Author: jimmyreagan

Future Grace by John Piper

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How would you like a book that takes the concept of grace and interweaves it through the whole of Scripture? By that I mean what grace really means to us. How does faith play out to bring the dramatic power of grace into our lives? How does grace, faith, sin, and the promises of God interrelate to make the Christian life the awesome thing it is? I assure you that Mr. Piper makes one of the strongest explanations I have seen in that regard.

Not that I would agree with everything he writes (I don’t), but he takes you to thoughts that need to be entertained though you have never thought them before. That interrelation of key Bible concepts I spoke of is the volume’s greatest asset. He connected a few dots for me.

Though he ties many things together, his theme is one: we must live by faith in the future grace of God. We find that that simple theme brings great clarity to the Christian life as expressed in the Scriptures. Or as he further explained, “…the faith which justifies also sanctifies, because the nature of faith is to be satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus.”

I can at best whet you appetite in this review of the things he brings out. For example, he describes sin as what you do when you are not satisfied with God. We sin, he says, because we believe we will find happiness there. That presupposes a lack of faith in what God said. If we believed His grace will deliver what it promised, it would be impossible to think that the sin in question could bring happiness. I can see that truth, can’t you?

Perhaps you will be as shocked as I was to follow his discussion on the debtor’s ethic. He justly describes how we so often try to motivate ourselves and others by saying that we owe the Lord for what He did for us. Though what He did for us is monumental beyond description, he shows that is not at all how the Bible seeks to motivate us. No, he rightly argues, our problem is always a lack of faith, not a lack of gratitude, when it comes to the matter of radically following and obeying Jesus Christ.

Pride, he goes on, is a specific form of unbelief that is a turning from God to self. With that goes a loss of faith that comes a foolish faith in the promises of self. That ties the hands of grace’s work. Building on C.S. Lewis he tells of the “itch of self-regard and the scratch of self-approval.” He quotes: “The pleasure of pride is like the pleasure of scratching. If there is an itch one does want to scratch; but it is much nicer to have neither the itch nor the scratch.” He explains how the craving of the praise of others is a loss of faith in future grace.

There is so much more. He goes all the way to a faith in future grace that can triumphantly lay down one’s life for the glory of God as many martyrs before us have done. How did they do it? They believed the promises of God and the grace they contain.

Besides a few points of disagreement, I love this book. I find it superior to his writings on Christian hedonism, though he believes they are connected. It is 400 pages that I had to read slowly, but it is worth it. He has conveniently given this work in 31 chapters if you want to take a month with it. That might be the best way.

This volumes re-establishes how my faith in what my Lord has told me is so essential to the overall success of my Christian life. For that, I thank Mr. Piper.

 

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 .

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A Night To Be Much Observed

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“It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.” Exodus 12:42

 

Do you look back to some special, unforgettable moment in your life? A moment that defined you and forever changed your life? For me, it was 33 years ago when I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. In this passage, the nation of Israel had such a time, a time when she in fact became the nation of Israel. It was “a night to be much observed.”

 

Preparing For This Night

Much will go into preparing for this night. On this thought consider facing a plague. This story begins in Exodus 11. We come there to an ongoing battle between Pharaoh and God Himself. The Lord has been represented by Moses, and nine plagues have already been poured out on Egypt. One plague remains and its story begins here. This tenth plague will be the one that finally breaks Pharaoh’s back and causes him to let Israel go. This plague will be so effective, in fact, that the Egyptians will beg the children of Israel to leave. In its aftermath, the Egyptians will proclaim, “we be all dead men.”

 

This final plague involves the death of all the firstborns in Egypt. I’m a firstborn myself, and I imagine any firstborn would find this story especially interesting. In reading this story, we probably ask ourselves just what is the significance of the firstborn. If you have children, think about what your firstborn means to you. It means that your family will continue. My grandfather had eight daughters and two sons. The older son had all daughters and my dad, his other son, had one daughter and me. I remember my grandfather telling me that he was depending on me to preserve the family name. When my first son was born, I thought of my grandfather and the importance he attached to carrying on the family name. To Egypt all the firstborn sons represent the furtherance of them as a people.

