to know You, to love You, to rejoice in You. If I cannot do these perfectly, may I at least advance to higher degrees each day until I come more nearly to approach perfection. God of truth, may my knowledge of You increase; may my love of You grow every day more and more; may my joy in You become full.

Praying with you,
Pastor Shane

As We Walk This Pilgrim Way

"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked...But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night."—Psalm 1:1,2

It is no small matter that we choose our traveling companions wisely today. The Psalmist makes clear the importance of the company we keep and the counsel we receive as we walk through life. Lest we begin thinking of names and faces of those whom we should avoid on our journey, let me suggest a different question for us to meditate on today.

While there is indeed real danger in close friendships with unbelievers, the more pressing question for many of us is this: "Will I give my ear and my heart to those wicked fellows called Pride, Self-indulgence, Lustful Appetite, or Slothfulness?" They will most certainly lead us to destruction. Yet, their fellowship is at times strangely appealing.

Let us not be so naive as to think that wicked counsel only comes from other people. We may do well to avoid walking in the counsel of wicked men and yet walk in the counsel of the wicked nonetheless. I find the voice of Pride or Slothfulness to be much harder to ignore than the voices of many men who would lead me astray.

John Bunyan, in his book The Holy War, speaks of the conquering of the town of Mansoul by the wicked forces of Diabolous. Mansoul is penetrated by evil at two major points—Eye Gate and Ear Gate. Once those two gates are infiltrated the whole town is overcome with darkness. It is a frightening picture, and one that serves as a warning to us to guard our gates well.

What are the sentries that we can position at the gates to protect us from wicked counsel and ensure the blessedness in our journey spoken of by the Psalmist? We must give our hearts to the counsel of God. Our delight is found in His law. We build our defenses by meditating day and night upon the Scriptures and finding our counsel there. Our traveling companions become Truth, Righteousness, Promise and Glory. They will most certainly lead us to their Master where there is blessedness forevermore.

May we walk with strong and good companions today!
Pastor Joey

The High Cost of Unity

"...for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together."—2 Corinthians 7:3

Five Years ago this week our nation experienced a rare taste of real unity. Unfortunately, our fifty states became united at the cost of thousands of lives. It was a tragic day that still lingers in the hearts and minds of many of us. I remember what it felt like when the enemy struck a fatal blow. I remember the helplessness and uncertainty on the faces of men and women who just moments earlier were living "normal" life. The unity we experienced that fateful day came at a high price.

The ironic thing is that unity almost always comes at a cost. Our unity as a nation required a tragic reminder of how precious our freedom is to us and how vulnerable we are when we lose sight of our identity as a united republic. Our fifty states did not unite together to build a wealthy and prosperous place for every individual. We united together to protect the freedom and rule of law that made us great.

Several thousand years ago, a people united for a great cause. They came together with knowledge, ingenuity, strength, and determination to build a city. The city would be a place where they could leave behind their nomadic ways and establish their autonomy. The city's name was Babel. However, it was a short-lived unity because it was built upon a cheap foundation of self-justification. The height of human perfection came crashing down. The people were scattered, their language was confused, and the possibility of unity and peace seemed lost.

The hope of real, lasting unity came out of a small tribal people that we know as the Hebrews. This Jewish nation was born out of a covenant promise by God with Abraham. With it came the promise that God would take those who were not His people and make them His people. The curse of Babel would be reversed. People from every nation, tribe and tongue would make up one great kingdom nation. This kingdom would enjoy perfect peace and perfect unity and perfect fellowship forever without end!

This united kingdom would come, but it would have to come at a cost. A rebellious, sinful people would have to be redeemed. Their selfish hearts would have to be replaced with hearts of love towards God and love towards one another. Their filthy rags of self-justification would have to be exchanged for a perfect righteousness outside of themselves. And this kingdom would need a king.

Jesus Christ took upon Himself the terrible price for our unity. He would provide the ransom required to purchase our freedom. He would be the perfect righteousness required to become God's chosen people. And He would be raised from death to life to rule and reign as our Sovereign King forever.

Let us guard our unity at all costs. Let us not forget that we were once not a people. We were a scattered group of wanderers destined for destruction. But the fatal blow from the judgment hammer of God came down upon the back of His own Son. And we were gathered into a Holy Nation "to die together and to live together" as one. We are united together in hope and truth making known the glory of God to the world.

May Christ unite our hearts and homes today no matter the cost.
Pastor Joey

How "Community Groups" Help Us Live Out Romans 12

"For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another."—Romans 12:4,5

The concept of small clusters of believers meeting together in homes at various times is nothing new. Those early years of the young, New Testament church were built primarily upon such meetings. Now we live in a world of comfortable buildings, padded seats, high tech video and audio capabilities, and convenient parking (unless you are one of the many unlucky ones who have to park on the grass). Yet, we still find regular house meetings a necessity in the life of the church. The necessity is not one of worship space but of worship purpose. Our Lord's Day gatherings build up the church through corporate singing, praying, and hearing God's Word read and explained. We are built up through the breaking of bread at the Lord's table and the breaking of bread at our fellowship meals. But there remains an aspect of biblical fellowship that seems to require the opening of our homes to one another in hospitality.

This is our fifth year meeting in what we call “community groups”, yet many of us are just now starting to see just how necessary and precious they are to our faith. They are called community groups for two reasons: First, they build a sense of community among the members of each group as they pray and apply the Scriptures together and use their spiritual gifts in ministry to one another. Second, they meet within the various communities to remind us to love our neighbors through the gospel and provide an opportunity to do so through a home Bible study.

Each group takes on a unique personality depending upon the people in the group and the giftedness and style of its leaders. That is the beautiful diversity necessary in the body of Christ. We pray that more leaders will rise up who bring their own unique gifts and passions to a group, that new groups are formed that meet in new neighborhoods, and involve people who have never been a part of growing together in community.

However, there is an even greater desire in my heart these days. More important than creating or sustaining a specific program or successful ministry is the realities of Romans 12 being evident in our church. As I viewed the various aspects of our church life through the lens of Romans 12, I began to thank God for “community groups” because of how these small groups help us live out this chapter in so many different ways.

We have the opportunity to use our various gifts God has granted us in very specific ways within community groups. In Romans 12:3-8, Paul instructs me as to my dependence upon others’ spiritual gifts and their dependence upon mine and commands us to use our gifts to help one another. We are more aware of specific needs or struggles within a small group, therefore, we are in a better position to use our gifts to strengthen one another’s faith. Those who are good encouragers have many opportunities to call or write a person in their group who they know is going through a difficult time. Those who have been granted knowledge can help other group members apply scripture to certain situations or problems.

In Romans 12:9-13, Paul gives us a picture of the true body of Christ in action. Our love toward one another is to be genuine (literally “without hypocrisy”, v.9). This is not a general type of love outside the context of close relationships. It is a “brotherly love” that binds us together in biblical fellowship (v.10). As we come together in a small group made up of people from all backgrounds and walks of life, we are able to give “preference to one another in honor” (v.10) through very real and practical ways. Hidden selfish motives do not live very long in a genuine, God-honoring group of believers. One of the greatest aspects of growing in community is the joy and perseverance it brings about by God’s grace. Those other believers help me to rejoice more often (v.12a) by reminding me of the hope that is mine in Christ as we discuss the scriptures together. Those believers help me to endure tribulation and suffering (v.12b) as we remember the promises of God, as we devote ourselves to praying specifically for one another (v.12c), as needs are met without question or obligation (v.13a), and as we open our homes to one another rather than allowing them to be a means of preserving a little private world for ourselves (v.13b).

I thank God for community groups!
Pastor Joey

Blessings and Burnings

For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined. —Psalm 66:10

I found myself reflecting this week on how relatively pain-free the Lord has kept my life. This is especially true with regard to my physical surroundings. I have felt very little of the suffering I see all around me in the world. I have not experienced disability, chronic pain, life-threatening experiences, the loss of parents or spouse or children, or financial crisis. My greatest sufferings have always been internal. Outwardly, the Lord continues to grant me the blessings of provision and protection far greater than even I realize. Yet at the same time, He is constantly purifying my heart and mind with the intense heat of a refiner's fire: outward blessings and inward burnings!

I would speculate that the same is true of many of us. We journey through this world with a certain degree of outward comfort. It is nothing to feel guilty about, nor is it to be a source of pride. There is no shame in the blessings God grants to His children; there is no pride to be found in God's blessings because they flow from grace not merit. The Lord often uses blessings in my life to expose those sinful desires of my heart that need to be purified. Sometimes my greatest blessings become my greatest sources of sanctification.

I have observed with others that the sanctifying fire upon their hearts and minds will often come through outward difficulties and sufferings. Their journey is marked by seasons of pain, tragedy, or disappointment. Maybe you would find yourself is this second group. The blessings of God are not apparent to those outside observers, but you know the reality of His goodness in the midst of the fire.

