Tried With Fire

When the Apostle says to the Philippians, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ,” (Phil. 1:6), there cannot be a doubt, that by the good work thus begun, he means the very commencement of conversion in the will. God, therefore, begins the good work in us by exciting in our hearts a desire, a love, and a study of righteousness, or (to speak more correctly) by turning, training, and guiding our hearts unto righteousness; and he completes this good work by confirming us unto perseverance. But lest any one should cavil that the good work thus begun by the Lord consists in aiding the will, which is in itself weak, the Spirit elsewhere declares what the will, when left to itself, is able to do. His words are, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit w...

Thanks to Diane via FB.

I'm thankful for: ~A brief respite from the summer heat earlier this week. ~ Sound sleep last night. ~ Lunch with friends today, one whom I haven't seen in a several years. I'm looking forward to the fellowship. ~ Discussion on Sunday's sermon  in our small group  - how do we take up our cross and deny ourselves daily?  Not as a means of earning our salvation, but because we have been saved. ~ This quote from Thomas Chalmers: We know of no other way by which to keep the love of the world out of our heart, than to keep in our hearts the love of God - and no other way by which to keep our hearts in the love of God, than building ourselves up on our most holy faith. That denial of the world which is not possible to him that dissents from the Gospel testimony, is possible even as all things are possible, to him that believeth. To try this without faith, is to work without the right tool of the right instrument. But faith worketh ...

Grace is not unconditional acceptance, but it is undeserved . That is a very difficult balance to strike! God's grace comes to us without prerequisites, finding us as we are . God's grace does not  come to the "deserving" (there is no such person), and it does not discriminate. Rather, initially it comes to us freely. But once it enters into our lives, God's grace demands changes; it holds us accountable. Why? Grace demands our holiness and growth for our sake as well as for God's glory .  Grace intercepts destructive behavior, protects us from the ravages of sin, sanctifies us so we can be "holy" and "happy", two inseparable qualities. Ministries of Mercy ,  Timothy J. Keller, P&R Publishing, 1997, pp. 226-227.

When folks talk about reliving their youth, I have no desire to go back, especially to my teen years. I was part of the out-crowd, so even if I tried to fit in, it was a lost cause. However, it was eye-opening to see the change in my friends when we made the jump to high school. In class, they seemed the same, but I later learned about the drinking, smoking, and who knows what else. But I don't think it was the booze or tobacco alone that was the draw. By living on the edge, they were admitted to a new circle of friends. They were suddenly noticed by older boys. These things were means to a desired end - acceptance and attention. If we're honest, we've all done this to a certain degree. "I want abc , and xyz will give it to me or help in me in my pursuit so I'll do  xyz  . " For teen girls it could look like: Dress like this and guys will give you a second look, which may lead to a date, which may lead to a relationship because true happiness is found whe...

We recently attended a fundraiser for NightLight International , a Christian organization that provides relief, rescue, and shelter for women trapped in prostitution and human trafficking in Thailand. There was a brief video explaining the group's mission with glimpses of the bar scene in Bangkok. The film was probably sanitized, but it was still sickening to see young girls dressed provocatively for the sole purpose of attracting male clientele. We learned that in these bars the women have name tags, but there's no name, just a number, reducing them to an item to be bartered and sold. On the drive home, my daughter commented how these Thai women would give anything to be free from marketing themselves sexually, but  in our warped American culture, it seems that women want to be seen this way. In Thailand, they know only to well the ugliness and degradation of being exploited. Whereas in America, women blindly believe they are adding to their personal worth when they...

69. Q. How does baptism remind you and assure you that Christ's one sacrifice on the cross is for you personally? A. In this way: Christ instituted this outward washing and with it gave the promise that as surely as water washes away dirt from the body so certainly His blood and His Spirit wash away my soul's impurity, in other words, all my sin. 70. Q. What does it mean to be washed with Christ's blood and Spirit? A. To be washed with Christ's blood means that God, by grace, has forgiven my sins because of Christ's blood poured out for us in His sacrifice on the cross. To be washed with Christ's Spirit means that the Holy Spirit has renewed me and set me apart to be a member of Christ so that more and more I become dead to sin and increasingly live a holy and blameless life. 71. Q.  Where does Christ promise that we are washed with His blood and Spirit as surely as we are washed with the water of baptism? A. In the institution of baptism where He says:...

