A Christian Chronicle

I've Moved!!

2010-11-10T18:00:00.000Z

Hi there,

This will be the last time I post on this site. I've moved my blog over to http://mychristianchronicle.wordpress.com/

Especially to those on the email list, you will need to head over to the new site and subscribe to continue receiving the articles in your inbox. This will mean that those of you who are sick of reading me can just not bother - but those of you who (strangely) want to, will have to headover and subscribe yourselves.

I hope you like the new site.

Arron

Essay Concerning Head Coverings in 1 Corinthians 11

2010-11-09T22:25:00.000Z

This post was originally a letter to a brother who had enquired about this matter after listening to some talks on the subject from a brethren gentleman name Mike Attwood that he had found convincing. My response to the messages has formed this essay, which is below for your reading. It's lengthy, and sometimes technical. I hope that you find it useful in starting to get to grips with this subject.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just finished listening to those message from Mike Attwood a few minutes ago, and I have to confess myself still unconvinced by his arguments. It's probably the most orderly defense of the practice that I've heard, but I think he also speaks very (too?) forthrightly for a subject that is very controversial, precisely because it is nowhere as simple as our brother seems to think it is. His tag line is an almost accusatory idea that there are no solid arguments on the opposing side of this argument to his. Some of the arguments he's made have made me search quite deeply into the Scriptures, because some of them are strong. But I am not convinced by them, after further study.

Two brief comments before I say anything further.

I certainly believe, as he stated, that the Bible is intended for everybody, and not just for the "evangelical intelligentsia" of this world. But I also believe it is as the Westminster Confession put it:

"All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all (2 Pet. 3:16); yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them (Ps. 119:105, 130)."

This section of Scripture, in my mind, falls very firmly into the category of being "not alike plain, nor alike clear unto all" as John 3:16 is. There are big issues of translation, as well as interpretation involved in this passage, and so I approach anybody who thinks they've got a monopoly on this section of Scripture with caution, because the debate does extend much further back across the span of church history than just to the middle of the last century.

A second thing would be that this is a looonnngggg email. It would be very difficult for me (or anyone!) to respond to nearly 2 hours worth of vocalized bible teaching in just a few bullet points, so I ask for your patience with the length of this email. It might be good to print it out and read at your leisure from a comfortable chair with an Earl Gray and a Chocolate Digestive rather than try to wolf this down in one sitting at the screen - if for the sake of your eyes and neck as much as the quality of your understanding of the arguments! Mike's argument was detailed, so I want to be detailed in my response to it.

I'll also try to be clear and un-technical, but bear with me and be patient if I become hard to follow (as I almost inevitably will!). Sadly, this passage is a difficult one and it cannot be rightly divided without serious thought, appeal to the original context of the hearers and a careful study of the language used in the Greek. I will try to make my references to these things as un-academic as possible for the sake of your stomach! This passage does not look good when it's wearing English clothes and thought, which is why it is only one section in the whole of the New Testament, and not a matter upon which salvation depends.

I didn't take notes very systematically, because I found myself questioning quite a lot of what he said, both in big terms and in his general approach to the issue. I've got five A4 pages of notes, and they're all very scribbly. So, I'm going to try and write something more ordered and readable for you, seeing as everything is to be done "decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:40) :P

Launching in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.....

First, let me say a word or two about the difficulty in translating this passage (the passage in question being the one he preached on, from 1 Cor. 11:2-16). I think our brother Mike Attwood is somewhat led to his conclusions and restricted in his view of the impact of Paul's culture upon what the passage means by his obvious commitment to the King James Version. A whole other essay could be written on how unhelpful this kind of translation-superiority complex is, and so I won't say anything further on it than to say this: the King James was a great translation for it's time, and was remarkably faithful given the resources available to it's translators - but it is absolutely, and unequivocally NOT a superior, more spiritual, or more accurate Bible than the more modern translations such as the NIV, ESV, NASB and so on. I've got absolutely no time for people who build a case for the King James Bible, and at the same time, react strongly against scholarly pursuit of translatory excellence. Such views are foolish and warped, and distract from Jesus Christ, the sum total of our faith's reward. I don't know if our friend is in the "King James Only" camp, but he certainly favors it in a day when it has been convincingly surpassed. Perhaps one good reason that this practice of head covering found a larger group of dissenters from it in the middle of the last century (not to say it didn't always have them) was that there was an explosion of new found manuscript evidence and Greek translation that shed a lot of light on how difficult this passage really is. When all you have is the KJV to look to, it seems straight forward - when you look a little wider, the question becomes much more difficult to answer as to what Paul is really talking about.

The passage contains some ambiguous words that may not mean what the KJV translates them to mean (and our friend seems to understand them to mean) and it also contains some words that are exclusively found here in the entire NT, and so we should be careful about strong conclusions on their meaning, especially if we are listening to people who reject a wider scholarly opinion on the text of Scripture.

The first word of note is the word "gyne" (Guy-Nay). It's a word that the KJV translates as "woman" throughout this entire passage. My ESV bible indicates with a footnote that the word "gyne" also means "wife" and the only way to tell which it means is the context of the statement. As such, we've already encountered one significant difficulty with his position - if Paul is dealing with husbands and wives in the church, then he is not dealing with women in general. The statement that "the head of woman is man" (as the KJV puts verse 3, and our friend insists) is not true! The only time that a man is the head of a woman is when she is his wife (or maybe his daughter also). Peter for example says, "Wives, be subject to your OWN husbands" (1 Pet. 3:1). Paul does establish a unilateral superiority of all men over all women (as Mr. Attwood eventually pointed out), but the translation of the word "gyne" as woman throughout would lead you to think that this was so.

The second problem is two words that are linked - "akatakaluptoi" and "kephales kata echon". These words are translated almost universally amongst English bibles as "uncovered" and "covered". To translate it such is, I'm afraid to say, an interpretation and not a translation. When translating, one is always tempted to give a word that "explains" a phrase, rather than translates. Such a thing is helpful, if you "explain" it correctly. Part of my reason for believing that the central issue here is appearance and hair styles in the distinction of gender, and not the covering of heads with material, is that these two phrases may not mean "uncovered" and "covered", when they literally say "to have nothing down on the head" and "having something hanging down from the head". Now, those phrases could almost certainly be taken to mean hair, rather than a material covering - the only time the word for a material covering (an entirely different word, the noun "peribalion") appears in this passage is when Paul says, "her hair is given her for a covering"! Hardly convincing to say it has nothing to do with hair, when he hasn't used the word for a material covering at all in this passage. Mike says that taking it that way creates difficulties in verses 4 and 6, which I'll deal with now.

Firstly, it only creates difficulty to say that the covering is hair, if you translate it "covering" and not "thing hanging from head". So verse 4, literally would read, "Every man who prays or prophesies with something hanging down from his [physical] head, dishonours his head [that is, God]." In which case, Paul is saying that every man who shows up to church looking like a woman with long flowing locks is a dishonour to God - of which there is no confusion! So I don't agree that there is difficulty with this verse if you take covering to be hair, because the word "cover" is not the verb "to hide" but the description "to have hanging down from head".

Something similar occurs with verse 6. Look at the King James and my own literal translation parallel with one another, where I've underlined the entirely possible and alternate translation:

"For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered." (KJV)

"For if a wife will not have hanging down from her head then she should cut her hair off. But since it is a shame for a woman to cut her hair or shave her head, let her have hanging down from her head." (My own translation)

Obviously my translation is a little stilted and hard to read, because it's literal - that's the chief problem faced in all translation between languages as different to one another as Greek and English. But what it does show is that when taken as literally as possible, the difficulty Mike points out disappears - because rather than saying that Paul is commanding women who won't cover their heads to shave, Paul is saying something like, "If a wife won't have long hair (i.e., look like a woman, as I'll make clearer shortly) then she might as well chop the lot off and look like a bald bloke! But since that would be disgraceful, let her maintain her long hair".

Now, I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with his emphasis upon headship - only disliking his seeming to make it as all men to all women, rather than husbands to wives. Headship is an under-taught, under-practiced doctrine of Scripture (which has MANY more verses teaching it than just these ones) because male church leaders are afraid of feminists. I appreciated his godly emphasis upon this central matter to the church and to the home. And that, not the issue of material head coverings, is the point of this passage. Paul is anxious to maintain clear gender division in church, because there was not clear gender division in his original culture, where homosexuality and feminism (yes, feminism is much older than the 60's) had emasculated the men, and corrupted the women. Mike's idea that Paul is trying to reverse the Jewish way of doing things (men covering heads) is simply a complete falsity, because Jewish men in Paul's day didn't wear Kippahs to pray, or cover their heads at all, that practice came in during the 2nd Century. Corinth was a mixed city, where Jews were certainly a minority, and it was in fact a common pagan practice for men to cover their heads during prayer with the rolls of their togas. This is the only piece of evidence that to my mind, might mean that Paul is talking about a physical covering - but even then, it would make the point "don't pray in a pagan manner", rather than "make sure there's nothing on your head".

Regardless of this, I still don't think Paul is talking about physical head coverings anyway. His point is that wives shouldn't looks sexually available, women shouldn't look like men, and men shouldn't look like women - the church is a place where gender is understood and appreciate joyfully, not mixed, marred, blurred and ignored like it is in the world both of Paul, and of today.

Mike's very cavalier comments about it not being the culture in Corinth of the day for women to cover their heads is both true and false - it's true in the sense that there was no obligation for all women to wear head coverings, but it's false in the sense that it was expected of a married woman to have some kind of outward display of being married, usually taking the form of a neat and un-distracting hairstyle, or a kind of bonnet worn over the hair, but not the face (not unlike the dress of some Muslim women today). Written and archaeological evidence for this is far too staggeringly large for me to believe that Mr. Attwood has taken very much time to delve with any kind of accuracy into 1st Century Corinth. Suffice to say this: those scholars without a head covering agenda almost entirely agree that the issue is that for a married woman to appear in public with her hair or head-dress communicating availability and independence was bringing a reproach upon her husband, and the gospel. I do not find Mr. Attwood's arguments in this area convincing, nor his scholarship to be very respectable.

His assertion that "all denominations" up until the 20th century believed in and practiced head covering in the manner that he does is a claim I find outrageously under-supported. His quote from "the early Church" came from an essay by Tertullian - an essay that was about how women who wanted to stay virgins forever to cover their head always, to display they are married to Christ, and not available! He completely twisted what the author was saying to his own ends. As he claimed the allegiance of a list of worthies like Matthew Henry, I checked Henry's commentary for myself and found that his closing remarks on this section place Mr. Henry of my persuasion, and not that of Mr. Attwood!

"The woman, on the other hand, who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head, namely, the man, v. 3. She appears in the dress of her superior, and throws off the token of her subjection. She might, with equal decency, cut her hair short, or cut it close, which was the custom of the man in that age. This would be in a manner to declare that she was desirous of changing sexes, a manifest affectation of that superiority which God had conferred on the other sex. And this was probably the fault of these prophetesses in the church of Corinth. It was doing a thing which, in that age of the world, betokened superiority, and therefore a tacit claim of what did not belong to them but the other sex. Note, The sexes should not affect to change places."

Notice that Mr. Henry believes the central issue to be gender confusion, not head coverings, and understands the covering to be an issue of the culture in the following section:

"Now, believe evil angels will be sure to mix in all Christian assemblies, therefore should women wear the token of their shamefacedness and subjection, which in that age and country, was a veil."

The clincher for me was when Mr. Henry clearly equated a covering with hair in this section:

"Judge in yourselves—consult your own reason, hearken to what nature suggests—is it comely for a woman to pray to God uncovered? Should there not be a distinction kept up between the sexes in wearing their hair, since nature has made one? Is it not a distinction which nature has kept up among all civilized nations? The woman’s hair is a natural covering; to wear it long is a glory to her; but for a man to have long hair, or cherish it, is a token of softness and effeminacy.’　’ Note, It should be our concern, especially in Christian and religious assemblies, to make no breach upon the rules of natural decency."

The King James has no mention of hair in that verse - and yet Mr. Henry speaks about hair. I find Mr. Attwood's cavalier comments on the position of Matthew Henry (a most venerable and beloved commentator even today) to be a general indication of the reliability of his comments on all matters concerning the historical background and cultural understanding of Paul's original audience, through whom we must read this section, in case we make it mean what it might mean if I wrote it to you, rather than if Paul wrote it to 1st Century Corinth.

I find this comment from David E. Garland (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) to be a good summary of the tension between the original culture and the eternal valid:

"...Paul’s instructions are tied to cultural norms that are relative and that literal obedience is not required to be obedient to God’s word, [but] one does need to bridge the contexts to discern what is eternally valid. Paul’s concern that Christians honor sexual decorum in worship and avoid what a culture deems to be suggestive attire is a broadly applicable, though elastic, concept. He is not trying to repress women and to restrain their expression of spiritual gifts but to impress on them the need to project modesty and virtue in their dress."

If it has been so universal for Christians everywhere to practice head coverings, what does Mr. Attwood make of the fact that the reformers all wore hats whilst preaching to stop them catching cold? Or that Anglican ministers in the 17th and 18th century wore wigs as a standard uniform of their office, much like judges today? Mr. Attwood is simply incorrect in this assertion.

The idea that it's somehow wrong or unspiritual, or contrary to God's intentions for us to need to look wider in the history of the New Testament era to understand the harder texts of scripture, is to my mind, ridiculous. To say that we cannot inform our interpretation of Scripture with historical study of the culture into which it was spoken is akin to saying that we can only judge the bus times by the timetable, and not by the weather, the traffic and the fact that buses are usually late. God inspired the Bible in Greek and Hebrew, not English. He wrote it through Paul, to the Corinthians, not through an Englishman to another Englishmen. We deprive ourselves of very useful tools that will ultimately bring us closer to God when we suggest that such things ought not to be practiced. This section is a single section, in a single letter, that is very complicated to fit into the English language with any comfort. This is not a "build your life upon it" section.

But if it scripture that our brother desires, here are some scriptural arguments.

One scriptural argument against our brother's teachings might be this: If males heads are not to be covered in the presence of God during worship, why is that the Mosaic Priests were never permitted into God's presence without their heads covered? If this issue of men not covering their heads is so central to the Angels understanding us, and to obeying an eternal rule of God, how does Mr. Attwood explain that Aaron and all priests after him were commanded by God to wear hats (Ex. 28:40, 29:9, 39:28, Lev. 8:13)?

In the section itself, Paul addresses coverings for "women who pray and prophesy". If in Mr. Attwood's assembly women are forbidden to do either, why do they need head coverings at all, as they cannot participate in either of the things Paul says they need a covering to do?

If Mr. Attwood's idea that "only the glory of God should be seen in the assembly, and therefore women should cover their heads", then it's more true that women shouldn't even turn up to church, as it is a whole woman, not just her hair, who is the glory of man (v7)! This argument sounds rhetorically convincing because he is a good orator, not because it is scripturally sound.

Finally (with regards to Angels), I have noticed other Brethren men enjoying this idea of Angelic presence at church meetings, and I believe it is a scriptural one. However, their presence is meant to promote dignity and propriety, not because the Angels get confused if women don't cover their heads. Angels indeed aren't God, but they aren't stupid - they're more intelligent and powerful than we are, as the sway and power of Satan, himself an angelic being, demonstrates. You or I could not deceive the nations against Christ, yet Satan can. The Angelic presence is always a presence fearful and terrifying, not one of friendly, wingéd creatures somewhat akin to spiritual pets. In almost every example, the presence of an angel brings terror to those who are aware of it, not a condescending need to explain things to them. Angels come to meetings of Christians, not because our meetings are more wondrous than the throne room of God (which Mr. Attwood accidentally implies) but because they have work to do amongst us, in ministering to us mysteriously (Heb. 1:14). They know who the Elect are, if they are sent to minister to them, and need no headgear to be sure the names of those written in the Lamb's Book of Life. They aren't babies with wings and halos - they are powerful spiritual beings that engage in mysterious work and battle that we know little to nothing of us, that we might not indulge in vain curiosity, as our friend's doctrine on this verse almost falls into. This is one verse, that doesn't even offer an explanation of itself - we ought not to build whole doctrines on single verses, lest we also start baptizing each other for the dead, as Mormons do (1 Cor. 15:29).

I think in conclusion my position has remained unchanged. I do not find our brother's arguments as convincing as they sound upon more thorough examination. He is a gifted orator, and that lends a weight to his arguments that in reality is not present. I would urge you to think over these matters carefully, and remember that "not all things are alike plain, or alike clear unto all", as the Westminster Confession reminded us at the beginning of this lengthy email. If nothing else, I hope this email slows you down from adopting an extreme position very quickly by making you aware that there is a significantly larger and more complex debate on this section of Scripture that Mr. Attwood has made you aware of.

The simple answer to the most obvious meaning of the passage is this: Paul wants Christians not to blur gender distinctions, not to ignore gender roles, and to ensure modesty in the context of their meetings. That is all that can be attained for absolute certain, as it is taught in other passages (1 Tim. 2).

I close with the words of the Apostle:
"The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions." (1 Tim. 1:5-7).

Your slave in the Scriptures for the sake of Christ, and the faith of God's Elect,

Arron

Letters on Ecclesiology and Church Membership part 2

2010-11-02T16:39:00.000Z

Hi there,

Below is the latest exchange between a dear brother and I on the issue of Ecclesiology and Church Membership. My replies are in italics, and his are in quotation marks. I have placed contextual explanations in square brackets.

Love in Christ,

Arron

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nobody chooses such a course [disfellowshipping from an evangelical church], but where artificial barriers are erected, in this case that of the 'church membership' issue, then on grounds of biblical conviction I could not agree. It must be stressed however that my opposition, as for many others who leave institutional churches, is not directed to or against brethren and sisters in Christ personally ... but rather it is a case of dissenting from an entrenched and unreformed system. Church membership? The NT teaches us clearly that we are to receive one another as Christ himself has received us - plus or minus nothing. (Rom. 15:7). That is the nub of the issue.

Romans 15:7 seems to be commenting on personal treatment of one another - a literal, physical, "shake of the hand" welcome, rather than speaking about ecclesiological qualification. I don't really see how this scripture reference is somehow supposed to invalidate the modern mechanism of a church membership system. As a system, it's designed to establish accountability, provide oversight, and make public a commitment to perform the "one anothers" of Scripture in each others lives. It's very useful in a modern world where church bodies often need to have formal membership to access things like becoming registered charities, and other such formalities. It's not an attempt to add something to the Gospel, or to forbid fellowship with certain kinds of people - but simply to set boundaries of numeracy around who has committed publically to the community, and who hasn't. Thoughts?

I think your word 'divisive' in relation the the mag is significant. I would say this is far from the case. Like beauty, divisiveness is in the eyes of the beholder. ST material may be provocative, but that is not a bad thing of necessity. It can only be 'divisive' within a closed system where any suggestion of open discussion, suggestions, ideas are closed down, but that is entirely alien to the spirit and letter of the NT.

I'm not sure that would be a good way to describe the current evangelical attitude to views like the ones help by Jon Zens. You're certainly right that the discussion is not a bad thing (infact, a good thing! Semper Reformanda!) but it should be done in the context of the community. The idea that open discussion, suggestion and ideas are closed down at the fellowship in question is simply inaccurate - much about that gathering of believers, including the way they gather, has changed over the years and continues to change. But these things take time. What matters firstly, and most centrally, is the Gospel of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. To make this issue of ecclesiological particulars important enough to stop meeting with a local fellowship of believing worshippers of Christ, seems at least at first glance to almost certainly be a step towards division rather than unity. Perhaps it's true that the material shouldn't have been taken from the back - but if so, that ought to be opened up and discussed, and the leaders of the church be given opportunity to explain their actions. "Do not entertain an accusation against an Elder except on the testimony of two or three witnesses."

The church is the "pillar and ground of the truth" , not the defender of evangelical tradition! In order to maintain a traditional status quo the Word of God can be set aside (Mark 7:9), and the latter can then become irrelevant and threatening. We must be prepared to accept and come to grips with truth from any source, for all truth is God's Truth. The way to avoid any hint of unwelcome division therefore is to engage in an open dialogue and discussion of issues that may come before the church - not to proscribe them. Surely that is the whole point of having open participatory bible studies, seminars, house groups etc, so that the church can advance to fulfill Christ's will and purpose as Paul sets out in Ephesians 4?

Brother, I heartily amen such a statement. But I want to err on the side of caution, because I'm not convinced that a particular approach to ecclesiology is mandated by scripture in an absolute way. Certain essentials are indeed laid out (the centrality of the Word of God, mutual participation, authority and order) but the church is free to meet in a variety of different formats - whether we meet simply to pray (Acts 12:12), simply to listen to one particularly gifted teacher (Acts 19:9) or for a time of open sharing and mutual edification (1 Cor. 14). At the moment, our church practices all of those! We meet in home groups every third week, to pray every Wednesday and for larger gatherings on Sunday, morning and evening.

The question of who has 'authority' in the church is a big issue which perhaps may best be left to another post. However, suffice to say at this point that authority in the NT sense does not reside in elders alone, or in the church alone but in Christ, who rules by His Spirit and through the Word. Congregations have an authority to carry on kingdom affairs in line with Christ's Word. The commonly held idea that authority belongs only to a segment of the church (i.e. the pastor, or elders, & etc) has no basis in Scripture, for it belongs under Christ to the whole assembly. Acts may not be prescriptive as you say, but in this respect it certainly provides many examples of how the early church actually operated in making collective decisions, and conducting church affairs. It was always corporate. The NT was after all, with a couple of minor exceptions, written to churches, and not in one instance to elders!

Brother, please. You know that I was in no way suggesting that Jesus Christ is not the Lord of His Church, holding all authority, glory and power. It's true that in the New Testament, a collective authority exists in the whole congregation of believers (such as in public church discipline á Matthew 18). But that doesn't mean that Elders aren't "rulers" (1 Tim. 5:17) who we are to "submit to" (Heb. 13:17). Authority is not their alone, but their authority is an authority over the congregation, under Christ. They themselves play a role in commissioning others into church leadership, along with the congregation (1 Tim. 4:14). Peter even urges the younger to "be subject" to the Elders! (1 Pet. 5:5) Strong language indeed. These men bear a particular responsibility for the instruction of the believers, and the protection of the doctrinal purity of the church (Tit. 1:9). Surely this evidence shows that what Martin Luther called "an ethical service amongst spiritual equals" is still a role that hold an authority over the congregation. Again, thoughts?

Letters on Ecclesiology and Church Membership, part 1

2010-11-01T13:39:00.000Z

Hi there,

So I'm carrying on a discourse over email with a friend of mine, discussing issues of church membership and ecclesiology - I thought it might be good to open it up on here, and just let others view for the sake of their own thought. The first letter my friend sent was a bit to personal to publish, but I'm putting up part of my reply, and all relevant parts of his further replies, as they come in.

Enjoy - and think hard for the glory of God.

Arron

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ecclesiological differences, it saddens me that you have seen to fit to part fellowship with them over this issue. No ecclesiological position has all the answers to my mind - and I don't think that the accounts in the book of Acts are supposed to be prescriptive, so I think I'll maintain (for the moment) my opinion that a church gather that has some problems and could do with being more open than it is, is certainly better than no church gathering at all. With regards to church membership, I think I'll probably stay where I was the last time we spoke on this issue - I agree that the modern concept of a physical list of church members isn't an exegetical one, but I don't think that that means it is prohibited by scripture - I advocate the normative, rather than the regulative principle. Church Membership actually happens at salvation (where we all become "members" of Christ) but practically it happens in active participation, where we join with a local community of Christians whenever (and however) they gather, to do the "One another's" of Scripture, with brethren. I'm happy to listen to your views on these things, but that little paragraph will help you understand where I'm currently at. ... I am [not] against the discussion, [and I do not] think any view should be censured - but [what if Elders believe that making this issue the primary one is divisive behaviour? we] are to submit to them, that their work may be a joy. Can I ask how you think biblical eldership and church authority can remain intact, if individuals don't commit to a community through a covenant, and submit to the general direction of the community and it's leaders?

I hope you are well - I have thought of you since our parting, and have a love for you in the Lord - May He increase peace and blessing towards you, as together we all strive to be more like Jesus.

Love in Him,

Arron

How Strange Indeed!

2010-10-29T10:16:00.000+01:00

This is my latest lyrical offering. Enjoy. :-)

[verse 1]
How strange indeed! That He who made the heavens,
Should there beneath be killed, no, crucified.
For us He pleads, condemned, unworthy rebels,
pierced for us too: four limbs and wounded side.

[bridge 1]
But this is all His Father's will,
Cut off for sins we're sinning still.

[chorus]
But O this death is life fulfilled!
For by it death itself is killed!
We're raised with Him, and welcomed in; His Father's house our homeland now.

[verse 2]
So then we live, empowered by The Spirit
That Jesus sent, our heavenly comforter.
He gives us faith and keeps us walking in it,
Sin to prevent and love for Christ to stir.

[bridge 2]
And this is all His Father's will;
Renewed each day, believing still.

[Repeat Chorus]

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing - Questions of Conscience

2010-10-29T08:17:00.000+01:00

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

-- Romans 14:17

I've been thinking a little recently about our tendancy to make other things, which are not central to the Christian Gospel, of greater worth and importance than they ought to be. This scripture is one that I've been chewing over with relation that to that topic.

