Does This Truth Paralyze or Energize?

Greetings All,

     This past week I received a book in the mail that was printed in 1918 -- just a month and a week past being exactly one hundred years ago!  The book contains the addresses presented by various people at the Philadelphia Prophetic Conference in May of 1918.  As a lover of history I had to read through it to see if what was said then was relevant to today.  Much of it was, of course, since it centers around the Bible. Yet because it took place the year WWI ended, eleven years before the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, and about 20 years before the outbreak of WWII, some of the applications of the Bible were obviously dated.

     I particularly enjoyed the presentation of one Pastor Herbert Mackenzie, a former missionary to Africa who "retired" to take a church pastorate in Cleveland, Ohio.  This message, entitled, "Does This Truth Paralyze or Energize?"  focuses on Matthew 24:14, "This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, as a testimony to all nations, and then the end shall come," and the command in II Timothy 4:1 to, "preach the word in season and out" in view of Christ's appearing and His kingdom.  I hope you might find encouragement through it as well. Enjoy. 

     "Jesus has said unto us, 'Go ye therefore into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.'  In light of this war, we all recognize our duty as citizens to to do our best for our country, and for the world in a crisis as grave as the one which we are now passing through. We also recognize we have a Leader (Jesus Christ) who is leading us on in a spiritual conflict; that we have a commission which must be obeyed and completed in order that He may come again and receive us unto Himself.

     Doctrine always decides duty.  It does matter what a man believes...  Doctrine is the plan of teaching that precedes the plan of duty... The doctrine is intended to be the inspiration that gives us the impulse and impetus to obey all the commands of our Lord... A man asked me not so long ago what was the greatest thing he could do for God.  I said, 'The greatest thing that you can do for Him is to do what He is doing.'  That is what God wants for you and me to do.  To long for that for which Christ is longing. And Christ is longing to see a completed body; a body that must be drawn out from all the people of the earth.  Those who know the Lord's purpose do not need to be given any personal appeals. I have never asked any individual for a dollar for missions in 20 years. Men whose hearts are touched by the promise of the Lord's return need only to be informed of the need and are satisfied to give their best to the Lord, for they live in the light of the gleams of the coming glory...

     The Word of God instructs us concerning the plan of God for our service. Somebody has said that Judaism and heathen religions have respect for boundaries and are content to leave everyone else alone. But the man who knows the plan of God is not willing to leave anyone alone.  It does not matter how near or far away the man may be who needs the Gospel. I have come to the conclusion (by examining my own heart) that we can never be like Christ until we love the world.  Christ loved the world, and no man can begin to be like Him until in some measure he too can say, 'I love the world'... 

     In the first chapter of Acts Jesus says to His disciples, "But you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth."  And those disciples knew what he meant by 'witnesses.'  For that word witness (marturos) means 'martyr-testifiers.'  Those men knew when He uttered that word that this testimony which they were called to give, this witness which was to be their work, was to be of more value to them than their own lives. There are boys, perhaps your boys, your brother, your friend, who will lay down their life, or are willing to lay down their life, for their country in this war. Yet there is something wrong with you, and with me, if our lives are worth more in our sight than the witness for Christ which He has left to our trust... 

     Years ago (in the early 1890's) I was traveling through Central Sudan.  I found that from the west coast clear up to Lake Chad about 40 tribes were waiting for the Gospel.  Only one tribe of the 40 had the complete record of the Scriptures.  Forty tribes in ignorance (of the Word), in idolatry, in superstition, steeped in paganism -- with a thousand Moslem teachers and traders sent out to convert them from paganism to Mohammedanism. All that in comparison to one Christian missionary sent out by the entire church of God.  I walked 17 miles a day for 7 days without finding a trace of any person who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Scores of villages waiting, waiting, WAITING -- while you and I are enjoying the fullness of His blessing, sitting at His feet and looking into His blessed face.  My time (because of my age) has gone. I want, however, to say this. Somebody has spoken here about rewards. Somebody has said in this conference something about taking a crown and laying it at His feet. I know of no other way of securing a crown to lay at His feet than by gaining it in the work of soul winning; of making known to the world the glories of His cross. 