 

In her pride, Egypt assumes that her firstborn sons means she will continue forever. When Pharaoh had the male babies of Israel killed, we see that apparently Egypt did not think Israel would continue but rather be obliterated under Egypt’s hand. This last plague will remedy that thinking. When the “night to be much observed” is over Egypt will never think that again. At midnight on the night the Lord chooses, everyone irrespective of station in life will lose their firstborn. This plague will reach from Pharaoh’s palace to the poorest home in Egypt. In this unusual plague even the animals will lose their first born. Every home will give up a cry of terror at its loss. It will be like nothing they have ever seen. To imagine this scene, remember what it was like in your home when you learned of the death of a dear loved one. Now expand that scene to every house, on every street, and all across the land!

 

What is really happening is that the Lord is bringing out Israel and no one will stop Him. Exodus 11: 7 says, “But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast.” When the Lord makes His move, not even the dogs of Egypt will have the nerve to bark. Verse 7 continues to show the reason why: “that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” After this night, Egypt will learn that there is a difference between God’s people and His enemies.

 

Also notice needing a lamb. Even to the Israelites this plague is going to be interesting. Israel faced the first three plagues with Egypt – the river turning to blood, the frogs, and the lice. It wasn’t until the fourth plague, the plague of flies, that God differentiated between Israel and Egypt. From the fourth plague until the ninth, Israel was completely spared. Israel didn’t have to do anything to keep the flies from bothering them, or for any of the others until the tenth plague. But with this last plague, the Lord will require that they do something to avoid it. They will need a lamb. There is such significance in this act that Moses will carefully get the instructions to all the people of Israel. This night will be so special that they will observe it every year.

 

For this special night not just any lamb will do. It must be a one year old male lamb with no blemishes. You couldn’t just buy the first lamb you saw. You couldn’t purchase a three-legged lamb to save money. No, there could be no imperfections. Perhaps you would see a beautiful lamb and notice a small black spot somewhere on its body. It wouldn’t work. Perhaps the lamb would be a magnificent specimen with a shiny coat and good size, but have a slight problem with one hoof. The deal would be off. For the lamb to have no imperfections was essential. Whatever it took, you had to get yourself a lamb. There were provisions for the especially poor like a couple of families sharing one lamb, but there had to be a lamb for you. This is not something that only Moses had to do, or something that he could do for everyone, but every home must make its own preparations. In this case he couldn’t say, “just watch me as I do this,” but he had to instruct each home in how to have its own lamb. And it had to be a lamb that the Lord would accept, a lamb without blemish.

 

The instructions were even more explicit. Each home must kill its lamb at the same time. Then they were asked to do what must have seemed so shocking. They were to collect the blood of the lamb in a basin. Before they cooked the lamb for the special meal that they were to have, they were to take the blood they collected to their door. Then they were to take a hyssop, which is a bushy stalk with leaves and small flowers, and rub the blood on the side posts and upper post of the door. If you had a weak stomach, you might not like this job. The father of the home would keep dipping the hyssop in the blood and slapping it on the door posts to make sure it was thoroughly covered in the blood.

 

After following those grotesque instructions, they were to take the lamb and roast it that very night. They were to eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs with it. None of the lamb was to remain by morning. If necessary, they were to burn it to comply with this instruction. Then the Lord tells them the point of these instructions. On this special night He will pass through the land and look at every door to see if the blood has been applied to it. Where He sees the blood on the door, He will pass over that home and spare it this bitter plague. Obviously, where there is no blood on the door, He will not pass over but will come inside. If He comes inside, the firstborn will die!

 

Facing This Night

 

 

It’s amazing what facing this night will entail. On this thought consider waiting as a family. Moses begins explaining to the elders what the Lord would expect in each home. The story is told in Exodus 12:21-28:

 

21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. 22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. 25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

 

 

Imagine the father of each household explaining to his family what is taking place. He explains that the family must get a lamb to be ready for this incredible night that is coming soon. The Lord instructed that each family must have its lamb four days. So the family gets the lamb, a lamb with no blemishes, and keeps it those four days. We can be assured that they brought this lamb into their home and took wonderful care of it. The stakes were too high to risk losing the lamb. If the children in this home are like most children, they would play with this lamb and become quite fond of it. Four days time would be more than enough time for the children to make a pet of the lamb, and we can easily imagine that in their innocence they beg their father to not go through with killing their new lamb.

 

In addition to the children begging to keep the lamb, the father notices the nervous expression on his wife’s face. As she glances at her firstborn son, she probably asks her husband, “Honey, are you sure you got those instructions down right?” As the father scans the room, he sees also his fidgeting firstborn son sitting in the corner. That boy’s heart skips a beat with every bleating of that lamb. He probably says, “Dad, I hope we are doing this correctly.” There is an awkwardness pervading the entire room as all, even some of the other children, are thinking what life would be like without their older brother.