It is not my purpose here to fully explain or even understand all of this, but merely to acknowledge the goodness of both. God is wise and good in bringing about our ultimate salvation. He knows precisely when and where to bless us and when and where to burn us. There is a burning that comes with each blessing, and there are blessings that come with each burning. May both His blessings and His burnings work in us to conform us more into the image of Christ.

Learning to enjoy both the warmth and the heat of the Sun,
Pastor Joey

Our Love-Hate Relationship with Weathermen

"I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted...Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. —Job 42:2,3

We love weathermen. It is an interesting fascination we have with these professional predictors of the weather. Every local news channel knows the importance we place upon them. They will spends crazy amounts of money to hire and market the "best" weathermen. In fact, now one person is not enough. Most stations have a weather team. Sounds impressive. Where once the position was reserved for those young, inexperienced hopefuls trying to move up in the news business, now these same people find their faces on billboards and commercials. They are the superstars.

We love weathermen for one very important reason. It's not because we need to know what to wear today. 99% of our time is spent indoors. Does it really matter what we wear? It's not because our livelihood depends on the weather. How many of us determine the work of the day based upon temperature, humidity, or wind conditions? No, we love weathermen because in our minds knowledge equals control. We want to know exactly what will happen today because it makes us feel like we are in control. Weathermen hold out that sense of power to us. They offer us control.

We also hate weathermen. They call for rain and we get sunshine. They call for beautiful snow and we get a cold, wet muddy mess. They warn of impending danger and we waste a lot of money at Home Depot. They give casual speculation and a city is left in ruins. Yet, we don't hate them because they are wrong. We hate them because when they are wrong it reminds us that we really aren't in control. The uncertainty of the weather is merely a small picture of a greater reality that all of life is beyond our power. We can speculate but we cannot promise. We can plan but we cannot guarantee results.

How should we respond in the face of such certain uncertainty? Allow me to continue my weather analogy. Instead of allowing the uncertainty of the weather conditions to produce frustration, anger, or greater efforts at control, let the certainty of the weather's presence produce peace and freedom. In other words, I wake up in the morning knowing that something like rain or snow or warmth or wind will be present throughout the day. I know that the sun will rise sometime this morning and will set sometime this afternoon. I am not worried about a random fireball falling from a cloud or the sun suddenly losing its heat.

This is how we as Christians can live in the realm of both faith and action. There is an unchanging, all-powerful God who works in His wise providence. He establishes His purposes and brings them about. He proclaims promises and faithfully fulfills them. He has revealed enough about Himself and His plans to give us reason to hope and trust. As surely as the sun rose this morning to give us light and warmth, God's grace and love towards those of us who are His children was resting upon us as we awoke. We do not have to wonder today if God is for us or against us. We do not have to determine whether the events of the day give evidence of His mercy or His wrath. This is the life of faith in God through Christ.

The peace and freedom of this certainty gives us the ability to face uncertainties head on. We should no longer feel the need to control that which is and should be beyond our knowledge. For most of us it will not be the weather. We want to feel in control by storehousing money for future comfort, planning when and how many children we will have, waiting for the guarantee of "success" or "compensation" if I share the gospel with a neighbor or give twenty dollars to one in need.

Stop watching the Weather Channel and start living the fearless and fruitful life of faith.

Walking today without an umbrella,

Pastor Joey

Birth[days] Abounding

“God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” - Genesis 1:28

It’s become somewhat routine for the members of Green Run to celebrate the birth of a new child to other members in our church. More recently, we have had the opportunity to welcome a new child into the families of both of our pastors. What a blessing indeed. God has protected all of these mothers and children throughout their pregnancy, and brought these children into the world safely and in good health. May God receive the glory for it all.

In this time, let us not forget another birth spoken of in the Scriptures, specifically John 3:3. Speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus said “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. So while we continue to celebrate these births into the world, let us not forget to pray for and celebrate the births into God’s kingdom. Are you also able to see that God has protected His Word throughout time in order that we might be able to hear the good news and through His grace receive the new birth? Further, we receive a new heart and the Holy Spirit restores our health by helping us to love the things of God more than the sinful desires in our previously dead existence. Being alive to God in Christ (Romans 6:11),we should produce evidence of faith in our lives as we mature in this new birth.

We are richly blessed at Green Run in that our leadership provides expositional preaching and Scripturally sound guidance not only for our corporate gatherings, but also in each of our lives. Therefore, this new birth should be familiar to each of us. If it is not clear to you yet, continue coming to Green Run. I am filled with certitude that you will be exposed to the Scriptures time after time. Continue to prayerfully ask our Father to give you a new heart so that you may be born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). Seek to join us in celebration; seek to help us celebrate your new birth.

So today, Monday, October 09, 2006 I offer this prayer for the new births at Green Run and the new births into God’s kingdom.

Father in Heaven, you are all things glorious. You have, in your wisdom, provided a plan for our church that we pray will allow us to continue to pour out the Gospel to all nations. You have so wonderfully blessed us in this year with many new births into our families. Lord, we pray that it be your will to increase the number of “new births” into your church as well. Your grace sustains us Father. May we continue to celebrate with great joy the shower of blessings that are evident in our church. May we not forget to give you honor and glory for them all Lord and many more. For as we so often sing “great is you name beyond the earth”. Father, let us continue to heed your word in multiplying and building a godly legacy for the generations to come. Protect our families and our church so that you are glorified in our efforts to live according to your revealed word. May our church abide in your Scriptures for all this life, spreading the Gospel to all who have ears to hear. We so humbly thank you Father for your unending care for Green Run. Lord, we boast only in Christ our saviour and sole means to you and your kingdom. I lift up this prayer in His name. Amen

Let us not forget our Creator in this time of celebration. May we extend all the glory and honor unto Him.

Prayerfully,

Stephen Watkins
(Deacon)

Insulation, Isolation and Vaccination

"The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will extol Him. The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name."—Exodus 15:2-3

A few weeks ago during our monthly gathering of men we were discussing the issue of men protecting their families. One of the men asked a very good question: "Should we isolate our children [or wives] from the world or let them learn how to live within the world?" It is an important question every man (or woman in a single parent home) should give serious consideration.

The concern we have is the same concern we have observed many times in the animal world. Most of us have seen the wild animal lost or abandoned by its mother only to be raised by a human family. It is cared for, loved, nourished and protected. Eventually the day comes when the "family pet" has outgrown domestic life and must be returned to the wild. The family now has a dilemma. To return the beast to the wild after living its whole life sheltered and protected would mean certain death.

For the most part, our children and our wives are not wild beasts. But we face a similar fear. How shall we protect our family in a way that does not put them in danger the moment they are out of our presence? We must realize that the family shepherd is responsible for three things at various times in the lives of his family: He must insulate them, isolate them, and vaccinate them. Let's look at each one briefly.

First, we must insulate them from the world in their formative years. We understand this well from a physical standpoint. We do not let children drive cars, vote for president, or fight in a war. They do not have the physical or intellectual development to perform such tasks properly. However, we often overlook this same limitation in how they are able to perceive and process the world around them. In a child's mind, what makes the difference between daddy fighting in a war and two boys down the street fighting over candy?

Children are by nature like big satellite dishes. They take in anything and everything from the world around them. What do they do with all these observations? They turn them into interpretations. No child is a passive observer. Sometimes, my three-year-old daughter will come up with the craziest interpretations based upon something she has observed. Everything our children see and hear works toward how they understand the world around them.

In order to protect young children or a young wife, I must be aware of how much the world around them influences their understanding, which in turn, influences their behavior. During these formative years, I must guard everything in their world. I must guard what they watch, what they see, what they hear, what they experience, everything! I must insulate them from the world. They do not need life experience. They need a "womb" in which to grow without danger from the outside world. Our homes should be such a place.

Second, we must at certain times isolate them from the world. As our children grow, we must have a discerning eye towards identifying those certain sinful desires and weaknesses with which each member of our family struggles. Each of your children will have greater struggles in certain areas. This is not protection in the same way I would try to protect my children from getting a cold. To do that my child would have to live in a bubble. Rather, this protection is like covering a deep wound with a big bandage so that infection cannot get to it.

I am not trying to keep them from being exposed to every potential situation in which they might sin. I can't even do that for myself! But there are times I must keep my child or my wife away from influences or situations that make them particularly vulnerable to those stronger sinful desires in their heart. These desires will not lead to occasional failures (Psalm 19:12), but to sins that will take hold of them (Psalm 19:13). Look for particular areas of weakness and seek to protect through isolation.

Third, we must utilize the remaining years vaccinating them from the world. We all learned how vaccines work. The body is introduced to small amounts of dead or weakened elements of a disease that cause the body to react by forming antibodies to fight off the sickness. When the vaccinated person is then exposed to the potentially life-threatening disease itself, the body is able to resist it. We must teach our children how to engage the culture around them from a biblical worldview. They cannot be like the wild animal who has never seen a jungle. Yet this exposure to the world is not arbitrary.

