Ecclesiastes, The Search For Meaning

Greetings All,

     I trust this email finds you well!  Today I thought I would share some thoughts on one of my favorite books in the Bible -- the Book of Ecclesiastes.  These "thoughts" come from a Brit (I'm assuming from the name he's originally from Wales).  His name is Selwyn Hughes, and they come from a Bible Study booklet in the series, "Every Day With Jesus."  The title of this particular volume is: Ecclesiastes, The Search For Meaning."

     Solomon begins this book with a rather shocking statement: "Meaningless, meaningless," says the Teacher... Everything is meaningless!"  Yet we must remember it's a statement qualified by the other frequently-repeated phrase in the book, "under the sun," which essentially means, "focused only on the things of earth."   "Under the sun" essentially means, "life lived without consideration of God," or "life viewed apart from the acknowledgement God," or "life lived apart from a relationship with God."   So, with that clarification, I hope you find these thoughts challenging, relevant and useful. Enjoy.

     "The main message of the book comes through it's opening statement: "Everything is meaningless."  Seeing the utter futility of life is the first step to an encounter with God. Many are not ready to meet with the Lord until they have been silenced by the futility of this world in which they live. I heard someone say that the first book of the Bible everyone should read is the book of Ecclesiastes -- because it silences you.  When we see as clearly as Solomon saw that the world does not provide us with the life for which our souls were created, then we are more likely to turn to the true source of happiness -- the eternal God Himself.  One of the reasons why some of us do not know God well is because we have never been convinced of the utter futility of trying to find life in things. We have not been silenced. We must let Ecclesiastes silence us, and and in that silence we may experience a deeper awareness of God...

     One of the reasons why Solomon uses such forceful language...is to break through our defensive attempts to avoid reality.  It was T. S. Elliot who once said: "Humankind cannot bear too much reality." Psychologists warn that we should be careful about stripping away people's defenses, as coming face to face with reality too quickly can cause those who are fragile to slide into depression. The author of Ecclesiastes seems unconcerned about this, however, and tells us over and over again, and with deep conviction that life, "under the sun" is futile... 

     He tells us how his determination to find purpose for living led him to deep and serious study. But study, and trying to grasp the meaning of the universe by the intellect alone, proved also to be futile. He says that it is like "chasing after the wind" (chap. 1:17).... Yet if education, intellectualism, and philosophy are not the routes to making life work, then what is? Perhaps (say some) life can be found in pleasure. Not so, says Solomon [and who would know better than a man who had 700 wives and 300 live in prostitutes?!]. Pleasure pleases, but it is powerless to quench the ache that exists in the soul.

     Solomon provides us with a list of ways that pleasure can be gained, but he gives all of them the "thumbs down."  The first pleasure is laughter (2:2).  Send in the clowns.  Bring on the jokers. Let's hear the funny one-liners. But as almost everyone knows, those who bring laughter to thousands are themselves often desperately unhappy.  Billy Graham tells the story of a man who went to a doctor for help with his depression. "I'll give you something better than anti-depressants," said the doctor. "Go to see the clown at the local circus. He has just arrived in the town and is sending people into hysterics." The man looked at the doctor and dolefully said, "I am that clown."

     If laughter cannot satisfy, then perhaps drink will help.  "I tried cheering myself with wine," Solomon says (2:3). But clearly that did not satisfy either. He then threw himself in a great round of activity -- great projects and achievements like building a house for himself, planting vineyards, purchasing male and female slaves, buying up herds and flocks, amassing silver and gold, and finally equipping himself with a harem -- what he describes as, "the delights of the heart of a man" (Chap. 2, v 4-8).  He even tried fame and making a name for himself (v.9). But did these things work? Here's his conclusion: "everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind..."  He is not saying these things did not bring pleasure. He is making the point that this kind of pleasure just does not last...

     Facing the realities of life can greatly provoke anxiety. The moment when we face the fact that there is nothing in this world -- no person, place or thing -- that can meet the deepest ache in our soul, is probably one of the most solemn moments of our existence. Many can't face that kind of reality so they escape into such things as fantasies, endless rounds of activity, drink, sensual pleasures, and so on...  Satisfaction in things is found only when they are seen as being behind God and not in front of Him. When God is not first, then everything around which we wrap our affections are unsatisfying idols. There are two paths we can choose: One is to find life in God and enjoy the provision of His hands; the other is to find life in things, and turn our back on God. The latter is "meaningless," says Solomon. It's like "chasing after the wind.'"