 

To ease the tension and because it was his duty to explain the significance of this night, the father spends much time in describing that this night will forever have great meaning. “We will think often,” he will explain, “of this night and even celebrate it once each year.” In other words, he attempts to explain, this night will define our lives. This night always will be for an Israelite “a night to be much observed.”

 

At last, the time came to kill the lamb. The father carefully follows the instructions. He would kill the lamb, collect its blood in a basin, take a hyssop, and sling the blood upon the door posts. What a bloody mess there would be as he took such care to make sure that he had plenty of blood on that door frame. The children were probably horrified as they watched their father work. They had never seen him do anything like this! To reassure them, he no doubt explained that the Lord required this and further talked about what it meant as best he could. If they were like my children, they would naturally ask “why” through the whole process. He probably said, as he had one eye on his firstborn son, “If the Lord requires blood on our door, then we are going to put blood on our door.” He would not stop until he had the blood on those doorposts as thick as he knew how to get it. I’m sure that when he closed the door that blood even trickled down the inside because he had put so much on the outside. He will have the blood on his door when the Lord brings that last plague down his street.

 

With the bloody work now done, they will cook the lamb and prepare the meal as instructed. After the meal they must wait until midnight. Had you lived in those days of hard work, you would never sit up until midnight. But no one sleeps this night. They just wait. If their faith wavers at all, they probably continue glancing at the firstborn son. The room grows quiet as all are lost in their thoughts about what midnight will bring.

 

Finally, midnight comes. They have no clocks that keep exact time, but they know that it is midnight by the faint screams they hear in the distance. Let’s suppose that this family lives in the first house as you enter the land of Goshen, which is the area of Egypt set aside for the Israelites. Those screams are in the direction the farthest Egyptian homes that can be heard from their house. As they listen, they notice that the screams grow louder and approaches nearer. They can sense that because of the screams He is passing one house at a time but coming in their direction. As the plague comes closer they can make out what some are saying in those screams. Then they hear someone distinctly yell, “My son is dead.” The children, who are already in their parent’s lap, snuggle in as close as is humanly possible. As they stare at their door, they are now so glad that their father had put the blood so heavily on the door posts and that blood could even now be seen dripping down the inside of the door.

 

Now notice trusting in the blood. Earlier in the night they had probably wondered why the Lord had asked for such a gross act. They probably wondered why He didn’t do something more beautiful, or something more religious. They wished they could have had more exciting instructions rather than these events that were making for such a terrifying night. But in spite of their earlier thoughts, they were sure glad to have that blood on the door now. In fact, no one dared go outside, but all stayed hid behind that blood.

 

 

After a few more excruciating moments, the screams got so close that all in this home knew that the Lord was almost to Goshen. You could almost count off the distance until you knew that the Lord was now passing your door. With all eyes bouncing from the firstborn son to the door and back, a smile began to form. What begins as a faint smile, grows into an explosion of emotion! Can you imagine all the laughing and happy tears? All embrace the firstborn son with the hardest hugs he had ever experienced. For this night, “a night to be much observed,” you would have expected something festive, not something so solemn. But when you think that older brother still lives, it was quite festive after all. As the emotion died down, all surely marveled at how the blood had worked.

 

It had been a shocking night, as Exodus 12:29-30 relates:

 

29 ¶ And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

 

No, there was not a house among the Egyptians where one had not died, but the blood had been sufficient for this modest Israelite home.

 

Learning From This Night

 

If we could take to learning from this night, we could gain eternal results. On that thought consider accepting the Lamb. This night the Lord had, among other things, been teaching. Those lessons were that it would always be true that a Lamb was needed, that a substitute was necessary, and that the innocent must die for the guilty. Here in a beautiful Old Testament picture we see what the New Testament carefully explains – that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. I Corinthians 5:7 says, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” Yes, what took place this night was gory, but Jesus Christ was sacrificed. His blood was shed. He was for you and me what the little lamb was to that little Israelite family.