We must strategically expose our children to the culture in a way that teaches rather than influences. We gradually help them to live in the world but not of the world in ways that do not endanger their souls or poison their minds. Eventually, our hope is to release them into the world as salt and light. They will no longer be the defenseless but the defenders of the faith. They will wield their swords and fight for the next generation.

May I be the warrior to my family that the Lord is to me,

Pastor Joey

Reformation Day

This week, Protestants around the world should celebrate the 488th anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of his Ninety Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. In this document, Luther powerfully exposed the corruption of the Catholic Church and its priesthood. Following this event, the history of the Church would never be the same. All Protestant churches arose from such “protests” as Luther’s and all of us should remember the importance of the events of that day. But the truth is that most Protestants have no idea who Martin Luther was or why October 31 should be celebrated for anything more than an opportunity to grab some free candy. Most of us have lost our sense of history and even worse, we cannot stir ourselves up to learn history because it just doesn’t seem useful. But what could be more useful than knowing how a person gets into a right relationship with God? When we stop to think about it, one day that is all that will matter. That is what Luther was so stirred up about. He had come to see that the Gospel was lost to the people of his day and that the Catholic Church was not the solution to this problem; it was the problem.

Luther helped rediscover the Gospel of justification by faith alone. It was not faith plus sacraments, works or membership within the church. It was the Gospel that comes to us by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone! As a former Catholic priest, Luther himself has been set free from fear and dread by this Gospel and now He was going public. For his efforts, he would suffer greatly and even have his life threatened. Luther felt firsthand how the self-righteous hate the true Gospel.

There is much more to Luther than I can write here, but read for yourselves what God has done through this most intriguing man. I highly recommend the brief overview of Luther’s life contained in The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper (This book can be purchased in our resource center at GRBC). Until you are able to read more about him, here are some quotes from Luther. Take time to thank God for such men.

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.

I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, Self.

I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands that I still possess.

Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.

A preacher must be both soldier and shepherd. He must nourish, defend, and teach; he must have teeth in his mouth, and be able to bite and fight.

Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me, Amen. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me, Amen!

Happy Reformation Day,
Pastor Shane

There are no Black Sheep in God's Family

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."—Isaiah 61:10

Every family has their share of them. You may even be one yourself. They are the men or women, boys or girls who have come to be known as the "black sheep" of the family. Little explanation is required for us to understand what this means. The "black sheep" is an individual whose actions and/or attitudes have made them an outsider to the rest of the family. Have you ever felt like that in your own family? Or, more importantly, do you ever felt like a "black sheep" in God's family?

I have spoken to far too many people who have unwittingly placed that label upon themselves. Shane has often referred to it as the "good day/bad day" Christian. This person determines their standing in the family of God based upon their performance in the last twenty-four hours. We are slow to admit that we do this. We hear ourselves say, "Of course I cannot earn God's favor. I know that my salvation is through faith not works." We say this because we know we are supposed to say this. Yet, it does not prevent us from playing the role of black sheep every time we struggle with sin.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was right when he said that much of our discouragement and depression flows from our lack of understanding about the doctrine of justification. This past weekend we spent many hours learning about and celebrating the Reformation. Much of that time was devoted to the topic of justification because if we misunderstand this doctrine, we misunderstand everything else in our lives. I am not saying that knowledge itself makes one happy and wise. But I am saying that one cannot truly be happy and wise without it (I may deal with this more fully in a future article). The reality of what God does in justification tells me that there are no black sheep in His family.

All of us are born into this world with dead hearts and blind eyes. We do not love God and we see spiritual truths as mere foolishness. For many who are born in that condition, God graciously breathes life into their hearts and opens their blind eyes. He opens their eyes to the desperate and depraved nature of their own sinfulness. This causes them to turn away from their sin and stop trusting in themselves to please God in any way. They cannot! He also opens their eyes to the righteousness of Christ. This causes them to put their faith (or trust) in the righteousness of Christ. His perfect obedience to God during His life on earth and His perfect sacrifice as He died on the cross was perfectly pleasing to God.

What does this have to do with how we feel from day to day about our relationship with God? It is not enough to believe that our sins are forgiven by God because Jesus paid our sin debt on the cross. We must also understand that God has clothed us with the righteousness of His Son. Yes, we are certainly still stained with sin on the inside. And everyday you can be sure that we will add more stains to the collection. But the robe of righteousness that God put on me at my justification is not like the fresh white shirt I put on this morning when I awoke.

This is where we get in trouble. We think of our justification like a freshly laundered shirt. It starts out perfect enough, but by mid-morning we don't notice the shirt as much as we do the oatmeal on the sleeve or the baby drool on the collar or the orange trail that a certain meatball left as it rolled down our belly. And this is on a good day! It's no wonder that after a few difficult days we start to feel pretty dirty. Indeed, judging by our collection of stains, we may start to feel and act like the black sheep of God's family.

Thanks be to God that the garments He clothes us with at our justification has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Christ! His perfection can never be stained by my imperfection. No matter how I may struggle with sin on the inside, it will never blemish my garments on the outside. God will forever see me as a spotless white sheep because He will forever see me clothed in a robe made with the snow white wool of the Lamb of God. It will remained unstained by sin today, tomorrow, and for all eternity.

Isn't it time we started enjoying our new clothes?
Pastor Joey

To the Ones Who Fight So That I Might Love

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. "—Matthew 5:43-45

My father was wounded in combat during the Veitnam War. He doesn't talk about it much, nor have I really inquired about it. The realities of warfare are impossible for me to grasp. Growing up in the safety and prosperity of the United States has kept me somewhat naive when thinking about danger, fear, and adversity. I am proud of my dad for his willingness to fight for those who could not fight for themselves, even at the risk of his own life. He displayed for me the ultimate example of obeying Jesus' command to "love your neighbor".

God used my father's example to show me that my neighborhood is bigger than the street I live on or the country of which I am a citizen. My neighborhood is the world. My neighbors include the family next door in their middle class home and the family in the Sudan in their refugee tent. My father fought for people he had never met; for faces he would never see. This type of "neighborly" love is always accompanied by sacrifice.

There are many reasons I love the fellowship of GRBC. One of those reasons is the many soldiers I have had the priviledge to know and pastor. These men have served me in a different way. While my father's service taught me how to love my neighbors, these men help me to love my enemies. "How so?", you may be asking. The idea of government was God's idea. He established human government primarily for the purposes of upholding the rule of law and protecting its citizens from outside enemies who would seek to inflict harm.

In our own country, God has called certain men to be warriors and protectors on our behalf. They stand watch at the walls, they guard the gates and, if necessary, they go out onto the battlefield and meet our enemies with force. Because these men fight, I have the freedom to love. As they lift up the sword in defense, I can lift up my prayers in love. As they strike the blows of justice, I can offer the cool waters of mercy and compassion. So God provides a means to fight against our enemies and at the same time provides a means to love our enemies.

I thank God for those who have fought in the past and for those who fight today so that I may have the wonderful duty of loving my enemies for the sake of a greater Kingdom than all the nations of the earth combined.

May the peace and love of Christ rule in how we fight and how we love today!
Pastor Joey

Shirt and Shoes Required

Have you ever been invited to an event and shown up only to realize you came very underdressed for the occasion? To those individuals who think it important for their clothing and demeanor to reflect the significance and atmosphere of the event, it can make for a long and uncomfortable evening. You might as well be up on stage with a bright, hot spotlight bearing down upon you. Even worse, have you ever been looking forward to eating at a certain restaurant or attending a certain function and been turned away at the door for improper dress?

I remember on one occasion when I was new to the game of golf, that I showed up at a very nice golf course eager to try it out. Unfortunately, the manager informed me that collared shirts were required in order to play. What? I couldn't play golf unless I had on a certain kind of shirt? It was an important lesson on the etiquette of golf.

Jesus once told a story about an important event in order to teach us something about His kingdom. I think it can also teach us much about how we are to come to the Lord's Table.

"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

"But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen." [Matthew 22:1-14]

A great wedding feast had been prepared. The King spared no expense to make this a most lavish and delightful event. After all, it was a feast celebrating the wedding of His Son. Preparations were made and invitations were sent. Those who should have been most eager to come found excuses not to attend. The King was enraged! Because all that work and food would be wasted? No, it was because the wedding feast was to honor His Son. The people found other things more worthy of their time and energy.

The King's servants then went out into the country and invited all without discretion. The King's great banquet hall was filled with beggars, thieves, cripples and commoners. All were welcome to come and eat at the King's table. Only one was turned away. Why? Because he did not have on the proper clothes for the occasion.

What does this teach us as we think about the Lord's Table?