     I myself went through a period, in my late teens and early 20's, of trying to make sense of the world if God did not exist.  It was one of the primary things that drove me into a lengthy period of depression.  Thinking God did not exist made it much easier to sin, but it also made life (and all I did) meaningless and inconsequential. If there are no eternal consequences for anything we do, life becomes completely meaningless and somewhat intolerable. It even led me to entertain thoughts of suicide.

     I still say to this day that the only way one can be an atheist and think life has meaning is to lie to oneself.  To make up what a world without God can never supply.  To be "content" in a life lived apart from God ("under the sun") does not come from asking important questions and getting satisfying answers, it comes from refusing to ask enough questions.  It comes from being content not to connect the dots, or follow the path godless thinking to the depressing dead end where it will always lead when life is considered without reference to God.

     I do not encourage anyone to stop asking questions. I encourage them to ask one after another after another and not stop!  Because I believe (as Solomon shows and many others have discovered) that at the end of those all those questions -- if they dare ask them all -- one will run headlong into the eternal Absolute that stands behind all that exists. The road of truly seeking does not lead to nothing, it leads through the nothingness of human futility to the ultimate reality we call God. But we must press things to the limit, because it's a lesson many can only learn after trying all those other things and discovering they end in futility and will not satisfy the truly thirsty soul.

Grace and Peace, Pastor Jeff

Five Reasons Church Members Attend Church Less Frequently

Greetings All!

     This weeks "thought" has to do with a problem that is becoming increasingly worse and very alarming to those who love and cherish the Church of Jesus Christ, as well as it's God-given mission to the world.  It's the lack of commitment among believers to gather together for worship, sharing, instruction, encouragement, accountability and joint-effort in carrying out the commission Christ gave to His Body to bring the gospel to those across the street and across the sea.
     There is a very good reason the author of Hebrews 10:25 says, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing..."  That is, let us not give up meeting together as the gathered church, or the congregation of the faithful, for worship and celebration.  (Yes, it was even a problem back then!)  And the reason he called them to gather was not a legalistic effort to gain more of God's favor by doing so, but because of what such gathering does for us, and the others in the body, in terms of our spiritual health and the strengthening of the Church.  In the immediate context verse 23 suggests it helps us, "hold unswervingly to the hope we profess."   Verse 24 suggests it's one of the ways we can, "spur one another on toward love and good deeds."   And the rest of verse 25 suggests that our gatherings do the opposite of what being absent does -- it enables us to, "encourage one another, and all the more as we see the Day approaching."

     My presence (and yours) on a Sunday morning, encourages others. It gives us an opportunity to carry out our God-ordained ministry of serving, encouraging, and bearing the burdens of others.  If I view my gathering with others as I should (as a time to minister encouragement to others through my words, heart-felt worship, prayers, listening ears, and actions) I have the blessed honor and privilege of being able to love others with brotherly affection, help to the struggling, listen to the lonely, assist the elderly, encourage the young, and share in people's growth as believers.  So let me share the whole verse:  "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, BUT LET US ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER, and all the more as we see the Day approaching."

     That leads us to today's entry from the blog of researcher, Thom S. Rainer, entitled, "Five Reasons Church Members Attend Church Less Frequently." (His small but very good book, "I Am A Church Member," only 77 pages long, is also a great read for further discussion on the reality and effects of this phenomena.)  Enjoy.

FIVE REASONS CHURCH MEMBERS ATTEND CHURCH LESS FREQUENTLY

     "About 20 years ago, a church member was considered "active" in the church if he or she attended three times a week. Today, a church member is considered active in the church if he or she attends three times a month. Something is wrong with this picture. For 2,000 years, the local church, as messy as it is, has been God’s place for believers to gather, worship, minister, and be accountable to one another.

     Yet every time I write something about church membership and attendance, I inevitably hear cries of “legalism” or “the church is not a building” or “the church is a messed up institution.”  But the local church -- the messy local church -- is what God has used as His primary instrument to make disciples. But commitment is waning among many church members.

Why?

     1.) We are minimizing the importance of the local church. When we do, we are less likely to attend. A few drops of rain may keep many folks from attending church, but it won’t stop them from sitting three hours in the downpour watching their favorite football team (and often pay a hefty price to do so).

     2.) We worship the idols of activities. Many members will replace a day in their church with a day at kid’s soccer or softball games or sleeping off the hangover of the previous day’s activities.

