City on the Hill Project

You never see where your money goes when you send money to help Haiti through the Red Cross or other charities. Here is a way you can help and see where your money goes. It is through a small mission organization (World Wide Village). We are trying to raise money to finish a building for a medical center in Luly and Williamson, Haiti. I keep going back every 6 months and I will post pictures of the progress of the building project. Prayerfully consider giving. In this picture are two fantastic doctors who are heading up the project. Please click on the link below and read about one of our patients in Haiti. It explains why we need a building for a Medical Center.

City on the Hill Construction Project

Watchful in Prayer

This blog is about being alert in prayer. It is a theme that runs throughout the bible. I really like the following passage from Isaiah.

Isaiah 62:6-7
On your walls, O Jerusalem,
        I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
        they shall never be silent.
You who put the LORD in remembrance,
         take no rest,
and give him no rest
         until he establishes Jerusalem
         and makes it a praise in the earth.

Think about this: Jerusalem at this time had no walls. Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls in 444/445 BCE. Isaiah lived from 740 to 681 BCE. The rebuilding of the walls was not started until centuries after Isaiah made this prophecy. Isaiah was using an extended metaphor to preach about prayer. If we carefully read the passage, we realize that God has set men and women to pray that God's plans will be accomplished for Jerusalem. This passage is about God having prayer warriors interceding for the nation of Israel in order that God's promise to rebuild Jerusalem will be accomplished.

The following quote is from a commentary on Isaiah explaining the significance about the above passage.

J. Alec Motyer
Watchmen is 'keepers, 'guardians'. Those who engage in prayer are the true guardians, and true prayer is:

• (i) ceaseless (lit.) 'all the day and all the night';
• (ii) vocal, verbalizing the need (never be silent);
• (iii) effective Godward (you who call on the Lord!' who put the Lord in remembrance'). We do not conclude that otherwise he would forget, but that our prayers are, by his will, in some way a vital ingredient in the implementing of his promises. Cf. how the promise of Malachi 4:5 came in answer to the prayers of Luke 1:13. Prayer is also:
• (iv) disciplined (give yourselves no rest);
• (v) urgent and pressing (give him no rest; cf Lk. 18:1-8); and
• (vi) sustained (till he establishes, i.e. fulfills all that was foretold in chapter 60 regarding Zion, the whole work of salvation and righteousness in 61:10-62:1). Jerusalem is made the praise of the earth, something the whole world gives praise to the Lord for, because in saving Zion the world has been saved.

(p. 507, The Prophecy of Isaiah)

Here is another passage about being watchful in prayer from Paul.

Colossians 4:2
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

F. F. Bruce on Colossians 4:2
Men and women of persistent prayer are those who are constantly on the alert, alive to the will of God and the need of the world, and ready to give an account of themselves and their stewardship.

Stephen Charnock, who is called a "Puritan Divine" by some, commented on Hosea's wife's ungratefulness. The book of Hosea is a living metaphor of Israel's relationship with God. Hosea gave his wife everything she needed in life and more. She was clueless about who was her true benefactor; she turned over her bounty over to the priests of Baal, which was a slap in the face to both Hosea and God. Israel did the same when they pursued and sacrificed to idols rather than give thanks the one true God. They were purposely unaware of who their true benefactor was.

Hosea 2:8
And she did not know
        that it was I who gave her
        the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and who lavished on her silver and gold,
       which they used for Baal.

Here's Charnock's commentary, which he points out that we perform the same sins as Hosea's wife when we blind ourselves to God's bounty and presence in our lives.

Stephen Charnock
Those things which are so common, that they cannot be invisible to our eyes, are unregarded by our minds: our sense prompts our understanding, and our understanding is deaf to the plain dictates of our sense. We forget his goodness in the sun while it warms us, and his showers while they enrich us; in the corn while it nourisheth us, and the wine while it refresheth us: Hosea ii .8, 'she did not know that I gave her corn and wine and oil.' She that might have read my hand in every bit of bread, and every drop of drink, did not consider this.(p. 625, The Existence and Attributes of God)

Lewis makes the same comment on thankfulness and awareness of God's bounty and presence.

C. S. Lewis
We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate. The real labor is to remember, to attend. In fact, to come awake. Still more, to remain awake.” (Letters to Malcolm, Chapter XIV)

Jesus exhorting the disciples about their lack of watchfulness.

Mark 14:38
"Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Piper comments on what it means to be watchful in prayer.

John Piper
"Watchful" means being vigilant, like a sentry on duty outside the camp at night knowing that if you go to sleep in this job, the enemy can overthrow your mission. This is the note of prayer that is so often missing when the church has settled into the world and is just using prayer as a domestic intercom instead of a wartime walkie-talkie. So Paul urges the church to remember how tremendously serious the battle is. Heaven and hell hang in the balance next week. So be watchful, awake, vigilant. Pray the way you would if you knew that twelve unbelievers next Sunday morning would hear the gospel for the last time. (Sermon: "O Lord, Open a Door for the Word!", November 12, 1989)

Ephesians 6:18
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Peter O'Brien comments on the above passage how prayer fits into the armor of God analogy.

Peter O'Brien
Paul wants his readers to understand that prayer is 'foundational for the deployment of all the other weapons', and is therefore crucial if they are to stand firm in their spiritual struggle. He has already shown his concern for them by praying that they might know the greatness of God's power (1:15-23), and be strengthened by it so as to grasp the dimensions of Christ's love for them and be filled with all the fulness of God (3:14-21). The apostle wants them to realize that a life of dependence on God in prayer is essential if they are to engage successfully in their warfare with the powers of darkness."

Jesus warns the disciples to always be on mission in the prayers.

Luke 21:34-36
But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Mark 13:32-37
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

We are Hopers

I am preparing to lead a study on 1st Corinthians 15. I found a good quote on 1 Corinthian 15:19. In the context of the passage, Paul is refuting the argument of some of the Corinthians that there is no resurrection of the dead in the future. Paul points out that Christ was the first to rise from the dead. If the dead do not rise from the dead, then Christ did not rise from the dead. If there is no resurrection of Christ, we have no hope in the future or in this present life. Charles Hodge emphasizes the importance of the resurrection to Christians now living.

1 Corinthians 15:19
If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Charles Hodge
The Greek is ἠλπικότες ἐσμὲν, which, as the commentators remark expresses not what we do, but what we are. We are hopers. This passage does not teach that Christians are in this life more miserable than other men. This is contrary to experience. Christians are unspeakably happier than other men. All that Paul means to say is, that if you take Christ from Christians, you take their all. He is the source not only of their future, but of their present happiness. Without him they are yet in their sins, under the curse of the law, unreconciled to God, having no hope, and without God in the world; and yet subject to all the peculiar trials incident to a Christian profession, which in the apostolic age often included the loss of all things. (Hodge, p. 323)

Exodus and Communion

I led communion for the Pastors Conference during my last Haiti trip, I made three observations concerning the connections between Passover and Communion using the following passage in Exodus.

Exodus 12:7-13
“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

The first observation I gleaned from the book, The King in His Beauty by Thomas Schreiner. His book followed certain themes through every book of the bible. Notice how Dr. Schreiner tied Passover to Communion using Exodus 12.

