The Enslaving Power of Idols

"If we try to make something finite fill the place that only God can fill, we will try to extract an unrealistic level of meaning from that idol. When it does not work, it invites us only to try harder. It should not surprise us in a deeply idolatrous society that books on codependency and addiction form a growth industry. People feel enslaved to substances, to unwanted behavior, and to each other. These idols have promised life, but are death-dealing, anti-human, and constricting. It seems to be exactly this role-reversal that the Psalmist has in mind when in discussing idolatry he writes, ‘Those who make them will be like them and so will all who trust in them’ (Psalm 115:8). The idol begins as a means to power, enabling us to control, but then overpowers, controlling us.”

~Richard Keyes, “The Idol Factory” in No God But God: Breaking with the Idols of Our Age, Os Guiness & John Seel, eds. (Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1992), 45.
posted at "The Big Picture"

Poetry of the Cross

Yea, once Immanuel's orphaned cry
his universe hath shaken;
it went up single, echoless,
"My God, I am forsaken!"

It went up from the Holy's lips
Amid his lost creation,
That, of the lost,
No son should use those words of desolation....

-- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
from "Cowper's Grave"

"O God, Beyond All Praising"

Tullian Tchividjian shares his favorite hymn:

O God beyond all praising,
we worship you today
and sing the love amazing
that songs cannot repay;
for we can only wonder
at every gift you send,
at blessings without number
and mercies without end:
we lift our hearts before you
and wait upon your word,
we honor and adore you,
our great and mighty Lord.

Then hear, O gracious Savior,
accept the love we bring,
that we who know your favor
may serve you as our king;
and whether our tomorrows
be filled with good or ill,
we’ll triumph through our sorrows
and rise to bless you still:
to marvel at your beauty
and glory in your ways,
and make a joyful duty
our sacrifice of praise.

A Sample "Church Covenant"

Last Sunday evening, we studied what it means to live together as God's people in the fellowship of his church. We used a 'standard' church covenant to guide our thinking about this. (I've added relevant Scripture references.)

"Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour; and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God, angels and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this Church in...

...knowledge (cp. Acts 2:42; Col.3:16)

…holiness (2 Cor.7:1; 1 Thess.4:1-3ff.; Heb.10:24 1 Pet.1:14-17)

…and comfort;… (Acts 9:31; 1 Thess.4:18; 5:14)

….to promote its prosperity and spirituality…Acts 2:44-45; Gal.6:9-10; contrast 1 Cor. 3:17

to sustain its worship (Acts 2:46-47; 1 Cor.14; Eph.5:19-20; Heb.10:24-25); ,

…ordinances,… (Matt.26:26-29; 1 Cor.11:23-33; Matt.28:19; Acts 2:38,41)

…discipline… (Eph.4:11ff.; Col.1:28; 2 Tim.3:16; 4:2; Heb.13:17; 1 Cor. 5: Matt.18:15ff.; Titus 3:10-11)

… and doctrine;… Acts 2:42; 2 Tim.1:13-14; Titus 1:9

…to contribute cheerfully and regularly, as God has prospered us, toward its expenses, (Mal.3:8-10; Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37; 2 Cor.8-9)

… for the support of a faithful and evangelical ministry among us, the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. (Matt.28:18-20; Acts 1:8)

In case of difference of opinion in the church, we will strive to avoid a contentious spirit, (Gal.5:13-15, 20b; cp. Jas.3:17-18) and if we cannot unanimously agree (2 Cor.2:6; Phil.3:15-16), we will cheerfully recognize the right of the majority to govern.We also engage to maintain family (Dt.6:4-9) and secret/personal devotion (Matt.6:5ff, 9-13; Ps.1; 119:11, 18, 97, 105, ; Jn.17:17; Eph.6:18; Col.4:1)

….to study diligently the word of God; … (Ps.1; 19:7ff.; 119; Acts 2:42; Col.3:16; 2 Tim.3:14-4:6)

…to religiously educate our children;…( Prov.22:6; Eph.6:4)

to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances;… (Matt.28:18-20; 1 Pet.3:1-2ff.;

