A Charles Spurgeon Sighting!!

Well, not literally!!

As many of you know, I am an active reader of writings and sermons by Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon was a pastor in the late 1800's in London. He is commonly referred to as the "Prince of Preachers". While I have read much of his material, one of his most popular books I have not read as of yet. The book is titled "Lectures to my students". This book is on every recommended reading list that I have received from pastors and pastors conferences. In fact, one of my favorite "living" preachers, C.J Mahaney, says that no man should be entrusted with a congregation without having read this volume between 10 and 20 times!! So, since I have never read it, I guess I have a lot of catching up to do. A couple of other pastors along with myself and Aaron Thomas (missionary to Papua New Guinea) met this morning at Panera Bread (and will continue to meet once a month) to discuss this book.

So far, I have read the first few chapters and thought I would share some quotes and thoughts from chapter 1 entitled "The Minister's Self-watch" coming from 1 Timothy 4:16 - 'take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine'.

First, he challenges pastors to take heed to themselves and be sure that they are not preaching something that is foreign to themselves. On this subject, he quotes Richard Baxter:
"Take heed to yourselves lest you should be void of that saving grace of God which you offer to others, and be strangers to the effectual working of that gospel which you preach; and lest, while you proclaim the necessity of a Savior to the world, your hearts should neglect him, and you should miss of an interest in him and his saving benefits. Take heed to yourselves, lest you perish while you call upon others to take heed of perishing, and lest you famish yourselves while you prepare their food."

Second, he reminds us that others depend upon our walk with God. He says, "it is with us and our hearers as it is with watches and the public clock; if our watch be wrong, very few will be misled by it but ourselves; but if the Horse Guards or Greenwhich Observatory should go amiss, half of London would lose its reckoning. So it is with the minister; he is the parish-clock, many take their time from him, and if he be incorrect, then they all go wrongly, more or less, and he is in a great measure accountable for all the sin which he occasions".

Last, he warns ministers of the danger of ministerialism -
"the tendency to read our Bibles as ministers, to pray as ministers, to get into doing the whole of our religion as not ourselves personally, but only relatively, concerned in it. To lose the personality of repentance and faith is a loss indeed". Therefore, as John Owen said, "no man preaches his sermon well to others if he does not first preach it to his own heart".

Please pray for me in regards to these important truths. While I covet your prayers for myself, I would also ask that you would pray for Pastor Brian Main of Walnut Creek Community Church and Pastor Neil Appell of Grace Ridge Bible Church. These are two other pastors who are studying this book along with me. We are meeting once a month to discuss these "lectures" and to encourage one another in the ministry! I am so thankful for these men, for their friendship, and for their ministries.

An Old Way of Thinking

The just shall live by faith. Love your neighbor as yourself. A man reaps what he sows. The law of God is in our minds and written in our hearts. These are all concepts and biblical truths with which every Christian can recite by heart and proudly proclaim that he lives by the grace of the New Testament and not under the law of the Old Testament. There is, however, a slight problem with this way of thinking. All of the verses quoted above come from the Old Testament. The just shall live by faith is found in Habakkuk 2:4. You shall love your neighbor as yourself is a direct quote from Leviticus 19:18. A man reaps what he sows comes from Hosea 10:12-13. And the promise of a new covenant where the law is in our minds and written in our hearts and not on tablets of stone is found in Jeremiah 31:33.
The only Bible that Jesus, his disciples, the Apostle Paul, and all of the first century believers possessed, used, and quoted from was the Old Testament. And yet, it is that portion of the Bible which makes up 39 of the 66 books of the entire Bible that most of us remain ignorant. It was the Old Testament from which came the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah. Philip, in Acts 8:35, shared the gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. He did not have the Romans road at his disposal. The New Testament was not written in a vacuum, nor as a book to replace the Old Testament. The New Testament is not the Christian Bible and the Old Testament only a book for the Jews. If that were the case, then everything that we teach as Christians, as believers in Jesus, could be dismissed out-of-hand by the Jews as simply Christian teachings and doctrines that do not apply to the Jews.
Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience when he said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled". (Matthew 5:17-18 KJV)

Living in Israel has caused me to dig deeper into God's word in order to proclaim its truth. It is not enough to quote passages from the New Testament to "prove" a doctrine. The New Testament often explains a doctrine succinctly, especially to someone who was raised in a Christian environment and takes for granted teachings on the Trinity, the virgin birth, the relationship of Jesus to the Father, etc, etc. But what if your audience doesn't recognize "your Bible" as authoritative?
My challenge to you is to read, study, and learn the whole Bible, not just the 27 books of the New Testament. If we say that we believe that the Bible is the Word of God, then it is important to partake of it all. Understand that the Old and New Testaments form the whole counsel of God. They are joined together by the common threads of God's redemption for mankind. The next time you are reading in the New Testament and there is a quote from the Old Testament, stop, turn to that passage and seek to understand its history and application. And he (Abraham) believed in the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness, Genesis 15:6. Phinehas stood up for the Lord and it was counted to him for righteousness (see Psalm 106 and Numbers 25). Jesus, God's servant, humbled himself, but was raised up, and will one day be highly exalted (Isaiah 52:13).

