A Strong Rebuke From a Gentle Voice

As many of you know, I am pursuing my Master of Divinity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. This last semester I decided to take a nice tall drink of Elementary Greek. The class was very rigorous and demanding. The language is highly inflected and demands that one memorize many paradigms and rules for translation. I spent at 2-3 hours a day memorizing vocabulary and doing translation work. Needless to say, I invested a lot of time and energy into the class. So much so, my children probably know as much as I do by mere osmosis.

Last week I inquired about my grades. I had spoken to a friend of mine that was in the class and he said that the grades were posted. When I came home from work I pulled my laptop out and logged on to my ecampus account. After negotiating through the website to find the grade page, I finally saw the fruit of my labor; a B+.

Getting a B+ in Greek is not bad. All things considered, a B+ is a good grade. I know that there were students in the class who did not do as well. However, I struggle with getting anything less than an A and with all of the work and effort I put in the class, I thought for sure I would pull off at least a low A. I was a bit disappointed.

Actually, I pouted a bit and sulked over dinner. I gazed off into space wallowing in my self pity. I even pushed aside my dinner and put my head in my hands. My wife tried to encourage me with accolades of my achievement, especially working and managing a family while going to school. However, my daughter was not as inspiring in her words to me. In fact, they were down right penetrating.

As Stacy finished her words of encouragement, there fell an moment of silence. My head was still in my hands and my mind was still wrestling with the disappointment. And then the silence broke with a soft voice....

"You know daddy, the bible says that you need to trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understating; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

A soft voice turned into a thunderous rebuke. Oh how the Lord can take the mouth of a babe to speak such a glorious truth. She was right. I was not trusting the Lord and I was not acknowledging in all my ways. His grace held me all the way through Greek and a B+ is what I was to have.

The silence at the table grew thick. I kept my head in my hands, mostly out of embarrassment while my wife looked at me with smirk. Naomi continued eating her dinner occasionally gazing at me with a raised eyebrows as if she was waiting for me to say something. Finally, I had to acknowledge her.

I told her she was right (humbling) and that I was sorry for the way I acted (even more humbling). I thanked her for the the scripture.

It is an interesting thing to teach your children scripture. Part of me is proud of her for remembering the word of God and using in the the right context. Another part of me is perplexed that what I have taught her is used to rebuke me. Such an interesting dichotomy.

In the end I glorify God. He is such an amazing God. Only he has the wisdom to rebuke his servant in such a gentle and powerful manner as through a child. I praise him for putting a desire in Stacy and I to teach our children his word. Little did I know that I would eat of its fruit so soon.

Skin to Soul

I thank God for the grace he lavishes on us through sanctification. The older I get the more aware I become of just how unaware I am of myself. You would think by now, after ten plus years of walking with Christ, that I would be further along in my in spiritual journey. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I believe I have barely scratched the surface of my eternal relationship with Christ. Eternal, that is such a weighty word. Maybe that is why the task of sanctification seems so daunting. Sanctification seems as though it will never end. Sin runs deep in my veins. It is at the very core of my being. How can something that is so intertwined with who I am be purged out in such certainty?

That is the amazing work of the blood of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. That is why at times I marvel at the incomprehensibility of the God of the universe! "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36) In this I can testify with John Newton, "… That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour."

With all of that being said, I have come to recognize something about me that is unsettling. By God's mercy, I have become aware of the shallowness of my love for people. I find myself not willing to get past the surface of people's lives. I really do not care about people. I do not care about the hardships they face...the emptiness, the darkness, the pain, and so on. I do not care about racial reconciliation between African Americans and Caucasians, or the worthiness of women beyond aesthetical decadence. I really do not care about their death and descent into an eternal abyss (and all that comes with the fruits of hell) apart from the mesmerizing beauty and wonder of Christ our Lord and the Father.

If I cared, my thoughts would be more gentle and my attitude less apathetic. My motives would be more cordial and my judgment less critical. My eyes would see differently and my heart would love more radically. I would weep with those who weep and rejoice with the angels over one sinners repentance. I would be able to see unbelievable endings to small beginnings; like a mustard seed of faith. I would really believe the gospel.

I am going to begin a series "Skin to Soul" on my blog. In this series, I am prayerfully pursuing the root of my apathy towards loving people. I will examine my heart's attitude and reaction to people I encounter. I will search my soul for reasons why I am reacting the way I am reacting and then try to interpret my feelings, motives, attitudes, etc, though God's word. I am open to your input in this matter. If you have any suggestions, constructive criticisms, or stories of your own, I encourage you to participate.

I will say that I am anxious about this endeavor. My hunch is I am going to find that my apathy is not necessarily towards people, but towards God himself. This is scary on so many levels. However, in the end, God is merciful. He loves me as His own and will do what is necessary for His glory and my joy. Being a great sinner could make this journey undeniably unbearable… if Christ was not such a great savior! I look forward to the journey.

You Are My Friends If...

Family worship time in our house is very important to us. Just about every night, we gather together, sings songs, and read scripture. This varies at times. Some times we do more of one than the other, but nevertheless, it is a consistent time of reflecting on the day and learning God's word. A few nights ago, Naomi shed some new light on an old verse.

The family alter started as usual with prayer and music. Then we read scripture and began having some discussion. During this time we try to ask a lot of questions and contextualize the concept to help them better understand. Sometimes Naomi will think of a hypothetical situation to apply what she just learned. Sometimes, I think her "hypotheticals" are actual events that happened to her throughout her day.

We were teaching the children about the love of God and how we love him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). The discussion began to revolve around loving God and people when people are not so easily lovable. Like usual, Naomi begins to give a "hypothetical situation" about loving people when they are being mean.

She says, "Ya, it's kind of like when Rachel, Savannah, and I are playing outside and Rachel goes into her house and gets her new barbies. And when she comes outside, she gives one to Savannah and does not give one to me. And they begin to play without me. I feel really sad and get mad. So I said to them, 'The bible says: You are my friends if you do whatever I command you...'" (Inferring...give me a barbie.)

At this point I have to look away and fight the outburst of laughter bulging in my throat. I look at Stacy and she is grinning from ear to ear with her head down lightly giggling. Naomi on the other hand was serious. I ask her if this is just pretend or did this really happen. Of course, it did happen earlier that day. I can just imagine the look on those girls faces when she said that. Priceless.

Part of me was impressed. Don't get me wrong, what she said was out of context and misappropriated. However, in the context of the conversation, it was pretty smooth. She spoke with authority and certainty. I can't knock a girl for trying.

Obviously, this lead to a correction conversation. We spoke to her about context and why Jesus said what he said, and how only he can say that. This is not the first time Naomi busted scripture out on someone. One little girl (the little girl who got the barbie) was not being very nice to her and came and took a branch out of her hand impolitely. Naomi returned with, "The bible says your supposed to let your light so shine before men so that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16)." The little girl still took the branch and walked away. Naomi just walked away.