1. It helps us remember that the Lord's Table is prepared as a celebration centered upon God's Son, Jesus Christ. It is a time of honor given to our Kinsman-Redeemer who redeemed a bride for Himself.

2. It helps us to remember who is invited to the Lord's Table. None were turned away because of their weakness or infirmity or sin. All were welcome to sit and dine at the table.

3. It helps us remember what makes us unworthy to come to the table. The one who was turned away was not denied table fellowship because of where he had come from or who he had been. He was denied access to the Wedding Feast because he did not understand the significance of the feast. The others may have been from the highways and byways, but they came dressed for the occasion. He showed up at a banquet wearing sweat pants and his favorite T-shirt. This had little to do with his sense of fashion and everything to do with how he felt about the Son in whose honor the banquet was given.

The Kingdom of God is only for those who recognize the greatness and worthiness of the King. The Kingdom of God is not for those who come casually to the table in order to get some good food. It is for those who come reverently to the table and honor the Bridegroom by enjoying all that He has graciously provided for their good.

May we enjoy the table He has set for us today! But don't forget to dress for the occasion.
Pastor Joey

Things I’ve Recently Read

Good books are a true gift from God. By their writing, good authors assist us in our pursuit to know and love God more; we certainly can use this help. I thought it may be helpful to give you some particularly powerful words that I have read over the last couple of weeks. These words have been food for my soul and God has used them to increase my faith and my desire for holiness.

Robert Murray M'Cheyne (May 21, 1813 – March 25, 1843) was a minister in the Church of Scotland from 1835 to 1843. Although he died at the age of 29, he exhibited devotion and wisdom beyond his years. He writes, As I was walking though the fields, the thought came over me with almost overwhelming power, that every one of my flock must soon be in heaven or hell. This is a reality; every person you see today will soon be in heaven or in hell. Even if that person lives another 80 years, heaven or hell is quickly approaching. M’Cheyne now speaks as every pastor and Christian ought to speak; Oh, how I wished that I had a tongue like thunder that I might make all hear. Or that I had a frame like iron, that I might visit everyone and say, “Escape for thy life!” Ah, sinners! you little know how I fear that you will lay the blame of your damnation at my door.

It is a sobering reality to know that every person that we see will soon be in heaven or hell for eternity. It’s almost overwhelming to meditate on this for more than a few moments. But this reality is one that we cannot ignore; let it motivate us in private and family prayer. Let it motivate us to learn the Gospel that we can say to them “Flee from the wrath that is to come!” This Christmas, everyone you celebrate Christmas with will soon be in heaven or hell. That should shape how we celebrate our Lord’s birth, especially if we are with unbelieving family members.

One other thought; this one is from Richard Baxter’s How to Spend the Day with God. Baxter instructs us upon waking in the morning to Let God have your first awaking thoughts; lift up your hearts to Him reverently and thankfully for the rest enjoyed the night before and cast yourself upon Him for the day which follows. And then he offers this remark, Think of the mercy of a night's rest and of how many that have spent that night in Hell; how many in prison; how many in cold, hard lodgings; how many suffering from agonizing pains and sickness, weary of their beds and of their lives. Think of how many souls were that night called from their bodies terrifyingly to appear before God and think how quickly days and nights are rolling on! How speedily your last night and day will come! Observe that which is lacking in the preparedness of your soul for such a time and seek it without delay. Talk about writing in a manner that pierces my heart! Nearly each morning since reading Baxter’s words, I have been much more inclined to thank God for good rest and a new day than I had previously been inclined to do. Even before getting out of bed, I offer my heartfelt gratitude to God for blessings which I too often take for granted; a soft bed, a warm house and my family safe and present with me.

I thank God for writers like M’Cheyne and Baxter. These kinds of writers pull me out of my self-absorbed life to encounter spiritual realities. These kinds of writers help to Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15-17).

Pastor Shane Martin

Using Confessions of Faith

Our Church aligns itself with The London Confession of Faith of 1689. This confession was written by Calvinistic Baptists in England to provide a comprehensive declaration of the Reformed Baptist understanding of Scripture. Building largely on The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), the London Confession offered two significant different interpretations of the Scriptures: (1) the London Confession called for local churches to be ruled by their members and not some organization outside of the local church. This is known as the autonomy (self-governing) of the local church. (2) Obviously, the London Confession, being a Baptist confession, called for the baptism of professing believers only whereas the Westminster Confession requires the baptism of infants who have at least one believing parent.

Because we adhere to The London Confession of Faith of 1689, we read from it often in our corporate gatherings and the Elders use it as a reliable guideline for interpreting the Scriptures and leading the church. We never try to hide the fact that while we believe in the inerrancy and sufficiency of the Bible, we find this particular confession of faith very helpful for understanding the major doctrines of the Bible. Why do we feel that it is helpful to have this kind of doctrinal summary for our church?

A sound confession of faith is helpful because it provides a summary of major biblical doctrines.

Scripture states that the Church is the pillar and support of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). God has entrusted His truth to His Church. The members of every local church should be increasingly capable of explaining the most significant doctrines of Scripture and refuting false doctrines. To simply hand a believer the Bible and ask him to learn to articulate and defend its major doctrines is probably a little overwhelming. But if we can use a confession of faith both to identify key teachings and receive a careful explanation of them, then we have reduced the immensity of the task. In other words, a good summary of the Bible is usually helpful to have around.

A sound confession of faith is helpful because it gives us specific language for talking about major biblical doctrines.

Many false teachers use the language of the Bible. But a person can say what the Bible says and not truly communicate the intended meaning of Scripture. Just because a person uses biblical words does not mean he is teaching the truth of God. I cannot recount the number of times a person has told me “that pastor preaches right out of the Bible” when I already know that what he is preaching is false doctrine. This is where a confession of faith not only uses biblical language, but actually goes beyond that to interpret that language in such a way that false teaching is less likely to occur.

For instance, the Bible itself claims to be inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), but what does “inspired” mean? And what books should be considered part of the Bible? Clearly, these have been disputed questions among those who would all claim to believe the Bible. Here is where a confession becomes most helpful. Regarding the question of inspiration, The London Confession says, The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. And regarding the books which should actually comprise the Holy Scriptures, the London Confession identifies 66 of these; noting, The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon (or rule) of the Scripture, and, therefore, are of no authority to the church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved or made use of than other human writings. That type of specific language clarifies things greatly.

A sound confession of faith is helpful because it allows potential church members to know what they are required to believe if they want to unite with a given church and promote the unity within that congregation.

I do not mean to imply that every member of GRBC has to agree with every statement of The London Confession of Faith of 1689. In fact, there are minor areas of the confession with which I disagree. But generally speaking, a person who does not hold to the majority of this confession will probably be a very unhappy and disruptive member of GRBC.

My experience in looking at churches on the web is that many of them seem to have no confession of faith with which they identify. I cannot say if this is intentional or not. Beyond that, it seems to me that a large percentage of churches that do have a confession of faith downplay the importance of doctrinal agreement among the membership. Churches appear to be uniting around worship styles or age-specific preferences rather than uniting around any type of confession.

I could list more reasons why I want every member and potential member of GRBC to become familiar with The London Confession of Faith of 1689, but this serves my purpose for now. Perhaps this soon coming New Year may afford you the opportunity to study the Scriptures using the London Confession as a guide. I can’t imagine that God would not honor your desire to know and apply His Word better. So consider deepening the roots of your faith by learning the most important teachings of the Bible with the help of the collective thoughts of great men throughout the history of the Church.

Pastor Shane

Breakfast with Jesus

"When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread...Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast."...Now Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead."- John 21:9-14

.Last Saturday the men of the church gathered for a very enjoyable breakfast together. What great strength and wisdom can be gleaned in the company of godly men! Shane brought the challenge to us from John 21 concerning our struggle with sin. There was much to be taken from his explanation of the text, but let me just briefly give you a brief overview of a few things that were helpful to me.

In all our struggle against sin, let us remember that God deals with us very differently in Christ than He did when we were outside of Christ and enemies of God Himself. Through faith in Christ we have now been justified in the sight of God and reconciled to God. Where once our sins brought condemnation, a further hardening of our sinful heart and a storing up of future wrath; now God will cause our sin to further advance our salvation. God treats us with a special grace as His children.

1. His grace will sometimes prevent us from falling into sin.
In Genesis 20, Abraham deceived Abimelech king of Gerar by withholding from him the knowledge that Sarah was his wife. When Abimelech takes Sarah into his own home God came to him in a dream and warned him of the severe consequences that awaited him for taking Abraham's wife for his own. Then God makes an incredible statement about His own goodness and sovereignty. He says to Abimelech, "Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against Me."

As we seek to walk uprightly before our Lord, He will make our paths straight and guard us from serious falls along the way. Let us pray that He would keep our foot from slipping today and keep our hearts ever diligent to obey His Words and hear His warnings.