In this way, then, man is said to have free will, not because he has a free choice of good and evil, but because he acts voluntarily, and not by compulsion. This is perfectly true: but why should so small a matter have been dignified with so proud a title? An admirable freedom! that man is not forced to be the servant of sin, while he is, however, ethelodol ous (a voluntary slave); his will being bound by the fetters of sin. I abominate mere verbal disputes, by which the Church is harassed to no purpose; but I think we ought religiously to eschew terms which imply some absurdity, especially in subjects where error is of pernicious consequence. How few are there who, when they hear free will attributed to man, do not immediately imagine that he is the master of his mind and will in such a sense, that he can of himself incline himself either to good or evil? It may be said that such dangers are removed by carefully expounding the meaning to the people. But such is the proneness of the ...

ht: By Grace Alone

I'm thankful for... ~ Gardenias. I wish I could capture the fragrance and send it though the internet. ~ Skype, web cams, and computers. My daughter will be away for her summer visitation, a little longer than usual. I'm thankful for the technology that lets us stay in touch so easily, and now we will be able to see each other! ~ God's timely provision. Great is His faithfulness.

Congratulations to Melissa, winner of By Grace Alone by Sinclair Ferguson!!!! Thanks to all who entered. More giveaways to come, Lord willing.

The role of women and men in the church and home is a can of worms. This topic is so emotionally charged that it's dangerous to step into the debate for fear of being verbally electrocuted. I occasionally lurk on a few egalitarian blogs (mainly for other issues), and it's interesting to get their perspective. At times I'm sympathetic to their position particularly when a complementarian spokesperson has made an insensitive, foot-in-mouth blanket statement regarding divorce or abuse, which are hot-button issues with me. But at the end of the day, these scenarios, as sad as they are, can't determine my stance on this issue.  I need to come back to the Bible. So I've been listening to the talks by D.A. Carson and Bob Yarbrough from the ECFA 2012 Conference:  Understanding the Complementarian Position: Considering Implications and Exploring Practices in the Home and the Local Church .  I'm part way through, but so far it's been very helpful. I appreciate the...

Good suggestions from Mark Dever on how to create a culture of reading and reflection in the local church: Speaking of free books, there's still time to enter the giveaway for a copy of By Grace Alone by Sinclair Ferguson. The drawing will be tomorrow at noon.

65. Q. It is by faith alone that we share in Christ and all His blessings: where then does that faith come from? A. The Holy Spirit produces it in our hearts by the preaching of the holy gospel, and confirms it through our use of the holy sacraments. 66. Q. What are the sacraments? A. Sacraments are holy signs and seals for us to see. They were instituted by God so that by our use of them He might make us understand more clearly the promise of the gospel and might put His seal on that promise. And this is God's gospel promise: to forgive our sins and give us eternal life by grace alone because of Christ's one sacrifice finished on the cross. 67. Q. Are both the word and the sacraments then intended to focus our faith on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only ground of our salvation? A. Right! In the gospel the Holy Spirit teaches us and through the holy sacraments He assures us that our entire salvation resets on Christ's one sacrifice for us on the...

If man had no title to glory in himself, when, by the kindness of his Maker, he was distinguished by the noblest ornaments, how much ought he to be humbled now, when his ingratitude has thrust him down from the highest glory to extreme ignominy? At the time when he was raised to the highest pinnacle of honour, all which Scripture attributes to him is, that he was created in the image of God, thereby intimating that the blessings in which his happiness consisted were not his own, but derived by divine communication. What remains, therefore, now that man is stripped of all his glory, than to acknowledge the God for whose kindness he failed to be grateful, when he was loaded with the riches of his grace? Not having glorified him by the acknowledgment of his blessings, now, at least, he ought to glorify him by the confession of his poverty. In truth, it is no less useful for us to renounce all the praise of wisdom and virtue, than to aim at the glory of God. Those who invest us with more...

 ht: Disapproving Rabbits

This is a little story of God's providence. There once was a woman who had the bottom drop out of her life. She was a believer but un-churched with absolutely no idea where to turn in this crisis. She had a friend, an older Christian woman, who told her, "You need to read some Charles Spurgeon."  She had no idea who this Spurgeon guy was other than recalling a college friend describe him  as "great", "awesome", and "cool".  So, she googled "Spurgeon" and the first search result was this place, The Spurgeon Archive . She poked around the site and found a sermon on the passage she was currently reading. She had never seen anything like this before. After several years of very limited fellowship and no teaching whatsoever, this sermon was food to a spiritually starving soul. One sermon led to another and then another until she collected a thick binder's worth of them. She turned on  the computer every day for a Daily Dose of...