     There was a moment in the life of the Lord Jesus when He stood before that earthly judge, took the curse from beneath our feet, and permitted His enemies to take those thorns and entwine them into a crown and place it on His brow. He loved us enough to take earth's curse from beneath our feet and to lift it to His blessed brow.  Oh, what a delight that some day we may be able to take the crown which He has placed upon our heads and consider that the highest that He can give to us for our service, is only worthy to be placed at the feet of Him whose shoe latchet John tells us we are unworthy to loosen."

     Sudan is still a place which needs to be reached with the Gospel, as are many other places in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia -- not to mention (due to the changes in the spiritual climate since this book was published in 1918) the former strongholds of the Christian faith -- Britain, Continental Europe, Canada and the U.S.   What he pointed out then is still true today -- "there is something wrong with you, and with me, if our lives are worth more in our sight than the witness for Christ which He has left to our trust..."   If we would be willing to die in the service of our country, but not in the service of our Lord, something is terribly wrong deep in the recesses of our soul.

     The truth of Matthew 24:14 still stands before us: "This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, as a testimony to all nations, and then the end shall come."  Will the hope of seeing His appearing, and His kingdom, motivate you to do all you can to join with Him in doing what He is doing? Will it move you to share the Gospel and carry out the task laid upon the whole church -- the task of taking the Gospel to the world we are called to love as Jesus loves it?

Living in the Grace of Jesus, Pastor Jeff

Training Like Jesus

Greetings All!

     This week I received a magazine called, "Voice" (September/October 2018) which had a very interesting article on, "Training Like Jesus" in which the author -- Paul Seger -- shows the difference between the way Jesus trained people, the way the Church throughout history has done so, and the way we tend to do so today.   I found the differences quite fascinating, not to mention a bit convicting and very challenging.  I trust it might not only be informative and thought-provoking for you as well, but challenging to consider.  It gave me a much greater appreciation and respect for disciplers and pastors from the past.  Enjoy.

Training People Like Jesus Did

     "Life on the mission field has honed my conviction and commitment to discipleship. I have gained an appreciation for the absolute necessity of leadership training.  For years I have done both.  Discipleship of new believers and training men for church leadership became an indispensable part of missions and ministry.  But a visit I took to Israel this past year demonstrated how woefully inadequate my approach has been. As we traversed the Holy Land and rehearsed the life of Christ, it became obvious that His method of discipleship differed greatly from the way we disciple and train...

     The Gospels speak of Jesus moving around the country with little reference to distances he traveled.  In my naivete, I failed to factor walking into the equation. From His base of operations in Capernaum, Jerusalem was at least a five-day trek (approximately 121 miles, walking the whole way)...  What do these distances have to do with the amount of time Jesus spent training His disciples?  It is obvious these long walks would have given inordinate amounts of time to talk and train.  Lengthy hikes with conversations.  Lessons and lectures were enabled by hours on the road.  Add to that the absence of television, internet, phones, movies, electricity, and readily available entertainment, and the hours for teaching and training rapidly stacked up.  Evenings around the campfire allowed for unhurried conversations.  In the 21st Century we might wonder how Jesus could train disciples in 3.5 years. We anticipate four years of undergraduate work and then another three to four years for seminary. Yet in half that time Christ prepared the men who would be the foundation and future of the greatest initiative in history, the Church.

     Most preparation for ministry in the Western world takes place in a classroom and a 15-hour semester load is considered normal. Then, if there is an hour or two a week with a mentor, it is considered an exceptional experience...  But when Jesus called His disciples to follow Him, it was to spend 24 hours a day together for months on end.  They ministered together, ate together, worked together, relaxed together, socialized together and lived life as one.

     We will never replicate the teaching style of Jesus today.  We have neither the will nor the capacity to do this. But there have been phases of church history where something similar happened. In the early years of the United States there were no colleges and seminaries.  Men who wanted to enter the ministry did so by moving into the home of a pastor.  They rose in the morning and had devotions together. Breakfast was shared with opportunity to converse. Study for messages filled their morning hours and were done together (the older instructing the younger). Afternoon visits and evangelism were done together with opportunity to debrief after the event. Evenings were unhurried conversations around the table.  "In eighteenth-century New England, Christian leaders such as Jonathan and Sarah Edwards regularly had one or two pastor-trainees move into their home (alongside their 11 children!) where the budding ministers had opportunity to observe the quality of their marriage, the reality of their spiritual life, and the demands of pastoral duties" (Ted Engstrom, The Fine Art of Mentoring).  How many pastors do you know who have apprentices living in their homes?  Would I be willing to do that?

