Towner's Thoughts

Hymns focussing on God's Word written

2009-05-21T10:14:00.005+01:00

At CCM, where I'm the Assistant Minister, I always try to make sure we sing a hymn just before the reading or sermon which picks up on that aspect of the service. So: How Sure the Scriptures Are; Speak O Lord; Your Word is a Lamp; King of Kings, Majesty; God has Spoken; How Firm a Foundation; Now in Reverence and Awe and so on...

But I just found these words by Christopher Idle, and they fit really well to the tune of 'Great is Thy Faithfulness' - but that tune requires a chorus. So, I've had a go - and I'm hoping your comments can improve on it prior to its first outing next Sunday (31st May 2009).

Powerful in making us wise to salvation,

Witness to faith in Christ Jesus the Word;

Breathed out for all by the life-giving Father

These are the scriptures and thus speaks the Lord

God-breathed to teach us, living to shape us,
Powerful sword of the Spirit, God's Word!
Help us to change, giving humble attention;
Teach us obedience for you are our Lord.

Hammer for action and compass for travel,

Map in the desert and lamp in the dark;

Teaching, rebuking, correcting and training -

These are the scriptures and this is their work.

God-breathed to teach us...

Prophecy, history, song and commandment,

Gospel and letter and dream from on high;

Words of the wise who were steered by the Spirit -

These are the scriptures on them we rely.

God-breathed to teach us...

Gift for God's servants to fit them completely,

Full equipping to walk in his ways;

Guide to good work and effective believing -

These are the scriptures, for these we give praise!

God-breathed to teach us...

Verses (c) Christopher Idle / Jubilate Hymns

Chorus (c) Andrew Towner 2009

BTW: The original (without the chorus) goes to other tunes, but I'm not sure CCM would know them, which is why I've gone for this whole chorus-writing plan...

Journal Launch: Ecclesia Reformanda

2009-02-25T18:04:00.003Z

Very excitingly, there's a new journal which has just been started. It has been put together by a bunch of mates of mine, it looks very exciting.

The fact that I'm due to be writing some book reviews for it has no bearing on my recommending it!

It aims to cover all aspects of theology, and the blurb here says to me that it is well worth a look.

Subscribe away! And lets pray that, to the glory of God, the church remains reformed, and always being reformed...

Humility

2008-06-05T21:55:00.003+01:00

This struck me this morning - from Jonathan Edwards' Religious Affections.

If you think you're being humble, you're actually being proud. If you think you're doing a humble action - that's pride.

If a servant washes a king's feet, that's not humility - its just normal. But if a king washes another king's feet, that humble.

Put that another way: we have to think that we're something to think that we're humble.

Which is pretty gutting to me personally.

But it also points me to my Saviour - King Jesus, the truly humble servant, who served me.

May that same mind be in me, not considering position, but bending down to wash feet...

James 3:1-12 Illustration

2007-11-23T12:23:00.000Z

James 3 warns us very strongly about how we use our tongues. Specifically, it is the fact that we use the same tongue to bless the Father & curse other people (9).

Being as how I was staying at my parents' house last weekend (for a bit of walking in South Wales - what a complete joy!!) I was spending some time with our two dogs: Willow and Ebony (golden retriever & black lab). They greet one by wagging their tails, etc, etc... But after that, when life has settled down, they life to say hello again by licking ones hand affectionately. It's very sweet of them, and not an unpleasant sensation. They also "clean" you, given half a chance - that is, licking your feet or arms or any bare flesh they can find... Even cleaning your ears if you bend down too much! (I assure you this is less gross than it sounds - it is affectionate & nice).

Then I took them on a walk on Saturday morning, and, low and behold, there they were, eating cow pats - soft, wet, new cow pats.

It is outrageous that those dogs should, with the same tongue, eat cow pats, and yet wash my ears / hands as a sign of affection... Pretty good illustration of James 3:9, I thought - and of the revulsion God must feel at all the evil, deadly, poisonous stuff we do with our tongues.

Are you a Pharisee?

2007-11-22T21:01:00.001Z

I merely offer this as an illustration:

There I was, driving along the A40 last Saturday, and found myself slowing down from a far-too-generous well-over-30 mph to a carefully-measured 29 mph for the sake of a speed camera. And then, of course, speeding back up straight afterwards.

I think that counts as cleaning the outside of a bowl or dish without cleaning the inside (Matt 23, Lk 11).

Of course, asking how that concept applied to the rest of my life was pretty sobering...

The Average Anglican

2007-11-09T10:35:00.000Z

The average anglican is:

black
female
less than 30-yrs-old
has 3 kids
lives on less than $2 per day
walks upwards of 3km per day
and is related to someone with HIV / AIDS

Just in case we're ever tempted to forget.

(HT Chris Sugden)

Sovereign Grace Music

2007-09-30T16:53:00.000+01:00

Sovereign Grace Ministries are great! My focus here is on their music - which may well be familiar to many of us... Here goes:

The songs have excellent words - really strong theologically.
The tunes are generally strong too.
And I don't know what more we would want, in all honesty!!

So, if you want to see what they're like, do check out their website here.

Top 3 CD Recommendations

OK, so I only list 1 or 2 tracks from each CD - but bear in mind they're 3 of my top 10 Christian CDs, and if I told you everything I liked, we'd be here all day!

1) Songs for the Cross-Centred Life is the first one I came across, with my top song of the last few years, namely I Come by the Blood which has verses setting up the problem of God's perfection and our sin, with choruses that show us the solution: "I come by the blood, I come by the cross...". Other crackers include two brilliant solos The Look and I Will Glory in my Redeemer. I also love the congregational Jesus my Only Hope which has the great section:

when Satan's accusations
make my poor heart afraid
I hear my King declaring
Father, that debt is paid

2) Valley of Vision is a bunch of songs taken from the great great book of Puritan prayers by the same name - which I use each day in my prayer times, and love... The highlights of that CD are the brilliantly trinitarian Heavenly Father, Beautiful Son, Spirit of Light and Truth and outstanding Let your Kingdom Come with O Great God a stunning solo piece...

3) Worship God Live is much more on the rock side of things - and is stunning from first to last if you like things a) live and b) rocked up. I love the first and last songs particularly, but the whole thing's cracking.

Anyway - Sov Grace comes highly recommended!

Grammar, Spelling and Usage

2007-09-10T08:45:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago the Times published this, which contains 32 errors of grammar, spelling and usage. Can you spot them?

"Being by nature a perfectionist, no one is keener than me to really get things right; indeed, had I not studied English to good affect, I may not have ended up working on The Times. However, although in some peoples’ book this might seem sacreligious, and even a council of despair, between you and I the lynchpin of good English lays in the acceptance that there are less rules than the hoi polloi believes. English spellings can offer three alternatives, and while not recommending pouring ad nauseum over dusty tomes, which would drive anyone beserk, recourse to a good dictionary mitigates against too many faux pars, and practise makes perfect. Writers disinterested in fact-checking will end up in dire straights with disasterous results, but even a miniscule effort at some elementary research brings it’s just desserts."

Commissioning Hymn

2007-09-09T07:58:00.000+01:00

Today and next week I'm being commissioned by the elders at The Bible Talks (tonight) and Christ Church Mayfair (next Sunday morning, DV). At both services we'll be singing this great hymn - which I commend to all of our attentions.

I'm trying to memorise it - which is comparatively easy because the tune helps out. Then, of course, there's the business of trying to live it...

(Tune = Aurelia, often used for The Church's One Foundation)

Facing a task unfinished,
That drives us to our knees,
A need that, undiminished,
Rebukes our slothful ease:
We, who rejoice to know Thee,
Renew before Thy throne
The solemn pledge we owe Thee
To go and make Thee known.

We bear the torch that flaming
Fell from the hands of those
Who gave their lives proclaiming
That Jesus died and rose.
Ours is the same commission,
The same glad message ours;
Fired by the same ambition,
To Thee we yield our powers.

Where other lords beside Thee
Hold their unhindered sway,
Where forces that defied Thee
Defy Thee still today;
With none to heed their crying
For life, and love, and light,
Unnumbered souls are dying,
And pass into the night.

O Father who sustained them,
O Spirit who inspired,
Saviour, whose love constrained them
To toil with zeal untired,
From cowardice defend us,
From lethargy awake!
Forth on Thine errands send us
To labour for Thy sake.

Frank Houghton.
Copyright © Overseas Missionary Fellowship

Psalm 91

2007-08-16T10:16:00.000+01:00

This is a great psalm!

Check out this great quote from CH Spurgeon:

“It is impossible that any ill should happen to the man who is beloved of the Lord... Ill to him is no ill, but only good in a mysterious form. Losses enrich him, sickness is his medicine, reproach is his honour, death is his gain.”

I love that!

What Should I Read on the Psalms?

2007-07-24T10:45:00.001+01:00

Perhaps the greatest joy of my Masters year at Oak Hill was spending a whole year in the Book of Psalms. I read through the whole thing quite a few times, and then a bunch of books on it. I now often get asked what to read on the Psalms. Here goes:

Of the older commentaries, both Calvin and Delitzsch are excellent. Possibly hard to read, to the modern eye, but great and worth every minute you get in them.

Gerald Wilson in NIVAC is outstanding. It only covers psalms 1-72, and he has died before writing enough on 73-150 for anyone to work over his notes, so the second NIVAC will be amazing if it is up to Wilson's standard. NIVAC can be a mixed series (though I love Enns on Exodus, Duguid on Ezekiel and Garland on Colossians, for example, some others have been totally frustrating / weak / poor / don't even give to your mother-in-law!). Wilson's NIVAC is brilliant. Preach through the 1st half of the Psalter sometime, following this. And by that time, pray that you'll have the skills to work on the 2nd half! His stuff on reading the psalms as Hebrew poetry is outstanding, and utterly vital reading...

Roy Clemets sermons ‘Songs of Experience’ are great (though obviously much of what he has written since then must be treated with real caution).

VanGemmeren in EBC pretty good & has made a major study of the Messiah in the Psalms, which will be thought-provoking even if not finding your full agreement.

Both the BST (Wilcock) and TOTC (Kidner) are missable. Wilcock is so mixed that I'd have to list the good ones and suggest you ignore the rest! Kidner is OK – often good in the text, but ignores the psalms' context.

Grogan’s ‘Prayer, Praise & Prophecy’ is really great - by far the best introduction to the Psalter as a book that is out there. Weak on how to read an individual psalm, issues of poetry etc, but great on shape and big picture.

Other good introductions to the Book of Psalms include McCann's 'Theological Introduction: Psalms as Torah' and Mays 'The Lord Reigns'. McCann is great on psalms 1&2 as paired introduction, telling us how to treat the Psalter (Book of Psalms). Mays is also good at seeing the Book's shape (though his Interpretation commentary is frustratingly weak - don't know why).

Tremper Longman III not at all bad on how to read the psalms – filling the gap I've just noted in Grogan - but he now disagrees with Wilson, Grogan et al on the Psalter's shape. And since Wilson's NIVAC is so great on reading psalms, this book now seems redundant.

Goldingay's new tome on 1-41 is also missable, I'm afraid. Maybe any later ones will be better...

At an academic level, Gerald Wilson’s PhD is great – just read the last 2 chapters to get an idea of how the Book of Psalms fits together. Brilliant!

Then there's my Masters, obviously...

(Off to camp from Friday morning, so don't pester me next week!)

No, I'm not dead!

2007-05-29T10:09:00.000+01:00

The big long break on this blog has been entirely un-coincidental with my last weeks and months here at College.

But I now have my dissertation sitting next to me on the desk, ready to be handed in within a few minutes. What a joy to spend a whole year in the Book of Psalms, looking at how it fits together, how themes develop across it, and so on.

And after my Doctrine of God exam tomorrow, life should have a little more time for blogging... And I've a ton of ideas! Aiming to blog much much more regularly - hopefully most days - over the Summer.

But for now: all thanks to God that my dissertation is finished!

The Character of a Wise Theologian

2007-05-04T07:55:00.000+01:00

A wise theologian will enjoy losing an argument.

Obviously I'm not referring to 'losing' a debate with an atheist (such a debate can never actually be lost, though one may appear to lose).

But if, in a theological argument, you are taught, corrected or rebuked, then you are learning.

And if you're wise, the activity of learning will please you.

You wouldn't want to go on being wrong just for the sake of pride, would you?

So: If I see God in a dream tonight, I will ask for wisdom.

In fact, may I just keep asking God for wisdom anyway!

I'm A Guinness World Record Holder

2007-05-02T08:00:00.000+01:00

OK, together with the other 5,566 people involved. But I was here last Monday, and have the coconuts to prove it!

An Isaac Watts Cracker!

2007-05-02T07:56:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Mark Arnold for pointing this out to me. Great hymn by Isaac Watts.

All nature is an open book
to spread her maker's praise abroad,
and every page on which we look
shows something worthy of a God.

But in the grace that rescued man
his brightest form of glory shines;
here, on the cross, it's fairest drawn
in precious blood and crimson lines.

Here see his name complete appear;
no mind can guess, nor reason prove,
which of the letters is most clear,
the power, the wisdom or the love.

Here I behold his inmost heart,
where grace and vengeance strangely join,
piercing his Son with sharpest smart
to make the purchased pleasures mine.

O the sweet wonders of that cross
where God the Saviour loved and died!?
It's noblest life my spirit draws
from his pierced hands and feet and side.

Let me for ever speak his name
in sounds to mortal ears unknown,
with angels join to praise the Lamb
and worship at his Father's throne.

Annoying Quotes

2007-04-03T16:42:00.000+01:00

Read two good page-turners last week, both of which had engaging story-lines but the same level of theological knowledge you'd expect from popular fiction. That both have been greeted as worthy successors to The DaVinci Code says it all. Yet they serve some sort of purpose in revealing with great clarity some modern conceptions of religion and Christianity.

In which spirit, here are some quotes I intend to shoot down at the appropriate moment in talks on these sorts of subjects... The reason that they are useful is that they are so mainstream, and thus cannot count as straw men.

Sam Bourne The Righteous Men

'I don't know if you're a man of faith or not, Will, but this is how faith operates. We have to believe in God even when we have not the barest inkling of what he has in mind for the universe. We have to obey rules that seem to make no sense, simply because we believe. Not everyone can do it, Will. It takes strength to have faith.' (189-90)

Raymond Khoury The Last Templar

'The unification of the three faiths ... just imagine it. Christians, Jews and Muslims - all joined in one faith. And why not? We all worship the same God, after all. We're all the children of Abraham, aren't we? ... Think about it. Imagine what a different world we'd be living in if that were the case. An infinitely better world... Think of all the pain and bloodshed we would have avoided over the years - today more than ever... No inquisitions, no holocaust, no wars in the Balkans or in the Middle East, no planes plowing into skyscrapers...' (298)

"I was like you, once. I didn't question things. I took them on as a matter of ... faith. I can tell you, though... once you start digging for the truth... it's not a pretty picture."
"What you need to realise ... is that the early days of Christianity are just one big scholarly black spot, when it comes to verifiable, documented facts. ... None of the four gospels that make up the New Testament was written by contemporaries of Jesus. The earliest ... is thought to have been written at least forty years after Jesus's death. That's forty years without CNN, without videotaped interviews, without a Google search..."
(the argument about the different gospels goes on a bit more here)
"What I'm telling you, Agent Reilly, is that basically everything Christians believe today and have believed since the fourth century ... none of it was part of what the immediate followers of Jesus believed in. It was all made up, it was all tagged on much later". (311-16)

Having found Jeshua of Nazareth's diaries, which prove him never to have claimed divinity, the 'scholar' then decides to hide the evidence: "You know, as long as I can remember I could only see what was wrong with the Church. the bloody history, the greed, the archaic dogma, the intolerance, the scandals of abuse... So much of it has become a joke. I still think a lot of it could use one hell of an overhaul, without a doubt. But then, nothing's perfect, is it? And if you look at what it does when it works, when you think about the compassion and the generosity it inspires... That's where the real miracle lies." (428)

Tim Chester on Giving

2007-04-03T08:40:00.001+01:00

Some really good moments here.

Dorothy L. Sayers on Tolerance

2007-03-21T17:50:00.001Z

I know that it is pretty well-known, but I love this quote:

In the world it is called Tolerance, but in hell it is called Despair, the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die.

HT Ian Garrett (JPC)

Whitecross: McCheyne on Church Discipline

2007-03-16T07:44:00.000Z

This is another cracker from Whitecross (there are a few earlier posts of similarly exciting anecdotes & stories).

I'm thinking George Crowder will love this!

At an ordination of elders, Robert Murray McCheyne of Dundee made the following statement. 'When I first entered upon the work of the ministry among you, I was exceedingly ignorant of the vast importance of church discipline. I thought that my great and almost only work was to pray and preach. I saw your souls to be so precious, and the time so short, that I devoted all my time and care and strength, to labour in word and doctrine. When cases of discipline were brought before me and the elders, I regarded them with something like abhorrence. It was a duty I shrank from; and I may truly say it nearly drove me from the work of the ministry among you altogether. But it pleased God, who teaches His servants in another way than man teaches, to bless some of the cases of discipline to the manifest and undeniable conversion of the souls of those under our care; and from that hour a new light broke in upon my mind, and I saw that if preaching be an ordinance of Christ, so is church discipline. I now feel very deeply persuaded that both are of God—that two keys are committed to us by Christ, the one the key of doctrine, by means of which we unlock the treasures of the Bible, the other the key of discipline, by which we open or shut the way to the sealing ordinances of the faith. Both are Christ's gift, and neither is to be resigned without sin.'

John Piper Reflecting on his Father's Death

2007-03-15T19:58:00.000Z

Look here for a very touching post.

In fact, I've just added Girltalk to my bloglinks - it is from Carolyn Mahaney and her three married daughters, and looks great. The 'If women ruled the world' moment here is worth a quick giggle!

And then resolve to have people say and do those sorts of things when you die, and to work for others so you can say / do them for them too...

Kris Lundgaard 'The Enemy Within' (IV)

2007-03-15T19:11:00.000Z

Quite a few poems / hymns in a row, so it is time for more Lundgaard / Owen for my encouragement and edification, and hopefully yours too. This is a cracking chapter!

No Idle Mind

We need to use the right tools in our fight against sin. Thus Rom 8:13 says "if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live" Our job is to kill the flesh; our tool is the Spirit in us.

But how do we use the tools we have? The great tools available are meditation and private prayer - which we should do in a way specifically designed to destroy the flesh: 'In this meditation and prayer we compare our hearts to the Scriptures, comparing our lives to what we find there.' (71)

But we'll never do this without keeping three things in mind:

Meditate on God with God - filling your mind with his glory & character & love & beauty & exellency & so on...
Meditate on the Word in the Word - never studying the Bible to find tit-bits, never aiming for something clever to say at home group, and never without praying for the Spirit's help, which he loves to give...
Meditate on yourself in the Word with God - the great strength of these times of meditation and prayer is their ability to expose our inner sinfulness at work, as the Spirit uses the Word to shine light into any inner darkness...

'Without these, prayer is not prayer. Without these purposes and longings, your prayers and meditations won't bring any glory to God, and they won't make you holy or fill you with joy.' (72)

Remember that the flesh is a wounded animal - it will not sit quietly and let you meditate on it any more than the average wounded Tiger will. You must expect it to scratch and claw, hating the light. Expect four claws in particular:

Aiming at your Weakness - you need to rest, you're too tired, etc... 'If you don't imbed it in your mind that prayer and meditation are indispensable, and seek God's grace every day to resist the sluggishness of your body, then you will hit the snooze button all morning rather than kneel before the throne. And if you snooze, you lose.' (74)
The Tyranny of the Urgent - you need to work hard to be respected in the office, and you need time with other people, etc... 'Is it likely that God would call you to do more than he gives you time to do? No one who believes God is good and wise could answer yes. So when it seems that you don't have enough time to do your work, care for your family, love your friends, and devote yourself to prayer and meditation, the problem isn't God's providence. The problem may be that you've taken on yourself more than God intended.' (74-5) What normally ends up going? That very thing most designed to damage the flesh.
The Duty Swap - which argues that praying with the family, or going to church is enough Christian activity, and you don't need this private soul-searching meditation. If you fall for this, you're stuffed!
The Big Promise - you can do that next week, just get through these exams or reports or garden projects or hard weeks with the kids, or whatever... 'This is the cheer of the perennial loser: "We'll get 'em next year!"' (75)

Is this too hard? 2Tim 1:7 "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline." Remember the reward, from 1Cor 15:58 "My dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know your labour in the Lord is not in vain."

Lundgaard's final reflection question is worth quoting in full:

Meditate on your self with God in his Word. Do you pray fervently and meditate on God in his Word? Do you search the Scriptures in order to know Christ? Has spiritual decay set in? Has your mind, in one way or another, shirked its duty?