2. His grace will also, at times, allow us to fall into sin.
We are in the greatest danger when we do not take seriously the enemies outside our walls and the enemies within the camp. God will sometimes allow those enemies to rise up in the hearts and lives of His children so that all self-confidence might be crushed and a renewed dependence upon Christ might be established. When the sentries we place at the gates of our hearts (will-power, pragmatism, legalism and consequence) fail to keep us safe from the world, the Devil and the flesh, we must do away with those poor soldiers and replace them with the warriors of the gospel (God's promises, God's covenant faithfulness, Christ's atonement and the Spirit's power). Take some time to eat and drink today with our risen Savior.

Pastor Joey

Celebrating Humility

5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8).

Christmas is the day when we celebrate the humility of our Lord. He did not cling to His rightful place in His creation. He laid aside the benefits that come with being God. He took the form of a slave and the likeness of a man. Jesus humbled Himself; He went lower and lower until finally He could not go any lower. Then He went obediently to the cross. The incarnation was the initial step into humility that led to the last step, the cross.

Today, I can’t express my gratitude to Jesus because instead of rising up in judgment, He condescended in mercy. Now my Lord commands me to possess the same kind of humility that brought Him from the glory of heaven to the shame of the cross. How may we practically demonstrate humility on this Christmas day?

We can submit to His sovereignty by learning to be content with the present circumstances that He has ordained for us. 11Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:11-13).
We can submit to His holiness by having a proper estimation of our own lowliness and sinfulness. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith (Romans 12:3).
We can submit to His Lordship by seeking to obey Him out of hearts filled with gratitude and joy. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love (John 15:10).

As we consider the humility of Jesus on this Christmas, let us remember our desperate need for God’s gift of grace. And then let us remember that God makes Himself the enemy of every prideful person, but He gives the good gift of grace to the humble (James 4:6).

Merry Christmas,

Pastor Shane

What is Most Needed

Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions are well-known among reformed Christians and when you read them, you will understand why. As impressive as these resolutions are, listen to Edwards as he laments his own inability to keep even one of them without the help of God’s Spirit. Let me make resolutions and do what I will, with never so many inventions, it is all nothing and to no purpose at all without the motions of the Spirit of God; for if the Spirit of God should be as much withdrawn from me always as for the week past, notwithstanding all I do, I should not grow, but should languish and miserably fade away. I perceive if God should withdraw His Spirit a little more, I should not hesitate to break my resolutions and should soon arrive at my old state.

Resolutions are helpful, but what is most needed are the motions of the Spirit of God. The best of our plans and intentions fall to the ground if the Spirit does not move to inwardly renew and reform our nature. Even Jonathan Edwards experienced weeks where the Spirit seemed to withdraw from Him. When this happens, we lose our desire and ability to carry out any resolutions towards holiness and godliness. Sure, we can last for a while without the motions of the Spirit of God. But in a short time, our resolve will fade and our joy in obedience will diminish and we will find ourselves worse off than before.

I’ve learned this lesson the hard way many times. I used to think that if I resolved to just try harder then I would be a joyfully obedient Christian. That never works out unless the Spirit of God works decisively in my heart to make me hate the sin that I so naturally love and enables me to love obedience that I naturally hate. I am often amazed at how in one moment, I am determined to obey God, and yet, just a short time later, have little desire for anything spiritual. This is the way life becomes without the motions of the Spirit of God. Only the Spirit of God can overcome our strong inclinations of the flesh and make us pleasing to God.

Resolutions have their place, but what is most needed is a move of God’s Spirit to change our desires and enable us to walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Go ahead and follow Edward’s model; make resolutions that honor God and better life here on earth. But pray like King David while making resolutions, 10Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit (Psalm 51:10-12). And come boldly to God with this promise from our Lord, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13).

Happy New Year,
Pastor Shane

The Triumphant Grace of God

Presently, I am teaching through 1 Corinthians each Lord’s Day and I am teaching through Romans in our Bible Institute. One theme that emerges from both of these letters is God’s promise that His grace will triumph over the sin that plagues believers in this life. One thing I appreciate more and more about Paul is his honesty about the believer’s struggle with sin, including his own struggle (Romans 7:14-25). I am thankful for Christians who do not minimize their failures; we need more of them. I am also thankful for Christians who do not lose hope because of their failures; we need more of them as well. Our confidence for our own sanctification must rest in the promises of God.

God promises that we will grow in holiness because He has given each believer a new heart; new desires and new ability to carry out those desires. Is this not what we communicate through our baptism? We have died to a former life and been raised to a new reality. Sin is no longer our master. Our obligations are now to Christ and righteousness. We have died to a life that is dominated by sin. Isn’t that why we get baptised early in our Christian walk? We want to express that we have died to the old way we used to live (illustrated by being taken all the way under the water) and we want to express that God has given us a new life (illustrated by being brought up out of the water). Romans 6:1-2, What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Be careful not to assume that since we are now followers of Christ, sin is not still a very real problem in our lives. Even though we have been made new, that does not mean temptation and sin leave us alone. We are no longer enemies of God and we are a part of God’s Kingdom but we still have to battle this sinful disposition to hate God and choose our own way in life. That will never leave us in this life. Here is an illustration that may help us gain a better understanding of why regenerated people still struggle with sin: A new believer is like a person who has just changed his citizenship from one country to another. He has been granted a new status, new opportunities and certainly, he is grateful for the privileges of his new standing as a citizen. But this does not mean that he will not struggle in making adjustments to living as a citizen of his new country. He will struggle to learn the language, customs and daily life will be very demanding until he is more at home in this strange place. At times he will instinctively revert back to living as he did in his former homeland. This is very illustrative of a new believer. We have had our standing changed (justification) and we now desire to live as our new King instructs us (sanctification) and we are very grateful for all that has been given to us. But we struggle to adjust to this new way of life even though the Spirit works within us to assist us. We have natural inclinations that go against the laws of this new government and while life is good in our new home, we sometimes long for the ease and comfort of our old homeland.

Regeneration makes sanctification a real possibility in our lives, but we will not perfectly embrace all the demands of the Christian life. We will find the commands of God strange and difficult even though we desire to obey them. But the good news is that sanctification increases throughout life.

Sanctification will increase throughout our lives. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God (Romans 6:12-13). This is why Paul said, Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).

Grace will ultimately triumph when Christ returns to present us blameless before His throne at the final judgment. While we wait, we must do 2 things to progress in holiness: (1) we must not make peace with sin. Romans 8:13, for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (2) we must participate in God’s chosen means of grace which place us before the Lord so that He may sanctify us. There are not short-cuts to a holy life. No one book (other than the Bible), author, seminar or class can make you holy. The New Testament teaches that a holy life is the result of the Spirit working through numerous means to impart more sanctifying grace to our lives. It is through such chosen means that God helps us to encourage one another and build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). This is why we must never neglect meeting together to encourage each other in sanctification (Hebrews 10:24-25). Apart from a biblical community, sanctification cannot take place.

Even so, come Lord Jesus!
Pastor Shane

Old Questions for a New Year

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.- 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Most of us are not facing the kind of transition the Apostle Paul was facing when he penned these words to his good friend Timothy. He was fast approaching the end of his life on earth and the beginning of his life in heaven. We have just made the transition from a year past to a year ahead. Let me suggest to you four questions from Paul's words that we could ask of ourselves and our families as we look back on 2006 and look ahead to 2007. Endings and beginnings are ideal times for us to evaluate, plan and prepare for our further sanctification and service in the kingdom of God.

"I have fought the good fight"- How have we fought against sin this past year?
Take the time to think through the areas of your life in which you struggled to put to death certain sinful desires, actions or thoughts. Did you make use of the means of grace God has given us to battle sin such as the Scriptures, biblical fellowship, spending each Lord's Day singing, praying, celebrating the Lord's table, listening to the Word, etc.? How might you better fight against sin this coming year? Ask someone else for insight to help you see areas of hidden sins. Make confession where it is needed for those sins that have affected others. Finally, find your peace for the past year and your encouragement for the next in the finished work of Jesus Christ on your behalf. Put your confidence in the gospel. Remember, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus [Romans 5:1].

"I have finished the race"- How have we performed our God-ordained duties and purpose?
In order to properly answer this question, it logically follows that one must know the duties and purposes to which God has called them. God has sufficiently made them known to all of us in the Scriptures [2 Timothy 3:16-18]. Some of those duties and purposes are the same for all of His children. Some are different depending on whether you are a little child, a young adult or an older adult. Some depnd on whether you are a man or a woman, a single, a spouse or a parent. But all our duties and purposes must accomplish the one great purpose of glorifying and enjoying God Himself. Take the time to understand what God commands of you. Then, ask yourself two questions. First, where did I fall short in my obediece in 2006? Second, when I did fulfill my duties, did I do them with aheart of joy or of obligation?