     3.) We take a lot of vacations from church. I am not anti-vacation. But 20 years or so ago, we would make certain we attended a church where we were taking a vacation. Today, many members take a vacation from church.

     4.) We do not have high expectations of our members. Any purposeful organization expects and gets much of it members, whether it’s a sports team or a civic organization. It is ironic that most churches do not come close to being a high expectation church.

     5.) We make infrequent attendees leaders in our churches. When we do, we are making a clear statement that even the leaders of the church do not have to be committed to the place they supposedly lead.

     I heard a leader of an organization tell the members he did not want them if they were not fully committed. They could not be AWOL if they wanted to be a part of the group. He expected full commitment [Sounds a bit like Jesus - Luke 14:25-33]. He is a high school football coach. And all the team members follow that high expectation of commitment. If we truly expect to make a difference in our communities, and our families, members of local churches need to have at least the same level of commitment as members of sports teams.  After all, the mission of each local church is far more important.  At least it should be..."

     One of my favorite hymns since becoming a believer is one written in 1800 by Timothy Dwight, "I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord."   You don't hear it much any more, and many would even struggle to sing it if they were required to be totally truthful and honest before doing so.  Yet, although the church is messy, and it's members are (as the Word assures us) sinners in the process of being sanctified, and thus there are and always will be problems (as in any human gathering of diverse souls), it is still the Bride Christ loves. The ones He chose to join to Himself in holy union. The objects of His sacrificial joy and affection, and His chosen means to continue carrying out His work on earth (feeble as we often are at that task).

     That's why this hymn resonates with me. Because when I am loving His church, I am loving those He loves, has redeemed, has laid down His life, and is preparing for an eternity in His presence (Eph. 5:25-27). See if you could sing these words:

"I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord. The House of Thine abode. 

The Church our blest Redeemer saved, with His own precious blood.

I love Thy Church, O God!  Her walls before Thee stand, 

Dear as the apple of Thine eye, and graven on Thy hand.

For her my tears shall fall; For her my prayers ascend; 

To her my cares and toils be giv'n, Till toils and cares shall end.

Beyond my highest joy, I prize her heav'nly ways, 

Her sweet communion, solemn vows, and hymns of love and praise."

     Oh for more members of the Bride who felt the same way about the Bride!  It would be "self-love" of the best kind!  Not because the Church is perfect (it never will be, at least in this age), but because in doing so we are loving those Christ chose as His Bride. We are doing as He commanded when He said to His disciples: "Love one another as I have love you."

Just more food for thought...

In His Service, Pastor Jeff 

Lord, Fill Me With Your Spirit

Greetings Friends!

     Today's thought comes to you from a gentlemen named Jon Bloom, co-founder and staff-writer for desiringGod.org, a ministry most closely associated with John Piper (whose thoughts I have passed on to you before). This article was found on the desiringGod.org website.  I pass it on to you for your serious and prayerful consideration. To simply read it is one thing, but to read it and then pray in the manner he advises is another thing altogether -- and surely the author's hoped for response on any readers part.  Read. Pray.  Enjoy.

Lord, Fill Me With Your Spirit

     “The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (I Corinthians 4:20).  If we are not disillusioned with how much we have allowed our talk to pass for our walk, discontented with the sparse amount of spiritual fruit we are truly bearing, and disappointed by the impotence of our own efforts, we will never be distressed enough to really plead with God to fill us with the Holy Spirit.  If we’re not disturbed by how little we can do in our own power, we’ll never be desperate enough to ask God for his.

What Is the Filling of the Holy Spirit?

       But when we pray for this, what are we asking God for? In the words of Wayne Grudem, we are asking God for “an event subsequent to conversion in which a believer experiences a fresh infilling with the Holy Spirit that may result in a variety of consequences, including greater love for God, greater victory over sin, greater power for ministry, and sometimes the receiving of new spiritual gifts.” (Grudem 1242)  Now, of course every Christian receives the Holy Spirit upon conversion. Being born again is the greatest miracle any human being can possibly experience, and it only happens by the omnipotent power of Holy Spirit (John 3:3-8, I Corinthians 12:13).

       But the reason we talk about the filling of the Holy Spirit as “an event subsequent to conversion” is because that’s how the New Testament usually talks about it. Paul was exhorting born-again Christians when he wrote, “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). And almost all of Luke’s description of Spirit-fillings occurred to people who were already born again (see Acts 2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 9:17, 13:9, 13:52). And we’re actually talking about events (plural) because, just like the same people received repeated fillings of the Spirit in the book of Acts, we also need to be filled repeatedly. According to the New Testament, we need to be repeatedly filled with the Holy Spirit for two primary purposes: empowered worship and witness.