Montgomery Hymn on Prayer

2007-03-14T21:12:00.000Z

Another excellent hymn on prayer, this time from James Montgomery (HT Stu Dean again).

It fits really well to Crimond (The Lord's My Shepherd) - and I think the first line of the second verse a particular highlight.

Lord, teach us how to pray aright,
With reverence and with fear;
Though dust and ashes in Thy sight,
We may, we must draw near.

We perish if we cease from prayer;
O grant us power to pray;
And when to meet Thee we prepare,
Lord, meet us by the way.

God of all grace, we come to Thee
With broken, contrite hearts;
Give what Thine eye delights to see,
Truth in the inward parts.

Faith is the only sacrifice
That can for sin atone;
To cast our hopes, to fix our eyes,
On Christ, on Christ alone.

Patience to watch, and wait, and weep,
Though mercy long delay;
Courage our fainting souls to keep,
And trust Thee though Thou slay.

Give these, and then Thy will be done,
Thus, strengthened with all might,
We, through Thy Spirit and Thy Son,
Shall pray, and pray aright.

Cowper Hymn on Prayer

2007-03-13T21:57:00.000Z

I was tempted to title this 'on a hymn and a prayer' but thought it a little too cheesy!

Thanks to Stuart Dean who put me onto this great hymn from William Cowper about prayer - which fits well to the tune Duke Street (Fight the Good Fight).

We sang it during our church weekend away, which focused on prayer - Stu's excellent teaching should shortly be available to download here.

Verse 5 is, as Jam Carey (one of our elders at Christ Church, Mayfair) observed at the weekend, an absolute cracker, and very fair rebuke!

I think the whole thing's great...

What various hindrances we meet
In coming to a mercy seat;
Yet who that knows the worth of prayer,
But wishes to be often there.

Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw,
Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw;
Gives exercise to faith and love,
Brings every blessing from above.

Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;
Prayer makes the Christian’s armor bright;
And Satan trembles, when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.

While Moses stood with arms spread wide,
Success was found on Israel’s side;
But when through weariness they failed,
That moment Amalek prevailed.

Have you no words? Ah, think again,
Words flow apace when you complain;
And fill your fellow creature’s ear
With the sad tale of all your care.

Were half the breath thus vainly spent,
To Heav’n in supplication sent;
Your cheerful song would oft’ner be,
“Hear what the Lord has done for me.”

True Freedom Trust

2007-03-06T15:38:00.000Z

I'm a big fan of the True Freedom Trust, whose website is here.

Pete Jackson's post here is very helpful if you want to think about how Conservative Evangelicals can get better at loving, serving, ministering to etc etc those sexually attracted to the same sex...

John Humphrys

2007-03-05T21:35:00.000Z

This Telegraph article is fascinating - John Humphrys reflecting on the UCCF Reasonable Faith debate which he chaired last week: William Lane Craig vs Lewis Wolpert.

What Has Excited You This Week?

2007-03-02T10:39:00.000Z

We were asked to chat about this briefly to our neighbours at the start of College chapel today, and I was saying that my studies in the Psalter this week have moved from examining the theme of God's presence (my chapter 3) to that of God's Messiah (chapter 4). I wrote this at the end of chapter 3:

In sum, the most high, Zion-temple-dwelling God is present on earth with people by word and actions for their differentiation: redemption or condemnation, blessing or curse.

As our next chapter will show us, the Psalms’ writers and editors would not have us leave a discussion of God’s presence without recalling Emmanuel, God With Us. The omnipresent, all-seeing Son became a baby in the dimly lit stable; the Word laid aside glory and power that his voice and actions might be seen on earth; and he came to distinguish, to judge, to separate sheep and goats. The Psalter’s theology of the presence of God must draw us to [see] Jesus.

And I've just written this about the Messiah (the references in brackets are to the psalms I'm summarising):

The Messianic Plea Psalms speak in their own right, teaching of life after death possible by trusting the LORD (16), the guarantee of a massive congregation eternally praising one saved through death (22), the vicarious suffering of one both on behalf of God and the people (69) and of great betrayal through which God’s enemies are beaten and the betrayed is vindicated (109).

Likewise the Messianic Royal Psalms speak of one who rules the nations (2), the great bridegroom-king gloriously united with his bride (45), the blessings experienced under the rule of God’s righteous king (72), the steadfast love and faithfulness of YHWH which means that though the Messiah be temporarily spurned, there is hope for his return (89), the eternal king-priest’s enthronement and triumph (110) and the fulfilment of YHWH’s promises: Kingship, Temple and Zion (132).

Exciting, or what!

Cheesy Verse of a Great Hymn?

2007-03-02T10:12:00.000Z

We all know this great hymn:

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed:

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God; to thee,
How great thou art, how great thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;

Then sings...

But when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
sent him to die-I scarce can take it in
that on the cross, our burden gladly bearing,
he bled and died to take away our sin;

Then sings...

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home-what joy shall fill my heart!
Then shall I bow in humble adoration,
and there proclaim: My God, how great thou art!

Then sings...

Russian hymn
tr. Stuart K. Hine (1899-1989) altd.

But I have to confess that vs 2 has always struck me as the weakest. A bit cheesy, a slight embarrassment, to be honest... Until today, that is!

Because it is all about Christ. I've no idea if that's deliberate or coincidental - a great example of coincidence being when God decides to remain anonymous.

Going line by line:

When a Christian sees woods, they (presumably) might remember the great tree in which all birds will seek refuge.
And who is like a bird, protecting chicks under wing-coverings? To whose glory do birds sing? What song does the whole creation sing?
Lofty mountains isn't a difficult one to someone writing a long dissertation on the Psalms.
And rivers are not unheard of in the Bible, speaking of Spirit-blessing.

But you can push all this, can't you? I wish that I knew the Bible better, and understood Jim Jordan's stuff, but I'm sure we can probably say something like this:

Tree of tragedy, exaltation and enthronement.
Bird of Spirit-life-breath.
All on a mountain-tabernacle, where we see the great eternal Tabernacle.
Dying for that river of Spirit-blessing to flow, purchasing and guaranteeing that eternal river-garden-mountain-city...

Not such a bad verse now, is it!

They Came Alone

2007-02-20T21:06:00.000Z

This is a great poem from Don Carson reflecting on the Easter story as told by four different authors in the Bible. See if you can spot which section goes with which account...

They came alone,
Some women who remembered Him
Bowed down with spices to anoint his corpse
Through darkened streets
They wept their way to honour Him
The one whose death had shattered all their hopes

"Why do you look for life, among these tombs of stone?
He is not here! He's risen as he said!
Remember how he spoke to you in Galilee?
'The Son of Man must die, and must rise up from the dead' ".

The two walked home
A portrait of defeat and loss
Explaining to a stranger why the gloom:
How Jesus seemed to be the King before his cross
Now all their hopes lay buried in His tomb

"How slow you are to see! Didn't this have to be?
Don't you believe the words the prophets said?
'Christ had to suffer first, then enter glory'"
Then He unveiled their eyes, in the breaking of the bread.

He heard their words, but not for him that easy faith
That trades the truth for sentimental sigh
Unless he saw the nail marks in His hands himself
And touched His side, did not believe the lie

Then Jesus came to them, all of the doors were locked:
“Cast away doubt and Reach in to my side;
Trace out the wounds the nails left in my broken hands!
And understand: I am the Resurrection and the Life."

Long years have passed
And still we fear the face of death
It steals our loved ones, leaving us undone
It mocks our dreams,
And calls to us with icy breath
The final terror when life's course is run

But this I know: my Lord travelled this way before
His body clothed in immortality
The sepulchre's sting is drawn
The power of sin destroyed
Death has been swallowed up
In His mighty victory!

Lloyd-Jones 'Spiritual Depression' (VI)

2007-02-19T21:09:00.000Z

Yes, I'm still going on this book too! Lloyd-Jones is teaching us that an unhappy Christian is a contradiction in terms. All the obvious caveats apply, as my past posts on this book make fairly clear, I think. As it happens, the last couple of chapters are some of my very favourites. But the whole book's a cracker - accessible but far from simplistic, with a real depth to it & very practical. Oh for more preachers to preach a bit more like this!

10. The Spirit of Bondage

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." (Rom 8:15-17)

These are stunning words, standing out even in that stunning chapter. Why were they written? To protect the Christians in Rome from discouragement and despondancy. That makes it vital to see how he came to make the statement, and why he came to write this statement. They were discouraged by living the Christian life, dealing with sin - the issue Paul has been dealing with over the past few chapters.

The essence of the problem is their failure to realise certain truths about the Christian life. Ultimately they fail to understand doctrine - and that stuffs them up! They seem to fail to understand that truth must be appropriated. It is very easy to read the Bible and give a kind of nominal assent - but there is a massive danger in that, as it may well lead to nominalism.

Bondage often appears to be to the Law - even in those who are very clear as to what their theology is, their failure to appropriate suitable passages may bind them to works. Not just RCs here, but many evangelical Christians too. Such bondage always carries fear along with it - a wrong fear of God, a wrong fear of the greatness of the task, a wrong fear of the devil's power and a wrong fear of their own sin. Ultimately this is a fear of themselves and of failure. To them, Paul says Rom 8:15-17.

And this message works out in two ways. First, we are to walk in this awesome task just as Christ walked, indwelt by the glorious Holy Spirit, with his mighty power at work in us - a truth we've seen worked out all through Rom 8. Secondly, we're reminded by the Holy Spirit's presence of our relationship to God - that wonderful truth which is our calling God "Abba, Father". It doesn't do away with godly fear, but certainly does kick away that ungodly bondage Paul is addressing. How? Because our object in the Christian life is not to achieve a certain standard, but to please God because he is our Father - to which truth the Spirit witnesses.

Finally, the Spirit reminds us of our destiny - Glory! Take these truths, and having gives assent, then appropriate them. In Christ, you are glorious! 'Take your full salvation and triumph and prevail.' (175)

Christians Need to Understand Poetry

2007-02-17T08:54:00.000Z

See a great post from Ros here.

As I write I cannot remember if I ever posted on this. I know that I meant to, and have had a fairly similar rant to a number of (presumably to some extent) willing victims here at Oak Hill. I'm not even sure who I nicked the original thought off - Ros or DF. Oh well!

There's also a case that Christians need to understand narratives too, and other things. Many many Christians (imho) just need to know how to read better!

Kris Lundgaard 'The Enemy Within' (III)

2007-02-17T08:11:00.000Z

So I'm summarising Kris Lundgaard's The Enemy Within. Almost all the thoughts are his, not mine - and John Owen's before Kris so delightfully made them accessible to the rest of us...

How Sin Works

Deception is the art of making someone believe things to be different to as they are, so that they do something they otherwise wouldn't. That's how our flesh works to make us serve sin. Think about it - it is a powerful definition. Gen 3 shows such deceit & Heb 3:13 speaks of sin's deceitfulness (see also Tit 3:3 & Eph 4:22).

How do you attack a huge fortress? start by killing the watchman. So also our minds come under attack - the mind, which we have already seen (here) as the sentinel of the soul. From that our will and affections so simply follow.

Deception is a fact of life. Buying a used car, playing football, etc... But it is also a fact of life inside of us, as the flesh looks to deceive us.

James 1:14-15 indicates how it goes about this. The goal is death (15) & it works by temptation (14). James has 'five degrees of temptation' a bit like this:

dragging away (the mind)
enticing (the affections)
conceiving sin (in the will)
birth of sin (in actions, words, thoughts, etc.)
death by sin (enslavement to sin = spiritual death)

By God's grace, the 5th degree is never reached in Christians. God often aborts sin we've conceived, but he also uses many means, and one of them is the warning of these first three degrees.

Getting Carried Away

'The mind is the watchman of the soul, commanded to judge and determine whether something is good and pleasing to God, so the affections can long for it and the will can choose it. If the mind fails to identify a sin as evil, wicked, vile and bitter, the affections will not be safe from clinging to it, nor the will from giving consent.' (63)

Remember Joseph's words in Gen 39:9 "how then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" 2Cor 5:14 describes the same thing: 'the mind must stay fixed on God, especially his grace and goodness towards us. His love propels, fuels, drives us to obey. It is the fountain of our obedience, and our highest motive to finding out what pleases the Lord and doing it.' (64)

The flesh works to make sin look less horrible. It works to separate the remedy of grace from the design of grace - so we forget our call to be holy, and are tempted to think 'Oh, well, I can just do that quickly & be forgiven later - God will forgive, it is what he does.' Or 'go ahead and indulge - its already paid for.' How horrible it is to see those thoughts in black & white - where they look so dingy & abhorrent.

Solution? 'Your mind can only protect you against the deceit of the flesh if you're cross-eyed. that is, you can only keep the rottenness of sin and the kindness of God in mind if you fix your eyes on the cross. What shows God's hatred of sin more than the cross? What shows God's love to you more than the cross? If you want to know exactly what sin deserves, you have to understand the cross. If you want to know how infinitely deep the root of sin reaches, you have to think through all the implications of the cross. If you want to know how far God was willing to go to rescue you from sin, you have to see his precious Son hanging on the cross for you.' (66)

Kris Lundgaard 'The Enemy Within' (II)

2007-02-13T20:56:00.000Z

Excitingly, Chris Watson-Lee has promised me a brief summary / outline of this excellent book, which I hope to be able to point readers to at some point shortly. Still, I'm going to persevere (it being a good biblical characteristic). Remember, I'm really doing this for my own benefit!

The Haunted House
A haunted house is scary because of what it hides. Our heart is just like a haunted house, having many many cubby-holes, wardrobes, cupboards, corners, attics and shadows. It is a maze that God alone can search and solve and is deceitful above all things (Jer 17:9-10). Remember (the standard Puritan Reformed faculty psychology) that heart = mind (thoughts & plans & judgements) + will (choices & actions) + affections (longings, desires, feelings). All of this is a horror-house.

Now each Christian has a new heart, a new mind and new desires. Yet God's certain work is as yet incomplete - and we must fight a lurking, skulking enemy, hiding where it can't be found. Just like trick birthday-cake candles, having been blown-out once, sin can quickly and easily burst into new flame.

We must never think the battle is over in this life. There is no cease-fire, and many wars have been lost in forgetful relaxation after apparently decisive battles. If we fight, we will win ground, growing in victory - but that battle-work only ends when we meet Christ face to face.

And we go into battle (or resume battle) in the Lord's strength. The Holy Spirit knows our hearts, and takes the horror out of the haunted house's hidden depths (Ps 139).

Irreconcilable Differences
'It is impossible to make peace with hostility itself' (44). The flesh is not God's enemy, it is hatred of God, it is enmity towards God, it is hatred itself. And you can't every be at peace with hatred towards God. God has transformed all who are in Christ into new creations - but the flesh remains, as we retain our human natures until the transformation at death.

'The flesh's hatred of God explains a lot... You can feel the hostility of the flesh whenever you approach God - it makes love for him into work. Digging around the Bible to find a juicy new insight to impress your small group is like sailing the Caribbean, but poring over the Scriptures to find the Lover of your soul is like skiing up Mount Everest. Conjuring up a happy mood with some music you don't even know the words to is like solving 2 + 2 with a calculator. But savouring the glory of Christ and his tender love until your heart is softened towards him is like using mental math to calculate pi to the thousandth place. And giving a birthday present to your best friend is like forcing down double-fudge brownies. but giving up your extra bedroom to a homeless person in the name of Jesus is like eating the Rockies for breakfast.' (46-7)

There is no common ground between the flesh and God. There is no no-man's land, no place to pause or find rest this side of Glory. Our 'affections are constantly fighting the infection of sensuality or the disease of indifference.' (48)

A Great Prayer

2007-02-12T14:45:00.000Z

You've got to love these words - from the great Getty / Townend combination. There's not many great songs to sing for the reading / preaching of the word. But I love this one!

SPEAK, O LORD, as we come to You
To receive the food of your holy word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfil in us
All Your purposes, for Your glory.

Teach us Lord full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility.
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise
Cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of power that can never fail;
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us.
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time,
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we'll stand on Your promises;
And by faith we'll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, ‘til your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.

It is a great song - the words are outstanding, and the tune is pretty good too. You can buy the pdf here for £1.50. Bargain!

Or just make the words a prayer...

Islam - What do Muslims Really Believe?

2007-02-10T12:57:00.000Z

Having just returned from an Islamic state the contents of these films are not a huge surprise. But they are utterly compelling to watch, and I would encourage everyone to watch them, and be very clear what Islam stands for.

For example, early in the 1st film we get the comment that Muslims do not love Jews or Christians: "we hate the khufaar". How different to Jesus' attitude to the lost...

They're all online here.

Tolle widere (my attempt at the 'take & watch' equivalent of tolle lege = 'take & read').

Kris Lundgaard 'The Enemy Within' (I)

2007-02-10T12:03:00.000Z

This was started for my own benefit, but then thought it could be useful to others. What I'm doing is outlining The Enemy Within as an aide to the every-day, every-hour fight against sin which we are guaranteed never to win - until Jesus takes us to be with him.

Not sure you want to read on. Well:

Why do we keep on sinning?
How do we keep fighting?
What expectation of victory should we have?

If you fancy some answers, this book is for you. Hopefully this sequence of posts is a fair / useful outline of the argument & key ideas.

Kris Lundgaard's book is an excellent modern presentation of John Owen's Indwelling Sin & The Mortification of Sin (both in vol. VI of the Banner edition of his complete works). It is an outstanding book because it offers Owen's outstanding theological mind & pastoral clarity in a 150-page book. You can see the outline / table of contents via this page. I'm not exactly following chapters & their headings, but I am following the book's flow...

Four Key Truths from Rom 7:21
"So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me."

Sin living in us is a law. Law expresses power, authority, constraint & control. Think of other laws like gravity, hunger, fear, each of which impels us to fulfil its demands. Indwelling sin works by enticing, threatening, even bullying. In what sense has Christ defeated sin in a believer? It is overthrown & weakened so that it will not bear the fruit of eternal death.
This law is inside us. It is one thing to have a lecture on AIDS, and quite another to hear those words 'HIV-positive - I'm so sorry.' Not many people have come to terms with this idea. If they had, we'd hear more complaining about it, more urgent prayers & pleas, we'd see more struggling against it & observe less of its fruit in the world.
We find this law when we're at our best. Not just when stumbling during a time of backsliding, but even on our best days we find this law at work - when we most wish to serve God. Yet though ever-present, by God's grace this desire does not rule the hearts of believers.
This law never rests. It is a constant tug. Who will deliver us?

'In your struggle against sin there is only one thing more important to grasp than these four facts: the free, justifying grace of God in Christ's blood.' (27) [I'm remembering this post]

We need to know our own hearts [see Flavel here]. Fighting sin will mean getting to know our indwelling sin, which will be humiliating & discouraging. But is extremely wise if we wish to know how to please the Lord.

The Flesh is a Rhino
'If a rhinoceros were to enter this restaurant now, there is no denying he would have great power here. But I should be the first to rise and assure him that he had no authority whatever.' G. K. Chesterton
The law of sin in believers is like Chesterton's rhino. God's rule is total, and sin attempts to usurp it & force itself upon us. We must choose with Moses: "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." (Heb 11:24-26)

Indwelling sin is in us. It is at home, it doesn't just come to visit - it lives in us.
Indwelling sin doesn't take a day off. Want to pray? read the Bible? listen to a sermon? This hateful, wicked pest is right there kicking up a thousand distractions & exasperating use.
Indwelling sin works easily. There is no good you can decide to do without it resisting.

The more you discover its power, the less you suffer its effects. The better you know the rhino, the better you can fight it.

'But if you don't find yourself dodging he rhino's horn day and night in a struggle against sin, it may be that you've made peace with the rhino. You are willingly, happily under its power and rule. In which case you should doubt that you are born of God. No one who is born of God can live at peace with sin (1Jn 3:9). I appeal to you, for the sake of your soul: run to Christ! Only he can slay the rhino in your heart.' (34)

Bible Overview Hymn

2007-01-27T21:59:00.000Z

So I was trying to think of a good Bible overview hymn / song, and couldn't! Suggestions welcome if I'm just being slow. Here is my attempt at one, to the rousing tune of 'Onward Christian Soldiers'.

Glorious God eternal: Father, Spirit, Son:
By his Word from nothing, everything is come.
Ruling in God’s image, man and wife are one:
People, place and blessing – kingdom is begun!
Christ is ruling history, ris’n to reign as Lord.
God’s eternal kingdom grows, in him secured.