Thomas Schreiner
The Passover was particularly significant. The Lord could have rescued Israel simply by destroying all the firstborn in Egypt. The Passover events, however, reminded Israel that they deserved judgment as well. The Lord would "pass over" the firstborn in Israel only if blood was applied to the lintel and the doorposts of the house. The Lord impressed upon Israel that they were not inherently better than the Egyptians. They were rescued from the wrath of the Lord only if they responded in faith to his instructions by putting the blood of lambs on their houses. It is easy for us to read the story abstractly, but it is quite violent, for lambs were slain and their blood was applied to houses. Certainly the Passover represents "redemption" and "liberation" for Israel. It probably signifies substitution as well, for the blood of the lamb is spilled instead of the blood of the firstborn. According to the NT, Passover points ahead to the sacrifice of Christ, whereby he gave his life for the deliverance of his people (1 Cor. 5:7). The Lord's Supper almost certainly is a Passover meal (Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:15-20), and the blood of Jesus represents the new covenant where the blood of "the lamb of God" (John 1:29) has been shed for his people.
(pp. 33-34, The King in His Beauty)

What struck me about this commentary was the statement, "The Lord could have rescued Israel simply by destroying the firstborn in Egypt." God, in his wisdom, chose to rescue Israel after he had the Israelites sacrifice a "Passover Lamb," paint the blood over the door frame, and eat a meal. God then institutionalized this practice as an annual celebration commemorating the birth of Israel. In rescuing Israel in this particular manner, God was both glorifying himself and teaching Israel. Through the ceremony, God was reminding Israel about his redemption of Israel. God was emphasizing that he was delivering Israel because of His great mercy and not because they were a great people. They were just as sinful as the Egyptians. God because of his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob chose to hear their prayers and deliver them. In a like manner, God chose us not because of the righteous works we do for him and not because of our innate righteousness: he saved us according to his own mercy (Titus 3:5).

A second observation I made concerns the commandment, "And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover." The Israelites were supposed to eat the Passover meal with their belt fastened and with their sandals on their feet. This practice was to remind them of what they left behind. As we read about the nation, we realize that the Israelites were deeply entrenched in Egyptian worship. The eating of the Passover meal in haste was to remind the Israelites that they were to leave the Egyptian life behind and they were to become a "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6).

This practice has parallels for Christians celebrating communion today. Communion is a time to reflect on what Christ has done for us. He spilled his blood and died for our sins. He intends for us to become like Israel, "a royal priesthood, a holy nation" through sanctification (1 Peter 2:9). Christians, in remembrance for what Christ has done for them, are to put off the old self and put on the new self. (Ephesians 4:22-24).

A third observation I made about the connection between the Passover and Communion was in the next passage, where Moses elaborated more about unleavened bread.

Exodus 12:15
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.

Unleavened bread was not the bread of choice for Israel during most of the year. However, leaven bread, like our sourdough bread, took time to prepare. The point of unleavened bread during Passover was to remind Israel again of what they supposed to leave behind. Jews have practiced this "removal of leaven" from their houses for centuries. Even in the modern day, my wife told me she knows about a practicing Jewish family that spend the day before Passover searching their house from top to bottom for leaven. They followed this command about the Passover very closely.

Because this feast of unleavened bread was practiced for centuries, leaven took on more significance and acquired different meanings as time went by. At the time of the New Testament, Jesus referred to the teaching of the legalistic theology of the Pharisees as leaven (Matthew 16:23). Paul also referenced leaven in his epistles. When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, he referred to leaven as a metaphor for not dealing with the sexual immorality in their midst. Members of the Corinthian Church were boasting about their liberality concerning sin, They thought they understood their freedom in Christ, but Paul pointed out that sexual immorality would spread like leaven in the church.  He condemned the Corinthian church for their lackadaisical approach to sin and disciplined the man who was guilty of the immorality

1 Corinthians 5:8
Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The festival in the above passage concerns communion. This "removal of leaven" becomes a metaphor during Communion for Christians to examine their own lives. In the following passage, commentators differ whether "unworthy manner" means personal sins or sins against fellow believers during the worship service. In either case, both meanings are appropriate during communion.

1 Corinthians 11:27-29
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

To summarize, communion is a time when we remember three aspects of our walk with Christ.

• First, we should worship in humility. God is merciful. He saved us not on the basis of who we are or what we have done, but according to his own mercy.
• Second, we should worship God in joy. God called us to become "a kingdom of priests, a holy nation." We should put off our old selves and live like children of the King. We should worship as a new people and celebrate our new lives in Christ.
• Third, we need to worship God in love and harmony. We must remember that sin like leaven spreads. Sin can take over our lives and it can take over a church. We need to reflect on what Christ has done for us on the Cross and consider our response to his sacrifice. The Cross is not an excuse to sin more freely, but it should result in a response to live in purity in our own lives and in harmony and love with other believers.

Joshua and Worship

I have been meditating about Joshua. Several life events prepared Joshua to be the military leader who would lead Israel to conquer the promised land.

• Joshua had military success (Ex. 17:9).
• Moses renamed Oshea to Joshua. (Nu. 13:16). Renaming someone in the Bible always indicated that someone was being set aside for a special task.
• Joshua was chosen as one of the twelve tribal chiefs to be one of the twelve spies sent to spy out the promised land. (Nu. 13:1-20).
• Of those twelve spies, only Caleb and Joshua encouraged Israel to conquer land. (Nu. 14).
• God handpicked Joshua to be anointed by Moses to lead Israel into the promised land. (Nu. 23:17)
• God personally commissioned Joshua to bring the people of Israel into the promised land and promised to be with Joshua. (Deut. 31:32; Josh 1:1-8)

At the beginning the book of Joshua, Joshua prepared the nation to conquer the promised land. He took command of the nation and the people of Israel replied with an oath of fealty. Like Moses before him, Joshua sent spies into the land, but this time all the spies voted that they should go ahead and conquer the land(Josh. 2). Joshua even heard from the spies a report that an inhabitant of the land, Rahab, testified that their opposition feared them (Josh. 2:22-24). Joshua received miraculous confirmation of his leadership when God allowed Israel under Joshua's leadership to cross the Jordan on dry land just like how Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry land (Josh. 3-4). Joshua removed the last taint of Egypt by circumcising all the men (Josh. 5:1-9). Joshua then celebrated Passover (Joshua 5:10-12).

Joshua must have felt exceedingly prepared. He waited to lead this army for over 40 years. God anointed, commissioned, and confirmed him as commander. He prepared Israel for battle both mentally and physically. The nation was ready and he was ready to go and conquer Jericho; however, one task remained.

Joshua 5:13-15
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Although Joshua was prepared, it was God who was in charge of his armies: both human and angelic. God was going to fight this battle of Jericho. Yahweh was a holy God and all he wanted from Joshua was worship. It was God who would bring the walls tumbling down and all Israel needed to do was stay back, be obedient, and watch God fight for them.

This principle applies to us. For the tasks in front of us, God wants us to prepare, be obedient, and do our best. However, no matter how prepared we are, we need to worship God in every step and realize it is God who fights for us.

Christ and the Haitian Fisherman

During our mission trip in Haiti in Spring 2016, I talked with a rather taciturn patient about his life. He told me he was a fisherman. I asked about what kind of fishing he does. I assumed he dove for fish, but he said he went out in a boat and cast nets. We talked about my life a little bit and then I started asking him about church. He said he believed in God and all that, but he couldn't go to church. I asked why. He said he did not have the proper clothing. This was a common excuse in Haiti for not attending church. I brought in one of the Haitian pastors, Pastor Yves, and explained to Yves the situation. They talked for a while and the fisherman kept nodding yes. Doctor Chris came, checked him out, and went to get medications. While Chris was gone, I asked the patient if I could read a story about fishing from the Bible to him. He said yes. I read the following passage.