     Some pastors were better at doing this than others, so it was suggested that these shepherds do this full time.  With these full-time shepherds, Harvard and Princeton were formed to formalize the training and we never looked back. Our jam-packed schedules, programs, and Western approach to education have become the norm and crowded out the potential of training like Jesus.  I'm not sure we will ever go back to the way Jesus did it.  He spent the time... It would take a radical adjustment to ministry for the average pastor to include a couple trainees in their home and schedule... Even though we will not replicate the teaching style of Jesus, many of us could start moving in that direction."

     It is challenging to consider and think that maybe the newest way of doing things isn't the best or most effective.  It's also challenging to consider the depth of commitment it took to be disciples of Jesus. Or to be like a Sarah and Jonathan Edwards and open your house already full of 11 children to the watchful eyes of one or two pastors-in-training who watched (so as to learn) your every move. Imagine someone (or a couple of someones!) watching how you treat your wife and family, keep your house, spend your income, raise and train your children, pray and study the Word, evangelize and train leaders, speak of and interact with everyone in the Body of Christ, and seek to further the work of the Gospel locally and globally.

     Pastors often talk about "living in a fishbowl" where people observe everything you do.  And that's with people looking on from the outside!  Imagine them living in your house 24/7 for a couple years at a time!  Yikes!  For us who need our times of privacy to gather our thoughts and regain strength, it's a daunting thought!  We might all say, "Only by Your grace, O God!  Please give us what we need to begin to disciple more like Jesus did."

With You In Our Habitual Need For Grace, Pastor Jeff

Churches In Missions

Greetings All!

     This week's "thought" comes to you from a newsletter I received from a man named Paul Hatmacher (seen below with his wife Barbara) who serves as president of an organization called, "Churches In Missions."   I received his Christmas Newsletter and thought that the story he shared was encouraging enough (and challenging enough) to pass it along to you.  As one who has met Paul I can tell you he loves the Lord, is full of faith, and exudes joy. This is the story of his recent bout with pneumonia just after Thanksgiving and his determination to be a missionary even in the hospital.  Enjoy.

     "Speaking of the pneumonia invading my lungs one doctor said: "I've seen ugly CT scans, but yours is among the ugliest."  On the way to the emergency room, I prayed, "Make me a blessing through all this."  The way the Holy Spirit guided me was to thank everyone for anything they did and never complain, whether it hurt or not, and even when they awakened me at 5:45 a.m. to be weighed. I was in the hospital for 12 days, received excellent care and endured some of the strongest medications. But we dare not overlook the blessings that have resulted: The staff constantly asked, "Why are you so thankful and kind?"  That was the Lord's opening for me to share what the Lord means to me and has allowed me to experience.  I shared that in our missionary experiences, we were among people who had nothing, yet they showed joy and gratefulness for everything.

     I related that we had been so blessed with their care and God's blessings that I just had to say "thank you."  I related that I was cured of complaining with a chorus I learned in Sunday School. Every time I begin to complain, I sing or hum the chorus, "Count your blessings, name them one by one."  Can you believe it, for the next few days, every time one of the nurses walked by my room they hummed or sang that chorus! 

     I had the joy of witnessing to at least 4 MD's, and every nurse and aid -- and everyone said: "you are a different kind of patient."  One nurse, after midnight, checked on me and as she was tucking the blankets she began weeping and said, "my life's a mess." I invited her to return when she could and I had the privilege to hold her hands and through her tears lead her to trust Jesus as her Savior. 

     I still have a visiting nurse three times a week and a therapist twice a week and praise the Lord I am getting stronger and the x-ray I had today will reveal the pneumonia is gone... I wouldn't want to go through this again, but it taught me that being a missionary isn't just when we cross the ocean or preach from a pulpit.  We are to be salt and light whatever the circumstance... P.S. - Upon being dismissed from the hospital the Director of that division came by to thank me personally for being an encouragement."

     I share his story because as a pastor I visit hospitals a lot and often hear patients, family members, and the like, expressing just the opposite.  I myself have not always been the most thankful or cheerful of patients. Yet, Paul challenged me to consider that even my hospital stays can be opportunities to be salt and light.  Seeing his joyful demeanor (even when not feeling well) made a nurse comfortable enough to open up with him and give him the opportunity to share about Jesus and lead her to Christ. I wonder if that's not how it should always be for a believer. 