I learned a good lesson from this. Context is very important, especially with children. My children know a lot of scripture, more than I knew at their age. However, not all of it has taken root. I must be diligent to make sure the full counsel of God's word is being taught and that I check for understanding. Then, once understanding is happening, I need to reinforce what they know in proper context. I'm sad to say that I do not check as much as I should. I typically get it in their and let it sit for a while. Naomi does understand some. She showed that in the conversation she had with the little girl who took the branch out of her hand. I thank God for that. It is proof that God is at work in her and is producing fruit in her life.

My wife and I work hard at teaching our kids God's word. It is very time consuming and sometimes, sadly, we just don't feel like doing it. However, the reward is amazing. It is neat to see God using our children for his kingdom. Granted, this time Naomi overstepped a few boundaries, but, that is not to say it was all wrong. She is learning God's word and trying to apply it to her reality. Context will come as she grows. And she will never learn if she does not try. I say... try and fall down. God will pick her up. In time she will learn from her mistakes and figure how to apply God's word appropriately.

This is why it is crucial for Stacy and I to intentionally pray, teach, demonstrate, experience, and explain God everyday and in every way to our children. We are shaping her reality and understanding of God. As she steps out in faith, we need to be in step with her, with God in the front.

The fruit of a family alter time bears fruit beyond our understanding. Naomi and Ethan learned that verse during family alter. They hear stories about kids who speak God's word in public arenas (playgrounds, porches, backyards, school, etc). They take that and go into the world and try to work it out. I would encourage you to find time to pray and worship as a family. It will be a tremendous asset to your family's faith and sense of humor.

Is It Working?

The other day, while at the dinner table, I was poking fun at my wife with an old R. Kelly song, "I Believe I Can Fly."(Check out on youtube) I facetiously sang through the chorus adlibbing here and there. The kids picked up on it, sang, laughed, and carried on for a time. Stacy thought we were out of our minds. It was fun.

Since then the kids have been singing the song relentlessly. It is almost annoying. Just when you think you have gotten the tune out of your head, here it comes again screaming repeatedly in many different manipulations. First, it is the frantic I drank too much sugar and I am about to have a coronary tone that curdles your blood and takes several good years off your life span. Then comes the growling like a dog tone that is usually accompanied with a Russian march with their legs stomping the floor, shaking everything loose off the walls. Finally, they crescendo with a slap on your butt and a woo hoo for good measure. Well… that is my kids anyways. They have some of me in them and I guess some of that is to be expected.

Nevertheless, today Naomi was singing the song as usual. Except, today, she added her own little piece. As she was standing by our hutch looking at some papers or what not, she began to sing, "I believe…with God's help… I can fly." Did you catch that, "with God's help", I can fly. Stacy and I giggled a little and affirmed her confession.

Naomi's confession was an unadulterated overflow of her understanding of the sovereign care of our God. It is no Westminster Confession, yet, however, it is a building block to that end. In an un-manipulated situation, she voluntarily sang a truth she is beginning to believe. Stacy and I do make it a point to ask many questions about God in certain situations. We also point out truths in creation or circumstances when the opportunity arises. This time however, we were just bystanders. Spectators if you will, of a divine taste of spiritual fruit. A taste we do not experience very often.

Like many families, ours have not arrived as of yet. We have our issues and God has been very merciful and patient with us. Our kids are learning and make many mistakes, as do we as parents. Many times Stacy and I feel very inadequate in our parenting. We feel that way because it seems like our kids should be further along than they are. It seems like we will move a step forward, to only move three steps behind. Moreover, on occasion, we will move five steps forward and really feel like we have it together, to only stall and stay stagnant. It can be discouraging at times. Therefore, when these times happen, we feed off them. They give us hope.

Naomi's little statement of faith in that song helps keep our vision alive. We have a vision for our children. We want them to radically love Christ and his supremacy in everything. We want them to be saturated with God's word and genuine in their faith. We pray this for them and try to live it out in our daily lives. This is where I believe she has seen the credibility of this truth. Aside from our family devotions and scripter memory times, our children see the gospel played out. They have heard our conversations in some of our weakest moments exhorting our utter dependency on the supremacy of Christ. They have seen things done in the name of Jesus that has given some footing to God's provision. We try to include them in ministry opportunities where they can witness God meeting the needs of His people. They have also seen us ask for forgiveness for our sin. They are a part of our spiritual growth as much as we are a part of theirs. These things have helped Naomi to begin to form an understanding of God's ability and power to do amazing things; even help us fly if he so chooses.

Naomi does not know that R. Kelly is speaking metaphorically. She is thinking in literal terms. In her mind, she is singing a song about literally flying. Therefore, when she sings "I believe with God's help I can fly", she believes that God has the ability and power to help her to fly; which she knows humans cannot do on their own. She is declaring the truth with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), even flying.

Every day we try to teach our children, as we are learning ourselves, that we can do nothing apart from Christ (John 15:5). We try to intertwine in their being that God is in the heavens and can do as he pleases (Psalm 115:3), and that He gives and takes away as he sees fit (Job 1:20-22). Moreover, every day we need to lift our cup empty before Him (Psalm 16) pleading with Him to fill us with His fullness (Ephesians 3: 19). We try to bestow on them that we are utterly dependant on our God. We have nothing. He is everything. We are vacant and bare. He is our all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28; Ephesians 1:23). With this dependency, we are at the mercy of our God and in desperate need of his help.

If you are like us, you are pleading with God for the salvation of your children. Naomi has made a profession of faith. I am not entirely sure where she is in her walk with God. She is young and has not wrestled adequately with the issue of her sin. However, I do see blocks of truth and faith being laid on her foundation from time to time, such as this one. We have to continue on praying, pleading, proclaiming, and being proactive in bestowing the glory of Christ crucified to our children. I believe God will honor our efforts as long as we keep Him at the center. If that is the case, then I can rest assured in saying, "God is at work. And what He is doing is working." Go on girl, with God's help…fly!

Happy Birthday Heather

Heather,


You have made it an interesting 16 years. I praise God I have been a part of your life for at least ten of them. Tuesday morning I prayed for you and asked God to help me with a gift for your birthday. He answered with a poem, a prayer, and a plea. This is yours. Nobody else can have it. I hope you take this to heart and know that Stacy, the kids, and I love you dearly. Be good and God bless.

A Poem

Heavenly Sunlight my soul sings to the music of God’s grace,
Extravagantly poured out in your laughter.
A rose, beaded with water that glistens, sings harmony,
To the melody of your quintessence.
Heather, a field of splendor singing sweetly in the breeze an,
Exquisite song of warmth, love, and,
Radiance.

A Prayer

Hear, O Lord my prayer for the heart of your child. Giver her
Eyes to see and ears to hear the blessed hope that comes in the
Atonement of your Son, where there is forgiveness of sins. May she
Taste and see that the Lord is good and be blessed by putting her trust in You. Do not
Hide from her your presence where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.
Enable her to behold the beauty and majesty of Christ, the
Radiance of your glory.

A Plea

Hide the word of God in your heart that you may not sin against Him. (Psalm 119:11)
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him and bless His name! (Psalm 100:4)
Abstain from sexual immorality; that you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)
Trust in the LORD with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding…be not wise in your own eyes! (Proverbs 3:5-7)
Honor your father and mother that it may go well with you. This is well pleasing to the Lord.(Col 3:20; Eph 6:1-3)
Encourage and build up your family, friends, and neighbors. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Remember you are dust (Psalm 103:14) and will one day be no more. It is appointed for man to die once and after that face judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)

Be true, Be humble, Be real.