The context is that some believers at Rome have been disputing about eating meat sacrificed to idols. Those who are "weak in faith" are having problems eating certain kinds of meat (Rom. 14:2) - probably in the context, meat sacrificed to pagan deities. Paul most definitely identifies this position of being unable to eat such food as "weak", but certainly does not condemn those who hold that position therefore. His position is that the truth is that no food are unclean (14:20) but that if by eating such food the individual believer feels or believes himself defiled, he must never eat such things(14:23). I believe he also applies this question of conscience to the Jewish Sabbath day in verse 5. Some believers (probably Jews) wanted to keep the Sabbath (by which I mean Saturday) and some believers saw no need for any distinction between days (probably gentile believers). Paul condemns neither, and neither should we.

You see what matters for Paul here is the purity of the individual believer's conscience. If the individual in question feels or believes him or herself unclean by a certain practice (such as eating meat sacrificed to idols, not keeping the 6th day set apart as a Sabbath, etc.) then they ought to do what is appropriate for the purity of the conscience. The problem of course is the same one that we have today - judging one another.

In verses 13-16, Paul makes a few things clear. Firstly, that he himself (as an inspired apostle and author of Scripture) does not believe that any food is unclean in itself. He also believes that it is unclean for anyone who thinks it is - because it defiles their conscience, not because it is in itself unclean. But the thing that Paul is really burdened about is that no-one should wrong their brother in these matters that are not the main point. Those who are free to eat meat sacrificed to idol ought not to go around waving halal burgers in the faces of former muslim converts who can't get their consciences to let them eat pork - even though they are definitely wrong! And conversely, those who believe it "spiritual" not to eat such meats ought never to insist upon such practices from others, when none less than God Himself through the mouths of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter has declared all food clean - not just kosher foods.

Because the Kingdom of God is not about food! That's Paul's point. It is about righteousness - living in love for one another and for God, in such a way that our lives are transformed from the inside out and made living testimonies to God's Grace. It's about peace - peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ that filters out into unity and peacefulness with one another, that the world may truly know that there is a God in the Church. And it's about joy! Joy in the all satisfying majesty of God, joy in the powerful working of His Grace to make all (human) things new! It's about the overwhelming beauty of the Atonement, and that fact that it achieves for us an eternity of rejoicing ahead - free of all need of human effort!

When we make our secondary issues - be they views on the millenium, views on the Sabbath, views on education, views on the charismatic gifts, views on worship and music, views on church planting and all other such that the Scripture does not lay down concrete rules for - when we make these things the main focus of our lives and thoughts, we will slowly and almost imperceptibly start to shrivel up and die, spiritually - because "it is good for the heart to be strengthened by Grace, not by foods" (Heb. 13:9).

Let's keep Grace the centre. Christ the focus. God the Reason.

Let's keep the main thing the main thing.

Looking Unto Jesus,

Arron

Grace: The God Who Does It All - Ephesians 2:8-10

2010-10-15T13:33:00.001+01:00

Grace: The God Who Does It All – Ephesians 2:8-10

What is it that you suppose Grace to be? What is Grace? We talk about “Grace” a lot as Christians – when we eat meals we often “say grace” at the table. What does that mean? We might say that a godly believer we know has “much grace”. Sometimes we say, “We're saved by Grace”. I can quite imagine one small sunday school attender replying, “Saved by Grace? I thought we were saved by Jesus! Who's Grace, and where do I find out more about her?”

But we do use this word a lot, and very rarely do we take time to slow down and biblically define what we mean by the word “grace”.

We talk about Grace like it's a substance. We refer to it sometimes almost as if it were like a separate thing from God Himself. But as one minister I heard speak rightly remarks, “whenever we say “the Grace of God” surely we mean “the God of Grace”.

You God's Grace is not a substance he sort of “oozes”, it's an expression of His Character. To say that “We are saved by Grace” means really, “We are saved God acting in a gracious way towards us.” Grace is God Himself acting powerfully from His nature of Kindness.

So that naturally leads on to the question – what does Grace do? If it's God's expression of Kindness, what is being expressed for, what results does it produce, what does God achieve by doing this? We're asking not only the Why of Grace by the How. Was God simply dwelling in eternity, and then became bored? And so He decided to create human beings upon whom He pours His gracious love? Is He Kind towards us because He sees that we deserve it from our goodness and loveliness? Or is it perhaps as I suspect, that there is something far deeper, far richer to God's Grace that we first imagine when we so easily use the word?

It's my intention this morning to study the text read to you from the book of Ephesians. I'll be focussing on verses 8-10, and we're going to look at a definition and description of God's Grace, through three lenses that this text provides for us.

God's Grace expressed in three ways teaches us many interesting things about what and why Grace is what it is, and does what it does. These three looking-glasses into the nature of Grace found in our text are:

Salvation (v8)
Faith (v8)
and Good Works (v10)

And so we will look at how God's Grace is involved in each of those things, and then try, God willing, to draw some conclusions about what and why the New Testament says so much about God's Grace.

Before I jump in, I want briefly to say that I feel a tremendous sense of inadequacy in trying to bring very much insight to this text of scripture and it's subject. It is well trodden-ground, but holy soil nonetheless. And so my prayer is God would use my love for you, and the meditations of my heart, to awaken you freshly this morning to the wonder, and beauty of Himself in His Grace.

Salvation

So our text reads in verse 8, “For it is by Grace you have been saved.” The word “saved” is the passive verb form of the word “salvation”. To have been saved is to have received salvation. So the passage in front of us attributes our being “saved” to Grace.

If we're seeking to understand Grace – what it is, and what it does and why it is and does those things, then we ought to think about “what is this salvation that it provides.”

To be “saved” in the New Testament sense of the word is a very profound thing. Tied up in are senses like “rescue from a terrible fate”, “Deliver from judgment”, “keep safe from harm”, “profoundly benefit and bless” - it's a word often used to describe the deep and powerful change that takes place in a person's heart when they become a Christian. We often say don't we, “Before I was saved...” or we say, “He or She has been saved.” We recognize when we use that word that it describes some kind of radical change in and surrounding a person's life.

To be saved is firstly to be delivered from the coming judgment of God. If it God's mercy that pities us, it is God's Grace that pardons us. God graciously and in infinite kindness saves human beings from the terrible fate that awaits them if they carry on and die in their sins. If humans die without having coming to faith in Jesus Christ, God will devote eternity to pouring out His wrath upon them.

If you're a visitor here this morning, or you're not a Christian, don't take me to be some fear monger. I'm not a sycophant getting kicks out of talking about Hell, I share the terrible truth of it with you from the anguish of my heart. Hell exists because Sin does – God is a God of justice and who always does what is right – wouldn't it be a terrible thing if the God of the Universe, the Judge of Every Man, weren't a good judge, but a bad one? Imagine if God simply let evil go unpunished. It would taint the whole universe with a terrible sense of injustice and wrongness. God can't just let the bad things that humans do to Him, and to each other, slide. There must be a punishment.

The problem that then presents is that all humans do bad things. Nobody in here is free from sinfulness, and if you think you are, you're not only sinful but self-deceived. Earlier on in this same chapter we read,

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sin in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.”

Notice these words, “the course of this world”, “sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived”, “we were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind”. This problem of sinfulness is a deeply human problem. Sin isn't just the worst things humans can do, it's the little things – it's unkindness, lack of compassion, lying, gossiping, slandering, disobeying parents, and all other manner of unrighteous and wicked things – because of these things, the wrath, the angry punishment of God is coming.

But it says in our text that Christians have been saved from all that, and they have been saved by Grace.

Grace then, it would appear from our passage, gives us things we don't deserve, free. Grace can't be said to be earned, if it saves humans from a fate that they thoroughly deserve. Grace must be unmerited kindness, undeserved love and mercy that humans receive from God.

Grace isn't just then the power to save ourselves, as Roman Catholicism teaches. It's not a substance or power that we sort “receive” and then are empowered to deliver ourselves from God's judgment through human effort. No, Grace is the free, total and intentional pardon of God from His coming judgment.

That's one of the things that makes Grace, Amazing. You ever wonder why Christians write so many songs about Grace? But it comes to us, completely unmerited and undeserved – far from it, we actually deserve punishment and destruction – and it saves from the Hell that awaited, and saves in order that we might receive everlasting joy and bliss instead!

It does all of this through Jesus Christ. God sends His Son, Jesus, into the world and Jesus lives the perfect life that we have failed to live, and dies the terrible death that each of us deserves to die, so that we might be freed from every facing having to do either of those things – we are freed from having to die from our sins, but we are also freed from having to earn our way to Heaven.

To be saved means that God has graciously pardoned our sin because He has punished Christ instead of us, and it means that He accepts us into Heaven, but Jesus' perfect life has been credited to our account – all His good deeds have been given to us as the basis on which we can enter Heaven.

So our first lens on Grace has shown us that it is unmerited, delivers us from God's wrath, and secures us a place with God forever in perfect happiness.

Faith

Secondly, our text says, “For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not your own doing;, it is the gift of God,”.

Now, my next statement may or may not seem a little controversial to you. I'm arguing here that this text teaches that not just salvation, but the faith with which we believe in Jesus, is a gift of God's Grace, not something we contribute to our salvation.

I'm going to make 3 arguments as why I think it means that.

My most technical argument would be that the structure of the original language tends toward viewing the words “this is not of yourselves, and especially the “this” as referring not just to salvation, as some argue, but to faith as well. Without getting unnecessarily technical this morning, suffice it to say that Greek works as a language system with Genders, and there are three – Masculine, Feminine and Neuter. Now, the word “this” is neuter, and the word “faith” is feminine.” Which is a “gender disagreement.” So if you just had that, you would have to think that “this” was referring to something else earlier in the sentence. Like “saved” maybe, as some would argue it refers to us. But “saved” is masculine – meaning there's gender disagreement there too. The upshot of it is, if Paul had meant that only the salvation was a gift of God, but the faith was something we contribute, he would have to have structured this sentence differently in the original langauge. The way this sentence is put together as least indicates that Paul is referring to both salvation and faith when he says “this not of your own doing”, lumping the whole process together as one.
My second argument is that I think the most natural way to read the text is as it referring to both salvation and faith, because the two are lumped in together as one idea. It says, “saved through faith” - that reads to me like one idea, rather than two ideas. Some would say, “Grace is God's part, and faith is ours” - and this is true in the sense that we have a responsibility to believe in Christ, and God doesn't do our believing for us – but it is untrue, in that faith is a gift, not a work. It is a more straight forward way of looking at it, I think, to say that “saved through faith” is what Paul means when he says, “this” (rather than these), showing that it's one idea, one whole thing that God gives us – salvation through faith, meaning He gives faith.
My third argument is that other texts of Scripture teach the same thing. One example would what Jesus says in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him”, or more literally, “drags him”. It's the same word used for when Peter is “dragging in the nets” full of fish. John helpfully explains that “coming to Him” means believing in verse 64 and 65 of the chapter - “But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray Him. “That is why I told you no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” So then, coming to Jesus means having faith in Jesus, and having faith in Jesus is, the Lord says, “granted” by the Father. It is a gift.

But now that I've sufficiently argued my point, of what relevance of is it to us here this morning?

It teaches us that Grace is not only unmerited, but it is powerful. God's Grace not only provides the way of salvation, but actively achieves it in our lives. When a person becomes a Christian, it is because God Himself has powerfully worked in their heart and mind to convince them of the truth and value of Jesus, but more than this, His Grace actively and effectively brings our dead souls to life by giving us faith in Christ.

That means that God saves from a personal and powerful affection for You as an individual. Each Christian was personally and individually wrought upon by God, personally brought to life and given faith in Jesus Christ, you are not just one follower of Christ among millions, you are yourself, individually, a child of God, loved by Him, whom He loved with such an everlasting love that He saw fit to step into your life, conquer your resistance and secure your eternity with Him. What cause have we ever to believe that Our Father in Heaven does not love us?

So our second lens on Grace then zooms in on the fact that Grace is powerful and in control. This grace is not just a gift that is offered – it is a power that conquers and brings to life. The old Isaac Watts hymn says,

“T'was that same hand that spread the feast,

that sweetly forced us in;

Else we had still refused to taste,

and perished in our sin.”

And that's the truth. Christ didn't come to make bad people good – He came to make dead people live. God alone gives faith, and draws us to Himself. Grace is powerful.

Good Works

Our text also says the following: “For we are his Workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

The word “workmanship” is actually the phrase “what He has made”. We are what He has made, in Christ Jesus, created for good works.

That raises interesting questions with regards to the priorities of our lives, doesn't it? If Paul can write we are created to do good works, he is stating what the meaning of our lives is, isn't he? Our mandate, our task, our goal – is service. Like our Saviour, who came “not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many”, we aren't here to build our own earthly kingdoms, or purpose our own worldly ambitions. Christian discipleship is a radical thing. We are not our own anymore – we can't live for ourselves and for our ambitions and passions, apart from what God reveals His will to be. Young people who consider going to university, often do so I believe from a sense of self-determination and self-definition, sometimes (not always) as if they were their own god!And we're all like that – we want to decide what we want to be and we want to become it. We think we're in control of our own lives! We're not!

When the New Testament calls us “servants of God”, that is far too British a way of a putting it. The Word is slave. We are slaves of God. Slaves don't have their own time, their own money, their own homes, their own anything – their entire lives are given over to performing the will of their master. And so it is with the Christian, and Jesus Christ.

The text says that our good works have been “prepared beforehand” for us to do. God really does have a plan for your life – but it is nearly never the plan that we want it to be. God gives us gifts and desires and puts us in certain places under certain leaders at certain times, and everywhere that we find ourselves, we ought to be asking, “How does God want me to do good here? What works does He have for me to perform in this place, at this time?” God doesn't do sleepy and useless – Every movement of His providential power in our lives is purposeful – He intends to use His people, everywhere they go.

But notice this very carefully from our text – it says that we are His workmanship. It does not say we are our own. We were created by Him, for His purposes, and He is the one who is shaping and molding and using us in His Kingdom. And so if we are His workmanship, that means that even our good works God prepares for us and executes through us!

What does this teach us about Grace? It teaches us that Grace is not a one time experience of salvation – it is the daily workmanship of God to make us more like Jesus. Grace is God at work in every moment to shape us into what He intends us to be, the purposes of His glory and Kingdom.

This grace is profound isn't it? It seems even more wonderful when we consider that God promises to reward Christians for their good works in Heaven. So that means that God prepares our good works in advance, enables us to perform them by His power, and then rewards us for them, as it we were the ones who deserved the praise for it! Grace is the new power at work in the life of the Christian. You see, before we were Christians, the scripture says in verse 2 of this chapter, that there was a spirit at work in us, that lead us into disobedience – we were under the influence and sway of the Devil. But now that we have been saved by Grace, through the faith He has given us, Grace is the new power at work to make us sons of Obedience, not disobedience. Grace is the power of our sanctification and service.

Conclusions

So, what conclusions can we draw from all this? If you've struggled to follow me so far, this next bit will be both simpler and deeper.

If God in His Graciousness saves us from eternal punishment, by giving us the faith through which we are saved, and then enabling us to perform good deeds in this world to His service, that means that all of your life, except for your sin, is a consequence of God's Work, not yours.

All of life is Grace. From the meals we eat, to the breath we draw and the friends we love, all comes from the unmerited kindness of God's powerful love. That is my definition of Grace – God's unmerited and powerful love.

So I leave you with three point of application to take home and chew over. How should what this grace is and what it does matter when you're at work tomorrow morning?

Learn to live in the reality of Philippians 2:12-13.

Verse 12 is our experience of every day – don't let this teaching make you think you have nothing to do! But simply remember that all that you do is from God's Work in you, and credit nothing of your goodness and service to yourself, but to God, as verse 13 teaches is the ultimate reality.

Be bold and confident in Evangelism

If God is the one who sovereignly and powerfully stepped into your life, and brought you to Himself, there is no reason He can't do for everybody you meet and know. Let your evangelism be replete and indiscriminate! Share the Gospel with absolutely everybody you can get to listen, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes! Serve and live and love and bless everyone and speak of Jesus and His grace – share the Gospel, and let God do the saving. It doesn't depend on our methods, or how persuasive we can be – the Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. Salvation happens when we scatter the seed – throwing it everywhere – and go to sleep. God is the one who makes those seeds grow – He is the one who comes to give conviction and faith and newness of life. So we can be very confident that God's mission in this world will certainly succeed.

Marvel at God

Paul says that Jesus Christ is coming back “to be marveled at among all who have believed.” (2 Thess. 1:10). And as I have studied this passage in preparing for coming to see you, I have just been exultation over the Gospel, and over the wonder of what God has done in me, and in you, if you have come to know Him. My heart's desire and prayer for you is that you would take these things away and think hard over them – that the Lord may give you understanding in everything, and that you might wonder at the beauty and gravity and glory of this Grace.

For what it is that God is trying to achieve in Salvation? Why do it by Grace? It's not because He was bored – He is entirely self-sufficient, and needs nothing, that's what it means to be God. It's not because we deserve it either – Grace is, as we've seen, by nature unmerited, undeserved, free, powerful and active everyday.

So why then does God save by Grace alone? The answer has been staring us in the face all morning in verse 9 - “not by works, lest any man should boast.”

The purpose of God, in saving by Grace, is to remove all human delusions of being boast-worthy. On the final day, when all have been judged, the wicked condemned and God's people glorified and made perfect, who will be the centre of attention? Who will be the reason for all the glory? Who shall we boast in on that day? Certainly not ourselves! And God will not share His glory with another.

The real reason that God saves by His wonderful, free and powerful Grace – is that by doing so, He is maximizes the display of His glory and perfection.

And friends, the wonder is that we are created to worship. And as we see and savour this God of extraordinary grace, we will find rest, peace, joy and happiness for our souls.

As one brother in our faith has put it, “God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him.”

In Jesus name,

Amen

The Lavish Grace and Wisdom of God

2010-10-11T10:59:00.000+01:00

Ephesians 1:7-8 say that God has lavished the riches of His grace upon us, in all wisdom and insight. I was picking at this the other day and realised that the words "lavished" and "wisdom and insight" are two halves of beautiful idea.

You see, normally speaking, when somebody does something lavishly, they are doing unwisely. If you lavish your sandwich with jam, you might find you end up with a messy face! If you give too lavishly, you can end up poorly, rather than correctly stewarding what God has given you. If a man came from work to his wife and informed her that he had just given away his entire wage for the month to a poor beggar in the street, his charity would indeed have been lavish - and he and his wife might starve for his lack of wisdom.

And let's face it - at first, the lavishness of God's Grace toward us does look unwise. Afterall, we're so very sinful! So very ungrateful for His mercy and kindness, and so desperately deserving of His derison and damnation. God seems to get very little in return for His Grace towards us - in fact, we give nothing in return! All that we are, and do, and have, is solely the product and operate of Grace.

But you see, the purpose of God's grace is not to place you in His debt. We often try and operate our obedience on a "Debtor's Ethic" (see "Future Grace" by John Piper). But the truth is that the only response God desires us to have to His grace is trust in it not payment for it. We often try to motivate ourselves by saying, "Jesus has died for me, shall I not live for Him?" On the face of it, this sounds like godliness. But it very quickly becomes a very subtle attempt to repay God for what Christ has done - as if I owe it to God to obey Him because He's saved me, and when I have obeyed, I will have "paid Him off".

Instead, God lavished His grace upon us, knowing that it would change us. It is grace itself, not a merely human attempt at responding to it, that sanctifies us. We are set free by the power of His resurrection, not by our power to resurrect ourselves. We are redeemed by the blood of His Cross, not by the sweat of our brows. "Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:3).

God's lavishness is not unwise, but wise - it is done "with all wisdom and insight", because He know that His Grace would itself produce what He requires, and not place us again under a yoke of slavery. It is Mt. Sinai that bears children for slavery - we are sons of the free woman, so let us cast out the bond woman and her son! (see Galatians 4:25-31).

So let us then rejoice in the riches of Grace - Where His Law is written is written on our hearts with love and power, not on tablets of stone with pain and death. "Bless the Lord O My Soul, and All that is Within Me, Bless His Holy Name!" (Ps. 103:1)

In Christ Jesus,

Arron

Unbelief in the Godhood of God

2010-10-02T16:21:00.001+01:00

Pride is a slippery foe. Oldest of recorded sins, it has been the enemy of true love for and worship of God from eternity past. How can a man, an angel or otherwise hope to love God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength, whilst he expends thought, action and energy on loving and exalting himself?

But we don't usually confess pride in those terms. We talk about pride as it were a small problem in our spiritual lives that needs cleaning up, but isn't worth getting hett up over - like a spiritual cold, or having not cut the toenails of your soul. But the reality is that pride is much more like a cancer - like a destructive and terrible disease that robs all other aspects of life of their value, significance, enjoyment and praiseworthiness. For something to be truly excellent, it must not only be done in an excellent manner, but done for an excellent reason, from an excellent nature. Because pride is a black, oozing sludge of spiritual death and emptiness, nothing done from it, or in it, can be spiritually valuable. When I am proud, especially of the things that I do, I actually rob myself of all usefulness altogether.

He that offers a homeless person a sandwich to stroke his ego and increase his appearance of spirituality is infact one of the lowliest, emptiest and most vile men of all - for he has not love, or care, or charity, or any of the graces and virtues he seeks to display - he is merely building the appearance of having them. Paper Maché graces will not suffice as a replacement for sanctification. It is the trueness, rightness and godward-ness of an action (seeking the manifestation of His fame, the display of His virtues and the praise of His glory) that makes something truly virtuous. Edwards writes,

"..it is evident, that true virtue must chiefly consist in Love to God; the Being of beings, infinitely the greatest and best... For as God is infinitely the greatest Being, so He is allowed to be infinitely the most beautiful and excellent; and all the beauty to be found throughout the whole creation, is but the reflection of the diffused beams of that Being, who hath an infinite fullness of brightness and glory."

-- Jonathan Edwards, "On the Nature of True Virtue"

Pride chokes all of this love to God, and replaces it with love for self. Pride is then, at root, unbelief in the Godhood of God. It is (whether loudly or silently) a screaming denial of His right to be God, to be exalted, praised, loved, adored, rejoiced in and worshipped. It is a replacement of Him for self. It is a spiritual coupe de tat.

May my God give me freedom from this most hazardous, hateful and horrible of devices, that I might be set free to rejoice in Him again.

In Christ Alone, the only (and wonderfully) sufficient grounds of justifying Grace,

Arron

I Need No Other Argument

2010-09-28T10:56:00.000+01:00

So God spent some time last night tackling and damaging my pride. Always painful; always helpful. I remember the tale of one brother who, upon feeling some discouragement and having a downcast spirit before the Lord cried out to Him and said, "Lord I'm hurting." He sensed in his spirit the Lord reply, "That's because what's hurting isn't dead yet."

That's been my experience last night and this morning in prayer. I thank God that He proves His fatherly love and affection for me by correcting me and now allowing me to persist unhindered in my sinful ways - but the battle begins afresh today. It's so hard to walk the tightrope of life and carry the promises of God in your heart as you go. So much about the wind, the difficulty of the walk, the height of the rope and the depth of the fall makes it a terrifying experience. But the truth is that we know we are secure in Christ.

"Blessed are those who's strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion."

-- Ps. 84:5-7

The picture is that pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem to Worship God in His temple are longing to be there - but the road they must travel to reach the rest of His dwelling place is littered with dangers and sadness. They go through the valley of baca (which was a valley known for it's dryness and aridity) and they find it to be filled with water. The image is debated, but I think most likely is that their tears are the cause of the flood, due to the conditions. It may also mean that even in the most difficult of journeys, God is their supply - both are true with regards to the Walk of the Christian life.

But the reality is that each one appears before God in Zion - He Himself is their strength, and keeps them walking bravely on. A long time ago when I was in another valley, I said to myself,

"I've come to see that despite the look of it, the Valley is the safest place I've ever been."

And that's the truth. Jonathan Edwards said, "God gives no sorrow, but what sorrow hath more joy in it than sorrow!" And so it is. We're never more whole than when we are broken. For, "the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

So the truth is that I am sorrowful - sorrowful at my sin, sorrowful at being a reproach on the name of Christ, sorrowful at having troubled the minds, hearts and lives of God's saint by the wickedness of my actions - but I am always rejoicing. Rejoicing that God has proved His love and not left me to my folly. Rejoicing that Christ has covered these sins and a million more besides with the blood of His Cross. Rejoicing that I am in the midst of a family of believers who loves me enough to correct me when I err. Rejoicing that the voicing of my error gives me a clearer view of my foe. Rejoicing that Jesus died for me.

I don't have to justify myself. I don't have to pretend I'm the finished article, I'm perfect in holiness, or that I'm even a good Christian. All I need is Christ Crucified. The Gospel Changes Everything.

"I need no other argument; I need no other plea.
It is enough that Jesus died;
and that He died for me!"

Love in Christ Jesus,

Arron

The Eyes of My Heart Turn to the Land of the Rising Sun

2010-09-26T22:43:00.001+01:00

This evening's service of worship at Dewsbury was a baptismal service. I always love attending baptisms. Besides just being a lovely reminder of the regenerative washing of the Holy Spirit in my own life, it's great for the whole church to see another living testimony to the Words of our God: "I am the Lord in the midst of you; a holy One, Mighty to Save."

After the meeting though, we had a visit from Sarah Mountain. Sarah is the daughter of an Elder in our church community, and she's going to be spending a year in Jordan to learn Arabic, in the hopes of being able to reach out more effectively to various Arab groups over here in the UK - she's based in (lives and works) in Leeds, teaching English as a foreign language.