     Too often we can be so focused on the care we get, or what we think it should be as opposed to what it is (especially in light of the cost), that we are led to complain instead of thanking our caregivers.  We look to be served instead of seeking to see it as an opportunity to serve as missionaries in that place.  It would be helpful on such occasions to remember how blessed we are, and that many people around the world would give anything just to have a hospital to go to, never mind the level of care we have here in the States.  So, as a reminder of what we are called to, and the difference it can make if we just determine to respond differently, I pass his story along to you. After all, it is all about what we can do for Jesus and His kingdom.

To God Alone Be Glory,  Pastor Jeff

Sacred Pathways

Greetings All!

     This week's "thought" comes to you from Gary Thomas in a new book I just picked up the other day. It's called "Sacred Pathways" and is actually very beneficial in helping earnest Christians to understand each other.  He covers nine "sacred pathways" that Christians follow in their pursuit of God and worship of God.  There is the Naturalist, the Sensate, the Traditionalist, the Ascetic, the Activist, the Caregiver, the Enthusiast, the Contemplative, and the Intellectual. And as any good author should, he points out both the blessings, biblical grounds, and also dangers of each path.

     It's helpful in understanding your brothers and sisters in Christ who worship the same Jesus, but do so in various different (not wrong) ways.  In that sense, it not only offers a chance for greater understanding but greater unity among earnest believers in Jesus who differ in their approach to God and their service for Him. This excerpt is from the second chapter, before getting into the nine different pathways.  Enjoy.

Where is your Gethsemane?

     "The Garden of Gethsemane holds a sacred place in faith history. It is the hallowed piece of ground on which Jesus prayed just before he was arrested. Churches don't normally talk about Gethsemane apart from Passion Week, but the reason Gethsemane had such a monumental role in the famous week, is precisely because it had such a huge and formative role in Jesus' life prior to Passion Week.  John 18:2, in speaking of Gethsemane, says: "Now Judas, who betrayed Him, knew the place, because Jesus had OFTEN met there with the disciples."   Luke backs this up: "Jesus went out AS USUAL to the Mount of Olives, and His disciples followed Him."  It wasn't an accident that Judas found Jesus in the garden. The betrayer naturally thought, "Where is Jesus most likely to be found?" He felt certain that Jesus would seek solace in the Garden of Gethsemane, and he was right.

     Jesus had used the garden on numerous occasions to meet with his Father -- to gain spiritual strength and to receive his marching orders... That's why Jesus went there to prepare for what was about to take place...  In fact, Jesus went there every day of Passion Week: "Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night at the hill called the Mount of Olives" (Luke 21:37).  The experience of Gethsemane, of course, is unique to him. None of us will ever have a moment like that.  But in using this sacred space, Jesus leaves us an example to follow. When you need to hear from God, when you need to be strengthened by God, when you need to receive your marching orders from God, where do you go? ... Where is your Gethsemane?  (Is it a garden, a room, a forest, a sanctuary?)

     What I appreciate about using Gethsemane as a metaphor for meeting with God is that it portrays a vivid example of the balance between intimacy and mission, prayer and work. I can't think of Gethsemane without being moved by the intimate communion between Son and Father. On the other hand, this garden is also the scene of intense spiritual preparation for the most important work ever done.  In a healthy Christian life, prayer and ministry go hand in hand. As we build intimacy with God in prayer, he communicates his love for us, but he also gives us our marching orders. In this way, prayer feeds our sense of mission and renews the urgency behind that mission. Likewise, Christian work -- whether it is evangelism, administration, teaching, discipleship, or something else -- reminds us of our need for God's strength and thus drives us further into prayer.

     When we get too caught up in ministry and cut corners in our devotional time, the results can be disastrous. We begin to minister with the wrong motivations, risk losing our passion, and often are tempted to make it all about us instead of all about God.  Dr. Wayne Grudem experienced a glimpse of this while working on the final translation of the ESV (English Standard Version) of the Bible. A dozen scholars from around the world gathered in Cambridge, England, to do the final polish of the translation. They worked nine hour days discussing the remaining tricky passages, voting on final word choices, and completing the project. Informal discussions often stretched into the evening as scholars contemplated the next day's work. Wayne said he started getting up a little later each day, taking away time from prayer.