John 21:4-8
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

After I was done reading, I said that Peter worked all night in a fishing boat. When Peter found out that it was Jesus on the shore, he threw on his outer garment and jumped into the water. He did not wash up; he did not dress up; and he did not even dry-off. He just wanted to see and worship Jesus. I told the patient that we should go to church with the same attitude: we should just want to see and worship Jesus through the body of Christ, the church. The fisherman said nothing, but nodded yes.

When the doctor came back, he gave the fisherman his medication and explained the dosage. The patient held onto the little bag of pills and asked how much were the pills. Chris said they were free. We could tell the man was a little surprised and he sat quietly pondering the free gift. At the end of the conversation, I asked if I could pray with him and if he had any prayer requests. He said he wanted to feel better and paused for a second. He then said quietly that he would like to make sure the Spirit of Christ would never leave his heart. I smiled and said I could help with that. I talked him through repentance, forgiveness, and asking Christ into his heart. I then prayed in English, the translator translated, and the fisherman repeated my prayer in Creole. I found Pastor Yves and told him that we had a new brother in Christ.

In reflecting on this story an idea occurred to me that we all do the same thing. We feel like we need to clean up either physically or morally before we worship Jesus; however, Christ is always willing to fellowship with us, both believer and non-believer in whatever state were are in. Physically, Peter was a sweaty and smelly mess because he worked all night in a fishing boat. This "uncleanness" did not keep him from running through the water to Jesus. Spiritually, Peter was also a mess. Just a few days before, Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times, but Jesus sought Peter out and invited him to breakfast. No matter what state we are in, Jesus welcomes us. It matters not what clothes we wear or what spiritual state we are in, Jesus calls us to himself. We read in Luke 5:32 that Christ stated, "I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners." We read in Matthew Jesus calls the heavy-laden:

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

In Revelation, Jesus calls a backsliding church to fellowship with himself:

Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Jesus calls the dead to come to him (He calls the spiritually dead now and he will call the physically dead in the future).

John 5:25
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

For both believer and non-believer, our Lord wants us to turn to him and run to him like Peter did. Jesus does not require us to clean up physically or spiritually before we turn to him because we can't clean ourselves up. Christ died on the cross for our sins because he knows our inability to make ourselves righteous. We need to let him clean us through his Spirit living inside us. Christ is calling us to the foot of the cross where we are to lay aside our pride, confess our sin and worship him.

Apologetics in Haiti Part 3 -- The Holy Spirit is a Person

This blog post is the third of a series of blog posts resulting from a conversation I had with a Jehovah Witness down in Haiti. My young friend claimed the Holy Spirit is not God. He stated that the Holy Spirit is not even a person, but a force. I worked with my friend concerning the Holy Spirit being God and showed the young man bible verses where the Holy Spirit is a person.

Since my return from Haiti, I have been thinking about the role of Holy Spirit in the Bible. The following is all the verses of which I can remember where the Holy Spirit behaves like a person.

• Dwells or abides in us individually: John 14:17; Romans 8:9, 11;
• Decides: 1 Cor. 12:11;
• Searches for truth: 1 Cor. 2:10;
• Guides us: John 16:13-14;
• Leads us: Romans 8:14;
• Bears witness: John 15:27; Romans 8:16; 1 John 5:6b
• Helps us in our weakness: Romans 8:26;
• Intercedes for us in our prayers: Romans 8:26, 27;
• Knows and comprehends: 1 Cor. 2:11;
• Teaches us: John 14:26;
• Glorifies Christ: John 16:13;
• Hears: John 16:13;
• Speaks: 2 Samuel 23:2; John 16:13; Acts 21:11; 1 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 3:7, Rev. 2:7, 14:13;
• Can be grieved: Ephesians 4:10;
• Can be lied to: Acts 5:3

After I compiled the list, I thought it would be helpful for the reader to read through the verses and meditate on the Holy Spirit's ministries in our lives.

2 Samuel 23:2
“The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me;
    his word is on my tongue.

John 14:17
even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 15:26-27
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

John 16:13-14
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Acts 5:3
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?

Acts 21:11
And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

Romans 8:9
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

Romans 8:11
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:14
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Romans 8:16
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Romans 8:27
And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

1 Corinthians 2:10
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

1 Corinthians 2:11
For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 12:11
All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

Hebrews 3:7
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice,

1 John 5:6
This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

Revelation 14:13
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

The following is a salutation of Paul's 2nd Letter to the Corinthians. It refers to all three persons of the triune Godhead and I thought it is an appropriate ending to this post.

2 Corinthians 13:14
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Apologetics in Haiti Part 2

Introduction

This is the second blog of a series of blogs concerning a conversation I had in Haiti with a Jehovah Witness. The previous blog focuses on John 14:28, where my young friend says the verse proves that Jesus is not God. This post will focus on another passage that the Jehovah Witnesses (JW) use to discredit the divinity of Christ.

Philippians 2:5-11
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The JW focus on three phrases in this passage: "in the form of God," "a thing to be grasped," and "emptied himself by taking the form of a servant." This blog will address all three phrases.

In the Form of God

From what I gather, the JW equate "in the form of God" with "to appear like God." According to the JW, Christ is not God, but the archangel Michael. Therefore, Jesus only appears like God. Furthermore, they assert this passage is talking about Christ recognizing his subordinate position and is not trying to wrest away God's glory from God. It is easy to see how the phrase can be misinterpreted in that manner; however, if we look more closely at the Greek, we see the true meaning of the passage. "Form" is the best translation of the Greek word "morphe," which my expository dictionary defines as the following:

An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
An excellent definition of the word is that of Gifford: "morphe" is therefore properly the nature or essence, not in the abstract, but as actually subsisting in the individual, and retained as long as the individual itself exists... Thus in the passage before us morphe Theou is the Divine nature actually and inseparable subsisting in the Person of Christ... For the interpretation of 'the form of God' it is sufficient to say

1. it includes the whole nature and essence of Deity, and is inseparable from them, since they could have no actual existence without it; and 
2. that it does not include in itself anything 'accidental' or separable, such as particular modes of manifestation or conditions of glory and majesty, which may at one time be attached to the 'form,' at another separated from it ...

The true meaning of morphe in the expression "form of God" is confirmed by its recurrence in the corresponding phrase, 'form of a servant.' It is universally admitted that the two phrases are directly antithetical, and 'form' must therefore have the same sense in both. (pp. 124-125, W. E. Vine).

Notice that the dictionary article points out that the word "form" has the same meaning in both phrases "form of God" and "form of a servant". If Christ was a servant, then the passage must be read as "Christ was God." According to Matthew, God called Christ a servant (Matthew 12:17). The Bible also teaches in several places that Jesus was a person that served God and served man (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, Luke 22:27, John 13:12-15), We must conclude that the Bible teaches that Christ is a servant. Thus, "In the form of God" in the Philippians passage must mean Christ has the same essence as God the Father.

Did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped

This second phrase is used by JW to try to prove that Jesus is not equal to God. They claim Jesus does not claim to be equal to God because he is not God. However, this passage from Philippians points to Jesus's mission. Paul is claiming that Jesus submits humbly as a servant to God the Father in order to accomplish the  mission of Redemption: God the Father sent Christ the Son to suffer and die in order to redeem a people out of a fallen world. Peter O'Brien in his commentary explains the phrase in its historical context.

Unlike many oriental despots who regarded their position for their own advantage Jesus understood that equality with God did not mean 'getting' but 'giving', to use Moule's phrase. 'The pre-existent son regarded equality with God not as excusing him from the task of (redemptive) suffering and death, but actually as uniquely qualifying him for that vocation.'