But whenever somebody comes over with such an update, or I hear news of the Work of the Gospel going on overseas, the eyes of my heart always turn to the Land of the Rising Sun. My burden for Japan has stayed on my shoulders for a number of years now. Sometimes it's more intense than at other times. But I know that in my heart, I must find some way to help them. My heart wants to go there - my head argues the statistics. My heart prays for the Lord to beat the statistics - but my head still tells me it may never happen. It's certainly an interesting providence that my wife's heart has been swayed also for the needs of Japan and it's unconverted millions. Always sad when a culture has more deities than Christians. Those of you that still read this (and I know that's not many of you), do pray that the Lord would make all of this clear to us, and that we would listen wisely to the counsel of those that the Lord has set over us in our local fellowship.

Until the Whole World Hears,

Arron

The Cross is a Magnifying Glass on the Majesty of God

2010-09-16T18:39:00.001+01:00

So this is my first blog as a married man :) Feels good.

I was just reflecting on God's praiseworthiness. God is indeed supremely worthy of praise, and our vocalizing of our praise to Him is the consummation of our delight in Him. If we love things, we always vocalize that we love them, the love does not remain hidden within us. If God then be our chief delight and highest desire, His praise ought to be the dialect in which we speak of our love for Him.

God is twofold praiseworthy - firstly because of His attributes. Because God possess all excellent attributes, in the excellence thereof, He is worthy to be praised for the very nature, extent and quality of His existence. But more than this, God is praiseworthy because of His actions - not only does God possess the excellence of a gracious nature, but expresses His graciousness in acting graciously toward us. It would be no demonstration of my kindness if it merely stayed in my heart and did not extend to my hands - so also we would have no way of knowing the ultimate goodness, graciousness and mercy of God, had He not expressed it to us in our salvation. That is why it is not wrong to thank God for saving us (as some slanderously accuse Edwards of teaching), because we understand and appreciate the qualities that comprise His glory most accurately, powerfully and personally through the work of redemption. That is why I believe that in the New Creation, human praise will be sweeter, higher and fuller than the praise of Angels - because no angel has ever experienced Grace. The Cross is a magnifying glass on the majesty of God.

God is to be praise - for who He is, and what He does.

Love in Christ,

Arron

No Longer Two

2010-09-03T12:20:00.000+01:00

So by this time tomorrow, I will be married. The reality, weight and seriousness of this occasion are not lost to me. I had a nice time at our Kitchen Shower last night - I enjoyed the promises of people's prayers and their spiritual encouragments to look to Christ most satisfying - otherwise, it was an unusually gentle affair from my experience of Kitchen Showers.

Emotionally, I'm ok. I woke up this morning conscious that God's Grace is far more powerful than my weaknesses, and that He, I trust, is for us and not against us. Keeping close to Him will keep us close to each other, and set us free to turn our marriage into an avenue of service and witness, not the "ball-and-chain" that the world so foolishly believes it to be. Yes, we will lose some temporal freedom in some areas - but gain freedom in others. We might have less time for personal friendships (though of course not by any means forsaking them!) - but we will become the closest friend in each others lives. We might gain more responsibility - but with that, comes more potential for growth, and service and opening our hearts and home to those who need it.

Spiritually, I am a strange mix of solemnity and happiness. I believe we're doing the right thing - and I'm excited about what lies ahead of us. But it would improper to make vows in the presence of God and His people, as well as our family and society, without any thought to the seriousness and weight of what we are undertaking. But He gives more grace.

So I might not be blogging for awhile - and when I do, I will be a different person. A better person, by God's Grace.

When I do, we'll be no longer two.

In Jesus name,

Arron

Grace, in a World where Nothing's Free

2010-08-28T23:20:00.001+01:00

I'm pretty out of it at the minute. Been really meditating on what I'm about to enter into in getting married - really weighing heavy on me would be a tame way to say it. I believe it's the right thing for us - for she and for I - but it's still huge, we're still young, and our only hope is the prevaling power of God's Grace.

My heart's desire is just to become so lost in Jesus that I forget to think about myself. So many of my problems stem from a legalistic looking to self and a trust in what I do, rather than in what He has done, "for if righteousness could come by the Law, and then Christ died for nothing."

Been distracting myself just by thoughts of Him, dreams and ambitions of service to Him and reading great books about Him - particularly this gorgeous little letter I found in a book I have called "Galatians" by the Apostle Paul. What a pulsing vein of the blood of Christ and it's cleansing power the letter to the Galatians really is.

The freedom of the Gospel is that it's not about anything we do. Working that into my subconscious seems impossible, so I'm praying God will do it. Been totally rocked by this song:

I tried perfecting myself / Would You love me more without my mistakes? / I tried not to ask for Your help / ‘Cause I didn’twant to scare You away / Yeah, I was always worried I was going to let You down / Oh, I felt like I was standing in between the lost and found

‘Til I got to know You / I was out of place ‘til You found a way to break through; it’s true / I was just a
skeptic ‘til I got to know You (I was insecure; I had something to prove) / You (But now I know I am loved by You) //

It’s hard accepting Your grace in a world where nothing’s free / For so long, I was afraid that You’d only see the worst in me / Yeah, I was always worried You were going to figure out / That I wasn’t what You wanted, wasn’t worth being around // You have always been on my side / I finally see it / It took so long to believe it // ‘Cause I was always worried I was going to let You down /

It's by Sanctus Real from their album "Pieces of a Real Heart". The truth of free grace is just so glorious to view, and so hard to live by!

Sorry, this is a jumbled mess of thoughts. Still got more to write in the miracles series, just needed to blog.

Love in Christ,

Arron

Miracles - A Mark of Spiritual Immaturity?

2010-08-25T13:33:00.000+01:00

Yet another objection I sometimes hear from my cessationist friends is that, "In the New Testament, seeking after the miraculous is a mark of spiritual immaturity." The texts they stand on for this assessment are Matthew 12:39, 16:4 and sometimes 1 Cor. 1:22. But is that really what those texts are saying? Let's look more closely...
Matthew 12:39 and 16:4

Both of these texts make reference to the fact that "an evil and adulterous generation" is seeking after a sign from Jesus. Now, on the face of it, that seems to clinch the deal. It is evil and adulterous, spiritually speaking, to seek signs (miracles) from Christ. Right?

Wrong. Firstly, Jesus is not dealing with believers who love Him, but unbelievers who hate Him. These people are asking Jesus to jump through hoops for them, but have no intention of bowing their knees to the Lordship of Christ. In that sense, it isn't really a "sign" they are seeking at all, but a trick. They're like spoilt children who want the magician to perform tricks and then go away and stop ruining their self-centred birthday party. I would hope that such an attitude is a far-cry away from the hearts of genuine believers.

Secondly, Let's not forget that Jesus has actually already performed many signs for them! Just earlier on in Matthew 12:22, Jesus had cast out a demon in the presence of the people and the Pharisees were aware of it. They know that Jesus is a miracle worker (John 2:23-3:5), they just won't let Him be the messiah - to their damnation.

1 Corinthians 1:22

In this text, the apostle Paul makes it clear that it is Jews who demand signs, but on the contrary to that, the aspotles preach Christ crucified, rather than bow to their wishes and wants.

Now, remember the context here. Paul is writing about the centrality and sufficiency, and foolishness-to-the-world-ness of the Cross. Paul is not writing a treatise on spiritual immaturity amongst believers. The Jews who demand signs are just like the Jews in Matthew 12 and 16 - seeking tricks, not salvation. Paul is no more a party-time magician for Jewish Rabbi's that Jesus was. And as such, we shouldn't take this text to be referring to God's desire for the hearts of believers.

A Key Problem with this Argument

The reality is that the Scripture itself encourages and promotes the seeking of the miraculous amongst Christians. It always amazes me that the way the Apostle Paul begins his letter to the Corinthians is by affirming that their spiritual gifts and miraculous occurences are genuine. The tactic of many today is simply to deny that God could or would do such things amongst the spiritually immature - but in the Bible, giftedness and maturity are two entirely distinct matters of Christian practice. When I became a Christian, I very quickly discovered that I had a gift for preaching. But that didn't mean I was a mature Christian - it meant I was gifted, but lacking in wisdom. The Corinthians were a church full of pretty immature Christians - but Paul doesn't see that as meaning that the gifts they use and experience aren't genuine, or helpful. In fact, Paul very clearly encourages them to continue in their practice of them, with some corrective instruction about their proper place and use. for example:

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (1 Co 1:4–9). Standard Bible Society: Wheaton

Paul's first words regarding spiritual gifts at Corinth is a word of thanksgiving to God and affirmation of their goodness. Were I writing, I would've have been sorely tempted to tell them to cool off on the gifts altogether until they had sorted themselves out - but Paul is wiser than I, and will not malign the Grace of God. As an interesting side note, verse 7 seems to suggest very clearly that in Paul's mind, there will be no lack of any spiritual gift amongst the Corinthians until the revealing of Jesus Christ - rather than until the completion of the Canon, or the death of the last Apostle.

In Paul's section on the use and practice of the Spiritual gifts in this letter we read the following words:

"Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy."

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (1 Co 14:1). Standard Bible Society: Wheaton

There is no sustainable exegetical reason why Paul should be referring to only some of the gifts he has mentioned, and not others, when he says, "the spiritual gifts". The presence of the definite article in fact creates an entire "lumping together" of all the gifts he has mentioned so far, and all those he has not. Why then does the cessationist claim he means, "earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, apart from all the miraculous ones"? He even lists what is, I believe, a miraculous spiritual gift that is especially to be desired - the gift of prophecy. The next post in this series will be on that topic. Paul seems infact, to make it mandatory in the Christian life to seek the presence, blessing and power of Spiritual Gifts in the life of the indiviudal believer, and of the church. Is it really that cessationism is convincing? Or is it that cessationism is comfortable?

Love in Christ Jesus,

Arron

Miracles - Authentication Only?

2010-08-24T17:07:00.002+01:00

Another common argument from my cessationist friends is the idea that "Miracles were used by Jesus and His Apostles to authenticate their message. Since we now have the Scripture, miraculous spiritual gifts have ceased." Is that really a viable objection to the continuation of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit? I don't think so...

Now, this is a more nuanced issue than the first topic I looked at in this little series of articles. The reason it's more nuanced is that it's partly true. Miracles were used by God to authenticate the message of the Gospel, and the ministry of Christ and His Apostles. That's completely true. The problem is the non-sequitur that says, "therefore, since Christ and His Apostles have ceased their earthly ministries, so have the miraculous gifts." The two ideas do not follow, and are entirely distinct. This conclusion, in my opinion, incorrectly and improperly reduces the fuctional of the miraculous in the New Testament to an exclusively authenticatory role. I do not believe that this accounts for all of the exegetical data. The following is a short list of other purposes that the miraculous serves in the New Testament.

1. Fuctional

Matthew 9:35-36 displays that Jesus' miraculous ministry was motivated, at least in part, by pure compassion for those whom He came across. The people he meets are oppressed, afflicted and harassed by the devil. He simply has compassion upon them by releasing them from their sickness, oppression and torment. In this sense, the miracles that Jesus performed to them were not authenticatory - they were an end in themselves. They were a ministry. Healing is good for people - it is, and can be, and end itself.

Of course this was not the sole motivation for the miracles of Jesus - He is of course, demonstrating His power. But the point is sustained that in this text, there is more than a cold desire to authenticate Himself - Jesus Christ performs miracles for the sake of those upon and for whom He performs them.

2. Doxological

Jesus miracles are of course sometimes called "signs" - and a sign is something that points to something else. Those are the kinds of miracles that are authenticating who Jesus is. But in John 11, Jesus has another purpose for performing the resurrection of Lazarus.

Rather than just authenticating His identity, Jesus is going to perform a work in the presence of His disciples in order to give them faith (11:15). The reason He's going to raise Lazarus from the dead is in order to inspire faith in Him, not just prove who He is. But more than this, Jesus has the purpose of creating praise for God. The reason Jesus raises Him is for God's Glory (11:4). The miracle, in itself, glorified God and this is it's purpose. This reaon for miracles is also displayed in John 2:11, 9:3, and Matthew 15:29-31.

3. Evangelistic

Miracles also serve an evangelistic purpose in the New Testament, and unashamedly. In Acts 9:32-43, we have two separate miracles performed - a healing, and a resurrection. In verse 35, the result of Peter's healing is that many people believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom Peter proclaims. Nothing is mentioned of them believing Peter sent from God - but them believing the Gospel that he preached. The same occurs in verse 42, with the added exception that Peter specifically ensures no-one sees the miracle. It appears that this miracle was not used to authenticate Peter's ministry, but simply to aid the spread of the Gospel.

4. Edification of Believers

One use of the miraculous in the New Testament, and one that cessationists must overlook, is that they are given for the context of the edification of believers in the local community of believers. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul established that spiritual gifts ("manifestations", that being, the visible making known of the Spirit) are given to each believer, "for the common good" - that is, for the good of the community of believers (12:7). Paul then proceeds to lists some spiritual gifts, amongst which he includes healing, prophecy, miracles and languages. Now to my knowledge, the testimony of the history of the Church does not make it plain that there were any apostles in residence at Corinth. So why then, if these gifts are for the authentication of the Apostle's ministry, is Paul saying that these gifts are the edification of normal believers, by average believers?

The Main Problem with this Argument

The main difficulty with tthe argument that the miraculous is used only to authenticate the ministry of Christ and His Apostles, is how frequently in the New Testament other believers who are neither Christ nor His Apostles are recorded as having engaged in and been blessed by miraculous manifestations of God's Holy Spirit. Just a brief glance over the New Testament reveals that apart from Christ and His Apostles, the supernatural was experienced by:

The 70 (Luke 10:9,19-20);
At least 108 people among the 120 who were gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2);
Stephen (Acts 6-7);
Philip (Acts 8);
Ananias (Acts 9);
Prophets in Antioch (Acts 13)
Philip’s daughters / prophetesses (Acts 21:8-9)
Believers in Galatia (Galatians 3:5)
Believers in Rome (Rom. 12:6-8)
Believers in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5).

Not many of the above were Apostles, close associates of Apostles, or Jesus Christ Himself. Many ofthe miracles serve no purpose beyond themselves - that being, they did not authenticate anything, except the truth of the Gospel. Why is it then, that believers today are any different? We still have need of authenticating the Gospel. We still need the power of God's Holy Spirit at work amongst us for our edification. Why would we limit His scope and work to only the ordinary? Or is this really a question of what we are comfortable with, rather than seeking to be exegetically faithful?

So that's another reason I'm still rejecting cessationism. I feel the plight of cessationism - a desire to flee the excesses and mistakes of the larger "charismatic" scene. I do not wish at all to associate myself with much of the madness that occurs in such fellowships - but we shouldn't throw out the baby with the bath water. You can get on this bus and ride to closer intimacy with Christ if you like - you don't have to get off at Corinth.

Love in Christ Jesus,

Arron

Miracles - Rare in Israel?

2010-08-23T11:15:00.001+01:00

Been thinking about arguments against the continuation of the spiritual gifts again recently. One particular argument I hear quite frequenly from cessationists is the argument that "Miracles are clustered around three point in redemptive history - the exodus, Elijah and the coming Christ. Apart from that, they are rare."

I'm not sure I sustain that point as exegetical at all, but I'll come to that in a moment. Firstly, such an argument in no way proves that miracles are not available for the church today - it only establishes (supposedly) that miracles were rare in the life of the children of Israel (which, I do not sustain - more to follow). There is great danger in arguing from silence. There are a lot of things that happen in the lives of God's people in the Scriptures that are not recorded. For example, John writes concerning the Lord Jesus, "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book," (John 20:30). And again in 21:25, "Now there are also may other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."

The purpose of the Scriptures, in both Old Testament and New, is to be a witness and testimony to God's redemptive purposes, and to provide everything sufficient for life and godliness in the New Covenant. It is not supposed to be a detailed and entirely comprehensive account of the lives and histories of any people, in any age. Even in the New Testament, there are countless throw away phrases and sentences that reveal that there are parts of the history of the Early Church under the Apostles that we do not, and will never know (1 Pet. 5:13, 3 John 1-2, Hebrews 13:24, and so on). There are plenty of things that occur in the New Testament era that we are not given record of it. As such, it is dangerous to argue from silence that miracles only occured frequently at three points in Biblical history, without an entirely comprehensive account in biblical history. Even if the point were sustainable (which I do not believe it is), surely the fact that Israel spends much of it's history in apostasy and faithlessness could be good reason why God does not supply miraculous blessings amongst them? All this framework does is show that at times when Israel were in need of graet awakening, God used some miracles. It does not prove He used no miracles at any other time.

Secondly, I don't think it's the case that miracles were less frequent at other times in Israel's history, and simply unrecorded because of Jeremiah 32:20. Jeremiah, in prayer to the God of Israel says,

"You have shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all mankind and have made a name for yourself, as at this day."

To, this, day. Jeremiah attests that signs and wonders have been present in the life of the people of Israel from the exodus, until his day, almost a thousand years later. He recognises no cessation in their presence, nor concentration around particular prophets and events. This text really highlights the danger of arguing from silence. Just to make sure I wasn't reading that into the text, it is the common understanding of my ESV Study Notes, and the following commentators add these thoughts:

"Jeremiah then recited a summary history of Israel to illustrate God’s greatness (Deut 26:5–9). God had performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt (a reference to the plagues) and continued to perform them to the present moment. His “renown” (lit. “name”) had not diminished because he was still performing signs and wonders."

Huey, F. 2001. Jeremiah, Lamentations (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary. Vol. 16 (293). Broadman & Holman Publishers: Nashville, Emphasis Mine

“Until this day” cannot mean that the wonders continue in Egypt until this day,—still less, that their glorious remembrance continues till this day (Calvin, Rosenmüller, etc.). Just as little can we connect the words with what follows, “until this day, in Egypt and among men,” as Jerome supposed; although the idea et in Israel et in cunctis mortalibus quotidie tua signa complentur is in itself quite right. Logically considered, “until this day” belongs to the verb. וְשַׂמְתָּ וגו׳, and the construction is pregnant, as in 11:7: “Thou hast done wonders in Egypt, and hast still been doing them until this day in Israel and among other men.”

Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. 2002. Commentary on the Old Testament. (Je 32:20–22). Hendrickson: Peabody, MA, Emphasis Mine

So that's one key reason I'm still rejecting cessationism. Next one I do on this topic will probably be about the problem of reducing miracles in the NT to the authentication of the apostolic message.

Love in Christ,

Arron

Little Prayers Avail Little

2010-08-22T00:32:00.002+01:00

When Christians sin against us, it's important to remember that God has already dealt out the justice deserved for that sin upon Jesus Christ. For us to hold grudges, become bitter, or not forgive them, is in effect to say to God that we don't think that the horrific suffering of His Son was adequate for this individual's sin, and that we need to add our own little attempts at making them feel bad for it before it can really be rendered a spent conviction.

This is what comes out to me at this late our from the model prayer of our Lord Jesus, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive those indebted to us." I've been reading Andrew Murray's, "With Christ in the School of Prayer" in the evenings and he did a short exposition of the Model Prayer that Jesus gives us in Matthew 6 in the chapter I read this evening. Mr. Murray writes of the aforementioned verse,

"In each prayer to the Father, I must be able to say that I know of no-one whom I do not heartily love."

I thought that was a very convicting statement - at all times, in all prayers, to have only love, and never bitterness toward others, is no small task. What keeps you from praying down a blessing upon the difficult people in your life? What stops you from asking God to graciously bestow sweet and excellent providences upon people, other than secret embitterment with them? Searching questions for me this evening, at least.

However, I felt the author fell short of our Lord's instruction to pray after the manner of the words, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." His application was about the Kingdom of God reigning in our hearts and prayers, and Jesus Christ having mastery over our inward beings. These applications are valid enough to be allowed. But in my note pad I scribbled down this:

"This petition [Your Kingdom Come] cannot simply mean prayer for the Return of Christ and the Consummation of the Kingdom, as some have understood it. For me, I think it surely must mean that we are to ask the Father that the war-effort in this place, this outpost of His Kingdom, might be triumphant! Surely it is a prayer for the conversion of the Lost, for the repentance of the Jews and the day coming when, "The Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Rev. 11:15) ... Whilst Mr. Murray's applications to our inward spiritual life are valid, I feel he is missing the wood for trees. I cannot help but feel that this petition [Your will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven] of the Lord's Model to be controlled by the phrases, "earth", "as it is" and "heaven". How is the will of the Father done in Heaven? Totally, joyfully and without exception. Of course this must take place in us, but Christ says, "Pray it will happen in the whole world!" Why would Christ call us to pray in such a manner if firstly, it could not happen for doctrinal reasons (á lá "things can only get worse before the last days such as in premillenialism), or secondly we were not to expect God to answer this petition (á lá amillenialism, where the world cannot become entirely subdued under the faith of the Gospel before the perousia) ? Little prayers avail little; great prayers bring greatness to the Kingdom of God."

I have been much blessed in my study of this little book so far - and I think it will have many more things to bless me with before I am done with it.

Yours in the Mission of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Arron

How High, and Wide, and Vast, And Deep

2010-08-17T15:09:00.000+01:00

This is a little song I wrote one afternoon break time that I just found under a pile of stuff in my office.

How high and wide and vast and deep,
is Jesus Christ, and all His Love!
Great and tall, and strong and steep,
is the Mount of Grace above.
O that we may change and wonder,
As we see His love revealed;
may we rend our hearts asunder,
and from sin be cleansed and healed.

Oftentimes my prayers are hindered,
Weakened by my heart and health;
A burning fire reduced to cinders,
By a look within, at self.
But the Christ remains prevaling,
Interceding by the Throne,
All my sins, by grace curtailing,
Pleading I'd be more His own.

So Great God, revive restore me,
Fan to flame Your gift of Grace.
Keeping Jesus set before me,
May I run and win the race!
He alone my prize and portion,
He, the treasure of my soul;
Give me Christ and do not shorten,
Days of inward peace below.

Love in Christ,

Arron

The Treasure, Not the Vessel

2010-08-15T23:34:00.000+01:00

Heading home from Colchester tomorrow morning. Lord willing, I should be back in time for dinner with Georgina. The weekend seems to have gone ok - nobody threw any stones, though one self-confessed "mystic" did heckle, and then claim to be "full of love", whilst insulting me and smelling of one too many Jack Daniel's and Coke. Never a dull moment, eh?

It's been good to see my friend Paul. Paul and I were on the team in Kos together this time last year, and I was even blessed with the surprise visit of Alec and Glyn, the missionary couple there. They've been home for awhile now, and I was blessed to hear that their church is blessed with a new pastor at Westrow. May the Lord sanctify them wholly.

Always strange when I go away on these trips. Never quite feel like I belong where I am, or that I should be doing what I'm doing, and yet at the same time, "I am full of words - the Spirit within me constrains me." (Job. 32:18). The mystery that is "calling" continues.

The reality is, every Christian is called to the ministry of the Gospel. The ministry of the Gospel is it's proclamation in all the earth, through those whom the Lord calls to Himself, and uses for His glory. Folk talk about a person being "called to the ministry" - but there's nobody who isn't "called to the ministry" in the church, we are the servant hands, healing heart and teaching lips of Jesus Christ in this present age. Some folk might be called to particular subdivisions within the work of the Body, each as their gifts and grace allow and direct - but I don't like the view of the Pastor being "the worker" and everyone else being "the flock". Doesn't feel like the Way of Jesus - doesn't seem like New Testament Christianity.

Anyhoo, enough of that.

Getting married 2 weeks and 5 days tomorrow. Struggling to sleep occasionally. Being plauged by the most vivid and frieghtening dreams - all sorts of terrible things that seek to waylay my faith in the God who does me no wrong, and I cannot fault. Been comforting myself with the knowledge of God's providence, and sufficient grace. Were the terrible things that these dreams suggest to actually occur in real life (which, they well could), then God would be enough - He would be enough, and He would give me all the grace I needed in that moment to find acceptance with Him, and everlasting life, enough.

Also picked up a new weapon in the fight against pride, particularly that most sickening kind, "spiritual" pride - Jeremiah 45:5. Just letting it be enough to be saved, and not have to worry about the future, about usefulness and ambitions - Christ is enough, and He will accomplish all He purposes in me.

Jeremiah 45:5 has been really key for me down here. They're a little church - godly and delightful, and keen to reach out and serve and share the Gospel - but little. They've never met a young man who can preach, before. And whenever you come to a place like this, they think you're the best thing since sliced bread. It's been good to learn to quietly deflect people's well-intention, but unhelpful praise with the shield of "Do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not." Just that quiet defense against their comments lodging in my heart and desires has saved me from much perplexity of spirit this weekend. I think the Lord is teaching me the folly of my ambitions. Ever since starting to preach, I've been ambitious. And God is slowly working in me the realization that I'm not important.

God can raise up from the wood of the pews preachers for the Gospel. I'm not special, or new, or important, or different, or anything - I'm just a Christian. Surely that is staggering enough! I'm just amazed I'm saved, never mind delusions of importance and worth. I'm just a Jar of Clay - and feeling well my clay-like fragility is a wonderfully liberating experience.

Commenting on the passage I preached on this evening, Charles Simeon writes,

"The passage before us well illustrates his views in both respects. The Gospel which he ministered was, in his estimation, “a treasure:” but he himself, and all his colleagues, were no better than “earthen vessels;” worthless in themselves, and only useful as imparting unto men “the riches which they contained” ".

Simeon, C. 1832-63. Horae Homileticae Vol. 16: 1 and 2 Corinthians (488). London, Emphasis mine

And so here I am. :) Clay, and happy about it. Jesus Christ has done lovely things with clay - but the best thing about being a pot, is that it's about the treasure, not the vessel.