     Many people might not see the danger in this. After all, Wayne was spending the entire day studying and discussing the Bible! What was the big deal if, for a rather short season, he allowed his prayer life to drift a little?  According to Wayne, it became a very big deal.  After God convicted him for not giving prayer its due, Wayne wrote in his journal about the spiritual sickness that followed from not tending to his heart: "pride, talking about myself a lot, inwardly hoping people would praise me, lack of love for friends, irritability, a general inward feeling of unease, self-reliance, and no peace." These are the classic signs of drifting from God.

     Wayne was devoted to a very pleasing work -- translating the Bible -- but even the act of translating the Bible can leave us spiritually empty if we ignore building intimacy with God through prayer. The image of Gethsemane reminds me that I need to tend to my heart.  When I give God the opportunity to speak into my heart, he motivates me to work -- for the RIGHT reasons. Working diligently, I'm reminded of my need to receive acceptance, favor, and strength from God. In this way, prayer and ministry together become a spiraling upward staircase of devotion."

     In my time on the mission field in Honduras, I met with many missionaries who came to speak with me because they had lost all affectional connection to God. Call it burnout, call it depression, call it a phase, after speaking with them it became clear that for most, they were so busy serving God that they lost touch with God. They skipped their prayer time, devotional time, and other times of contemplation and private worship, and it resulted in the need to step back and set those things as a daily priority.

     As one of my professors at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary once told us in his class: "Don't ever think that as pastors, just because you are in the Bible, studying Scripture, and preparing lessons and sermons on Gospel truth, that you can count that as your personal time with God.  No, you need to nurture your own soul for you, and not in your time of preparing material for others."  I didn't understand the difference then.  I do now.  He was right.  As Corrie Ten Boom once rightly pointed out, "If the devil cannot make us bad, he will make us busy." Too busy to set aside personal quiet time with our God.

Living in the Grace of Jesus, Pastor Jeff

Simply Sacred

Greetings All!

This week's "thought" comes to you from Gary Thomas, and is taken from his book, "Simply Sacred."

     As I was reading through the book, this particular entry caught my attention.  Why?  Because I can sometimes be disappointed at the way things are going in this world.  All it takes is glancing at the days headlines -- "Man kills another over parking spot dispute...,"  "Suicide bomber kills 13 and injures 24 at Baghdad ice cream shop..."  "Brother who drugs and rapes sister gets probation..."     The values, the priorities, the political rants, the greed, the language, the unreasonableness, the selfishness, the lack of respect, love and common sense... it can tend to bring one down.

     That's why I chose this entry.  It helps us look at all that from a different perspective.  A redemptive perspective. A perspective that reminds us that Jesus' call is for us as His followers to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16).  And what we sometimes forget is this: Salt is the most desired where the food is the most bland, and light is the most cherished when our surroundings are the darkest and our path littered with dangerous obstacles.

     Gary's entry for today reinforces this biblical idea, and in doing so helps turn our disillusionment with this world into a motivation to carry out Christ's mission for us. That of being salt and light. Enjoy.

Defiant Beauty

     "Years ago on a trip through southwestern Washington [state], I traveled through miles and miles of tree farms...  Interspersed among these tree farms were occasional stretches of clear-cut logging projects. The land looked devastated, broken, and abused. Even knowing that the land would come back after planting new trees, it's still a bit sad to see such brutal scarring of a forest.

     Yet, as I passed another clear-cut stretch, my eye caught something that almost made me pull off the road.  There, in a devastated patch of land, stood a startlingly beautiful maple tree, in full autumn colors. Somehow, the loggers had missed it.

     The contrast could not have been more stark -- or more beautiful. Beauty surrounded by beauty begins, after a time, to seem mediocre. But beauty in the midst of chaos or ugliness stuns us. It seizes our attention. In a barren and broken stretch of land, this tree captured my imagination and told another story. Had it stood in the midst of New Hampshire's White Mountains during autumn, it likely would have been missed -- one stunning tree in a forest of thousands of other stunning trees.  Here, however, in a broken, hurting land, this glorious tree proclaimed a transcendent truth.

     In the deepest part of us, we truly yearn for such "defiant beauty." In a world where people choose self-centered lives, where ugly things happen, where sin seems to spread unchecked, where daily assaults take their toll, we can point to the defiant beauty of a selfless life, seeking first the kingdom of God, putting others first, and even sacrificing (if need be) -- all to proclaim a transcendent truth much greater than ourselves.