With much love,
Jason

Shine On Shiner!

As many of you know, we have moved to Louisville, KY and settled in to our town house. What you may not know is that we have already had our first casualty. Our town house is a three-bedroom apartment with an upstairs and downstairs. The kids’ room is upstairs with a bathroom, while the master bedroom is downstairs with a bathroom. This is the first time we have lived in a two-story home. Stacy was a little leery of the stairs, especially with Ethan. His energy levels have tripled in the last six months. However, it was Naomi who underestimated the combination of gravity, wood, and not paying attention.

Playing is paying…

Paul and Peggy, Stacy’s parents, came to help us get settled in. My dad had just left on his way back to Wisconsin. Naomi was running up and down the stairs playing. We told her to stop playing or else she was going to hurt herself, which is exactly what she did. As Naomi was going down the stairs (playing), Paul asked her to help him carry something. I think this was his way of getting her to stop going up and down the stairs. With her momentum going down she turned and slipped off the step. She then fell down and caught the corner of the stairs with her eye.

Of course, this happened on daddy’s watch. Stacy was gone with her mother to the store. I was in the kitchen washing my hands when I heard Naomi cry. It is a funny thing being a parent. I have learned the distinctiveness of my children cries. When Naomi is hurt, she cries from her stomach. It is almost as if all of her energy just focuses in her diaphragm. She does not bellar out with a tremendous cry or scream. It is more inside and makes its way out in the sound of one choking or something. As soon as I heard it, I knew something was wrong. Paul scurried down the stairs to pick her up. I came into the living room and took her from Paul’s arms. By then, the side of her left eye, near the temple, was starting to swell. She had a little bruising and a small cut in the shape of an L.

Black-eyed peas

I held her for a while softly scolding her for playing on the stairs. We had no ice pack at the time so we had to venture over to the neighbors. Another funny thing about being a parent is your deep concern for truth. In the house, I picked with Naomi about her eye. I told her that if she got out of line again I would bruise the other one. It did not occur to me that she might repeat that word for word to the neighbors; whom we just met for the first time. So I made sure she understood I was kidding and that she is to tell the truth about what happened.

We knocked on the door and Naomi was still whimpering a bit. I told the neighbor what happened and asked if she had something cold for the swelling. She said in a kind of question like manner, “We use frozen peas in this house. I could give you some of those?” She was very kind and understanding. She has four small children of her own; two of them are boys. I took the peas and put them on Naomi’s eye. By this time, the bruising was starting to show underneath her eye in a deep purple. It looked like a storm was brewing on the left side of her check. She looked pitiful.

His eye is on the sparrow

As we walked across the street, back to our home, I took advantage of an opportunity. I began to talk to her about God’s grace in this manner. Though he allowed her to fall and get hurt, He only let it go so far. There was mercy. She could have easily broke her neck and been paralyzed. On the other hand, she could hit her temple hard enough to kill her. There was grace given to her on the stairs. I wanted her to see and acknowledge His grace and give thanks to Him for His mercy.

The bible says that God never ceases to be involved with His creation. “The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man (Psalm 33:13).” In Job 28:24, it says, “For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under heaven.” Psalm 11:4 speaks of God on His throne looking down from heaven testing the children of men. Jesus spoke of His Fathers intimate involvement in the world, especially His people, when he encouraged his disciples not to fear men in Matthew 10:29-30. He said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” The LORD was present on the stairs with Naomi. He allowed her to fall and get hurt. Moreover, He loved her in doing so.

A natural question may come to mind, “Why would God allow her to get hurt? If he is able to stop it, why not intervene? And how is it loving?” My first response to that question is Romans 11:34-36, “For who has known the mind of the LORD, or who has been His counselor? Who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid? For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (cf 1 Corinthians 8:6)”

Essentially, I cannot tell you exactly why he allowed her to get hurt. I am not God and my wisdom does not even appear on his radar screen. The scripture is clear. Everything we endure in this life, good or bad, minute or tragic, comes from Him; even a black eye from falling down the stairs (“…for from him and through him and to him are all things…”). Furthermore, his sovereign control over every detail in the universe, even black eyes, brings him glory. We saw some of this glory on the stairs.

Three glorious things to consider

1. There was glory in his mercy.

As I said before, the situation could have been a lot worse. He was faithful to keep her from greater harm.

2. There was glory in his comfort.

He was faithful to make sure her papa and daddy were there to care for her. Paul scooped her up in his arms and comforted her. He gave her to me to hold and to care for her. There is something very special between a girl and her daddy and I would even say her grandpa. God allowed us to show her a perspective of his care for us.

3. There was glory in his revelation.

God opened my eyes to seize an opportunity to share with her His sovereignty over all things, even falling down the stairs, and his careful hand in the matter. God allowed us to build cornerstones in her faith. By recognizing His hand in this relatively small matters, we will be able to better recognize His hand in the bigger matters.

How was it loving?

Before Jesus encouraged His disciples not to fear, he gave them the basis for the promise. He told them not to fear those who can only kill the body, but fear the one who can destroy both body and soul (Matthew 10: 28). Man can only do so much. The very worst man can do is kill our body. Our souls however, are forever in the hands of God. God is the only one who can give life (Jesus) to a soul or destroy it (Hell). Therefore, we need to have a healthy fear of Him as the maker of our souls.

God allowed her body to be bruised in order that her soul might live. If we would have left the accident to mere coincidence, her body would be bruised and her soul would be no better. However, because God in His mercy, allowed us the opportunity to examine his word and see His hand in the matter, her faith was watered and her eyes were opened a little more to His power, might, mercy, and salvation. This in turn created a better awareness and respect for God; namely to fear Him. Therefore, letting her suffer a black eye was loving because He revealed more of Himself to her.

Word of advice

We make it a point in our family to see God in our everyday experiences. I would encourage you to do the same. Children who only see glimpses of God on Sundays and Wednesdays suffer greatly in their faith. God is not seen as supreme or intimate in small doses. Strive to apply scripture to everyday events as much as possible. This helps them to see the world through biblical eyeglasses. This in turn will help them to taste and see that the LORD is good, no matter the circumstance. In addition, with much prayer and pleading, they will put their trust in Him (Psalm 34:10).

A Voice For The UnBorn

The devastation of abortion is becoming more and more aware in my life. I am looking around and being confronted with the reality of brokenness for these women and children. One of the confronting forces recently was in John Pipers book "Brothers We Are Not Professionals." The book consists of thirty pleas for pastors to stop running our churhes like the world and to start living God-centered, Bible saturated, Christ exalting ministries. In chapter 27, "Blow The Trumpet for the Unborn," Piper lays out the biblical argumentation and logical reasoning against abortions. He also gives four practical applications for pastors to call their people to action. He ends the chapter with this:

"Brothers, may we not dare to believe that by the grace of God and the perseverance of His people in prayer an piety and political action there could emerge in the coming decades a consensus for life and that the twenty-first century could look back on our generation with the same dismay that we look back on the slave laws of this land and the concentration camps of World War II? Nationwide reformation has happened before-with Wilboreforce in England and Lincoln in America. It can happen again. Will you put the trumpet to your lips or be silent?"