… to walk circumspectly in the world;…(Eph.4:17-24; 5:15-18; 1 Pet.2:11)

… to be kind and just in our dealings,…(Prov.11:1; Col.3:22-23; Tit.2:5, 9-10; 1 Pet.2:11-12)

…to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger;…(Ex. 20:16; Prov.6:16-19; 12:18; 16:28; 20:19; Matt. 12:36; 1 Cor.6:9-10; Eph.4:29-31; Col.3:8; Jas.1:19-20; 4:11)



… to seek God's help in abstaining from all drugs, food, drink, and practices which bring unwarranted harm to the body or jeopardize our own or another's faith], (Eph.5:18; 1 Cor.6:19-20; 10:31; Rom.14)

….endeavoring in the purity of heart and good will towards all men to exemplify and commend our holy faith. (Matt.5:16; Tit.2:10; 1 Cor.11:1)We further engage to watch over, to pray for, to exhort and stir up each other unto every good word and work; (Heb.13:17; 1 Thess.5:12-15; Heb.10:25)

….to guard each other's reputation, not needlessly exposing the infirmities of others;…(Prov.10:12; 17:9; 1 Pet.4:8; 1 Cor.13:6-7)

… to participate in each other's joys, and with tender sympathy bear one another's burdens and sorrows;…(Ro.12:15-16; Gal.6:1-2)

… to cultivate Christian courtesy;…(1 Cor.13:5; Col.3:12-14)

…to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and being mindful of the rules of the Saviour, to seek to secure it without delay. (Matt.5:23-28; 18:15ff.)

We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will unite with some other church of like faith where we can carry out the the spirit of this covenant reflecting the principles of God's word."

Coram Deo

An essay by R.C. Sproul on what it means to live life 'before the face of God.' Here's the main idea:

"To live coram Deo is to live one's entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God."

A Prayer for Those Who Want to Want God

From A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God:

O God, I have tasted Your goodness,and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.I am ashamed of my lack of desire.O God, the Triune God,I want to want You;I long to be filled with longing;I thirst to be made more thirsty still.Show me Your glory, I pray,so I may know You indeed.Begin in mercy a new work of love within me…Give me grace to rise and follow You up from this misty lowlandwhere I have wandered so long.In Jesus’ name. Amen.

HT: Grace Community Bible Church; Justin Taylor

The Triumph of God's Judgment

...Dr. James Grier's recent Chapel message at Cedarville University concerning the triumph of God's judgment (from Revelation 19).

Is God's Love "Unconditional"?

Justin Taylor points to wise answers to that question from David Powlison and John Piper.

Here is an excerpt from Powlison:

"We can do better. Saying “God’s love is unconditional love” is a bit like saying “The sun’s light at high noon is a flashlight in a blackout.” Come again? A dim bulb sustains certain analogies to the sun. Unconditional love does sustain certain analogies to God’s love. But why not start with the blazing sun rather than the flashlight? When you look closely, God’s love is very different from “unconditional positive regard,” the seedbed of contemporary notions of unconditional love. God does not accept me just as I am; He loves me despite how I am; He loves me just as Jesus is; He loves me enough to devote my life to renewing me in the image of Jesus. This love is much, much, much better than unconditional! Perhaps we could call it “contraconditional” love. Contrary to the conditions for knowing God’s blessing, He has blessed me because His Son fulfilled the conditions. Contrary to my due, He loves me. And now I can begin to change, not to earn love but because of love.

". . . You need something better than unconditional love. You need the crown of thorns. You need the touch of life to the dead son of the widow of Nain. You need the promise to the repentant thief. You need to know, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” You need forgiveness. You need a Vinedresser, a Shepherd, a Father, a Savior. You need to become like the one who loves you. You need the better love of Jesus."

God, and What We Need

“Everything is necessary that he sends. Nothing can be necessary that he withholds.”

- John Newton
posted at "Of First Importance"

What Does It Mean to Be "Reformed"?

Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung gives his (wisely-written, Biblically-based) description...read it here.