Intoxicated with God

     When Paul told the Ephesians Christians to “be filled with the Spirit,” he was talking about Spirit-empowered worship: "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:18-20).  Be careful as you read these verses. Don’t let your familiarity with it or your experience-based preconceptions about worship styles or other things cause you to dodge the punch the Holy Spirit intends to land here.  Paul is saying, don’t be intoxicated with alcohol, but be intoxicated with God! 

      His words confront each of us with the penetrating question, “Are you intoxicated with God?” Does our heart so overflow with love for God that our heart, whether light or heavy, can’t help but sing, both to God and to one another? No matter what our circumstances, are we overflowing with thanks to God?  If not, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit because we are not worshipfully enjoying God according to the grace available to us. That means we are not glorifying God as we ought, and are we not experiencing satisfaction in God like we might.

Empowered by God

     When Luke described this experience of Spirit-filling among Christians, its purpose was for Spirit-empowered witness: "And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:29-31).  Those early Christians were feeling fear from the threats of the religious authorities, the same ones who had crucified Jesus. But their response was to ask God for boldness to preach the gospel and supernatural power to minister to people. And God answered their prayer.

     Don’t let yourself be immediately distracted by popular controversies, like whether all the miraculous gifts in the New Testament continue, or some have ceased. Those questions are important in their place. But there are more fundamental questions for us here. “Are you responding to your fears of real physical threats, disapproval, or scorn with desperate prayer for God to empower you to overcome?” Are we laying hold of God until he answers? If not, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit because we are allowing fear and unbelief to gag or mute our witness to the reality and gospel of Jesus Christ. And because we are silent, people who need the gospel aren’t hearing it.

Whatever It Takes, Lord

     Here’s wonderful news: our heavenly Father loves to give his Holy Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13)! “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:10).  Do you feel dry? Are you weary? Are you tired of talking so much about glorious theology, but not experiencing the reality of it? Does your worship feel distracted and hollow? Are you lacking in gratitude to God? Do you long for more fruit, both the internal fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:28-29) and the external fruit of empowered ministry?  Then you are a good candidate for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Your dryness and discouragement may, in fact, be invitations from God to press in to him. The desperation that comes from living with low-ebbing affections and spiritual impotence can itself be a gift from the Holy Spirit, because it's when we become disillusioned enough with our mere talk, our anemic worship, and our weak selves that we really become prepared to pray:  Whatever it takes, Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit and any gifting you would be pleased to give me."

     As one who has been preaching and sharing the Gospel for 37 years in various capacities now, I must confess his opening words rung true.  It is because I have frequently been, "disillusioned with how much [I] have allowed [my] talk to pass for [my] walk," and have indeed been,"discontented with the sparse amount of spiritual fruit [I am] truly bearing," and have been deeply, "disappointed by the impotence of [my] own efforts," that I habitually, "plead with God to fill [me] with the Holy Spirit."  I find it impossible to think there is even one person involved in Christian ministry of any sort who does not do this. For ministering in merely human strength, and nothing else (and I know when I am), cannot help but bring bring about fruit that will not last. That's what we must eventually ask ourselves: Do we yearn for fruit that bears the stamp of a power that is not from us?  For only if we do will we confess our inability to produce it in our own strength and plead for the power of the Spirit to do through us what only he can do.  Lord show us our weakness that we may plead for your strength.

In His Service, Pastor Jeff

The Good Life - Rescued

Greetings All!

A couple months back I received a copy of a book in the mail from Our Daily Bread Ministries.  It was entitled, "The Good Life - 15 Stories of Finding Hope."  The first part of the title, "The Good Life" could be taken many ways, so I ventured into it to see what I would find. As with all books containing short stories, some are better than others.  And, yes, that is a subjective evaluation. What touches me might not touch you in the same way, and visa-versa.

     That said, I chose one of the stories that resonated with me, for it took me back to a similar experience I had at 24 when I found myself hanging on for dear life from the side of a cliff, back in a steep mountain jungle ravine, in the Dominican Republic -- with no one around for miles and about 200 feet between me and the rocky riverbed below. In scaling the cliff I had gotten myself into a predicament where the only way to safety required that I let go of what I was clinging to and drop 6-8 feet onto a leaf covered ridge only about 2 feet wide. If it was firm I was secure, if not, it would be a long fall. The fact that I'm even writing this to you tells you, as Paul Harvey was fond of saying, "the rest of the story."  Maybe that's why I resonated with this man's story. I hope you will too.   It is written by Russell Fralick, who went on to become pastor of Windermere Community Church and authored the book, "Over the Top."  Enjoy.

