Why Do We Pray In Jesus' Name?
It certainly is not to dedicate our prayers to Jesus as the author of this article seems to believe.
In The Silence
Tired of telling you, you have me
When I know you really don't
Tired of telling you I'll follow
When I know I really won't
Cause I'd rather stand here speechless
With no great words to say
If my silence is more truthful
And my ears can hear how to walk in your way
In the silence
You are speaking
In the quiet I can feel the fire
And it's burning, burning deeply
Burning all that it is that you desire to be silent, in me
Oh Jesus can you hear me?
My soul is screaming out
And my broken will cries teach me
What your Kingdom's all about
Unite my heart to fear you,
To fear your holy name
And create a life of worship
In the spirit and truth of your loving ways
-Jason Upton
When I know you really don't
Tired of telling you I'll follow
When I know I really won't
Cause I'd rather stand here speechless
With no great words to say
If my silence is more truthful
And my ears can hear how to walk in your way
In the silence
You are speaking
In the quiet I can feel the fire
And it's burning, burning deeply
Burning all that it is that you desire to be silent, in me
Oh Jesus can you hear me?
My soul is screaming out
And my broken will cries teach me
What your Kingdom's all about
Unite my heart to fear you,
To fear your holy name
And create a life of worship
In the spirit and truth of your loving ways
-Jason Upton
The law-preaching epidemic
“A sermon that mentions Jesus but still has you driving the verbs is still about you, not Jesus. The Gospel is all about what Jesus does for you. A sermon about what you do for Jesus isn’t the Gospel. For the Gospel to be preached, Jesus must be driving the verbs.”
-Todd Wilken
The indicative of scripture always drives the imperative of scripture. Doctrine drives application. Gospel drives obedience. We should hold truth about God before the people... not pull out life-application from scripture and feed it to the people. That becomes law-driven - which is what a majority of churches do today. Modern day phariseeism: All "how-to, do do do". Instead be gospel driven: "We can't. He did. Behold - Him."
Typical preaching only distills “Biblical Principles” which do not see the text in its redemptive-historical context. Thus it is only natural that the application part of such a sermon will tend to merely exhort people to conform to the principles.
-Tim Keller
The Cradle Led to the Cross
Remember that the cradle that held the baby was the beginning of the path to the cross that held the Savior.
“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18).
Christmas is necessary because we are sinners but Christmas is glorious because Christ is the Savior.
“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18).
Christmas is necessary because we are sinners but Christmas is glorious because Christ is the Savior.
...
'why do you wish to understand? why do you want to see? we walk by faith, not by sight. i have known what it is to feel a thrill of sacred joy within my soul when my divine master has sent me a task altogether beyond my strength. i have felt if this work had been only half as heavy as it is i might have attempted it, but now i know that i cannot perform this task in my own strength, so i am cast upon omnipotence. _spurgeon
Quote of the Day: Bryan Chapell
"It's the role of grace in sanctification that sometimes troubles us...People worry that emphasizing grace undermines obedience. Consistently preaching the necessity and the proper motivation for holiness may be the most difficult task evangelical preachers face because we culturally define grace as license rather than the biblical power of holiness...Grace is the power of obedience not the antidote to obedience."
"Most preachers think the goal of preaching is to get people to do what they don't want to do. Yet preachings highest aim and greatest power lays in convincing others of the love of God in Christ that makes the heart willing and able to do what God desires. That's the glory of preaching. [It is] not to strong-arm people into doing what they don't want to do, but to actually have such love in them arise that they want to do and are able to do what God delights in."
"Most preachers think the goal of preaching is to get people to do what they don't want to do. Yet preachings highest aim and greatest power lays in convincing others of the love of God in Christ that makes the heart willing and able to do what God desires. That's the glory of preaching. [It is] not to strong-arm people into doing what they don't want to do, but to actually have such love in them arise that they want to do and are able to do what God delights in."