I love his passion for truth and the elegant way he is able to communicate it. I was further encouraged by his video "Be Courageous Presidnet Barack Obama." You can watch the video on this site. The link is on the left under the Visum De Glorium label. It is the first video. I would encourage you to listen and act. I plan on blowing the trumpet myself for the unborn. I hope you will join me.

To Southern We Go!

It has been an interesting last three months for us. Since the end of January, the Lord has laid on my heart a desire to swim in the depths of his knowledge and understanding and better equip myself for ministry. In fulfilling this desire, to some capacity, he is taking us to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. We will leave our home in Bristol, TX on January 9th to begin our journey into the unknown waters of pastoral learning.

A Dream To Be Adequate

This has been a dream of mine for some time. Since I became a Christian some 10 years ago, I have always relished the idea of immersing myself into God’s word. Through a consistent quiet time and home bible studies, my appetite for God’s understanding grew. My pastor preached the word relentlessly feeding my soul glorious truths of God’s character and power. Godly men helped keep the taste of Christ live and vibrant. Before long, I was serving in the church and learning the needs of God people and the inadequate skills I had to help them. Dave helped me a lot in this area. He opened his life to me and allowed me to walk along side of him for a time. His discipleship has been one the driving forces in my walk with Christ. I am forever indebted to him and his family the gift they have given me.

The Church Weighs Heavy On My Mind

Aside from my inadequacies, my burden for the health of the church has increased tremendously. I am overwhelmed at the lackadaisical preaching of God’s word and its effect on the saints. Many pastors have reduced the word of God to a “self-help” buffet of rhetorical hula that magnifies the man in the pulpit and denies God the glory that is due him. So many of God’s people are malnourished and denied even the crumbs of the bread of life. I pray against this and refuse to take part in it. One of the reasons why I chose Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is their insistence on learning Hebrew and Greek and their commitment to teaching pastors to exposit the word of God. I could have stayed in Texas and gone to one of the many seminaries in the area. However, many of them (not all) are not committed to the level of study that is needed to adequately preach the word of God.

More To Come

For the next few entries I will give a short timeline detailing how my wife and I came to the point of leaving for seminary. It has been truly wonderful to watch God move and work in the church and in people outside of the church in displaying His plan for us. This decision has been one of the most remarkable in my life and I have never seen God work in this particular way in my life; and I would like to share it with you.

Visit www.moblyng.com to make your own!

Today the Angels Sang for My Daughter

“Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10

Today after I came home after work, my daughter Naomi came to me and said, “Daddy, this morning I asked Jesus to take all of the yucky stuff out of my heart, and I asked Him to live inside of me. I told Him I was sorry for being a sinner and wanted to be better.”

We have been praying for Naomi since she was born. Many times, I have pleaded with God to strengthen her soul through the Holy Spirit and to have Christ dwell in her heart by faith. I have asked God to root her and ground her in love and to show her the length, width, height, and depth of Christ’s love, which surpasses all understanding. I begged God to fill her with His fullness (Ephesians 3:14-21). Today the fruit of that prayer has come upon our house.

Test of Faith

You may be a little skeptical of this decision, and truthfully, you have that right. I myself am a little dubious. I have a hard time believing that five year olds understand their sin in depth enough to know they are enemies to God and are under His divine judgment. However, I cannot delegitimize her faith, as uninformed as it may be, because of a lack of knowledge. Let me walk through her decision this morning and her prayer to help solidify a few things.

My wife or I did not instigate her prayer.

Stacy was reading to them a catechism book this morning. Today’s story focused on salvation (John 6:47). A young boy named Bill was told the gospel and realized he needed Jesus. At the end of the story, Naomi asked Stacy several questions relating to salvation; “How did Bill accept Jesus into his heart?” She then told Stacy that she wanted to ask Jesus into her heart. Stacy told her she would have to do that on her own and that mommy would not say a prayer with her. The prayer that she said was entirely on her own.

“Dear Jesus, can you please take all of the yucky stuff out of my heart. Help me to not sin against you. Please come into my heart and make me better.” (paraphrase)

As best as she could, she confessed her sin and her desire to want Jesus to be her Lord.

We have noticed God at work in her, especially in the last few weeks.

Almost every night, as a family, we sit down and read either the catechism or a children’s bible. During this time we pray, sing, and have an in depth time of study. We usually end with questions and prayer. There have been times when we have discussed sin and how it offends God and the consequences of our sin, and Naomi wept.

On Saturday, the day before Easter, we watched the Jesus movie as a family. Afterwards, we sat for 45 minutes answering questions about belief, how does Jesus come into your heart, why does she sin, and what would happen she died right now. We were very forthright with her and did not hide anything from her. We had many opportunities to get her to say a “sinner’s prayer.” I could have easily manipulated her to say something to that end. Instead, I left it open. I simply asked her if her sinned bothered her enough to talk to God about it. She would reply no. I left it at that and trusted God to work it out.

I prodded her heart for understanding.

When Naomi told me of her decision, I questioned her about her faith.

Daddy: What is sin?

Naomi: “It is what I do bad against God.”

Daddy: “What are some things that you do that is bad?”

Naomi: “I disobey my mommy and daddy and hurt Ethan.”

Daddy: “Why did you want to pray this prayer today?”

Naomi: “Mommy was reading the story about Bill accepting Jesus, and I knew I needed to that (John 6:37).”

Daddy: “Why?”

Naomi: “Because I am a sinner and I want to go to heaven.”

In the past few weeks, I have asked Naomi other questions:

Daddy: “Do you love Jesus?

Naomi: “Yes.”

Daddy: “How do you show your love for Jesus?"

Naomi: “By obeying him.”

Daddy: “If you die without Jesus, where would you go?"

Naomi: “To the bad place where there is fire.”

Daddy: “Where do you go if you love Jesus?”

Naomi: “To heaven.”

What next?

To have a child except Christ at such a young age is a blessing. However, it must come with much prayer and discernment. There is a lot of unknown territory that must be traveled through. If Naomi is a true child of God, Christ will manifest Himself in her (John 15). She will daily trust Him and listen to His voice (John 10:14-16). If her salvation is genuine, over time, we will see her take up her cross and deny herself, and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24). We hopefully and cautiously move forward. Praise God!

I told Naomi I was proud of her and that I would pray for her in her faith. Stacy and I are going to wait a bit before she is baptized. We want to be sure she understands what she has done and that her faith is her own. We will talk with our pastor and seek his wisdom as well. We have always contended that our children would take communion, if they were saved, no earlier than age thirteen. Communion is a very serious matter. The apostle Paul warns of judgment if it is taken insincerely (1 Corinthians 11:17-33). We want to be sure that Naomi is genuine and fully enjoys the blessing of remembering Jesus in that manner.