This month's giveaway is By Grace Alone by Sinclair B. Ferguson.  From the preface: "Being amazed by God's grace is a sign of spiritual vitality. It is a litmus test of how firm and real is our grasp of the Christian gospel and how close is our walk with Jesus Christ. The growing Christian finds that the grace of God astonishes and amazes." Based on the stanzas of the hymn, "O How the Grace of God Amazes Me" by Emmanuel T. Sibomana, this book tells of the wonders of the grace of God as seen in the gospel. Here are some excerpts from each chapter: 1. My Chains Fell Off 2. Unconditional Love 3. At God's Expense 4. The Great Exchange 5. Guaranteed Security 6. Delivered From Evil 7. True Freedom To enter the giveaway, use the form below. (US addresses only please.) The providential winner will be drawn on June 20 at noon EDT. Thanks for entering! The giveaway is closed.

It is no good telling the bereaved mother that Christ still loves and cares for her if she has only been taught to think of Christ in terms of how he works on her own feelings and in her own experiences. She needs to be able to see that God is much greater than her experience of him; she needs to know that, whatever her current feelings of anguish and despair, God is trustworthy and loving; and she needs to know that assurance is not necessarily about emotional highs but about knowing that God is faithful even though the whole world appears to be falling apart around her. Such will only be possible if the theological environment in which she lives and worships teaches her to understand Christ above all in terms of his historical work of redemption for the people of God; and that will only come about when the emphasis in preaching focuses not on ourselves but on the Christ of the Bible. Setting Christ above all in the context of biblical history rather than our own experience will pr...

From this talk by Austin Duncan at the 2012 Shepherd's Conference (emphasis mine): When you translate that [biblical] principle into a specific action and decision and seek to call it still a principle rather than an application of a principle, you can find yourself in a position like the false teachers that Ezekiel dealt with saying "Thus saith the Lord" when the Lord hath not said... You can honor the principle and have different practices, and the beauty of the Body of Christ is that there should be people in your church who disagree on some things but love each other extravagantly because they have a common faith. They do things differently; they come from different backgrounds. If you think your niche view of dating is God's view of dating, I want you to see if that translates to 5000 years ago, and I want you to see if it translates 1000 years ago, and I want you to take it to India and see if it works, because God's word is true then and now ,...

Yesterday, the congregation approved the three elder candidates. We've now moved from one pastor/elder and deacon board to four pastor/elders with deacons for specific areas of service. I praise God for what He has done and will do. I'm praying that the transition will go well and that these brothers will serve well together. I'm praying for grace for their families as this will undoubtedly require sacrifice on their part . I also pray for any members who may be wary of this change and pray they would become "aligned to the text" rather than tradition, however dear it may be.

62. Q. Why can't the good we do make us right with God, or at least help make us right with Him? A. Because the righteousness which can pass God's scrutiny must be entirely perfect and must in every way measure up to the divine law. Even the very best we do in this life is imperfect and stained with sin. 63. Q. How can you say that the good we do doesn't earn anything when God promises to reward in this life and the next? A. This reward is not earned; it is a gift of grace. 64. Q. But doesn't this teaching make people indifferent and wicked? A. No. It is impossible for those grafted into Christ by true faith to not produce fruits of gratitude. "So what do we do with our unworthiness? Other religions say meditate toward enlightenment or pray so many times a day, or overcome your cravings. The answer Christianity gives is wholly different and somewhat shocking. We do nothing with all our unworthiness. We do nothing to undo our bad doings because we have no...

Christina at Heavenly Springs is hosting a giveaway for  Unpacking Forgiveness  by Chris Brauns. Check it out here and read Pastor Brauns' guest post. The drawing closes Monday, June 11, at 8 PM ET.

When, by the subtlety of the devil, the woman faithlessly abandoned the command of God, her fall obviously had its origin in disobedience. This Paul confirms, when he says, that, by the disobedience of one man, all were destroyed. At the same time, it is to be observed, that the first man revolted against the authority of God, not only in allowing himself to be ensnared by the wiles of the devil, but also by despising the truth, and turning aside to lies. Assuredly, when the word of God is despised, all reverence for Him is gone. His majesty cannot be duly honoured among us, nor his worship maintained in its integrity, unless we hang as it were upon his lips. Hence infidelity was at the root of the revolt. From infidelity, again, sprang ambition and pride, together with ingratitude; because Adam, by longing for more than was allotted him, manifested contempt for the great liberality with which God had enriched him. It was surely monstrous impiety that a son of earth should deem it li...