-- Bryan Chapel, president and professor of practical theology at Covenant Theological Seminary
Church Discipline: What Think Ye?
I just came across an article on Fox News that deals with a church performing discipline on a sinning member. Just curious what you all think of the article?
Some things to consider:
(1). The story is one-side. The church chose not to air the "dirty laundry" with Fox News.
(2). The journalist may perhaps be Biblically illiterate and uninformed of the necessity of church discipline in relation to the gospel.
(3). The lady doesn't appear to be too ashamed of her sin seeing that she spilled the beans to Fox News.
Florida Woman Says Former Church Plans to Make Her Sins Public
Some questions for possible discussion:
(1). How do we deal with this issue?: there are too many hypocrites in the church....and...church discipline is mean-spirited, unloving and unecessary.
(2). How do we deal with privacy, confidence and trust issues while still acknowledging that at some point church discipline does go public on a certain level?
(3). How do we prepare potential or new church members with the idea/practice of church discpline so that they are not surprised if it ever happens to them?
(4). Does your church practice this? If so, what are some things you have learned that may help other churches?
(5). Why is church discipline a must for churches that are committed to the glory of God in the gospel of Christ Jesus?
This isn't meant to be a bashing of the lady in the aforementioned article. I just thought we could talk through an issue and stimulate some conversation at Christmas-time. So what think ye?
Some things to consider:
(1). The story is one-side. The church chose not to air the "dirty laundry" with Fox News.
(2). The journalist may perhaps be Biblically illiterate and uninformed of the necessity of church discipline in relation to the gospel.
(3). The lady doesn't appear to be too ashamed of her sin seeing that she spilled the beans to Fox News.
Florida Woman Says Former Church Plans to Make Her Sins Public
Some questions for possible discussion:
(1). How do we deal with this issue?: there are too many hypocrites in the church....and...church discipline is mean-spirited, unloving and unecessary.
(2). How do we deal with privacy, confidence and trust issues while still acknowledging that at some point church discipline does go public on a certain level?
(3). How do we prepare potential or new church members with the idea/practice of church discpline so that they are not surprised if it ever happens to them?
(4). Does your church practice this? If so, what are some things you have learned that may help other churches?
(5). Why is church discipline a must for churches that are committed to the glory of God in the gospel of Christ Jesus?
This isn't meant to be a bashing of the lady in the aforementioned article. I just thought we could talk through an issue and stimulate some conversation at Christmas-time. So what think ye?
Why It Makes Sense That the Trinity Doesn't Make Sense
The Trinity can be defined as follows: “God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God” (Grudem 226). In other words, as the common person would understand it, the Trinity is simply that God is both One and Three. It is that He is One God, but that He is made up of Three persons. He is Three in One, and One in Three. All Three are One, and that One is Three. And yes, it is indeed confusing. The Trinity is a matter that the mind cannot comprehend, just as much as the heavens baffle our eyes. It is as crazy as the fact that there are a million million million galaxies consisting of a trillion trillion trillion stars. It is simply beyond us. But many dismiss the Trinity for just this reason. We don't get it. We don't understand. It doesn't make sense. Yet the difference between how the Trinity doesn't make sense and how that there be such a thing as a billion solar systems doesn't make sense, is simply the fact that we think it should. We say the Trinity should make sense even as we say it should make sense like everything should.
Oh, how arrogant are we! Does anything even make sense to us? Is not the essence of fire, of lightening, of electricity but still nonsense to us? Are they not as fantastic as anything? We don't know what they are. We have simply placed names on the unknown. Far from being called the “natural” a more accurate term would be the “magical.” For it seems no less than magic that water should evaporate into air and assimilate into clouds. It is but a wonder of the imagination that there be such a thing as rain in the first place. Or clouds, or air, or sand, or mountains, or the hummingbird, or the dragonfly, or the lightening bug, or the giraffe. Is not this whole world but a sight too wonderful for us even with the grandest of imaginations! Yet we walk about it as if we understood it all. As if we understood how a seed could grow into a 330 foot-tall tree. Or how a small egg could hatch a 20-foot long crocodile. Or why they should even! We gaze at the ocean with little mystery. We watch the ant hold twenty times its weight- hanging upside down. We don't even think twice when a host of fruit flies springs from the bananas on our kitchen table. And everyday we see birds defy gravity. Yet we dismiss it all as if it couldn't be any way else. We are like the person who after living in a cave his whole life walks outside and simply nods his head as if everything is just as he supposed.