Blessings from Jerusalem,
David

Guest Blog

I have invited a couple of friends to be "guest bloggers" on my blog. I thought it would be a blessing for you to hear from these other men periodically. So, this week we will be hearing from one of these men.

So, let me introduce this friend to you. His name is David and he is a "sent one" from our church. You may have noticed the hits on the blog from Israel. They are from David and his wife Anne. David and Anne served for many years in local church ministry in the States as lay-leaders before answering the call to overseas work. They were appointed in 2001 and have been active in the country since January 2005. David is an MA student at the University in Cultural Anthropology (cultures of the Bible). He serves as a deacon in a local congregation in Jerusalem of 200 believers. Anne leads the ladies' ministry of their congregation. Their children all attend national or Hebrew speaking schools. They have a planned furlough beginning in August 2009. So, enjoy getting to know this family through our blog and when they come to the states, please make a point to visit with them and be a blessing to these "sent ones".

Ministry Update

I thought I would give everyone (those who attend First Baptist) a quick reminder of the schedule tomorrow. It will be a busy day but many opportunities to worship our Savior and commune together. Here is the schedule:

1. For our 9:30 ABF hour, all the adults will be in the sanctuary to meet a visiting missionary. They are still raising their support and are on their way to Cuba. Some of you will remember Brandi Cole, she was a graduate of Howland Christian School and as a young girl she attended and was very involved here at First Baptist of Howland. Please be here tomorrow to encourage this couple and to see how God's grace has been at work in Brandi's life.

2. Tomorrow is a very special day to us because we will be having communion together. It is the pattern of many churches to have communion once a month (often on the first Sunday of the month). We have not taken that approach to communion for the simple fact that we do not want communion to just become a ritual to us. In years past, we have taken communion only 4 times a year...while our purpose in this was to keep communion as something very significant and special to the believer...we felt that this was not enough. This year we have scheduled to have communion together about every 6-8 weeks. The Lord's Supper is given to us as a "living memorial" to remind us of Christ's substitutionary death and the gospel message. At the Lord's table, we confess our faith in Christ as our Savior together. It is a family table, where all of the followers of Christ are welcomed to sit at His feet and remember Him!! Because our purpose during this time is to honor the Lord and to celebrate the cross, and because we know that praise and worship is spiritual warfare (2 Chronicles 20:22), we are asking for all to be in prayer for this special day. Please pray that God would be exalted and that Jesus Christ would become very dear to our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray for all of us to have tender and receptive hearts as we "remember His death until He comes". Pray that we would truly celebrate our freedom from sin's condemning power, from the wrath of God, and the removal of our guilt and shame through what Jesus did for us on the cross. Before we take of the elements we are told to "examine ourselves" in preparation. So, today, I am reminding you to examine yourself even before you walk through the doors tomorrow. Prepare physically, spiritually and mentally to worship Christ!

3. After our worship service, we will be having the Famous Baptist "Pot Luck" Dinner...but since we do not believe in "luck", we will be having a "fellowship dinner" together. Just as saints of old used to "feast" together, we too will be using this Sunday as an opportunity to have an extended time of food and fellowship. Please come prepared to stay after the service for the dinner and enjoy and encourage one another...God has given us one another as a gift from Him and for the purpose of encouragement, growth, and sanctification.
Also, if you signed up to bring something...please do not forget! If you did not sign-up, feel free to bring something anyway. If you are not able to bring anything, come join us as well. We love to use these times to get to know one another better!

4. Lastly, since there is no evening service tomorrow...some of us are going to the Robin Mark concert in Elyria. If you have not heard about this but would like to go, let me know either today through email or tomorrow at church.

Looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow morning!

In Christ,

Pastor Jerry

Someone Greater Than Angels

I was visiting someone in the hospital yesterday and in the course of our discussion the conversation turned to angels. Now, I have to admit that I have always been a little uncomfortable with so much talk about angels...not because I do not believe in them...but because of the amount of "angel worship" that takes place.