"... precisely because he was in the form of God he did not regard this equality with God as something to be used for his advantage'. (p.216, O'Brien)

O'Brien was asserting that Jesus did not use the fact that he was God to excuse himself from service. A good example of the opposite attitude was the Tekoite nobles in Nehemiah. Christ was not like those nobles who "would not stoop to serve their God." (Nehemiah 3:4). These nobles used their nobility as an excuse not to serve. On the other hand, Christ understood that being God was the reason he had to serve. Christ was the only one who could be our sacrifice.

But Emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant

This phrase is twisted by different sects to mean different things. JW claim Jesus emptied himself of his "divinity." They also claim that this "emptying" was not giving up his identity as God because he was not God, but rather a masking his God-likeness. However, evangelical theologian, F. F. Bruce, points out the incarnation was not a change in being, or a masking of his deity, or a restriction of his attributes or a limitation to his power, but rather the incarnation was a change in how the Son of God manifested his glory.

The implication is not that Christ, by becoming incarnate, exchanged the form of God for the form of a slave, but that he manifested the form of God in the form of slave. ( p. 218, F.F. Bruce as quoted by Peter in O'Brien, The Epistle to Ephesians)

Notice we are to imitate Christ in this way: through our loving and humble service to one another we are to reflect the glory of Christ in our lives.

Conclusion

In our witness we must be bold with the Gospel, but be humble and loving in our approach. It would be hypocrisy to talk about how the humility of Christ proves Christ is God and then be arrogant and prideful in our conversation. Use this argument not as a sword to skewer the arguments of our audience, but rather use it as an opportunity to point out the infinite beauty and holiness of a God, who chose to humble himself to the point of being a servant who gave up his life for us so that we may live with him in eternity.

C. S. Lewis on the Work of Housewives

I have a hobby of collecting quotes on the theology of work. I am also preparing for my medical mission trip to Haiti. Here's a nice quote by C. S. Lewis that someone posted on Facebook that fits both goals. It highlights the eternal perspective on the value of our work and it helps me to prepare for my return from Haiti. I always need a change in perspective when I return from Haiti. In Haiti, God blesses us with a staff at the guest house that does some of the daily chores such as shopping, cooking, dishes and general clean-up. This gives us time that we can use to focus on devotions to God, on serving the Haitians in the clinics and on ministering to other members of the team. When I come back and start doing my daily chores again, it is a let down. I sometimes feel I am wasting time doing "menial labor" when I can be serving God. However, these routine chores can be worship and these daily tasks are serving God. Lewis in his letter to a "A Lady" is trying to encourage her to see the broader perspective on how her work serves God and society.

I think I can understand that feeling about a housewife’s work being like that of Sisyphus (who was the stone-rolling gentleman). But it is surely in reality the most important work in the world. What do ships, railways, mines, cars, government etc. exist for except that people may be fed, warmed, and safe in their own homes? As Dr. Johnson said, ‘To be happy at home is the end of all human endeavour’. (1st to be happy to prepare for being happy in our own real home hereafter; 2nd in the meantime to be happy in our houses). We wage war in order to have peace, we work in order to have leisure, we produce food in order to eat it. So your job is the one for which all others exist...
(p. 262, The Letters of C. S. Lewis, “To a Lady, 16 March 1955”).

Apologetics in Haiti Part 1

On my last trip to Haiti, during clinic in Lizon on Thursday, a young man came into the clinic. He had a medical problem and said he was a Jehovah Witness. The medical problem was minor and after he saw the doctor, the young man and I spent several hours in conversation. He taught me much about the Jehovah Witnesses and I hoped he learned a little about why evangelical Christians believe what they believe. This blog is my notes from that conversation so that I will be more prepared for future conversations.

There is one point from our conversation that I want to focus on: Jehovah Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity. They have two reasons for this disbelief. First, they believe that Christ is not God, but the archangel Michael. Second, they believe the Holy Spirit is a force and not a person. In this blog, I will focus on Jesus's divinity and I will write about the personhood of the Holy Spirit in a future blog post.

The main scripture Jehovah Witnesses use to argue against the divinity of Christ is in John 14.

John 14:28 ESV
You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

I replied with with the main teaching passages on the divinity of Christ: John 1, Ephesians 1, and Hebrews 1. I also explained that Christ was on earth as a man. He humbled himself to carry out God the Father's purposes to save mankind (John 3:16). Christ said the Father was greater than he was because he was voluntarily serving the Father on the Father's mission. Christ was equal to God in personhood, but subordinated himself to God in this mission to redeem mankind.

I was not completely happy with my response so after I came back, I looked up the passage in a commentary.

Royce Gordon Gruenler
Jesus the obedient and deferential Son acclaims the Father as greater than he in language that is typical of the divine disposability, where none of the persons exults over the other, but each defers to the other with loving hospitality and availability. The subordination theme also refers to Jesus' incarnate existence as servant. If the disciples really loved Jesus the Son (as they will come to love him and know him through the Holy Spirit), they would understand that his imminent departure to the Father means that his future glorification is greater than his present and humble incarnate life in the flesh; hence, "the Father is greater than I" reflects the deference of the incarnate Son to Father. Yet in light of other paradoxical utterances, it would seem that here again the Son is making a statement that tells us something of his attitude toward the Father within the divine Triunity itself: the Son subordinates himself to the Father not because he is less than the Father but because it is the nature of all three persons of the Triune Family to subordinate themselves to one another in ultimate deferential love and hospitality. Jesus also expects deferential love and hospitality from his disciples. It is simply and profoundly the way Jesus the Son thinks and speaks that he says to them:

If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I."

Similarly at the close of the discourse, as Jesus predicts the coming of the ruler of this world who will curtail his speaking in the final suffering of the cross (although he has no ultimate power over the Son), Jesus places himself again at the disposal of the Father in obedient love, that the world may know of his love for the Father. (pp. 105-106, The Trinity in the Gospel of John: A Thematic Commentary of the Fourth Gospel)

The example that comes to mind is the Secret Service protecting the president. If you asked most of the presidents, "Whether a president's life is worth more than the men and women who are protecting them?" I hope they would answer, "No, of course not." However, using the biblical terminology, if you ask Secret Service agents why they would give up their lives to protect the president, they would answer in something like the following manner, "In order to serve and protect my country in this assignment, I have to believe that the president's life is greater than my own. I would need to sacrifice my life to protect the president for the greater good of protecting my country." In terms of the worth of the individual human being, all men are created equal. However, in terms of service to one's country, someone may have to value their own lives as subordinate to another person's life for the greater good.

Models of the Trinity

I am reading about the trinity in a fairly scholarly book. The author throws these terms around so I thought I would post the definitions for future reference. I'm not a scholar so these are just notes from a casual reader of theology getting his arms around the terminology.

• Psychological Trinity -- It is a form of analogies that describe the trinity. It likens the unity and diversity of the Godhead to the unity and diversity of the human self. Augustine's analogy is the most famous example: the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is like the unity of the mind (thoughts), heart (emotions), and volition (will) of a person.
• Social Trinity -- In reaction to the "Psychological" analogies, some theologians argue the Bible describes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three distinct Persons. They argue that the Trinity is three distinct aspects of one Person. Thus, we should think of the unity of the Trinity as more like the unity of the mind, heart, and will of three people"
• Economic Trinity -- This is not a analogy per se, but a description of the Trinity refering to God’s activity in creation and redemption. It uses terms like Creator/Redeemer/Sustainer or Provider/Savior/Comforter.
• Ontological or Immanent Trinity -- Refers to God’s eternal existence and the internal relationships between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It refers to the attributes of God and how the persons of the Godhead interact with each other for all eternity. A good example of this would be Jonathan Edwards's definition, "The Son is the perfect 'understanding' and 'idea' of the of the Father, and the Spirit is the 'will' and the 'love' shared between the Father and the Son;"

I am still processing this. One observation, theologians spend a lot of time mapping how the "Immanent Trinity" maps to the "Economic Trinity." This is fairly esoteric, but how someone views the Trinity impacts how one models God's interaction with Man and with the Church in particular. This could affect how we minister with one another and the world.