In Christ Jesus,

Arron

Savouring Christ - Luke 10:38-42

2010-08-13T11:51:00.000+01:00

Savouring Christ – Luke 10:38-42

Introduction

I want you to think back to just a few minutes ago – to the moment you walked into the service this morning. What were you thinking about? What were you meditating upon? What was foremost in your thoughts? Perhaps you are here this morning and you are worried about something, or someone. A bank statement, or a close friend. Perhaps you were thinking about what you're having for lunch, who you're sharing it with. Perhaps you were even thinking unkindly about somebody else.

It's funny how crowded our minds become, isn't it? The real reason we're here this morning is Jesus Christ. If you're a visitor here this morning, like I am, I can assure that our chief design in this time is simply to consider Jesus. We worship Him, and we love and desire Him. And so as we come to the Bible, the reason we're doing so is to help us love Him more.

It is my usual practice to take a passage of scripture and move through it, making observations as we go, and then to seek to apply it's main lesson to our lives. That isn't going to be any different this morning. We're going to be looking at this text under three headings. Number 1, Sitting. Number 2, Seething. And Number 3, Savouring.

1. Sitting

So, let's set the scene. The Lord Jesus and His Disciples have been traveling around, proclaiming the Gospel, healing the sick and casting out demons. They find their way on their travels to Bethany. Bethany is about 2 miles outside of Jerusalem, and at Bethany live three siblings – Martha, Mary and Lazarus.

Jesus makes a number of visits here throughout the course of His ministry, the most notable of course being the occasion in John 11 when he brings back His friend Lazarus from the dead, in order to display the Glory of God to those present.

Jesus has probably sent word ahead that he was coming, and his hostess Martha has been a busy-bee. We read in verse 38 that Martha welcomes Jesus into her house. It may be that Martha is oldest of the Siblings, and therefore has a kind of matriarchal, motherly role amongst them. Regardless, she is certainly the designated hostess for this particular visit.

So picture the scene – she learns that Jesus and His disciples are coming to see them. Although the disciples aren't directly mentioned in the text, their presence in implied in verse 38 when we read that “They went on their way”, the plural revealing that the group is present. So Martha, a probably unmarried woman is set about preparing a meal for at least 14, and perhaps 15 people if her brother Lazarus shows up.

15 People is a lot to cater for by modern standards in somebody's home, but it's even more so back then. Mary and Martha would probably have been dependent upon their brother Lazarus to live, there is no mention made in the Gospels of either of the women having husbands, or of their parents being there to. For a small, probably four sibling-family unit to afford a meal for 15 would have been quite a stretch.

And as Martha is still busy about her preparations, the guests arrive. Horrible feeling that isn't it. Women, you know of what I speak, I'm sure. It seems to me that most people seeking to give hospitality, also go to great length to make it appear effortless. Terrible business for your guests to discover you actually have to prepare the found, rather than simply, praying it down from heaven.

So the guests arrive. Martha and Mary have both been busy at work, preparing the meal. And Mary leaves the room to go and sit down and listen to Jesus.

Verses 38, 39 and 40 set up this contrast between Martha and Mary. Martha is the busybody her mind is “distracted” we read, with much serving. Mary, on the other hand, has left Martha at it to go and listen to their guest's doctrine! Can you imagine! Whilst there are cakes to be iced, and tea to be made, and pasta to strain, Mary just leaves her sister to it!

Let's be honest – our initial assessment if we saw such thing would be that Mary is lazy. Surely diligent Martha is the godly one here, and Mary is the lazy child of an ungrateful philistine?

But all may not be as it seems.

Mary comes into the room and simply sits beside the feet of our Lord Jesus, to listen to Him teach, and to what He has to say. NKJV is right to translate it 'word', that's the most literal rendering, and the use of the term here may mean that it was specifically Jesus' spiritual conversation that she was listening to. It doesn't just mean she went in for a chat – she was listening to Jesus teach.

Mary had refrained from a good thing, to do a better thing. That is why all is not as it seems. But Martha, of course, has not grasped this. This leads to our second point of consideration.

Seething

Martha sees what Mary is up to, and she is very much annoyed. She clearly becomes embittered that Mary has left her alone to cope with the preparation of this piéce de resistance.

And Martha storms and starts complaining. Big time. And she's complaining to Jesus. Now, let's understand this. What is it Martha's heart that has led to this outburst? What is it that makes her so upset? Is it merely a desire to provide a good meal? Because good meals in the first century didn't have to be lavish that you were still preparing it when the guests arrived – and besides, Jesus and His disciples live on the hospitality of others, all the time. They haven't come here expecting a 5 course display of Martha's culinary prowess, nor to be doted upon from a sense of pride and greatness. Jesus Christ is, do not forget, perfectly humble. Had he not been fed, he would not have complained. But Martha is trying to impress. Isn't that what she's doing? Isn't this busyness and distractedness really about her, rather than Jesus? Isn't it really about her keeping up appearances as a good hostess? Isn't this really about pride?

And that of course leads to her outburst at Mary. Mary is damaging Martha's chances of impressing Jesus. Martha is living to hear Jesus say, “That was a great meal, thank you.” And without Mary's help, the process is slowed, and perhaps even lessened in quality. 15 is still a lot to cater for.

And she charges in, and literally in the Greek says something more like, “Jesus, tell her to get a grip and help me!”

What an unkind thing to say in her sister's presence. Don't forget that her sister is still sitting at Jesus feet. She hears this. And that is very unkind, very hurtful.

Martha's pride, has led to anger, which has led to her sinning against Jesus (by complaining to Him) and against Mary, (by complaining about her in her presence).

It all sounds far too familiar, doesn't it? I have lost count of the times when, in my pride and desire to impress, I have become angry when my desires are crossed. Doesn't James say, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” (James 4:1-2). James makes it clear that the real root behind conflicts and fights, complaining, bitterness and anger is our own desires. Our desires for things like approval, influence, value, happiness, and so on, some of them legitimate and some not – when these desires are crossed and thwarted, especially by others, we are provoked to sin against them.

You can see it in children. One child is playing with a toy. Their sibling, sees the toy. The battle commences. The sibling takes the toy that the other child is using when their not looking. Their desire for the toy, led them to steal. The other child kicks up such a stink that their toy is gone that their parents fear letters from the Environmental health department about noise pollution! The child's desire to keep the toy indefinitely, led them not to share, and to become angry when this desire was thwarted.

It's certainly not exclusive to children, is it? How often have you and I silently become embittered when somebody else is praised for what they have done, and what we have done goes unnoticed? That's so revealing, when that happens, isn't it? It reveals that really, our heart wasn't serving because it is good and proper and loving to serve – we were serving so that others would praise us, and approve of us.

And such things are a forsaking of the Gospel. The Gospel tells that in Christ, we have been accepted already by God – what more approval do we need? We have been told in the Gospel that Jesus Christ has died to reconcile us to God – what more acceptable do we require? We have been set free from the law of sin and death which leads us to value praise, and therefore ourselves, more than Christ, His glory, and obedience to Him.

And that's Martha's problem.

Savouring

The Lord Jesus diagnoses her perfectly. “Martha, Martha.” He says, “You are troubled and anxious about many things.” He sees her heart of fear, and of worry, which are pride. She is afraid her dinner won't be just perfect – which can be proud. She is worried that it won't be ready promptly – again, proudly trying to maintain a faultless visage of culinary perfection. I wonder how many godly wives have been guilty of this transgression?

The Master makes it clear that her priorities are wrong. He says, “one thing is needful.” One this is necessary. One thing ought to have been in your mind when the Son of God Himself walked into your house this afternoon – and it should not have been what sandwiches you were going to make for Him.

The Lord Jesus refuses to make Mary join back in. It is Martha who needs to change, not Mary. That is an unexpected diagnosis to our human minds, isn't it? Martha is the diligent one, and Mary the lazy, chatty one. But Jesus isn't looking on the outward appearance, like we are. Jesus is looking on the heart. And He sees that Mary made a conscious choice between serving Him food, and listening to Him, “Mary has chosen the good part”.

And she made the right choice.

How confusing to our evangelical ears! You're telling me listening to Jesus, and sitting at His feet, is better than evangelism? Yes! You're telling me that having my mind be filled with what Jesus says is more important than feeding the poor? Yes! Yes, Yes, Yes, that's exactly what I am saying, that's exactly what Jesus is saying.

Worship is the foundation of life. All humans worship something, or someone. And we have been given life and joy and worship for the One True and Living God. Let us not become distracted from Him!

I'm not at all saying that we should not serve Christ – that would be a terrible misunderstanding of the implications of this passage of Scripture. But I am saying that those things do not take presidence over love for Him, and listening, and humbly savouring Him.

I have a question. When it says that Martha was distracted with much serving, what was she distracted from?

She was distracted from Jesus. Mary had realized that she had far more need of Jesus' words, than He had need of her cups of tea. And Martha had not. Martha is almost trying to prove herself to Jesus, rather than come to Him and listen to Him.

The applications for our lives here are myriad and obvious, so let me draw out just a few for you to take home and think about.

Firstly, is the chief design of your Christian life, to worship Jesus? And if it is not, that makes your Christian service very hollow indeed. Jesus is not interested in your sitting in church on Sunday, if you don't love Him. Jesus is unconcerned about how many Christian books you read, if by them you are learning nothing more of His beauty, of His glory, of His Majesty and Love. I even say riskily, that Jesus would rather you be filled with worship and love for Him, than read the Bible a hundred times a year, and be void of all affection for Him. Of course, the truth is, we see Christ in the Bible, and so love Him through what it reveals, but you catch my point I trust. Outward service, if not coupled with inward love, can very quickly become proud and spiritually very dangerous for our souls.

Secondly, what is it that's distracting you, from Him? The Word for distracted means most literally, “pulled in every direction”. Friends, there are many things in this world to pull your soul in their direction. But the one thing needful, is to be pulled by the Spirit in Christ's direction. Spend some time this afternoon reflecting quietly, “what is it that distracts me from the Saviour?” I exhort you – whatever lessens or weakens your sense of God, is in some way distracting you from. The answer might not always be to stop doing that thing – sometimes, just a day at work distracts me from God, but the answer isn't to quit my job, it's to work for the Lord, and not for man – but find out for yourself how you must address whatever is coming between you, and sitting at the Master's feet.

Thirdly and finally, spend much time in the Bible. The Bible isn't a list of magic spells, and reading it at a certain time in a certain way doesn't ensure that the day will go well. It's not that a chapter a day keeps the devil away. It's that if you want to sit at the Master's feet, you must imitate Mary. She sat there to listen to His Word.

The Topsy-turvey thing about the Gospel, is that it is a ceasing from striving. It is a refraining from trying, and a resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ. It's not about you and what you can do – it's about all that He is and has done for you. And as you simply behold Him – as you simply marvel at the beauty and perfection of His person and work, you will be changed. You will simply be transformed from one degree of glory to another.

David Brainerd, the famous missionary to the American Indians, proclaimed this truth throughout his ministry. He said, “I never got away from Jesus and Him crucified in my preaching. I found that once these people were gripped by the great evangelical meaning of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, I did not have to give them many instructions about changing their behavior.”

And that my friends, is why we have great need of Christianity, and no need of churchianity.

Justification Made Visible

2010-08-11T23:54:00.000+01:00

My Christian brother and closest friend Luke was preaching at our midweek prayer meeting this evening. He preached on one of my favourite passages, 2 Samuel 16 and Shimei's Cursing of David. He was nervous, but the sermon was good - practical and thought provoking, in the right balance.

I'm reading "You Can Change" by Tim Chester at the moment - and really enjoying it. I think somewhere along the way I picked up some bad theology about sanctification, and Chester is helping me massage it out of my psyche. I'd forgotten that Sanctification is entirely a work of God's Grace alone, that we actively experience. If justification is a totally passive experience, sanctification is a passive-active experience. It's passive in the sense that it is truly God who does it - but it's active in the sense that I'm not sitting still whilst it happens, I'm living my life, facing temptations, battling with sin, and so on. Philippians 2:12-13 is the key text that sums this up for me really. Verse 12 is the active experience of it,b ut verse 13 is the ultimate reality - it's all of Grace.

I think the thing I'm really enjoying most about the book is the way it combats a "sanctification through rule-keeping" mentality so head on. Chester is absolutely right in saying that we all naturally revert to this mentality - and that such a mentality is damaging to our Christian experience. Chester is trying to motivated by Grace, and by Christ, and by the newness of our identity in Him. It would seem then, that holiness is about conform to what I objectively am, not trying to become what I objectively am not. It's about the realization of the Gospel being about more than my justification, but also my bank statement, my work and my mobile phone. The Gospel really changes everything.

I was reading 1 Peter 2 this morning, the latter half of the chapter. I lingered over the well known verse 24, which reads:

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed."

We often talk about the Cross as if it only concerns our justification ("He bore our sins..."), but look at the connective word - "...that". There is a consequence in Peter's mind of the sacrifice of Christ, and it is not our justification that immediately comes to his pen - it is our sanctification. As He is crucified, it is we who die. We are to die to sin, and live to righteousness, as a consequence of - the sermon on the mount? The Ten Commandments? No. Because of the Cross. Peter makes it clear that the Gospel is about we live in the here and now, not just how we get the heaven in the there and next. in verses 21 and 22 Peter used Jesus as an example of how to suffer as a Christian - following the meekness and silence of Christ - but in verse 24, Peter tells us why to suffer. Because we are dead to sin, and alive to righteousness. The world hates this - so it will hate us, because it hates Him. But we are to live this out by the power of the Gospel, and by the finality of the Cross with regards to destiny and our identity.

Your sanctification is your justification made visible. It is the the progress revealing of who you really are - a child of the Holy God, bearing the family likeness.

Just a little ditty on 1 Cor. 6:11 because I'm a nerd - the greek for "sanctified" is both aorist and passive.

The aorist tense means that Paul is speaking of something in a kind of past tense, when it has not yet fully or completely occured - such as Paul's used of "glorified" in Romans 8:31. He can speak of things in this way because they are so certain to occur, or have a finality about them. Paul makes it clear then that sanctification is inevitable! God will conform us to image of His Son - one way or another. God doesn't fail.

But it's also a passive middle voice. That means it is something that has been/is being done to us, not by us. Sanctification is the work of God, from start to finish. We're sitting in the car, and the car is moving. We feel the bumps in the road, and see the road signs, and are present at the slowing for a speed bump - but ultimately? We're not driving. He is. And there's no likelihood of His getting us lost along the way.

Encouraged?

Love in Christ,

Arron

To Be Weak is Christian - 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

2010-08-08T14:20:00.003+01:00

Hi there,

This is the outline of the sermon I intend to preach next monday morning in Artillery Road Evangelical Church, Colchester. I'll be there morning and evening, which is something of a pun given that this is the "small primitive methodist chapel" that Mr. Spurgeon wandered into one snowy morning in his youth and was wrought upon by the Sovereign Grace of God unto life.

Love in Christ,

Arron

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To Be Weak is Christian– 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

Introduction:

Rabbi Joshua, who lived in the time of the Emperor Trajan, was as ugly as he was learned and wise. So strangely tanned and twisted was he of complexion that he was nicknamed “The Blacksmith.” The children used to run after him in the street. Yet, his wisdom made him a special friend and a frequent visitor with the emperor.

On one visit the emperor’s daughter laughed at his unpleasant features, saying with a smile; “Rabbi, how is it that such great wisdom as yours should be contained in an ugly head?”

By way of answer the rabbi asked her: “Princess, in what vessels does your imperial father keep his wine?”

“In earthen jars,” she replied.

“Indeed,” exclaimed the rabbi, “why, all the common people keep their wine in earthen jars. The emperor should keep his in handsome vessels.”

Thinking he was in earnest, the princess hastened to have the butler transfer the royal wines into gold and silver vessels, with the result that the wine was sour when brought to the table.

The princess asked the rabbi why he had given her that advice, since he was considered so wise. “You have learned, princess, a simple lesson,” said the rabbi gravely. “Wine is best kept in common vessels: so is wisdom.”

Never again did the princess laugh at the rabbi’s unfavorable looks.

It is my usual practice to take a section of the scriptures and move through it verse by verse, seeking to expose the intended meaning of the passage, and then to apply to each of our lives - my intentions are no different this morning. As we look at the Bible together, I want us to tackle and face an issue that is thoroughly relevant to each of us – our own weakness.

The old adage is that “to err is human”. And it is perfectly true – since the Fall of Man in Adam, we have forever lived in a perpetual state of moral and spiritual weakness, leading to our living in accord with our inherited sinful nature and sinning – a lot.

But I want to change the old saying and make a new one. “To be weak is Christian.” Our saying this morning is “To Be Weak is Christian”.

When I first became a Christian, I did not anticipate the change that would take place in my own view of my self. The world around us today and influential secular thinkers would have you believe that to think anything negative, or detrimental, or less than complimentary about yourself will cause you great and horrible psychological and emotional imbalance and harm. And so when I came to faith, filled with that kind of view of life and self, I found myself gradually becoming more and more frustrated with myself. As I learned more and more about my sin and about my weakness as a person, became concerned that I would perhaps lower my self-esteem. But in time I came to see and realize what I intend to share with you this morning. The Bible nowhere promotes the kind of self-praise, self-adoration that our culture around us is trying to forces us to drink all the time. L'Oriel might think you're worth it, and Gok might want to improve your pride in how you look, but you never find such statements from the lips of Jesus Christ, or such thoughts from the pen of Paul. In fact, the Bible seems constantly to be calling us to be more real, more honest about how we really are than our culture does. Modern media is asking you to becoming blind to your faults – and God's Word is working powerfully to expose each and every one.

And that's because seeing our failure isn't altogether bad for us. In fact, it is my intention to prove to you this morning, that it is altogether good for us! Only when we realize just how bad we really are, and just how weak we can be, will we abandon all hope and love of self, in pursuit of God's grace and His almighty power at work in our hearts and lives.

So, without further ado, lets turn in our Bibles together to the text read to us, in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12.

Paul begins by saying this: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” Now, let's pause briefly there. What is the treasure? We can't understand the significance of this phrase at all without a little context.

The treasure that Paul is speaking of is the Gospel and the ministry of it. Looking up to the verse before we read that we have been given “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Brothers and Sisters let us not charge over and trample those words with any kind of quickness. Do you see how incredible a statement that is? God has shone into the hearts and lives of spiritually dark and dead human beings the light of the knowledge of His Own Glory, in the face of His Son – the ultimate and most unchanging reality in all existence. He has given us the Gospel. He has given us understanding of the most eternally significant truths in all the universe. He has provided us with perception of the person of His Son, in whom dwell all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom. He has made us to see the source of satisfaction and joy in this dark and ever changing world. He has deemed that we drink from the river of His delights, through the faith He Himself has given us, in Jesus Christ, Our Lord. The light of the knowledge of the Glory of God is no small thing whatsoever.

And thus we should not at all be surprised that Paul refers to it as a treasure.

Here is the first of the three points I will be making this morning. My three points are the Treasure, the Clay and the Point.

The Treasure

He calls it a treasure, this Gospel of Grace and Salvation and Glory that we have received, for a number of reasons. Firstly, this knowledge of God is a treasure because of the incredible change that God has wrought in us by it. Verse 6 of this chapter uses God's act of creating the world as an analogy for God's act of creating a Christian. The same God who simply spoke light into existence is the same God who has given it into our own evil, darkened, fallen hearts, to love and know Him, through Jesus Christ. This is a change of attitude of astronomical proportions.

We are those who once hated God! The scripture says that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Whilst we reveled in our transgression and self-worship, and wanted nothing more than to hide in our spiritual darkness from the face of God for the rest of eternity, Jesus Christ was bleeding and dying on the Cross for us. He was demonstrating His love for us in the ultimate act of sacrifice and mercy.

And the change that God's Spirit works within a person to change them from dark to light is something to be treasured. It is a valuable thing.

So secondly, the Gospel is a treasure, because it is not a mere piece of information. Where are the treasures of history, today? Where is the gold of ancient kings? Where are the ornate things of civilizations long dead from the face of the earth? Why, they are in museums! I was recently at the Royal Armories in Leeds and I saw and touched the only surviving piece of Indian elephant battle armor currently known. Now, that is a strange thing. Why on earth are we so concerned to preserve ornate and beautiful bits of... stuff? Why do we have this concept within us of treasuring and hording things? Has is ever occurred to you that, that is strange? Who gives a hoot about elephant shin pads?

Surely it is a manifestation of the part of us that knows deep down, we are created to marvel. This gospel is a treasure to be marveled at, not merely a tool to be used. One powerful thing in my mind that continually convicts me of the truth and reality of the Bible and the Christian faith is simply the beauty of it all. The wonder of how it adequately, powerfully answers my deepest questions and longings and quests. Defending the intellectual coherence of our faith is surely an important task in a skeptical world – but ultimately speaking, many of the questions we face from unbelievers are really either excuses to avoid thinking deeply about the Bible, or they're desperate pleas for answers to the deepest needs of our humanity.

This gospel extends well beyond intellectual grasping of it – it is to find a home in our hearts as the meaning of life.

Thirdly, and most importantly, it is a treasure because it concerns Jesus Christ. No-one and nothing is more valuable, more worthy to be treasured, than Him. Jesus Christ does all things well. We love Him because of His great sacrifice on behalf of His people, to put away sin, to remove the obstacles that lay between us and God, and to makes us Children of God and heirs of the world to come, with Him – but we also love Him because He is altogether lovely. Want to know if you're really a Christian? Robert Murray M'Cheyne left his small pastorate for a short time at one point in his ministry, and in his absence revival came. Upon his return he found one woman whom before he has known to be a hard-nosed religious hypocrite, void of all true spiritual life, and merely a church-goer, now professing to have had her heart melted by the power of Jesus Christ. Desiring to inspect how truthful she was being, he asked her two question. “Madam,” he said, “what think ye of sin?” “Oh sir,” she replied brokenly, “if I should ever sin again I would simply die.” Probing deeper at her response, M'Cheyne said, “And what think ye of Christ?” To which she replied, “Oh Sir!” with great gladness of expression. “Sir, He is altogether lovely.”

The Gospel is a treasure because it concerns Jesus Christ.

But Paul then moves on in our text to say that this treasure – this priceless treasure – is kept in jars of clay. Here we transition to our second point.

The Clay

Rabbi Joshua's point to the emperor's daughter was that just as wine is best kept in common vessels, so also in the wisdom of God, spiritual insight had been hidden inside him. Well if this was true in the life of Rabbi Joshua, whom I do not know if he ever became a believer, it is much more gloriously true in the lives of every believer sitting here this morning. Now, nobody in this room is terribly physically ugly, except maybe this morning's preacher. But Paul wants to illustrate the contrast between the power of the Gospel at work within us, and the weakness and normality of natural selves. Jars of Clay are the picture he chooses.

Clay jars in those days were cheap and expendable. Everything from coins to flour, wine to parchment was kept in cheap, affordable, clay pots. They were liable to break if they tipped, given how rigid and stiff they were – but that didn't matter, they were easily replaced. They weren't usually very attractive, they were just the brickish or grayish hue of clay.

And Paul likens you and I to these pots. Not very complimentary this Paul is he? But that is precisely the point. Paul is not trying to flatter the Corinthians – indeed, both of the letters that we have from him to them are filled with instruction and correction because of their shortcomings. The Corinthians were Christians of clay. Breakable. Not very valuable. Replaceable. Not that attractive. This is a perfect analogy for the human condition, and certainly the weakness of Christians. To be weak is Christian.

So the question we might ask then is the same question posed by Rabbi Joshua to the Emperor's daughter – why does our heavenly father store treasure in these cheap, nasty, pots? Well, the Emperor had his reasons. And God certainly has His.

Paul says that this is to show that the “surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” So, God is storing this treasure of the Gospel of His Glory, within weak, humanly frail and spiritually impotent Christian, in order to display that the great victory they have over sin, hell and the devil, is not because of them.

Think about it. It's like a father sitting his son on his lap in the driving seat of the car. His son grabs the steering wheel as his dad hits the gas. For all intents and purposes, it looks like his little boy is steering the car into the garage to park it up. But whilst his hands are on top of the steering wheel visibly, dad's strong arms and firm grip are in tight control of the steering wheel from the bottom. Really, it's dad driving. It is the power of his arms keeping them safe and taking them into the garage, not the skill of the boy of only a few years old.

When Christians are displayed at the end of time to be what they really are, the Children of God, no-one will be marveling at us. It's all the work and power of God. The title of a lovely little book by Mr. Spurgeon is, “All of Grace”. It's really all of the Grace of God.

But Paul's application of this principal is not immediately to eternity. He'll go there at a later point in this chapter, but the place he goes first is the display of God's Greatness, in our weakness, in this life, not the life to come. How does he do this?

Well, in verses 8, 9 and 10, Paul makes it clear that he, and also all believers, are people faced with great difficulty, trial and hardship. Look at his words, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed”. Paul sets up this series of contrasts that highlight the great difficulty that Christians face in their walk with Christ in this world, and the fact that they seem completely unable to lose this battle! Now, I don't know if this is a controversial statement in this church or not, but I believe firmly that once someone is justified by faith in the atoning blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and sealed with the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption, that work can't be undone. God will complete the work He has begun in us, until the day of Christ Jesus. If you are truly saved, you will reach the promised land. Christians will finally and fully persevere to the end. If you don't agree with me, perhaps we could speak privately afterward concerning this matter, and I would be more than delighted to seek to increase your joy and rest by convincing you of this doctrine.

But look at this catalog of suffering that Paul lays out in verses 8 and 9. Afflicted, hard pressed, perplexed, crushed, driven to despair, persecuted, struck down. If you have become a Christian and begun experiencing any of these things, don't be alarmed as if something out of the ordinary were happening to you. It was once noted that John Wesley was riding his horse along a country road one afternoon and prayed, “Lord, I am concerned that I do not know you, for I do not suffer enough.” AT that very moment a stone flew over the hedge and promptly hit Mr. Wesley on the head. Mr. Wesley, being a godlier man that I, gave thanks for this token of the truth of his conversion from the Lord.

