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Monday, February 21, 2011
Gospels
On John and the gospels..."We related the first chapter the last chapter and marvelled that the same Eternal Word which was with the Father in the Beginning had become the man Jesus whose name would fill the libraries of the universe... The genealogies prove Jesus to hail from the tribe of Judah; yet he is without father or genealogy. The sayings prove him to be a genius; yet he gives back his genius for the comprehensive Spirit of the Church. The miracles prove him to be a cosmic force; yet, this cosmic force does not dominate but serves. And the prophecies prove him to be the Fruit of the Lips of all the peoples of the world; yet he is a person, a man in space and time, the personal friend of John."
Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy
Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy
Friday, February 18, 2011
Are you going to get the mother of all inheritance?
"The wise will inherit honor." Prov. 3:35a Honor is the most treasured inheritance in the last day.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Doug Wilson, in his introduction to Galatians from Omnibus Textbook
"Our society fruitlessly craves another gospel; any other gospel will do, except the real one. We will drink ten glasses of water an hour, meditate while water cascades down the plastic waterfall beside our pet rock. We will hum a mantra. We will invest money in businesses in parallel universes. We will make pilgrimages to Tibetan villages. Anything, except submit."
Monday, February 14, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Comments on John
The prayer for all of us should be that Christ would disclose himself to us. This should be our greatest desire throughout our lives:
John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
How does He? When we love to keep His commands. It reminds me of Ps. 25:14, "The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant."
If we want to know the secret of God's covenant and to really know the Lord Jesus, we must abide in Him through keeping His commands. Jesus said, .."So that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me."
As the Son delighted to obey His Father and was vindicated so must we.
"You are My friends if you do what I command you." This is our food.
John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
How does He? When we love to keep His commands. It reminds me of Ps. 25:14, "The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant."
If we want to know the secret of God's covenant and to really know the Lord Jesus, we must abide in Him through keeping His commands. Jesus said, .."So that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me."
As the Son delighted to obey His Father and was vindicated so must we.
"You are My friends if you do what I command you." This is our food.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Invincible Christian
Been thinking about what makes a Christian strong.
I think in large part it entails these things:
1) Freedom from the fear of man.
2) Living life with an, "open hand." Meaning--Not going around demanding things from God. Putting away a "rights" mentality. If I get this job, great. If I don't, who cares? If this or that does or doesn't change, then what does it really matter? Honestly, what does it really matter? Everything is a gift, what do we have that we have not received?
What matters is that the living God shed blood for my redemption, what can man and mere circumstances do to me then? What matters is that we are here to be thankful and joyful slaves of God.. Our food is to do His will, (Jn. 4:34) that's it. We are here to give our lives up to Him and He, by our doing so, will give us the most enviable life that we could imagine. This would be a life of truly fruitful death and resurrection. All of this is a part of what I mean by living life with an open hand. We have to stop striving with God for the right circumstances and for this and that to happen etc., This is not living life with an open heart and hand, it is clenching onto something more than Christ. We make idols for ourselves out of all this worry. When our treasure is with Christ "in the heavenly places," then we can lose everything and still be as rich as a king.
Jana and I just watched a streaming netflix movie called, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien. It was a beautiful movie about a Roman Catholic priest who decided to live -permanently- among the outcast lepers exiled to the island of Molokai, just off of Maui. He fell ill with leprosy himself and died among them. It was a very inspiring movie along the theme of the previous paragraph.
3) Living to please God supremely. Jesus lived to please the Father. Because of this, it made Him invincible to the pressure and rejection of men. Jesus was free from pride and the weakness that comes through selfish attempts to establish ourselves. He was free from trying to make a name for himself. He was above that. What man is there who is above that?
John 5:30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." Problems begin when we too eagerly seek our own will in judgment.
5:41 "I do not receive glory from men;" (If Jesus did not receive glory from men, what makes us think we will?)
5:43,44 "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?"
Jesus was invincible because He was not weakened through pride and selfish aggrandizement. When we are strengthened by the Spirit to be free from trying to control our lives, from prideful attempts to defend ourselves, and to establish our will and our name, we are strong.
This is what the world needs to see. This is the kind of leader that churches need.
Oh God, help..
I think in large part it entails these things:
1) Freedom from the fear of man.
2) Living life with an, "open hand." Meaning--Not going around demanding things from God. Putting away a "rights" mentality. If I get this job, great. If I don't, who cares? If this or that does or doesn't change, then what does it really matter? Honestly, what does it really matter? Everything is a gift, what do we have that we have not received?
What matters is that the living God shed blood for my redemption, what can man and mere circumstances do to me then? What matters is that we are here to be thankful and joyful slaves of God.. Our food is to do His will, (Jn. 4:34) that's it. We are here to give our lives up to Him and He, by our doing so, will give us the most enviable life that we could imagine. This would be a life of truly fruitful death and resurrection. All of this is a part of what I mean by living life with an open hand. We have to stop striving with God for the right circumstances and for this and that to happen etc., This is not living life with an open heart and hand, it is clenching onto something more than Christ. We make idols for ourselves out of all this worry. When our treasure is with Christ "in the heavenly places," then we can lose everything and still be as rich as a king.
Jana and I just watched a streaming netflix movie called, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien. It was a beautiful movie about a Roman Catholic priest who decided to live -permanently- among the outcast lepers exiled to the island of Molokai, just off of Maui. He fell ill with leprosy himself and died among them. It was a very inspiring movie along the theme of the previous paragraph.