Memorizing Scripture

I attended the Biblical Counseling Conference in October 2015. At the end of the last session on Saturday, the instructors showed a video portraying a counseling session. The counselor emphasized to the counselees the need to do homework. One of the main homework assignments for the counselees was scripture memory. Let us ponder this. Counseling is discipleship. We prescribe scripture memory to help people to change their wrong patterns of thinking into biblical patterns of thinking. This prescription would imply that all Christians should practice this spiritual discipline. However, in my experience most Christians do not memorize scripture.

Christians agree that scripture memory is important or at least that it is useful for some believers. However, people find memorizing scripture difficult. At my age, I find it very difficult. However, how can I counsel people to meditate or to memorize a passage of scripture, if I am not memorizing scripture myself? Furthermore, the bible teaches it is an important spiritual discipline to help all of us grow into Christ-likeness.

I started memorizing scripture after my first trip to Haiti. During my first trip, I had problems finding verses quickly in my bible. It made it difficult to hold conversations. Since then I have found it useful when I give soul care to patients in Haiti to have bible passages readily available. Since internet access is very limited in Haiti, having the verses and their references committed to memory, has been very helpful. The more verses I have memorized, the more tools I have to help people.

It also has been very helpful for my own spiritual walk. Even though I do scripture memory poorly, I find the very act of memorizing is a form of meditation. The more I focus on God's Word; the more I focus on The Word, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here are some useful verses that encouraged me to meditate and memorize scripture.

Deuteronomy 11:18
“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man
   who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
   nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
   and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 119:9-11
How can a young man keep his way pure?
  By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
  let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart,
  that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:97
Oh how I love your law!
 It is my meditation all the day.

Matthew 4:4
But he answered, “It is written,
 “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
     but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

In Remembrance of Me

1 Corinthians 11:23-25
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Twice Christ mentions the phrase, "in remembrance of me" in this passage. We are to eat the bread in remembrance of Jesus and drink the wine in remembrance of Jesus. In our culture, the phrase "in remembrance" is used in conjunction with memorials for loved ones who have passed away. People have gravestones of their loved ones engraved with the epitaph that begins, "In Remembrance of". Sometimes the phrase is used in obituaries. Typically, these gravestones and obituaries convey very little about the deceased. A gravestone may have the epitaph "a loving wife" or "a faithful husband." An obituary in the newspaper would have the bare facts of a person's life: their surviving relatives, their hobbies or charities, and their vocational accomplishments. The phrase is a way to honor the dead by stating that the deceased is still loved and remembered by the living. In a way it focuses just as much on the living as the deceased.

However, in 1st Corinthians, the Greek word translated "remembrance" does not mean "in memory of" but rather, as my Greek dictionary defines it, "an affectionate calling the Person Himself to mind." My linguistic key puts it another way, "The word indicates to call back again into memory a vivid experience." I was trying to think of an example of this and it came to me that a funeral service we had at Grace in North Liberty several years ago for Darryl Lindley exemplified this idea.

Darryl was one of our Church's most cherished members. He was a big Cub fan and wore a Cub t-shirt and a Cub baseball hat to almost every church service. He loved to talk baseball to anyone who would listen. When Darryl passed away, the funeral service celebrated Darryl's life through stories told by family, friends, and pastors. People laughed and cried. We remembered together his love of fishing and baseball. We recalled his hospitality. People told stories about what a great butcher he was. His family quoted Darrylisms: he had an unique proverb for different situations. We recalled how much Darryl loved Jesus. In other words, we remembered the person himself and not just a slogan or epitaph. We celebrated Darryl's life through remembrance.

When Christ tells us to remember him through celebrating communion, he seems to be emphasizing his death. We are to remember that just as he broke the bread, his body was broken in suffering for us. We are to remember the cup of wine he passed around to the disciples represented the blood of the New Covenant. As it says the Gospel According to Matthew, his blood was poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. In 1 Corinthians 11:26, it reads "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Through this remembering we proclaim how Christ's death and resurrection redeemed us to be a people unto God. Through the proclaiming we help each other to remember how much Jesus loved us and he is with us still. We proclaim the gospel not only to ourselves, but to the world around. This remembrance is not a memorial service for a dead person, but a celebration and proclamation of a living God who loved us and gave himself for us that we might dine with Him at the Lord's Table forever.

Timothy Keller on Medicine and Spirituality part II.

Here's another passage from Tim Keller in his book Every Good Endeavor. He tells a story about Dr. Martyn Lloyd, a famous London preacher in the early 1900's, who had disagreements on how to treat patients: holistically versus physically.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes the same point in one of his lectures to medical professionals. LLoyd-Jones was on staff at Saint Bart's in London under the famous chief of staff Lord Horder in the late 1920s. At one point the junior physician was asked by Lord Horder to rearrange and reclassify his case history records. He created a new filing system, arranging the cases not by name but by diagnosis and treatment. As Lloyd-Jones did this task he was astonished that Horder's diagnostic notes in well over half the cases included comments such as "works far too hard," "drinks too much," "unhappy in home and marriage." At one point he spent the weekend with Lord Horder and took the opportunity to ask him about what he had seen in the case files. Horder responded that he reckoned only about a third of the problems that are brought to a physician are strictly medical--the rest are due to or aggravated by anxiety and stress, poor life choices, and unrealistic goals and beliefs about themselves. Severe cases, of course, could be sent to the psychiatrist, but most of the time that wasn't appropriate. So, Horder concluded, a doctor should basically mind his or her own business. Lloyd-Jones said that after he heard that response:

...we argued for the whole of the weekend! My contention was that we should be treating [the whole of the person's life]. "Ah," said Horder, "that is where you are wrong! If these people like to pay us our fees for more or less doing nothing, then let them do so. We can then concentrate on the 35 percent or so of real medicine." But my contention was that to treat these other people [taking into account their whole life] was "real medicine" also. All of them were really sick. They certainly were not well! They have gone to the doctor--perhaps more than one--in quest of help.

Lloyd-Jones was not proposing that physicians were by themselves competent to do this, but rather that together with other counselors and helping professions they needed to address the whole person. People have a spiritual nature, a moral nature, and a social nature, and if any of these are violated by unwise or wrong beliefs, behaviors, and choices, there can be interlocking physical and emotional breakdown. And even patients whose original illness was caused by strictly physical factors eventually need much more than mere medicine to recuperate and heal. (pp. 177-178, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work)

Doctor Matt Anderson's views and goals on the practice of medicine has a historical and theological foundation :)

Timothy Keller on Medicine and Spirituality

Timothy Keller, in his book Every Good Endeavor, quotes a journal article about one doctor's frustration in his practice. This doctor's experience mirrors Dr. Matt Anderson's experiences. Matt is the instigator of our Haiti Mission Trips.

One woman I corresponded with pointed me to an article in The New England Journal of Medicine titled "God at the Bedside." The author was a doctor who often found that patients' spiritual beliefs and practices were very much a factor in their health issues, but "in the modern era, religion and science are understood as sharply divided, the two occupying very different domains." He wrote that he often found that patients' guilt and fears were factors in their illness and also that their faith in God was part of how they healed, but he felt completely unprepared by his training to address any of these realities. "Doctors," he wrote, "understandably are leery of moving outside the strictly clinical and venturing into the spiritual realm."(pp. 176-177)

Matt Anderson talks about these issues on every trip to Haiti. He wants to develop a model of care that addresses both the body and the soul. May God bless his work!