But let's be honest – when the world looks at you and I, they see a bunch of deluded fools. They see weak-minded, crutch-dependent imbeciles. And our experiences surely confirm that! We are so often as Christians confronted with enemies and opposition from both outside of us and inside of us! I don't fear the unkindness of others as much as I fear my unkindness to others. I perceive that I certainly sin more than I am sinned against. And part of really being a Christian is coming to terms with the fact that you aren't a nice guy, you're not a nice girl. You're not essentially good with occasional bad behavior, you are essentially bad with glimmers of the influence of God's Grace in your behavior.

The surpassing power belongs to God, and not to us, and His salvation given us in Christ despite our immense unfitness to be the recipients of it, displays that Him deserves all the praise far more than if we were the perfect people of the world. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:26 and following, “Consider your calling, brothers; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

Did you see what Paul said about weakness? God, chose, what, is, weak. Being weak is a pre-requisite of Christianity. To be weak is Christian! There's no room in the church for people who've got it together – we're all messed up, abnormal, strange, weak people, impoverished of grace – and if my comments don't sit comfortably with you, you either do not know yourself very well, or you do not belong to Jesus Christ. Why was it that the Tax Collector's prayer, and not the prayer of the Pharisee, was accepted before God? Because the Tax Collector was not trying to pretend that he wasn't a failure. He cried out, “God be merciful to me, (literally) THE sinner!”

And if you go about your life in the world, conscience of your weakness, you will be led to the only place you can go for power.

Paul says that we are always carrying around in the body the death of Jesus. Suffering, and weakness, and powerlessness is what the Cross was all about. And that Cross is our identity card to the world. The reason we're carrying the Cross around, wherever we go, is so that the life of Jesus can be manifested within us. It's so important Paul says it twice – the reason we're always struggling and suffering and meeting with difficulty is so that when we overcome, and when we grow, and when we change, and what we put to death our sins, the world can see that it's not us! It's Jesus – it's the spiritual power of Jesus.

If you want to win your friends to Christ, don't cover up how weak you are – show it off. Every time they catch you out, and they will – turn it round and say, “you know what, yeah. I am a failure. I am weak. I sin, and I fall, and I'm better than no-one. And that's why I'm a Christian! Any good you see in me, and all the freedom I have to be honest about my weakness, is because Jesus Christ has paid for my sins already, and is at work within me to make me live. To make me live, not just exist.” That kind of witness to people is authentic, and edgy, and powerful, and it is much more responsible for saving souls than plastic religion and playing church. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

And that's the third point.

The Point

In Paul's mind, this weakness of self, and reliance upon God to live a godly life, is inextricably linked to the preaching of the Gospel. He says to the Corinthians, “Death is at work in us, but life in you.” Our suffering and weakness is being used by God to change lives.

Look at the kind of language he's been using. In verse 7, the treasure is in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God, and not to us. Who's it showing it to? The Christian knows it already, God certainly knows it already, so who else is left but the unconverted? He says in verses 9 and 10 that the life of Jesus is being “manifested” or “revealed”. The Greek word is φανερωθῇ, and it's connected to the word for “light”. It means “make visible!” The life of Christ, that is the Spiritual power of Christ, through the Gospel, to change lives and make known the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, is being made visible in front of people, when they see how weak we are, and yet how indefeasible and relentless our faith in Christ remains.

So Christian brothers and sisters, do not labour, in the spirit of this ungodly age, to fall in love with your self. Don't listen to the culture that wants you to avoid all thought of your own weakness – not only will a firm grasp on how thoroughly unworthy and weak you are increase your own appreciation of the Gospel, it will display it more powerfully and authentically to those around you.

Nothing we face – be it suffering, perplexity, or our own weakness, can prevent God from working out His purposes within us. And May He help us all then, in the midst of our trials of faith, to look to Him, find His grace sufficient, and declare to the world that He is life, and gives life. To be weak is Christian. Amen.

Sin, Self-Hatred and the Glory of Christ

2010-08-04T15:22:00.000+01:00

So I sinned today. Sadly, that isn't anything out of the ordinary. But as I sought a quiet place to reflect on my wrongdoing, what had led to it, and how I might repent, I was filled with an old feeling that I have had deep within my breast for some time.

Self-hatred.

Self-hatred is a tricky emotion. If not measured in light of the overwhelming Grace of God, that is sufficient in the midst of all our brokenness, it can lead to discontent with being who you are, where you are and doing what whatever you're doing. But Self-hatred can also be a gloriously edifying experience, if turned and used to increase our love, and appreciation, for Jesus Christ.

I was sat on a chair, in an empty room, gently and angrily crying at how horrible and wicked and disgusting I am. The particular transgression was a sin of speech and of attitude toward others, whom did not merit my unkindness whatsoever. As I sat there, I became filled with loathing of self and a despising of all that is within me - but I failed to do what I ought to have done. I just sat there and stewed in it and wallowed - instead, I ought to have used that to point me to the sufficiency of Christ.

Jesus Christ has covered all of my sins - even the ones I have yet to enact. Because of this, I am filled with gratitude to Him. What is more, His very being, glory, nature and person are altogether lovely. There is nothing unlovable about Him. The only time I find Him to be dissatisfying, is when I am responding to Him from my flesh, and not from the Spirit. Of course the flesh hates the righteousness of God - but the Spirit rejoices with Him that He is Good and does what is right. What I should have done was say to myself, "Of course you are loathesome. There is nothing good in me, that is, in my flesh. Turn and look upon Him. He is not loathesome - allow your soul to be taken up with His beauty and greatness and majesty and holiness."

And then, filled with thoughts of Him, I would not have been shaken.

"I have set the Lord always before. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." (Psalm 16:8).

Learn from my mistakes.

A closer from Simeon:

"With this sweet hope of ultimate acceptance with God, I have always enjoyed much cheerfulness before men; but I have at the same time labored incessantly to cultivate the deepest humiliation before God. I have never thought that the circumstance of God's having forgiven me was any reason why I should forgive myself; on the contrary, I have always judged it better to loathe myself the more, in proportion as I was assured that God was pacified towards me (Ezekiel 16:63).
-- Charles Simeon (1759-1836)"

Love in Christ,

Arron

Don't Waste Your (Short) Life, Arron

2010-07-30T16:17:00.000+01:00

So I nearly died today. In the course of our normal duties, Tim and I make a lot of rubbish at work. Customarily, we burn the rubbish in the yard. Today it's been damp, so we were using a little petrol to get things going.

The fires had been burning for about 20 mins. The little secondary fire we were trying to get going to speed things up wasn't coming along as nicely as I would have liked. So, I added a little petrol about a foot away from the fire on which to put a little kindling and then build a bridge of wood over from the small fire to keep it going...

...only a spark of cinder flew from the little fire and landed in the petrol I was pouring.

The flames snapped up and engulfed my face, and then the petrol can in my hand caught fire too. I put it down as it started to burn in my hand and ran for the hose to put it out. I put it out quickly and no harm was done.

But the experience was scary. I've never had flames on my face before. They weren't there long enough to do any damage - and I put the petrol can down before it burnt my hand - but it could easily have been otherwise. I could easily have hurt myself seriously, and risked death.

My first reflection after the fire was out was, "If I had died, would I be able to stand before Jesus Christ, and tell him I'd made the most of my short life?" Would I have been able to come into His presence with the confidence of faith, or with the trembling of sin and doubt?

Important matters to reflect upon.

Don't waste your life.

Arron

16 Providences in Acts 16 - God Converts the Philippian Jailer

2010-07-25T14:28:00.000+01:00

Hi there,

Below is the outline of the message I preached this morning at Staincliffe Baptist Church on Acts 16, and Providence in Evangelism.

God Bless,

Arron

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

16 Providences in Acts 16 – God Converts the Philippian Jailer

Introduction

I expect it would probably surprise you if I told you that I have 16 points and some applications to make in our message this morning. Some of you are already looking at the clock, and thinking, “I'm not sticking around past 11:30, I don't care how many points he's got.” Derek is looking at me and thinking, “Has one of the Dewsbury Pulpit Filler guys gone crazy?” This is a Baptist Church, we preach sermons with three points and they all start with the same letter, right?

I do have 16 points, but they aren't the kind of points I want you to remember. In that sense, I guess I only have one point today. I have one big idea that I want you to go away with, that will be crystal clear, but the 16 little points are all different demonstrations of it. Don't look so worried – all will become clear.

We're going to be looking this morning at a particular issue to do with evangelism. We're going to be looking at God's providence in Evangelism. I just used two big words that we throw out a lot but never really define, so I'm just going to quickly tell you what I mean by them.

Evangelism is telling other people who aren't Christians the message of Jesus and how they can be saved from the punishment they deserve for their sins. Ok? That's a straight forward, practical, realistic definition of evangelism. Evangelism sometime works in stages, like in a friendship with a person, or sometimes it works in an instant, like when you hand out leaflets or knock on doors, but the ultimate aim is always that some particular person learns the truth about Jesus Christ and how to be saved. Right?

Many churches might say that evangelism is about “converting” people – but that's a really bad way of describing evangelism – you can't convert anyone. Last time I was here we talked about Nicodemus and how Jesus explains to him that he can't change himself, He needs God to come and give him a new heart – you remember that? - well the same is true of everybody. You can't 'convert' anyone. To convert something means to change it – you can't change anybody into a Christian, that's something that God Himself does, as He wills.

But He does it through evangelism. Paul says in Romans 10 that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” So people don't get saved apart from hearing the message of Jesus, they get saved through hearing the message of Jesus, and believing it.

The other word I used was 'Providence'. That's more of an obscure word but it means this – Providence is God's Personal and Almighty Control of Universe. Basically it means that there's no such thing as luck, or chance, or accident – everything is ultimately under the control, influence and sway of God. Paul says in Romans 11, “From Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things” - 'all things' really does mean 'all things' and not 'some things'. Proverbs 16:33 says, “A lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord.” Ok, modern speak, it says, “You throw a dice into your lap, but every number you get, you get because the Lord decided you would get it.” Jesus says, “A sparrow does not fall to the ground, apart from my Father.” So birds don't die, or eat, or live, except that God allows and causes them to. Sometimes we might talk about “providence” as the overarching control of God, and we might say “a providence” about a particular thing that happens. So Providence was controlling when the bird died, but that he died when he did was a providence. Is that clear, do you understand that?

So Evangelism and Providence. Why am I talking about both of them, and when am I gunna stop jabbering and get to the Bible?

Keep your Bibles open at Acts 16.

Paul's Vision of the Macedonian Man

So to give you a clue about my direction, at the end of Acts 16, a jail-keeper gets converted whilst something strange goes down on his shift. But my intention is to demonstrate that God orchestrated the whole event from as far back as before Paul was even in the same country as the guy he shared the Gospel with and was saved. After that, I'm gunna talk about how that is relevant to us. So bare with me as we move through the things that lead to the main event at the end of the chapter.

Ok, so a little context is that the book of Acts is a book about acts. It tells you what the Apostles of Jesus did (and therefore Jesus through them), after Christ had gone back to Heaven. So it's a history book, that a guy called Luke wrote, to a person he knew called “Theophilus” - we'll call him Phil. Luke is writing to Phil and he wants this guy to know that the things he's heard about Jesus, and about the apostles, and the spread of the Gospel, are true. So Luke is setting down for him an orderly account of what really went down, and how it really happened.

Luke was a companion of Paul's, so some of his stuff is eye witness material. Some of it was gathered from other eye witnesses, especially the earlier stuff like the day of Pentecost, since Luke probably wasn't even a Christian when that happened. The book also documents quite a long period time. Sometimes you don't know how long there is between two verses, but there can be periods of up to 14 years in some places.

So zooming in more tightly on what's happening around the 16^th of chapter is that Paul and Barnabus have already been on one missionary journey, and it was very successful. Lots of churches planted, lots of people saved, whole communities transformed, but close on the tail of that kind of thing is always the Devil, and therefore trouble. Some preachers started to go around saying, “Listen, if you wanna be a real a Christian, then you gotta get circumcised, and you gotta keep all of the Law of Moses.” So this teaching reaches the Apostles and the Elders at Jerusalem, and together with the whole church, they decide that these preachers are wrong – they are wrong, and they are heretics, because they are saying that salvation isn't by grace alone, but by works of the law as well – by keeping commandments, not by faith in Jesus alone. So they write this letter that they're gunna send on a circular to all the churches they know that essentially says, “Listen, ignore these guys, just keep focused on Christ, don't start looking like the ungodly around you and don't be sexually immoral.” That's it.

So Paul and Barnabas, two missionary co-workers have a bust up about this guy that Barnabas wants to take with him, and Paul isn't sure that the guy is up to the task, given that he's sold out on them before. So Paul takes another guy called Silas and goes one way, and Barnabus takes the other guy and goes another. It's a bit of a sad parting, but in God's providence, it puts two teams of people out sharing the message of this letter to the churches, and going back and encouraging them, rather than one.

So Paul and Silas pick up this guy called Timothy – a promising a young man, who is just stuffed with the Bible and is spoken well of by all the believers in his home town, and Paul takes him as his kind of padawan learner, sort of Paul's apprentice, his trainee. So Paul, Timothy, Silas and Luke – Luke is with them at this point because in verse 10 he says, “we” - not just they, but “we”, so he's with them – they're all just going along, and Paul suddenly just doesn't feel comfortable with the road they're taking.

And the text tells us that this is more than just travel sickness making him feel this way – Paul is being redirected by the Spirit of Jesus, but the Holy Spirit. So after this time of feeling and find himself forbidden by God to go in a certain direction, one night Paul has a vision of a man from Macedonia saying, “Come over here and help us.”

Ok, so this is the first providence. Paul has this vision and they all conclude, “God is calling us to go and preach the Gospel, to do and evangelize, in Macedonia.” And they go.

Now, most of us aren't accustomed to experiencing visions telling us to do certain things very regularly, but I think those of us who have a relationship with God know what it's like to have God leading us in a certain direction, right? We can begin, as we go on with Christ, to discern the impressions of God's Spirit on our hearts leading us to do certain things, like talk to a certain person at work, or ask how a certain person is doing, or rebuke somebody we love and care about – I don't think that's too strange a concept for us to understand.

God begins His providential work towards the conversion of the Philippian Jailer about here. He stops Paul heading toward one particular place to preach, and sends him in an entirely different direction.

We need to learn to be open to God to moving in our hearts and lives, leading us forward in evangelism. I'm not not saying we should abandon our brains, or not make plans, or attempt things, but we certainly learn to have listening hearts as to what God by His Spirit might be saying, and leading us to do. Paul and Silas and Timothy and Luke together “conclude” that God is leading them in this direction – the word in the Greek denotes a decision reached after careful weighing and consideration. That means that they weren't impulsive after this religious experience, but neither were they disobedient.

Ok, so God is moving them towards Macedonia. What next?

2. The Roman Colony of Philippi

They end up coming to this place called Philippi. They stop here for “some days.” They don't stop at Troas or Neopolis for as long, else Luke wouldn't have emphasized that they stayed in Philippi for “some days”.

And we read that Philippi is “a Roman colony”. Now, a little historical investigation reveals that for a city to be called a Roman colony is for it to have the most privileged status for ancient provincial cities in the Roman era. Philippi is the Roman capital of it's county.

This means that Paul and Silas and Timothy and Luke just happen to have come to the hub of the district, by chance, right? Wrong! God, by His providence, is setting them up in the busiest, most bustling, most diverse place in the region, in which to preach the Gospel. From here, the Gospel can just pour out into the country side through those who get converted whilst they're in the city, then go home, if there were to be a thriving church in this place.

Philippi could have not had this status, and Paul might not have stopped there so long. Philippi's history could have gone differently, or the general who conquered the place could have thought differently, or any host of other things, and Philippi might not have been the main attraction, the main strategy point for Paul's mission, and he might have just strolled on by.

And what about the guy working the jail shift then? What about Lydia then? What about the slave girl then? I'm getting ahead of my self.

Philippi Appears to Have No Synagogue

Now, this is a very interesting turn of events. Everywhere Paul goes, his first port of call is always the synagogue, to go and reason with the Jews. They've got a belief in the scriptures from which he can argue that Jesus is the Christ, and he himself is a Jew, and the Gospel is first for the Jew and then for the Greek, so Paul usually makes the local synagogue the first place he sets up camp, in terms of his evangelism.

But Philippi seems to have no such place. We read in verse 13 that on the “sabbath day” - which is when the Synagogue had folk in it, and when the scriptures were opened and matters of faith discussed – on the sabbath day, they go outside the gate to the riverside, where they suppose there is a place to pray. We know this is out of the ordinary because of something said later in the book, in Acts 17:2, an account of Paul's dealings at Thessalonica. We read this, “Paul went in, as was his custom and on three sabbath days he reasoned with them from the scriptures.” So this isn't me being wild, Paul's usual custom is to go to the synagogue, as soon as he gets there, and for three consecutive Jewish days of gathering, to reason with them from the Scriptures.

But here in chapter 16, the talk of the sabbath day and no mention of a synagogue is telling. They go outside the city gate instead, to a private place by the river where they find a load of women praying too. The text tells us that they had “come together” and then one particular woman is identified as a “worshiper of God”, probably a bit like Cornelius in chapter 10, a gentile person with a reverence for the one true God of Israel.

So they seize the opportunity and talk to these women about the Gospel. They just sort of wander into this situation and they find a chance to share Christ, so they do.

And Lydia gets converted! A well-to-do, wealthy business woman is converted through this, apparently off hand, chance meeting whilst they were looking for somewhere to pray. Right? Wrong! Look at how the conversion of Lydia is described in verse 14, it says, “the Lord opened her heart”. The stress, the emphasis is upon God's action upon her, to cause her to become a Christian. Luke is intentionally communicating that this was no accidental meeting – this was the purpose of God!

Are you living with that kind of gospel opportunity awareness? Are you looking around you when you find yourself at a bus stop, or in a cue,, or at the end of a lesson at school, or at lunchtime, or a restaurant, or the pub for a family meal, or wherever you go – are you asking yourself, “Is there anyone here I might get a chance to share the Gospel with?” The answer is usually yes – the hard part is, “Am I brave enough, and do I love Christ enough, and do I love them enough, to get out of my comfort zone, risk the fact they might think I'm weird, and do it?”

But think about how this might not have happened if there had been a synagogue. Paul would have moseyed on in there to do his usual thing and might never have come across this woman at all, or this gathering place where they seems to be a good chance to share the gospel with lots of different people.

These things are not accidents – God is still orchestrating the way toward the jailer.

The Slave Girl Tells the Truth About Them – Annoyingly

So they take another trip back to the prayer that they found was very fruitful for gospel opportunity – and they literally run into the strangest girl in town.

There's this slave girl, and she's possessed by a spirit that lets her tell fortunes and stuff like that. Pagan magic, demonic spirits, and hers are for real. There's a number of strange Providences that occur quite quickly here, so the points are going to speed up.

Ok, so this fourth point is that the slave girl and her evil spirit actually shout the truth about Paul and the others! Look at verse 17. Can you imagine if you had a girl walking round behind you, whom everybody new had something spiritual going on about her, and she's like, “This person can tell you the truth! Listen to them, they tell the way of salvation!” or something like that? Pretty useful right!?!

But imagine she's followed you round shouting that for like, 6 hours. You're trying to buy milk, and she's leaning over the counter to talk to the shop assistant like, “Seriously, ask him about Jesus, ask him, he knows the way of salvation.”

She Doesn't Do It Once

That's actually the 5^th providence. She doesn't do it once. If she'd just shouted out her message about Paul and the others once, it might've been useful and dramatic, but their involvement with her would probably have stopped there. Because she's follows them round for like, forever, Paul gets, my version has “greatly annoyed”. I love that human side to Paul the Spiritual-Machine. The same guy who's writing letters about displaying patience and love toward outsiders, is now “greatly annoyed”. He's not a hypocrite, he's a human everybody. Very godly man – very human man, with sins like you and me.

But it's his annoyance that leads him to turn around and perform an exorcism. He casts the demon out of her because he's annoyed.

And this exorcism leads to the next providence – it lands Paul and Silas in a heap of trouble.

The Slave Girl's Owners Made a Business Out Of Her

The 6^th providence is important. Imagine you knew somebody who had this crazy demonic power to predict the future and tell the fortunes and stuff. I don't know about you but I probably wouldn't be having them over for dinner and board games on a regular basis. People like that are scary!

But the slave girl's owners weren't scared – the used her as a business opportunity. The Slave Girl's owners could've been frightened of her – or could've been part of a cult that renounce material possessions, of which there was no shortage in the first century world.

But they are money lovers. And when their money-making magic act slave girl suddenly loses her power to perform for them, they get mad.

This is where things start to turn for the worse for Paul and Silas. You see, not all providence is painless. It's all good – that is, God has in His Heart for His Children good purposes that will ultimately prove to bless them and grow them and make them more like Jesus and deepen their spiritual lives – but sometimes the Providences that Christians face can be simply bewildering, simply impossible to understand. You've all been through those times, right? Those times when God just does not make sense to you, and you just wanna cry, “God What is UP with this? Why are You doing this God?” These questions, these feelings, are very natural when faced with the reality of suffering and pain, combined with a belief in a God who is Love and Peace and Joy to His People.

Paul and Silas are about to get run through the mill, in God's providence. It starts here.

The Money Lovers drag them up before the magistrates in the market place – the set up in those days was that magistrates were the arbiters of smaller cases much like today, but instead of a court, they were in the market square which was were all official city business of that kind of level took place. Paul and Silas are taken there and then a slip of the tongue changes everything.

They Call Paul and Silas “Jews”.

Proverbs 16:1 says, “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” God is in control of every slip of the tongue. And a big one seems to have taken place here.

In verse 20, Paul and Silas are introduced as “Jews”. Now, they could've said Christians – that word has been a way to refer to believers in Jesus since Acts 11. And that might not have mattered so much. Christianity was only really beginning to stretch out at as far as they were, in fact we've just read of the conversion of the first convert in Philippi. The magistrates would've probably have just considered them some kooky sect, and dismissed the whole thing.

But Jews are not popular in this place. Wondering why there wasn't synagogue? Jews are not popular in the Roman world, because they're weird. They don't have any statues of their gods, and in fact they only have one God, and they tie funny things to their bodies with words from a book in, and they speak a different language, and they don't ever cut the corners of their beards, and they won't intermarry with non-Jews and... they just aren't Roman. Everything that defines Roman Spirituality in the first century finds it's opposite and enemy in Old Testament Judaism.

So when the men are charged with being Jews – and rebellious, disruptive Jews at that – notice how no mention of the slave girl is made before the magistrates, but trumped up charges of anti-social behavior and disrespect for roman law – by the way, how similar does that sound to what secular bodies say of Christians today? When they are charged with these things, in combination with their being called Jews, the next providence is an even greater turn for the worst.

They Receive Unjust Trial and Punishment

This really is quite a shocking turn of events. One thing Rome prized itself on was being an empire where it's loyal citizens received fair and just treatment in all cases. There's this kind of crazy crowd scene in verse 22 where all thought of justice and fair inquiry is just thrown out out court, and Paul and Silas receive a brutal and humiliating punishment. Magistrates in those days carried around bundle's of sticks as a symbol of their authority to punish wrongdoing, but the sticks come into action here and deal out fierce blows to the backs of Paul and Silas, thick and fast.

The thing is, that given Paul's roman citizenship and the presence of supposedly impartial magistrates, they should probably have got off with a small fine, or perhaps a lash or two. But to be publicly beaten like this, and then thrown into prison, is not at all a fitting punishment for the supposed crime of releasing a demon oppressed woman from her slavery and subjection!

But then we read the next providence – this is where it really starts to get interesting.

The Jailer is Given the Personal Responsibility to Prevent their Escape

Now, it is of course the Jailer responsibility to keep them safely. He knows that – we know that – that's his job. But it usually goes unspoken and assumed, doesn't it? Asking a jailer to keep them safe from escaping is like asking a postman to post letters, or a shop assistant to run your milk through the till.

But when the magistrates charge him to keep them safe – verbalizing what was to take place reinforces and emphasizes that he must succeed. This will become a very important providence in a few moments time.

The Jailer puts their Feet in the Stocks

Spurred on by the personal verbal command from a city official – which must have felt something like being asked to do something by a Cabinet Minister – he doesn't just chain them up, he doesn't just lock them in – he puts their feet in the stocks.

Can you imagine trying to get to sleep with your arms chained up and your feet in the stocks? You know, your feet in like a giant pair of handcuffs – feet cuffs, I guess – and you're supposed to sleep? Ridiculous.

These means that Paul and Silas have only one thing to do.

They turn to God.

They Pray and Sing in their Affliction

Brothers and Sisters behold the power of the Spirit who dwells with you. The same Spirit within you gave Paul and Silas power, not to hang their heads and cry – not to be downcast and defeated at the sight of the horrid, unjust things that had befallen them – but power to pray and to sing! To sing! If the kind of bad things that had happened them happened to you and I, we might come away with the conclusion, “yeah – I guess God hates me. I guess God has abandoned me, I'm here, in this filthy prison, my feet are chained up, I can't sleep, I'm being punished unjustly for doing a good deed – I guess God really has forsaken me.” But Paul and Silas have an eternal perspective. They know that God by His providence is still in control. He hasn't made a mistake, He hasn't screwed up, He hasn't left them to die in this horrid place – He has a purpose.