Rescued

     "A young mountaineer was so full of self-reliance that he believed he needed nothing and no one. He certainly had no need for God. But one night he stood on the edge of a sheer cliff 1,000 feet above the valley floor, rope gone, best friend missing and presumed dead, rain pouring down, and the pitch black of night engulfing him. With everything he had relied upon gone, and with no hope of survival, he came face-to-face with the certainty that he was about to die. Then the rock he was standing on began to collapse, and he knew he had seconds to live. 

     He was unprepared for death, and in his hopelessness this unbelieving, arrogant man cried out to God to save him. He needed a God who could move heaven and earth (an all-powerful God) and a God who would move heaven and earth -- for someone who didn't even believe in Him (a compassionate, loving and forgiving God). He also needed a God who would act quickly, without him having to earn His affection. He needed a God who was zealous and passionate in His love for him, a God who was concerned about him as an individual.

     I certainly would not have helped a person like that, but thankfully God is not like me, because He did help. I know, because that man was me.

     I asked a God I didn't believe in to rescue me, and as I stepped off the mountainside, a rope that I could not see was in my hand. After that, He guided me down a sheer rock wall in pitch black darkness, negotiating crumbling granite and a waterfall, until I reached the bottom -- without even a scratch!  That's not just improbable, it's impossible.

     Only the God of the Bible is both all-powerful and all-loving at the same time. No other religion or faith system can make this claim. He is powerful enough to move heaven and earth, and He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to give His life for us.

     God is holy and His standard is perfection. All the wrong things that each and every person has ever done -- our sins -- have separated us from Him. And (therefore) we need someone to pay for our wrongdoings, because we cannot pay the price ourselves. God, because of His great love for us sent Jesus to earth to rescue us from sin and bring us into a relationship with Him. Jesus lived a perfect life on earth and then endured death on a cross to pay for our wrongdoings. When we ask God to forgive us, He puts all of our blame onto Jesus and He puts all the righteousness of Jesus onto us, so that we can stand before a holy God clean and pure.

     Are you in need of rescue? Admit to the Lord that you are a sinner and cannot save yourself. Then accept (by faith) His free gift of salvation that promises forgiveness and life with Him forever."

The Blessings of Marriage

Greetings All!

     Today I want to share a selection having to do with marriage -- though I must stress it's a helpful thought to consider whether one is married or not!  I do not know the title or publisher of the book I originally took it from years ago, though I did write down the author's name - Theodore Parker.
     I have used this quote numerous times at weddings and people have expressed their appreciation for it, and most all their complete agreement with it -- especially those who have been married for any length of time!  It is, in my humble opinion, worthy of your focused, thoughtful, and discerning consideration, since it contains much truth and wisdom. Enjoy.

“It takes years to marry two hearts completely, even of the most loving and tender type.  Every happy marriage is a long falling in love. Young people think love belongs only to the silken-haired and crimson-cheeked.  And it does in its beginnings.

But the golden marriage is a part of love about which the Bridal day knows nothing.  A mature and complete marriage, where wedlock is everything one could desire, where the ideal becomes actual, is not a common thing.  It is perhaps as rare as perfect personal beauty.

Men and women are married fractionally — a small fraction here, followed by a larger fraction there.  Very few are ever married totally, and those that are, only achieve it after some forty or fifty years of gradual growth, adjustment, perseverance and experimentation.

When a man and woman are successfully in love, their whole activity is energized and victorious.  They walk better, their metabolism improves, they think more clearly, their secret worries drop away, the world is fresh and interesting, and they can do more than they ever dreamed of doing.

In love of this kind, sexual intimacy in not the dead end of desire, as it is in purely romantic or promiscuous love. It is the periodic affirmation of inward delight in each other, and the crown of an active, intentional and well-lived life.  Knit together by the bonds of friendship and mutual affection, their love is as interesting as it is enduring — able to withstand the winds of adversity and change, bear hardships, build upon the mistakes of the past, and use them as opportunities for forgiveness and growth.”

     In a society which sees less and less reason for marriage (4 out of 10 thirty-and-under-people now see no need for it at all), this "thought" gives us a better insight into the blessings of marriage, how one should view it, and what it might take to improve it.