Please pray for Naomi. Please pray that God would strengthen her faith, increase her knowledge of Him (Colossians 1:9-12), protect her purity (Proverbs 22:11), and help her to be radically in love and obedient to King Jesus (Matthew 16:24). Also, pray that God would continue to give us wisdom to raise our children with a passion for His supremacy in all things.

Why The Name Change?

You may have noticed that the name of my blog has changed a couple of times. The first name was in Latin, Sed Nome Tuo De Glorium, which means, To His Name Be the Glory. I chose this name because I have a strong desire for God to be at the center of my being; whether it is at school, home, or on the web. I put it in Latin to add a sense of ambiance. Latin is such a beautiful language that has shaped so many languages around the world. I grieve at the thought of it becoming extinct. Therefore, I wanted to try to keep it alive in some way or manner.

The last name on the blog was Gray to Glory. I came up with this when I was meditating on the progression of my salvation. When I was lost, I was dead and my eyes could only see through the lens of this world; i.e. gray. Everything is gray it seems. There is no black and white or right and wrong. In our Post Modern society, we have made everything relative. All truth is truth and there is no wrong. As a lost person, I bought into this. I believed in a universal God who loved in many different ways and beliefs. I was wrong. God has shown me that His love is seen in His Son Jesus Christ; the radiance of His glory (Hebrews 1:3). Therefore, my eyes went from gray to glory.

The new name, Cross Life, is actually an old phrase. I am sure many men through the centuries in the church have coined this phrase. However, Guy Hershberger, an educator and member of the Mennonite Church, uses this term in his book "The Way of the Cross in Human Relations", a book that discusses how Christians should approach issues such as war, relationships, social and economic obligations, etc. Richard Foster, in his book, "The Celebration of Discipline", borrows the term from Hershberger to help him define the life of a believer in submission. I believe Foster gets it right when he says:

“The foremost symbol of this radical servant hood is the cross…Christ not only died a cross-death, but he lived a cross-life. Jesus lived the cross-life in submission to all human beings. He was a servant of all. He flatly rejected the cultural givens of position and power when he said “You are not to be called rabbi…Neither be called masters…” (Matt 23:8-10). Jesus shattered customs of his day when he lived out the cross-life by taking women seriously and by being willing to meet with children. He lived the cross-life when he took a towel and washed the feet of his disciples. This Jesus who easily could have called down a legion of angels to his aid chose instead the cross-death of Calvary. Jesus’ life was the cross-life of submission and service.” (Celebrations of Discipline pg 115-116)

After reading this, I began pondering my life as a Christian. I asked myself if I was living a cross-life, the way Jesus did. I am sorry to say that I am not. However, it is my desire and passion to do so. I long to empty myself like as my King did and take the form of a servant (Phil 2:4-7). I’m striving to not return evil for evil when I am hurt or threatened, but would trust in the one who judges justly; just as Jesus did (1 Peter 2:21-23). I am fighting to be subject to my wife, my church, my employer, and my God consistently (Ephesians 5:21). I am continually pleading with God to help me take up my cross, die to myself, and embrace my King in His sufferings everyday (Matthew 10:38; Philippians 3:10).

This is where I am today. As surely as the Lord lives, I will change; so long as God gives me breathe. There is no doubt that this blog will change as well. That is the wonder about blogs; they are elastic to some degree and have the ability to evolve as we grow. May the Lord mold and conform this blog into a God-centered, Christ exalting, bible saturated blog and my life into a Cross Centered life.

200 Meters in the Right Direction

Psalm 11:4

Being a coach has its days. Some of them are exciting and intoxicating at times. It is exhilarating to see my athletes achieve a level of success from the wisdom I imparted. Other times, coaching can be exhausting and unbearable. As a coach, you are under tremendous scrutiny and have to make decisions that are competent and ethical for the good of the team and the athlete. The other day I was put in a position where my competence and moral foundation were tested.

Last Monday we held a track meet for Jr. High athletes. We had six schools, including ourselves, with well over 250 athletes and coaches. The rules for track are fairly simple and clear. An athlete can compete in three running events and two field events, or vice versa. By mistake, we had several athletes signed up in four running events. One of them ran a race before I was able to catch the mishap. The other three were brought to my attention.

We have four coaches on staff for track and three of us were on hand at the time. We gathered together to discuss our options. In truth, we did not really have any. The rule is clear and the only thing we could do is forfeit the event. However, the other coaches were not willing to do that. I stood quietly for a moment as they were telling the athlete to go and run the 200-meter dash. They tried to justify their decision with past instances when other teams have done the same thing. They also were convinced that because it is just a Jr. High track meet, and the significance of the matter was so small, that allowing them to run was not really cheating. Besides, we were in sixth place with no hope of winning; what difference did it make?

With all of that said, I walked over to the starting line and scratched my athlete from the race. Then I scratched the three others that were not supposed to run as well. Obviously, I was not a well-liked coach at that point. I heard them talk and snicker. They snarled a little and pointed the finger. Moreover, I imagine I will not receive a birthday card in the mail from them this year.

The small things matter to me. As I thought about the reasons why they said he should run, I realized that not one of them honored God. God is not only honored in the big moral battles that are won in the Supreme Court or are made into a movie. He is just as glorified in the minute decisions we make every day; like being honest with our time cards at work or confronting gossip among friends. I told the coaches that this was a moral issue. This is a matter of integrity. We are called to do the right thing no matter how significant or insignificant it weighs in our minds. The significance is not ours to determine; that is God’s decision.

There is more at stake here than just a little “white lie.” Every day I build my foundation on the word of God. The very foundation my marriage, my family, and my salvation are established. To compromise here, is to intentionally hammer away the footing of my love for Christ. With every compromise, the rock of my morality cracks allowing the world to seep into my heart and extinguish the fever my passion for the supremacy of Christ in the world. As the cracks widen and chisel the truth I have come to love, I eventually grow cold and distant from my King. Then I am useless and typical of many western Christians; self involved and clueless to the gospel.

Unfortunately, the overflow of this spills onto my children and they reap the fruit of my compromise; becoming gray in their faith, lukewarm in their love for the Kingdom of God, and complacent in truth. At this point, I have handed them over to the ruler of this world for his enjoyment. One small compromise at an insignificant track meet is one giant step to infidelity toward Christ.

In the end, the decision I made did have an impact on the team. Two of the athletes I pulled were 8th graders and two were 7th graders. The 8th grade finished 6th missing 5th place by 3 points. If we would have placed 4th in the 200 meter, we would have not taken dead last at our home meet. The 7th graders finished 4th. In the two events, I pulled the athletes from, we typically finished 3rd. We missed third place as a team by about those points; give or take a couple.

I guess someone could easily argue that I made us finish worse off than we should have. I agree and take responsibility for that. However, I believe the greater prize was won. I hope that at the very least the athletes, who participated or witnessed what took place, have gotten a glimpse of the beauty of truth and the value of doing what is right. Moreover, I pray that God will take that and show them that at the center of that beauty and value is the Savior of their souls; Jesus.

In Search of the Evangelical Obama

Perhaps you have noticed, we have new president of the United States. To many that is nothing new or exciting. Yet the media has gone to great lengths to acknowledge that there is something a little different about this president; he is black.