And so in joy and in hope, they turn to prayer. They turn to God in prayer, and they sing to Him, in full hearing of all the prisoners – and of the Philippian Jailer.

They Could have had Rowdy Prisoners

We read in verse 25 that all the prisoners were listening to them. That struck me as quite strange. Prisoners aren't usually the most peaceful of people, they are there because they are criminals. But there is something attractive, something hopeful, something that has a sense of reality about the way the Paul and Silas are conducting themselves. The prisoners want to listen to them. Paul and Silas are communicating a lot about the kind of God they have, that they can turn in joyful prayer and praise to Him in the midst of their affliction.

There is a Sudden and Unexpected Earthquake

Now actually, in that region at the time, earthquakes of the manner of small tremors were reasonably common. But what happens here is a small earthquake of perfect

Isn't a quite strange that at just this moment, an earthquake comes with just the right amount of force to unfasten their chains, and open all the doors – but not to break the walls and topple the whole place? Isn't that unusual? Well, not really in the book of Acts. A similar miracle occurred you will recall to the Apostle Peter, when an Angel set him free from imprisonment by the Jews and the church didn't even believe it was him when he showed up to the prayer meeting!

The Jailer is Woken Up

Verse 27 seems to suggest in the way that it is phrased that there might even have been a period of time before the jailer woke up after the earthquake. This is a place where earthquakes were reasonably common, he's probably slept through hundreds before. But in God's providence he wakes up and sees all the doors open. By implication and from what happens next, he probably can't see the prisoners. He is “about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners had escaped.”

This relates back to an earlier providence – his personal charge to keep them safe by the magistrates. You see, in first century Roman society, escaped prisoners on your watch was punishable by death.

This man has been reduced to suicide, in one night. Do I need to say anything more than that God has a purpose in this man's darkest of moments?

They Know Not to Escape

As the Jailer is about to end it all at the point of his own sword, the very weapon with which he was supposed to prevent the escape he supposes has occurred, a call comes from within – a concerned and caring, and Gospel-opportunity-spotting Paul cries out, “Do not harm yourself!! We're all here!”

This is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Who knows what other unknown, unrecorded Providences have occurred in this man's life so far? Maybe he heard some of the preaching of Paul at the place of prayer, or through the lips of another. Maybe he heard the Gospel in the songs that Paul and Silas have been singing for the past few hours? Or perhaps it as Paul and Silas have prayed, in which he has heard their thanksgiving for the Lord Jesus Christ, and the message of the Gospel, for which they are in chains. Or perhaps Paul and Silas have shared the Gospel with the other prisoners and they too have been converted, in the hearing of the Jailer – Paul does say, “we are all here.” Perhaps these prisoners have come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus under the command of Paul. Either way, they know exactly what the Jailer is talking about when he cries out, “What must I do to be saved?”

They Take the Opportunity

They could have chickened out. They could have been too downcast, or absorbed with their own suffering and affliction to see what God was doing.

But all the injustices they have experience – all the hard and bitter providences – all suddenly make sense. God was doing a work in this man's life. That's why they were led here. They were lead to Philippi for the conversion of the final founding member of the church that was to grow in this place – into a very spiritual and godly church, if Paul's later letter to them is anything to go by.

Applications

So, in closing there are a few things I want to say in order to apply this to everyone here. You might be thinking, “OK Arron, very great, very nice story, but what's the point?”

Here's the point. As a Christian, you must not forget that God is always working – in everything. God has purposes He is working out that we don't even realize – people He's using us to speak to, and be an example to that we don't even think we are.

And this is His Work. He is working it out, He is in control, and He cannot fail to call those to Himself whom He has chosen.

So I want us all to leave here today with a little more faith in our evangelistic efforts – with a little more faith in the God who does all things well – with a little more faith in the Jesus Christ who went as far as the Cross to achieve His purposes for you; and would have you be willing to walk into suffering for His purposes in the world. Be confident that this God can do mighty things with all situations and circumstances – you don't have any idea how your present sufferings and how you handle them could lead to someone becoming a Christian, or to a fellow believer being spurred on by your example. In all the twists and turns of life, and in all your work to share the Gospel with the unconverted – do not lose sight of this one glorious fact – that our God is in full and proper control, and will ensure that your labour is never in vain.

Your Labour is Never in Vain.

And if you're here this morning and you are not a Christian – I want you to consider that perhaps God brought you here this morning – you might have thought it was you, but it wasn't. Ultimately, it was God. You are not as in control of your life and your eternity as you think you are. God has been very kind to you this morning; He has allowed you to hear something of the greatness of His grace, and goodness, and kindness toward this unconverted Jail-keeper – and perhaps, toward you.

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners – He died on the cross to take God's punishment against the sins that I have committed, and for sinners like you. If you will turn away from your sins, and trust in Him, you will be saved. Do not leave until you have – you may not get another chance.

Nah...?

2010-07-14T16:21:00.000+01:00

So I was looking over the CBI Japan stuff - again.

I've been praying alot about Japan and the issues surrounding the tug there is in my own heart to go there - and the tug that has now formed in Georgina's heart to go there too. I looked over the needs they currently have and saw one need that caught my eye as a little too much of a co-incidence.

It said that they had a need for two people to come, for 1 or 2 years, one man to do preaching and teaching at their youth outreach and english fellowship and also for one person to come and work with children.

I thought, "Hang on. I preach - Georgina works with children..."

But then I thought, "Nah."

It's not because I don't want to. It just probably wouldn't come together. We're both probably too young - I don't think that's a scriptural thing, but it seems to be the preference of most - and I'm almost positive our elders would think so too. And they'd probably be right. I'm usually 70% zeal and 30% knowledge on this sort of thing :P

Still, it served as a testimony to myself to the fact that this tug in my heart is at least real to me. Well over a year and a half since I first started to pray for Japan and consider going to them with the Gospel, I still see an opportunity like this and everything inside me goes "Yes! I'll go, send me!"

If nothing else, it's keeping my concern for them alive.

Love in Christ Jesus,

Arron

I'm Training to Be a Christian

2010-07-11T19:53:00.000+01:00

So I'm on my way home from March. I preached at their afternoon service (4:30pm) on Romans 8:1-11. Notes below.

I got the usual jibberjabber after the service. "Are you training to be a pastor?" "No." "Oh. A missionary?" "No." "Oh... then what are you training to be?" "I'm not." "Oh..."

It usually runs dry there.

I always think it's a little shallow for someone to compel a young man to go into the ministry when they've heard one sermon. I'm sure their hearts simply wanted to be encouraging - and I thank them for that, I certainly need it! -- but my understanding of the scriptures leads me to think that God has so much more in mind for a leader amongst His people than just good pulpiteering. I know how to construct a sermon - I just don't know anything else.

I understand that preaching is an important gift for someone going into full time leadership. But Paul's qualifications for leadership focus way more on a man's life and character and godliness than on his mouth. I've got a big mouth - but a small heart. Sometimes I think to myself after I've preached, "Do I love those people? Was I preaching for their blessing and strenghtening, or was it a show?"

But the funny thing is that this time - I think I was. I think I was preaching to bless them. I think I did love them, and desire their strengthening.

It's always dangerous to be confident about your motives - it seems to me to be like trying catch a handful of a sand or carry water in your palms more than 5 or 6 yards before it trickles away. And as such I put as much trust in this positive feeling about my motives as I do normally in my negative assessment - it may or may not be true, and I don't understand myself well enough to make any kind of absolute judgment. But, it's still a nice condition to find myself in. It's rare I come away from a trip like this thinking, "You, by God's Grace, I think that went ok." I'm usually lamenting my very existence by now, and praying imprecatory psalms against my ministry.

So here I am. A little better than usual. I've known great strengthening in prayer this week past - a sense of God's closeness and presence that I haven't known since before I came to Dewsbury.

But I'm still left with these questions....

"Are you training to be a pastor?" "No. (I don't know.)" "Oh... a missionary?" "No. (Maybe.)" "Oh. Then what are you training to be?"

"A Christian. I'm training to be a Christian."

Love in Christ,

Arron

Sinicide - Three New Covenant Weapons for the Fight Against Sin from Romans 8:1-11

2010-07-11T19:32:00.000+01:00

Hi there,

Below are the notes to the sermon I preach about 2 hours ago at Providence Baptist Chapel, March, Cambridgeshire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sinicide: Three New Covenant Weapons for the Battle with Sin – Romans 8:1-11

Introduction

Man calls it an accident; God calls it an abomination.

Man calls it a blunder; God calls it blindness.

Man calls it a defect; God calls it a disease.

Man calls it a chance; God calls it a choice.

Man calls it an error; God calls it an enmity.

Man calls it a fascination; God calls it a fatality.

Man calls it an infirmity; God calls it an iniquity.

Man calls it a luxury; God calls it a leprosy.

Man calls it a liberty; God calls it lawlessness.

Man calls it a trifle; God calls it a tragedy.

Man calls it a mistake; God calls it a madness.

Man calls it a weakness; God calls it willfulness.

Our topic this evening is the battle with sin. My intention is that we are going to discover and arm ourselves with three new covenant weapons for the battle with sin, as we move through the text verse by verse and look at what the Apostle Paul has to say regarding this issue. But I do want to explain briefly why this text was on my heart in prayer and in preparation for coming down to visit you here, though in 99% of cases, I have never met any of you.

There is nothing more needful in my own life than greater power and effectiveness in the fight with my inward wrongdoing. I often feel myself to be weakest and poorest of all Christians, beholding the various ways in which I stumble and fall – and in this text before us this evening I have personally found fresh manna from heaven, as it were. I have found new encouragement to keep going in the grueling battle with the evil that lives inside me and never long sleeps. I have found a challenge to be more biblical than reformed about the power of the Spirit of God to overcome my natural corruptions. I have found strategies and promises with which to practically subdue sin in my daily Christian experience – and I would be most selfish indeed if I were not prepared to share some of those things with you.

I am convinced and aware that I am not alone in this. Everyone in this room knows that battling with your own sinfulness is almost your chief occupation as a Christian, providing you've been one for more than a few minutes. When asking myself the question, “What should I talk about when I come down to Providence Baptist Church?”, my mind very quickly turned to the precious truths of Romans 8:1-11. There are things here that can sustain and strengthen your walk with Christ – and it is my intention to show you some of them, to the best of my far from adequate abilities.

So, no further ado. Let's get our faces in the book.

No Condemnation (vv1-3)

A little context would be that since the middle of chapter 5, Paul has been dealing with the issues surrounding the presence of sin in the life of a Christian. In chapter 6, he explained that the Christian is like a slave who's changed hands it were – we were once sold under sin, but now we have been bought, or “redeemed” and becomes slaves of righteousness, through our new master, Jesus Christ. In chapter 7, I personally believe that Paul has been recounting his own experience of an inward battle with his own sinful nature. He finds within himself a desire to do the right thing, to obey the commandments of God – a commendable, God-given thing – but often he also discovers that his sinful nature hinders him from carrying that desire into the street and actually doing what he intended. How many of us know what that's like?

When Paul arrives at this place in the letter, at the beginning of chapter 8, I can imagine it must have been something of a crescendo for him. Probably dictating aloud to a scribe, he begins to speak, and in a moment of deep, Gospel-root thankfulness, the first word out of his mouth in the original tongue is “No”.

In English, word order is pretty important. You'd probably be relatively confused if I turned round and said, “Church time for what I arrive should, friend my?” I am required by the rules of our language to say, “What time should I arrive for church, my friend?” It makes no sense without the right word order. But in Greek, word order is not so important. In fact, it often has very little bearing on the meaning of the sentence at all. So what happened was that the words that the writer or speaker wanted to stress, or emphasize, really draw your attention to, found there way to the start of the sentence. The stress word in this sentence is “no”. Paul's chief idea and thrust in this sentence is the absoluteness of the freedom from condemnation that the Christian has.

This is where we always start. Paul makes little to no discussion about anything, apart from the core of the Gospel, which is that through personal faith in Jesus Christ, we have our sins forgiven and are freed from the eternity of conscious torment that we so richly deserve. Before we get into the issues of moral transformation and victory in the fight against sin, Paul draws our eyes straight to the Cross. I imagine he may even have cried out emphatically, “No!” No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, none. Though sin can hinder us and weaken our spiritual experience and dampen our joy, it cannot have the victory in the end – it has already lost! Faith in Christ means no hell. Is there any better note for us to start this discussion with? Is there a wiser place to begin than in the knowledge that no matter how the fight goes on the day to day, those who are really in Christ, those who are really Christians, cannot go to Hell.

Paul uses the word “condemnation”. Condemnation is the sentence of death – if someone is condemned it means they're on death row, not that they've already sat in the electric chair. Damnation is when you are actually experiencing the sentence. When Jesus says that all who do not believe are condemned already, He means that a sentence of eternal death has already been passed over them.

For the Christian, there is no such sentence. God has no intentions to damn you – what, so and ever! God is 100% for you, and not against you, and you are accepted by Him.

We see this in verse 2, we see our freedom from this sentence – the “law” of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” The word “law” here doesn't refer, I think, to the law of moses, or the law of Christ, but rather should be understood to mean “principle” or “rule” or even “norm”. What it's saying is this – the “rule” of the Spirit of life (that those who have the Spirit have eternal life) means that the “rule” of sin and death (that sin leads to death) has no more power over you – you are free from it. This principle of spiritual life within you was placed there by God Himself, when by His Spirit He brought you to Christ, and none can take it away – He Himself has promised to keep it there. The principle that those who sin will die an eternal death cannot have power over you anymore – because of Christ! Christ has taken your condemnation already, and experienced the death you deserve – death can't claim you as it's own anymore!

It's like this. Let's say you have a job at a factory called “The Spirit of Life”. At this factory, you have been guaranteed to receive eternal life, and you have an unending employment contract that never breaks. But you used to work at a factory called “Sin and Death”. There, all that you were getting in your wage packet was death and punishment, and the only way to break that contract was to transfer to the factory where you work now.

But now that you work at “The Spirit of Life”, your old boss, Mr. Condemnation, can't give you death and punishment anymore – he's lost all power over you, you have a new boss now, Mr. No Condemnation, who despite the name is no relation whatsoever to your old boss, by the way.

As Christians, we have in the Gospel complete and total assurance, that through nothing but faith alone, in Christ alone, we have the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. Now, that fact doesn't just hang out there hooked on nothing, it's fixed on an act in history, all of this is centered upon the Cross in verse 3, where the basis of these realities is made very plainly to be our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 3 is part of the same sentence as verse 4, but I want to just glide over the first half and look at the second half for a moment – I'm coming back to the first bit, but I'm linking it in with verses 4-9, as it is the beginning of the ideas that those verses explain.

Verse 3 tells us that God has sent His Son “in the likeness of sinful flesh”. God's Son, the second person of the Trinity, came to earth in the form of a normal human being. Jesus was God in person, and He took in a human nature – God in the flesh. If you'd be pretty excited to meet the queen in the flesh, how much more exciting is it that it became possible to meet and see God in the flesh.

In order for Christ to save us from our sins, it was essential that He become a man. You see, Christ has to be a double representative. He had come to earth to represent God to man, and was in Himself the highest and clearest revelation of God to man that there ever has, or ever will be. But Jesus was also to become representative of man to God. He was going to become the head of a new humanity, as Paul has already discussed in chapter 5 of this letter, explaining that we are either in Adam, under Adam's headship which will lead to death, or we are under Christ's headship, which will lead to eternal life. In order for Jesus to be our representative, He has to be one of us, He has to be a man. I can't be an Italian diplomat, because I am not an Italian citizen. I cannot represent Italy. Jesus can't represent man to God, if He is not truly man.

But verse 3 goes on to say that He wasn't just sent in the likeness of sinful flesh, but “for sin”. Some translations have “as a sin offering”, which is in my ESV margin. The concept is the same regardless – Jesus didn't just come to be a representative – one who simply pleads our case to God, like a lawyer – but He came to be a substitute, actually removing the problems that lies between sinners and God – their sin! A lawyer only argues with the judge about the innocence of the one they're defending, they aren't taking the position of the accused and offering to go to jail instead of them. A lawyer just argues, he won't pay your bail. But Jesus is a representative to God by being a substitute criminal. Jesus doesn't argue before God that we're clean, He knows we aren't. Instead, He takes our punishment, He actually dies instead of us.

Christ then, in His death on the Cross on our behalf, is the basis for our freedom from all condemnation. No Hell because of Christ – No Hell because of Jesus.

Here then is our first of three weapons to pick up and wield in our own fight with sin. It isn't as hard to win the battle when you know you've already won the war. Sin can't take us to hell anymore – so just kill it and have done! Speak to yourself, remind yourself, “My sins, these evil things I see in my heart and life that I am guilty of, do not have the power over me anymore, they cannot take me to hell, because Christ has dealt with the punishment they deserve, and now I'm free.” Remind yourself of these things, that you might be spurred on to destroy your already defeated foe.

Be meditating upon the kind of absoluteness and finality, and surety that the death of Christ brings us through faith in Him. No condemnation, really means no condemnation. We shouldn't be suspicious of the saving power and loving heart of our Heavenly Father, but should lean upon Him fully, as we seek to assassinate our wrongdoing.

Change Motivation (vv4-9)

But the first part of the verse says that Christ's death had another point – it was so that God would achieve what the law on itself could not, and here we move to our second point. Ok, so we really have no condemnation from God, and we're going to Heaven – what now?

Well, Paul doesn't let us “stop at the Cross” as it were, but lets this vision of the Cross flow out into something else – into a life of change motivation.

In verse 4, Paul explains that God does not intend our right standing with Him to breed idleness, or sinfulness, but holiness. Being justified before God in this way, is demonstrated Paul says, in that the “righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us.” If you really are justified by faith alone, your faith is going to change your whole life. John Calvin put it like this, “Whilst faith alone justifies, justifying faith is never alone.”

You see, a key element of your putting your faith in Christ is that the Holy Spirit came upon you in such a way that you were born again. God, through the Spirit, overcome and conquered your resistance to Him, and gave you a new heart. Only new hearts can trust Jesus, not dead ones. So by the Spirit, you are born again; using your newly regenerated nature you put your faith in Christ, and are saved. That all happens inside you in an instant – and you are now a Christian.

And at the point, you start on a journey. You're going on a long walk. The new testament uses language like this to describe the Christian life. In verse 4 we see such a thing. Those who are having the righteous requirements of the law fulfilled within them – those who are experiencing true victory over their own sinfulness – are those who “walk” not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

There really are only two ways to live. You can walk in the flesh, or you can walk in the Spirit. The walk in the flesh is a short walk straight to Hell. The walk of the flesh is the walk that doesn't take you anywhere near true righteousness, but is only the path to hypocrisy, wickedness and all manner of vile living.

The walk of the Spirit is taking you to Jesus. The walk of the Spirit of not content to just live on sin. If you're really a Christian, sin makes you uncomfortable. You can't continue in any act or attitude that you know is wrong for very long before you're twitching, and writhing, and you just have to go God and sort this thing out, you can't live like this. Perhaps you go days, or weeks, or months, or years in some transgression without victory over it, but as long as you're losing that fight, you're miserable. Friends, do you feel this, do you know this? Does sin make you unhappy, or are you best friends with it?

This whole walk in the Spirit is played out, Paul demonstrates, in the Christians outward actions and inward attitudes. Look carefully at verses 5-7.

The mind of the flesh, the heart-attitude of the sinful nature, just lives in and thinks about wrongdoing, idolatry, and sin – sometimes wearing the evening clothes of religion and humanism, but a spade is still a spade, even if you call it a horticultural implement. This mind is “hostile” to God's law, it hates to think about having to obey God. It does not “submit” to Him. So the language we have here is “walk”, “set on”, “Submit”, these are practical words. This issue of the battle against sin works itself out in the practical arena.

But it's not just outward – people can appear to outwardly keep the commandments, but inward be rotten to the core. The other set of language here is “hostile”, “mind”, “life and peace” – these are inward attitudes. The battle against the flesh, against sin, is not just a battle to keep commandments by sheer stubbornness of will – it's a battle to subdue to conquer an inward love of sinning, and replace it with a love of Christ.

What are “the things of the Spirit” in verse 5? Surely they are the things pertaining to our Lord Jesus Christ? We learn from John 16 that the work of the Spirit, Christ says is to “take the things that are mine are give them to you”. The Work of the Spirit of God is to point to Jesus Christ! The Spirit of God isn't going around the earth trying to set up a rival church to the Church of Christ, He Himself builds an dwells in the Church of Christ – He is the one who leads us to Christ in the first place!

So in the context of our spiritual lives, to be “setting our minds” on the things of the Spirit, is to be filling our hearts with Jesus Christ, and love for Him.

This battle cannot be won by the natural man. Jesus is a boring figure to the man or woman dead in their sins – He doesn't make sense to them, indeed He cannot. You see, to be taken up with Christ is a pleasing thing to God, and those who are in the flesh, cannot please Him. They are hostile in their mind, at enmity with God, shaking their fists at Him in fury for daring to be King of their futile lives, and so they are in the flesh.

“But you,” Paul says, “You are not in the flesh.” You are not one of those people – so you don't have to live like they do. You don't have to rebel anymore. You see people think Christian believers are the mindless drones unable to be free of the shackles of commandment keeping and religious observance, but the opposite is true. The unbeliever is an absolute slave to his rebellion against God, He can't be any different. He is “enslaved to various passions and pleasures”, Titus 3:3. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, these are the mindless drones of the world – those with no power to overcome their sin.

But you aren't like that. You have the Spirit of God dwelling in you, if you belong to Christ, verse 9. You have the Holy Spirit of God Himself living inside you. Do you know who you are? Do you know who you are, do you realize how staggeringly different you are, to everybody else in the world, who doesn't know Christ?

Paul makes it clear that those in Christ have already, the necessary power and nature to fight and overcome sin, in this life. Do you believe that? Do you believe that as a born again Christian, you have everything needful for overcoming the flesh, now, now, in this world, in this life, before eternity, now? Any Calvinists uncomfortable yet?

Paul is crystal here, and this is the second weapon to pick up and do damage to your depravity with – The Spirit of God within you means that you do not have to be hostile to God, you do not have to set your mind on sin, you can submit to the righteous requirements of the law – you are empowered by God, and you are different. Live in this knowledge and let it cut through all false notions of powerlessness in the fight against sin – the idea that you can't battle and have some victory your sins as a Christian is worldly and devilish – the devil wants you to believe that.

But. Here we transition to our final point.

Great Expectation (vv10-11)

It would be very easy, given the baldness with which Paul speaks, to take his comments too far. Indeed, the way that I have spoken about the Christian's power to overcome sin might even have sounded to you like I was going too far – but it is in verses 10 and 11 that we discover that Paul and I are not living in cloud cuckoo land.

Verse 10, “If Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, Paul doesn't want his readers to come away with the idea that in this world, they can perfectly and finally overcome their inward corruption. Everyone here will die a physical death – this is the abiding result of our remaining sinfulness, everybody dies – but our hope lies beyond death. Our home lies beyond the power of the grave, in Heaven. It is that “the Spirit” within us is life – our spiritual life, our hope of the life to come. The word translated “life”, the greek word “Zoé”, almost never refers to simply being alive, but means “life” in the sense of our spiritual life (Schreiner 1998:415), the essence of being alive as a Christian.

So what Paul is saying then is this. Though you have great power, spiritually, to fight and battle and overcome your sin, and though you are free from the consequences of sin (that being spiritual death and eternal punishment), the battle with sin is life long. Be optimistic about your chances – you have great and mighty resources – but don't be arrogant about your condition. You're not perfect, and you aren't going to be, in this life.

You see, all of this is a work of God's grace. All that we're talking about is rooted in verse 3 - “God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.” GOD, has done. This isn't about a willful self-reliance and fleshly pulling up of your spiritual socks, this is about the transforming power of the grace of God!

And we have a great expectation. Our expectation is that by His grace, through His Spirit, one day we will be free from sin! One day we will have ultimate, final and total victory over our inward corruptions and be free, free! What cause have we sunken heads and silences lips and sullied hearts? Let us press on, we're going to win!

Verse 11 makes this point crystal clear – if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you – the One who provided the power for the victory of Christ over sin, once and for all – He will indeed, at that great day, give your mortal body eternal life.

Eternal life is no figment of the imaginations of people who are insecure about life and death. It is the certain and sure promise of freedom from sin and from death, in the perfect world that is to come.

The Spirit at work within us is the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead – the same Spirit by whom He healed the sick, and gave sight to the blind, and hearing to the death, and love to the outcast – the same Spirit by which He powerfully rebuked the Devil himself in the wilderness – the same Spirit by which He still goes on convicting men and women and children of sin, and righteousness, and judgment, and the same Spirit by whom He will remake the entire world.

What cause have we not to be encouraged that such a Spirit is the One within us, helping us fight and overcome our personal sins?

And Paul continues to say much more about how this works out in our lives and prayers and sufferings in the verses following, but our exposition ends at verse 11 for this evening. I want to leave us with some closing thoughts and more piercing applications.

Firstly, to anybody here who is not a Christian – do you realise the fearful situation that you are in? There is no assurance that there is no condemnation for you. You don't have any real power to change the way you are – you're trapped in your sins. You do not have the promise of a blissful eternity ahead of you, by which to be encouraged. So what then should you do? Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ – and all these things, and many more wonderful things besides that you at this time cannot possibly conceive, await you.

Secondly, don't ever get defeatist about your sin. Especially in reformed churches, we're prone to giving in to our sinfulness, rather than fighting it with the resources we have. Is it really, my friend, that you can't repent? Or that you won't repent? Is it really that you are unable to stop looking at those websites, or that you don't want to? Is it really that you can't change the way you speak to that person in your life you frequently act most unkindly toward – or that you've just given in the fight against evil speech?