Kim is giving away a copy of Reformation by Carl Trueman. It's an excellent book on how the church today needs the reformers' understanding of Christ, the Word, and assurance of salvation.  It's concise but packs a big punch. Check it out!

I'm thankful for: A cool spell before the heat sets in. Late night talks and a daughter who helps me sort through my thoughts. A package from WTS books  for the church library including Matthew Henry's concise commentary on the Bible. That the gospel is for wet blankets, too.

One of my pet peeves is the notion that Christian women should only read books written by other Christian women on women's topics. I don't think I'm imagining this, am I? While I'm not discounting the value of application-oriented books or women authors, I take issue with the idea that theology and doctrine are dull, dry, ego-bloating, and impractical. Therefore, "don't trouble your pretty little head about such things".  I don't think anything can be further from the truth. Plus this idea about boring theology is also inflicted on men in this anti-intellectual age, minus the "pretty" part, of course. In Sunday's sermon, one of the takeaway points was how we need to go deep in our understanding of God and not merely stay on a temporal plane. As examples, the pastor mentioned a group of young men in their 20's who have studied  Chosen by God by R. C. Sproul and are now tackling a book by Wayne Grudem on doctrine. He also mentioned a...

There's no place like Rome, there's no place like Rome... When I read this section in Reformation , my first thought was the latest evangelical fad of dabbling with Roman Catholic or Eastern mysticism. Maybe I'm wrong, but you can judge for yourself: Where I differ from these gurus is in my analysis of the human condition and nature of salvation. If we were to agree with them in seeing human beings as always searching for God, as having an innate spirituality which leads them to yearn for deeper and more authentic spiritual experiences, then we would regard the current interest in alternative religions as a positive sign and see our own task as presenting to the spiritual consumer our own product, Christianity, as a more adequate means of fulfilling the so-called "felt needs" of individuals. If, however, in line with the biblical, historic Christianity, supremely that of the Reformers, we regard human beings as sinful and turned inwards towards self, then w...

Do you know any broken records? People who can't seem to stop talking about a certain subject? Here are a few I know: My pastor can't seem to stop talking about the gospel. Every Sunday, the same truths are declared yet again. Yesterday in the sermon on Mark 8:1-21, Pastor Ryan spoke on how quickly we forget what God has done just like the disciples with their one loaf of bread after the feeding of the 4000 and the 5000. Don't we do the same thing? As soon as something happens our first reaction is "Oh no, what am I going to do?" rather than "To Whom am I going to go?" We forget who we are; we forget who God is. So how do we combat this? We take the gospel and "warm it up" every day by reminding ourselves of His past benefits (Ps. 103). At the women's retreat, we didn't discuss 10 ways to have well-behaved children in a week or 7 steps for a happy marriage. Christie, the pastor's wife, walked us through the gospel. She discu...

59. Q. What good does it do you, however, to believe all this? A. In Christ I am right with God and heir to life everlasting. 60. Q. How are you right with God? A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God's commandments and of never having kept any of them, and even though I am still inclined toward evil, nevertheless, without my deserving it at all, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been so perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me. All I need to do is to accept this gift of God with a believing heart. 61. Q. Why do you say that by faith alone you are right with God? A. It is not because of any value my faith has that God is pleased with me. Only Christ's satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness make me right with God. And I can receive this righteousn...

We're back from the women's retreat at the Outer Banks. I'm very tired but it was a wonderful time. I'm thankful for: ~ Time to get to know one another outside of Sunday morning or small group. ~ Charades. There's nothing like making a fool of yourself to break any ice. No details to follow. ~ Sweet Frog yogurt and Duck Donuts . ~ A teaching time focused on the gospel. The pastor's wife shared the truth of the gospel. She then divided us into groups to look at specific aspects, read scripture, and discuss ways we can preach the truth to ourselves everyday. It was so encouraging to see these women take doctrine and bring it home. ~ Riding with Tania and Tina and the sweet fellowship during those few hours. ~ Looking forward to seeing my sisters as we gather to worship the Lord tomorrow.

Something short and sweet from Calvin this week: Accordingly, in every age,  he who is most forward in extolling the excellence of human nature, is received with the loudest applause. Institutes of the Christian Religion  2.1.2, John Calvin, translated by Henry Beveridge, Hendrickson, pg. 148.