"I have kept the faith"- How have we cultivated our faith this past year?
This question is the flip side of the first question. We are all called to both fight against sin and pursue righteousness. You will not do one well without doing the other. Much of what was said above about fighting sin could be used to evaluate how well you nurtured and cultivated your faith in 2006.

"There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness"- How have we anticipated and prepared for heaven?
Jesus constantly reminded His disciples that this world was not their home. Yet He also wanted them to understand that what happens in this life matters in the next. Everything that God ordains for our lives in this world is preparing us for eternity in the next. We are to count it a joy when difficulties come because those difficulties work to preserve our faith to the end under the good hand of the Father [James 1:1,2]. We find encouragement and hope in the midst of tragedy, suffering or grief because they are not worth even comparing to the joys and beauties and peace that await us in heaven. Take a look at how you spent you time, how you spent your money, how you spent your energies. Did you invest the use of your mind in thinking about and preparing for heaven? Did you invest your time reading books and having conversations that make you long for heaven? Or did your thoughts, your reading, your conversations, your spending, your playing cause you to grow in your love for this life?

These are all hard questions, but ones that need to be asked if we are to finish well when the most important transition in our lives takes place. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

May the gospel of Christ give us hands that fight and feet that run in 2007!
Pastor Joey

This is My Story; This is My Song

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered... Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!...- 2 Chronicles 16:8-36

How many of us, when we are singing our National Anthem (by the way, who can actually sing that song?!), how many of us have our minds soaring through the pages of american history? When we eloquently croon "O say can you see...", what does our mind's eye see? Does it see the early struggles of a small colony called Jamestown? Does it see the larger-then-life visionaries and leaders such as William Bradford, George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.? Does it conjure up pictures of Revolutionary War, Constitutional debates, battles for civil rights, sacrifices for freedom? No, it probably does not. We're lucky if we remember the right words and get close to hitting the high note.

It is one thing to sing our national anthem so casually and disconnected from the national history it celebrates. What is far more tragic is that many of us were guilty of doing the very same thing this past Lord's Day. We sing, but we do not remember. Our mouths are open but our eyes are closed. As we sing songs of redemption, do our minds soar over the pages of redemptive history? When we sing "This is my story; this is my song...", where does our story begin? Who is the main character of our anthem? Are we merely singing to ourselves in a mirror?

The story of redemption starts with God and ends with God. It begins in a garden as God creates a people and a place to reflect His own glory. It ends in a garden city where God redeems a people and a place corrupted and scandalized by sin to once again reflect His own glory for all of eternity. Your story is Adam's story, Abraham's story, Peter's story and my story. It is a story filled with the breathtaking images of a garden promise, a bloody exodus, a crucified messiah, an empty tomb and a coming kingdom. It is a song bursting with melodic sounds of undeserved love, sovereign grace, and covenant faithfulness. He is our God and we are His people.

The next time you find yourself singing, whether it be in the car on the way to work or with God's people on the Lord's Day, open your eyes wider than you open your mouth. There is a history to be celebrated and a future to be anticipated!

Who cares if you hit that high note...

Pastor Joey

Six Prayers for the Unborn

I have to be honest here. This article did not start out in the language and attitude of prayerful petition. Rather, it started out as thoughts more critical than humble, more judgmental than self-evaluating, and more peppered with anger than seasoned with grace. However, God was patiently turning my speck seeking eyes into a vision and a prayer for the log that plagues so many of us.

Where does the blame lie as millions of unborn babies are mercilessly and pre-meditatively killed each year? Upon whose hands does their blood leave a stain? It is here that God gave me a heart of supplication. The greatest way we can stand up and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves is to pray that the hearts of the people be turned back to the ways of the Lord. Sin diminishes as the gospel advances. A heart ruled by God is a heart that loves and serves those made in His image. Here are six prayers taken from Psalm 139 for us to meditate on and pray during this Sanctity of Life week.

1. That we would trust and appreciate the wisdom of God in the giving of life.
"O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up;you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it." [vv.1-6]
Abortion itself is the child of self-love. It is terrifying to me the lengths my own idolatry will go to justify the elimination of anything that threatens its survival. Abortion is simply the tragic end of a slippery slope that begins with ordering and planning our lives around our own comforts, conveniences and pleasures rather than the glory of God and the advancement of His gospel kingdom to nations and generations.

2. That we would submit to His sovereign ownership and rule over those whom He gives life.
"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night," even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you." [vv.7-12]
A good dose of humble pie would serve us well here. We sometimes get a case of mistaken identities. Somehow we begin to think of ourselves as the givers (or takers) of life and God as the steward who must manage what we choose to produce. Eat a slice of the first two chapters of Genesis and all will become clear again. It is God who gives (and takes) life. It is we who are commanded to be good managers of what God produces. Let's spend less time worrying about being life-givers, and more time learning how to be good stewards of what God has placed under our care.

3. That we would have a renewed sense of the value and beauty of all human life made in His image.
"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them." [vv.13-16]
Unfortunately, this is where decades of evolutionary thought rears its ugly and deceptive head. We are tempted to determine a person's value by the potential that individual has to contribute positively to the welfare of society as a whole. Think I am overstating this a bit? How many women are encouraged by their doctors to receive tests concerning the possibility of birth defects in their unborn child? These tests are not for the sake of treatment ( as some other early detection tests are designed for), but in order to allow the woman to make an "informed" choice as to the pros and cons of continuing on with the pregnancy. How many of us are guilty of experiencing disappointment when our child fails to live up to certain dreams and expectations we had for them? These are not goals and expectations taken from the Scriptures. No, these are things we deemed valuable and worthwhile in our own eyes. My our children adorn the gospel more than they adorn our scrapbooks, mantles and walls.

4. That our hearts would be made to "live justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God" [Micah 6:8] because of God's covenant love given to us in Christ.
"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you." [vv.17-18]
The Apostle Paul said it best in his letter to the Romans, "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." [Romans 13:8-10] One who has been captured by the grace of God will seek to obey God. To obey God is to seek justice for others, show mercy without discrimination, and put the needs of others before your own.

5. That those who show injustice and bring oppression would be overcome by God, either by the grace of His gospel or the justice of His wrath.
"Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain! Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies." [vv.19-22]
These are harsh words from a man after God's own heart. Is it right to pray that God would remove those who bring wickedness and bloodshed? I believe it is right to pray that God would conquer His enemies. David's prayer is thoroughly God-centered. I would suggest that our prayers concerning the enemies of God and His kingdom be both God-centered and gospel-centered. It is God's prerogative to bring justice at the proper time and in the appropriate way. He will conquer those who do evil and deceive others to do the same. He may choose to conquer them with the gospel and His Spirit. So let us be quick to speak gospel truth in the darkness. And He may choose to conquer them on the day of judgment with wrath. We are simply to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done..."

6. That we would take more seriously our duties to guard those under our care, to preserve the glory of the God whose image we bear, and to forgive even as we have been forgiven.
"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" [vv.23-24]
May fathers take seriously their duty to guard the purity of their daughters and train their sons in the ways of honor, respect and self-control. May elected leaders see their time in office as a temporary duty to be performed according to conscience and Constitution rather than a career path to be preserved at any cost. May women, young and old alike, find more delight in the covenant arms of God than the lust-driven arms of untamed men. May the blessing and beauty of God-ordained life be a healing ointment on the wounds of sinful decisions, tragic circumstances, or deeply-inflicted hurts. May all of us, those who have been rescued out of the bottomless quicksand of our own sin by the gracious hand of our Redeemer, find forgiveness to be a precious gift to receive and to give in abundance.

In humble repentance to a God whose love is better than life...
Pastor Joey

Monday Meditations

Here are a few thoughts I had from Sunday's excellent message by Shane on our present and future inheritance in Christ from 1 Corinthians 3:18-23.

It is foolish to align ourselves to anything other than Christ and the gospel as revealed in the Scriptures. It is a common thread throughout human culture that men and women desire community, identity, and purpose. There are countless "psuedo-communities" to which we are drawn. Some find identity in a favorite sport's team. Complete strangers are instantly connected by loyalty and love of a team. They speak the same language, wear the same colors, and share the same passions. Others find identity and community in certain causes. People gather for support, for protest, for awareness, for prayer. The thread that unites them is bound up in what is happening in the world around them. Book clubs, fan clubs, support groups, AA, music lovers, pet lovers, chocolate lovers, etc.

All such communities have the feel and taste of community, but they are merely imitations of true unity and true fellowship. They do not have the lasting qualities of Christ's community. Let us unite most wholeheartedly and fellowship most passionately with those who share our identity in Christ. Let us know and love more about the gospel together than we do about our favorite team, favorite author, or favorite musician.

It is dangerous to treat what is holy as common or earthly. If those whom Christ purchased through His life and death and gathered to Himself through the Spirit by the preaching of the gospel constitute the one true and lasting community for all of eternity, then it follows that this community called the Church is very precious to God and very essential to us.