Arrogant rebellion; humans trust the lie;
Sinful, mortal, banished, all in Adam die.
Righteous judge, but gracious, speaks to Abraham,
Covenants of blessing: hope for every man.
Christ is…

Nation saved from Egypt makes a golden calf,
King by his rebellion splits Israel in half.
Still they spurn God’s warnings – into exile sent;
Yet there’s mercy promised if they would repent.
Christ is…

Born in Bethlem’s stable, Christ the Lord of all,
Equal with the father, humble in a stall.
Grown, he shows the kingdom; spurned, he’s mocked and killed.
King and Lamb at Calvary – promises fulfilled!
Christ is…

Total vindication: Jesus lives again!
Death and Hell and Satan broken by his reign.
Life won for his people, glory guaranteed:
People place and blessing all in God received!
Christ is…

Tune: St. Gertrude
Words © Andrew Towner, 2007

Signing Off Until Jan 24th

2007-01-05T21:48:00.000Z

I'm off for two and a bit weeks' lecturing and preaching...

Eph 3:20-21

Lloyd-Jones 'Spiritual Depression' (V)

2007-01-04T20:22:00.000Z

The book's argument is that there should be no such thing as a sad Christian. Dr Lloyd Jones (the Doctor) considers a whole load of causes and cures for such a condition, with exegetical clarity and pastoral wisdom. I've loved going through it - and am only sorry that my disciple of typing up hasn't kept up with my reading. However, here's another instalment...

8. Where is Your Faith?

"Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him." (Lk 8:22-25)

This chapter examines the nature of faith. Many who are Christians have no full understanding of it - though faith is the gift of God at conversion. Being a Christian means having faith, and this does not guarantee understanding it! And thus one may get into trouble...

Before getting to that, a few thoughts on this great passage which shows Jesus as God and man, the God-man; tired, yet able to command wind and waves... We need to understand the rebuke: Jesus was rebuking their state, which they should not have been in at all. First, it is always wrong for a Christian to be in such a state, to have "little faith". So The Doctor says: 'It is very wrong for a Christian ever to be in such a condition. I do not care what the circumstances may be, the Christian should never be agitated, the Christian should never be beside himself like this, the Christian should never be at his wit's end, the Christian should never be in a condition where he has lost control of himself.' (137) We must be distinct to a worldly person - just like Paul in Phil 4. Secondly, what is wrong in such a condition is the expression of little trust or confidence in him; that is the issue, and that's what makes the condition so reprehensible. It is a lack of faith in Jesus' care and concern for us, believing either that he doesn't care, or is unable to help. These are the passages two great lessons: we must not become agitated, expressing thereby a lack of confidence in our Lord.

Drawing out more general principles, we turn first to 'the trial of faith', an idea found throughout Scripture. Remember Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Moses. Recall 1Pet 1. We must understand that we may well find ourselves in a position where our faith is tried - which trials are permitted by God. It is a horrible lie that in coming to Christ all troubles are over; rather, we are to count trails joy (Jas 1:2), and forewarned is forearmed. This is a big Puritan theme.

Secondly, we consider the nature and character of faith. This is the main issue in the passage. Negatively, faith is not a feeling, nor something that acts automatically. Rather it is an activity, something to be exercised. "Where is your faith?" means 'why are you not applying your faith to this position?' The first thing we must do in such circumstances is not be controlled by them, but apply our faith. Faith is a refusal to panic. And the second thing here is to assert what we do know, to hold on to what we believe. The next step is to apply what we know into that particular situation: God will never allow anything to happen to you that is harmful; he will do what is best for you - though as he defines best, which might not be how you might.

Thirdly (and finally) we must note that even the smallest faith has value. Even the disciples here had enough to go and do the right thing - cry to Jesus. Do you note that Jesus produced the condition they were so keen to enjoy - despite their lack of faith. Though he rebuke us he will never neglect us; he will receive us and bless us and give us peace.

Every time of trial and testing is an opportunity to prove your faith. Take it with both hands; exert God's gift to you. And if you are too weak, just fly to Christ and he will deliver you and give you peace.

9. Looking at the Waves

"And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God." (Matt 14:22-33)

This incident has many features in common with the last, and comes at a similar issue in a different way, as we'll see. But first, a preliminary observation: the first thing we notice here is Jesus, the Person at the centre of the story, who commands and controls nature. We cannot but start here. since without understanding him we cannot understand faith. There is no Christian message without him, no content, no nothing...

But the focus of this incident being recorded is clearly Peter. He starts off so well, gets into trouble, then ends up so badly. Peter, who seems at first so full of faith, ends up a miserable failure, crying out in desperation. Now the big difference here to the last story is that there the storm was a new thing, whereas here nothing changes, the waves are nothing new to Peter. And Jesus gives a clear diagnosis: "ye of little faith"....

Hence, we must first note the 'Peter mentality'. We all have our own particular difficulties, arising from our characters - and often fail at our strongest points. Peter's great characteristic was energy, a quick decision is enthusiastically taken and acted upon - which got him into trouble, as we remember from the Passover meal and courtyard accounts. Peter is a man of high heights and low troughs, of ecstasy and failure. He said or did things without thinking them through fully - which was the cause of trouble.

We then note Peter's doubts. He is diagnosed by Jesus as having "little faith" and doubting. Notice how we often produce our own doubts - he produced them by looking at the waves. It is not as if Jesus said: watch out - do you realise what you're doing? No, he looked at the waves and produced doubt. Now notice that doubts are not incompatible with faith; Peter has "little faith" rather than none at all - which people can often think about themselves when they're doubting.

Now doubts are proof of weak faith, to which the antidote is great faith. Not just the opposite, the antidote. Returning to the last passage, we must remember who God is, acknowledge him and practice trust in him... Peter models how faith flows from knowing the Lord, saying: "if it is you..." This is the solution to much spiritual depression: knowledge of Bible doctrines. Know Jesus, know your Saviour, his atoning work, his call, his resurrection... Take the trouble to learn these things - don't be dependent on meetings for your happiness; know the truth and be free!

Secondly, then, we must learn not to have second thoughts. With the Christian faith this is folly - doubts are foolish, just as Peter's were here. Weak faith comes back again and again to problems it has solved, issues it has answered. Why go back? It is the essence of faith to refuse after-thoughts.

Next, notice that faith consists in looking to and at Jesus. He will complete in you what he has started. Peter's error was to look away from Christ - which we must strive not to do.

Finally, a word of consolation: Jesus will never let you sink. If you belong to him, no-one shall pluck you from his hand.

But that is not the great lesson of this passage - great though it is! rather, learn that He can keep you from falling, being the great Lord of the Universe. We need never cry out if we remain looking at him.

Jude 24-25.

Evangelism & Warfare

2006-12-30T08:05:00.000Z

I love this post by David Field. It speaks to a number of common Christian thoughts about evangelism, and just got my pulse going a bit!

What is Sin?

2006-12-21T08:04:00.000Z

Josh Harris' book Not Even a Hint is a very very good book (now re-issued as Sex Is Not the Problem, Lust Is). I know some have issues with it, and think they've come up in blog-world at some point, but I couldn't find them in a brief look just now. Maybe I'll review it soon & then we can 'have at it'... Leaving that for now:

In the section (pp. 113ff) where he is talking about what we watch on TV & at Cinemas. He is in areas such as our love to flirt with sin & our ability to rationalise taking onboard a certain amount, thinking certain films OK in the sense of 'not perfect, but not beyond what I can deal with'... Recognise yourself??

He then asks what we are allowed to view, and quotes this letter to John Wesley from his mum, when he'd asked for a description of sin. She says:

Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself.

Which is a great answer, because it reminds us why we want to not do / look at / accept / engage with those things, reminds us what we loose...

I've no idea, but she might have been thinking of passages such as Eph 5:3, Gal 6:7-9, Ps 101:2-4, 1Thess 5:21-22, Job 31:11-12, Rom 8:6, Rom 13:14, Matt 5:29-30, 2Tim 2:22, Jas 1:15, Ps 84:10-12, Lam 3:24-26 and probably a few others...

Don't read on to see what I'm going to say next. It will trebble the value of your reading this post if you look up those passages! Isn't it just too easy to be a Christian without looking at the Bible much...

Some More Highlights of Whitecross

2006-12-21T07:56:00.000Z

This is pretty gutting...

An atheist being asked by a professor of Christianity, 'how he could quiet his conscience in so desperate a state' replied, 'As much as I am astonished at yourself, who, believing the Christian religion to be true, can quiet your conscience in living so much like the world. Did I believe what you profess, I should think no care, no diligence, no zeal enough.' Alas! that there should still be so much cause given by Christians, for the astonishment of atheists! (72)

This is great!

The famous German mathematician, Athanasius Kircher, having an acquaintance who denied the existence of the Supreme Being, took the following method to convince him of his error upon his own principles. Expecting him upon a visit, he procured a very handsome globe of the starry heavens, which being placed in a corner of the room in which it could not escape his friend's observation, the latter seized the first occasion to ask from whence it came, and to whom it belonged. 'Not to me,' said Kircher, 'nor was it ever made by any person, but came here by mere chance.' 'That,' replied his sceptical friend, 'is absolutely impossible; you surely jest.' Kircher, however, seriously persisting in his assertion, took occasion to reason with his friend upon his own atheistical principles. 'You will not,' said he, 'believe that this small body originated in mere chance; and yet you will contend that those heavenly bodies, of which it is only a faint and diminutive resemblance, came into existence without order and design.' Pursuing this chain of reasoning, his friend was at first confounded, in the next place convinced, and ultimately joined in a cordial acknowledgment of the absurdity of denying the existence of a God. (73)

Jerusalem Rewritten

2006-12-20T22:43:00.000Z

This is from John Piper, here. Thank you to Paddy McBain for pointing me to it. I like it! I've always loved the tune & here's a great set of words for it - and they're vaguely close to the original...

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon Israel's mountains green?
And did the Christ of heaven come down?
Was God in flesh both heard and seen?
And did He die to prove His love?
And did He rise more pow'rful still?
And was His rule on earth started there
Upon Golgotha's tragic hill?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of Fire!
I will not cease to spread His light;
My faith a shield, His Word my sword;
'Til Christ, my God, is crowned as King,
And all the earth shall own Him Lord

(Another great set of words to this tune is 'Before the Throne of God Above', which is a brilliant fit. Useful at weddings, on Remembrance Sunday, and on 'normal' Sundays too).

Revision Limericks

2006-12-20T09:00:00.000Z

I wrote these during Marian Raikes' Spirituality course last year. Just how literally I mean the word 'during' I probably shouldn't specify online!

Augustine (more detail here)

There once was a man named Augustine
Who over young girls had been lustin'
So he prayed and God saved him,
Transformed and re-made him,
When he'd seen that his sin was disgustin'

Pachomius (on whom, see here)

There once was a monk named Pachomius
Who built a monastery on his own-i-us
The walls were built wobbly
So visitors could be Godly
He said: come and live on your own-with-us.

Teresa of Avila (on whom, see here)

Teresa's interior castle
Show's her theology's partial:
Humans work alone
Before God's love's shown,
Which make's being a Christian a hassle!

Mysticism (which is more self-explanatory!)

A Mystic is someone who's seen God
And cannot express this 'coz its odd:
Noetic, ineffable,
Vague, inexpressible,
But that doesn't stop most of them trying at great length anyway,using slightly weird poetic metres...

Go on - write a few yourself and stick them on as comments!

Westminster Shorter Catechism Resources

2006-12-19T08:58:00.000Z

From the index here you can read the whole catechism, which is a great & concise summary of Reformed theology from the Puritans' Westminster Assembly. Tolle Lege.

More than that, there's links to expositions & explanations of each point from great men such as: John Flavel, Thomas Watson, Thomas Boston, James Fisher. It also links into the John Whitecross illustrations I've just posted on...

What an exciting resource! Enjoy!

Some Highlights of Whitecross

2006-12-19T08:33:00.000Z

More great moments from John Whitecross's The Shorter Catechism, Illustrated (see earlier post here) which I'm loving...

On who we serve:

'I remember,' says Dr Cotton Mather, 'what Calvin said when the order of his banishment from ungrateful Geneva was brought to him: "Most assuredly, if I had merely served man, this would have been a poor recompense; but it is my happiness that I have served Him who never fails to reward His servants to the full extent of His promises." (66)

Cardinal Wolsey, a great minister of state under King Henry VIII, having fallen under the displeasure of that monarch, made the following sad reflection a little before his death: 'Had I hut served my God as diligently as I have served my king, he would not have forsaken me now in my grey hairs. But this is the just reward that I must receive for my indulgent pains and study, not regarding my service to God, but only to my prince.' (71)

Newton quote (which is never quoted quite right!)

Two or three years before John Newton's death, when his sight was become so dim that he was no longer able to read, an aged friend and brother in the ministry called on him to breakfast. Family prayers following, the portion of Scripture for the day was read to him. It was taken from Boganky's Golden Treasury: 'By the grace of Cod I am what I am.' It was Newton's custom on these occasions, to make a short familiar exposition on the passage read. After the reading of this text, he paused for some moments, and then uttered the following affecting soliloquy: 'I am not what I ought to be. Ah! how imperfect and deficient. I am not what I wish to be. I abhor what is evil, and I would cleave to what is good. I am not what I hope to be; soon, soon, I shall put off mortality, and with mortality all sin and imperfection. Yet, though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was—a slave to sin and Satan; and I can heartily join with the apostle, and acknowledge, "By the grace of God, I am what I am." Let us pray.'

Just a great tale!

Archbishop Usher, being once on a visit to Scotland, heard a great deal of the piety and devotion of Samuel Rutherford. He wished much to witness what had been told him, but was at a loss how to accomplish his design. At length it came into his mind to dress himself like a pauper; and on a Saturday evening, when turning dark, he called at Rutherford's house, and asked if he could get quarters for a night. Rutherford consented to give the poor man a bed for a night, and desired him to sit down in the kitchen, which he cheerfully did. Mrs Rutherford, according to custom on Saturday evening, that her servants might be prepared for the Sabbath, called them together and examined them. In the course of the examination, she asked the stranger how many commandments there were. To which he answered, Eleven. On receiving this answer, she replied, 'what a shame is it for you! a man with grey hairs, in a Christian country, not to know how many commandments there are! There is not a child of six years old in the parish, but could answer this question properly.' She troubled the poor man no more, thinking him so very ignorant, but lamented his condition to her servants; and after giving him some supper, desired a servant to show him up stairs to a bed in a garret. Rutherford, on discovering who he was next morning, requested him to preach for him that day, which the bishop consented to do, on condition that he would not discover him to any other. Rutherford furnished the bishop with a suit of his own clothes, and early in the morning he went into the fields: the other followed him, and brought him in as a strange minister passing by, who had promised to preach for him. Mrs Rutherford found that the poor man had gone away before any of the family were out of bed. After domestic worship and breakfast, the family went to the church, and the bishop had for his text, John 13.34, 'A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.' In the course of his sermon, he observed that this might be reckoned the eleventh commandment: upon which Mrs Rutherford said to herself 'That is the answer the poor man gave me last night;' and looking up to the pulpit, said, 'It cannot be possible that this is he!' After public worship, the strange minister and Samuel Rutherford spent the evening in mutual satisfaction; and early on Monday morning, the former went away in the dress in which he came, and was not discovered. (pp. 67-8)

How God preserved the Irish!

Queen Mary Tudor having dealt severely with the Protestants in England, about the end of her reign signed a commission to take a similar course with them in Ireland, and, to execute the same with greater force, she nominated Dr Cole one of the commissioners. The doctor coming with the commission to Chester, the Mayor of that city, hearing that her Majesty was sending a messenger into Ireland, waited on the doctor, who, in discourse with the Mayor, took out of a cloakbag, a leather box, saying, 'Here is a commission that shall lash the heretics of Ireland,' calling the Protestants by that title. The good woman of the house, being well-affected to the Protestant religion, and also having a brother in Dublin named John Edmunds, of the same religious profession, was much troubled at the doctor's words; but watching her convenient time, while the Mayor took his leave, and the doctor accompanied him down stairs, she opened the box, took the commission out, and placed in lieu of it, a sheet of paper with a pack of cards wrapped up in it, the knave of clubs being faced uppermost. The doctor, coming up to his chamber, and suspecting nothing of what had been done, put up the box as formerly. The next day, going to the water side, wind and weather serving him, he sailed towards Ireland, and landed on the 7th of October 1558, at Dublin. When he arrived at the castle, the Lord Fitz-Walter, being Lord Deputy, sent for him to come before him and the privy council. He came accordingly, and after he had made a speech, relating on what account he had come over, he presented the box to the Lord Deputy, who causing it to be opened, that the secretary might read the commission, there was nothing, save a pack of cards, with the knave of clubs uppermost; which not only startled the Lord Deputy and council, but also the doctor, who assured them that he had a commission, but knew not how it was gone. The Lord Deputy made answer, 'Let us have another commission, and we will shuffle the cards in the meanwhile.' The doctor, being troubled in his mind, went away, and returned to England, and, coming into the court obtained another commission; but staying for the wind on the water side, news came to him that the queen was dead. Thus God preserved the Protestants of Ireland. Queen Elizabeth was so delighted with this story, which was related to her by Lord Fitz-Walter on his return to England, that she sent for Elizabeth Edmunds, and gave her a pension of £40 a year during her life.

Lloyd-Jones 'Spiritual Depression' (IV)

2006-12-14T18:23:00.000Z

Lloyd-Jones is writing about miserable Christians, arguing that such a condition, though a decent description of many many people, shouldn't occur. He is examining the causes and cures of such a condition, being sad in the Christian life. I'm summarising him, and trying not to comment too much. I'm really enjoying the book - we need more Puritan-loving, Puritan-reading, Puritan-conversant preachers!

7. Fear of the Future
"For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2Tim 1:7)

Satan is relentless, and not bothered how he gets Christians to be downcast. If looking at the past doesn't work depression (see ch 6) then he will try to scare or depress with thoughts of the future. This fear is very common, and there's lots of teaching in the Bible about it. But the supreme example of spiritual depression due to fear of the future is Timothy.

What causes such a condition? First, temperament is central. We are all made different, and this doesn't change at conversion; we are all ourselves, which is one of the great glories of the church. Some are, by temperament, nervous or worried - and Paul himself was such a man, going to Corinth "in weakness and fear and much trembling". Thus temperament matters. Other things also contribute to fearing the future. A high view of the Christian calling might do so, tending to depress those who both know its grandeur and their own inabilities. Further causes multiply, but we must not dwell here.

How are we to treat this condition? Some general propositions, then some exegesis. First, it is helpful to distinguish legitimate forethought from paralyzing forethought. It is right to think about the future, and foolish not to, but still wrong to be worried about it. Just as we saw it a waste of time to worry about the past you cannot change, so it is likewise pointless to exert energy on something currently obscure, or outside of your circle of influence.

Turning to the Apostle's teaching we see that he raises such reasoning to a higher level, giving us specific teaching of a two-fold nature: reprimand and reminder. First comes the reprimand, that God has not given a spirit of fear, which speaks of our major trouble in fear of being to forget what God has given us, namely a spirit of power and love and a sound mind. The trouble with Timothy was, as with all depressed Christians, a failure to realise what God had given him - or done for us. This fault in us is due to the failure to stir ourselves up, to think, to take ourselves in hand. We need to admit that the future contains fearsome things, and then continue to remind ourselves that we are sons of God, etc...

Power. We have a task, and we know our own weakness. Yes, but there is power even for weaklings - and such comprehensive power too! Read the stories of the Christian martyrs, and see not only the bold & strong make their good confession, but the weak, the small, even children, dying courageously & gloriously for Christ's sake.

Love. How many of us would have put this concept here on the list? Isn't love timourous, weak? Well, no - because self-love is often the root cause of fear, and thus love which absorbs us in someone or something else protects from fear. Think how this is modelled by Jesus.

Sound Mind. Discipline & clear thinking are a right antidote to the spirit of fear - as we have already seen.

John Flavel - a gem

2006-12-13T17:51:00.000Z

From The Shorter Catechism, Illustrated by John Whitecross. And illustrated here does not mean pretty pictures, but with illustrations such as one might use in a sermon. (I'll hopefully get round to reviewing this book some point!)

This is a gem from John Flavel from his preface to Treatise on the Soul of Man (p. 50):

I studied to know many other things, but I knew not myself. It was with me, as with a servant to whom the master committed two things: the child, and the child's clothes. The servant is very careful of the clothes; brushes and washes, starches and irons them, and keeps them safe and clean; but the child is forgotten and lost. My body which is but the garment of my soul, I kept and nourished with excessive care; but my soul was long forgotten, and had been lost for ever, as others daily are, had not God roused it by the convictions of His Spirit, out of that deep oblivion and deadly slumber.

Hope

2006-11-25T22:26:00.000Z

You might remember this bit at the end of the Two Towers film. I searched it out for a talk I'm doing for a bunch of Christians next weekend on suffering (as if a weekend with me wasn't enough teaching on that subject!).

Frodo:
I can’t do this, Sam.

Sam:
I know.
It’s all wrong.
By right we shouldn’t even be here.
It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo.
The ones that really matters.
Full of darkness and danger they were.
And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end, because how could the end be happy?
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?
But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow.
Even darkness must pass.
A new day will come.
And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you that meant something.
Even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand.
I know now.
Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t.
They kept going because they were holding on to something.