But recently I have gained a better perspective about the ministry of angels. You see, all throughout the Bible, angels have had a very significant role in the purpose and plan of God. Of course, they are created beings. Angels have not always existed...they are part of the universe that God created. Angels exercise moral judgment which is seen in the fact that some of them sinned and fell from their positions. Angels are "spirits" which means they do not ordinarily have physical bodies and therefore cannot usually be seen unless God gives a special ability to see them. Angels are often found in the Bible as either "guarding and protecting us" or "joining us in worship to God".

If you think through your Bible, angels have been used at very important times to carry out God's plan. And while angels are "ministering spirits" to serve us...they were created to worship and bless their Creator and serve Him.

We find this to be true in the life of Jesus Christ. Here are some examples:

1. In the birth of Christ. God chose Mary to be the special one who would give birth to the Son of God. How did God choose to reveal this amazing and awe-inspiring news? He sent an angel to tell Mary. So Mary was comforted, but what about her soon-to-be husband Joseph? Remember that he was confused and disappointed and so he decided that he should quietly break off his "engagement" with Mary. And again, right on time, God sends an angel to explain this to Joseph. So angels were used in telling the good news of the coming Messiah!

2. At the temptation of Christ. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where for 40 days and 40 nights he was tempted by the Devil. Christ answered each temptation with the truth of God's Word even answering one temptation by using a reference to angels. But the Bible tells us that after the Devil left Him, the angels came and ministered and strengthened Christ. So, here again we find the angels ministering to Christ and strengthening Him for His earthly ministry.

3. In the Garden of Gethsemane. It was here that we are introduced to a staggered and overwhelmed Christ. Never before in the life of Christ do we find Him so overwhelmed as we do in the garden. It is here that we find His soul "exceedingly sorrowful" even unto death. It has been said that 'while on the cross was where Christ physical body was crucified, it was here in the garden that his soul was crucified'. Because He was facing the reality of taking on the sins of the world. As he prays, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me" the Bible records for us no answer from His Father. All Christ hears in response to this prayer is SILENCE. Because there is no other way. Christ must go to the Cross. But while there was silence from the Father, we are told that "an angel from heaven appeared to Him, stengthening Him".

As we can see, the angels have always played an integral role especially in ministering to Christ. Angels are beings that are instructed with what to do and they are ready at a moment's notice to do what the Father commands.

But, that means that the angels are limited. They can only do what the Father commands. Did you know that there was a time when God could have called on the angels....but didnt!!!

The most crucial moment in all of history. The Cross of Calvary. It was here that God could have ended it all, but instead, the angels never got the call. You can imagine the angels all lined up and in position...all they needed was a "word"...in fact, on this occasion, just a "nod" would have been enough. But as they looked to Almighty God for instruction...the call never came.

The Bible tells us that there were at least 7 sayings of Christ on the Cross. Are you not thankful that Christ did not cry out "Father, send twelve legions of angels to rescue me"??

In fact, after the Garden of Gethsemane, I do not find any trace of angelic ministry until the empty tomb. At the tomb the angel says, "do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified...He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying...and go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead".

So, what does the Bible record for us in between the Garden of Gethsemane and Resurrection Morning??

The Cross!!

No angelic assistance because Christ had to go to the Cross alone!!
No assistance...no help...no strengthening!!

This is why we do not worship angels or pray to angels. Angels have their place....and we should give thanks for their ministry. But no angel became a man! No angel died in our place! Christ did not become an angel...He did not take on the nature of an angel...He did not die for angels.
Listen to Octavius Winslow on this point:

"Who are the people upon whom the heart of Jesus is set? They, are not angels; and yet He loves angels, because they are elect and holy; He loves them as the creatures of His power, and as the ministers of His will. But God loves not angels as He loves man. The Lord Jesus bears not the same affection towards those unfallen and pure spirits as He does towards a poor sinner hiding in His wounded side, cleansing in His blood, and enfolding himself within the robe of His righteousness. He never took part of the nature of angels, nor wept over angels, nor bled for angels- but all this He did for man!"

Christ was made lower than the angels for a time so He could take on human flesh and He who knew no sin became sin for us and died in our place so we could be redeemed and have our sins forgiven.

And 1 Peter tells us that the angels look into these things because they are still a mystery to them. 1 Peter 1:3-12 are some of the greatest verses on "our great salvation" that God has provided. It tells us that the prophets spoke of this salvation and Christ has provided it and today you hear of it through the gospel...but what are the angels doing? They are still "looking in". The picture is of someone who is on the outside (never having experienced saving grace) "looking in" and wondering how it all works!

Although these angels do not understand it, they worship our God night and day and rejoice in the Savior Jesus Christ...how can we, who are sinners that have been redeemed, do anything less!!