Swimming in the Deep End

Jonah's Prayer 
“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
    and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
   and you heard my voice.
For you cast me into the deep,
   into the heart of the seas,
   and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
  passed over me.
Then I said, ‘I am driven away
  from your sight;
yet I shall again look
   upon your holy temple.’
  The waters closed in over me to take my life;
  the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head
  at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
  whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the pit,
  O Lord my God.
When my life was fainting away,
  I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you,
  into your holy temple.
Those who pay regard to vain idols
  forsake their hope of steadfast love.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
  will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
  Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
Jonah 2:1-9

My first experience I remember of being in a swimming pool was at the YMCA when I was 6 or 7 years-old. The swimming class consisted of only a handful of small children. The instructors, contrary to my expectations, led us from the shallow end of the swimming pool to the deep end. They lined the students up on the side the pool. One of the instructors peeled off his t-shirt and dived into the pool, while a different instructor picked up a safety hook hanging on the wall. The third instructor told the first child to jump in and grab for the hook. She assured the pupil that they would help him. He obeyed and jumped in. The student was led to the hook by the instructor in the pool, The pupil grabbed the hook and was promptly pulled out of the water. The process continued with the next student. It was then my turn. I stepped up to the side of the pool with a little trepidation, I took a deep breath and jumped. It seemed like I sank to the bottom of the pool, but it must have been only a foot or two. I was never underwater before for so long. I felt the instructor gently pushed me a certain direction, I opened my eyes, saw the hook, and eagerly grabbed it. The swimming coaches whisked me out of the pool. I hoped to do it again, but when all the students had their turn, the instructors sat us down and explained that the exercise was to teach us to trust them. They were trained and had the right equipment to protect us. We needed not to be afraid of the water.  The instructors said they would start the next lesson in the shallow end, but if we worked hard we would be swimming and diving into the deep end by end of the summer.

This experience came back to me as I read the great Puritan writer, Stephen Charnock. In his chapter on the wisdom of God, he asserted that God teaches the same lesson to his children. God may allow us to drown in our sin or to overwhelm us at times with suffering so that we may turn and trust him. Charnock used as an illustration this principle of human nature that a person drowning in open waters will grab anything that will provide salvation.

Stephen Charnock
The falls of believers God orders to their further stability: he that is fallen for want of using his staff, will lean more upon it to preserve himself from the like disaster. God, by permitting the lapses of men, often makes them despair of their own strength to subdue their enemies, and rely upon the strength of Christ, wherein God hath laid up power for us, and so becomes, stronger in that strength which he hath ordained for them. We are very apt to trust in ourselves, and have confidence in our own worth and strength; and God lets loose corruptions to abate this swelling humour. This was the reason of the apostle Paul's thorn in the flesh, 2 Cor. 12. 9, whether it were a temptation, or corruption, or sickness, that he might be sensible of his own inability, and where the sufficiency of grace for him was placed. He that is in danger of drowning, and hath the waves come over his head, will with all the might he hath, lay hold upon any thing near him, which is likely to save him. God lets his people sometimes sink into such a condition, that they may lay the faster hold on him who is near to all that call upon him.(pp. 296-297, The Existence and Attributes of God, Volume 7 of 50 Greatest Christian Classics, 2 Volumes in 1 )

There are multiple examples of God allowing his saints to endure overwhelming testing. I quoted Jonah's song of deliverance above. Another example is Job who endured suffering beyond measure, but God, in his timing, revealed himself to Job. Job's faith was revived and deepened. A great example is King David. 1 Samuel 30 records one of the deepest valleys in David's life. Most men would have given up, retreated into mountains, and taken up shepherding. God disciplined David by removing everyone to whom David could turn: his wives and children were kidnapped; his mentor Samuel was dead; Saul who was David's king was seeking to kill him; and his men wanted to stone him.  David, in these circumstances, had nowhere to turn but God,  As we see in 1 Samuel 30:6c, David found His escape, "But David strengthened himself in the Lord."

In our times of "drowning" or being overwhelmed by sin or suffering, we must remember 1 Corinthians 10:13.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Like the lifeguards who protected me, God will provide the means for our rescue. We must submit to God's gentle prods toward our escape from sin and suffering and like my first experience in the swimming pool, we must open our eyes to look for the means of escape beyond ourselves to overcome temptation. At times, it is a matter of trust in the promise of 1st Corinthians 10:13. We need to rely on God's character and his benevolence towards us to look diligently for the means of escape.

Preparing our Hearts for Communion

The "Fellowship of the Bean," the Wednesday Morning Mens Group, will be studying 1 Corinthians 11 in a couple of weeks. The last half of the chapter is on the Lord's Supper. I have written about communion in an earlier post, but once again the passage and the commentaries have convicted me and I thought I would share.

Earlier in the passage, Paul wrote about how the richer members of the Corinthians congregation were showing up for the Lord's Supper with food and wine just for themselves. The poorer Corinthians due to circumstances were unable to bring anything for themselves. The end result was that the rich were getting drunk and feasting while the poor of the congregation stood around and went hungry. Paul called the whole congregation into account for not remembering the purpose of the Lord's Supper.

1 Corinthians 11:27-32
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

The following two commentaries made different observations on 1st Corinthians 11:29. In this first quote, Gordon Fee pointed out that the Corinthians were not discerning the body: they forgot that the one loaf and one common cup indicated the unity of the body of Christ. Christ saved all of them through His death on the cross. Furthermore, they were gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve one another. Because they were members of a common body, they were members of one another.

Gordon D. Fee
The Lord’s Supper is not just any meal; it is the meal, in which at a common table with one loaf and a common cup they proclaimed that through the death of Christ they were one body, the body of Christ; and therefore they are not just any group of sociologically diverse people who could keep those differences intact at this table. Here they most “discern/recognize as distinct” the one body of Christ, of which they all are parts and in which they all are gifts to one another. To fail to discern the body in this way, by abusing those of lesser sociological status, is to incur God’s judgment. (Fee, p. 564)

Charles Hodge in the following quote indicated the Corinthians were not taking seriously the elements of the Lord's Supper. This neglect was a problem. Paul claimed that the illnesses and deaths in their congregation could be attributed to God's judgment in this area. Hodge reflected that although, we need to be serious, we need not be fearful. True joy in celebrating communion does not abide in levity or comedy in the service, but in celebrating the Lord of the Universe who has already shown His love to us through His death and resurrection.

Charles Hodge
In either case the offence is the same. The ground of the condemnation incurred is, regarding and treating the elements in the Lord’s Supper as though there was nothing to distinguish them from ordinary bread and wine. Here, as before, it is the careless and profane who are warned. There is, therefore, nothing in these passages which should surround the Lord’s Table with gloom. We are not called unto the mount covered with clouds and darkness, from which issue the signs of wrath, but unto Mount Zion, to the abode of mercy and grace, where all is love—the dying of him who never breaks the bruised reed. (p. 233, 1 & 2 Corinthians (Geneva Series of Commentaries) ).

How do we prepare our hearts for communion so that we might properly discern the body of Christ? I am reminded of an incident at church several years ago. After I served communion, I was taking the trays of grape juice and bread back to the kitchen. A woman ran up to me and said that she did not know about communion and she was late to church. She wanted to know if it was permissible for her to take the bread and the grape juice immediately while I stood in the hallway. I let her to do it. She chewed and swallowed a wafer, slammed down a mini-shot glass of grape juice, thanked me, and hurried off.