     The health of the family unit is key to the preservation of any civil society, and the health of marriages is key to the health of that family unit.  We must, therefore -- especially in a society like ours which is decidedly not "marriage-friendly" -- always be praying for those who have entered into this, "bond and covenant of marriage (which) was established by God in creation."  This relationship of committed love received Jesus' stamp of approval by, "His presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee."   After all, it's a way of life which, "signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and His Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people"  (from The Celebration of Marriage, Book of Common Prayer).

May you be encouraged to persevere in this God-ordained relationship, and partake of the blessings God intended through it, Pastor Jeff

The Life and Diary of David Brainerd

Greetings All,

     I had a breakfast with a few friends today and the name David Brainerd came up. It led me to think of offering you some thoughts regarding his missionary activity among the Indians in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey between June 1744 through June of 1745. He ministered near the Susquehanna, the Forks of the Delaware River, and in Crossweeksung, before succumbing to tuberculosis, riding his horse from there to Massachusetts, and then passing away in the home of Jonathan Edwards at the young age of 29.
     Brainerd was born in Haddam, Connecticut, on April 20, 1718. His father died when he was nine, and his mother when he was 14 -- leaving him (his four brothers and four sisters) orphaned.  In July of 1739 (at the age of 21), he was so overcome by the sense of God's wrath against his sins, and the imperfection in all his religious duties, that it drove him to seek -- by faith in Christ alone -- "that way of salvation that is entirely by the righteousness of Christ." 
     He started at Yale College in New Haven in September of that year, studying to enter the pastorate. Though he was at the top of his class, and likely to be the valedictorian that next year at graduation, he was casually asked by two friends what he thought of one particular professor (Mr. Whittelsey).  He answered that he had no more grace (in him) than the chair he was sitting in. Another student, who happened to overhear his remark, told the faculty and Brainerd was dismissed from the college or ever returning. It would be hard to describe the shame and brokenness of spirit this caused Brainerd -- since without a degree from Harvard or Yale, or a European college, one could not gain a pulpit in New England.
     Yet, by the providence of God, this led Brainerd to his short but impactful life's work among the Indians.  Due to the severe conditions of working outside, and traveling with the Indians, he succumbed to tuberculosis and died in 1747. Jeshua Edwards (Jonathan Edwards 17 year old daughter) fell in love with him as she nursed him during the last six months of his life in their house.  In the last week of his life he told her: "If I had thought that I should not see you, and be happy with you in another world, I could not bear to part with you..."  She herself contracted tuberculosis from him and died the next winter at the age of 18.

     The excerpts that follow are taken from his journal and diary which were never intended to be public, or published.They were discovered by Edwards after he died, who after editing out some of the more personal content published them under the title: "The Life and Diary of David Brainerd."  It was one of the volumes which William Carey read that inspired him to pursue foreign missions. My son David is named after him.  Enjoy.

     Saturday, October 5, 1745: "Preached to my people (the Indians at Crossweeksung, N.J.) from John 14:1-6.  The divine presence seemed to be in the assembly. Numbers were affected with divine truths and it was a season of comfort to some in particular. Oh what a difference there is between these Indians and the Indians I had lately ministered to at the Susquehanna!  To be with them seemed like being banished from God, and all His people; but to be with these, is like being admitted into His family, and to the enjoyment of His divine presence!  How great is the change lately made upon numbers of these Indians, who not many months ago were as thoughtless and adverse to Christianity as those upon Susquehanna! And how astonishing is that grace which has made this change!"

     Sunday, Lord's Day, October 6, 1745: "Preached before noon from John 10:7-11. There was a considerable melting among my people. The dear young Christians were refreshed, comforted and strengthened, and one or two persons newly awakened (or made alive in Jesus). In the afternoon I discoursed on the story of the jailer in Acts 16, and in the evening expounded Acts 20:1-12. There was at this time a very agreeable melting spread through the whole assembly. I think I scarce ever saw a more desirable affection in any number of people in my life. There was scarce a dry eye to be seen among them, and yet nothing boisterous or unseemly. Nothing that tended to disturb public worship. But rather, to encourage and excite a Christian ardor an spirit of devotion. Those who, I have reason to hope, were savingly renewed, were the first affected, and seemed to rejoice much, but with brokenness of spirit and godly fear... appearing to be the genuine effect of a Spirit of adoption.
     After public service was over I withdrew (being much tired with the labors of the day) and the Indians continued praying among themselves for nearly two hours together. These continued exercises appeared to be attended with a blessed quickening influence from on high. I could not but earnestly wish that numbers of God's people had been present at this season to see and hear these things, which I am sure must refresh the heart of every true lover of Zion's interest..."
     October 24, 1745:  "Discoursed from John 4:13-14. There was a great attention, a desirable affection, and an unaffected melting in the assembly. It is surprising to see how eager they are of hearing the word of God. I have oftentimes thought they would cheerfully and diligently attend divine worship twenty-four hours straight, had they an opportunity so to do."