(May I encourage you to read more on this study in Hebrews chapters 1-2)

The Providence of God

I am constantly amazed and blessed by the Providence of God!

There are so many instances of this...that I guess we (at least "I") take it for granted. Here are a couple of late that have been a great blessing to me:

1. As many of you know, I have been preaching through the gospel of Luke. Each week God amazes me with His Word! This past Sunday we found ourselves at the beginning of Luke 11, which happens to be the Lord's Prayer. So, on Father's Day we found ourselves starting a study on the Lord's Prayer which begins with the words "Our Father"...so in summary, on Father's Day the text we "happened" to fall on led us to a study on the "Fatherhood of God". What better subject could there be for us to study on Father's Day!! Our God knows what we need and His timing is always perfect!

2. These past two Sundays my thoughts have been on God's adopting love. I have been overwhelmed by the fact that "if I love God it is because He first loved me". This past Sunday morning I mentioned this and quoted Charles Spurgeon on this subject. Here is the quote (in case you werent there...or in case you dont remember...or in case you fell asleep...or in case...you can fill in the blank):

"I once knew a good woman who was the subject of many doubts, and when I got to the bottom of her doubt, it was this: she knew she loved Christ, but she was afraid he did not love her. 'Oh!' I said, 'that is a doubt that will never trouble me; never, by any possibility, because I am sure of this, that the heart is so corrupt, naturally, that love to God never did get there without God’s putting it there.' You may rest quite certain, that if you love God, it is a fruit, and not a root. It is the fruit of God’s love to you, and did not get there by the force of any goodness in you. You may conclude, with absolute certainty, that God loves you if you love God."

You see 'naturally, left to myself, I ignore God, defy God, and despise God'. We would never turn to God on our own. This is summed up well in the following words written by Josiah Conder in the late 1800's:

My Lord, I did not choose You
For that could never be
My heart would still refuse You
Had You not chosen me
You took the sin that stained me
You cleansed me, made me new
Of old You have ordained me
That I should live in You

Unless Your grace had called me
And taught my darkened mind
The world would have enthralled me
To Your glories I’d be blind
My heart knows none above You
For Your rich grace I thirst
I know that if I love You
You must have loved me first

Now...back to my point about the Providence of God. I quoted these words twice in the last 2 weeks. First, in our Sunday evening service on June 8th and then again during Sunday School in my address to the youth group. Both times I read it...I thought 'someone needs to take these words and set them to music and make a worship song out of it'. Well, last night I get an email from Sovereign Grace Music...which includes a new cd offer. This cd is made up of songs that were performed at the New Attitude Conference in Louisville, Kentucky approximately 1 month ago. And included in the song set is a song entitled "My Lord, I did not choose You". This song is performed by Devon Kauflin which includes a chorus that he added. So, I have immediately added this cd to my mp3 player and cant wait till we can add this song to our worship sets on Sunday mornings.

May I encourage you to keep an eye on how God is "in and over all things" and be sure and give Him the praise!

"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."
Romans 11:36

By the way:
You can find a free sample of this song and/or download the mp3 of this song for 99 cents at:
http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=M4230-08-51

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day!!

I was thinking about that little title...and thinking about what really makes for a "Happy" Father!

The Bible tells us that "there is no greater joy than to see your children walking in the Truth". A true and lasting joy for a Father comes from taking your children (and wife) by the hand and leading them to a genuine relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ.

Fathers, please do not let "Father's Day" be all about what gifts you receive or what special meal you can be served (nothing wrong with giving your father gifts or a meal, btw!!)...but instead think about the immense privilege you have to be their father. That God created "male" and "female"...and gave each specific roles and responsibilities. Because God has made you "male"...and a "husband" and "father", you have been called to lead and love the way Christ loves and leads the church. God gave you your wife and children as a gift from Him for you to "shepherd their souls". So, please take this role seriously! More serious than you take your vocation or you hobbies! Nothing will bring you more joy, and nothing will make you a "happy Father" more...not just for a day, but today and forever!

Listen to how James Alexander describes the husband and father's responsibility in his "Thoughts on Family Worship":
"the husband has the duty of providing spiritual leadership for his wife. Since he is to love her as Christ loved the church, the husband must do all he can to prepare his wife for heaven (Eph. 5:23-27). He must teach her the Scriptures and pray with her, pointing her again and again to our risen Savior. Similarly, fathers have a duty to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4)."

he continues...
"nothing will spur a father toward godly, spiritual discipline in his own walk with Christ more than leading his family in worship. In order to teach his wife and children, he will have to study the Scriptures on his own".

This is so true!!