Dangerous waters await those who try to navigate the people of God away from Christ and the gospel. Only destruction is reserved for leaders and influential people who treat the Church more as a business or social gathering or life-improvement center than the holy gathering of a holy people in the presence of a holy God. May our hands tremble when we hold the sacred Scriptures. May our lips quiver when we sing eternal truths. May our hearts stand at the ready as our God meets with us each Lord's Day when we gather together in His name.

It is impossible to receive both the pleasure of God and the applause of earthly-minded people.Much could be said about the countless struggles and temptations that come from fearing or loving the opinions of others more than the commands and purposes of God. We often fear the opinions of other people because we do not think nearly enough about God's opinion of His Son, Jesus. For that is precisely His opinion of us if we are in Christ. We often love the opinions of others because we do not experience the hope and expectancy of the promises that await us if we are in Christ. We settle for a quick hit of worldly love because we do not take the time to draw deeply the present and future graces God freely gives to His children.

Let us unite today around substance (the gospel) not style. Let us value what nourishes our souls and prepares us for eternity not what satisfies immediate needs. Let us quickly and joyfully obey all the clear teachings of Scripture not simply the ones that best accomodate our present lifestyle or make us feel better about our current circumstances. Let us stop striving for cheap imitations of the very things we already possess in Christ. If we have Christ, we have everything!

Just some Monday thoughts to chew on this week.
Pastor Joey

Read the Puritans

In our Lord’s Day gathering, I emphasized the Apostle Paul’s teaching that all Christian teachers throughout the history of the church belong to the church and they should be seen as good gifts from God. God gave us these teachers for our good and we limit His goodness to us when we neglect to read their writings. I specifically encouraged the church to start reading the Puritans. To provide come clarity, let me suggest an article by J.I. Packer; you may read it here.

If after reading Packer’s article you become convinced that the Puritans belong to you as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3, then let me offer these 3 suggestions concerning where you may want to begin reading:

(1) A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life by J.I. Packer
Surveys the teachings and beliefs of the Puritans, and calls today's Christians to follow their example of spiritual maturity.

J. I. Packer has had a long-standing passion for the Puritans. Their understanding of God and His ways with man has largely formed his own spirituality and theological outlook. In A Quest for Godliness, the esteemed author of Knowing God and a dozen other books shares with his readers the rich world of Puritanism that has been so influential in his own life.

Dr. Packer masterfully uncovers the hidden treasures of Puritan life and thought. With crystalline clarity he reveals the depth and breadth of Puritan spiritual life, contrasting it with the superficiality and deadness of modern Western Christianity.

Drawing on a lifetime of study, Dr. Packer takes the reader on a survey of the lives and teachings of great Puritan leaders such as John Owen, Richard Baxter, and Jonathan Edwards. He offers a close look at such subjects as the Puritan view of the Bible, spiritual gifts, the Sabbath, worship, social action, and the family. He concludes that a main difference between the Puritans and ourselves is spiritual maturity--the Puritans had it; we don't.

In a time of failing vision and decaying values, this powerful portrait of Puritans is a beacon of hope that calls us to radical commitment and action when both are desperately needed. [Review provided by www.monergismbooks.com]

(2) The Mortification of Sin (Puritan Paperbacks) by John Owen
This particular book may be the most insightful and convicting work I’ve ever read outside of the Scriptures. I turn to its pages again and again for the health of my own soul. I agree wholeheartedly with the recommendation below.

With a volume of Owen in your hands you may wonder why you have wasted so much time reading lesser things. True, as Dr. John (“Rabbi”) Duncan once said, if you are going to read this you will need to ‘prepare yourself for the knife.’ But that knife is the scalpel of one of the finest spiritual surgeons in the history of the church. Owen understood as few have how the gospel makes us well.—Sinclair Ferguson, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Systematic Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary.

(3) The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax (Puritan Paperbacks) by Richard Sibbes
Richard Sibbes writes There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us. The rest of the book works this truth out in detail. This is perhaps the most encouraging book I have read outside of the Scriptures. Again, I find the comments below to be accurate.

The title of the book comes from a passage in Isaiah, among the "Servant Songs" which foretell the coming of the promised Messiah and speak of His role as the suffering servant. "A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment into truth". It speaks of Jesus' ministry being one of gentleness and mercy to sinners. "...by misery he is brought to see sin as the cause it, so that together these, a bruised reed and a smoking flax, make up together the state of a poor, distressed man. This is such an one as our Saviour Christ terms 'poor in spirit' (Matthew 5:3), who sees his wants, and also sees himself indebted to divine justice, [with] no means of supply from himself" (pg. 3-4). But this bruising is itself a gift of grace, as it is "required before conversion that so the Spirit may make way for himself into the heart by levelling all proud, high thoughts, and that we may understand ourselves to be what we indeed are by nature"

Martyn Lloyd-Jones says of this book: "I shall never cease to be grateful to Richard Sibbes who was balm to my soul at a period in my life when I was overworked and badly overtired, and therefore subject in an unusual manner to the onslaughts of the devil. I found at that time that Richard Sibbes, who was known in London in the early seventeenth century as "The Heavenly Doctor Sibbes" was an unfailing remedy. The Bruised Reed quietened, soothed, comforted, encouraged, and healed me". [Review provided by www.monergismbooks.com]

These recommendations will provide a good start to your reading of the Puritans. As you read, I pray that the Holy Spirit will confirm in your heart that these great Christians from the past truly belong to you.

Pastor Shane

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
– 1 John 1:5-7

Most people, if they are honest, have suffered some form of nyctophobia. I certainly experienced it as a young child. Sleeping with the hall light on was a nightly tradition in our household. When I was a little older, I brought out the big guns to battle my fear of darkness…a Superman nightlight. No monster would dare approach the Man of Steel! But with age and maturity, those fears tend to diminish. The Superman nightlight is no longer with me. Shadowy corners, dark closets and the underside of my bed need not be investigated before I can go to sleep. Now my own children have their personal arsenal of night lights to battle their fears.

As Christians, the opposite should be true. While we start out as those who love the darkness [John 3:19], we become by God’s grace children of light [Ephesians 5:8; I Thess. 5:5]. This means two things for us:

First, we love being in the Light and the light. There is nothing like a bright, warm, sun-filled day. It has a way of brightening up everything. We look at things differently. We feel things differently. Have you ever found yourself naturally cheerful and energized on a gloomy, overcast day? It takes at least three cups of good Starbuck’s coffee first. Light energizes us. Light refreshes us. Light motivates and guides us.

God has made us children of light by giving us the Light, Jesus Christ. Matthew refers to Jesus when he quotes Isaiah the prophet: “The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned." [Matthew 4] Luke records Zechariah’s prophecy in which he says, “because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." [Luke 1:78] John calls Jesus “the true light, which enlightens everyone” [John 1:8]. Jesus Himself said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." [John 8:12]

God brings us into the Light (Jesus Christ) and keeps us in the Light through the light of His Word. In God’s incredible mercy He took eyes that were accustomed to darkness and loved their blindness and replaced them with eyes that see clearly and are drawn toward the light. If I could use the analogy, God changed us from moles to moths, from cockroaches to butterflies. Listen to the Apostle Paul: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God…For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” [2 Corinthians 4:4,6] And the psalmist says, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” [Psalm 119:105]

The more mature we grow in the faith as followers of Christ, the more we will love abiding in Christ, that is, walking daily in personal communion with Him and all those who bear His name; and the more we will love abiding in His Word, the Scriptures. We will desire both to trust Him and obey Him.

Second, as children of light, we hate darkness. I said much about Light in order to give a brief warning about darkness. The older we get as children of light the more we should fear the darkness, not the less. Spend all day in a brightly lit room or outside in the sunlight then suddenly enter a darkened room. The contrast almost hurts your eyes. They are straining to see as they did in the light. Now, go from a dimly lit room into blackness. You can move much more easily from low light to no light back to low light. We don't notice or fear the darkness because it is too similar to the light in which we live.

The reason I don’t fear a dark room now the way I once did is because I have gained the wisdom to understand that danger does not lurk within every dark crevice. The reason I don’t fear the darkness of worldliness more than I do is that I see Christ dimly with a passing glance and I read His Word wearing sunglasses. My days are not spent gazing into His blazing glory. My heart is not warmed and illuminated by the light and heat of the Scriptures. If we would but know all that awaits us in the light we would be much more afraid of the dark than we often find ourselves. “The world and its desires are passing away. But the one who does the will of God lives forever.” -1 John 2:17

God has not given us eyes that love both darkness and light,
Pastor Joey

Do Not Grow Weary of Doing Good

Summer officially begins this week. If the calendar did not confirm this, the temperature right now surely would. The hot, humid days of summer are upon us. Heat is not usually a friend to labor and productivity. It has a way of draining a person's energy and causing their work to slow and end prematurely.