 

Jesus Christ, just as that lamb, was “without blemish.” He was perfect and had no sin. Even Pilate, who cared only about what was expedient for his political career, had to admit, “I find no fault in him.” The requirements for the lamb demanded that he be a male and Jesus Christ the Son of God was made a man. The lamb was to be “of the first year” and Jesus Christ, though the eternal God, was in the prime of His earthly life at 33 years of age. Exodus 12:6 says, “ . . . and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.” Part of the suffering of Jesus Christ was His crucifixion before the gaping eyes of a cruel mob. And never forget that as a sinner your fingerprints are all over His bloody, broken body. It was your sin and mine that brought him out of Heaven to the tortures of Calvary. Further, all the lambs had to be killed at the same time. Jesus Christ died at just the right time for Romans 5:6 says, “ . . . in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Amazingly, Jesus Christ died on the cross at the very moment the Passover lambs were being slain.

 

The instructions also required that the lamb be “roasted with fire.” This is a picture of Jesus’ incredible suffering. With the extreme loss of blood, thirst, and bones out of joint, Jesus went to the farthest reaches of suffering. After the lamb was roasted with fire, it was to be eaten “with bitter herbs.” This is a picture of Jesus’ deep sorrow. Jesus Christ knew sorrow. John 1:11 reads, “He came unto its own, and his own received him not.” In fact, the very ones He came to die for were screaming, “Crucify him!” Another key instruction was that none of the lamb was to remain by morning. That the meal had to be eaten at one time illustrates that salvation is both a one-time and a once-for-all-time transaction in Christ. It is not a process but an instantaneous new birth. You don’t get a little bit saved today and a little bit more tomorrow; no, in an instant you “pass from death unto life.”

 

 

Now notice applying the blood. Folks, we already have the perfect lamb. We need not keep searching since the lamb without blemish has already been provided, the blood has already been shed, and it stands ready to be applied. You need not worry yourself about finding a better lamb. None could be found. So the question, then, is not about the acceptability of the Lamb but is really will you accept the Lamb already lovingly provided. Will you take the blood of the Lamb and apply it to the door of your heart?

 

Sin leads to death. So death is coming down your street. Don’t you hear it coming? Go to any funeral home and see its work. Death will make its way past the door of your heart. You know you have heard the distant screams and that it gets closer to you every day. In the Bible death is more than just dying. It is spiritual death that entails eternal separation from God in a place called Hell. The only way this spiritual death will pass over you will be if it finds the blood of Jesus Christ applied to the door of your heart. Can’t you see that when death came down the street only one thing made any difference? The Blood! Did you notice that the house made no difference? It made no difference if the windows were washed or if the lawn was mowed or if there was a new paint job. There was no consideration for whom your family was. Pharaoh’s firstborn son was just as dead as the son of the lowliest home in Egypt. Only the door was looked at. Only the blood mattered. And so it is with you and me. It makes no difference what your background is, or your religion, or anything else, but only the blood of Jesus Christ. Remember Romans 5:8-9:

 

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

 

See this great lesson of Scripture – Hebrews 9:22 “without shedding of blood is no remission.” This flies in the face of everything the prideful heart of man holds dear. Yet the eternal happiness of every man depends on it. The simple truth is that for every man, great or unknown, the Lord will look at the heart to see if the blood is there. Can’t we see that it is either the blood or the screams? In this case the screams are of one sinking into Hell! Have the blood of the perfect Lamb of God applied to your heart today by trusting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

 

What was a night of terror for some was a night of deliverance for others. -You do not have to seek the terror; it’s already on its way. But you can have the deliverance. If you already have this salvation, then remember that this must be our clear message to perishing souls.

 

This special night was one that the delivered understood, and a night that they forever thank the Lord for. It was a night worth being ready for. It was a night worth remembering. It was “a night to be much observed.”

 

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Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart– A Book Review and Personal Observations

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forlornstop asking jesus in your heart

Well, can one really know if he or she is saved? Can those lingering doubts ever be put to rest? Must we have to make that fifteenth profession of faith? Or in a few weeks will it be what it always comes to–the pain of just not being sure if you are going to Heaven or not?

Perhaps this issue is the ultimate elephant in the living room for Christians. Over the years I have come to the opinion that it touches more Christians than it does not. I have not personally dealt with it in my own heart, but I have certainly worked with those who have. That I have not doubted has nothing to do with living so highly that I was insulated from it. To the contrary, I have done plenty enough to raise doubts since I was saved all those years ago. I credit an incredibly clear presentation of the Gospel for sparing me. I have always known it was Him and not me. I praise God for it too.