     I invite you to develop this defiant beauty..., the kind that has shone through all generations of the church. At your office, in your house, at school, during walks through the malls, or visits to friends houses, let's carry the defiant beauty of our Savior's love and hope to a sin-stained world."

     The apostle Paul put forth this same truth in Romans 12:9-21; I Corinthians 13:1-13; II Corinthians 5:11-6:13; Galatians 5:16-26, and elsewhere.  There will always be things in the world that will tend to bring us down. Yet, it is in the face of all such things that we have the opportunity to add the most flavor, or shine most brightly.  Love in the face of hate, caring in the face or indifference, sacrifice in place of selfishness, generosity in the face of greed -- can not help but be noticed.

     Like that one, solitary, beautiful maple tree decked out in its autumn splendor, in the midst of a clear cut swath of destruction, we can make a difference. We can hide our light under a basket of self-protection, or lose our flavor by associating only with those who live and believe just like we do.  Or, we can do what Jesus called us to do and go out into the world, without being a part of the world, and seek to be His ambassadors of love and reconciliation.  Negative situations can discourage us, or they can be what Jesus and Paul both suggested they could be -- our renewed motivation for mission!  Determine that it may always be the latter, for Jesus sake.

Make it your goal today to be the light that shines into some dark situation, Pastor Jeff

What Jonathan Edwards Can Teach Us About Politics

Greetings All,

     In light of the coming election here in the States (which has many people from both sides a bit discouraged with the final candidate alternatives) I thought some biblically-based political insights from a man who lived long ago -- Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) -- would be useful in helping us choose wisely, regardless of which side of the divide you stand on.  Even those who have determined in protest -- not to vote at all, or vote for a write in -- could benefit from his thoughts on the issue. Although I must add that it's good to remember that Edwards wrote at a time when no constitution had yet been drafted, and the United States had not yet become the United States!

This "thought" is taken from an article written by Gerald R. McDermott, entitled: "What Jonathan Edwards Can Teach Us About Politics."  In his article he shares six of Edwards's views, though I have chosen to limit this week's post to the first three and give you the last three next week.  And before all my friends overseas press the "delete" button, I must add that the insights he shares are timeless and by no means restricted to U.S. politics!  Wherever you may live, I trust you will find them helpful.  Enjoy.

"Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is widely regarded as the greatest theologian this continent has ever produced. As a key figure in the religious life of colonial America, Edwards was a multifaceted thinker whose total catalog of ideas is still being discovered. ... And while scholars have long recognized that Edwards possessed one of the most creative and powerful intellects on American soil [just to give you a sense of intellectual prowess, it helps to know Edwards entered Yale University at 13 years old, having already learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew], most have thought [because of his famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"] he was happy to let the world go to hell -- in both senses of that phrase. 

     But recent research indicates that Jonathan Edwards carefully observed the social and political currents swirling about him and developed an elaborate theory of what it means to be a Christian citizen in a civil community... The following is a six-point summary of Edwards's public theology:

     1.) Christians have a responsibility to society beyond the walls of the church. The election of a president who openly supports social policies repugnant to most evangelicals has prompted some Christians to suggest the church abandon efforts to change society.... Yet Edwards (well-known for his leadership in spiritual revivals) insisted that Christians should care about the material and social well-being of those outside the church. God has made us dependent upon our non-Christian neighbors for help, he taught, and therefore to fail to acknowledge our interdependence "is more suitable for wolves and other beasts of prey, than for human beings."  Edwards's convictions on this point stemmed from his belief that we are made in the image of God, who is always reaching out in relationship to others and cares for their bodies as well as their souls. Christians should do the same... Edwards practiced what he preached. Throughout a seven year stint on the Massachusetts frontier, for example, the New England theologian fought for the rights of native Americans who came to his mission church. He argued that Indian girls should be able to go to school, and wrote repeated letters to the Massachusetts Assembly urging the colony to honor its treaty obligations to the Housatonuk Indians...  