For anyone wondering how someone mixed with both black and white becomes black, I'll explain it is largely due to the fact that he has been designated as black his entire life. It is bizarre that in the midst of an intense political race many white people chose to comment on the fact that he was not black, but instead half white. I call that funny because no one wanted to change the designation of his race when he was at Harvard Law School or a U.S. Senator; he was as black then as he is now.

This month being black history month I have graciously received an invitation to write on themes that effect theology and African Americans. My attempt in this article is to bring to light what may be a trend toward a more racial diverse church. This in my opinion is a good thing. However it may be that the church of Jesus Christ is in need of some mild rebuke for again taking its cue from the world instead of the bible.

You may be wondering what Obama has to do with Christian theology. To that inquiry we must spend some time. Our President Obama has made light of many of the issues that concern political conservatives as well as the Christian minority. His stance on the issue of abortion is discouraging and disheartening. It seems to fly in direct opposition to the worldview of scripture.
Obama

Obama has not made abortion rights the shouted refrain of his campaign, as other Democrats have done. He seems to realize that pro-choice enthusiasm is inconsistent with a reputation for post-partisanship.

But Obama's record on abortion is extreme. He opposed the ban on partial-birth abortion -- a practice a fellow Democrat, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, once called "too close to infanticide." Obama strongly criticized the Supreme Court decision upholding the partial-birth ban. In the Illinois State Senate, he opposed a bill similar to the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which prevents the killing of infants mistakenly left alive by abortion. And now Obama has oddly claimed that he would not want his daughters to be "punished with a baby" because of a crisis pregnancy -- hardly a welcoming attitude toward new life. (Washington Post- Michael Gerson)

God

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female."

Exodus 20:13 “Do not murder”

Psalms 139:13-14 “For it was you who created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful and I know this full well.”
HCSB Bible

President Obama has also shown that his views regarding homosexuality are out of step with Christianity as well.

Obama

Obama wants to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which he has called “abhorrent”, even though the Act's main purpose is merely to prevent “gay marriage” adopted in one state from being foisted on all other states. Even Hillary Clinton did not come out in opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act. In Obama's own words: "Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether."

Obama strongly opposes California’s Proposition 8, which merely limits the definition of marriage to a “marriage between a man and a woman.”

• Obama has stated that he “respects” the California Supreme Court decision foisting “gay marriage” on the state.


• Obama opposes any federal constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.


• Obama strongly endorses granting every single marriage benefit to homosexual unions, not to mention every “sexual orientation” special protections law imaginable. Such legislation will make civil and cultural bigots of everyone who espouses a male-female prerequisite to sexual relations, in the workplace, at school, in the media, and throughout the public sector.
  (D.R. Robert Gagnon- Between Two Worlds)

God

Leviticus 18:22 “You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman; it is detestable”

Romans 1:26-27 “This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. For even there females exchanged natural sexual intercourse for what is unnatural. The males in the same way also left natural sexual intercourse with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty for their perversion."

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Do you not know that the unjust will not inherent the God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: no sexually immoral people idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, or swindlers, will inherit God’s kingdom. (HCSB Bible)

In essence the link between public policy and Christian theology is as close as few new political policies. While I do not intend to make this an article about the shortcoming of President Obama there are undeniable tensions in his election to the presidency.

On the flip side of the issue there is another word of caution for the church in America that comes as a result of President Obama’s election to office. I have noticed recently that more and more evangelical groups are touting a new version of the up-in-coming black man who has something to contribute theologically. In a recent February article of Table Talk, the monthly devotional magazine of Ligonier Ministry I noticed that Kevin Smith who is the senior pastor of Pinelands Presbyterian Church was a contributing author. This would seem like nothing out of the ordinary except that he mentioned that he was an African American in his article. The reference added nothing to the article except to highlight that black people also contribute to conservative theology.

We can also look at a recent Journal of Theology that I received from Beeson Divinity, which highlights Robert Smith Jr. Smith is an ordained ministered who recently authored a book on preaching and doctrine. Smith is not new to evangelical circles and his book may only be a timely reminder of the need for biblical preaching. More and more it seems as though names like Voddie Baucham, Thabiti Anabwyle ,and others are heard more frequently as if suddenly conservatives have finally liberated their African American counterparts.

Make no mistake about it I am glad to be made aware of upcoming books especially those of a conservative variety. However, it seems that evangelicalism since the election of Obama, the first African American president, is now trying to say that African Americans contribute theologically as well. If I am wrong then my observation is nothing more than a passing coincidence; however, if I am right it may be an embarrassing sign that the evangelical slip is showing.

Let me define the embarrassment as it may be the case. America has taken a giant leap forward in race reconciliation by electing to the highest office in the land an African American. This follows other public polices of desegregation and affirmative action that have led us to this point. In similar cases the church has been slow to respond to the need for racial reconciliation. It has been well chronicled that the most segregated time in America is Sunday morning, as the African Americans head to their churches and the white Americans head to theirs.

The stinging irony of this statement is that in large part it is true. Southern Christianity has been at times unabashed in its lack of race reconciliation. We may just be living in a time in which evangelicals are again following the lead of the culture; the thinking being that if it is popular to see African Americans in the role of government and politics, it may be popular and even lucrative, to also see African Americans in the role of religion as well. It may be that even evangelicals have something to sell.

Now as a final word I want to balance out the article with a couple of Pauline ruminations that regardless of this articles validity need to be heeded. The first, that Christ has reconciled us to God and given to us the ministry of reconciliation. It should not be uncommon for Christians to find themselves in a position of bringing people to Christ regardless of what socio economic or racial distinction they may carry. We are simply to bring men to Christ.

If we were to do this with equal earnest everywhere we go it would change the make- up of our churches almost overnight. For people are seldom only confined to a homogeneous social network. Secondly and finally, I have been hard on what I perceive to be a weakness among evangelicals. I am certainly not meaning to call-out the motives of all evangelicals, but only those who look at the supposed new racial harmony as an opportunity to make money and win influence. I may never know who crosses this line of delineation so I close with these words.

“Some to be sure, preach Christ out of envy and strife, but others out of good will… What does it matter? Just that in every way, whether out of false motives or true Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice. Yes I will rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15-18)

Grace to you
E

Jew & Gentile-Black & White; One In Christ!

For the last month and a half I have been meditating on Galatians during my quiet time. It has been very rich for me. God is showing me how to care for the church by standing for righteousness. He is reopening my eyes to the beauty of the doctrine of justification by faith alone; a doctrine in which Steve Lawson says is the hinge in which the gospel swings on. Paul has shown me that as a believer, I have the authority and right to confront the church boldly when error is allowed to reign in the pulpit. One error in particular is racism.

I struggle with many aspects of the American church; one in particular is racial harmony. Far too long have we allowed men in our pulpits to preach a doctrine of segregation among the elect. It has been one of Satan’s greatest schemes in dividing the holy church. He has taken the pride that cost him eternal joy in heaven, and given it as an inheritance to all humanity; an inheritance that many in the church have refused let go. Some of our church fathers had to be confronted with their racial prejudice towards gentile believers. One of them in particular is Peter.