Still, many have a storm raging in them. Happiness always runs just out of reach. It makes sense. Who could be happy if you just didn’t know if you would open your eyes in Heaven or not someday? To make it worse, it is hard to fathom exactly what is at stake if we lack assurance. Our entire Christian life gets tied up in knots if we can’t get out of this struggle. Obedience struggles too because obeying to gain salvation is flawed and doomed to failure. It can only thrive when we know where we stand.

A book I recently read, “Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart” (reviewed below), got me thinking about it again. I have read plenty on it, but apparently we don’t have enough written on it as of yet.

I don’t think we can give generic advice as all cases of doubting one’s salvation don’t spring from the same place. If you battle a lack of assurance, I suggest you figure which category you are in:

1. Confused

You hear much preaching and teaching that throws you onto the merry-go-round. Just when you think you got it, along comes another sermon and presto, there you go again! It is not a matter of not really wanting to be saved, or of being insincere, or any such thing. It is an intellectual misunderstanding of a heart that truly loves Christ.

2. Backslidden

Since salvation is as eternal as the fact of physical birth, The Lord uses different means to reach us when we go the wrong path. A lack of assurance is actually a tool from His toolbox to help us. Such a lack of assurance really traumatizes and can lead us back. First John is a whole book about dealing with a lack of assurance and joy.

3. Unsaved

Of course it is an option. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:23, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” These folks have a false assurance. Surely at times they hear the little voice that says you are not saved. To trust something other than Christ can’t satisfy,and in such a case, a lack of assurance is a glorious gift.

Now let’s talk solutions to these cases of doubting one’s salvation (in reverse order):

1. Unsaved

You need to see your condition before a Holy God and throw yourself on His mercy provided in the Person of Jesus Christ. There is no other hope for you! ( please write me if you have questions).

2. Backslidden

I imagine you know exactly what to do. Just remember this gnawing will never go away till you do!

3. Confused

You likely are putting yourself through needless torture. Do you love Jesus? Do you want desperately His salvation? Do you really think One as loving as Him wants to make it so hard? We are the ones who make it so hard by always thinking that some of His work is ours to do. Ours is but to see the absolutely helpless conditions of our souls, the gory depths of sin in ourselves, and the infinite grace of Jesus Christ. Run to Him! If you did, He did save you as He expressly promised in His Word.

Examine your heart. Are you downplaying your sin and imagining that you just need a little help? If not, I think you can trust His Word. Spend your days looking at Jesus. Learn of Him. Don’t stop until you learn once and for all what grace is. Until you do, the torture may dog you.

The main thing is that it is Jesus, not you. You bring your brokenness, He brings His peace; you bring your failure, He brings His righteousness. You don’t contribute to your salvation, you only bring your lostness. It might be that you just need to remember your part (nothing) and remember His part (everything). It can be no other way.

And by the way, heaping more guilt on yourself will only add to the problem. Being ashamed of your situation is pointless too as you are one of so many. The right approach is dealing DIRECTLY with the problem with no One other than Jesus! Get the other voices out of your head and His voice will be kind, calm, loving, and will lead you back to peace.

BOOK REVIEW:

J. D. Greear has given us a thought-provoking volume. The title (Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart) alone titillates! I do not agree with everything he says (there is some Calvinism), but he helps us get away from a life of multiple professions that plague so many. The book digs into the subject and helps us wrestle with this critical subject.

Searching For Tom Sawyer–Help Keeping Boys In Church

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“How parents and congregations can stop the exodus of boys from church” reads the subtitle and sums quite nicely the theme of “Searching For Tom Sawyer” by Tim Wright and published West Bow Press. You read much these days about how men are shunning the church, and even some about what we might do to make our churches more palpable to men. This volume looks to solving the problem before it begins–with boys.

Mr. Wright begins by presenting a solid case for males and females having distinct differences designed by the Lord, even though both are of equal worth to Him. He repines our culture’s mistaken emphasis on sameness at the expense of differences. These differences must be considered if we are to have a church that reaches men and women.

He even digs into the differences in how our minds are wired. Boys develop a little slower than girls and most Sunday School classes are geared more toward girls. Girls begin reading earlier so boys naturally don’t like getting called on to read and be embarrassed in front of those same girls. As time goes by, boys are by their Creator’s design likely to squirm and hate being forced to sit still. Again, we often set things up this way. So, boys start hating church at a very young age. The author makes some suggestions about setting things up differently. Whether we would exactly follow his instructions or not, these are issues worthy of much thought.