Thirdly, avail yourselves of the means at your disposal. Spend time in your Bible, it's just full of encouraging stuff like this. Be reading, and studying, and thinking and praying, and be ready for the times when sin springs it's ambush. Confess your sins to one another so that they aren't just dirty secrets, but outlawed enemies, that you can fight together. Be accountable to one another in the particular areas of weakness that you have, and make war on your sin.

Fourthly, don't forget the gospel. It is the glorious doctrine of our Savior Jesus that He sends the Spirit for our comfort and help. But don't be so caught up in the fight against sin, you forget the reason you're fighting it. The reason we hate sin, and want it to leave and end, is that sin keeps us from Jesus. Jesus said that if we keep His commandments, He and His Father will come and make their home with us. The reason we want sin to die is that we want our love for Christ, and relationship with Him, and experience of the joy of His very existence and presence and beauty and loveliness to live, and prosper, that we might be at rest in our souls.

Fifthly, be looking forward to that day. Be a Christian with a hope of a better world, and a better life than this. There is much blessing and happiness to be had by the saints in this dry desert of a world through faith in Christ, and by the killing of our sin. But O the day is coming when we will not see Him in a mirror dimly – blinded by the hazy sightedness of sin and sorrow – but we will see Him face to face.

And then indeed, our joy will be complete. For to me to live is Christ – and to die is gain.

~~~

love in Christ,

Arron

A Hymn From My Evening

2010-06-28T00:16:00.002+01:00

Sometimes I write hymns. Usually they're just little poems i write for myself, but occasionally I put one I've written up here too. I wrote this one about ten minutes ago.

We are here, His chosen children,
Loved, elected and redeemed.
Royal priests, a holy kingdom,
By whom Jesus is esteemed.
Once, before His pow'rful calling,
We were lost and far from grace;
But He rescued us from falling,
Now we live to see His face.

Jesus is our great redeemer,
And our great redemption's price,
He our full salvation's bringer,
He the costly sacrifice.
On the cross, entrenched in anguish,
There He took our punishment,
And from death He rose to vanquish,
All that would our joy prevent.

Let us now, by God's own Spirit,
Give Him thanks for all He's done,
Trusting not in self or merit,
But in His beloved Son.
O that Christ our hearts may master,
And our spirits sanctify!
Till at last we reach the pasture,
Where we rest and never die.

God bless,

Arron

If Your Pulpit Causes You to Sin...?

2010-06-02T14:59:00.000+01:00

I was thinking today about ministry - I do that often when I'm busy with the mundane tasks of my daily employ. But I realised that I shouldn't have been thinking about ministry - I should have been focussed and dilligent in the tasks set before me.

Whenever I start to preach a little here and there on a reasonably regular basis (at the moment for example, once a month), I find myself become freshly discontent with my work and station in life. I am a worker of beds. I am involved in the preparation of a product, in the context of a small warehouse and office facility. This is my God ordained work. I can do it to His glory and in His strength, and ought to be thankful for it, as well as dilligent in it. But whenever I preach, my mind and heart are turned again to my inward desire to surrender all of my time and energy to the proclamation of the gospel, and the care of those who by Grace, are members of the Kingdom of God. This makes me become discontent with my position and calling in the here and now (the only moment that truly exists) and leads into sin.

Discontent is sin. It is unbelief concerning the sovereign wisdom and kindness of God. It doubts the love in the heart of God that He has for His children, by raising questions as to the wisdom of His sovereign predetermination of the circumstances of their lives. It is idolatry of the self, by making oneself supremely wiser that He who is God Only Wise, in the apportioning of position, status, employ and condition. It is an abhorrent assault against the good and holy providence of the God of Heaven, and makes a mockery of all pretense of belief in the Doctrines of Grace.

So does that mean that if your pulpit causes you to sin, you should shut it down? Perhaps the real solution is that I should quit the preaching, until such a time as I can give myself more fully to it. I do not mean hereby that I would forsake my responsibilities to share the Gospel with those around me - but I mean that, in terms of exercising the gift of teaching in the context of the Church of Christ, maybe the wisest way to ensure my continued pursuit of personal holiness is to put a plug in the preaching.

Just an afternoon meditation.

Love in Christ,

Arron

"Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you." - John Owen

Little Embers

2010-05-30T23:50:00.000+01:00

So I glanced over the mission opportunities at CBI Japan again this evening. Watched a few videos, read an essay on Japanese culture. I was talking to someone over lunch today, and they asked, "Do you still thinks you'll go out and do a year there?"

I didn't know how to answer. Thing is, I know I want to, and to some degree ought to - but who am I to do such a thing? The needs they have are for evangelists, preachers and teachers and stuff like that - I'm just not the guy for the needs they have. YEC were behind me last time I made a push at Japan - they encouraged me to press into it, some pledged and gave some funds... but then the door shut and I found a job, and moved out, and found a young woman and now life is just way too middle class for missions.

I met with a friend for lunch in York a little while back and this issue came up again. Point blank, she just made me feel like I'd given up. I looked at her over my hot chocolate and realised that I've lost... or maybe quenched, the passion that she has for His fame amongst the nations. The small embers of the fire that once burned in my heart for the people of Japan - the fire that made me weep and pray and plead for them with God - can't even warm my soul enough to end the coldness of spirit toward who I have become, let alone who I fear the man that lies ahead of me is.

Normal. Middle class. Comfortable.

A wasted life.

Muzukashi desu yo! (This is very difficult!)

Arron

My Inward Peace, They Cannot Wound

2010-05-28T14:28:00.000+01:00

The providence of God must not be limited only to that which we find comfortable. If we were to allow in our minds our God only to bless, and never to strike us, we would have no God but ourselves, for such a God is not the God of the Scriptures. The God of the Bible is wonderful and majestically free to do whatever He pleases, and we are best to resign all attempt at usurping His throne, and walk in the way He has lead us. If circumstances seem pleasant - let us praise the Lord, for His manifold goodness towards us. If circumstances seem adverse - let us praise the Lord, for His manifold goodness toward us.

God is always at work for our good. Sometimes we can't see it, and other times we won't believe it - but it is always the case, regardless of how we feel about it. People have sometimes said, "Telling me that "God is working it for good" wasn't really helpful for me, because I was still suffering." I have pondered this and wonder if perhaps such a response stems more from self-centred unbelief regarding the promises of God, rather than an edgy, Christian realism that it seems to present. If we really believed that God were at work for our good, we would surely find strength to bear each trial, be it small or great.

For you see, the conviction of a soul that the particular troubles befalling it are an express of the love of God, by which He is teaching us the things most needful (patience, peace, calm, trust, faith), sometimes at the expense of our comfort (financial stability, health, friends, assurance), lays a foundation upon which can be built the largest castle of peace you have ever seen. When my heart rightly apprehends the rich depths of the love that God Himself, in Triune Majesty, has for me - how can I ever be broody, worrisome, wearisome or troublesome? It's all unbelief I tell you, all my problems are the sickening spawn of unbelief!! If I truly believed and lived inside Romans 8:28, my peace would be an unshakable fortress, not a puny sand-castle!

Brothers and sisters, let us put our faith in God. "For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption." (Ps. 130:8).

1. My God, my Father, blissful name
Oh may I call Thee mine?
May I with sweet assurance claim
A portion so divine?
This only can my fears control
And bid my sorrows fly;
What harm can ever reach my soul
Beneath my Father’s eye?

2. Whate’er Thy providence denies
I calmly would resign
For Thou art just, and good, and wise
O bend my will to Thine
Whate’er Thy sacred will ordains
O give me strength to bear;
And let me know my Father reigns
And trust His tender care.

3. If pain and sickness rend this frame
And life almost depart
Is not Thy mercy still the same
To cheer my drooping heart
If cares and sorrows me surround
Their power why should I fear?
My inward peace they cannot wound
If Thou, my God, art near.

-- Anne Steele, 1760

Love in Christ Jesus,

Arron

The Monthly Meditate

2010-05-15T08:04:00.001+01:00

I'm on the train to York for my monthly installment of Mark Troughton's wisdom and encouragement at the York Preacher's Workshop. I love seeing the guys from York, and hearing them think together. But this time of the month, and particularly the time on the train, is always an occasion for prayerful meditation for me. Am I really doing the will of God when I give myself to this? Am I supposed to preach, prepare to preach, or any of it? Is this of the Spirit, or of my own fleshly making?

I've been in a sort of 'middle' stage for the past few months. Somehow still preaching, though entirely unsure I ought to be. My friend Luke counseled me that if I were to stop preaching (as I've been considering for the past few weeks), I'd be disobeying the instruction of my Elders. Well, maybe. I'm not sure they'd be too concerned - probably thankful. It's a universal truth that no-one is comfortable with young preachers - including themselves. It must be worrying for them to have someone so young and particularly arrogant in proclamation of the word of God as I. Though I am, I hate being a burden, rather than a joy.

I guess time will tell. There's no rush. But even as I write that, my heart says, somewhere, 'But the needs are real now. The desperate need of the church in britain is clear teaching'. I've stood in churches where everything about the preaching made me both cringe and writhe with anger. Someone ought to DO something!

But not me Too young/foolish/arrogant/controversial/self-sufficient/arronish.

Thankfully, God is Lord of His Church. He needs no help from me, and does all things well. That's relaxing.

Anyway, I'm going to study wisdom literature now. Maybe I'll come away a little wiser than when I arrived.

Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing,

Arron

Present Patience Pummels Pride

2010-05-10T13:36:00.000+01:00

"Better is the end of a thing than it's beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."

-- Ecclesiastes 7:8

Patience, as an attitude, is tricky. It involves more than waiting - many folk can wait and not be patient. Waiting is often forced upon us by circumstances - but patience is a response to the requirement to wait, that makes it more bearable and abounds to the glory of God.

True patience is not a passive fatalism - just being calm that "whatever will be will be" - but true patience is a submission to the good and sovereign will of God. Calvin said, "Nothing happens but that He hath knowingly and wllingly decreed it." Christian patience therefore is trusting the God who has ordained all things, by actively refraining from behaviours and attitudes that are impatient. For example:

1. Worry is impatient

Worry is built upon faithlessness. Concern of heart, which is moved out of compassion to action, is not worry - but becoming flustered, sickened in spirit or 'meddling' reveals that we aren't just concerned for a person or situation, but that we don't actually trust God to actively move and take care of His people, His creation, or His plan of redemption. When our Christian friends suffer, we ought to be concerned enough to pray, and seek to relieve their suffering - but we ought not to worry, by meddling in their lives to the extent where we are as much of a problem to them as their suffering is. We ought not to think that God cannot minister to them, provide for them and help them a thousand times more effectively than we can - if God feeds ravens and clothes lillies, will He not care for His Children, to whom He will give His Kingdom? (Luke 12:22-34).

2. Fear is impatient

The people of this world have much reason to fear, and seemingly do not - we have no reason to fear, and often do! The patient response to circumstances that make us afraid, is to remind ourselves of the overarching sovereignty of God, and the eternal destiny in glory ahead of us. We needed be scared of the Devil, the World, or even the Flesh - none can have the victory. Let us instead repose in patience, knowing that our time of freedom will indeed come (Rom. 8:32).

3. The 'Messiah-complex' is impatient

Be careful here - I'm not trying to quench zeal, or discourage activity or slow down the busy workers in the Vineyard. But there is a kind of attitude that says, "I must save the world." No, the position of world-saviour is taken. Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the World. You cannot do everything - you cannot reach everyone - you cannot change human hearts - you aren't God. Be faithful in the ministries to which He has called you - do not imagine yourself able to do the work of the whole Body when you are one finger on it's hand. You are not trusting the Lord to work our His purposes in the world - you reveal impatience with Him, when you seek to do what only He can. Don't be afraid to delegate - don't be afraid to share responsibility. One body, under God, for Christ, will win. One man, over God, for himself, will die.

4. Grudges are impatient

When we hold grudges against people, and especially against our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are displaying impatience with the judgment of God. In the case of the unbeliever, we aren't trusting that at the right time, and in the right way, God will have justice upon whatever grievance or sin they have commited against us - this frees us to practice radical forgiveness. In the case of a brother or sister in Christ, we are showing impatience and disatisfaction with what God has already declared to be forgiven and justly paid for - holding grudges is impatient telling God that the Cross simply wasn't enough, and that your fellow believer's wrongdoing requires much more punishment that Christ endured - which isn't just impatience, but blasphemy, self-righteousness and pride.

The verse from Eccelsiastes above reveals an interesting connection between impatience and pride. You see, impatience - distrust in the power of God to work - is essentially an overturning of the entire Gospel. The Gospel is that God has come in Christ to do all that is necessary for our salvation - we do nothing, He does all. Impatience assumes some fault or failing in God's wisdom and power, and is therefore the height and pinnacle of pride. The person who is patient (and therefore full of living faith), can humbly walk through any and ever circumstance full of calmness and security in the everlasting love of God, which prepares every circumstance. The person of impatience falls into a veritable multitude of other sins all at once, and becomes a very narrow, bitter, flustered, worried, selfish and self-righteous person. Patience in the present pummels pride in our hearts.

What to be a better person? Better be a patient person.

Love in Christ,

Arron

The Difficulty of Forgiveness and the Forge of Faith

2010-04-27T11:19:00.000+01:00

True forgiveness of others is not about gritting our teeth, and ignoring their wrongdoing. However justified, or unjustified our sense of having been wronged is, the call of Christ is to forgive. Always, and at all times, we are called to remember that the forgiveness with which we forgive is to be like the forgiveness with whcih Christian forgave us. Let's analyze:

Christ's Forgiveness For Me is:

1. Free

The Work of Christ to forgive me, and to reconcile me to Himself, was accomplished, purposed and intended from long before I was ever born. Thus, God had decided to forgive me, not on the basis of anything in me (my repentance, my faith, my love for Him, my fruit, etc) - but simply because of His grace. My repentance and faith are, of course, instruments through which I am saved - but they are not a basis of my salvation, because they are both gifts, not works.

2. Total

God's forgiveness for me is not partial. He does not hold a grudge, secretly long to condemn me, or have moments of being overcome by anger against me and my sin. On the contrary - He has removed all His anger for me at the Cross of Christ, and now welcomes me, though unworthy, into the family of the Redeemed. He expects nothing from me, from first to last, but works all things in me - I am but the glad recipient and free and total forgiveness.

3. Unchanging

God doesn't unforgive me when I continue to wrong Him. His forgiveness is a steady attitude and purposed intention not to treat me according to my sins, but according to the kindness of His nature. My confession of my sins is for the purpose of my own sanctification - it doesn't "forgive me more" everytime I do it. A Christian doesn't go to hell if they die with unconfessed sin - else we'd all go to Hell, for none of us truly knows the depth of our rebellion and sinfulness. As John Owen said with much insight, "Even my repentance needs repenting of."

Can you imagine if my forgiveness of others was like that? I would be free from the burden and chain of bitterness, and liberated to enjoy the gladness of Christ. He Himself was very joyful (Hebrew 1:6-9).

"Free to Forgive

Forgiveness is the center around which our faith revolves. But when we are the ones who need to forgive, forgiveness becomes more difficult. To believe that God forgave me, pardoning me in a broad theological sweep with billions of others, seems more reasonable than my granting forgiveness to someone who has wronged me.

In Colossians 3:13, Paul wrote, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Forgiveness is intensely personal. It affects the way I relate to God and interact with others. We can begin to understand forgiveness by looking at what it is not.

Forgiveness is not a cover-up, or a game of “let’s pretend.” It is not a performance in which we shrug our shoulders and pretend the offense was “no big deal.”

Forgiveness is not teeth-gritting determination to keep going, no matter what. Sheer willpower to overlook or minimize an offense will never achieve forgiveness. Such an approach often creates bitterness instead, especially when the other person fails to respond as desired.

Forgiveness is not passive resolve to wait the problem out, hoping that time will heal all wounds. Forgiveness is not excusing people who offend our personal preferences or who annoy us by their selfish choices. These may test our tolerance levels, but not our willingness to forgive. While tolerance makes allowances, forgiveness releases a legitimate debt.

When Christ tells us to forgive, he is speaking to those who are most vulnerable—those who have been violated. He knows that he speaks to people whose trust has been betrayed or who face humiliation. His words are intended for those whose character has been unjustly damaged, for the one whose life has been marred by the sin of others. And that is the difficulty of forgiveness: the offended person is affected by someone else’s moral failure. Quite plainly, it is not fair. Yet, in the midst of pain and disillusionment, Christ says, “Forgive.”

We must understand that God is not minimizing the violation that maims lives. He is not questioning the authenticity of the offense and its harm. But at the point of trampled innocence, we are still told to forgive. We are told to release a legitimate debt. When we forgive, we guarantee that the offending person’s violation will not be held against him.

Jesus did not qualify his statement. Whatever the failed obligation, whatever the violation, from first to last he says, “Forgive.” And, to make his point clear and to silence all exceptions, he added, “as I have forgiven you.”

Here there can be no argument. There is no debt of love and honor greater than what we owe Christ. There is no moral violation more profound than our disobedience to God. Yet, he releases us. We are forgiven. And, as always, he says, “Follow me.”

Personal definitions of fairness are set aside. In fact, self is set aside altogether. The focus becomes Christ. However real the offenses or injustices against us, however justified our hurt, we must view it from Calvary. True forgiveness rises from a deep-rooted trust in Jesus Christ and in the values of his kingdom.

Larson, K. 2000. I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference. Vol. 9 (414–415). Broadman & Holman Publishers: Nashville, TN

Love in Christ Jesus, Whom Alone Forgives Sins,

Arron

Dewsbury Open Air Blog

2010-04-10T20:34:00.002+01:00

Just a little note to let you all know about the new blog for the Dewsbury Open Air team. It has pictures, updates, stories, encouragements and more. You can find it at http://dewsburyopenair.wordpress.com/

God Bless

Arron

An Essay On the Nature of the Formation and Inspiration of the Biblical Text

2010-04-08T21:16:00.000+01:00

The question of the nature of the Bible is still a matter of controversy in our day. This is not to say that for the Church, the centrality of the Bible has always been a matter of debate; quite the contrary. The Bible has always held a significant place in the life and theology of the Church; but since the 18th century 'Enlightenment', debate surrounding the formation of the Biblical text and conclusion regarding it's nature thereby has been a central task in the larger project of theology in most, if not every, theological-academic institution.

What exactly is the Bible? A collection of dictated supernatural statements, as the above title supposes? A history book, chronicling the ancient religious experiences of humans in the middle east over many centuries? A book, that having faith in God activates and brings to life? Something different from all of the above? In this essay I intend to look at four differing perspectives about the formation of the Biblical text and the conclusions that each view comes to regarding the Bible as a result. I intend then to analyse the positions I have outlined and draw some reasoned conclusions.

Liberal Theology

Having already mentioned in passing the 'Enlightenment' of the 18th century, allow me to spend a little more time outlining it's theological significance. The Enlightenment is here to be understood as the period in western thought that elevated human reasoning to the highest position in scientific, theological and philosophical epistemology. It's central thrust was that human reason alone is sufficient to determine what is and is not true. Hence, an explosion in scientific enquiry and philosophical exploration occurred. The effect that such an exaltation of human intelligence created in the realm of theology was an increased crossexamination of religious orthodoxy and scepticism of the supernatural.

The Enlightenment was also characterised by philosophical naturalism, meaning here that the universe is a closed system, with fixed rules, that could not be broken. This led to a denial of the miraculous, in favour of upholding the laws of nature. Agreed, not all liberal theologians emerging in the Enlightenment and the decades following affirmed this – but I think it can be safely said that such preconceptions surely coloured their thought. An example of one such author would be David Hume (1711-1776) whose denial of the miraculous, and the emerging liberal position that denied that the Bible was in any way a miraculous document is a good example of the impact enlightenment thought could, and did have, upon the formation of the Biblical text. Liberal theology emerging in the Enlightenment was also a real seed bed for historical enquiry into the reliability of the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus, particularly with regard to their transmission from autograph to modern edition. Many of the scholars of the day began to question the harmony of the synoptic gospels, and Adolf von Harnack even went as far as to deny that the Gospel of John was at all a reliable account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. This new found confidence amongst scholars of the day to question religious orthodoxy led to the formation of a new system of thought regarding Christian spirituality that today we call “liberalism”.

With particular respect to this position's approach to the composition of the Bible, many of the scholars in this vein of thought would call the Bible an entirely human document – a document baring all the marks of human fallibility, subjectivity and error. The Bible, it was decided, did not hold any authority in the realm of the sciences, and certainly could not be elevated above the intelligent use of human reason. The authors of the Bible, and particularly of the New Testament, were seen by these scholars to be propagating particular theological agendas, and sometimes (often?) contradictory ones.

With regards to how the Bible relates to the Divine, scholars in this “camp” as it were, might be divided on the issue. Some of the more essentially liberal might deny that the Bible is in any way a divine document; others might say that the Bible “contains” the Word of God, but that we can only find such through weeding out the countless historical, factual, and maybe even spiritual errors that are therein contained. Form Critics like Rudolf Bultmann and Walter Brueggemann would advocate this second position, where they attempt by various exegetical and historical-critical methods to determine what it is in the Bible that is the “true theology”, and to separate it from the “false casing” that it has been hidden within.

Neo-Orthodoxy

As a position with theological assumptions, Neo-Orthodoxy is difficult to pin down. It appears to have arisen in the aftermath of the First World War (1914-1918), and to be a reactionary movement against the prevailing Liberal Theology of the beginning of the 20th Century. The movement tended to emphasize both the overarching sovereignty of God, as affirmed by the doctrinal traditions flowing from the Reformation, as well as the transcendence of God above and beyond the powers of human reason to comprehend – at this point, it is most deeply in contention with Liberal Theology.

One theologian classically associated with the Neo-Orthodox position is Karl Barth (1886-1968). Though himself disliking the label “neo-orthodox”3, as it seemed for him to suggest a departure from belief in the historical cardinals of Christianity, his views are most congruent with this theological position, with regards to the nature of the inspiration of the Biblical text. Rejecting the idea of divine dictation, and of plenary verbal inspiration, Karl Barth and other theologians of his ilk would claim that because Christ, and not the Bible, is the foundation of the Christian faith,, and that God is so “wholly other” that He cannot ever be truly or adequately communicated in words, the need for doctrines like scriptural infallibility and inerrancy, as might be defended by Conservative and Fundamental scholarship, is a moot point. He expresses himself thus:

“We must be clear that whatever we say of God in such human concepts can
never be more than an indication of Him; no such concept can really conceive
the nature of God. God is inconceivable.”

Barth does not believe that the very words of the Bible are the Word of God, but that they are a “speech-act” of God, distilled into human words. These human words only “become” the Word of God through our faith in Him, thus having in themselves no inherent quality of what more conservative scholarship would call “inspiration”. He says:

“...even the word of Scripture through which God speaks to us becomes in fact
quite different when it passes from God's lips to our ears and our lips. It becomes the Word of God recollected and expected by us in faith, and the Word which was spoken [Jesus Christ] and will be spoken again by God stands over against it, in strict sovereignty.”

Thus, the Neo-Orthodox position regarding the formation of the Bible text can be that they would consider it a human document, divine guided in it's construction, but do not feel the need to go very much further than that.

Conservative Evangelicalism

Regarding the formation of the Biblical text, Conservative Evangelicalism would not advocate the statement above, but to leave it there would be to misrepresent the position. Conservative scholarship does believe that the Bible is the Word of God in it's entirety, and that it is correct in all matters of faith and doctrine. It believes that the Biblical text itself, rather than the meaning understood and activated through faith (a lá Barth) is inspired and intended by God. Some scholars of this position might even advocate inerrancy as an approach to Biblical inspiration, but still reject the mechanical approach to the doctrine, favouring instead the idea that God, working through the personalities and cultural circumstances of the writers, ordained and inspired a collection of documents, to be His Word for His Church throughout all generations.

Neither is Conservative scholarship opposed to the work of textual critics. However, it would believe in a reverent textual criticism, therefore setting it in opposition to liberalism, rejecting it's exaltation of human reason as the ultimate epistemological category. I. Howard Marshall sums up the position nicely when he writes:

“On a human level we can describe [the Bible's] composition in terms of the various oral and literary processes that lay behind it...at the same time however...we can assert that the Spirit...was active in the whole process... with the human activities through which the Bible was written.”

This action of the Spirit, which Howard called “concursive”, is the technical position with regards to the textual formation of Scripture from a Conservative Evangelical view. The Spirit of God is at work through the human circumstances and personalities of the individual authors, such that the end product is truly the Word of God in human words.

Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism would be the position most likely to advocate the statement given for discussion at the start of this essay. Although when the term was first used, “fundamentalism” meant an attempt by evangelical to get back to the “roots” or “fundamentals” of Christianity in reaction to the prevailing liberal theology of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it has come to connote advocates of a “King James Onlyism”, and a particularly rigid view of inspiration. This particular view of the relationship of the divine to the Bible is known as “mechanical inspiration”. This means that God, either verbally or internally, dictated the words of Scripture to the authors of the varying books, and they themselves had no input or effect upon the text. This seems, a proponent of this view might argue, to concur most precisely with the experience of the Old Testament prophets, who would use phrases such as “And the Lord said to me...” (E.g. Jer. 14:14)