     October 25, 1745: "Discoursed to my people respecting the resurrection, from Luke 20:27-36. And when I came to mention the blessedness the godly shall enjoy at that season; their final freedom from death, sin, and sorrow; their equality to the angels in regard to their nearness to, and enjoyment of Christ (an imperfect degree of which they are favored with in the present life, and from whence springs their sweetest comfort)... numbers of them were much affected and melted with a view of this blessed state."

     October 26, 1745: "I was asked to help assist in the serving of the Lord's Supper at a nearby congregation (of Englishmen). Invited my (Indian) people to go with me. In general they accepted the opportunity cheerfully, and attended the several discourses (in English) with diligence and affection, most of them now understanding something of the English language."

     Lord's Day, October 27, 1745: "While I was preaching to a vast assembly of people, there was one Indian woman, a stranger, who never heard me preach before, nor ever regarded anything about religion. She was persuaded by some of her friends to come to meeting, though much against her will. She was seized with pressing concern for her soul, and soon after expressed a great desire of going home, more than 40 miles distant, to call her husband, that he might also be awakened to a concern for his soul. Some other of the Indians also appeared to be affected with divine truths this day. The pious people of the English (numbers of whom I had opportunity to converse with) seemed refreshed with seeing the Indians worship God in that devout and solemn manner with the assembly of His people. And with those mentioned in Acts 11:18, they could not but, "glorify God, saying, "Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."

     October 28, 1745: "Preached again to a great assembly, at which time some of my people appeared affected. And when public worship was over, were inquiring whether there would not be another sermon in the evening, or before the celebration of the Lord's Supper ended, being still desirous to hear God's word."

     About a year before his death (September of 1746) he wrote in his diary: "My heaven is to please God, and glorify Him, and to give all to Him, and be totally devoted to His glory. That is the heaven I long for. That is my religion, and that is my happiness, and always was ever since I suppose I had any true religion in me."

     May the Lord be pleased to pour out upon the lives of many in our day the same spirit of hungering after God. In God's providence Brainerd was kept from pastoring a comfortable New England church.

     Yet he was driven by his love for souls to preach -- to the Indians -- people he came to love so much that he often pleaded for their rights against the settlers, "complaining of the horrid practice of making the Indians drunk, and then cheating them out of their lands, and other properties, with too much warmth of spirit" (righteous anger).

In His Service, Pastor Jeff

Seeing God - Twelve Reliable Signs of True Spirituality

Greetings All,

     Today's thought has to do with change. Real change. True change.  Lasting change -- and how that comes about. This selection comes from the book, "Seeing God - Twelve Reliable Signs of True Spirituality" by Gerald McDermott.
     It contains a mix of personal stories related to biblical truth. His point is well taken -- can you point to any true change?  Enjoy.

The Seventh Reliable Sign -- A Change of Nature

     "Jay is a Vietnam-era veteran who used to get his kicks by enticing gay men to a hotel room with the implicit promise of a sexual encounter. Once there, he would mug the unsuspecting man and run off with his cash and valuables. In the mid-1970's Jay had a powerful conversion experience. Some time ago he described it to me in a letter.

     "I didn't turn to Christ because of conviction of sin -- that came later -- but by extreme poverty of spirit. I was empty inside. I was tired of bars, drugs and the friends I did these things with. Life seemed to have no meaning or purpose. One day, I remember, as I was driving to my construction job in Milwaukee, I felt like I didn't have the strength to live one more day. I drove by the job site to a park on Lake Michigan. I sat in the car, looking at the lake, not knowing what to do or where to go.  Suddenly it occurred to me to take my new BMW motorcycle that I had just bought -- the best that was then made -- and head for South America. That week, without going back to work, I started planning my trip, with no intention of returning.  I figured I would probably die on the way.