I appreciate that in his recommendations he discusses lower-cost ideas for those of us who don’t have massive budgets. The model of mega-wow factor simply won’t work for us all. The book ends with a few sample lessons designed to appeal to boys.

Our culture almost seems embarrassed by manhood. No amount of indoctrination, however, will ever remove how God made us. It is particularly ridiculous to organize church against what we know to be true! This is a helpful book that we should consider carefully.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 .

Related Post:
Why Men Hate Going To Church why men hate going to church

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Coffee With Jesus–A Book Review

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Here is a book to aid with your devotions. It is written by Lucinda Berry Hill and published by West Bow Press. It is designed to be used over the course of 52 weeks. You have an original poem by Mrs. Hill and a corresponding Scripture. Obviously, this isn’t made to be the whole of your devotions, but a supplement to it. She wants to bring inspiration to your devotions.

Not every one gets into poetry I know. Others find great inspiration in it and have favorites from the years. If you enjoy poetry at all, I recommend this book to you. I met Mrs. Hill on social media and she is always a kind, encouraging person there. The book comes with scriptural and topical indexes as well to help you find something for the occasion. She has been writing poetry for years that has been read on special occasions and even run in the newspaper.

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House Church?

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Over the last few years we have seen a trend of more people having what they call a “house church”. I’m not referring to what is referred to in Romans 16:5:

Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.

In that case they had church in the only place they could meet and it happened to be a house.

No, I’m talking about this idea that I can’t find any church pure enough for me and mine, so my house is my church. That would have its perks—scheduling family and church activities would be rather easy when the only schedule I would have to consult is my own. If I didn’t finish preparing my message and it is only my family, how easy would it be to watch “The Andy Griffith Show”. (Perhaps some episodes of that show would be better than some of the messages I’ve preached, but that is beside the point).

What is lost in this discussion is the idea of corporate worship. The Lord did not intend that everything in your life in regards to Him be in private. That’s a modern invention. Here’s a Scripture that might have escaped your notice. Deuteronomy 12: 17-18 says

Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: But thou must eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

The phrase “within thy gates” means at your house. There are some activities that should take place at God’s House. No amount of verbal acrobatics will nullify what the Lord says.

This is nothing more than a repackaging of the old I’ll-have-church-in-nature routine. You know, I worshipped the Lord Sunday morning at the fishing hole. How does that work? Is there some spiritual way to hold the pole or bait the hook? I think of the Lord when out in nature too, but does that replace His call to corporate worship?

This all springs from a misunderstanding of all the Lord had in mind when He gave us the local church. Part of the idea was that there should be other Christians in it besides me and my family. Hopefully my family is already encouraging me and surely they are praying for me. I need more prayers, more encouragement, more of the Word than I can have at my house alone. Then there is giving and reaching out and the local church is what the Lord has designed for this very thing.

It’s not about that building, but we need that body of people in our lives. We need a local church.

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A Forgotten Regulation

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It’s one we don’t think about. I imagine you haven’t heard a sermon on it in a long time, if ever. It first came up in Deuteronomy and was re-emphasized a few times in the New Testament. More importantly, it has incredible potential to keep you and me out of deep messes. We can hardly imagine why it is important at all, but it got enough mileage in Scripture to show us the Lord thought it a worthy concept.

What is this mysterious and forgotten regulation? The requirement that we have two or three witnesses to establish the validity of a word or matter (Deut. 19:15) is the one that needs to make a comeback in our generation. Think of how we establish a matter. We accept a whisper, we seize a rumor, and the worse the report the sooner we believe it. We so believe it that we feel it such an established fact that we have the right to tell it far and wide. Such is the genesis of broken friendships, wounded hearts, assassinated reputations, and of course, a sin itself. This doesn’t even cover the fact that it is blatantly unchristian and repeatedly forbidden.

The Lord knew what He was doing when He gave us this regulation. He knew conflict would arise among us and He knew we might not always play fair. So He took precautions for us. It protects us from both directions. On the one hand, it’s so easy for someone to make up a charge in a moment of vindictiveness, or at least so exaggerate the situation that it no longer resembles what actually happened. If there’s a requirement of two or three witnesses, unless they conspire together, it will rule that out. At the very least, it will greatly lower the chances of a false accusation getting through. This makes a great principle obvious. Don’t form opinions by the word of one person, even if a good one, because you never know what complications in life may color his or her judgment. Also, we should check our own conclusions by those of others because it’s so cheap and easy to form a harsh opinion. You can check and see if others you respect have the same opinion.

