Lifting our Hands
July 30, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
Sam Storms writes a somewhat lengthy blog post on the lifting of his hands in worship. It’s worth checking out.
Good to have you back by the way. We need to get things going again for the sake of blog nation!
Peace,
Joe
Why I Love Jesus
July 30, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
It dawned on me that since we went into the hospital on the day I preached about how the Cross reconciles us to God, I never posted about how the Michael Jordan video made me admire Jesus more. Here’s what I said in my message:
So what makes Jesus so great? How can I take 20 minutes to describe what Paul calls ‘the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ’? I think it is the mingling of transcendence and imminence that come together in Jesus that makes Him so beautiful in my eyes. By that I mean that Jesus is unfathomably big and great and above all and unlike anything we’ve ever seen. He is infinitely higher than us, beyond us, unattainable and unapproachable. But with that highly exalted splendor, He has come near to us and made Himself available so that we can have access to Him.
An illustration will help. When I worked for the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan came to the United Center for the first time since his retirement. Being an employee I had access to areas that even the media did not. They swarmed him, but could only go so far. I went through a hallway, and there he was, standing 10 feet away from me. I was in the presence of the greatest basketball player who has ever lived. I felt like a ten-year-old! He looked my way, and then got into an elevator with a couple of people, and he was gone. That was as close to greatness as I could get, and it lasted a fleeing moment.
That’s how it is with the people who this world esteems as great: athletes, entertainers, musicians, etc. You can’t get close to them. They have body guards and gates around their mansions and you can’t draw near to them. They’re so far away, unapproachable. I got a glimpse of Jordan, but it’s not like he invited me out to dinner or anything! But Jesus is ten billion times greater than all the ‘great’ people of the world put together. He dwells, according to 1 Timothy 6:16, in unapproachable light. But the greatness of Jesus is that though He is so highly above us, He does not keep us at a distance, but comes near and invites us to enjoy Him to our heart’s content.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord
July 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
This quote from Charles Spurgeon is a powerful one. I trust you can sympathize with the parents that Joshua Harris speaks of even more now that you are a father.
Of course, the reality rings just as true no matter what we may be speaking of. God opens doors and closes doors. He does whatever is good to Him to do. Whom am I to argue? The answer is plain.
Catch you later,
Joe
Reading
July 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
Here’s a great post on reading that you can peruse when you return to blog nation. And of course, everyone reading this blog is encouraged to do so as well. It is a good one.
Reading to His glory,
Joe
Congratulations Papa
July 24, 2007 | 1 Comment
Lar,
I was going to get this post up ealier, but I was without the internet for a little while. Anyhow, I wanted to let the world know that you have a very good excuse for your lack of blogging during the last few days, for you are now the proud daddy of Halle Charissa (that is how Erin had it spelled at least). She was born yesterday at whatever time in the evening at 6 pounds and 20 inches. Congratulations brother. I am excited for you and am sure that I am not alone. Children are indeed a reward from the Lord. I will be praying for you to faithfully reflect the Lord to young Halle for the glory of His great name. I trust He will grant you much grace. Here’s a picture Erin had posted on our blog.
Better Blog Reading
July 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
Abraham Piper weighs in with his wisdom on the reading of blogs. I thought it was a great post for anyone who reads blogs. So if anyone is reading, don’t be shy….click right here!
Seeking to make the blog reading experience always better,
Joe
Those who are Faith in Little…
July 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
I trust you can finish the last part of that verse….“will be entrusted with much.”
I confess that as of late I have not been faithful with this blog! I am sorry brother. Yet as is often the case, seasons of unfaithfulness can often lead to greater resolve for future faithfulness. I hope and pray that is the case for me writing on this blog. At the very least, I will be checking in with you once per day this week.
To begin, here is a quote from John Newton. He writes,
“Two heaps of human happiness and misery; now if I can take but the smallest bit from one heap and add to the other, I carry a point. If, as go home, a child has dropped a halfpenny, and if, by giving it another, I can wipe away its tears, I feel I have done something. I should be glad to do greater things, but I will not neglect this. When I hear a knock on my study door, I hear a message from God; it may be a lesson of instruction; perhaps a lesson of penitence; but, since it is his message, it must be interesting.”
There is much to say about this quote, but I’ll point out two things. First, Newton was content to be faithful in the smallest of details. He wisely realized that the big things in life are the small things. And only those who are faithful in those small things will be entrusted with the great. Second, note His trust in the wise providence of God. Do we recognize divine appointments? I confess, I often am annoyed by ‘interruptions’, but then I must ask, who is interrupting me? Isn’t it the Lord? If I believe it, I will welcome and enjoy every single moment. Pray for me, that I might not resist the will of our God!