Frodo:
What are we holding on to, Sam?

Sam:
That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo.
And it’s worth fighting for.

It is pretty moving - until you get to the last couple of lines, at which point you realise that, however masterfully expressed, with whatever emotive and rhetorical strength, this is what most non-Christian hope looks like: holding on to the fact that there's some good in the world.

But it is a very flawed hope, with amazingly little basis in empirical fact. Seems to me that it takes much more faith than holding on to the fact that Jesus was who he said he was. Is it the case that a study of history shows humans being kinder to eachother as time has passed? We have better education - true, but: so what?? Harold Shipman was a highly educated man, Hitler wasn't thick, and examples multiply without any thought whatsoever... Yet many still hope that there's something good in humanity - what blind faith! The pursuit of education as a solution to national problems, for example, is just one example of such a flawed hope.

Jean-Paul Satre said, just months before he died: "I know I shall die in hope ... but hope needs a foundation". He was right. It does - and it is Jesus. The hope that there's something good in this world (in the way atheists mean it, as opposed to the way Christians might want to nuance it) has no foundation.

A great moment in a great film - but a very sad one too...

Struggling with Comparisons

2006-11-22T08:15:00.000Z

The easiest way for me to put up a decent post is to link to someone else.

When that someone is John Piper, this not only saves me time but astronomically improves the average quality of my posts.

When the link is to such an important and prevalent issue, I'm doing us all a favour.

So: here it is. John Piper of Christian's comparing themselves to eachother: "what is that to you; follow me!" Gold dust.

BBC on Muslims Converting to Christianity

2006-11-16T12:01:00.000Z

See here.

Frustrated by that church willing to disown its members & deny any role in their conversion - but then, I'm not there, have no idea what it is like, so might not be the best judge...

It'll be particularly interesting to see what comments are left by the BBC's readers.

C S Lewis on Confession of Sin

2006-11-08T07:37:00.000Z

Here is Doug Wilson on 'Confessing Sin in Narnia'.

John Piper on 'Avoiding Sexual Sin'

2006-11-07T17:20:00.000Z

I thought this was outstanding: clear, serious, fair, practical, etc...

His background to it was 1987 (the first couple of paragraphs talk about the background then). But today's is no better - possibly worse. There's been that evangelical leader in the US, and many examples abound in the UK and elsewhere too.

We are each one of us capable of such horrible sin.

John Piper's sermon here might just be one of God's loving means of grace to prevent us.

Lloyd-Jones 'Spiritual Depression' (III)

2006-11-06T20:20:00.000Z

I am revelling in this book. The man (Dr Lloyd-Jones) has spiritual ballast (phrase nicked from Lloyd C. Douglas, who uses it of Dean Harcourt in books like 'Green Light'). He is educating my mind, warming my heart and stirring my will - which is precisely what we should long for each and every author, and particularly every sermon, to do. He is, in very many ways, very true to the Puritans he so loved - which is what I like about him. I am praising God for this book.

The Doctor is writing about sad Christians, arguing that such words are (rightly understood) incompatible, yet still form a fair description of many people. He is examining the causes and cures of such a condition. I'm basically trying to summarise him, and not comment too much (which, so far, I'm managing). Two more chapters today.

5. That One Sin
"Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting." (1Tim 1:16)

Some think that suffering, unhappiness or trouble are alien to the Xn life, but they are wrong, & the NT is full of examples to prove this. Instead, if you have had no trouble in the Xn life, you may well not be a Xn at all - since, on conversion, we become special objects of Satan's attention, as he aims to disturb and upset us.

One common way the Devil tries to do this is to keep Xns bound up in the past - depressed because of some particular sin, or specific form that sin took in their case. This is a very common problem, affecting many people. Now these people really are Xns, understanding salvation - but thinking themselves in a different category because of this particular sin.

What is the real trouble here? There is both the work of Satan, and also ignorance of doctrine - a failure to understand the NT's teaching on salvation. Because of this latter, there is a strong sense in which the person affected must not pray for relief; this is what they have always done, and it hasn't worked. Obviously we must all pray, praying without ceasing as Paul did; but at this point the afflicted Xn must think.

Think of what? In 1Tim 1 Paul sees himself set up as a model for all those who feel that their sin passes some supposed limit of God's mercy. If he can obtain mercy, so can we all. Further, we must not differentiate between sin & sin - there is only one sin, really, and that is unbelief. Thus we must not think in terms of sin, but of relationship to God. Remember Gen 39:9b (a great memory verse - particularly for us blokes).

The problem with this type of unhappy Xn is that they don't believe the Scriptures. In thinking 'there's this terrible sin I've committed' such a person is not believing the Word of God - 1Jn 1:8-9 is abundantly clear. Another problem is not understanding what was achieved at Calvary - Jesus' sacrificial, atoning death, by whose stripes we are healed. Justification does not just mean that we have been forgiven, but that we have been given the righteousness of Christ.

Thus, ultimately, such depression is a failure to realise our union with Christ. We were one in Adam, and are now one in Him. Thus we must never look at our past lives in any other way than such as glorifies God as we praise Him.

(I slightly disagree here, and with the corresponding bits of the next chapter too, in that I don't think that regretting past sin is wrong - in fact, it seems to be a part of biblical repentance. Just as we look at the cross, so we look at our past sins: we hate that they happened, yet delight that they were part of God's will, through which he has acted for his name's sake and thus for our good.)

6. Vain Regrets
"And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the Grace of God I am what I am: and His Grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the Grace of God which was with me." (1 Cor 15:8-10)

'It is not an unfair deduction to make, therefore, that what accounts for the masses being outside [the church] is the condition of those who are inside.' (79) Looking superficially, many could think that there are happier people outside the church than inside it. This is, of course, wrong; but it is not unfair - and the cause is the attacks of Satan, which we are here trying to protect against. We turn, then to people who are crippled in the present as the result of looking back to the past - not to past sins, but to so much time spent outside of the kingdom.

There is nothing wrong with such regrets in one sense; what is wrong is the misery that so often accompanies them. The Xn life is very finely balanced - as we see here.

Common sense dictates that we don't waste time and energy worrying about things we can't change - that's just sensible, whether Xn or not. We should never worry about things we can't change. Further, such dwelling on the past often causes failure in the present. More, if you do believe much time to have been lost in the past, the last thing you'll want to do is think about it now! Resolve to make up for that lost time.

Turning to the Apostle's teaching, what matters first is that you are now a Xn. It matters not what you were, but what you are now. Thus it is not the time of entry but the fact of entry into the kingdom that matters.

Moreover, such depression may indicate a fascination and preoccupation with self. Why judge yourself, when judgement is God's? The Lord's parable about the labourers in the vineyard destroys any vain regrets about what we could have done, had we started earlier.

Putting it more positively, we must not focus on ourselves, but rather know Him and His ways. Feeling a greater interest in Christ leads to much less interest in ourselves. What matters in the kingdom is not length of service, but our attitude of heart.

Finally, nothing matters in the kingdom but the Grace of God. he does not see as men do, nor compute as we do. Through Joel He says: "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten" (Joel 2:25). Never look back, never waste your energy; forget the past and rejoice in the present: praise God for what you are now, and that you are in the Kingdom.

Lloyd-Jones 'Spiritual Depression' (II)

2006-11-04T18:14:00.000Z

Lloyd-Jones' book Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cures is examining the reasons behind and cures for the fact that many Xns are miserable. 'One of the reasons why the Christian Church counts for so little in the modern world is that so many Christians are in this condition. If all Christians simply began to function as the New Testament would have us do, there would be no problem of evangelism confronting the Church. The matter would deal with itself immediately. It is because we are failing as Christian people in our daily lives and deportment and witness that the Church counts for so little and that so few are attracted to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.' (37) This is what makes this topic so urgent.

3. Men as Trees, Walking
"And He cameth to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when He had spit upon his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he was ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that He put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And He sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town." (Mark 8:22-26)

This miracle is remarkable, because it is in two stages; Jesus could have healed him all in one go, but doesn't, which must be for a good reason, as we see here, to teach. The main lesson is for the disciples, who have seen everything but haven't yet got it. But it is also a permanent lesson for God's people, a terrible message. The message turns on this: after the first stage of the healing, could the man see? This is the condition focussed on here (in this sermon), that of Xns concerned and unhappy for lack of clarity. Such people are hard to define - sometimes seeming Xns, sometimes not; alternately seeing themselves as Xn and then not.

What do these people see? Very often, they understand that there's something wrong with them, and are thus unhappy in themselves. The also may have seen the excellencies of the Xn life - both for society and personally. the may have come even further, seeing Jesus as the only hope - that he is 'somehow the Saviour'. Further, they know that they cannot help themselves. They are not like the people we thought about in the last chapter, who think they can put themselves in the right; they see that they cannot save themselves. Do they see? Yes - as in the story/parable.

But they are still confused, and this in three areas: they are unclear in the totality of the principles of salvation; they do not perceive that their heart is not fully engaged; their wills are divided.

The fault for this condition may be many things. Often evangelists are at fault in bringing people to this pass. But also the people themselves may be at fault, for various possible reasons: they may dislike clear thinking and definitions because of their demands; they may not fully accept Scripture; they may not be interested in doctrine - falsely separating Bible teaching from doctrine; some may take Scripture's truths in the wrong order. Each of these faults within the person may sit under the heading of an unwillingness to think things through.

So, what is the cure? The first is obvious: don't pretend to see if you can't! The man needed to admit (again) his need to Jesus, and ask for further help. Had he not done so, he may not have been healed further - and may have gone around describing men to others as trees, with great harm. The second is the opposite; while the first temptation is to run before you can see, the second is to feel totally helpless and become desperate.

The cure is to be honest, and answer the Lord's questions truthfully and honestly, and to submit yourself to him. Decide to stop asking questions and take the truth in its correct order: submit to God, become as a child, and plead for clear sight. Examine yourself and come to him - who has promised to heal all those who come to him. Know him to be you all, and that you belong to him.

4. Mind, Heart and Will
"But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you." (Rom 6:17)

Satan is a subtle enemy, only desiring to ruin God's work. 'The moment we become Christians the devil is particularly concerned to get us down, and he has no more successful way of doing that than to make us miserable.' (52) This verse presents, in positive form, another negative cause for this condition of Christian misery; the apostle is emphasising 'the wholeness of the Christian life. ... The whole man is involved the mind, the heart and the will, and a common cause of spiritual depression is the failure to realise that the Christian life is a whole life, a balanced life.' (52)

Often this condition may be caused by the preacher or evangelist - each of whom grows converts or disciples much like themselves. Firstly, spiritual depression is often caused by our failure to understand the greatness of the gospel - a failure to embrace the "form of doctrine" which is the great truth of the gospel in Romans - or Ephesians, or Colossians; we need "the whole council of God". But, secondly, we must also understand that the whole man must be involved in and by this gospel - the mind & heart & will.

Some only seem to have a mental comprehension; they have views, and basically study Christian philosophy - so that Xty is merely a point of view or intellectual attitude. Likewise, some are only interested in the debates - so that these are great hobbies and interests. But I have seen these men on their deathbeds, and the sight is terrible because the gospel they have argued about has not gripped them, and therefore does not help them.

Some have the gospel affect their heart only, which is more common today. There is a massive danger in undergoing a purely emotional experience - which can be obtained by a far-from-complete presentation of the gospel. People are in this position through various means - an interest in spirituality, a delight in aesthetics, a vigorous appeal in a meeting. Some even come to enquiry rooms after evangelistic events not knowing why they are there - and are content to go on enjoying themselves emotionally without harnessing the mind and will.

Finally, some involve the will alone - taking up 'Christianity', but neither knowing why, nor experiencing the power of knowing Jesus. They take up Christianity, as opposed to being taken up by it.

And just as having only one faculty involved, so having any two is also wrong; so great a gospel must take up the whole man. Not only that, but lacking this balance must lead to problems later on. Thus there must be a definite order about these things: truth comes to the mind, moving the heart and motivating the will. Thus neither the heart nor will must be approached directly; the evil often find comfort that they can still weep in a Xn meeting - which is a false deduction and very horrible confusion. But likewise, though starting with the intellect, none must think the Christian message ends there - it moves the heart and thus the will yields. 'O God make us balanced Christians, men and women of whom it can be said that we are obviously, patently obeying from the heart the form of doctrine which has been delivered unto us.' (62)

Possibly my Favourite Hymn

2006-11-03T09:29:00.000Z

Based on 1Pet 2, and to the tune of Hyfrydol (generally known as Hydrofoil, which is the tune to 'Alleluia Sing to Jesus' and ' I Will Sing the Wondrous Story').

Ye that know the Lord is gracious,
ye for whom a cornerstone
stands, of God elect and precious,
laid that ye may build thereon,
see that on that sure foundation
ye a living temple raise,
towers that may tell forth salvation,
walls that may re-echo praise.

Living stones, by God appointed
each to his allotted place,
kings and priests, by God anointed,
shall ye not declare his grace?
Ye, a royal generation,
tell the tidings of your birth,
tidings of a new creation
to an old and weary earth.

Tell the praise of him who called you
out of darkness into light,
broke the fetters that enthralled you,
gave you freedom, peace and sight:
tell the tale of sins forgiven,
strength renewed and hope restored,
till the earth, in tune with heaven,
praise and magnify the Lord.

Words: Cyril A. Alington (1872-1955)

[Ros (at least) will be happy to see I've gone for the 'ye' version rather than the 'you' one!]

Two Great Websites

2006-11-02T12:14:00.000Z

First, there's ShowandTell, which is sharing youth-work resources. I've known this was coming for a while, and am very excited to see it. Please will all you gifted youth-workers out there put all your stuff on it so I can use it? Many thanks! seriously, we're all a bit too coy about our talks; I think that if a talk's good enough to give to whichever group you gave it to, it is good enough to share with other mature Christians - who are much less likely to be taken in by any errors or mistakes than the people you first gave it to! Only thing stopping us all sharing is either false thinking on this one, or pride... So, let's share! :-))

Second, there's Titus2Talk, which looks like a great website following on from my post here about women. A brief scan reveals many links to great sites, a positive review of my current favourite Christian CD, and loads of links at the very bottom of the page on all sorts of useful things. I will be adding this to the list of resources suggested after that earlier blog. And if there are any women reading this with more ideas, or who didn't comment the first time, please go for it, so we men can learn how to serve you better as we teach and preach and pastor...

A Great Kendrick Song

2006-11-01T22:48:00.000Z

This has been on my desktop as a stickie (electric version of a post-it note) for ages, and I'm surprised it isn't better loved and used much more... Great words, good and appropriate tune - what more do we want?

Here it is:

How can I be free from sin?
Lead me to the cross of Jesus
From the guilt, the power, the pain?
Lead me to the cross of Jesus
There's no other way
No price that I could pay
Simply to the cross I cling
This is all I need
This is all I plead
That his blood was shed for me

How can I know peace within?
Lead me to the cross of Jesus
Sing a song of joy again!
Lead me to the cross of Jesus
Flowing from above
All-forgiving love
From the Father's heart to me!
What a gift of grace
His own righteousness
Clothing me in purity!

How can I live day by day?
Lead me to the cross of Jesus
Following his narrow way?
Lead me to the cross of Jesus.

Lloyd-Jones 'Spiritual Depression' (I)

2006-10-31T20:14:00.000Z

Since this is such an outstanding book, I plan to summarise & review it in a few sections - giving time for a detailed outline summary, as well as a few 'Towner's Thoughts' along the way. Hopefully there'll be more of him than me...

George Verwer called it 'one of the most outstanding books that has ever been written ... the greatest Christian book of all time.' To me, this seems a little hyperbolic, but it is a good book. The Doctor deals with what he perceives as 'the greatest need of the hour ... a revived and joyful Church' (from the original Forward) which is a message as relevant today as in 1965, when these sermons were originally preached.

1. General Consideration
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance." (Ps 42:5)

The Psalmist is unhappy, which 'spiritual depression' is the focus of this sermon series - a subject found frequently within Scripture. The issue is important for the sake of those suffering such depression, and also for the glory of God's kingdom: 'In a sense a depressed Christian is a contradiction in terms, and he is a very poor recommendation for the gospel.' (11) Both for our own sakes, and for the Kingdom of God we must aim to live so that n-Xns are drawn to us, whatever circumstances or condition we are in. This is a hard call - many nowadays want things so quickly [and he said that in '65 - what about today?] but a diet of junk-food will not produce well-nourished Xns.

What causes such a condition? Temperament is key, so we must know ourselves well because we are all different - introvert or extrovert, and so on - and thus know how to deal with our peculiar struggles and issues. Physical condition is also important, since it cannot be isolated from the spiritual, and when weak we at greatest risk of attack. The third and greatest cause is Satan, who loves to depress God's people. Thus finally 'the ultimate cause of all spiritual depression is unbelief.' (20)

What are the treatments? We have to take ourselves in hand. 'We must talk to ourselves instead of allowing 'ourselves' to talk to us!' (20) So: 'The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to yourself: "why art thou cast down" - what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: "Hope thou in God" - instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way.' (21)

2. The True Foundation
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Rom 3:28)

The issue of spiritual depression is more common in those brought up in a religious manner than those not - and thus more likely to affect those brought up in Xn homes. At this point we need to be clear with them about what being a Xn means (which is not to presume them unconverted, but rather to think that they might be confused).

The area which most often demonstrates confusion in this type of person, leading to the depression we're thinking about, is their misunderstanding of justification - thinking it to be achieved by keeping the law.

First, a true conviction of sin is a great thing, driving many to Christ. Vital here is to compare ourselves to God, not other humans. Further, we must ask 'Do I know God? Is Jesus real to me?' Which is not to ask whether we know things about him, but whether we are enjoying God, whether he is the centre of life and greatest source of joy, as he is meant to be. If we have never realised our sinfulness, we may never have joy in Christ.

Secondly, we need to understand that God's way of salvation is in Christ, and his righteousness. He has been punished for our sins, being propitiation, having them placed upon him - and we have been clothed in his righteousness. If someone says that they know they're not good enough to be a Xn, this is very revealing - they are still thinking in terms of themselves. It sounds modest, but is a lie of the devil, a denial of the faith.

Look entirely to Christ and say:

'My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesu's blood and righteousness,
I dare not trust my sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesu's name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand..

Further:

'The terrors of law and of God
With me can have nothing to do,
My Saviour's obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions from view.'

Tim Chester's blog + John Owen

2006-10-30T18:12:00.000Z

Tim Chester's blog is here. Worth a read - he's a great writer and speaker: Crowded House in Sheffield, Northern Training, The Busy Christian's Guide to Business (which I reviewed here) and so on...

His book with Steve Timmis, called Gospel Centred Church is an absolute delight, and well worth the (not huge) time it takes to read and (much longer) time it takes to reflect on, pray through, implement and so on. The forthcoming follow-up volume is more likely to be in the category of 'Sequels like The Two Towers' than 'Sequels like Rocky II or Home Alone II'. I'm looking forward to it (sometime in early 2007).

I was particularly struck by his review of a new book (well, three books in one volume) by John Owen, basically re-phrased for the modern reader, but not abridged. Remember Matthew's comments here about Owen's readability! I've benefited massively from Kris Lundgaard's The Enemy Within, which is also taken from these same Owen classics.

(Reason for week's pause in blog = great holiday in N Wales, not the general laziness I'm so regularly saddled with, Mr Pete Matthew!)

Music in Church (2) Training Session

2006-10-20T08:02:00.000+01:00

This is one of the subjects I hope to get into on this blog, and I've already stuck up a couple of thoughts. I think it is fundamental to be clear what worship is and why we gather - without those two in place, all the other issues are almost impossible to address.

So that's what I taught the musicians and technicians at TBT and CCM (The Bible Talks and Christ Church Mayfair) the other Sunday afternoon. Though far from the finished article on worship and the gathering - much more the first base (being my first talk to these particular musicians on these issues) I think it a useful talk... It can be found for MP3 download here, under my name, titled 'Worship' and dated Oct 8th.

What it does is about 20 mins on 'What is Worship', some of which will be familiar to those who have read Engaging with God, 20 mins on 'Why do we Gather', with some marked resemblances to a paradigm given in True Worship, and 20 mins on questions. Each is particularly applied to church musicians and technicians, though there is a sense of the wider congregation's responsibility.

I offer it up in case it is useful...

Jonathan Edwards

2006-10-19T12:26:00.000+01:00

So Jonathan Edwards was an amazing theologian. Not sure you could find many people to disagree with that statement. Not only was he a brain on legs, but he had such love for Jesus as to seek to put every single thing he learned into practice. Brain the size of a small planet, and massive heart beating for God's glory - this is the man to read!

But the thing I want to turn attention to here is: how do you get into him? How do you get to know what he thought, etc... I've been asked this quite a bit at college, so here's my thought.