Paul had to call Peter out for his behavior towards the gentile Christians in Antioch. Peter was enjoying the fellowship of gentile believers when James and a few of the Jewish brothers came in to dine with them. When Peter saw them he drew back and separated himself (Galatians 2:11-14). Why? Why was one of the patriarchs of the church afraid to be seen with Gentile believers? The same reason why a solid brother in the Lord who is black, would have a hard time being a senior pastor in most of our Baptist churches.

Paul condemns this behavior in Peter and confronts him publicly to his face (Galatians 2:11). Peters behavior was putting the validity and truth of the gospel in jeopardy. That truth being that the barrier that once separated the Jews and the Gentiles was torn down by the blood of Christ. No longer was the law ruling as a master over the sinner. No longer was the Jew the only one to access the good grace of the Father. Both Jew and Gentile were made clean together in Christ.

Unfortunately, the church in America has seemed to miss the mark on this all together. In my short time in the ministry, I have seen few examples of genuine racial unity in the church. More times than not, I often see congregations meeting comfortably in their homogeneous fellowship with little effort reach out to brothers and sisters who are different in color. I have heard people defend their racial prejudice with their "old time religion." I have seen people sing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" in one hand, and deny the love of Christ to African Americans, Hmong Americans, and Hispanic Americans. This is absurd.

When one race in the church refuses to except the faith of other brothers and sisters who are a different race; they refuse the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ. They deny the fact that the blood of Christ covers the sin of all men red, yellow, black, and white. This is what makes rasicism so deadly. It is a attack on the gospel itself. It's aim is to destroy the work of Christ in all people groups. No one people is superior. No one people is inferior. But all people who love Christ are His bride.

The church must come to grips with this reality, or we will be nothing more to the world than a religious Klu Klux Klan; or Black Panther for that matter. This issue goes both ways.
Paul said something remarkable in Galatians 3:28. He said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Do see that? Paul says we are all one in Christ. Can you imagine the glory that would be given to God if His bride would stop looking in the carnival mirror of pride and started gazing at the beauty of God’s redeeming work among the nations?

How extraordinary would Sunday’s become? The church filled with Godly men and women singing to our King in Spanish, Somali, or Haitian, blended with English or Russian. What majesty would be revealed to the world through the preaching of black men, brown men, red men, white men, and yellow men; rainbow of prophesy if you will. How I long for such a day. I just hope I don’t have to wait until heaven to taste it and see its goodness.

Jew & Gentile...Black & White

Considering that the face of American politics has changed since the election of Barack Obama, the first African American president, Black History month celebrates with a whole new vigor. America has made a huge stride in racial unity. Many young men and women of all ethnic groups and racial backgrounds now have a living example, a focal point if your will, of equal opportunity. We have talked about it for many years and we have taken small steps in the right direction. However, 2009 with the election of President Obama, all of our small steps have given us the moment to make one giant leap for mankind. For that I am grateful.

However, I do have concerns about the face of the American church making the same strides. I see a lot of red flags pertaining to the church dealing with racial unity, church homogeneity, and solid theology being taught in the pulpit. I have invited some friends of mine who are in the ministry (who deal with this on a regular basis) to write a post giving their perspective. I look forward to the dialogue.

Please feel free to respond in a manner worthy unto the Lord. I relish in the opportuniy to constructively discuss opinions and ideas. Being that this issue can be sensitive, I only ask that love cover a multitude of sin and everything be tempered with love and humiltiy.

2009: A Year of Discipline

One of the things I admire about the old masters of theology, Spurgeon, Baxter, and so forth, is their great personal resolve. These men strived to discipline every faucet of their being under the authority of the Father. Jonathan Edwards for example, one of the most resolved men in history, put forth 70 resolutions. He took almost a full year to carefully consider the areas of his heart and soul that needed to be rendered to God. In the end, his main goal was not to find satisfaction in himself, but in the glory of Christ. Consider his first resolution, “Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.”

It is with this same passion that I desire to make the year 2009 a year of discipline. Discipline has been my biggest foe. It has kept from even getting a glimpse of some of my biggest aspirations. For example, all through high school I dreamed of making it to the state championship in wrestling. I had many obstacles to overcome. Some of them were out of my control. However, I never put myself in an opportunity to obtain the goal. I cannot say with absolute certainty that I left everything on the mat. A lack of discipline ate my dream piece by piece. Every time I chose to sit on the couch and watch T.V. instead of train, I told discipline to get lost. Every time I cut corners in practice or put menial treasures as priority over the dream, discipline began to wither like the pedal of a beautiful rose separated from its stem. That is what a lack of discipline does to our dreams. It creates a gulf between our vision and us. Moreover, if you let yourself go too far, the dream is so far away it may be unreachable; like my state championship.

Stephen Nichols, a professor at Lancaster Bible College in Lancaster Pennsylvania, wrote an article in TableTalk magazine on the resolutions of Jonathan Edwards. He commented on something I found peculiar. He wrote that at age nineteen, Edwards was the potential Jonathan Edwards. He goes on to say that, Aristotle had the idea that there was a difference between what is and what can be. “What is” is the actual being of something. What can be has the potential to be something. One is greater and one is less. Jonathan Edwards, at age nineteen, showed tremendous potential to be great. He had a natural gift in learning, especially in critical thinking and writing. He graduated from Yale and found himself in the pastorate at age eighteen. At age nineteen, Edwards was the “what can be” that Aristotle spoke of. What would drive him to accomplish works like “The Freedom of the Will” or “Religious Affections?” What would give him the ability to lead one of the greatest events in America’s history; The Great Awakening? Aside from the sovereign grace of God, I would argue his resolve. He was a resolute man, determined, much like Paul, to magnify Christ in his body, whether by life or death (Philippians 1:20). Moreover, this is not something he took for granted or did by mere will power.

The prelude to Edwards 70 resolutions is marked with humility. He simply states, “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 sake.” Edwards understood that he could only serve in the strength in which God provided (1 Peter 4:11). He could only keep up the stamina of his resolve through Christ who strengthens him (Philippians 4:19). It is with this same humility I embark to conquer discipline.

I have set forth ten resolutions to accomplish this year. I am praying that, like Edwards, these resolutions will become ingrained in my life. I ask that if Christ is your King that you would pray for me to holdfast. I will do the same for you. Anytime you need prayer, just leave a comment on the blog and I will pray for you there and then when I read it. Thanks ahead of time. Be good and God bless.

10 Resolutions (in no particular order)

1. Resolved: to discipline my health to God’s glory.

2. Resolved: to discipline my prayer in length, width, height, and depth.

3. Resolved: to discipline my study of God’s word to enlighten my soul.

4. Resolved: to discipline my reading in worthy endeavors.

5. Resolved: to discipline my pastoring in meeting the spiritual needs of my church.

6. Resolved: to discipline my service to my community.

7. Resolved: to discipline my finances to stewardship that glorifies God with every penny.

8. Resolved: to discipline my writing to encourage and to edify the world through Christ.

9. Resolved: to discipline the spiritual rearing of my children in personal and corporate worship.

10. Resolved: to discipline my love for my wife in not only in word, but also in deed.

These resolutions seem broad on the surface, and to some degree, they are. I have specific goals to reach for some of them. For others, I am still praying and seeking wisdom. Please pray that I will, with humility and dependency, seek God’s favor in these resolutions. Thank you
[All notes referring to Jonathon Edwards was taken from an article in TableTalk magazine (Resolved to Press on toward the Goal: January 2009) “The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards” written by Stephen Nichols.]