It is not the world around us that ceases to be amazing, it is us that cease to be amazed. It is the difference between how the child sees a butterfly and how an adult sees one. It is not that the butterfly is any less wonderful, but the adult who is that much more jaded. We lose our sense of imagination because we forget that everything around us is no less wonderful than a child's bed-time story. The fact that daisies are and that sun-rises exist, that there is such a thing as a rainbow or a tornado or a volcano or porcupines or rhinoceroses or blowfish or chameleons or penguins or seahorses or ostriches or kangaroos or manatees or meerkats or (most strange enough) people! ought to make us wonder what fantasy book we're all really living in. The reality of what is around us is more dreamlike than reality. And probably more absurd than even our dreams! No one could dream up a hippopotamus... We are all fans of magic, because we love to wonder, yet it would be good for us to take a second glance about us. We live in the greatest magic trick that could ever be.
Therefore, let us not question the unfathomable Godhead. Let us not pretend that we can -or ever could- wrap our minds around the Three Persons of the Trinity as but one Unity. We can't even grasp why ice, rain, and vapor should all be the same water. It is just as it should be that we shake our heads and shrug our shoulders when we are asked to explain the Trinity. For what more can we tell of the Trinity than we can of why a fish can breathe in water? Or why our laptops can pick up wireless Internet? So let us rest in the Word of God when we speak of the Trinity, not our reason. Let us listen to the Great Magician, the One who created all things out of nothing. Let us come before Him as children filled with wonder for we are in a world sprung from His imagination. With Him all things are possible.
Oh, how arrogant are we! Does anything even make sense to us? Is not the essence of fire, of lightening, of electricity but still nonsense to us? Are they not as fantastic as anything? We don't know what they are. We have simply placed names on the unknown. Far from being called the “natural” a more accurate term would be the “magical.” For it seems no less than magic that water should evaporate into air and assimilate into clouds. It is but a wonder of the imagination that there be such a thing as rain in the first place. Or clouds, or air, or sand, or mountains, or the hummingbird, or the dragonfly, or the lightening bug, or the giraffe. Is not this whole world but a sight too wonderful for us even with the grandest of imaginations! Yet we walk about it as if we understood it all. As if we understood how a seed could grow into a 330 foot-tall tree. Or how a small egg could hatch a 20-foot long crocodile. Or why they should even! We gaze at the ocean with little mystery. We watch the ant hold twenty times its weight- hanging upside down. We don't even think twice when a host of fruit flies springs from the bananas on our kitchen table. And everyday we see birds defy gravity. Yet we dismiss it all as if it couldn't be any way else. We are like the person who after living in a cave his whole life walks outside and simply nods his head as if everything is just as he supposed.
It is not the world around us that ceases to be amazing, it is us that cease to be amazed. It is the difference between how the child sees a butterfly and how an adult sees one. It is not that the butterfly is any less wonderful, but the adult who is that much more jaded. We lose our sense of imagination because we forget that everything around us is no less wonderful than a child's bed-time story. The fact that daisies are and that sun-rises exist, that there is such a thing as a rainbow or a tornado or a volcano or porcupines or rhinoceroses or blowfish or chameleons or penguins or seahorses or ostriches or kangaroos or manatees or meerkats or (most strange enough) people! ought to make us wonder what fantasy book we're all really living in. The reality of what is around us is more dreamlike than reality. And probably more absurd than even our dreams! No one could dream up a hippopotamus... We are all fans of magic, because we love to wonder, yet it would be good for us to take a second glance about us. We live in the greatest magic trick that could ever be.