     2.) Christians should not hesitate to join forces with non-Christians in the public square to work toward common moral goals...Edwards argued that Christians have much in common with non-Christians: The same basic sense of good and evil, since God has engraved his moral law on every human conscience; similar appreciation for beauty, both material and moral; the same fundamental religious knowledge (that there is a God, and that He is good); and basic human feelings (pity for the poor and love for family).  Using Edward's principles, an evangelical could work together with a Muslim to fight pornography in their community. Both see pornography as a moral wrong, threatening the integrity of marriage and family.... Similarly, his public theology does not call for Christians to create new, separate political communities, or to shun communities outside the church. Rather, it encourages Christians to work together with like-minded citizens, Christian or not, to transform existing communities according to God-given principles of conscience. [Edwards, says McDermott, would have rejected "the historic Anabaptist approach, who choose not to join with those outside the church as equal partners in common work for the community, but remain separate from the rest of society in an alternative community intended to stand only as a distant witness to the rest of culture.]

     3.) Christians should support their governments but be ready to criticize them publicly when the occasion demands. Edwards believed that government is, "a great and important business," that, among other things, prevents, "citizens from tearing one another apart." He preached that a Christian should be "greatly concerned for the good of the public community to which he belongs," and willing to, "lay out himself... for the good of his country." .... But Edwards also warned that political leaders are prone to abuse their power, and encouraged citizens to criticize "the management of public affairs, and the duty of the legislature, and those that are at the head of the administration." More than once he used his pulpit to tell rulers how they ought to behave. One Sunday (with local politicians present)...he boldly advised the congregation that bad politicians seek only to, "enrich themselves, or to be great, and advance themselves on the spoils of others." The good magistrate, however, is not willing to "grind the faces of the poor, and screw their neighbors for filthy lucre." Little wonder that these politicians conspired with others to fire Edwards some months later."

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     I must confess I'm one of those people who are "discouraged" with the options left to us this November.  And I'm not alone if the lack of placards in people's front yards, and the noticeable absence of bumper stickers on cars are an indication of the lack of enthusiasm for either candidate. Yet despite that prevalent air of discouragement many feel, Edward's thoughts are helpful -- especially the thought that we live in a community, with Christian and non-Christian neighbors, whose physical and spiritual welfare IS to be my concern.  And it is helpful to remind ourselves that "God has made us dependent upon our non-Christian neighbors," and we should "acknowledge our interdependence," and that we do have "much in common with non-Christians,"  and should seek to "work together with like-minded citizens, Christian or not."

     After all, our God (who is sovereign over all), has left us here to be "salt" and "light."  Light which dispels the darkness, and salt which is NOT to remain separate, but be mixed into the whole to give it a better flavor.

Just some food for thought, Pastor Jeff

A Hope Deferred -- Adoption and The Fatherhood of God

Greetings All,

This week's "thought" comes from a book entitled, "A Hope Deferred -- Adoption and The Fatherhood of God."  It's by a man named, J. Stephen Yuille, a pastor living in Texas.  He confesses to always having believed, and preached, on the doctrine of "adoption" from Romans 8:15-17.  But says he never  fully understood all that was implied in that one word adoption, until he and his wife were unable to have children and adopted a baby girl from China.
     In summarizing the book Joel Beeke calls it, "a precious mosaic of personal stories and biblical teaching that go straight to the heart."  Through their failed struggle to have children, and then in adopting, he says: "God granted them a deeper knowledge of His fatherly love."   The books appeal is also aided by the fact that its a quick read (150 pages) and the author is a gifted writer!  Enjoy.

     "Here's a precious (and often neglected) truth: Christ is a man. We confess that he's fully God and fully man in one person. And we confess that his two natures remain distinct. In other words, the properties of his humanity aren't transferred to his deity, and conversely, the properties of his deity aren't transferred to his humanity. His deity is never hungry or thirsty. Likewise, his humanity is never omniscient, omnipresent, or omnipotent.
     During the incarnation, Christ's deity is veiled. To fulfill his mission, he lives in complete submission to the Father and in complete dependence on the Holy Spirit. This is how we understand his "growth in wisdom" (Luke 2:52). This is how we understand his prayer life. This is how we understand his ascribing his miracles to the power of the Holy Spirit.  This is how we explain his ignorance concerning the time of his return (Matthew 24:36). And this is how we explain his anguish in the garden: "Remove this cup from me" (Mark 14:36).