If you think you don't want to get into Edwards, try reading this & this & this - three top tasters from DF. Then repent, and read on! :-))

At the risk of running contrary to my CS Lewis post, I'd certainly advise secondary literature first - but only those books which are seeped in JE's thought. So I'd start as follows:

Moody The God-Centred Life (IVP)
Piper & Taylor A God-Entranced Vision of All Things (Crossway)
Minkema et al The Jonathan Edwards Reader (Yale)
Murray A New Biography (Banner of Truth)
Marsden Jonathan Edwards (Yale)

The reasons: Moody has a PhD in Edwards from Cambridge, but the book is very readable (150 pages of IVP), giving a great, fair & challenging introduction to what JE would probably say today. Piper & Taylor take you on from that, with some brilliant summaries of JE's major works and overviews of his thought from guys like Piper, Packer, Dever & Helm. This means that the Reader is now worth spending time in. Marsden is excellent, but long - so I might read Murray first, to get my head round the basic overview. From this point on, there's more lists in the back of Piper & Taylor, which will guide you - particularly into modern editions of the sermons.

But for me (and concurring with the good Dr Lloyd-Jones himself) it is into Religious Affections, and then the rest of the world of Edwards is there to be enjoyed...

Need it be said that the Yale editions are excellent, and available for £30 each through Solid Ground Books, for those of us who cannot manage the Banner of Truth's very very small print?

Enjoy!

Men Preaching to Women

2006-10-18T08:08:00.000+01:00

Obviously we men will be doing this - I'm ignoring any arguments as to whether women will preach to women, which is beside the point right now.

So, given that we will, it is incumbent on us to do our best to understand them (now, don't panic at this point!) so we can preach well for them, and apply rightly to them. I recently heard a sermon where the male preacher literally told the women they'd have to work this passage out for themselves, while he preached to the men. Shocker!

So, how do we do that? I've three ideas.

1) Plug and plumb appropriate friendships / relationships, at suitable moments, so as to learn this from Christian and non-Christian women as much as possible. I've often bounced things for sermons off our church women's worker, or other mature Christian women.

2) Read the Bible's teaching on and about women very carefully. We men will (should) know the men's stuff - what about the women's?

3) Read some books by women for women. I'd suggest (in ascending order of page-numbers):

Interactive Bible Study Biblical Womanhood (Good Book Co.)
Kirsten Birkett The Essence of Feminism (Good Book Co.)
Sharon James God's Design for Women (Evangelical Press, USA)
Barbara Hughes Disciplines of a Godly Woman (Crossway)

However, at this point I'm guessing there's more to be read. I'm particularly interested in a good / thorough non-Christian anthropology from a female, and maybe a Christian book aimed more at student age-group women.

Hoping my readers might help me out here - either with their own thoughts, or with thoughts from wives / other women... Please add comments, and I'll combine them into a post when we've got a good list.

C S Lewis on Reading Old Books

2006-10-17T12:26:00.000+01:00

Saw both of these in Piper's Contending for our All (Leicester: IVP, 2006).

Our upbringing and the whole atmosphere of the world we live in make it certain that our main temptation will be that of yielding to winds of doctrine, not that of ignoring them. We are not at all likely to be hidebound: we are very likely indeed to be the slaves of fashion. If one has to choose between reading the new books and reading the old, one must choose the old: not because they are necessarily better but because they contain precisely those truths of which our own age is neglectful. The standard of permanent Christianity must be kept clear in our minds and it is against that standard that we must test all contemporary thought. In fact, we must at all costs not move with the times. We serve One who said, “Heaven and Earth shall move with the times, but my words shall not move with the times” (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33).
“Christian Apologetics", ” In Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces (London: Harper Collins, 2000) p. 149.

There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books... [Students are directed not to Plato but to books on Plato] - all about "isms" and influences and only once in twelve pages telling him what Plato actually said... But if he only knew, the great man, just because of his greatness, is much more intelligible than his modern commentator...
Now this seems to me topsy-turvy. Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old. And I would give him this advice precisely because he is an amateur and therefore much less protected than the expert against the dangers of an exclusive contemporary diet. A new book is still on its trial and the amateur is not in a position to judge it. It has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought down the ages, and all its hidden implications (often unsuspected by the author himself) have to be brought to light...
It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.
We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books... We may be sure that the characteristic blindness of the twentieth century—the blindness about which posterity will ask, "But how could they have thought that?"—lies where we have never suspected it, and concerns something about which there is untroubled agreement between Hitler and President Roosevelt or between Mr. H. G. Wells and Karl Barth. None of us can fully escape this blindness... The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books.
Now printed as C S Lewis 'On the Reading of Old Books' in C S Lewis Essay Collection and other Short Pieces, ed. Lesley Walmsley (London: Harper Collins, 2000), pp. 438-440.

Slight Rant about Prayers before Sermons

2006-09-29T07:55:00.000+01:00

Obviously I'm endorsing this! But here I'm not talking about preachers praying before they preach (which we must must must do) but the prayer before the sermon in a service.

Chatting with Sachy yesterday, we were wondering whether the way that (particularly in chapel) we pray before the sermon as opposed to before anything else can give the wrong impression. It is not as if we can do any of the things we attempt when we gather with any effectiveness or faithfulness without God's help. Why is preaching / listening to the sermon any different?

So we need to pray at the start - which has slightly fallen from being our practice here at college. But we could also pray before everything: it is fearsome to sing those great song words without sincerity, it would be awful to just say the confession and not mean it, and so on... And we should be dependent on God at every stage...

[So yesterday, despite singing 'Now in Reverence and Awe' directly before the sermon, the preacher (whose sermon was outstanding, by the way) felt the need to pray again. If we needed to pray again, what was happening when we sung: 'Lord Jesus, let me meet you in your word' and 'Let your Sprit shine into our hearts and teach us' and so on? And today, despite the leader's original prayer (yes, we prayed at the start today) including the reading and explaining of the word, we still prayed again before the sermon; nothing wrong with that, of course, but it had been done already...]

What's the answer? Well, prayer is great, and it'd be brilliant if our gatherings included more and more of it. Also, the great news is that though (1) we cannot do anything good without God's help, and thus need prayer for everything, (2) God is gracious, loving that we praise him, serve him, etc whether or not we pray formally beforehand.

What is the solution in chapel or at church: it is really great to pray at the start, enjoying a communal expression of our total dependence on God. It is also great to pray before we preach - but might well have been covered in the opening prayer. If we don't pray at the start and do pray before the sermon, what does that say? Putting the extreme case: that we can approach God, confess our sins, hear forgiveness, sing songs, hear the Bible read etc etc without God's help, but need it now for his word.

Personally, I think it'd be great to have quick prayers before some of the songs, particularly the 'resolutions' songs, praying that we might mean them; prayer before our confession that we might mean it; prayer before our prayers that they might be right & true & good & faithful & pleasing to God & done in faith, and all that stuff... Do you see? We almost need to pray everywhere in a service... Give me only one prayer & I'll definitely stick it at the top of the whole thing, covering everything we're doing.

The thing is: wouldn't it be horrible if we gave the impression, however subtly, that the sermon was the only important thing in the gathering?

Jeffrey Meyers has a blog / web-page!

2006-09-27T21:40:00.000+01:00

Jeffrey Meyers' web-page / blog here is going to be worth a serious look, if the other stuff I've read by him is anything to go by.

If you've not heard of him, he wrote the excellent and thought-provoking The Lord's Service on the Covenant Renewal shape for the gathering. It is by far the best introduction to Covenant Renewal, and featured highly in my dissertation last year (examining two diverse paradigms for the gathering in the light of Heb 12:18-25a).

Jeff Meyers is one of the many exciting theologians who have been influenced by James Jordan: Peter Leithart, Mark Horne et al... For more of James Jordan's stuff, have a look at the Biblical Horizons site here, or read his outstanding Through New Eyes (or do both!). Leithart's A House for my Name (an OT theology) and A Son to Me (a Samuel commentary) unpick, work out, make plainer and amplify some of the ideas in Jordan's Through New Eyes - which is a brilliant, puzzling and exciting book... I'm re-reading it at the moment, but it is so huge, and its concepts so far-ranging as to be a pretty hard & slow read (but that might just be me).

This post was going to be about Jeff Meyers, but a bit of other stuff has crept in. Never mind - it's all great stuff. Tole, lege! (Literally: 'take & read', but in the singular; not sure what the plural of that would be, but I'm sure someone will tell me.)

Bruce W. Longenecker 'The Lost Letters of Pergamum' (Baker, 2003)

2006-09-26T15:36:00.001+01:00

This fictional book presents a series of letters between Luke and Antipas that have been discovered in Pergamum. Using this concept, we read of Antipas' first discovery of the claims of Christianity, as he reads through Luke's "monograph" (which we know as Luke's Gospel) and quizzes the author on it, as well as other things. In this way he comes into contact with some Christians (two very different groups, in fact) and ... well, I won't ruin the ending for you (though if you remember Rev 2:13, the very final ending won't be a great surprise!).

Negatives first:

I'm not sure that the concept is sufficient to keep the interest going. About half-way through I began to get a little tired of the whole correspondence idea. That said, knowing the ending, I was keen to see what BL did with it.
It is a little contrived to have bits missed out, and even estimated dates for the letters, when the whole thing's just a fiction anyway. Maybe I'm just being the fun police here, but the self-consciousness of that began to grate slightly.
I was mildly peeved that BL doesn't take the apostle John as author of Revelation - we are told that he had recently died (96) and this before Rev 2:13 could have been written. Not sure this adds to BL's book, and not sure I agree with BL!

Positives:

There are some useful discussions of some of the themes within Luke.
There are some useful discussions of some biblical issues.
There is a reality about the NT world which I don't always have when reading the Bible.
The story is a challenging one, presenting some great Christian virtues in a very 'real' way so as to be just 'natural' in a way that they aren't - to me at any rate.

Towner's Thoughts:

Roo Standring has, I know, used this book with a n-Xn mate as a way into Christian things, and I think this might be a pretty good idea. Obviously there's no 'one size fits all' when it comes to choosing such books, but this might be one to add to your pile of 'books to give out to people who I get to the stage of being able to give a book to'.
This is a great way in to what life was like around 90 AD, partly because BL works out of Ben Witherington's New Testament History (in fact, BW is credited on the cover with BL). It is a great thing to be more familiar with the context(s) from and into which the NT was written.
I was worried that this felt more 'real' than the Bible. But then I do think that part of the success of, for example the DV Code is the format it is in. Might books like this be a way forward for us - like the Narnia series, for example?

Nuggets from John Dickson

2006-09-25T17:45:00.000+01:00

I found these in the second Appendix to John Dickson's 'Promoting the Gospel' (Blue Bottle Books, 2005), which I will probably attempt to review [without using the word 'massively'] in the next few days. But I thought these were great, so here we go.

JD is showing how the stories in the Gospels offer a rich vein of answers to the most common questions & statements we hear from non-Christians. He calls them Gospel Bites. Now, of course such answers are far from the end of our apologetics worries - but I thought they were helpful... The statement or question is in bold, JD's suggested answer in indented text.

I've done too many wrong things ever to be a Christian

Well then, you're exactly the sort of person Christ was most interested in. He was at the home of a religious leader (Pharisee) one day when a prostitute came in looking for him. She was so overwhelmed she burst out crying. Everyone there wanted to condemn the woman and thought Jesus would do the same. Instead, Jesus condemned his self-righteous host and turned to the woman and said, 'Your sins are forgiven'. He forgave her and she was a changed person because of it. Christ didn't come for the 'good' people. He came to restore and forgive those willing to admit they are anything but good. Have you ever looked into Jesus' life?

I haven't got much time for religion; it often seems so judgemental and self-righteous

You've probably got more in common with Christ than you think, then. He always criticised that sort of religious attitude. On one occasion he was eating a meal at the home of a religious leader when a prostitute walked in and wept at his feet. She was obviously looking to him for acceptance. The religious leader was outraged but Jesus actually defended this woman. He even offered this woman forgiveness and insisted that the religious leader was further away from God than this humble woman. 'Religion' might be self-righteous but Christ came to overturn all that stuff. True Christian faith is forgiving not judgemental. Have you ever read much about Christ?

I'm just not the religious type

Being the 'religious type' is irrelevant to true Christian faith. Jesus was always attracting and befriending people who were 'not the religious type'. On one occasion a Roman centurion came to Jesus for help. Centurions were about as far from the religious type as you could get in Jesus' day. They were called the 'godless' and were political enemies and occupiers. But this man came to Jesus recognising something unique about this teacher. Jesus welcomed him and promised him a place in the kingdom to come - all without being religious. Have you explored much of Christ's teachings?

I might not be perfect, but I'm a fairly good person

I appreciate what you're saying but doesn't it depend on what definition of 'good' you're using? Jesus was once asked by a religious scholar what was the single most important thing to do in life. He responded by saying there were actually two things - to love your neighbour as yourself and to love God with all your heart. Being kind and honest with people is only half of it. He insisted we also have to love our Creator. Would you say you're 'good' on Jesus' definition?

Or

According to Jesus, our fundamental obligation in life is to love both God and our neighbour. Most of us would rightly criticise people who claimed to love God but ignored their fellow human beings. On Jesus' teaching, the reverse would be just as open to criticism. Treating people well while ignoring the Creator falls way short of what Jesus taught was our obligation. So, I guess it depends on whose definition of 'good' we're going to accept. Have you ever looked into Jesus' life and teaching?

You Christians are so arrogant as to think that you alone have the truth

I understand what you're saying but it's important to realise that Christians don't think they possess the truth; not at all. They simply look at Jesus' life and find themselves convinced by his teaching and deeds. I mean, Jesus was the one who said he had universal authority over the world. He was once asked by a friend about the way to God. He replied 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' Christians didn't make that up. You can't really blame a Christian for taking seriously the words of Christ, can you? What do you make of Jesus?

Or

You ask: 'What makes a Christian so special?' Well, I think it boils down to a uniqu claim that Jesus made. One of his followers once asked him what God was like. You know what he said in reply? He said, 'If you have seen me, you have seen God the Father.' Jesus alone of all the great religious founders said that he himself was the revelation of God. People don't have to rely on religion or guesswork; they can just look at his life and see what God is like. Jesus is the 'photo' of God, if you like. For me, that's what separates Jesus from the other religious claims. Have you ever thought much about Christ?

What about suffering?

I don't have all the answers about suffering. But one thing I hold to, especially whan I'm going through hard times, is that the God of Christianity is not distant nor disinterested. In Jesus, God himself experienced human betrayal, horrible injustice and a gruesome death. The scene of his crucifixion, as described in the Gospels is very moving. He bears incredible insult and injury and continues to act compassionately. This, according to the Bible, is the God who rules all things. He willingly experiences what we experience. This God is able to sympathise with those who suffer not simply because he is all-knowing but because he has experienced pain first-hand. This helps me to trust God when I don't understand what he's doing in the world. Have you ever looked at Jesus' life and death?

Vaughan Roberts & Tim Thornborough (eds) 'Workers for the Harvest Field' (Good Book Co.)

2006-09-22T18:06:00.000+01:00

This is a massively useful book, primarily aimed at those considering some form of paid gospel ministry within churches or missionary organisations. As VR says in his introduction:

We all have different gifts. Some are suited to this kind of work, others are best used in other ways. We must resist the idea that some jobs are better or more 'spiritual' than others. But we should all be asking ourselves the question: 'What is it that I could do, as the person I am and with the gifts that God has given me, that would bring the most glory to God through the spread of the gospel?' For some that will mean staying where they are; for others it will mean a significant change of direction.

In other words, it is a balanced book, helpfully encouraging such questions, as well as the ones that naturally follow from them, and offering many great insights into what might come next & what life might look like. It is a book I have already recommended to many of the students I work with, and will be buying others for Christmas.

Overview
Even just a perusal of the contents page gets the blood pumping a bit in anticipation:

Section 1: What is gospel ministry?
1. What is Gospel Ministry? (Vaughan Roberts)
2. The Character of Gospel Ministry (David Jackman)
3. The Priority of Gospel Ministry (Richard Coekin)

Section 2: Varieties of gospel ministry
4. The pastor-teacher (Andy Gemmill)
5. The realities of being an evangelist (Roger Carswell)
6. Church planters for the harvest field (Tim Chester)
7. Gospel ministry overseas (Andy Lines)
8. Cross-cultural ministry in the UK (Andrew Raynes)
9. Women's Ministry (Carrie Sandom)
10. Youth and children's ministry (Roger Fawcett)
11. Building the urban church (Ken Moulder)
12. Student ministry (Nathan Buttery)

Section 3: Getting from A to B
13. Guidance (Christopher Ash)
14. Apprenticeships (Ian Garrett)
15. Theological Education (David Peterson)
16. Where do I go from here? (Peter Comont)

Appendices
I. The other Lord's Prayer (Christopher Green)
II. 9:38
III. Routes to full-time ministry

Towner's Thoughts
Positives:
1)This is a great book - I wish I'd been able to read it 8 yrs ago when I started thinking this stuff through.
2) The list of authors is top class, and the topics covered are (broadly) what you'd hope would be.
3) I love the real-life stories spread throughout.

Negatives:
1) If you read it straight through (which might not be its design) it gets pretty repetitive. This might be weak editing, or just not how the book's meant to be read. It does just read as if a bit more focussed editing would have helped some of the authors get more into what they wrote.
2) Is there a slight Anglican focus, particularly in the last section? There's not appendix of routes to full-time ministry in the independent church. Might be a slight weakness here.
3) I've a few other small things, but

Conclusion
This is a book that needed writing, and is basically very well written (despite the hyper-critical & perfectionist Towner having a few minor quibbles). I was encouraged & challenged when reading it: I gained some new thoughts and remembered some great old ones...

James Oakley on John Frame

2006-09-21T06:48:00.000+01:00

This is great on Frame's three perspectives.

The whole blog (as much as I've read so far) seems exactly what we'd expect of the man Oakley & thus certainly worth regular perusal...

Music in Church (1) Thoughts for Band Leaders

2006-09-20T06:25:00.000+01:00

The other day I was asked to give a few thoughts to the other guys who lead chapel bands here at college, and here is some of the more widely applicable stuff that I came up with...

1: Background
The band are serving God, so as band leaders, we are leading people in their service of God. We are, in fact, leading people who are serving God, who are leading people. So band leaders are leading a group of servants, or even serving a group of servants.

2: Foci for Band Leaders
There are two priorities, after which we can worry about all the fun & technical things we musicians like to play around with.

1 - Style
This covers both volume and speed, and the key with each is that it be appropriate to the words being sung, in the context within which they're being sung. Thus there is no one right speed or volume for a song, though there will be upper and lower boundaries. Rather the same song will demand a different tempo and dynamic if placed at a different point in a service. Consider singing 'God of Grace I Turn my Face' before or after confession. Obviously confession achieves something, so we would sing it much more confidently afterwards, celebrating what's just happened, whereas beforehand we might sing it penitently. Examples multiply, and it is the band leader's job to discern where we are in the service, and thus what is appropriate. Remember the speed called musicians' speed - at which the song is great fun to play and really hard to sing! Avoid it! Getting the speed & volume right is our first priority, since it best serves the needs of the congregation we're serving.

2 - Clarity
This covers introductions, entries and repeats, and the key is that it is easy for the congregation to follow what's being done with the song. First, the introduction must introduce, so that everyone knows the speed and comes in together; however fun anything else is, it isn't serving the needs of the people we're serving! The same thing applies in miniature to the gaps between verses, or after choruses, or wherever... And I'm all in favour of repeats - they seem a pretty biblical thing, particularly in songs (as even the briefest glance through the Psalter will vindicate) but they must be dictated by the words and/or consideration of where we are in the service, and have to be clearly led. Whatever's being done with the songs must be clear and easy to follow, so that the congregation are able to focus on Jesus, not on the musicians!

It is worth just highlighting one thing that binds these two observations together: the music must be subject to the words. We have the psalms' words, not scores, and (as I have said earlier, here) the music is a vehicle for the words, and as band leaders we have to be sensitive to this. the words define the speed, volume, and shape of a song (repeats etc...). Personally I think certain songs demand repeated sections. the most obvious to me is 'In Christ Alone' where the song can end very abruptly, and we can, as singers, miss the resolution we make. So I often repeat the second half of the last verse so that we can sing it again; during the last two lines that time through, the music will gently fade, as the congregation get to hear each other's declaration almost unaccompanied: 'here in the power of Christ I'll stand'. I think that works, I think it is what the words require... Again, examples multiply!

3: Practical Tips
What do I do in practice? These are some things I aim for:

1 - During the Practise

pray at the precise time you said the practice starts; that way you never drift into lateness (and our job's too important for that anyway) and never have to tell someone they're late - they know, because you've started!
try to be focussed; it isn't a jamming session, fun as that might be.
don't need to cover everything; this keeps the band on their toes!
work very hard at them watching you, getting them to check regularly throughout songs, and especially before repeats, new verses, etc...
don't worry about being directive: you are leading; obviously listen carefully, but the band is not a committee!