Therefore, let us not question the unfathomable Godhead. Let us not pretend that we can -or ever could- wrap our minds around the Three Persons of the Trinity as but one Unity. We can't even grasp why ice, rain, and vapor should all be the same water. It is just as it should be that we shake our heads and shrug our shoulders when we are asked to explain the Trinity. For what more can we tell of the Trinity than we can of why a fish can breathe in water? Or why our laptops can pick up wireless Internet? So let us rest in the Word of God when we speak of the Trinity, not our reason. Let us listen to the Great Magician, the One who created all things out of nothing. Let us come before Him as children filled with wonder for we are in a world sprung from His imagination. With Him all things are possible.
Let Grace Make Much of God
If there is one thing I love, it is the grace of God. And this grace was supremely revealed at the cross of Christ, where He was slain for the sinful. When I think about my salvation, I always like to put it in its proper context in order to make much of the grace of God. Grace pictured incorrectly diminishes God and makes grace look cheap. So, I don't picture myself standing at the gates of Heaven begging God to let me in. Then, God finally calls my name and I come sprinting through the gates of Heaven breaking the golden ribbon that was conveniently placed there to add drama to my entrance. Upon entrance there is a set of bleachers, you know the kind you see at a little league game, with a group of angels raising signs saying, "You made it," "Go you." No I don't picture my salvation like that, as flattering as it is. I don't picture myself playing a game of hide and go seek with God, one where God is hiding under my kitchen counter and I conveniently walk in as he sneezes alerting me to his position. Then, as I creep up to the counter doors I throw them open yelling, "FOUND YOU." No, when it comes to salvation God is definitely not the one hiding. I don't think either picture even comes close to touching the true reality and depth of the grace of God in a sinner's conversion like me. I like to picture my salvation like this: God is standing at the door of Heaven saying "Whosoever will, may come." But I am deaf to that call because I am running toward Hell with all the strength I can muster up all the while indulging myself in sinful passion along the way. But God overflowing in grace grabs me, turns me around, calls to my dead heart, "ARISE," and displays His infinite glory and worth to me. That is the way I picture my salvation and you should too, because apart from the grace of God you were deaf to God. And apart from the grace of God you were dead to God. Those who understand the reality of their deafness and deadness will picture their salvation like this, because it makes much of the grace of God. When I get to Heaven I am going to blame God for getting me there, because the same grace that grabs me is the same grace that guides me home. And that is how grace makes much of God.
Romans 9:16
"So then it depends not on human will and exertion
but on God who has mercy."
It Was Great...
...getting to see Joey this past Saturday after almost two years. It was great seeing Daniel Neiditch and his family. It was great to be with like-minded believers. But the time was too short. Way too short. Too bad Jeremy wasn't there to make fun of....well, to be certain we poked fun at him even though he wasn't there. Nothing like pickin' on your friends when they aren't there to defend themselves.
Daniel, be sure to thank your dad for me again for all the Shepherd's Conference CD's he gave me. Also, thanks for the copy of The Messiah In The Old Testament. I started reading it today and am almost to page 50. Good stuff, but not a quick read. It will go well with the books I just ordered.
Joey, put on some weight! You're gonna need it for your India trip. Fat reserves can be a good thing when one ventures into a country with different delicacies than we are used to. But seriously...eat a cookie...or two. And I'll try to lose a pound or two.
God bless, guys. I look forward to seeing you again soon...and perhaps maybe meeting some of the other TALIANS for the first time. Later. -- Josh
Daniel, be sure to thank your dad for me again for all the Shepherd's Conference CD's he gave me. Also, thanks for the copy of The Messiah In The Old Testament. I started reading it today and am almost to page 50. Good stuff, but not a quick read. It will go well with the books I just ordered.
Joey, put on some weight! You're gonna need it for your India trip. Fat reserves can be a good thing when one ventures into a country with different delicacies than we are used to. But seriously...eat a cookie...or two. And I'll try to lose a pound or two.