I am not criticizing my sister-in-Christ. I understood her desire. She wanted to obey Christ through celebrating His sacrifice through communion; however, she was pressured by circumstance to celebrate the Lord's Supper in a less than ideal situation. In my opinion, she did not celebrate communion in an unworthy manner, but she would probably agree that if she had time to prepare for communion, she would have partaken in the Lord's Supper in a more worthy manner. We all need to ask ourselves how we can make our celebration of communion more worthy and more worshipful.

J. I. Packer in his book on the Puritans encouraged us to learn from our spiritual forbears how to worship more efficaciously. The Puritans prepared for Sunday morning worship like a football team prepares for the next game: they prepared strategically with much effort.

J. I. Packer
Here, perhaps, is our own chief weakness. The Puritans inculcated specific preparation for worship--not merely for the Lord's Supper, but for all services--as a regular part of the Christian's inner discipline of prayer and communion with God. Says the Westminster Directory: 'When the congregation is to meet for public worship, the people (having before prepare their hearts thereunto) ought all to come....' But we neglect to prepare our hearts; for, as the Puritans would have been the first to tell us, thirty seconds of private prayer upon taking our seat in the church building is not time enough in which to do it. It is here that we need to take ourselves in hand. What we need at the present time to deepen our worship is not new liturgical forms or formulae, nor new hymns or tunes, but more preparatory 'heart-work' before we use the old ones. There is nothing wrong with new hymns, tunes, and worship styles--there may be very good reasons for them--but without 'heart-work' they will not make our worship more fruitful and God-honouring; they will only strengthen the syndrome that C. S. Lewis called 'the liturgical fidgets'. 'Heart-work' must have priority or spiritually our worship will get nowhere. So I close with an admonition from George Swinnock on preparation for the service fo the Lord's Day, which for all its seeming quaintness is, I think, a word in season for very many of us:

Prepare to meet thy God, O Christian! Betake thyself to thy chamber on the Saturday night, confess and bewail thine unfaithfulness under the ordinances of God; ashamed and condemn thyself for thy sins, entreat God to prepare they heart for, and assist it in, thy religious performances; spend some time in consideration of the infinite majesty, holiness, jealously, and goodness, of that God, with whom thouart to have to do in sacred duties; ponder the weight and importance of his holy ordinances...; meditate on the shortness of the time thou hast to enjoy Sabbaths in; and continue musing...till the fire burneth; thou canst not think the good thou mayest gain by such forethoughts, how pleasant and profitable a Lord's day would be to thee after such a preparation. The oven of thine heart thus baked in, as it were overnight, would be easily heated the next morning; the fire so well raked up when thou wentest to bed, would be the sooner kindled when thou shouldst rise. If thou wouldst thus leave thy heart with God on the Saturday night, thou shouldst find it with him in the Lord's Day morning. (pp. 256-257, A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life )

In conclusion, I realize most of us do not have large amounts of time to follow the Puritan example. However, this is an encouragement to spend more time and effort preparing ourselves to take communion in a more worthy manner, or at least make the Sunday morning service more worshipful. How do we do this? We follow Paul's admonition: we discern Christ's body. This means both Christ's physical body and the Church, which is the body of Christ. Here are some suggestions.

1. Discern the body by spending a few minutes in prayer thanking God for sending Christ to die for you. Confess sins. Spend time in time in the Psalms worshiping the Creator.
2. If you don't have time, maybe you can discern the body by helping your spouse to have time before church to spend time in prayer. Put your spouse's needs first.
3. Discern the body by preparing your children for Church by leading them in prayer.
4. Discern the body by serving other during the Church service. Volunteer to usher or serve coffee or help out with the children ministries. Putting other people's needs first is exactly what Paul is writing about in 1st Corinthians.
5. Discern the body by welcoming someone you do not know at the service. You can call your friends at home later, spend the time at Church practicing hospitality with strangers.

1 Corinthians 11

Tom Nelson is the Teaching Pastor of Denton Bible Church in Denton, Texas. He preached on 1 Corinthians 11 a few years ago. He asserted that Charles Hodge's commentary on 1 Corinthians 11 is the best explanation on the passage about head coverings that he has ever found. I just read that paragraph in the commentary so I thought I would provide it.

Here's the passage in question.

1 Corinthians 11:2-16 ESV
Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.

Charles Hodge
Having corrected the more private abuses which prevailed among the Corinthians, the apostle begins in this chapter to consider those which relate to the mode of conducting public worship. The first of these is the habit of women appearing in public without a veil. Dress is in great degree conventional. A costume which is proper in one country would be indecorous in another. The principle insisted upon in this paragraph is, that women should conform in matters of dress to all those usages which public sentiment of the community in which they live demands. The veil in all eastern countries was, and to great extent still is, the symbol of modesty and subjection. For a woman, therefore, in Corinth to discard the veil was to renounce her claim to modesty, and to refuse to recognize her subordination to her husband. It is on the assumption of this significancy in the use of the veil, that the apostle’s whole argument in this paragraph is founded. (p. 205, 1 & 2 Corinthians (Geneva Series of Commentaries))

Don't Rest on Your Blessed Assurance

Greg Gilbaugh in his sermon on May 24th, 2015 exhorted his audience to "not rest on their blessed assurance." He pointed out that we are on a mission and that the Christian life was not a life of passivity, but a life of staying actively engaged to complete the mission. Paul wrote about this theme repeatedly in his letters to the churches he was shepherding. The most striking example was in Philippians.

Philippians 3:8-16
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

This passage is one of many passages where theologians derive the doctrine of "Perseverance of the Saints." Some people equate this doctrine with the incorrect teaching of "Once Saved Always Saved." However, perseverance is far more than this simplistic slogan. As we read passages like the one above in Philippians, we see that Paul claims "that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." Paul, at the very least , seems to be trying to attain his salvation. On the other hand in Romans 8,  Paul expresses his unabashed confidence that our eternal life is secure in God's hands.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When theologians define "Perseverance," they try to express this dynamic. Wayne's Grudem's two-part definition reflects this tension between the believer's confidence that his salvation is secured by God's love on the one hand and on the other hand, the need for the Christian has to press onward to attain the resurrection of the dead.

Wayne Grudem
The perseverance of the saints means that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God's power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again. (p.788, Systematic Theology)

Grudem explains his two-part definition in the next paragraph.

This definition has two parts to it. It indicates first that there is assurance to be given to those who are truly born again, for it reminds them that God's power will keep them as Christians until they die, and they will surely live with Christ in heaven forever. On the other hand, the second half of the definition makes it clear that continuing in the Christian life is one of the evidences that a person is truly born again. (p. 788, ibid)

As the author of Hebrews points out in chapter 12, our faith is founded by and perfected by Jesus. We can run the race of faith with endurance and be confident that we will finish. Christ is our great example and since he endured the cross, we know, with his help, we can finish our race.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Berkhoff in refuting those who object to the doctrine of perseverance, clarifies the doctrine for me.

Louis Berkhoff
It is confidently asserted that the doctrine of perseverance leads to indolence, license, and even immorality. A false security is said to result from it. This is a mistaken notion, however, for, although the Bible tells us that we are kept by the grace of God, it does not encourage the idea that God keeps us without constant watchfulness, diligence, and prayer on our part. It is hard to see how a doctrine which assures the believer of a perseverance in holiness can be an incentive for sin. It would seem that the certainty of success in the active striving for sanctification would be the best possible stimulus to ever greater exertion.”(p.526, Systematic Theology)

Granted, the doctrine of perseverance sounds bland. It does not sound like a joy-filled life, but notice the author of Hebrews writes about joy in our pursuit of Christ. Futhermore, Paul finds that deepening his relationship with Christ is worth all the suffering and hardship. Jesus promises in John 15 that if we abide in Him and obey his commands that our joy will be full in Him. One of the reasons the Christian will persevere is God will reward our pursuit of Him with Himself. We will get to know the Lord and Creator of the universe personally. This reward is a treasure beyond our imagination: we get to abide with Christ now and in eternity.