2 - Before the service

play for a few minutes before the service starts; no chatting at this point, no messing, nothing distracting - just set the tone a bit.
this is a good time to play a new song through, getting the tune into people's heads.
it might also be a good time to remind the congregation why they're there; pick a song to play that focuses on that.

3 - In the service

always be ready for the next song; set the music up after each ready for the next; this is service of the congregation, who might be distracted by long pauses (which are unnecessary anyway!).
if you have to stay up during other things, obviously be as un-distracting as possible.

4 - At the End

play something that fits the sermon / theme of the service / end-point; it is good to plan what you'll play, but often the preacher surprises me, and I have to change. People remember the last tune they hear, so this pick is pretty vital!
sometimes I'll play a new song here (that we've just learnt) if it fits the above, because then people remember it better.
thank the band, obviously.

4) Band Generalisations!
It seems to me generally true that the following characteristics hold. Apologies to those who consider this slander, but you'll probably recognise someone if not yourself...

Keys: we try to do it all; we don't need to! Listen to the rest of the band and get out of the way when you're not needed!
Drums: tend to be too loud, and tend not to be very good at setting speeds (though often great at keeping speeds once they're set).
Guitars: mix with keys is important; you're both playing at the same pitch, so need to coordinate carefully.
Bass: again, coordinate with keys; pianists often need to stick their left-hand in their pocket if they've got a good bass player!
Tune / solo instruments: don't all play at once (band leader needs to be directive here) and please please please don't play the tune - there's 100 people singing that already! Unless it is a new song, keep away from that, and play harmonies and fill the gaps when there's no singing - the ends of bars, the rests between verses, into choruses, and the like.
Vox: make sure you're particular focus is on leading in at the start of verses, choruses and especially repeats; this needs eye-contact with the congregation if at all possible: memorise the first few words, and look up! This might also mean good eye-contact with the band leader to check / confirm repeats and other things - but look to them early, otherwise you can't lead the congregation confidently.

5) And Finally
If you manage all that, you're doing a lot better than my average effort!

But failure hurts, and (particularly as musicians) we can feel it very keenly. This is where remembering the gospel is vital: we are saved by grace through faith, and our worth is defined at Calvary, where Christ decided to pay the price of his own blood to purchase us for eternity. No fluffed repeat or dodgy tempo can change that!

David Field on Christian Counselling

2006-09-18T09:19:00.000+01:00

This post is outstanding (remember to ignore DF's self-depreciation).

Anyone know any books that fill in the (major) gap he observes?

Memories can Haunt or Humble

2006-09-16T18:10:00.000+01:00

To say that Dale Ralph Davis' commentaries are excellent requires, as far as I'm concerned, about as much proof as the statement that God is Trinity. They are top-notch: concerned with the detail of the text, yet rigorously applied to real-life in a way that fires the heart as well as educating the brain. What more can I say?

I was massively struck this morning by DRD's examination of 2Sam 23:8-39, particularly vs 39. He says this on p. 256 of his 2Sam commentary (Fearn: Focus, 2001).

'Uriah the Hittite' (v. 39). That last name is loaded - with the raunchiest memories. But Hertzberg has suggested that the wickedness of David should lead us on to the grace of God. Our rubric for this section was: 'The Memories that can haunt us.' But they need not. Not if they humble us instead. This is the testimony of the chief of sinners in 1 Cor 15:9-10. There Paul asserts: 'For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called "apostle," because I persecuted the church of God; but by God's grace I am what I am...' There it is ... An indelible memory, but Paul alows it to humble him, for it is on the basis of this fact that he is (note the present tense) the least of the apostles and unworthy to be called such. And in this humility he moves beyond the despair of that memory to walk in the grace of God (v. 10a). This is not just for kings and apostles. When our most appalling memories are immersed in divine grace there is still a holy sadness, a godly grief, a broken heart, but the memories no longer haunt us.

Man, how come I'm only hearing this now? Praise God - in a week where I've been struggling with this precise issue, he uses DRD to show me the way. Honestly, not just these last few days but for ages and ages I've been worried about a right Christian relationship to past errors. They were predestined and are pardoned, but also matter massively, still affecting those you love, and others too... But where does one stand on such a spectrum? One end is almost flippancy - to which I want to say: yes they were predestined, but you're still responsible, or some-such thing. The other end is almost madness and despair: of course they matter, and their evil may still remain, but you are pardoned. It is hard to stand in the right place with stuff like that.

And for a while now I'd been beginning to understand how the gospel allows me to think of myself as lowly and weak, since there's no need for pride or position as a child of God - allows me to go around being gently surprised when things go well, because I am forgiven, have been made a child of God, and will be in Glory. I'd just not been convinced it was in Scripture, and thus DRD's stuff here is pure gold...

Memories can either haunt or humble.

Pray God I learn to choose the latter.

Timothy Laniak 'Shepherds After My Own Heart' (IVP/Apollos: NSBT 20)

2006-09-15T21:06:00.000+01:00

This newest book in Carson's New Studies in Biblical Theology series focuses on the biblical leadership model that is pastoral ministry, giving a full-orbed view of this much misunderstood term.

It's great strength is that it is a refreshing reminder to one called to be pastor-teacher of what the whole Bible says of that great word: pastor. It is word frequently undervalued, and this book captures much of the servanthood and grandeur within the concept - recalling the multi-dimensional nature of such a role, and presenting the challenges and responsibilities of such a calling.

Key chapters are on Moses and David. Moses who led YHWH's people through the wilderness, and David, that great shepherd of YHWH's nation. They are seen as leadership prototypes, models for leaders who come after them - as well as being 'themselves extensions of the divine Shepherd who leads the covenant community by their hands.' (75)

Three exhilarating sections follow. The first considers Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah looking to the promises of a second exodus. The second considering each gospel individually, focussing on the Shepherd-Messiah, his followers and that great exodus. the third examines 1Peter and Revelation, calls to follow and serve the Shepherd-Lamb.

It is worth reading for three reasons:

1) It sketches a massive Bible theme in an exciting way.

2) It not only makes us think about that great Shepherd, but encourages us to ask how such imagery should impact church ministry and how we think of church life.

3) As a minister (or one called to be a minister) it reminds me much of who or what I'm called to be.

In terms of shortcomings, two spring to mind:

1) It is too long - it feels like it has been badly edited (though far be it from me to criticise Don Carson and Phil Duce, each of whose little finger has infinitely more experience of editing than my whole body!). The book is over 300 pages - and feels like about 220 pages-worth. There's nothing wrong with slow and careful argument - and some other NSBT volumes feel all-too brief, and I long for their expanded editions [Webb's Festal Garments with much more in each of sections II and III; Peterson's Possessed by God expanded so I can get my head round it - maybe a 'Sanctification for Muppets' version is what I need there!]. Yet I got to the end and thought: great, but a bit too long.

2) I'm not convinced that the first section on Background, examining metaphors, shepherds in the ancient world and shepherd-rulers in the ancient world is necessary. Perhaps it could have been included in the body of the book where needed, and cut out when unnecessary to the argument. Not that it wasn't good section, but I'm not sure it was either NSBT or needed for the argument.

Anyway, even after those things, I do recomend this a constructive read for those in church leadership or eldership, and particularly those called as pastors to God's flock.

Maybe read it fairly quickly for the big picture - which is its really great gift to the reader.

Singing in Church (1) Song Choice

2006-09-14T08:16:00.000+01:00

HT Sam Allberry for making me thing about this at this particular moment. I must do some posts about church music, so let's start here. Obviously I'll need to fill in some gaps of the theology at some later stage - other posts forthcoming - but for now:

How do you chose what songs to sing / not sing at church?

(NB: I'm not talking here yet about planning a service / choosing and order of songs / etc... just which songs to have on a playlist at church.)

I think that I think the key thing for music is that it fits the words. God hasn't given us the music to the Psalms, but the words. Music is a vehicle for the words' tenor, if you like (I'm not a linguist, but the way, but I believe this to be a useful distinction; tell me if not).

So, on looking at a song I ask some things like:

Is it true?
Is it helpful?
Is the tune singable?
Is the music playable?
Does the music fit the words?
Do other songs do it better?

The answer 'no' to one of these is not a straight veto - except the first. But then there are many many grey areas even on that one: can it be rightly understood? or: can it be misunderstood? are questions asked by the two different sides of that issue. For me neither solves the problem, because the former may be too generous, and the latter is impossible - the Bible can be honestly misunderstood, it seems to me...

But anyway, there's my one big idea, and those are the sorts of things I ask myself about songs.

Thoughts anyone?

Edit (4hrs after original post, having had another thought!)
Probably I'd add 'Is it biblical' to the list somewhere - because obviously singing something true from the bible is preferable to singing something true without the Bible's own phrases, illustrations, pictures, etc... (so I mean biblical in a different sense to the common usage analagous to 'faithful' or 'ture' or whatever - I just can't think of a better word right now!).

Defining Success

2006-09-13T07:50:00.000+01:00

It is 7:45am. At 9pm, what would constitute today having been a successful day?

Generally it is my un-stated view that things such as these would be the sorts of things I'd want to aim for:

getting somewhere through my to-do list
having had a quiet time
having done some decent work
not having been too rude / unsympathetic / n-Xn to anyone
having had a good blend of work & relaxation
etc, etc...

Which, having been written down, look precisely as they should: worldly, short-sighted, works-focussed, certainly not God-focussed, etc...

It is now 9:50pm (not sure that makes any difference, but there you go - I had to save this thought to finish off later, due to the delights of 4hrs considering Christian Eschatology, and various other aspects of term-time).

Is it not the case that a successful day is one spent:

loving Jesus, in conscious communion with him
focussing on heaven/Glory
fighting the fight of faith
contending for God's glory
obeying God's purposes
learning useful stuff
putting into practice what I've learnt, or at least beginning to
etc, etc...

No doubt you could write a better list here, but the point remains... So often I just have a wrong concept of success. I thus aim for the wrong thing(s), celebrate the wrong thing(s), and so on. I need to work on this. What does God most want for me from today? What is next on the list? and so on...

And, of course, Gospel-driven success lists are full of grace and mercy (see here).

As well as doing this ourselves, I guess we can encourage each other by longing for these latter types of success first and foremost - asking those questions and celebrating those 'yes' answers rather than just doing our slightly Christian version of everything the world runs after - running after Christian things in a worldy way, as it were...

But this bites in another way, I think. We need to make sure the urgent doesn't get in the way of the important. That means we need to plan, need to deliberately not do certain things, and certainly need a concept of our 'top ten' priorities against which to measure / consider our diaries. I've tried working up such a list, which is hard. But I'm trying not to use my business as an excuse not do do such hard work because I am convinced that I need to do it - if you see vaguely what I mean!

The Ending of Harry Potter VII?

2006-09-07T21:50:00.000+01:00

Ok, 3 posts today, but I didn't actually write 2 of them.

This is beautiful. Enjoy. (HT Fieldy, again!)

Awful Church Signs

2006-09-07T12:44:00.000+01:00

This website is hilarious, if slightly worrying. Enjoy!

(HT Mandy's mate Byron.)

Resolutions

2006-09-07T12:12:00.000+01:00

Yesterday those of us here on the Masters courses enjoyed a few hours together thinking and praying through some issues for the coming year's study. We were encouraged to think about our strengths and weaknesses, and particularly the sorts of things which get in the way of our doing the things we should be. We were then encouraged to make resolutions. In case these are helpful / encouraging / challenging / thought-provoking, here are mine:

1) Put being a disciple first and foremost.
The greatest barrier to any part of my Christian life is a weak or distant or un-prioritised relationship with God. So I need to put this top of any list. Living at the cross and resurrection is the nuclear power plant in the submarine of Christian existence as we fight the fight of faith. Time away from the cross and resurrection, away from prayer & meditation just cools down those reactor rods. Resolved: prioritise discipleship over everything else.

2) Do no more than God has equipped me to do, and that I can enjoy by faith with prayer.
This is hard because I've spent much of my life trying to do more than I should - or be more than I am - in my own strength. I've been (horrible thought) too busy to pray. What rubbish - it just means that I was too busy! (Read Tim Chester's book, which I've summarised and reviewed here, if this is a thing for you.) This means I'll have to do less, and have to say 'no' to some massively great & tempting things; it'll make my decisions even harder, but my life much more pleasing to the only One who really matters.

This was something I really struggled with particularly in my first year. I went to Spring Harvest Word Alive that year almost at the end of my tether. All that I thought I'd learnt at college was that I couldn't do Greek, couldn't do Hebrew, wasn't great at Systematics, was rubbish at writing essays, couldn't preach, etc, etc... So I went to Word Alive praying for some help, and on the last night the preacher used this illustration:

A young boy asks his father for some money because it is his dad's birthday in a few days, and he wants to get him a present. The father then passes over a £5 note to his 10-yr-old son. What does that man expect when he opens his present? Certainly not a £50 watch, nor a £15 book (nor, obviously, a 50p bar of chocolate). All he wants to see is something nice & thoughtful worth a fiver.

You are the boy; the father is God. What does he expect from you? Only to do what he has enabled you to do - no more (and no less).

Will you learn, with me, to get to the end of a long day and instead of pushing on with energy you don't have, to turn to God and say: 'Father, I think I've given you back your fiver today' and then relax?

HT Fieldy for (under God) leading us so well and devotionally through yesterday's Masters session.

I pray God continues to teach me to live these things...

Oak Hall Talks Outline

2006-09-06T09:28:00.000+01:00

Oak Hall is a great great idea. Praise God for the vision he has given to Ian Mayo and the many others involved over so many years, and for their obedience to Him!

I have just been in Engelberg (Switzerland) for two trips: walking in the hills all day, via a few cable cars and coffee shops, then preaching in the evening: winner! God has, needless to say, been great and faithful, speaking by his powerful Word - what a joy...

We studied Mark, and here's a vague outline of what I said:

Introduction (Mk 1:1)
i) Brief overview of Mark - three confessions: Mark's (1:1), Peter's (8:29) and the Centurion's (15:39), with the first half teaching on who Jesus is, the second on what he came to do.
ii) Brief explanation of each clause.
iii) Reminder of how serious it is to believe Mk 1:1 [remember Antipas in Rev 2:13] and what it looks like in our lives to say Mk 1:1 and live it.

Session 1 (Mk 2:1-12)
i) Everyone's greatest need is forgiveness of sin - the surprise in vv 1-5 is what Jesus doesn't do. It is better to be crippled on earth and saved for eternity than saved on earth and crippled in eternity. Application: we mustn't just 'do nice things for people' but must tell them the gospel; Francis of Assisi is just wrong when he says "preach the Gospel; if you must, use words"!
ii) What is sin? Rejecting God as Ruler of our lives. Sin leads to death.
iii) Jesus has God's power to forgive sins. Jesus does the visible to prove the invisible. Application: come to Jesus & be forgiven; tell your friends the Gospel - how horrible to lend someone a fiver, give them a meal at your house, or whatever, and leave them crippled for eternity.

Session 2 (Mk 4-5)
i) Kingdom parables (4:1-34). Chat through 1-20, hearing the challenge of vv 5-7 & great encouragement of vs 8. Word ministry leads to kingdom growth despite the majority response being rejection - here's a pattern for us individually and communally. Note similar themes of kingdom growth in vv 26-29 and 30-32. Is this just big talk? Haven't loads of people claimed extraordinary things?
ii) Jesus is the powerful King of the kingdom (4:35-5:43). Not just big talk - there's big proof. That's a King to trust in! Be encouraged: the kingdom will grow!

Session 3 (Mk 6:31-8:10)
i) Jesus is YHWH who feeds Israel (6:30-52). Looked at sheep/shepherd, desert, manna, mountainside and "I am" from Exodus. Jesus is Redeemer and God of Israel
ii) The Kingdom is Expansive (7:24-8:10). Not just for Jews, but Gentiles too. Gentile woman says 'please can I eat with you, King Jesus?' and he says yes! [Brief reminder of Jesus' compassion from 1:40-41.] He then heals and offers the Gentiles a Messianic banquet. Look how generous the King is! Look how expansive the kingdom is!

Session 4 (Mk 8:31-10:52)
i) Peter's confession = assent to all that we've seen from Mk 1-8. What do you think?
ii) Jesus must suffer (8:31). Four things are necessary: suffering, rejection, death & rising again.
iii) So must we too (8:34-9:1). Call to be Cross-carrying Christians: 3 demands (34), a reason (35-37), a warning (38) and a promise (9:1) [following NIVAC outline here]; we looked at each in some detail.
iv) Disciples must serve (9:33-35). Particular application to Christian leadership and positions of responsibility in church.
v) Bartimaeus is a model disciple (10:46-52). Sight: he has it. Faith: so he sees. Result: follows Jesus on the way - which is the way of 8:31, the only way for him and the only way for us too. Will you follow? Will you do 8:34?

Session 5 (Mk 15)
Why watch the Titanic, or Romeo & Juliet? We know the story. Ans: to see that director's emphasis. Need to be sensitive to Mark - there's loads of other stuff on the cross we don't see here...
i) Mark teaches by irony (15:1-32). Looked through the passage at the sad sad ironies, seeing how they teach us about who Jesus is, and why he came. Three cries to him on cross possibly the most poignant moments in this section: Build the temple - he is! Save yourself - he can't save himself and us! Give us a sign - he is the sign!
ii) The cry, the cup, the curtain (15:33-39). Cry of being under darkness of God's judgement. Can God punish the same sin twice? Cup drunk is cup of God's wrath. Who drinks your cup? Curtain is torn - no separation between God and humans. The Gentile centurion sees and enters that great house of prayer for all nations. You've seen: where are you?

Session 6 (16:1-8)
i) Peter had been a public muppet; he is called by name to follow. If you are or have been a Peter, get up and follow.
ii) Jesus leads out into Gentile territory; he is going before us back home, back to the mission field. Will you follow?
iii) Fear. You can be afraid of Jesus or everything else (4:39 cf 41, 5:3-5 cf 15, 5:33 cf 36). They did nothing because of fear. What will you do? Will you follow?

Book Meme - results!

2006-08-19T09:37:00.000+01:00

See here for a summary of loads of the replies to the meme.

See here for a load of very very funny answers to the question within that meme: what book do you wish had been written? Some are seriously brilliant!

Au Revoir

2006-08-19T09:21:00.000+01:00

Today I'm off for just over two weeks speaking on a couple of Oak Hall trips to Engelberg, walking in the Alps. Its a tough life, let me tell you.

But I do not anticipate this hiatus in posts continuing as long as the previous week's break which ended up as a month. I'm back on 4th Sept, and will aim to get back into the 1-a-day habit I'm aiming for.

Quite exciting really - over 1,000 hits on my blog. Either its proving vaguely useful, or my (very proud) mother has a large dial-up bill coming!

Happy holidays!

Does God love the Devil?

2006-08-15T07:10:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Dawn for this question, which I certainly hadn't thought about until she asked...

I think the key to answering this is to extrapolate from God's relationship to non-elect humans, since Satan is a non-elect angel. [Some of the stuff I'm going to say has already been said on this blog by Matthew in the comments here. Marc's question there still hasn't been answered, so any further thoughts welcome!]

God loves everyone, so must love all non-elect humans (1Tim 2:4, Matt 23:37 cf Lk 19:41-44). In Reformed thought this has been understood as loving them because he created them. He does, of course, also hate them because they reject his son.

If we then extrapolate this to Satan, who has had much greater revelation and thus has correspondingly greater understanding than any human, we might understand that God loves Satan as a created being, yet hates him with a burning, white-hot, righteous passion since Satan celebrates everything God hates and is opposed to everything God loves and embodies.

The presumption behind this is extrapolation from God's relations to humans. I can't right now think of a verse or passage to justify that. I don't know a huge amount of relevant information about angels except that they are sentient (though non-human) beings. If I'm wrong here I trust that someone will tell me.

In my own defence, however, Mike Ovey seemed pretty convinced by this gambit when I ran it past him yesterday.

Thoughts, anyone?

Further questions, Dawn?

GRACE - A Moment of Blinding Clarity

2006-08-12T19:33:00.000+01:00

I had a brief moment of peculiar clarity this week - over coffee, of course!

This is what I do: set the bar low & live by works.

This is what the Bible says: set the bar high & live by grace.

There is all the difference in the world.

Think of almost any area of life - money, prayer, admin, mental discipline, talk prep, dealing with praise or failure... In each of these I tend to set the bar low for myself and try hard to achieve that level.

What the Bible calls me to do is set the bar at God's height, knowing that failure will come and being prepared to deal with that at the cross. [Josh Harris makes part of this point in his 'Not Even a Hint' (which has now been re-named).]