Secondly, this can lead us through church troubles. Such crises usually denigrate into who can garner the most support as if it were but a popularity contest. But, praise the Lord, we don’t have to settle matters that way. I look for two or three witnesses, and if they are not available, I turn it over to God. Isn’t this what Matthew 18:15-20 is all about? Then personalities are irrelevant and we have a clear path through the mess.

There’s something to this two-or-three-witnesses thing. Do you suppose it has something to with why we are sent out two-by-two to witness of our Lord?

There is a lot of junk in this sin-cursed world. Perhaps, though, there wouldn’t be quite as much if we would but remember a carefully-defined, yet mostly-forgotten, regulation our Lord gave us long ago.

I first posted this on Partners For The Gospel

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Did The Devil Make Me Do It? –A Book Review

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How would you like a down-to-earth volume that would make sense of the Devil and demons? One without bizarre extremes but still fully believed in demonic reality? Then you need this volume by Mike McKinley and published by The Good Book Company in its Questions Christians Ask series.

He gives background on the issue and even tells how African Christians laugh at Westerners who disbelieve the reality of demons. He strikes the right balance between understanding what we need to know about such things without getting obsessive or too deep into it. He respects that The Lord has told us what we need to know and asks us to be simple concerning evil beyond that.

He tells us of the origin of Satan and explains the names of Satan. He describes him as trying to destroy God’s creation as his vigilant motivation. He outlines the tactics Satan uses against us while remembering that the Devil is not all-knowing.

He talks about what he feels demon possession really is, and he distinguishes it from mental illness. Demonic strongholds are discussed without them seeming as insurmountable as some present them. He offers sane advise if you feel you come in contact with demonic activity.

The book is helpful and aimed at laymen. I might disagree on a few small points, like his
explanation of Isaiah 14, but I still recommend this volume.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 .

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Books On The Ministry #5

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While so many older books offer classic, timeless help for those in the ministry, that in no way precludes the fact that some homerun volumes are still coming out today. I would like to share three that I have read recently plus two from last year:

1. Under The Predictable Plant by Eugene Peterson

His subtitle “An Exploration in Vocational Holiness” tells us where he is going in this incredible book. He uses the story of Jonah to chart a course for us where Jonah’s struggles show us the pitfalls before us today. He guides us to see that we have a well-defined vocation if we could cast off the fog of the world that would re-define it if we would allow. In a majority of pastors, sadly, this switch has already robbed us of our calling.

He nails it when he tells us our marketing mindset has run off the spiritual. We attempt a spiritual vocation without the spiritual and we were doomed from the start! Following modern trends he equates to idolatry. He says, “Our actual work takes shape under the pressure of the marketplace, not the truth of theology or the wisdom of spirituality.”

He takes needed shots at performance-based ministry. There he says, “The taste for God is debased into greed to be God. Being loved by God is twisted into a lust to God-performance.”

I love how he relates flashy Tarshish to the ministry of today as many perceive it. But he explains: “ …pastoral vocation is not glamorous vocation and that tarshish is a lie.” If this gets out, many may leave the ministry if they can’t squeeze glamour out of it! In fact, in every place possible he reminds us of how human congregations really are.

There is so much more and he relates how he learned some of this the hard way in his own pastorate. I plan on getting other Peterson books on the ministry!

  • 2. The Sacred Wilderness of Pastoral Ministry by David Rohrer

Here is a book that seeks to remind us what the pastorate is really all about as we live in a world where pastors have lost their way. As he says, “We have a gospel to preach.” He uses John the Baptist to share these concepts with us. He places an emphasis where it should be: we are “preparing a people for the presence of the Lord.”

He warns against turning into a pretender. He says, “… we occasionally fall prey to those insecure moments when we allow the approval and disdain of our congregations to define us. When this happens, our goal in ministry degrades into making people happy or avoiding their wrath.”

When he writes about conflict, he gives great help. He shows that we often blow it because we see the conflict as against us personally and not against the Lord. That error will greatly raise your stress level.

He ends asking us if we can be like John and let it be only about Christ. This is likely the worst mistake we could make to fail here. He also says, “Yet humility allows us to acknowledge that neither the complimentary accolades nor the derisive criticisms are ever the final evaluations of our ministry.”

This is a great book!