Enough for now Lar. Lord willing, I will catch you soon, but I have a feeling that I won’t hear much from you today. But that is a good thing really and can be explained further to those who read.
Seeking Him with you,
Joe
Piper on Romans 9-11
July 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
The good people at Desiring God recently posted a series of messages from a four-part lecture series that John Piper did a few years ago on Romans 9-11. There is also a question-answer session.
Not everyone will like Piper’s…style. For instance, in the first message he says, ‘Most Arminians don’t have a clue how they got saved.’ In wrestling through issues of sovereignty and free will, I am learning that statements like that tend to alienate someone who disagrees to the point that it may be a stumbling block to their embracing the truth. I trust that, as has been the case with me, the matters addressed in Romans 9-11 are such a passion in Piper’s heart, that sometimes things come out more ‘edgy’ than he may have intended.
Regardless, these messages are well worth listening to. They will stretch your vision of God and, if God grants grace, enlarge your affection for Him.
Larry
Belief and Behavior
July 19, 2007 | 2 Comments
Joe,
Here’s a great quote I read from Tim Keller:
“Normal preaching should be evangelistic preaching. Ordinarily, ‘edificational’ preaching is more oriented to behavior (”you must obey Christ in this way and this way”) while ‘evangelistic’ preaching is usually oriented toward belief (”you must believe in Christ in this way and this way”). But this misses the unity of the human soul. Edwards in his Affections argues persuasively that, essentially, “if you truly believe, it changes behavior, and if you are not behaving properly, it is because of unbelief.” A person may say, “I know God cares for me, but I am still petrified with fear.” No. If they are running in fear, it is because they don’t ‘know’ God’s care.
Therefore, any failure in behavior in Christians is due to unbelief. The antidote to unbelief is a fresh telling of the gospel. So, if a sermon is Christ-centered in its exposition and application, and if it is oriented toward a) dismantling the unbelief systems of the human heart, and toward b) re-explaining and using the gospel on the unbelief – then it will be highly illuminating to non-Christians even when it is aimed primarily to Christians. Preaching that cannot both edify and evangelize at once is choosing behavior over belief or belief over behavior.”
Laboring to edify and evangelize in every message,
Larry
He Commands Even the Unclean Spirits
July 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
I’m not sure how you are progressing with your Greek studies, but maybe this will be a small incentive to press on. And maybe it will be an encouragement to others who have never conceived of studying biblical Greek to consider this hard and rewarding goal of reading the New Testament in the language it was written in.
One of the ways in which Greek has been valuable to me is that it forces me to slow down when I am reading. It is so easy to breeze through some of the most glorious statements in the Bible without a hint of wonder because we read them so fast that we don’t even consider what they’re saying!
I was reminded of this a couple of times this week already. I am working now on translating a passage in Mark 1 for Greek tomorrow. In it I read this:
τί ἐστιν τοῦτο; διδαχὴ καινὴ κατʼ ἐξουσίαν· καὶ τοῖς πνεύμασι τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις ἐπιτάσσει, καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ.
Now that doesn’t help too many people out I know! But here’s what it means: ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits, and they are obeying him.’ Jesus had just rebuked an unclean spirit, and the people were in awe. And I should be in awe, except I usually read it so fast that I don’t feel awe! But when I have to read it slowly (since my Greek still isn’t that great!), ‘even…the unclean spirits…he commands…and they obey…him…’ How my soul was stirred!
So let this be a lesson to us all, whether we read in Greek or in English. Slow down when you read! It doesn’t matter whether you get through your Bible in a year reading plan; it matters that each day you see in the Word a reason (or better, multiple reasons!) to stand in awe of Jesus. I don’t know about you, but awe doesn’t happen for me in 60 seconds. It happens with long, careful, serious reflection.
And I’m grateful that Greek helps me to do that!
Larry
Jesus and Michael Jordan
July 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
As I said, last week in preparing for my message for this Sunday morning I was pressed to think much about the greatness of Jesus. As I did that, I found myself surprised to be drawn to this video of Michael Jordan. If you’re wondering how in the world contemplating the greatness of Jesus drew me to a video of Jordan winning the Bulls’ sixth championship, you’ll have to come hear the message this Sunday! (Is that like a sermon cliff-hanger?)
Larry
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7MhY93dXX0]
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
July 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
As you know, God’s faithfulness has been so manifest in my life numerous ways over the past few weeks. This morning as I recounted some of those mercies, I was drawn to the words of a great hymn. I may have posted it on here before, but can we consider these words too often?
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.
Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
Adoring His mercies,
Larry
How I Feel vs. What is Real
July 17, 2007 | 2 Comments
I remember Sinead O’Connor from her ripping in half a picture of the pope on Saturday night several years ago. Apparently she has just released a new CD that is 99.9% based on the Old Testament Scriptures. I found this portion of a recent interview with her in Christianity Today stunning. Even more stunning, this CD is being marketed to Christians!
I couldn’t help but thinking of Mahaney’s chapter in Living the Cross Centered Life on truth and emotions. The entire article is full of her saying, ‘I think…I feel…’ May the folly of her own beliefs guard us from the temptation to examine what is true in light of how we feel about the truth.
Are you a Christian?
O’Connor: Yeah, by birth and by culture.
Is Theology an album for Christians?
O’Connor: I wouldn’t say it’s just for Christians. It’s 99.9 percent based in the Old Testament. To say that it’s an album for Christians would imply that it’s not for other people. But I think it’s a record that would appeal to all kinds of religions.
What does Jesus mean to you?
O’Connor: I’ve had a lot of faith in Jesus ever since I was a little kid. I always joke with my friends that I have a cab company called “Jesus Cabs.” And I tell my friends, “If you ask Jesus for anything, it will happen. But you have to believe that it’s going to happen.”
What about now? Where do you stand in your faith in Jesus?
O’Connor: I think everybody has an individual relationship with Jesus. I kinda really do believe in this Trinity thing, that God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all one thing. I understand Jesus as being an interceder, someone you ask when you really need a big favor from God. I also feel that Jesus is inside everybody. It’s almost like an energy or a thing that lives inside of us.
How about his role as a Savior?
O’Connor: I grew up in violent circumstances [in a later e-mail, O'Connor clarified that she was abused as a child by a family member], and Jesus was a Savior to me insofar that he would make me forget what was going on. But to say that Jesus is a Savior can sometimes translate as, “Unless people know doctrine, they’re not going to be saved.” I don’t believe that. I believe God loves everybody. And at the end of the day every creation of God goes on to God and his love equally. So I have difficulties with the implication that because somebody on the other side of the world doesn’t know Jesus, they don’t get saved.
So there’s no such thing as Jesus being the one way, truth, and life?
O’Connor: I believe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and that whole kind of thing is one particular energy. If you want a put a picture of a body on it, then fine. But I call it an energy. Some people paint a picture of Jesus. But to me, he’s an energy. That energy is the same no matter where you are in the world or whose side you’re on. If you call it Allah or you call it God or you call it Buddha, it’s all the same. I thing God saves everybody whether they want to be saved or not. So when we die, we’re all going home.
So it doesn’t matter your lifestyle, we’re all going to heaven.
O’Connor: Yeah, I don’t think God judges anybody. He loves everybody equally. I think there’s a slight difference when it comes to very evil people, but there are not too many of those in the world.
God’s character is very human; he goes through the whole gamut of emotions that a person might go through.
By human, do you mean fallible?
O’Connor: People often say, “If there’s a God, why does he let bad things happen?” We expect God to be perfect, but if we’re made in God’s image, then perhaps God isn’t perfect. And that’s OK. But I also believe that partly we are God. We are part of God and God is something that’s in us and all around us.
Electronic Babysitters
July 17, 2007 | 1 Comment
Lar,
My linking to this post by Al Mohler is by no means a substitute for some thoughtful blogging. I simply believe that we need to spend more time pondering the topic he addresses, namely, the use of the television and Internet–with particular reference to children. You know that I am not a big fan of television, not because it is wrong to watch, of course, but simply because it seems quite difficult to watch a good deal of it and at the same time, have a heart that burns for God. I dare not say that it is impossible to watch television and have a heart for God, but maybe, just maybe, our standards might be a bit too low for what it really means to have a heart on fire for the Lord. Lord knows, we often settle for much less than His best. Might their be a correlation between our lukewarm affections for God and the amount of media we expose ourselves to? I suppose everyone reading can imagine my answer!
Yet as it relates to children, my convictions grow even stronger. Continual exposure to the television and Internet just don’t seem to be helping anyone. Erin and I always laugh at the so-called ‘educational videos’ that are available for children. Of course, they aren’t all bad, but come on…honestly…are they better than reading books? And yes, you can read and watch, but let’s be honest, there are not a whole lot of children who are doing a lot of both.
I might say more later, but for now let me say that whatever your convictions are, as Christians, we are free to watch and free not to watch. May we all strive for faithfulness to our God, for it is before Him that we rise and fall.
Seeking Him with you,
Joe
Kill the Children?
July 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
Here is a good article by Marvin Olasky over at the World Magazine Blog. He doesn’t cover it all in such a short article, but it is definitely worth the read.
Thankful for His mercy,
Joe
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