A Pauline Prayer Part 2

Provision through the Holy Spirit

The thesis of this essential is that God would lavish on His people the provision needed to exist in Christ. In our text, Paul speaks of the inner man as a reference to the human soul. Paul uses the same kind of language in 2 Corinthians 4:16, “The the outward man perishes, yet our inward man is renewed every day.” The Holy Spirit works to renew our souls to clearly behold and exemplify Christ. Paul, in Galatians 5: 16, tells the believer to walk by the Spirit, in doing so we will not gratify the flesh. He explains that the spirit and the flesh are against each other. In the flesh, we are sexually immoral, impure, sensual, idolaters, given to sorcery, at war with God, full of strife, jealous, angry, and prone to rivalry, full of dissension, divisive, envious, drunkards, and things like these. However, the Holy Spirit works to encourage the weary soul in which Christ beckons to come and find rest. The Holy Spirit works vigorously to mature, stabilize, and edify the Christian. The Holy Spirit wars against the flesh that we may have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and much more (Galatians 5:22-23).

In essence, the prayer is for Christians to live in spiritual power. The kind of power that says to pornography, “Your limited and shameful pleasure is not even on the same map as the gratification and satisfaction I have in Christ.” It is the kind of power that is able to say no the American Dream; the comfortable and cozy life with brand new iphones, inflated luxury cars, and a fat retirement spent on golfing and riding in the RV, and saying yes to the Kingdom Dream, living on half your income so that the rest can go to frontier missions. It is the kind of power that is intentional in boldly sharing Christ, even at the cost of your reputation. I think John Calvin got it right when he said, “ The prayer of Paul, that the saints be strengthened, does not mean that they may be eminent (well-known) and flourishing in the world, but that, with respect to the kingdom of God, their minds may be strong by Divine Power.” (calvin) The Holy Spirit strengthens the soul of the believer to stand and enjoy communion with Christ. The more we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit, the more we are like Christ. Therefore, the logical progression would be that the more we pray for one another to be strengthened by The Holy Spirit in our inner being, the more Christ centered we would become.

Communion with Christ

The whole idea of having the Holy Spirit strengthened the soul is to make the heart ready for Christ to dwell. In verse 17, Paul prays that Christ would dwell in their heart through faith. The idea in this text is not necessarily a new regeneration of the heart. For we know from John 14:23 that whoever loves Christ and keeps his word that the Father and the Son will make their home in them. Moreover, we know that Paul is writing to all the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:1). The real petition here is that Christ would fully dwell in their hearts. It is a request that Christ would have access to the deepest and most hidden depths of the human soul. Paul is praying for every one of the elect to have a sweet and savoring communion with Christ in every walk of their life. William McDonald puts it this way, “Christ is a permanent resident in every saved person, but this is a request that He might have full access to every room and closet; that he might not be grieved by sinful words, thoughts, motives, and deeds; that he might enjoy unbroken fellowship with the believer.” (MacDonald)

John Calvin points out that there is a difference between fellowship with Christ and believing in Christ. They are not one in the same. Belief in Christ requires faith in his birth, life, death, and resurrection. Fellowship is the fruit of the faith. Therefore, Paul prays that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith; the kind of faith that is not only saving, but also savoring. The kind of faith that keeps Christ at the center of our conversations, the movies we watch, the music we listen to, the time we spend in front of the T.V., our relationship with our wives and husbands and children; the relationship we have with one another as believers.

As Christ dwells unrestrictedly, we become more rooted and grounded in love. As we are more intimately acquainted with Christ, our roots deepen and our foundations become more durable. His kindness and selflessness begin to be naturally intertwined in our motives. His brokenness and meekness slay our self-ego and pride; where we would have the same mind and the same love doing nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility counting others greater than ourselves. We would put others interest in front of our own having the mind of Christ(Philippians 2:3-5). Our love for Christ, the church, and our neighbor becomes so established that Satan has no chance to come and steel it away, the trials that invade of lives will not scorch its fervor, the lustrous temptations of the world will not choke the life out of it. Instead, we will bear fruit a hundred fold. In addition, God will use the fruit of our communion to feed His people; those who are called and those whom He is calling. This kind of praying can only happen in Christ centered prayers; prayers yearning with the affections of Christ Jesus(Phil 1:8).

Making Comprehensible the Incomprehensible

When I read this text, my mind becomes a bit discombobulated. It is hard for me to even begin to bend my mind around the immeasurable knowledge and capacity of the love of Christ. Paul, I feel, is feeling the same way. He prays for the Ephesian church to know the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love. However, in the next breathe he says it surpasses knowledge. Paul recognizes he is trying to put parameters on something that cannot have parameters. So he still prays for them to have the strength to comprehend, or literally “grasp” the incomprehensible love of Christ.

It would be unworthy of me to try to over spiritualize the four dimensions that Paul uses here. St. Augustine, who I am a big fan of, tried to incorporate some reference to the cross by saying that the breadth was to be love, height was hope, length was patience, and depth was humility. I would have to disagree with him here because I see no connection to the context of the chapter or book to imply such a notion. I would have to agree with Wood that Paul is “simply telling us that the love of Christ, exemplified in his magnanimity (generosity of spirit) to the Gentiles, is too large to be confined by any geometrical measurements. It is wide enough to reach the whole world and beyond. It is long enough to stretch from eternity to eternity. It is high enough to raise both Gentiles and Jews to heavenly places. It is deep enough to rescue people from sin’s degradation and even form the grip of Satan himself.” Such love is hard to phantom. We are limited by such finality, yet as believers, we long for the infinite beauty of Christ. Trying to grasp or hold onto such truths are so high and wonderful that I cry out with David, “I cannot attain it!” (Psalm 139) God’s love has no boundaries. It is a river that has no beginning and no ending. It is an ocean without shores. (MacDonald) It is endless. We can never fully discover it. That is the reason why the Holy Spirit must be equipping our heart to have Christ dwell through faith. Christ will reveal to us these great mysteries as we deepen our fellowship with Him. This is what it means to be filled with the fullness of God; the climax of Paul’s prayer at the end.

When we pray for one another, we need to pray that God would give us the strength and wisdom to know Him. Our prayers help one another grasp the truths of God’s word, that in turn, stoke our spiritual fire for Christ, and keeps us in communion with our Lord. Every time we meet as a body, as his bride, our hearts should submit to his lordship, recognize his sovereignty, and validate his promises. We should not cease to pray that Bristol Missionary Baptist Church would be a people filled with the Holy Spirit, sweetly savoring Christ, and striving to comprehend the incomprehensible love of God; namely a people of God’s word.