Interview with Dr. John Stott

Dr. Art Lindsley, of the C.S. Lewis Institute, interviews Dr. Stott. Here's an excerpt:

Dr. Lindsley: What legacy would you like to leave with
the leaders, with whom you have been involved?

Dr. Stott: I would urge upon them the priority of
preaching. It is the Word of God which matures the
people of God. As Jesus said, quoting Deuteronomy,
human beings do not live by bread alone, but by
every word which comes from the mouth of God.

Moreover, what is true of individuals is equally true
of churches. Churches live, grow, and flourish by
the Word of God; they languish and perish without
it. Of course the Word of God can reach people both
in private Bible study (if they are literate and have
a Bible) and in Bible study groups. But the major
way in which the Word of God comes to the people
of God worldwide is through preaching.

I am an unrepentant believer in the power of the pulpit. I
long to see a recovery of faithful biblical preaching
from the pulpits of the world; the result would be a
dramatic growth in mature discipleship.

Read the entire interview.

"The Cambridge Declaration" on Scriptural Authority in the Church Today

from "The Cambridge Declaration" (the opening section deals with the erosion of Scriptural authority within evangelical churches):

"Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church’s life, but the
evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its
authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too
often, by the culture. Therapeutic technique, marketing
strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far
more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and
what it offers, than does the Word of God.

"Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction.

"Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of
consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true
righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving
truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church’s
understanding, nurture and discipline.

"Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real
needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the
seductive images, cliches, promises and priorities of mass
culture. It is only in the light of God’s truth that we understand
ourselves aright and see God’s provision for our need.

"The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preacher’s opinions or the ideas of the age.
We must settle for nothing less than what God has given.

"The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be
disengaged from Scripture. The Spirit does not speak in ways
that are independent of Scripture. Apart from Scripture we would
never have known of God’s grace in Christ. The biblical Word,
rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth."

Critique of N.T. Wright's Lastest Book

Theological scholar Douglas Wilson has been doing a helpful, balanced review and critique of N.T. Wright's latest book, in which he responds to those (like John Piper) who have criticized his view of justification (etc.).

It's on his blog, "Blog and Mablog" -- look for the topic entries "N.T. Wrights and Wrongs."

"On Christ, and what he has done..."

“On Christ, and what he has done, my soul hangs for time and eternity. And if your soul also hangs there, it will be saved as surely as mine shall be. And if you are lost trusting in Christ, I will be lost with you and will go to hell with you. I must do so, for I have nothing else to rely upon but the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived, died, was buried, rose again, went to heaven, and still lives and pleads for sinners at the right hand of God.”

- Charles Spurgeon
posted at "Of First Importance"

Spirit and Word

It is through the Word of God that the Spirit works, so that ‘spiritual’ does not mean that which is vague and inaccessible and unknowable. It means ‘related to the Holy Spirit.’ And the Spirit works by the inscripturated Word he inspired. It is a Word/message that can be heard, read, studied, considered, explained, proclaimed, believed and obeyed.

It is by His Word that God creates, sustains, calls, saves, sanctifies, guides, revives, judges….

And so Spirit-filled/controlled means Word-filled/controlled (Eph.5:18; Col.3:16). And that is why ‘fundamental’ Christians of the past (and present) who may not have overtly emphasized the work of the Spirit, were nevertheless Spirit-filled people with Spirit-filled ministries, due to their commitment to learning and living by the Scriptures, focused on the Gospel.

On the other hand, those that were virtually only hearers of the Word, and not doers, or that did not remain truly Gospel-centered (which is the Word rightly interpreted), fossilized into a fundamentalist pharisaism. And Christians more oriented to the charismatic movement, and thus more open to the work of the Spirit, no doubt sometimes in reality quenched his true working among them by a similar disconnect with the Word he had inspired.

That means, too, that insofar as I am deliberately disobeying the Word, I am therefore, at the same time quenching and resisting and grieving the Spirit, and thus diminishing/disrupting his influence in my life.

It must be remembered too that walking by the Spirit, according to the Word/Gospel has as its goal a growing love for God and others (Matt.22:37ff.; Gal.5:16ff.)