     But God had other plans for me. A friend from Madison happened to drop by to give me a copy of a book entitled, 'Be Here Now.' This was something of a classic in the sixties and seventies. It was filled with sayings from religious teachers and philosophers, mostly from the East. I took the book to my room the next day and started to read it. Something strange started happening: I felt my inner spirit being lifted or stirred. For the first time in years I felt a glimmer of hope. Then I came across the teaching of Jesus about not letting your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Nothing profound, but it triggered a battle in my soul. A voice inside me insisted: "This is what you need; Jesus is the way."

     But other voices within me argued that I didn't want Jesus and offered several reasons why. The debate continued for quite a while and increased in intensity. While I sat on the edge of my bed, the call to follow Jesus got stronger and stronger, and I kept resisting harder and harder.  Then I stood up and paced back and forth from one end of my small room to the other. There was now a battle raging within my soul, with one part of me afraid to let go of my old life, and the other crying out for freedom. Finally I fell to my knees and shouted: "I GIVE UP!"  In that split second of time my life changed. My soul and spirit were flooded with a peace and hope I had never felt before. The battle was won. I knew who I was going to live for the rest of my life." 

     Jay has grown in the Lord ever since. He is now a deeply committed Christian who works with the youth ministry of his church... His experience is typical of the millions of true conversions that have occurred since the birth of the Church two thousand years ago.  There is a spiritual enlightening that transforms. It changes the nature of the soul so that one's life is different ever after.

     The change is not always outwardly visible, at least for a while, but what happens on the inside changes one's very nature. And eventually the inner change will manifest itself in a different kind of life -- a different pattern of thinking, feeling and acting.... This kind of fundamental change requires far more than willpower or a new way of thinking. It is possible only through a basic change of heart -- a change of affection -- that God alone can give.

     Those who have struggled with addiction know what I am talking about. They know the need for fundamental change and the futility of New Year's resolutions and self-help formulas. So does psychiatrist Gerald May who started his career with the confidence that his psychiatric training would equip him to change lives... [Yet] he discovered that the best of human knowledge and effort was not enough. "With all the energy that might be expected of a young doctor, I applied my best psychiatric methods to the treatment of addictions. None of them worked."  Then May did some informal research. He identified a few people who had overcome serious addictions to drugs and alcohol and asked them how they did it. "All of them described some sort of spiritual experience," he reports. They said they had gotten some professional help, but that was not the source of their healing. "It had to do with God."  None of them pointed to anything but God. No willpower, or self-discipline, or meditation, or using their own spiritual energy, or self-esteem. All testified to a power that came from outside themselves...

    The transformation that comes in true spirituality is a revolution from the inside out. The authors of Scripture make it clear that this inner revolution is the implantation of a new nature. They call it being "born again," becoming a "new creature," "rising from the dead," becoming "renewed in the spirit of your mind," "dying to sin and living to Christ," "putting off the old man and putting on the new man," having a "divine seed implanted in your heart" and being made "partakers of the divine nature."

     If the inner transformation is real, it is lasting. But if the change is only temporary, it is not the result of genuine conversion. Many people dabble with various spiritualities before they are converted by the grace of Jesus. While experimenting with these spiritualities, they make some changes in their lifestyle and habits... Their old nature tries to do something only a new nature can do consistently and over the long haul. There has been no new creation, and without that fundamental transformation of the heart, neither moral change nor religious activity has any lasting value."

     Becoming a changed person is not simply a matter of making a decision. It is not a matter of making a commitment. It is not a matter of cranking up our will-power or making an earnest determination to change.  It's not pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps or any other "natural" human attempt to change. Such resolutions often make Pharisees, but not changed Christians.  Because human choices and decisions last only as long as human strength has the power to resist that which it hopes to conquer -- which usually isn't that long (as New Year's Resolutions habitually testify).

     To fight against sin by human strength alone is to lose -- always. That's what the Bible teaches. True change is a matter of God, by His grace, making a supernatural and miraculous change in the core of our being. It is discovering ourselves to be different and not knowing why.  It is sensing new affections for new and good things, and seeing other negative things fall away -- and not being able to fully explain how it happened. And for good reason -- since we didn't do it, God did.

     And because HE did it and not us (altering our nature in the process) the change lasts.  We may slip and fall, but because our nature has been made new (having been given a new heart and a new spirit) the slip is temporary and not a permanent return to our old ways.  In fact, if the return is permanent, its an evidence that our nature had not been truly changed.

Thankful, as we ever must be, for the unspeakable gift of God's grace in Jesus!  Pastor Jeff