God bless, guys. I look forward to seeing you again soon...and perhaps maybe meeting some of the other TALIANS for the first time. Later. -- Josh
God's Role and The Believer's Role In the Discipleship Process
I was asked to give an analysis of the following sentence for a class on discipleship that I took as part of my masters program - “Disciples are created in the image of God, yet fallen and choosing to learn.” It was part of a discusssion board.
There should be no disagreement as to the validity of the first part of that statement. All men are created in the image of God and thus by logical rationalization disciples are created in the image of God. However, the real question lies in how this pertains to the rest of the statement. It would be rather simplistic to divide this statement in two and deal with the first and second parts as individual thoughts. So how does a follower of Jesus Christ, created in the image of God yet fallen, choose to learn more about his Creator?
I believe you must understand the implications of what it means to be chosen by God unto salvation and therefore chosen unto good works and to also understand the believer's responsibility before God and man to choose to learn and grow. Romans 8:29 states - "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." The purpose of discipleship is to be in a continual process of transformation that is conforming us into the image of Jesus Christ. God has predestined us to this end. This is critical in understanding our own ability to be learners of the things of God. To know that God has called us and set us aside to be conformed to the image of His Son should empower us and motivate us to learn, grow, and desire after Him.
Prior to verse 29 in Romans chapter 8, Paul defines what it means to be truly free from the power of indwelling sin. Verses 5 -8 state - "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." If we live our lives according to the Holy Spirit that indwells our very being at the moment of salvation, then Scripture teaches that the implications of that are minds that are set on the things of God. Followers of Christ are super-naturally geared towards learning the things of God. That explains how we as fallen human beings can still learn the things of God.
As far as being created in the image of God, Scripture teaches that God has created within us the ability to know Him. But man, in his sinful state, has repressed the truth in his heart. Romans 1:18-19 states - "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them." It is only the regenerate heart that can come to understand the truths of God.
So where does that leave man in choosing to learn? Paul's letters are filled with exhortations for his readers to grow in the truths of God. Paul's writings clealry implore his readers to take action in their faith implying that it also is of our choosing to learn. It is awesome how God's soveriegnty and our choice to learn about God intertwine and fit perfectly together. Knowing this enables us to teach the truths of Scripture without reservation knowing that the true disciple will be eager to learn them.
the godly man's picture regarding sin
There is a book I have been reading called "The Godly Man's Picture". It is part of the Puritan Paperbacks written by Thomas Watson. Anyways, it goes through different characteristics which are evident in godly individuals. I wanted to share a little excerpt discussing the confession of sin.
"...a child of God will confess sin in particular. An unsound Christian will confess sin wholesale, he will acknowledge he is a sinner in general, whereas David does, as it were, point with his finger to the sore: 'I have done this evil' (Psa. 51:4). He does not say, 'I have done evil', but 'this evil'. He points at his blood guiltiness."
Let us not come before the Lord's throne and be vague and general about any sin in our lives nor with a "let me rush through this prayer" kind of attitude. May we constantly come before the Lord in prayer and be raw and real with Him in regards to our sin and be thankful and praise Him for His forgiveness.
The Privilege of Being a Father
A lot of people love their birthday. It's often a day when everything is about "me." Perhaps I am "wired" different than others, but it's just another day to me and I don't get that excited when my b-day comes around. Yesterday was my birthday and it was pretty uneventful in regards to the "me" factor. And that was ok by me. But meeting with my brothers and sisters in Christ in worship of our Savior...that's something to be excited about. Having the opportunity to constantly share Christ with your own child...that is something to be excited about. I love those kind of days...and today was one such day.
Today I again had the privilege of reading my daughter the Scriptures. We read the story of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus as Jacob's well. In examining the Scriptures I asked her, "Why do we drink water?" Her six-year-old reply was, "Because if we don't drink water then after a certain time we will die. We need it to live."