Part of this comes back to being wrongly excited by signs of grace in my life (which is inextricably linked to being wrongly depressed by failures). God saved me as a failure, and will bring me to Glory as a sanctified, Spirit-filled failure made to be like Christ.

Nothing wrong with being excited by signs of grace, of course; nothing wrong with seeing the Spirit's work in our lives... The issue is how we deal with such things, and whether we live for them or merely use them as spurs towards that which we should rightly live for.

How sad to dilute the Bible's teaching - the loving words of my munificent Lord for my best good - so that they are vaguely accessible, and then to ignore both God's great standards and great Servant who is within me for this fight.

One way - my old way - just fails to grasp both God's true standards and God's great grace. But on the up-side, it frequently makes me feel very good about myself! The other way is very very hard...

Dare I resolve to set the bar as infinitely high as God does, and go forth in his strength, knowing failures will come but intending to deal with them at Calvary and press on?

Dare I not?

Manly / Man-Friendly Church

2006-08-11T15:41:00.000+01:00

Marc helpfully makes the point in his comment below that my review of David Murrow's Why Men Hate Going to Church doesn't give all the answers as to how church could be more manly and/or man-friendly. He makes the point much more gently than that, of course, and it is a fair point. There is no way anyone can give all the answers, but I've put some practical ideas at the bottom of this...

What I'm going to try to do here is summarise the book more fully than I did below, giving some of the highlights and a few personal reflections as we go along. Highlights are full-size, my reflections a little smaller. At the end I summarise a few things we can easily do to be more man-friendly.

Summary of my position
I don't agree fully with everything in the book, but I think we all need to read it: laity, lay church leaders, full-time church leaders, preachers, college lecturers, etc... I guess I'm aiming to push you to read this book as I write. It is not without its faults, but it does make one very good and timely point!

Caveat
Not every church in the UK needs to hear this as much as many do. There are a growing number of manly churches - and may the number continue to grow. Most of the larger churches are good at being man-friendly - and you'll see why below!

Introduction
'Your system is perfectly designed to give you the results you're getting' (vii). So if your church consists primarily of elderly women, might that be because of what you're doing? It is a standard commonplace that churches are composed primarily of females. Might it be that our churches' systems are perfectly designed to give us the results we're getting. Murrow states that 'Truth is, the modern church is not designed to do what Jesus did: reach men with the good news.' (viii).
Seems to me a fair summary of some / many UK churches - he is writing in the States, so against a different backdrop - but not all. These exceptions are well-known to many of us; there are some great men of God doing manly work amongst men - praise God. Later on, Murrow will challenge us not to make men effeminate as they are converted. Ask yourself about typical masculine expressions as opposed to feminine, and see how many of each you have at church, home-group, and so on...

Part 1: Why Men Hate Going to Church
Ch 1. Men have a Religion: Masculinity. Most men don't go to church because they've been (7). But we need men at church (8-9). Answer is not a male-dominated church (9-10). But this book will challenge women in the laity: are you willing to change for the sake of the male outsiders? (11).
At this point I hadn't been convinced by anything; that came later!
Ch 2. Why Judy's Husband Hates Going to Church. 'Films represent our fantasies. Men fantasize about saving the world against impossible odds. Women fantasize about having a relationship with a wonderful man.' (15) Men are ill-equipped to go to church - not being very expressive, verbal or sensitive, nor good at singing; women hold many of the cards here (16).
Anyone ever tempted to marry a n-Xn must read pages 12-13.
That aside, I find these two points pretty convincing, if a bit rough and ready; why can't both those film-types be emphasised at church? How do rugby-playing guys fit into the average local congregation? Men need to learn some of those things, but maybe Murrow's point is that we require much more of unconverted men to go into churches than of corresponding women. Good spot - I think that's true. Why might it be? What can we change? What is biblical? What is habit? Distinguish a lively relationship with Jesus Christ, expressed, based and developed in community with going to church. Distinguish Churchianity from Christianity!
Ch 3. Men Aren't the Only Ones Missing from Church. Women and older adults [50+] are much more likely to be in church than men and younger adults [18-29] because the former crave security, the latter challenge - being attracted to churches with guts (18-21).
This is a good point - the issue is broader than just men / women, but is generational too.
Ch 4. The Masculine Spirit and the Feminine Spirit. He examines a list of characteristics taken from 'Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus' and sees that almost everyone associates the female ones with Christianity above the male ones (23-24). He distinguishes the masculine spirit [seen at sporting events, for example] from the feminine spirit [primary school] and looks at why we need both (25-28).
I think pages 23-24 are a vital read. Why do we think those characteristics are more Christian. I've been teaching through Mark recently - isn't Jesus confrontational? dismissive? even harsh? [3:31-35, 7:6-13, 11:29-33, 12:24 & 27 for some examples; when did you last follow Jesus' example in these ways?]
Ch 5. Adjusting the Thermostat. Does your congregation's setting focus on challenge, comfort, ceremony, control, conformity or confrontation? What balance is there? (29-33) This isn't just for pastors: we are all involved in setting this level (33). We need to re-discover what discipleship means (33-35).
Helpful questions, I think - he looks at each of the six foci in a little detail.
Ch 6. Men: Who Needs 'Em? Look at the jobs you want doing at church - how many are predominantly feminine? (36-39) Churches need to tell men they're needed, and have a fit-jobs-to-people approach so that they actually are needed (40). Men's gifts promote church health (44-47). If Christianity is to survive, we need men: 'Why are secularism and Islam on the rise? I believe it is their ability to capture the hearts of men.' (48)
Pages 44-47 on men's gifts' usefulness to the church are a very important read.

Part 2: The Three Gender Gaps
Three chapters examine:
7. The Gap of Presence - there are more women at church than men [20% more in the US, for example]. Interestingly, the gap is generally smaller in the larger churches: chicken or egg - which comes first: size or men? (58). Particularly interesting is the examination of how the message at church has been changed because of attendees (61-63).
8. The Gap of Participation - women are more serious about their faith, and more involved in church than men; they really are!
9. The Gap of Personality - entire personality types are missing from church, making it harder to attract men. This chapter examines what churches miss by missing men, why churches need men, and why having men around will be hard for a number of churches in a number of ways. Very interesting!
These chapters house some of the key research behind Murrow's book - all of which is worth at least a quick glance, and some sections require deeper thought.

Part 3: Understanding Men and Masculinity
These chapters examine the differences between men and women. Many of us may be tuned to ridicule this stuff without any thought - having read or heard so many poorly thought-through versions as to be almost immune. Work hard not to be hardened to this - we are different! Men speak on average 7 - 10 thousand words per day, women 20 - 25 thousand; our brains are different; we learn in different ways; we experience things differently. Since church should and must be about learning and experience, as well as many other things too, we need to have thought through how each sex is best served. Further, it is helpful but sobering to note that many of the most well-habilitated men in church are those who display the least masculine traits - what are we training men in at conversion? Femininity or Christ-likeness?
I agree. We need to understand both masculinity and femininity - which is why I frequently encourage all male preachers to have read Sharon James' 'God's Design for Women' at the very least, and probably a couple of other books on that subject too...

Part 4: The Straws that Break Men's Hearts
I gave Murrow's list in my earlier post here. What do men fear at church? (155-125) Do we encourage - or even cater for - or even permit - manliness in church? (133-144) Do we let men lead like men? Murrow says: 'It is not a sin to focus on Jesus' feminine side, to sing songs that feel feminine, or to dress up for church. On behalf of men, all I ask is equal time for the masculine spirit.' (145)
Some good, fair, insightful points, and well made... Listen, learn and change!

Part 5: Restoring the Masculine Spirit in the Church
These are some ways we can adjust the church's thermostat to make changes so men will be more comfortable:
17. Leadership and the Masculine Spirit (151-167) We must have and encourage bold and visionary leadership, aiming at results and seeing them happen, pushing ahead despite opposition, giving things a go, having a clear purpose, setting high standards.
This is hard at times - as a member of a congregation run by Richard Coekin, there's no major lack of this about - but bears much fruit among men. Sometimes we just have to keep quiet under the little things that irk because of the bigger picture.
18. Pastoring and the Masculine Spirit (168-174) We need to be strong, resolute, full of conviction; that means laity need to endorse such models and follow such men.
Same comment as above!
19. Teaching and the Masculine Spirit (175-183)
You've just got to read this chapter!!
20. Worship and the Masculine Spirit (184-192) I quote: 'women are to worship as men are to sex' (184). Think about it! How can we change our worship style to be more men-friendly? Loads of ideas here.
Don't agree with all of this in terms of practical stuff - and not with all the book on that level, fairly obviously. I'm basically keen that loads of us read this and learn from it - having for years been at churches I found it really hard to take my bloke friends from work to.
21. Women and the Masculine Spirit (193-202) Loads of tough stuff here for the ladies, particularly in the female-dominated churches this book is aiming at. Are you prepared to change for good gospel reasons - the reaching lost men.
Not sure how much I can comment. Maybe one of the women who reads this will illuminate us all via a comment? All sounds fairly sensible to me, but I'm no expert on being a girl!
22. Ministry and the Masculine Spirit (203-211)
This replays some of the stuff from chapters 6, 8 & 9 in more practical detail; some good practical sense.

Part 6: Meeting Men's Deepest Needs
These are ways to meet men's deepest needs, so they'll stay once you've got them in!
23. Every Man needs a Spiritual Father. This is a big gap in churches and major loss to discipleship. It'll be hard to start, but we seriously need it.
24. Every Man needs a Band of Brothers. As above.
25. The Second Coming of the Masculine Spirit. Wraps it all up.
Two very good practical chapters. I read them and know how much I owe to such men in my life.

TOWNER'S THOUGHTS
Things we can change to be more man-friendly:

The way we refer to Christian truths: Jesus is both loving brother and bold captain - which gets more air-time at church?
What and how we sing: run into the arms of God or fighting the good fight of faith - one is from a song, the other from Scripture!
What we focus on theologically: we so often miss Jesus' and God's more masculine traits (possibly by habit - we've learnt not to focus on them in our happy little effeminate churches).
How we describe the Christian life: see first two comments!
How we teach: men generally prefer short interactive stuff, women long monologues - which do we do more of?
How we express our gathered worship: men hate singing but love shouting!
When, how and where we meet up for mid-week studies; cup of tea in a living room - how masculine!
How we fellowship more generally: this should be much broader for all concerned - lets be inventive as congregations to find many many diverse things a few of us can enjoy together.
What we value: do we prefer meekness to boldness - and, if so, why?
How we disciple.
Our buildings: do we focus on tea / coffee or table-football / darts? Why? they're each equally sociable!

You get the idea. Read it!

O God Beyond all Praising

2006-08-10T10:13:00.000+01:00

You may well know Michael Perry's brilliant and exciting words to the rousing Holst tune from Jupiter, called Thaxted, frequently used for 'I Vow to Thee my Country'.

The words being so great and the tune so well-known, Andy & Amanda Martin wanted to use it at their wedding. But Andy wondered if another verse might be added, so he & I sat down to look at it. We thus composed two more verses, leading to a broader trinitarian content within the hymn whilst keeping Perry's excellent verses first and last. Below is what we came up with. If it is useful to you, please do make use of it!

[At Christ Church, Mayfair, where I plan the services and run the music group, we have sung Perry's original on Remebrance Sunday because people recognise and even expect the tune, but we don't want to sing the words of 'I Vow to Thee my Country'. We have also used 'Before the Throne of God Above' to Jerusalem, for similar reasons. If you top and tail a service with those two, you thereby give your visitors enough of what they expect for them to (a) listen to the sermon and (b) hopefully come back again. Well that's the plan, at any rate!]

Verses 1 & 4 (c) Michale Perry, 1996.
Verses 2 & 3 (c) Andy Martin & Andrew Towner, 2006.

O God beyond all praising,
We worship you today
And sing the love amazing
That songs cannot repay;
For we can only wonder
At ev'ry gift you send,
At blessings without number
And mercies without end:
We lift our hearts before you
And wait upon your Word,
We honour and adore you,
Our great and mighty Lord.

We praise you gracious Father
For giving us your Son;
He reigns o’er every other
Now victory is won:
He bled to bear your anger,
He took the guilt of sin;
Our hearts and minds remember
We died to death in him.
The marvellous work at Calvary
Means life will never end;
The death he died has set me free,
My King is now my Friend.

We magnify the Spirit,
Who raised him from the grave,
Though Satan strove to thwart it,
New life to us he gave.
We live to serve our Captain
We strive to please our Lord.
The Spirit makes us certain
That heavenward we’re called.
Christ raised! We tell this story,
To God we raise this hymn
Who chose us for his glory -
To live and reign with him.

Then hear, O gracious Saviour,
Accept the love we bring,
That we who know your favour
May serve you as our king;
And whether our tomorrows
Be fill'd with good or ill,
We'll triumph through our sorrows
And rise to bless you still:
To marvel at your beauty
And glory in your ways,
And make a joyful duty
Our sacrifice of praise.

David Murrow 'Why Men Hate Going to Church'

2006-08-09T08:29:00.000+01:00

This book makes only one point - but it is a good point and needs to be heard. Men find going to church hard (I've nuanced his title there) because, although the majority of church leadership is male (he is writing in the American context) the style of most church gatherings and activity programmes has a feminine bias. To make church man-friendly therefore needs a bit of thought, self-examination, and willingness on the behalf of congregations, and especially the women within them, to give up some of the stuff they love.

Not sure how that sounds to you, but I think he makes his case. Just think about our songs: how many celebrate the following of an inspiring leader, and how many express heartfelt love? Now which of these is aimed more at the men or women in the congregation? 'We can run into the arms of God' but don't ever seem to 'Stand up, stand up for Jesus, soldiers of the cross'. Why?

Obviously there are loads of nuances to be made at this point:

not all men / women are the same - true
what makes someone tick should not necessarily be pandered to at church - true
both are biblical emphases - true
this man / woman thing is unhelpful - possibly
this point is very simplistic - possibly

But leave all those aside, and admit them all if that makes you feel better: I think he has a good point to make, and some real practical challenges for the men and women in any church. In general, men and women learn differently, relate differently, express themselves differently, and so on... As an aside: this book is one of the reasons that I love the new song 'O Church Arise' - it is good and manly, and I long for a manly, battling, church!

It is possible that I'm more sympathetic to this than many, given my background in education, where it was very common to examine teaching and testing styles as to being male- or female-friendly. [For example, there is a school of thought that sees the upturn in female achievement at GCSE-, A- and Degree-level in the past 20 yrs as directly related to the changing of teaching and testing procedures to be more feminine.]

Frustrated? Unconvinced? Angry? Sad? Have a read - it is a pretty quick book to get through. He makes his point much better than I do, although the book is frustrating at times.

Want a challenge? What's the major reason men don't go to church? Have a think before you read the Top Ten Excuses in reverse order (p.114):

10 - lack of time
9 - doesn't work for me
8 - boring
7 - irrelevant
6 - don't like pastor
5 - don't want to talk about it
4 - too long
3 - too much asking for money
2 - it's for wimps
1 - too many hypocrites there

It is sobering. This book is a great and timely challenge to all the men and women in churches who long to see more men in church - and I guess that should be all of us!

One Book - you've got to be joking!

2006-08-08T21:26:00.000+01:00

The hard thing here, of course, is the self-limitation required. But then Christ is our model here, as everywhere else too!

1. One book that changed your life:
The Bible. Others have, of course, but none more than this. It must be a Christian's first answer here.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
I've read many of my books more than once, but in the spirit of recent posts, and because it is probably my favourite work of fiction, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It is simply outstanding. Ros Clarke, Chris Green and others are nowhere near to changing my mind on that.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
SAS Survival Handbook aside, I'm tempted by the complete Sherlock Holmes short stories, but Turretin's Institutes would probably win.

4. One book that made you laugh:
The Goon Show scripts narrowly lose out to Wodehouse's Jeeves & Wooster series.

5. One book that made you cry:
Picking a film here would be easy: It's A Wonderful Life is peerless and always makes me cry.
Books: Buchan's Witch Wood is a massively challenging read about a godly pastor resolutely standing up against occult practices, worldliness & great public pressure at his kirk; Lloyd C Douglass' Green Light is amazingly powerful; and Wilde's The Happy Prince (particularly the short story by that name) is both painful and beautiful.

6. One book that you wish had been written:
A massively winsome, clear, accurate, popular level (e.g. Vaughan Roberts / David Jackman / Josh Harris / Philip Yancey sort-of level) introduction to and motivation of Reformed Theology - both the content & methodology.

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
This is hard, and I agree with Ros here. On that basis, possibly The Da Vinci Code or maybe The Koran. There's a long list if you go with this theme!
[Yet, affirming God's total sovereignty, who am I to say what I'd rather he hadn't permitted for his own great end and ends? Can a theologian holding to the Reformed position that what God has decreed is precisely what happens actually answer this? Presumably they can - I'd rather I hadn't sinned so much! There was absolutely no need for this parenthesis then, when it comes down to it. Sorry!]

8. One book you’re currently reading:
I've quite a few on the go: Marsden's Jonathan Edwards, Dale Ralph Davis' 2 Samuel, Martin Luther's Table Talk and P G Wodehouse's Very Good, Jeeves! are amongst the current highlights.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Rutherford's Letters - meant to be on of my Summer projects. There's so many I want to read, this really is a very unfair test...
There should, of course, be another category here: one book you've been meaning to put into practise - but then, I'd have no chance of a single there either!

10. Now tag five or six people:
Most of those I want to hear from have been tagged already: Matthew Mason, Marc Lloyd et al., though I suspect DF's list would be particularly interesting...

'Well, I'm back,' he said.

2006-08-07T22:13:00.000+01:00

Do you recognise the quote that is today's title? It is the very last line of one of my favourite books, stated by one of my favourite characters. Any guesses?

Oh the joy (and surprise) of being missed! [Note the comments on the post prior to this one.] I never dreamt that any who knew me would think that I'd run out of things to say. Maybe it was just flattery...

Just so you don't worry any further, I've got a whole long list of things to post on; the issue is getting round to it! I was snowed-under in the time between my promise of a week off and leaving for Maidwell 1 CYFA Camp, from which I have just returned yesterday. I had, of course, read the post on procrastination here, but it served only to tell me that posting would be time-wasting, and I owed those who had to sit through 10hrs of talks through Mark's Gospel a fair bit of effort.

But here I am, back again and raring to go. Plan is to limit myself to one post each day, with three main foci: thoughts on stuff & book reviews is what I have presented so far, but I'm wanting to think through a few 'two-minute answers to tough questions'. That's all I'll get over coffee after a sermon, or at a church door. Obviously the longer answers are vital, but they are less useful if I cannot condense them into a brief, exciting, winsome summary probably including only one Bible verse. I wish this were not how it had to be, and long for the day when families sit round Sunday lunch talking through the points of the sermon - but since we're not there yet, I need some great two-minute answers, and intend to try to work on some via this forum, so that they are either useful to others or corrected & improved by others!

If everyone could (read and then) post encouraging comments on Ros' blog here, that would really encourage her [see her comment on my previous post]. Were no comments forthcoming, we could only assume one thing, despite Marc's kind effort at pastoral sensitivity...

The answer on that quote in my title is:

Sam at the end of Lord of the Rings.

A Week's Pause

2006-07-09T07:40:00.000+01:00

Since I'll be spending the next week on a Army Cadet camp, there'll be a slight pause... But don't worry - I'll have loads to say when I get back!

Duchess of Buckingham on Whitefield

2006-07-06T09:39:00.000+01:00

Sachy reminded me of this letter a few days ago, and I have just had occasion to type it into a talk I'm writing. It is a stunning (and consequently very sad) expression of someone spurning the gospel in pride. I felt moved to use it in commenting on Mark 2:13-17.

Letter from the Duchess of Buckingham replying to Lady Huntington's invitation that she come and hear Whitefield preach (quoted in Pollock p. 103).

'I thank your Ladyship for the information concerning the Methodist preachers. Their doctrines are most repulsive and strongly tinctured with impertinence and disrespect towards their superiors, in perpetually endeavouring to level all ranks and to do away with all distinctions. It is monstrous to be told you have a heart as sinful as the common wretches that crawl on the earth. This is highly offensive and insulting; and I cannot but wonder that your Ladyship should relish any sentiments so much at variance with high rank and good breeding.’

John Frame 'Worship in Spirit and Truth' (P&R)

2006-07-04T18:40:00.000+01:00

Outstanding! JF's sub-title is absolutely right: A refreshing study of the principles and practice of biblical worship. This book does exactly what it says on the tin - examining the said principles and practices in a refreshing way...

Admission
The first time I read this (or, more accurately, skim-read this) book I thought it unclear (there may be a moral here for my skim-reading great and wise authors like JF!). Anyway, on this latest reading I think it an excellent book - clear, biblical, refreshing, and broadly right. Let me tell you why.

