For instance, we may so quickly pursue “what the Bible means to me,” greatly emphasizing “to me,” that we completely ignore the distance between ourselves and the text, and compromise the Bible’s historical specificity and thus the nature of God’s graciously given verbal revelation. Worse, the morbid person given to endless introspection will glumly focus on all the passages that establish human guilt; the triumphalistic extrovert will fasten on everything that shouts of victory; the self-seeking hedonist will find passages that speak of life and joy. It is far better for all Christians to read every part of the Scripture, think it through on its own terms, discern, so far as possible, its contribution to the whole of the canon, and then ask how such truth applies to themselves, and to the church and the society of which they are a part.

Because the Bible is God’s word, it is vitally important to cultivate humility as we read, to foster a meditative prayerfulness as we reflect and study, to seek the help of the Holy Spirit as we try to understand and obey, to confess sin and pursue purity of heart and motive and relationships as we grow in understanding. Failure in these areas may produce scholars, but not mature Christians.

Above all, we must remember that we will one day give an account to the one who says,

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”  (Isa. 66:2)

- D.A. Carson, Collected Writings on Scripture, 52, 53

Are You Kidding Me?

I’m reflecting upon an issue that I imagine is not distinctly an American problem, but a troubling one none the less.  The matter at hand is the role that our cultural and national identities play in the character of our local church. Having recently attended a gospel conference, I heard a speaker say that “the Church is multi ethnic but NOT multi cultural…we have one culture, and that is Christ”. Someone might immediately point out that it is impossible not to observe cultural distinctives in our local bodies. Some would argue that our language is a cultural norm.  What about the wearing of suits?  That conversation is all well and good but I’m thinking about another practice all together.  That being the military parade that takes place in most Sunday morning services on this Memorial Day weekend.

I’m not going to waste your time attempting to prove to you that I’m a loyal American that loves his country.  What I would like for you to consider is why every Memorial Day and July 4th weekend a fair number of our churches feel compelled to abandon the worship of our Sovereign and King in order that we might pay homage to our country’s military forces.  This brings me to the place of my reflection.  There are a couple questions I’m considering and wondering if you do as well.  Namely,

• Is it right for a local body of believers to ‘honor’ someone or something other than God?
• What criteria do we use to determine whether that someone or something is worthy of receiving honor from us corporately. As opposed to me thanking a soldier individually.  Remember that the Church is a distinct and unique enterprise, most notably because of it’s creator and owner.
• What form does that recognition or honor take?  A plaque?  A 30 minute slideshow?  Or maybe 20 minutes of patriotic songs that we normally ascribe to Jesus Christ?
• Where/when do we bestow this honor?  Do we use the singular time that we as a body of believers have set aside to assemble together for this purpose?

You might ask, “what’s the big deal Bo?”  Here’s the big deal.  So much of my life is so distracted with the cares and concerns of this world that I have become very protective over certain things of my life.  Things are distinctly separate from this world. Gathering corporately on the Lord’s Day to commemorate His resurrection is, for me, the epitome of that separation.  And to drag my favorite national holiday into that assembly is not only out of place, it’s vile.

If I’m missing the boat on this one, please correct me.

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from EVERY tribe and tongue and people and nation.

Rev 5:9 NASB

- Thurman “Thermos” Pritchard

“I am not at a loss to tell you that it could not be for any good thing in Jacob, that God loved him, because I am told that “the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election might stand, not of works but of him that calleth.” I can tell you the reason why God loved Jacob; It is sovereign grace. There was nothing in Jacob that could make God love him; there was everything about him, that might have made God hate him, as much as he did Esau, and a great deal more. But it was because God was infinitely gracious, that he loved Jacob, and because he was sovereign in his dispensation of this grace, that he chose Jacob as the object of that love. Now, I am not going to deal with Esau, until I have answered the question on the side of Jacob. I want just to notice this, that Jacob was loved of God, simply on the footing of free grace.”

C. H. Spugeon’s sermon, preached on Sunday, January 16th, 1859

Old is not entirely committed to the same theological persuasion as MacArthur yet makes an interesting observation:

What is more than clear to me after listening to these sermons is that those who can take the text the way it is seem to make a lot more sense of it than those who are always trying to second-guess it. Surely one of the greatest strengths of MacArthur’s preaching ministry is his complete confidence in the text . . . .

Also this:

Why do so many people listen to MacArthur, this product of all the wrong schools? How can he pack out a church on Sunday morning in an age in which church attendance has seriously lagged? Here is a preacher who has nothing in the way of a winning personality, good looks, or charm. Here is a preacher who offers us nothing in the way of sophisticated homiletical packaging. No one would suggest that he is a master of the art of oratory. What he seems to have is a witness to true authority. He recognizes in Scripture the Word of God, and when he preaches, it is Scripture that one hears. It is not that the words of John MacArthur are so interesting as it is that the Word of God is of surpassing interest. That is why one listens.

But if God himself is not there in these gifts—and I fear he is not for many professing Christians—then we do not know what forgiveness is for.

Therefore the motive for being a forgiving person is the joy of being freely and joyfully at home with God. At great cost to himself God gave us what we needed above all things: himself for our enjoyment forever. God’s forgiveness is important for one reason: It gives us God!

–John Piper from Don’t Waste Your Life

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death
Romans 7:24

God is His great mercy chose not to leave me in my helpless condition.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith
Philippians 3:8-9

I need a daily dose of Romans 7:24 and Philippians 3:8-9.

Go ahead, say it…

(Inst. 1.17.5)

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joyis offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

–C.S. Lewis