The book of Hebrews commented about Abraham's pursuit of heaven. He lived in tents during his time on earth, but he was promised by God to be the father of nations. Ultimately, he looked toward inhabiting the eternal city. We can persevere joyfully when we realize this world is not our home. As Lewis points out, we often stumble in our Christian walk because we don't understand the reward being offered us.

C. S. Lewis
Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. (p. 2. The Weight of Glory)

I am going to conclude this post by quoting a sermon from Jonathan Edwards. He was preaching on 1st Corinthians 13 and was encouraging his congregation to focus on heaven when they were having difficulties here on earth.

Jonathan Edwards
Be content to pass through all difficulties in the way to heaven. Though the path is before you, and you may walk in it if you desire, yet it is a way that is ascending, and filled with many difficulties and obstacles. That glorious city of light and love is, as it were, on the top of a high hill or mountain, and there is not way to it but by upward and arduous steps. But though the ascent be difficult, and the way full of trials, still it is worth while to meet them all for the sake of coming and dwelling in such a glorious city at last. Be willing, then, to undergo the labor, and meet the toil, and overcome the difficulty. What is it all in comparison with sweet rest that is at your journey's end? Be willing to cross the natural inclination of flesh and blood, which is downward, and press onward and upward to the prize. And every step it will be easier and easier to ascend; and the higher your ascent, the more will you be cheered by the glorious prospect before you, and by a nearer view of that heavenly city where in a little while you shall forever be at rest. (Point 3, Charity and its Fruits)

Jonathan Edwards and Mentorship

John Piper loves the writings of Jonathan Edwards. Through Piper's books that love has been passed onto me. In a previous post, I write about how the president of the STEP seminary in Haiti, disciples his students. Since that time I have come across in my readings about how Jonathan Edwards excelled in discipling and mentoring young men for ministry. This first quote is about two preachers, who are very influential during the time of the American revolution, are mentored to be pastors by Edwards in his home.

Stephen Nichols
While invitations to ordination services flooded his [Jonathan Edwards] Northampton home, candidates for the ministry lined up outside his door. Ministerial preparation in those days consisted of both a college education and an apprenticeship. During the 1730s and 1740s Jonathan and Sarah's home was full not only of children, but also of ministerial candidates drawn by Edwards's preaching and writing. Among them were Joseph Bellamy, Samuel Buell, and Samuel Hopkins, all of whom became influential figures in New England. (p. 59, Jonathan Edwards: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought)

I found the following scholarly article about how Jonathan Edwards viewed mentoring. The following link points the article:
“SINGLY, PARTICULARLY, CLOSELY”: EDWARDS AS MENTOR.

I found the following quotes interesting. The article, except for the strange ending, was very good.

More concretely, mentoring can be defined as that intentional activity between two people which seeks to empower for spiritual development, often with the result of enhancing skills and attitudes for leadership.

Tennent combined divinity and piety as twin goals of learning, but did so in the context of family life, farming, common worship, practical ministry exposure, and generous personal investment in the next generation of leadership, enabling a mentoring dynamic of significant pedagogical value.

Rural men, without significant financial means, would appreciate not just cheap tuition, but would be able to contribute their own skills and labour to the life of the training community. Edwards received many such ministry aspirants, two of the most notable being Dr Joseph Bellamy and Dr Samuel Hopkins who each later established a school of the prophets to great effect.

Edwards’s home was a magnet for those looking to be trained. Hopkins had originally intended to move away from New England and his home in Waterbury in western Connecticut to study under Tennent in Pennsylvania, but decided in the end to complete his training in Northampton, after hearing Edwards preach on the validity of the revival at the Yale commencement of 1741. Hopkins used Edwards’s library, filled the pulpit in his absence, and fortuitously benefited greatly from the stimulating spiritual conversation of Sarah Edwards. Joseph Bellamy resided in Edwards’s home too, where he enjoyed the stability of family life, which he himself had missed growing up.

Edwards’s mentoring was not born out of a therapeutic modernism, which sought to promote self-expression or self-realisation, nor did he want others to ape him. Independence of mind does not necessarily require narcissistic individualism. He was part of a more substantial Christian narrative of faith transmission and ministerial formation, mediated to him through the urgency and intimacy of Puritan preaching schools, and sustained in the social and theological structures of the New Divinity. The mentor-protégé relationship was not unique to Edwards, but nevertheless proved to be a significant and pastorally effective feature of his ministry.

Edwards was an accomplished preacher, but his enjoyment of dialogue and commitment to Socratic method were no less significant features of his ministry. He wrote to the Trustees of Princeton describing his commitment to dialogical learning if he were to be appointed as President, and when he arrived there he encouraged his students to prepare an answer for class which could be discussed when they came together. Frequently he would debate with ministry aspirants while walking or riding. Evidently, the reason why he gave to Hopkins or Bellamy copies of his own recently composed discourses was to give them opportunity to learn while giving feedback.

Edwards’s openness to new methods of engagement in teaching is in particular evidence when he takes over responsibility for the mission schools in Stockbridge. In a letter to Sir William Pepperrell, advocate for the mission and a hero of the Louisbourg campaign of 1745, he draws attention to the value of a teacher who ‘should enter into conversation with the child,’ and desires that “the child should be encouraged, and drawn on, to speak freely, and in his turn also to ask questions, for the resolution of his own doubts.” Such reciprocity helps pupils not just to understand words but to comprehend ideas. Music could also be a pedagogical strategy, to join hearts and minds in “a relish for objects of a superior character.” On another occasion, Edwards gave advice about how to resist Satan, which evidenced a nuanced case-by-case pastoral strategy. His attention to detail in interactions with those for whom he was responsible is important to note.

In our day, ministry has been professionalised. We adopt a model of church life from the corporate sector, we create distinct spheres of work, family and leisure, and we create a cadre of leadership distant from the congregation. Our leaders are visionaries and public speakers, perhaps imitating stand-up comedians or talk-show hosts, with lives opaque to pastoral accountability. Edwards may well have maintained some of the social decorum attributed to his ministerial responsibilities in a deferential world, but alongside this he gave himself generously to those whom he was training. He wrote to Bellamy disclosing details of the settlement of his salary, speaks of Bellamy as being ‘one of the most intimate friends that I have in the world,’ and frequently invites him to come and stay at their home. In observing Edwards’s life, his mentorees learnt not only the art of theological discourse, but self-sacrifice and self-denial as well, in contrast to the “complacency and worldliness” of many other clergy of their day. In making reference to 1 Thessalonians 2, Edwards describes the church as “our mother.” He comments that “[t]his is also a lively image of the care that the church, especially the ministers of the gospel, should have of the interest of Christ committed to their care.” Edwards broadens our expectation of pastoral leadership, and encourages us to share our lives with those we train.

Edwards draws attention to the nature of Christ’s mentoring as an intentional programme of training individuals for the ministry, which Edwards as clergy from time to time fulfils, and the importance of discipling, teaching believers the necessary attitudes and skills to learn from and follow Christ, which he exemplifies. He achieves both, given that Edwards’s mentorees excelled in their ability to sustain both organisationally and pastorally the movement which he began. His strategic foresight is set before us as a noble aspiration.