3) Living to please God supremely. Jesus lived to please the Father. Because of this, it made Him invincible to the pressure and rejection of men. Jesus was free from pride and the weakness that comes through selfish attempts to establish ourselves. He was free from trying to make a name for himself. He was above that. What man is there who is above that?
John 5:30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." Problems begin when we too eagerly seek our own will in judgment.
5:41 "I do not receive glory from men;" (If Jesus did not receive glory from men, what makes us think we will?)
5:43,44 "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?"
Jesus was invincible because He was not weakened through pride and selfish aggrandizement. When we are strengthened by the Spirit to be free from trying to control our lives, from prideful attempts to defend ourselves, and to establish our will and our name, we are strong.
This is what the world needs to see. This is the kind of leader that churches need.
Oh God, help..
Thursday, January 20, 2011
taking the low seat
Important lesson from John the Baptist today:
Church leaders face a particular kind of temptation. They exert themselves stridently towards an ideal. Problem-It is one thing to represent the ideal (Christ) but another thing to identify ourselves with that ideal. What do I mean?
John passionately prepared the people for the Messiah. He represented the Messiah. However, he could not identify himself as the Messiah. He (Jn) made clear that he wasn't the One to come.
We can too easily confuse what we're about. Christ is the One that people need. We cannot let our ego and personalities get in the way. We're just representatives. "A man can receive nothing unless it has been give to him from heaven", Jn said to his disciples after they said that Jesus was baptizing and everybody was going to him. "He must increase, but I must decrease." Jn 3:30
There is a tension isn't there? Leaders do need to graciously enter into the place of influence without having to grovel in a false humility. In other words, there is a gracious way to accept the seat of honor that others may bestow upon us.
But let's be clear about this-What do we have that we have not been given? Let's not war on behalf of ourselves when others disrespect. Let's strive for the honor of His name, not ours. When we do this in sincerity, He lifts us up. He gives the Spirit without measure, (Jn 3:34) and that's what people need-not us, not me.
John passionately prepared the people for the Messiah. He represented the Messiah. However, he could not identify himself as the Messiah. He (Jn) made clear that he wasn't the One to come.
We can too easily confuse what we're about. Christ is the One that people need. We cannot let our ego and personalities get in the way. We're just representatives. "A man can receive nothing unless it has been give to him from heaven", Jn said to his disciples after they said that Jesus was baptizing and everybody was going to him. "He must increase, but I must decrease." Jn 3:30
There is a tension isn't there? Leaders do need to graciously enter into the place of influence without having to grovel in a false humility. In other words, there is a gracious way to accept the seat of honor that others may bestow upon us.
But let's be clear about this-What do we have that we have not been given? Let's not war on behalf of ourselves when others disrespect. Let's strive for the honor of His name, not ours. When we do this in sincerity, He lifts us up. He gives the Spirit without measure, (Jn 3:34) and that's what people need-not us, not me.
Monday, January 17, 2011
St. Anne's is back!
I've posted there some same stuff as here, but there's a new issue and lots of cool stuff..
Go here: stannespub.com
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Parenting
"Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it."
Prov. 22:6
Too often this verse is taken to mean something like:
Spank my child like a perfectionist machine.. Make him eat all his vegetables and organics.. Make him comb his hair and sit in church quietly.. Discipline him in reformed manners and ways and when he's old he won't depart. Put him through a really hard classical Christian education. That'll do it.
Instead, I think we must read the verse like this:
Give 'em the good life. Show 'em heaven. Show them tenderness. Yes, bring the sting of spanking regularly and consistently. Hold them to a higher standard. Expect strict manners but in a spirit of humility from the heart. Shepherd them through a robust Christian education. Teach them to embrace hard things. How? By example.
But, train them up in the way they should go... Laughter. Family fun. Prayer with them. Stories. Feasting. Play. Time with dad. Time with mom. Dates. Discussing movies watched together. Vacations. Teaching them diligently from the Word to understand Him and the world.
They will not depart from a home like this.
And if God requires that church officers have these kind of children-faithful and believing (from the heart, we can deduce) then it is possible. Not just possible but commanded and blessed by His grace.
We need help.. And God will give it. Ask. believe. Obey.
Prov. 22:6
Too often this verse is taken to mean something like:
Spank my child like a perfectionist machine.. Make him eat all his vegetables and organics.. Make him comb his hair and sit in church quietly.. Discipline him in reformed manners and ways and when he's old he won't depart. Put him through a really hard classical Christian education. That'll do it.
Instead, I think we must read the verse like this:
Give 'em the good life. Show 'em heaven. Show them tenderness. Yes, bring the sting of spanking regularly and consistently. Hold them to a higher standard. Expect strict manners but in a spirit of humility from the heart. Shepherd them through a robust Christian education. Teach them to embrace hard things. How? By example.
But, train them up in the way they should go... Laughter. Family fun. Prayer with them. Stories. Feasting. Play. Time with dad. Time with mom. Dates. Discussing movies watched together. Vacations. Teaching them diligently from the Word to understand Him and the world.
They will not depart from a home like this.
And if God requires that church officers have these kind of children-faithful and believing (from the heart, we can deduce) then it is possible. Not just possible but commanded and blessed by His grace.
We need help.. And God will give it. Ask. believe. Obey.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
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