3. The Six Deadly Sins of Preaching by Robert Reid and Lucy Hogan

I’m amazed this book is so good. I imagine I would disagree with the theology of these two writers on many points. Still, it holds we who preach to account and is incredibly convicting.

It will be enough to entice you for me to list these six sins:

The Pretender (The Problem on In-Authenticity)

The Egoist (The Problem of Self-Absorption)

The Manipulator (The Problem of Greediness)

The Panderer (The Problem of Trendiness)

The Demagogue (The Problem of Exploitation)

The Despot (The Problem of Self-Righteousness)

The sad part was that I felt traces of myself in almost every one of these! I suspect churchgoers would love for all of we pastors to read this volume!

4. Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp

Every pastor needs to read this book. He pierces us until he gets our hearts. This book brought major conviction to my life.

Read here for a fuller, earlier review I did.

5. Leading On Empty by Wayne Cordeiro

Here was another book that met a personal need for me. Read it to be prepared for burnout that may come, or run and buy it if you already feel it.

Again, read here for an earlier review.

More in Series:
You can find all posts and books reviewed in this series in the Introductory Post.
<a title="Books On The Ministry #1" href="http://reaganreview.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/books-on-the-ministry-1/” target=”_blank”>Introductory Post

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The Two Main Paths of Temptation – Idolatry and Legalism

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Temptation

The written record we have makes it clear. Our life experiences confirm it in every instance. We are swept from God’s way at any given point from one of two streams of thinking. We either are bewitched into idolatry by our desires or we are escorted into legalism by our pride.

I realize sins themselves can be categorized into sins of the flesh or of the spirit, but I refer to where these sins come from. Whether idolatry or legalism, sins of the flesh and of the spirit easily emerge. Before this discussion becomes academic exercise for Christian readers, I, too, want to add that the subject is not any more geared to unbelievers than it is to believers. In that the flesh remains, idolatry and legalism find fertile ground to thrive in any of us. (Since I have swan in the putrid waters of idolatry and of legalism, as well as committed a wide variety of sins of the flesh and of the spirit, I find myself unusually qualified to speak).

If you think about it, you find the story of the Old Testament as it traces Israel from its infancy to the threshold of its Messiah tells this very thing. For centuries Israel fell into idolatry at every turn. Whether she ran after the false gods of Canaan, or wanted a king over the King of Kings, she was never far from idolatry till she watched herself ruined and carried away into the Babylonian Captivity.

After she endured that painful captivity she shook off idolatry once and for all, but replaced it with a more subtle type of sin—legalism. The key difference in the two is that when you fall into idolatry you tend to know it. You and the Lord are not on good terms and it is as obvious to you as anyone. On the other hand, when you are drowning in legalism, you  are usually the last to know it. You and the Lord are still not on good terms, but you are convinced He sits on the throne giving you regular rounds of applause.

To understand sin, you must begin with God. It is not only that sin is an affront to God, but that every sin is personally against Him. Every sin we commit is then connected to Him in the sense that it springs from what we think about Him. That thought horrifies me as much as anyone, but it is true.

In idolatry I want something other than Him. Any one of a thousand things will do; it just can’t be Him. I want to distance myself from Him, from His way cramping my style. Like the idol of stone, the quieter the better. I will be God for a while.

In legalism, I don’t necessarily want Him because I am so sure I already have Him. I get to thinking I have earned God and that blinds me in the ugliest ways. I make myself pleasing to Him and that builds up a reserve that covers an indiscretion here and there, even if that indiscretion is actually horrendous. In a way not so obvious, I will be God for a while.

I am sure the Pharisee of Jesus’ day was embarrassed by the idolatry of his fathers while he lived in his legalism. Well, it was embarrassing. Still, there were plenty of Pharisees in the crowd ready to stone the woman taken in adultery when Jesus stopped it.

The point is not that legalism is that much worse than idolatry. When Israel was in idolatry, however, she did bring reproach on His Name; and when she was in legalism, she nailed Him to a cross. Still, both are bad and I do no favors to attack one at the expense of the other.

That is, though, the heart of the problem. We are usually blind to one or the other. If I am in idolatry, I can spot the ugly pride inherent in legalism a mile away. If I am in legalism, I can find the reprobates all around me so easily. The issue becomes which road temptation will travel to get to me. As you can see, it will either be the road of idolatry or of legalism, and it will depend on what I think of the Lord at the time. Looking down one road or the other, temptation will sneak up on me from the other direction. I guess that explains how I have been blindsided so many times!