I said, "Wow, you're right." I explained the Scripture in which Jesus said that there was a such thing as living water which will cause us to live eternally. So I asked some questions to help her figure out what Jesus was saying.
I asked, "What is it that makes us to live forever with God?" She replied, "Believing in Jesus...that Jesus died for our sin and rose again to life."
"So Jesus makes us to live eternally," I replied. My next question was, "What then do you think it means to drink living water and live forever?" She said, "Believing in Jesus."
"Yes!" I said. "But not just believing in Jesus, but believing the truth about Jesus." I went on to explain the rest of the story to her and how it is God who gives us spiritual life so that we can worship Him in spirit and it truth. She was in shock when I told her that there were people who didn't love God and didn't believe the truth about Jesus. She said, "That's crazy that God made this place and they don't believe in Him." I said, "Yeah, they even hate God." It was a blast see her connect with God and His truth.
When we were done, it was time for her to hit the sack. So she hopped up in her bunk bed and it was time to pray. She always asks me to help her pray so I gave her a ton of things that she could pray for and I told her that I'd pray for anything she forgot. Her words were more precious to me than anything I've heard in a long time.
"Jesus, help us to believe the truth about you. Please protect those who get hurt for believing the truth about you."
I don't want to forget moments like these. My memory stinks. So this post is to remind me of the grace of God at work in my child's life.
Lord, save my little girl! Regenerate her litte heart if you have not already done so. Make her an outspoken and unashamed mouthpiece of the gospel. Let her live for Your glory. And when the time comes, let her die in a way that glorifies You. Thank You, Father, for the privilege of raising her. Though I fall radically short of being the perfect dad, work out Your good will in her life and let her always find her highest joy in knowing You. I may fail at a number of things, but let me not fail in leading her to know You. As Your child, Father, I ask these things for my child, for the sake of Your glory!
Today I again had the privilege of reading my daughter the Scriptures. We read the story of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus as Jacob's well. In examining the Scriptures I asked her, "Why do we drink water?" Her six-year-old reply was, "Because if we don't drink water then after a certain time we will die. We need it to live."
I said, "Wow, you're right." I explained the Scripture in which Jesus said that there was a such thing as living water which will cause us to live eternally. So I asked some questions to help her figure out what Jesus was saying.
I asked, "What is it that makes us to live forever with God?" She replied, "Believing in Jesus...that Jesus died for our sin and rose again to life."
"So Jesus makes us to live eternally," I replied. My next question was, "What then do you think it means to drink living water and live forever?" She said, "Believing in Jesus."
"Yes!" I said. "But not just believing in Jesus, but believing the truth about Jesus." I went on to explain the rest of the story to her and how it is God who gives us spiritual life so that we can worship Him in spirit and it truth. She was in shock when I told her that there were people who didn't love God and didn't believe the truth about Jesus. She said, "That's crazy that God made this place and they don't believe in Him." I said, "Yeah, they even hate God." It was a blast see her connect with God and His truth.
When we were done, it was time for her to hit the sack. So she hopped up in her bunk bed and it was time to pray. She always asks me to help her pray so I gave her a ton of things that she could pray for and I told her that I'd pray for anything she forgot. Her words were more precious to me than anything I've heard in a long time.
"Jesus, help us to believe the truth about you. Please protect those who get hurt for believing the truth about you."
I don't want to forget moments like these. My memory stinks. So this post is to remind me of the grace of God at work in my child's life.
Lord, save my little girl! Regenerate her litte heart if you have not already done so. Make her an outspoken and unashamed mouthpiece of the gospel. Let her live for Your glory. And when the time comes, let her die in a way that glorifies You. Thank You, Father, for the privilege of raising her. Though I fall radically short of being the perfect dad, work out Your good will in her life and let her always find her highest joy in knowing You. I may fail at a number of things, but let me not fail in leading her to know You. As Your child, Father, I ask these things for my child, for the sake of Your glory!