It is difficult to find advocates of this position in modern scholarship. One example however would be E. S. Turnbull, critic of J.I. Packer's more mainstream view of the inspiration of the Biblical text, and someone who would definitely advocate that the formation of the Biblical text was wholly divine, lacking any human input. He says this:

“The penmen wrote as they were directed, as they were dictated to...their human temperaments, characteristics and abilities were overruled...there is nothing human in the Bible...[it] is altogether Divine.”

The position of Mr Turnbull find few advocates in modern scholarly circles, due to his position often being coupled with a suspicion of academic theology, and especially of higher criticism.

Comparisons and Conclusions

Personally, I think a key weakness in the position of Liberalism with regards to the inspiration and formation of the Biblical text is it's obvious presuppositionalism. Because the movement grew from Enlightenment thinking, a naturalistic assumption underpins all of it's scholarship. If the Bible itself claims to be supernatural in authorship (2 Tim 3:16), and contains the supernatural in content (Luke 4:40 cf. Luke 1:1-4), if one approaches it with philosophical assumptions contrary to both of those things, one is decidedly and certainly not approaching the matter objectively – you assume from the beginning that the claims of the text cannot be true. Although it is true that Liberalism to some degree brought academic theology more definite hermeneutical method, and a good emphasis upon historical context, it's weakness outweigh it's benefits.

Neo-Orthodoxy is more difficult to assess. It's proponents rightly emphasize the supernatural and transcendent nature of God, and of personal relationship with Him, but perhaps too much -- to the degradation of the need for an actual historical basis to saving truth. If God really is transcendent and all powerful, He is certainly capable of making Himself adequately known in human lives, through human words to humans, lest we make the extent of His greatness a denial of His ability to truly and actually communicate it. This emphasis upon a faith-encounter with God is good, but runs of the risk of making a god discovered only subjectively, and not through the truth that He has actually and definitely revealed Himself in the Scriptures.

Fundamentalism simply isn't, to my mind, consistent with the Biblical data. B.B. Warfield, in his seminal work “The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible” chidingly remarks:

“If God wished to give His people a series of letters like Paul’s, He prepared a
Paul to write them, and the Paul He brought to the task was a Paul who
spontaneously would write just such letters.”

The Bible thoroughly bares the marks of human personality and cultural influence – this is no Divine Dication, lest God dicated to the Psalmist how they felt! (E.g. Psalm 6:6-7).

I believe that the approach to the formation and inspiration of the Biblical text is best handled by Conservative Evangelicalism. Escaping the presuppositional naturalism of the Liberals, the overemphasis upon subjective human experience of Neo-Orthodoxy and the underemphasis of genuine human influence upon the Scriptures of Fundamentalism, Conservative Evangelicalism is both humble in admitting the greatness and transcendent reality of God above human reason and understanding, as well as thankful for the definite way in which He has revealed Himself in the Bible (and in His Son, Jesus Christ), and intellectually viable with a scholarly honesty
about the cultural and human influences upon the Scriptures, whilst not feeling the need therefore to deny that the sum total is considered to be “breathed out by God” (2 Tim 3:16).

Thy Mercy, My God

2010-04-05T22:09:00.000+01:00

I don't know what I'd do without Free Grace. I'm so full of sins commited, so prone to sins yet undone and so in love with transgression, that if there had to be some kind of basis within myself from which I could be made right in God's sight, I would never even try to be a Christian.

But the way of salvation is free. It's really, really FREE. I don't have to do anything, feel anything, be anything (other than desperately unable to save myself - I qualify!); it's just, free. It's all of Grace, all on what Christ done for me. His righteous life, His perfect sacrifice, the faith He has given me, the repentance He has seeded and worked in me - I've done none of this, it's all Him!

I sought Him not, O He sought me! I loved Him not, He loved me. I trusted Him not - He made me to trust in Him. He has done it all for me, and I am but the glad recipient of such free and matchless grace. This really is grace.

Thy Mercy, my God is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart and boast of my tongue;
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
hath won my affection and bound my soul fast!

Without Thy sweet mercy, I could not live here!
Sin would reduce me to utter despair.
But through Thy free goodness, my spirit's revived;
and He that first made me still keeps me alive!

Thy Mercy is more than a match for my heart,
which wonders to feel it's own hardness depart;
Dissolved by Thy goodness I fall to the ground,
and weep to the praise of the mercy I've found!

Great Father of Mercy, Thy goodness I own,
and the Covenant love of Thy crucified Son,
All praise to the Spirit, Who's whisper divine,
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine!

I love the Gospel.

Love in Christ Jesus

Arron

The Glorious Scandal of Grace

2010-03-29T21:57:00.002+01:00

Grace - real, biblical, free grace - is an absolute scandal. That a sinful human being, corrupt and fallen, should be rescued from the fate he thoroughly deserves, by the divine self-sacrifice of God's Only True and Righteous Son, through Him dying a shameful, naked, exposed and vicious death, wherein He took upon Himself the punishment for the sins of all those the Father gave Him; and that those fallen human beings should receive this gift of life freely, apart from anything good they have done, or any attempt they have made at recompense, is an ABSOLUTE SCANDAL.

Don't you love this scandal? Don't you love the God Who could conceive of so great a salvation. Nothing I have done, am doing or will do, can in any way separate me from the Love of God, in Christ Jesus. Even if I murdered someone tomorrow, stole a car for my getaway and then moved abroad using fraudulent credit cards, I'd still be forgiven!

Feeling scandalized, Pharisee? You're absolutely right that if I did those things, it would be reasonable to assume I had never known a work of Grace in my heart - but if I had, and did those things, I'd still be forgiven. Scandalized yet?

There is no work I need to do to keep my salvation. I could never attend church again, and stride bold as brass into the courts of the Lord of the Last Day. I could never pick my Bible up again, and live forever in eternal bliss. I could never whisper half a prayer ever again, and be washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Scandalized?

Then carefully examine yourself. Do you really trust the work of Christ to save you, or are you secretly hoping and thinking that your sanctification, theology, lifestyle, sincerity, modesty, preaching, pastoring and praying, somehow make you more saved than anyone else in Christ by grace?

The Glorious Scandal of Grace is that it is really is free - freer than we could possibly imagine.

Live a holy life in thankfulness, not to seek to add anything to what is already complete.

Love in Christ,

Arron

Our Great God

2010-03-23T08:49:00.001Z

In Psalm 40, the second to last verse contains these words,

''But may those who seek You
Rejoice and be glad in You.
May those who love Your salvation
Say continually, 'Great is the Lord'.

-- Psalm 40:16

I was just pouring over this on the bus this morning, and wanted to share a few things that I believe the Lord was saying to me as I meditated.

Firstly, this is a prayer. ('May those who seek you...'). There can be, and often is, a gulf between seeking the Lord, and rejoicing in Him. Seeking the Lord, in this context, means I think a believer who gives themselves to the worship and service of God, that they may know Him. But the Psalmist here prays that those doing such things would 'Rejoice and be glad' in the Lord. Could it be that this is because it is not only possible, but thoroughly common for a true believer to fall into a season whereby all that they do is merely external, and the realities of God and His Grace are not piercing their heart, as arrows dipped in the life-giving balm of infectious rejoicing? The Psalmist doesn't say that the people doing this are not really seeking the Lord; but he prays that their mission to find Him might be successful.

Secondly, the parallel construction sheds some light on both seeking the Lord, and on the nature of rejoicing. The Psalmist says that praise comes from the mouths of those who 'love Your salvation'. This reveals fully and truly that it is not unspiritual to find joy in what God has done for us! But look where it leads. The loving of His salvation is not a thin mask for loving ourselves ('I'm so glad that I'm saved, because I'm really important'), but it leads us to 'say continually, 'Great is the Lord!''

The quest of the worshipper is to enjoy a clear view of His Greatness, as seen in His salvation. Let's get our New Testament glasses on. If the God we serve is able Himself to die in our place, being punished for the sins of beings He had created, and whom He should have punished, and create for those lost and hopeless ones a joyful eternity of ever seeing and know the One True and Satisfying God, and also to work all of this to maximize our enjoyment of Him, how great then must He be!

Let us not give up the quest simply because we have not yet arrived. Take courage, fainting heart; soon you shall 'drink from the river of His delights' (Ps. 36:8).

In Christ's name,

Arron

Current Devotional Habits

2010-03-19T10:27:00.001Z

Just thought I'd share what I'm doing devotionally at the moment. In the mornings, I'm going verese by verse in Hebrews, doing real nitty gritty study. I love Hebrews as a letter, with it's christocentricity and just the sheer panorama of the supremacy of Christ that it paints.

I'm also reading over and meditating on a Psalm every morning - just reading, pouring over it and meditating, praying and asking the Lord just to speak to me, rebuke me, encourage me, what He wants to do. This kind of Bible reading has always been fruitful for me.

In the evenings i'm reading a Minor Prophet and trying to improve my understanding and knowledge of Hebrew use of imagery and metaphor. I recently finished Hosea, and it's been useful. I'm hoping to keep going through the Book of the Twelve.

Aside from Bible study, also giving my time to prayer. There are people i'm intereceding for everyday, and then others i remember occasionally, and more that come up as needs must. I think a big part of prayer is adoration and praise, as well as asking the Lord to widen our spiritual eyes at the sight of His beauty. Prayer has two values: the subjective and the objective. Objectively, prayer really does achieve things - it isn't powerless or meaningless, it shapes and fashions the world, under God. But prayer also has the subjective value of enriching our relationship with Him. Even if you ask for nothing, spending time with Him just to offer Him praise, and thanks, and to wonder at Him, will re-enliven any spiritually dry season; at least, it always has for me.

Stay close to Him.

''The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.'' Ps. 37:31

''O Lord, in the morning You hear my voice; in the morning, I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch.'' Ps. 5:3

In Christ,

Arron

Open Air Work in Dewsbury

2010-03-18T23:00:00.001Z

Every Saturday morning, you'll find a small band of believers from Dewsbury Evangelical Church out in the market place and town centre, seeking to share the truth of the Gospel with passers-by. Pray for the work, that God would save, and that we would be protected from the devices of the Enemy.

'' Go out into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.'' - Mark 16:15

Love in the Lord Jesus,

Arron

P.S. I blogged this from my phone!

Delight Yourself in the Lord

2010-03-18T15:44:00.000Z

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

-- Psalm 37:4

I want to just spend a moment pointing something out about this verse.

Some prosperity preachers make this to mean that if we get all "Christian", God will bless us with all the things that we want - nice car, nice wife, nice house, good job, more money, business success, etc. I think that is a plain misreading of the text, and I think it sucks the nectar out of this juicy flower of a promise.

Question, what is the chief desire of a heart that has "delighted" itself, in the Lord? If the natural heart delights in all those aforementioned material possessions, what is a heart delighted with the Lord desirous of? More of Him! If we give ourselves to the cultivation of a heart, of a mindset, of an attitude, of an inward being, that is simply delighted with the Lord, He is here promising that He will indeed give us Himself! He is the "fountain of life" (Ps. 36:9). David wrote in the Psalm before this one,

"You give them [the children of mankind] to drink from the of your delights."

-- Ps. 36:8

God is simply exploding with a desire for you to see and know that thing in the universe that is most glorious, and joy-giving - Himself! He exalts Himself, that you might enjoy Him!

So, if you are giving yourself to this growing of a passion for God inside you, He is here promising that your quest will not fail, but surely succeed. God isn't hiding joy from you - He's presenting it freely to you.. it is Himself.

Love in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Arron

Delight, not Duty

2010-03-18T14:54:00.000Z

Sometimes, in the course of our Christian life, we can find ourselves faced with choices. These choices involve a choice between pleasing man, and pleasing God. Due to the weakness of our flesh, I think we would all confess that sometimes we are short-sighted, and what matters most to us is pleasing man - especially the person in front of us.

But the scriptures call us to a kind of life that is given to the desires of God. We aren't called merely to a legalistic, duty-bound, poe-faced worship - we are called to delight ourselves in the Lord (Ps. 37:4), and to serve Him with gladness (Ps. 100:2). When we're faced with the temptation to sin, and go the way of man, rather than walk the way that the Lord leads, we cannot fight the strong desire to sin with the pathetic excuse of duty - we must entirely defeat it with the consuming desire to worship the Lord. When fighting sin, you need a superior pleasure to defeat it with, not a half-hearted sense of requirement.

Sometimes we have to lean on the crutch of duty in the walk of faith - it keeps us from sin in times when our spiritual desires are weak and inefectual - but we ought to be hoping and praying for strong, thick legs, with which to run the race. May the Lord grant us this!

In Jesus name,

Arron

Cling to the Call

2010-03-08T23:55:00.000Z

Ah, yes. It has returned. This night I have known again a sweet sense of enjoyment as I have contemplated the wonders of Jesus. As I have looked at myself, I have found myself utterly vile, and yet this has only served to magnify the greatness of His Grace. I write filled to overflowing with a sweetness - it is the only word I can find that quite captures the sensation. It is quiet, the room is dark, and I am quietly listening to music, but all that fills me is a feeling of calm delight and joy in who Christ is and in what He has done for a sinner like me. It is as if God by His Spirit has stirred two spoonfuls of sugar into the sour tea of my emotional being, at nothing more than the thought of His goodness and greatness. How good it is to consider Him! How many are the benefits of simply contemplating the wonders of His Grace!

I have also spent some time in confession. I have been, for some time, harbouring much faithless anxiety in my heart, and it has been a serious clog in the pipeline of my joy. As I have sat and become consumed with worry (mostly about the future), I have looked inward and downward, rather than outward and upward, as a Christian ought always to look. Naturally, this has led to a defeated spirit and a weakness of pleasure in God - no man so busy with himself can find delight in the Great God who is wholly other. He is entirely of a different essence to me - and to enter into contemplation of Him requires me to come entirely out of myself, for He is unlike me.

But this is not arriving. This small oasis in the desert of my Christian journey will not last forever. I must fight to be refreshed, and to remain delighted. The Devil will not be far behind this present blessing. He follows the blessing of God as Autumn follows Summer - creating the surroundings of death and the beginning of coldness, just as soon as the warmness begins to fade.

"Brothers, we must not mind a little suffering, for Christ's sake." - Charles Simeon

"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." - Philippians 3:12-14

Cling to the Call of the Upward Call of God in Christ Jesus.

I once said on this very blog, "I've come to see that the Valley, despite the look of it, is the safest place I have ever been."

Amen.

Love in Christ Jesus,

Arron

David's Weakness, My Encouragement

2010-03-04T02:18:00.000Z

So I've been a little ill the past week and a half or so - gastroenteritis - which just means my insides were determined to become my outsides, at least for a brief period. Happily, my general constitution appears to be righting itself, and my insides are at least for the moment, remaining my insides.

Being confined to my room and being unable to move very far has given me much time for listening to lectures from my course, as well as some reading, and recreation. I finished the last of my lectures for the current module today. I'm somewhat thankful, as I think another 90 mins of Textual Criticism might've forced me to submit to the desires of my innards to become my outards, simply for a change of subject. However, it's now time for the assignment accompanying the module, so still plenty to keep me busy.

In line with the lectures, I've been reading some early church documents such as The Acts of Peter and Paul, The Shepherd of Hermas, Paul and Thecla and other such titles. Most of them are 2nd century creations, and largely fictitious I expect. One author said that The Shepherd of Hermas was something to the Early Church like John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is to us - only with far worse doctrine would be my personal attachment to that statement. :P

We've had my good friend Joe to see us this week - in fact, as this is a late night post, he currently sleeps about 5 feet from my keyboard. It's always a blessing to share fellowship in the Gospel with Joe, and he has been a great blessing in my life from the first day until now. May God keep and bless him, as he seeks to make the Gospel known with the rest of his time as a Trainee Evangelist with the Open Air Mission.

I've been working through the Psalms in my private devotions and something that has been striking me has been this. When we read the Psalms, we often find ourselves coming face to face with some very painful situations in the lives of the authors, be they the danger of physical enemies, or intense spiritual hardships and trials in their relationship with God. But something that really excites me about reading such difficulties in the Psalms, is that more often than not, we are dealing with the inward lives and thoughts of veryi spiritual men. The reason that this is encouraging is because they struggle so much. To read David - David - confessing himself struggling so intensely is of immense encouragement to the rest of us, of whom God has not definitively said that we are "after [His] own heart" (Acts 13:22).

Take Psalm 6. This is a good one to memorize if, like me, you are giving to talking negatively to yourself, rather than positively; if you tend to sorrow rather than singing.

Psa 6:1 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.

Psa 6:2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.

Psa 6:3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD--how long?

Psa 6:4 Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

Psa 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?

Psa 6:6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.

Psa 6:7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.

Psa 6:8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.

Psa 6:9 The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.

Psa 6:10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

David is languishing and troubled (v2-3). He is weary, moaning, and unable to stop crying (v6). He feels overwhelmed with grief (v7). What a terrible state this man is in! This is King David! This is a true servant of God, in the midst of serving Him and living a life of obedience suffering and sad. He's really, really going through it. And if David is going through it, who I am not godlier than, what an encouragement to little ol' me, when I sense sadness and hardship rise, to know that I am not alone amongst the company of God's true people to have felt so!

But I would be remiss not to point you also to where David takes his hardships - where else, but to the open door of God's throne of Grace? David, through sadness, clings to the confidence that God is aware of his situation (v8), and that He will provide answer to it, in His good time (v9-10). Perhaps for him, this Psalm and writing it, were the culmination of a long battle to be convinced of these truths. Keep pressing on, if you feel God to be distant (v3) - and soon you shall arrive at the confidence of David (v9).

Christian! seek not yet repose,

Hear thy guardian angel say;
Thou art in the midst of foes;
“Watch and pray.”

Principalities and powers,
Mustering their unseen array,
Wait for thy unguarded hours;
“Watch and pray.”

Gird thy heavenly armor on,
Wear it ever night and day;
Ambushed lies the evil one;
“Watch and pray.”

Hear the victors who o’ercame;
Still they mark each warrior’s way;
All with one clear voice exclaim,
“Watch and pray.”
Hear, above all, hear thy Lord,
Him thou lovest to obey;
Hide within thy heart His Word,
“Watch and pray.”
Watch, as if on that alone
Hung the issue of the day;
Pray that help may be sent down;
“Watch and pray.”

-- Charlotte Elliot, 1836

Love in our Lovely Saviour,

Arron

B.Th. Year One - CertHE - An Arron-Shaped Degree

2010-02-21T23:25:00.000Z

So I've started my degree. I honestly didn't think I'd ever do a degree, but here I am. I'm not sure how long it will take me, given full-time work, an impending marriage (stubborn reality, that) and, God willing, growing church responsibility. In my mind, heart and priorities, I pray that my study will not become more important that any of those things, especially the second one.

This year, my core modules are:

Introduction to the Bible

Old Testament Survey

New Testament Survey

The Synoptic Gospels

Biblical Exegesis: Theory and Methodology

Exegesis in Practice

History of Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics and Theology

Exegesis and Bible Polemics

Exegesis and the Preacher

My elective, of which this year I only do one, was a choice between Greek 1, Hebrew 1 or Biblical Geography. I'm doing Greek 1. I've studied a little greek at home, D.I.Y. style, but I think a more concise course of studies (one where I don't skip to the juicy tenses) will patch up my home-made progress to full working order. My pastor has offered to help me with my greek as well, which will be a great blessing.

I'm actually a little excited. I love many things more than I should, but one thing I do not love as much as I ought is the Bible. However, I do love it. And what excites me about this course is that it is so focussed on dealing with the Biblical text. I won't be spending a million years learning the ins and outs of 19th century liberalism (knowledge for which I have little taste or use), but I will be getting stuck into the Bible, big time. Praise God for an Arron-shaped degree! My desire in this course is that one way, or another, my knowledge of the scriptures will deepen, and my love for God expand accordingly. O God, save me from theology devoid of worship, and essays devoid of singing!

I've also discovered that a couple of the key guys at the college are reformed in their thinking - which encourages me. The website has a few very good articles about the freedom of the will, the sovereignty of God, and interviews with well known reformed theologians like Tom Schreiner, as well as recommendations of Dr. R. C. Sproul's commentary on Romans. I feel about 65% more comfortable about the institution than I did a week ago, heh.

So, I'm just waiting for the material to come in the post. The first module (Introduction to the Bible), should be reasonably simple going for me. If I'm not in a position to come with a basic introduction to the doctrine of Scripture, firstly I ought not to be preaching the Bible, and secondly I ought not to be studying for a Bible college degree! It will be good to be broken back into the way of studying gently - even though I only left school 7 months ago, the world of work has already made me forget some of the ways of study - if I ever had them to begin with.

Brethren, pray for me.

Love in the Lord Jesus Christ,

Arron

B.Th. in Theology and Hermeneutics

2010-02-17T00:46:00.000Z

So for awhile I've been considering doing some kind of theological education. The course I have come across is a B.Th. in Theology and Hermeneutics with King's Evangelical Divinity School (http://www.kingsdivinity.org/), which is a distance learning course that moves at my own pace, and as my funds allow.

The reasons I can see that it might be good to do a degree are thus: firstly, in this day and age, having a piece of paper that says you can put more letters in your name than your mother gave you, is no bad thing, in itself. It opens up opportunities for employment that are closed without it - it's no guaruntee of one of course, but it can't hurt your chances. Soon, I'll have a family to think about. Secondly, the degree is theological, and I don't have the strength of will to study for a degree in any other subject; I would get bored and quit. Nothing else matters to me, and I don't want to fill up my mind with knowledge for it's own sake, that profits nothing in the way of godliness - I want to study so that I can worship, and read so that I can pray. Thirdly, it's not an impossibility that I'll go into some kind of full-time Christian service. Taking the opportunity whilst I'm young, malleable of mind, and more prosperous in time to lay a theological foundation for that possible avenue of Christian service seems to me a wise thing. Fourthly, even if I'm not called to be a pastor, or a missionary, or any kind of full time church servant, I am called to be a Christian, and a deeper knowledge of the Scriptures is surely the ambition of us all. If this is a means by which I can do that, why not? Fifthly, I know that I am gifted to be a preacher, through the assessment of others, the acceptance of my church leaders and through the inward conviction of the Holy Spirit, even if I'm not going to make it my life's employment. A theological degree will equip me to use that gift more ably, and to the greater edification of Christ's Church.

So those are a few of the things buzzing round in my head about it. Graham, my senior pastor, things that doing some kind of theological training would definitely be the right move for me. Daniel, our church's co-pastor, and a man I look to as a sort of mentor, has sat and thrashed it out with me, and can't see that it would be a bad thing to do, though he had some interesting points for thought regarding it. My church leaders have essentially said that I'm free to do this course if I want to. My question is now, do I want to?

Well, yes. I do want to. My motives are a little mixed though. It's hard to discern one's heart at the best of times, but mine has been thoroughly confusing regarding the issue of Christian service, as of late. I find within me two desires (sounding like Paul yet?) - one good, and another evil (Yeah, definitely Paul). On the one hand, I do sense within me a desire to equip myself to serve more ably and with greater effect - I desire to bless, and strengthen, and encourage God's people. But on the other hand, there is in my heart the discernable presence of false motives - pride, worry and the fear man. Those three are a most unholy trinity.

The fact of it is, if a Christian had to wait until his motives were entirely pure in all things, he'd never do anything. Our hearts are storehouses of hidden agendas and mixed motives. Sometimes, we simply have to do what we sense is right, even with the fear that our hearts might not be in entirely the right place regarding it. God is very gracious in His assessment of us - not only because He sees us through the perfections of His Son, but also because He has satisfied all His anger at our false motives and iniquities (sinful tendancies). That doesn't mean God isn't at work to purify our hearts and make us desire the right things ("A perfect man would do nothing out of a sense of duty, but he would always want to do the right thing." C. S. Lewis), but it means we can relax in the knowledge that He isn't hanging His Sword of Judgment over the head of our "work-in-progress" motives. God is at work within you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

So I think I'll probably do this course - I've been offered the place anyway, and all I have to do is accept and then begin. If you have thoughts, feel free to comment, or email me (brotherarroncook@googlemail.com). It would be great to hear from you.

All my love in Jesus Christ,

Arron

Pre-Preach Ponderings

2010-02-16T23:00:00.000Z

In a few weeks, I'm preaching a sermon on Luke 14:15-33, about the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. Rather than spoil the message before I preach it, by outlining it here, I just want to share a few of the thoughts and questions that I've been reflecting upon and asking myself as I'm preparing.

What does it really mean to love Jesus? Is it simply a matter of keeping His commandments? Jesus makes it plain that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (Jn. 14:15). But isn't Jesus rather saying there that if we have this thing called "love" for Him, keeping His commandments will be a product, and necessary evidence of it, rather than the thing itself? So what is it? Is it simply having good feelings about Him? Nicodemus seemed to be expressing some good feelings about Jesus, but the Lord instead judged that he did not know the New Birth (Jn. 3:1-8). Is it being willing to die for Him? Again, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that you can go as far as sacrificing your life, and have not love (1 Cor. 13:1-3). So what is it? I think the passage I'm preaching from will have the answers, and I hope you can see them there.

What does it mean, in our modern context, to renounce everyone we love, and everything we own, for the sake of Christ? It can't mean to abandon them, for if it did, we would have a scriptural contradiction on our hands in the extreme - Jesus shows that the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbour, and the Apostle commands us to care for and provide materially for our families (1 Tim. 5:8). So what does it mean? How does it work itself out? Where are the lines? Again, I hope to shed just a little light on the 21st of March.

Is it really worth the cost of the life we must lead now in Christ, to inherit eternal life? It is costly - very costly - to be a Christian, and there is no promise of it letting up this side of Heaven. So is it worth it? Why is it worth it? What is it that we as Christians hope to gain by it, that makes it worth it? What makes Heaven so great?

Love in Christ,

Arron