Sunday, October 31, 2010

Reformation Sunday: Luther on Law & Gospel

"This is the difference between the law and the gospel. The law never brings the Holy Spirit but only teaches what we ought to do; therefore it does not justify us. But the gospel brings the Holy Spirit because it teaches us what we ought to receive. Therefore, the law and the gospel are two opposite doctrines. To put righteousness in the law, then, is nothing but fighting against the gospel. Moses with his law requires us to work and give. The gospel, on the other hand, gives freely and requires of us nothing but to take what is offered. Now to exact and to give, to take and to offer, are complete opposites and cannot coexist. So if the gospel is a gift, it does not require anything. On the other hand , the law gives nothing but requires and strictly exacts impossible things from us."

Martin Luther

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Fearing God

"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows."

Luke 12:4-7


Think for a moment. The only one that can really kill you...is the only one that can really save you! And yet in fear we run from him when we should be running to him!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Lloyd-Jones on Preaching

"Any true definition of preaching must say that that man is there to deliver the message of God, a message from God to those people. If you prefer the language of Paul, he is 'an ambassador for Christ'. That is what he is. He has been sent, he is a commissioned person, and he is standing as the mouthpiece of God and of Christ to address these people. In other words, he is not there merely to talk to them, he is not there to entertain them. He is there-and I want to emphasize this-to do something to those people; he is there to produce results of various kinds, he is there to influence people. He is not merely to influence a part of them; he is not only to influence their minds, or only their emotions, or merely to bring pressure to bear upon their wills and to induce them to some kind of activity. He is there to deal with the whole person; and his preaching is meant to affect the whole person at the very center of life. Preaching should make a difference to a man who is listening that he is never the same again...It does something for the soul of man, for the whole of the person, the entire man; it deals with him in a vital and radical manner."

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching & Preachers

Friday, October 22, 2010

Making A Difference/Christmas 2010

Looking for a way to make a difference in a child's life this Christmas? Look no further than Compassion International or Samaritan's Purse. While child sponsorship would certainly be a great gift (see my Monday, June 4 entry for details concerning Compassion International), you can donate, without sponsorship, to Compassion's Christmas present fund. Your donation will help to send Christmas presents to impoverished children, those that would never receive one otherwise. The deadline for Christmas donating is rapidly approaching: October 31. Donate online @ www.compassion.com/christmas or by calling 1-800-336-7676. Another option for helping children this Christmas lies with Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child. Simply pack an empty shoebox with age appropriate presents and drop-off at your local Lifeway bookstore on Saturday, November 13. Detailed instructions can be found online @ http://www.samaritanspurse.org or by visiting a Lifeway near you. You may contact Samaritan's Purse @ 1-800-353-5949 for other drop-off locations or for the address to mail your box directly to them. Please prayerfully consider utilizing one of these wonderful organizations to brighten a child's Christmas. Thank you in advance for your concern and involvement.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Faith On Parade

"One year I was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on television with my oldest son. The event's theme was 'Believe!' and the focal point, suspended above the reviewing stand, was what the anchors were calling a Believe-O-Meter. Every time a new float came by, or a band played, or dancers danced in their elf costumes, the needle on the Believe-O-Meter bounced a little higher. Of course, the highlight of the parade was when Santa Claus himself rode in-his sleigh fashioned inexplicably in the shape of a majestic goose-and the Believe-O-Meter went wild! What with the music, the dancing, the confetti, and the screaming kids-and screaming adults for that matter-an alien visitor would surely have concluded that yes, Virginia, these people really do believe this. My six-year-old, God bless him, thought the whole thing was uproariously silly. But that's what the world thinks now about faith. It's a charade, a fun and comforting game that people are free to engage in if they wish, but with no real connection to the actual world. Children believe in Santa Claus and the Easter bunny. Mystics believe in the power of stones and crystals. Crazy people believe in fairies. And Christians, well, they believe in Jesus. Read the Bible, though, and you'll find that faith is nothing like that caricature...It is, biblically speaking, reliance. A rock-solid, truth-grounded, promise-founded trust in the risen Jesus to save you from your sin."

Greg Gilbert, What Is The Gospel?

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Lyrics of Faith: Old & New

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll-
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Horatio Spafford, It Is Well With My Soul



Blessed be your name when the sun's shining down on me
When the world's "all as it should be"
Blessed be your name
And blessed be your name on the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Matt & Beth Redman, Blessed Be Your Name

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Piper on Missions

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It's the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God's glory...But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can't commend what you don't cherish...Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak. Even outsiders feel the disparity between the boldness of our claim upon the nations and the blandness of our engagement with God."

John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad


The above quote from John Piper turns several questions in my mind. Have we made it possible for some churches to worship in "blandness" because the missing zeal is hidden by aggressive missionary endeavors? Are those endeavors really Christ-honoring if they are not driven by our passionate desire for God himself? Why have we allowed our churches, those particularly here in America, to often distance missions, both foreign and domestic, from the Gospel? If we tire of missions, do we realize that we are in essence tiring of worship? How are we motivating people to participate in missions? By guilt or grace? Can we honestly say that we are participants in genuine worship if we are not driven to show the glory of Jesus to all people, in all places?

Friday, October 1, 2010

Cheeseburgers in Paradise

I woke up this morning thinking about my maternal grandmother. Mama Daisy, as she was affectionately called, would have celebrated her 100th birthday today. We still miss her. And her killer cheeseburgers. As I was reading today's edition of the USA Today, the life section featured an article spotlighting America's top burger joints. My grandma should have had a posthumous mention; her cheeseburgers were a thing of culinary beauty. Before I describe her cooking process, please be warned! If you are under the care of a cardiologist, or if you have questionable cholesterol, please don't read this. First, my grandma always fried her burgers in an iron skillet, one heavy enough to kill a mule or a stray cat. But that's a story for another day. She would fill the bottom of the skillet with Crisco, then she would begin frying the burger patties. As they approached being done, she would cover each with several pieces of cheese. Note the use of the plural: pieces. What followed was pure genius. She would take a spatula and fling grease on top of the burgers! After the cheese had sufficiently melted, usually at the point the burgers could no longer be seen, she would remove them from the skillet and drain most of the grease. Notice I said most. She would then take the buns and place them flat side down in the skillet, allowing the edges to be blackened, the middles to be browned, and the whole thing to serve as a type of bread sponge for grease. They would then be removed, the burgers placed onto the buns, and mustard, ketchup, and mayo would be applied along with a slab of onion. Not a slice. A slab. As in a 1 inch thick slab. Add a side of fries and a Pepsi and wow! A meal for any occasion. I have never been able to quite duplicate the taste in my own kitchen. I miss those burgers. And her. I hope she's making them in Heaven. I know it's a silly thought. But at least there you could eat one without having to schedule bypass surgery. Happy 100th, Mama Daisy.