     Now, you might be wondering why I'm belaboring this. In a word, its extremely important. If our only view of Christ is his deity, we're missing something. Christ is a man who lived in submission to the Father and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.  As a man, he knows all about sorrow and suffering. He knows what it's like to be hungry. He knows what it's like to be weary. He knows what it's like to face temptation.  He knows what it's like to experience betrayal. He knows what it's like to encounter injustice. He knows what it's like to suffer abandonment. He knows what it's like to lose a loved one. As Mary stands at the tomb, weeping over her dead brother, Christ also weeps (John 11:35). That reminds us of his compassion. He empathizes with our frailties and sympathizes with our sorrows.  He's, "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3).  When we draw near to him, we find refuge from sorrow and suffering in the shadow of God's wings.

     That reality is made abundantly clear in Hebrews 4:14-16.  There we read: "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every way has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need"...

     Christ carries all our burdens. When a woman marries a man (or visa-versa), her burdens become his.  Similarly when we marry Christ (become one with him), our burdens become his burdens. Paul says, "For while we are still in this tent (this body), we groan, being burdened" (II Corinthians 5:4).  We have lots of burdens.  We bear the burden of wayward children, the burden of lost loved ones, the burden of discouragement, and the burden of illness. But Christ takes all those burdens upon himself. He empathizes with us better than our friends, siblings, spouses, pastors, or any other person we know. Do we realize that?  He has a better understanding of our burdens than we do. And as we draw near to him by faith, he imparts his grace to us, whereby we are strengthened.  When we're in the midst of affliction, we can be certain that God will help us in one of two ways: either he will remove us from trouble, or he will support us in trouble.  Now the following point is crucial: God doesn't always do the first, but he always does the second. He always supports us in trouble... 

Many of us struggle with affliction and accompanying sorrow.  We feel like the mythical figure, Atlas, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Often times, affliction is beyond our control.  We are powerless to do anything about it. And our sense of helplessness is increased by our limited view of what God is doing.  At times like these, we want answers to the question "why?" Yet we must hold to what we know.  We know God governs all things according to the pleasure of his will (Ephesians 1:11).  We know his goodness dictates his providence [the way he orders the affairs of this world], meaning he designs affliction for our benefit (Job 5:18, Isaiah 30:26, Hosea 6:1).  We know his wisdom governs his providence, meaning he's in ultimate control (Job 42:2).  There's no pain he can't remove, no danger he can't prevent, no misery he can't comfort, no enemy he can't vanquish, and no need he can't supply (Jeremiah 32:17 and 27, Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:37, Luke 18:27, Phil. 4:13).  Finally, we know we can take refuge in the shadow of his wings, where we find "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief."  

     Our failure to remember the full humanity of Christ often deprives us of the needed ability to remember that Christ sympathizes with us (rather than frowning at us) in our struggles and weaknesses. To forget that robs us of the comfort and consolation God meant for us to receive by reflecting on the struggles that Jesus encountered because of his humanity.

     He wasn't just acting when he wept at Lazarus death.  He wasn't simply pretending when he said he was thirsty from the cross.  When he was pierced on the cross, "blood and water flowed out," showing us he was fully human.  These were expressions of the truth of his incarnate humanity -- something we can often forget if we stumble into the heresy of "Docetism" which is so common in some evangelical circles.

     Docetism is a word we get from the Greek word "dokein" which means, "to seem."  A "docetist" is a person who claims Jesus only "seemed" to be human. They believe he was just a ghost or phantom figure. "He was able to walk on water," as one man once told me, "because he didn't weigh anything."

     That's the error of so over-emphasizing Jesus' deity.   We forget, or virtually nullify, his humanity. And in doing so we create a faith that is quite different from the one given to us in the New Testament (I John 4:1-2)."

     We gain strength and confidence from the knowledge of Jesus' deity; we gain comfort, hope and consolation from the knowledge that he "was tempted in EVERY way just as we are... yet without sin."  The sin, then, is not in being tempted, but in giving in to the temptation, and the comfort is that He understands. The fact that he sympathizes with me in my sorrows brings me closer to him relationally. What is true in human friendships is true of Him -- we gravitate toward those who we feel will understand us, and listen with both an empathetic ear and heart to the struggles that confront us.

     Take a minute and think on Jesus humanity. It helps us, says the author of Hebrews, to "draw near to the thine of grace" and find grace to helps us in our times of need.

Blessings, Pastor Jeff