Negatives
On the negative side, it is certainly written for the American audience (which has an up-side in that it has the short & simple words & phrases they require!). It is thus written against a different back-drop and into a situation distinct to mine. This is noticeable in small ways - I know very few of the hymns/songs he refers to, and in much larger ways, such as the importance of the Westminster Confession in his argumentation... But I like the WCF and want to take it seriously while not always agreeing with every bit of it (see 'Why does it Matter' in my previous post on the Regulative Principle).

Possibly my major regret is that JF doesn't clarify the distinction between 'worship' and 'gathered worship' right at the start, and use those terms more clearly. This may well be deliberate, but I haven't worked out what positive he derives, and I think it slightly mars his clarity, particularly early on...

But it is great!
Not only from his other outstanding writings, but also because he plans and leads the worship (pp. 33-4 justify this use of that word!) at his home church, we know that this will be a serious and thought-through book. JF takes seriously the issues of Presbyterianism's Regulative Principle, which has always been taken to state that nothing should be done during formal gathered worship other than those things commanded in Scripture, and argues for a revised understanding of it. Thus after 3 introductory chapters (basic principles, OT & NT) and the aforementioned argument (ch 4) he then describes the what, why and how of gathered worship over 8 chapters, with a final one talking through a real-life exemplar service he put together. Each chapter has questions after it to help us think things through.

I particularly appreciate this book because it avoids the unjustified & stifling minimalism so prevalent in other Conservative Evangelical treatments of worship, presenting exciting concepts with clear and cogent arguments.

JF is particularly excellent and/or challenging (for me) on:

The regulative principle, obviously (37-46)
What to include (57-60)
Worship leaders (63-65)
Christmas (66)
Covenant Renewal stuff (68-69)
Emotion (77-82)
Dramas (92-94)
Individual participation (106-107)
Music (111-120)
Psalms (125, 135-138)
Clapping & dance (130-132, 148)

As I have typed out that list, I see it is a pretty fair chunk of the book. Don't let that put you off! Anyway, I'll very likely be posting on some of these in the near future...

Conclusion
A great book - truly a refreshing study of the principles and practice of biblical worship, that we might all think more about how to worship in spirit and truth.

Regulative Principle - Unprincipled Regulation?

2006-07-03T21:48:00.000+01:00

I've been unconvinced by this for a while, and am only just beginning to get my head around why. But, before I get to that, a bit of background...

What is the regulative Principle?
Chapter 21.1 of the Westminster Confession of Faith holds that:

The light of nature shows that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and doth good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture. [Rom. i. 20; Acts xvii. 24; Ps. cxix. 68; Jer. x. 7; Ps. xxxi. 23; Ps. xviii. 3; Rom. x. 12; Ps. Ixii. 8; Josh. xxiv. 14; Mark xii. 33; Deut. xii. 32; Matt. xv. 9; Acts xvii. 25; Matt. iv. 9, 10; Deut. iv. 15 to 20; Exod. xx. 4, 5, 6; Col. ii. 23.]

Why Does this Matter?
Because it was written by a load of very wise and godly men, and so should be taken seriously. Richard Baxter held that 'the Christian world, since the days of the Apostles, had never a Synod of more excellent Divines (taking one thing with another) than this Synod and the Synod of Dort were.' If there is such a thing as a summary of Puritan thought, this is it. John Murray called it 'mature fruit of the whole movement of creed formation ... the crown of the greatest age of confessional exposition, the Protestant Reformation.' (HT David Field for these quotes - during his Puritan course last term - truly a highlight of life at Oak Hill!)
It matters not only because wise godly people said it ages ago, but also because many such hace followed it throughout the intervening years (e.g. Spurgeon) and still do today, particularly within Presbyterianism.

What does it Mean?
It has been generally understood to mean that nothing may be done in formal gathered worship other than what is commanded by Scripture. This seems to be fair to what the WCF writers wrote, taught elsewhere, and practiced.

What do I Think?
I think it is flawed, within its own terms.
For example, I can see no place in the Bible where exposition is commanded during formal gathered worship. Of course (1Tim 4:13) it is commanded that Timothy devote himself to it, but the gathering is not specified - and such examples could be multiplied...
But the particular revelation I experienced last term was that the WCF drafters themselves did not fully submit to it: the gathering was commanded to be on the Sabbath morning - which command cannot be found in the Bible.
This is not to deny that WCF's point that we can't just invent our worship - Nadab & Abihu proved that! But nor can we maintain only those things prescribed in Scripture.

What Should we Do?
My recent revelation on this was in reading John Frame's Worship in Spirit and Truth (P&R) where he expounds the Regulative Principle as a whole-life hermeneutic (the whole of life is, after all, worship). He affirms that the Bible is 'sufficient for our worship, as for all of our life. We must not add to it, and we dare not subtract from it.' (p. 39) He then distinguishes between situations and applications, and argues that the background to the said principle was enforced prescription of public gatherings for formal worship. He goes on to argue that such submission to Scripture must mark all that we do, so that 'we are free from anything "beside" the word, not only in "matters of faith or worship" but in all other areas of life as well... The job of human wisdom is to apply those commands [contained in Scripture] to specific situations.' (p. 43) He thus rejects the Regulative Principle's application only to official worship services, saying that it must govern all worship (pp. 44-5). Thus 'the regulative principle 'limits what we may do in worship, but it also alows different sorts of applications, and therefore a significant area of liberty.' (p. 45)

I like this; it sounds right. OK, it got JF into a whole heap of trouble with the Presbyterians over in the US, but I can live with that. As to whether or not this was the original intention of the Westminster Divines, I'm not convinced. But none of them thought they were writing unalterable perfection, and would be happy that reformata et semper reformanda be applied to their work.

So: I think I agree with JF, and am not entirely clear whether that means I agree with the WCF - but am not too bothered about that, having taken it seriously, and taken it to the bar of Scripture.

Vaughan Roberts 'True Worship' (Authentic Lifestyle)

2006-06-29T18:46:00.000+01:00

Having been asked a few weekends ago (on a church weekend away at which I was one of the musicians) what I thought of this book, I was ashamed not to be massively clear - having read it during the Summer of 2002 and forgotten much since then. So I read it again yesterday, and here's some of what I think...

This book contains much that is good, and serves as a great introduction to modern Evangelical (by which I probably mean Conservative Evangelical, which is what Evangelical should mean) thought in the areas of worship and the gathering. In this sense it is paradigmatic of much theology and practice one may observe around Britain and probably further abroad too: Evangelical. Not Liberal, not Charismatic, not Catholic... but then not Reformed either - just Evangelical.

The strengths of VR's book really are multitudinous: clarity, sensitivity, biblical focus, a teaching both of positives and negatives (things he agrees with and commends as well as those he disagrees with and warns against). All this is great. And VR makes many many vital points, so that this is almost certainly my first book to give to anyone who wants to think about worship.

Highlights include:

p. 124 (which bears marked resemblance to my post on the Lord's Supper here!)
The challenge to come as servant rather than consumer is well put & one I certainly need to keep being reminded of...
I love the Bassoon illustration (pp. 75-6). Having an older sister who used to learn the bassoon helps me visualise it: the piece she tried to play was called the Can-Can, and I swiftly nicknamed her rendition the Can't-Can't!
The distinction between covenant member and Christian (p. 11).

And there are loads of other great things...

But (and I feel a degree of humility in saying this) he just doesn't go far enough. He makes exactly the same mistake as David Peterson (and I'm feeling humble here too) in Engaging with God (review forthcoming) in negating the gathering as a meeting to worship. Does VR really think (p. 34) that we only gather to worship in the same sense that we go to bed to breathe? Surely not! This is 'slightly feeble Evangelicalism' as opposed to 'full-blooded Reformed Theology' - and hence my disappointment with the book. Specifically:

VR is weak on the importance of the gathering, when we do really gather to worship - as the Lord's people (on the Lord's day) to embody the Lord's new creation, as Raised people (on Resurrection day) to embody Risen-ness. (Sabbatarianism is not vital to the argument here, though it does strengthen it; I'm not yet decided, but am increasingly sympathetic to it.) Given that we are to draw near, that we have come to the heavenly Jerusalem, and so on, clearly our corporate worship matters precisely because it is just that: corporate worship - with eachother, with angels and archangels, with the saints who have died in Christ...
VR is also weak on John 4:23-4 (chapter 1). He makes some good & valid points, but I'm not sure they come from Jn 4! Further, I am sure that there's loads more in this concept than he shows us.
It appears, in common with much Evangelicalism, to be so scared of Catholicism and Charismaticism that it runs a mile from anything sacramental or emotional - which is a massive loss.
Following that, p. 62 suggests that it is possible to have a church without the sacraments. This is madness! Obviously, any church that exists for too long without baptisms is clearly going to be asking itself some questions - so why would you want to plan one, or set one up! But leaving that aside: the Lord's Supper is commanded by Jesus for his people, and church discipline is exercised at that meal. So the church without the sacraments is either going to be involved in saving the lost & have to develop a baptism rite, or is going to submit to Jesus' command and take the Lord's supper, or is going to realise it may have to "expel the immoral brother" and so develop discipline, necessitating the Supper... Of course (this is very important) there can be regular gatherings of Christians without the sacraments, and my prayer triplet is one of them... But that's not church. Calvin defines church as a body in which the Word is rightly taught and the Sacraments rightly administered - and he came very close to adding church discipline rightly administered to that list (and it is opaque to me why he didn't - I don't understand his logic at that point). We must distinguish between church and a gathering of Christians.

In short, despite many strengths, this book embodies gentle (and eventually weak) Evangelicalism as opposed to firm (and thus strong) Reformed Theology. So I both love much of it, and at the same time regret its major weaknesses. The sooner all Evangelicals become Reformed the better (of course I know that many Evangelicals subscribe to many Reformed doctrines, but, as this book proves, there is still some way to go!). Reformed is the only logical place to be if you believe in the authority of God's Word!

Beynon & Sach 'Dig Deeper' (IVP)

2006-06-28T19:40:00.000+01:00

I should first declare my lack of objectivity, in that Sachy is not only a much-loved friend, but has been my housemate over the past three years, in which proximity we continue for the next 12 months too... That said, he'd be hurt if I pulled any punches, so I wont!

I'm not exactly sure what to say, given the endorsements from David Jackman, Vaughn Roberts, John Chapman and Mark Dever, but never let it be said that Towner kept quiet when there were things that could be said!

This is an extremely useful book. That sounds like damning with faint praise, but it isn't meant to be. This really is a book of great usefulness. It is well described by the subtitle: Tools to Unearth the Bible's Treasure. It presents 15 tools for faithful Bible-handling, with an introductory chapter on what the Bible is and a concluding chapter on why how we read it matters.

First, it is an absolute pleasure to read, being clear and concise. It is then encouragement, challenge, inspiration and tool.

It encourages because it is full of the Bible, speaking great truths excitingly. Whilst being a manual of how to use Scripture, the primary joy for me was just being in the Word - seeing new things & being reminded of forgotten things... It is encouraging to hear great things said well, and it is an encouragement to be in the Bible.

It challenges by setting a great standard for Bible-handling. The old 'it feels good and sounds vaguely right' approach doesn't figure as highly in the descriptions of good-practice as it might in my general technique, and the 'I heard a famous Christian once say that x means X' approach, which I almost prefer to the 'feels good and sounds vaguely right' one, is no-where to be found. Rather: clear, wise, practical, real-life, road-tested methods are presented as the basic aspects of the science behind interpreting God's vital, urgent Word.

It inspires because it motivates our right use of good technique when reading the Good Book. There is no sense in which biblical interpretation is presented as merely a science (pp. 16-17), yet the methodical methodologies are so well presented as to be eminently comprehensible and achievable - inspiring me to be more deliberate in my use of them. This is not beyond me, nor any vaguely serious Bible-reader.

It is a tool, because it is a great book to use with others or to teach others from, as Ed Shaw's appendix testifies. I intend to make much use of this book with students, staff-teams, youth-group leaders, and so on... This is the main aim behind it, an aim it is perfectly fit to meet.

OK, so I've been nice about my housemate's book. But what are the negatives? What would I change were I to edit it for a second edition? Well, I'd like it to come with actual cut-out cardboard tools, so I could pick up my screwdriver or mallet or whatever, and I'd also like there to be an acronym so I could remember all 15 tools nice and easily, and I'd certainly want to think very carefully about the cover... But I wouldn't change anything else. In the coming re-prints and further editions, let it be known that this one has my seal of approval! Whenever I found myself wishing for further details at some points, I remembered that they do exist in other books - and that the longer this gets, the fewer will read it... I think the authors get that call pretty much exactly right. It is exactly what it aims to be - making it a very useful book indeed.

So: buy, read, give away, use with others, and await the many many further editions - as this print-run should sell out very quickly indeed!

Supply Teaching

2006-06-28T19:30:00.000+01:00

The great thing about the fact that I'm supply teaching at the moment is that I've had loads of time to read... What a joy! I'm being paid good money, doing my job very well (ie not shirking or anything) and still getting loads of reading while the classes watch videos or create posters or do exercises (it being the last week or so of term).

So far I have managed 4 small-ish books: Donnelly's 'Heaven & Hell', Moody's 'God-Centred Life', Roberts' 'True Worship' and Beynon & Sach's 'Dig Deeper'. I've also got through my 1st-year Chris Green notes on Mark's Gospel. While doing this I've had opportunities to testify, witnessing to many non-Christians (and I'm generally rubbish at this) because they know I'm training as a minister... And I'm getting paid very generously.

So God's provided money and the chance to catch up on my reading pile (not that you ever get to the bottom of such a pile, but I've made more progress in the last three days than the previous six weeks) and a chance to witness... All praise to our glorious and generous God!

Josh Moody 'The God-Centred Life: Insights from Jonathan Edwards for Today' (IVP)

2006-06-27T00:05:00.000+01:00

If you've ever tried reading Edwards you'll know that it is hard work; delightful, inspiring, awesome, mind-expanding, pulse-lifting and so on, but still hard work. So you then wonder not only how to synthesise this giant among theologians, whose breadth of vision is simply flabbergasting, but also how to introduce his thoughts to your brothers and sisters at church. Realistically, few will read 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God', let alone Religious Affections or any of the other, longer works. Here is the solution!

[If you're not sure Edwards deserves even the next minute of your life as you scan this blog, look here (on the happiness of the righteous in eternity) and here (on how Christians possess all things even now) for two of the great highlights of this amazing gift of God to his church. Then read on!]

JM is uniquely qualified to write this book, having a PhD on Edwards from Cambridge, and now serving as a Pastor in New Haven. He offers us what is a very clear, and certainly seems (with my very limited reading of Edwards) a fair summary of the main streams of his thoughts and foci. Sure, there are other books in this area: Marsden's Life is a total delight, but long enough to put off many readers, and Murray is not at all bad, though slightly dated and tending to peddle his favourite themes.

So, JM's book is short enough to read easily, and thus to lend out or give away. But the subject-matter is massive, is exactly what it should be if one writes of Edwards. Great!

JM sees eight areas where Edwards' insights are particularly useful today, dedicating a chapter to each, as follows:

Revival is biblical.
True experience of God is heart experience.
Analysing new Christian movements.
Attacking humanism - God at the centre.
Consistency to God's Word is vital.
Leadership must be biblically intelligent.
Human leaders fail.
Family life & effective ministry can be reconciled.

Here we are learning both from the man and from his insights. JM has written a book for today - as we are attacked by the same cultural shift Edwards faced. C.S. Lewis reminds us to read two old books for each new one, so as to avoid prevalent modern errors. This book certainly helps in that regard (we are such a self-centred generation) calling us to hold God at the centre, fighting whatever personal and communal battles that might entail. The title is apposite, and challenging.

The weakness of such a book are obvious before one reads a single page: summarising someone whose thoughts were so wide and deep, whose impact so profound, into about 150 pages is essentially impossible. JM leaves you wanting more in many places, and leaves those familiar with other Edwards biogs happy to skim-read a few pages. But I can live with this, since I want any reader of a book like this to be left with things to chase up - and that's why I'm currently reading it with a friend in Christian ministry: I'm hoping he'll want more, and turn to Edwards!

But even if this doesn't inspire its reader to look at Edwards, it is a great vehicle to get his thoughts out there. You can't read everything, and might think Edwarsd missable. You're (probably) wrong - but at least read this anyway! Great for personal study, 1:1, Elderships, PCCs or whatever.

[Next stop Marsden and/or Edwards in his own words: Freedom of the Will, Original Sin, Religious Affections or just get into his sermons online here.]

Sure, it'd be better if we all read the whole of Edwards. But since very few of us will, it'd be brilliant if as many people as possible read this challenging summary of some of what Edwards might have said to today's church, what he certainly would have said to today's Christians.

Our Relationship to the Damned in Eternity

2006-06-26T21:08:00.000+01:00

This was my one question after reading Donnelly's 'Heaven and Hell', but I didn't want it to cloud my review since it is relatively minor. Basically, in the context of how we will relate to those we have loved in this life if/when some of them are not with us in Glory, ED says that Christians will hate the damned in eternity because God will (p. 117).

My thought is that God really and truly loves all people now, and so must do so in eternity because he is constant, unchanging, faithful... God really and truly loves all men and women and longs that all are saved (Matt 23:37, 1Tim 2:3-4). Now this real and true love is not acted-upon in the sense that God's decreed will includes there being both sheep and goats, there being both heaven and hell... But will not that same love for the lost (who God knows to be eternally lost) which beats in his heart now not beat there in eternity too? And if in his heart, why not also in ours? Jesus knew that many in Jerusalem were not of the elect, yet wept over the city... Will he not weep over hell? If not, why not?

So there will be a real sense in which we will love the damned in eternity. They won't be our bosom-buddies then, as they may be now on earth; we will have no personal contact with them. But that is not to say we will hate them. Donnelly has it that we will neither miss them nor sorrow over them, but I disagree. Their loss will not marr the eternal perfection of Glory, but just as God regrets their eternal damnation though recognising it as fair, so will we - neither more nor less - being made exactly like God, perfected in the Perfect One.

Thoughts?

Edward Donnelly 'Heaven and Hell' (BoTT)

2006-06-26T20:37:00.000+01:00

This is a great book, tackling a subject we need to hear & keep hearing: heaven and hell really exist, and we must live for one, saving as many as possible from the other.

Lacking motivation in evangelism? Read this book & remember where the lost end up.
Lacking joy in the Christian life? Read this book and remember what & where you were saved from.
Lacking motivation in discipleship? Read this book, and remember where you really live.

What is so good about this book? After all there are many good books out there on the same subject (David Jackman & Bruce Milne stand out amongst recent publications, and there are some great Puritan treatments too).

This book's strengths are:

The pastoral heart with which it is written, flowing through every word, phrase, paragraph and chapter. ED writes to and applies for the Christian and non-Christian.
The clarity with which it is constructed. It is just brilliantly comprehensible: simple without being simplistic. It could be read by any keen 6th-Former, and yet its contents would feed any pastor or theologian.
Its commitment to Scripture, which is obvious on every page - as ED clearly shows his working and reasoning.
Its accuracy. ED basically gets it all right. Obviously I've not yet found a book I don't disagree with bits of, with one notable exception! Yet within that obvious caveat, ED is on the nail with every important doctrine, as far as I can see.

So: faithful, clear, challenging, pastoral... Read it! Preach it! Live it!

Or at least: buy it, put it on your shelf & feel guilty for not reading it - until this then motivates you to getting round to reading it! Then preach it & live it...

Time reading this will not have been wasted - and your neighbour or sister or colleague might just be thanking God in eternity that you did read it!

New Brother & Sister

2006-06-26T20:28:00.000+01:00

Today I started supply teaching at Brentwood School, where I taught for four years before coming to College. And I met two members of staff I have known (if somewhat vaguely) since September 1999, and discovered that they have become Christians. How exciting is that!

A new brother and sister - what a great day! All praise to our glorious, mighty, saving God!

Hymns: Re-writing a Classic?

2006-06-22T09:27:00.000+01:00

No I'm not (yet) posting about the whole 'do we up-date the words' debate (fearing the wrath of Ros, and thus waiting until she is safely in Westminster!).

Instead, I thought this might be considered mildly amusing - as written by one of my father's organists. (I should make it clear that I have never been in this choir - though the end of verse four isn't entirely without foundation!)

Immortal, impossible, God only knows,
How tenors and basses, sopranos, altos
At service on Sunday are rarely the same
As those, who on Wednesday to choir practice came.

Unready, unable to sight-read the notes
Nor counting, nor blending, they tighten their throats,
The descant so piercing is soaring above
The melody only a mother could love.

They have a director, but no-one knows why,
No one in the choir deigns to turn him an eye,
It's clear by his waving he wants them to look,
But each of them stands with his nose in the book.

Despite the offences, the music rings out,
The folks in the pews are enraptured, no doubt,
Their faces are blissful, their thoughts are so deep,
But it is no wonder, for they are asleep.