I have a friend who spent many years as a roofer. When people ask me to name a job I would hate to do, roofing is always towards the top of my list. As if working on the ground is not hot enough, a roofer gets even closer to the sun while standing on black shingles. Not the smartest play in my book. Anyway, my point is that work and diligence is made all the more difficult with heat.

I write this simply to remind us to give extra care and attention to our duties during these summer months. No one is more susceptible than I to the creeping casualness that invades my daily activities this time of year. The good fight of faith is not seasonal. The flaming arrows of the Evil One do not stop for vacations. The gospel must be taught and lived out every day, in season and out of season. Here are a few suggestions to help keep us from becoming weary in doing good this summer:

1. Drink daily from the cool springs of God's Word.

2. Rest weekly under the shade of God's covenant community (the gathering of His people on the Lord's Day for Word and Sacrament).

3. Offer restful and encouraging fellowship to others by inviting friends and neighbors into your home and around your table.

4. Don't let the allure of summer activities deceive you into thinking the above suggestions are simply suggestions and not commands from our Lord that are absolutely necessary to sustain your faith, preserve your saltiness, and sanctify your family in this world.

Pastor Joel Beeke once said, "It is impossible to maintain high levels of assurance when we exercise low levels of obedience." The Apostle Paul warns us this way, "As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother." (2 Thessalonians 3:13-15)

May the heat of summer show forth the fruit of a faithful heart,
Pastor Joey

Church Discipline and Its Implications for the Family

Why Practice Church Discipline?
Church discipline is a much neglected responsibility in the church today. It is not a process originating in the wisdom of human beings. It is a process designed and commanded by God to be practiced within the fellowship of the church to uphold the reverence of His Name, maintain the church's corporate witness in the world, and preserve the faith of His children.

A church that really loves God and seeks His honor will practice biblical discipline to protect His name and promote His glory while seeing it as an instrument of God’s grace in the life of the church.

The Value of Church Discipline for the Family
The effective and biblical process of church discipline has much value in the area of healthy, God-honoring marriages and families. Dennis Rainey, founder of Family Life Ministries, makes the case in speaking of church discipline that if the people of God “do not reinstate the means of lovingly correcting wrongful, sinful behavior in the body of Christ, it will be increasingly difficult to resolve marital conflicts and bring peace and healing to our families. When people believe that they will not be held accountable to anyone for how they treat their spouses, children, and others, what is to stop them from committing relational mayhem?”

Jay Adams, founder of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation and former professor at Westminster Theological Seminary, makes a similar claim of its impact on the family. “Much of the weakened state of the churches in the present time is the direct result of a failure in church discipline...One of the greatest tragedies resulting from the failure of church discipline is the wreckage of homes strewn across the land. Had discipline been in place and properly functioning, few of the marriage failures and the child/parent problems now facing the church would have occurred.”

The families of the church would do well to give great importance to a life inside and outside the home that is pleasing to Him and promotes His glory to a lost and sinful world.

Should Our Children See This?
The short answer is “Yes!” It is very important that our children understand this important function of the church. Our children are growing up in a culture that is at best resistant to being held accountable for their actions and at worst rebelliously opposed to the idea of submitting to the authority of someone greater than they. Concepts such as purity, holiness, lordship, servanthood and sacrifice are given a tolerant ear but not embraced as good and right.

There are only two means by which a child’s self-will and sinful bent towards their own selfish desires can be restrained and conformed to a will and a heart that respects and obeys a higher authority. The first is loving discipline and instruction within the home. Parents are to be honored and obeyed. The second is recognizing and submitting to the discipline and instruction of God through the church. God is to be honored and obeyed above all! No amount of freedom or manipulation or coercion by parents, or teachers, or friends will accomplish this task. It can only hope to be accomplished as the Holy Spirit works through the family and the local church that is faithful and obedient to Him.

Some Practical Suggestions for Parents:
1. Take the time to talk to your child about what will take place before you arrive.
2. Explain to them the reasons why it is necessary to have discipline in your home.
3. Relate these reasons to the reasons previously given as to why God has discipline in His family, the church.
4. Help your child understand that God wants all those who say they belong to His family to admit when they are doing wrong and make things right again because they love Him and love the other people in His family.
5. They should also see that when people willfully continue to sin that it hurts not only themselves, but other people in the church, and most importantly the reputation of God. This could be illustrated by again using the home as an example. When your child disobeys you it hurts them because the commands of the parents have their best interests in mind, it hurts the family as a whole because it causes arguments, anger, hurt feelings, etc., and it does not show love and respect toward their parents who have authority over them.
6. Be willing to include the church and its leaders in the life of your family whenever you need help in matters of decisions, disputes, counsel, reconciliation, etc.
7. Make the honoring of God and His greatness preeminent in your home that your children may see Him as good and His ways as pleasurable.
8. Pray as a family for the person to repent.

Notes:
1. Summarized from Robert Wagner’s chapter, “Back to the Church”. Back To Basics. P & R Publishing, 1996.
2. Rainey, Dennis. Ministering To Families In The Twenty-First Century. Word Publishing, 2001.
3. Adams, Jay. Handbook Of Church Discipline. Zondervan Publishing, 1986.

Hope this helps us grow stronger together!
Pastor Joey

The God Who Made History For Our Good

O, may He help us to look to the past for wisdom, encouragement and perseverance. May the cries of Sodom and the burning smells of Gomorrah warn us against the dangers of allowing sin to live comfortably within us (2 Peter 2:6). May the God-given grace of countless men and women who died with courage in their hearts and Christ upon their lips stir our hearts to boldness as we seek to make Christ beautiful to our neighbors and loved ones. May the timeless insights of the early church fathers, the puritans and modern day giants of the faith awaken our dull, sleepy minds to explore the depths of God's infinite glory. May we not become so enamored with our own small thread that we miss the providential beauty of the design and fail to fully worship the Master Weaver.

Learning history for my own good,
Pastor Joey

The Blind Taste Test of Life

Do you remember the Pepsi Challenge? A person is presented with two identical cups each containing a different soda. One cup contains Coke and the other cup contains Pepsi. They were to decide which drink tasted better without knowing what they were drinking. The purpose was to settle once and for all which company had the best tasting drink.

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with my dad about coffee. There are coffee drinkers and there are coffee lovers. I fall into the latter category and Starbucks has benefited greatly from my weakness. He was trying to convince me to start drinking McDonald’s coffee. And he had some powerful scientific reasons for me to do so. A recent study showed that McDonald’s ranked first as the “best tasting coffee” beating out the competitors, including my beloved Starbucks.

We have a couple at our church who are self-proclaimed “chocolate snobs”. They know their chocolate and take it very seriously. I grew up on a steady diet of Hershey bars. When given the choice between a five-dollar piece of chocolate or a convenience store candy bar, I will choose Hershey’s every time. They would laugh at my ignorance.

What does Pepsi, coffee and chocolate have to do with life? The above illustrations tell us much about the culture in which we live, which in turn will help us know how to best live within the culture. Our culture places value based upon subjective opinion. If more people prefer McDonald’s to Starbucks, then clearly McDonald’s is better. After all, beauty is in the eye of the masses, right?

What is the problem with this approach? We develop a taste for what is most familiar. The reason I prefer Hershey bars to gourmet chocolate is not that it is intrinsically better, but because that is what I grew up eating. I do not have a taste for or an appreciation of the finer qualities of chocolate. I am satisfied with a quick dose of sweetness. Maybe the fact that people prefer McDonald’s coffee over Starbucks has more to do with the fact that they have grown up on Maxwell House and Folgers than on the quality of the coffees.

I say all this simply to make us aware that there is an objective standard for truth, beauty and goodness. Everything we do should reflect the truth (law), beauty (gospel), and goodness (righteousness) of God. Something is true only inasmuch as it accurately communicates the law of God. For example, no matter how much you say you love God, you are a liar if you do not obey His commands (see 1 John 2:4). Something is beautiful only inasmuch as it reflects the beauty of the gospel. This is true of people, art, words, architecture, clothing, etc. Something is good only inasmuch as it preserves the righteousness of God. Just because an action or decision produces good results in our lives does not make it good. There are many who argue the “good” results of a woman’s choice to abort her unborn baby, but that decision is far from reflecting God’s righteousness. By the way, neither does the self-righteous actions of a person who blows up abortion clinics.

Don’t assume McDonald’s coffee is worth drinking because it tastes better to you right now. Learn to appreciate the truly good things of this life. Cultivate a taste for the holy. Train your eyes and hands and heart to enjoy what most glorifies our Father. It does not come naturally. A steady diet of Backstreet Boys will not help you learn to love Bach. A daily dose of this world will not prepare you to enjoy the next.

Put away the cookies of triviality and eat the Bread of Life today,
Pastor Joey

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