Being a father and seeing that role from God's perspective is so humbling...which is a good thing! I realize that I am responsible for whether or not my family serves the Lord with gladness! Since I know that I am not equal to this task...it keeps me humbly dependent upon God and His grace at work in my life and then through my life to my family.

I pray that each of us as "fathers" will continue to pursue God more and more so that we might love Him more deeply and then be able to teach this and pass this on to our children.

I can honestly say that I am so thankful that God has blessed me with my wife, two children, and one more to come. My wife can tell you that every once in a while I will turn to her while watching our children and say something like "I love our family".

So, as a father, I am truly happy! Not because of all the nice things that my wife and children do for me...although there are many tangible ways that they express their love to me, but mostly I am "happy" because God has allowed me the great privilege of being a servant leader in my home to Jennifer, Jana, and Josiah and baby J "to be named later"!!

Once again,

Happy Father's Day!!

Diligently Teach Your Children

Have you ever taken the time to listen to children while their playing?

Well, today I did and I was blessed!! I went home for lunch today and overheard my daughter Jana (7 yrs. old) and my son Josiah (4 yrs. old) playing. They were playing house/school...since they have become accustomed to our house also being school (due to homeschooling). Of course, Jana was the teacher and Josiah (along with a few dolls) was the student.

So, here is some of the conversation that I overheard take place??

Jana: ok, why did Jesus die?
Josiah: for people and their sins
Jana: who has sin?
Josiah: you
Jana: who else?
Josiah: me
Jana: who else?
Josiah: mommy and daddy (cant believe he said that!!)
Jana: everybody, right??

This was an awesome conversation to walk in on!! As I listened to them interact, I was overwhelmed by the understanding that they have for Christ's substitutionary death on the cross for our sins in order to bring us to God.

I know that so much of their knowledge is a result of my wife's hard work and sacrifice. Because of her commitment to work in our home and raise our children. My wife has given up a lot in order to be a "stay at home mom" and a "homeschool teacher"...and as if that wasn't enough...then to coordinate and oversee Vacation Bible School and our year long Sunday evening children's program called KidVenture.

There is no doubt in my mind that our children have benefited from our KidVenture program which is walking them through a catechism. If you are not doing something along these lines, let me encourage you to implement some kind of "questions and answers" with your children. (May I also encourage you to make sure your children are a put of KidVenture this fall on Sunday evenings...it is awesome!!)

here is a website to give you an idea of the kind of thing I am talking about:
http://www.grace.org.uk/faith/childcat.html

Now, just a little more of the conversation between Jana and Josiah:

Jana: ok, what did we learn from our book last night?
Josiah: um...I dont know
Jana: before we went to bed, what did we read about?
Josiah: um...God and Jesus??
Jana: well, yeah...we read about Moses, right?
Josiah: oh yeah

This was the part that really made my day!

You see we have been reading from a book just about every night...except the nights that we are returning home from somewhere and the children fall asleep in the car...we don't dare wake them, but instead we carry them into their beds...thank God for an early night for us...and fall onto the couch or bed!! But on most nights, the last thing we do before bed is read out of a book called "the Jesus Storybook Bible". So, Jana was quizzing Josiah on what we read last night...I was glad she was quizzing Josiah...because honestly, if she was asking me that question...my memory wasn't any better than Josiah's...so I too would have given the old stand-by response "um...God and Jesus??"

But, I was amazed that Jana actually remembered. I have found this time (which is only 10-15 minutes at the most) to be the highlight of my day. I love it when Josiah runs to get the book and says that we cant go to sleep until we have read our story. And may I encourage you to pick up this book. It is excellent!! This book tells the Story behind all the other stories in the Bible. Every story whispers the name of Jesus!!

Listen to these recommendations:

“Sally has captured the plot line of redemption in a children’s story Bible that sings the praise of Jesus and his saving grace on every page, in every story. This is heady theology, often missed in adult preaching and teaching, but fully realized in an age appropriate and attractive form that will delight children and often (at least for me) leave the grown up reader in tears... To discover The Jesus Storybook Bible is to have a unique resource for communicating the gospel to children in all it’s fullness. I hope that every family, and even people without young children, would get a copy of this book just to remind them of what the Real Story of the Bible is all about." - Dr. Timothy Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC

"All too often, children's Bible storybooks isolate individual biblical stories from the message of the Scriptures. Children then learn “Bible stories” much like they learn Aesops’ fables – entertaining stories about what people should and shouldn’t do. The Jesus Storybook Bible is a wonderful exception to this trend. Sally Lloyd-Jones tells the stories of the Bible in a way that seeks to be exegetically faithful to the text while directing children to what adults would call the "redemptive historical" meaning; the whole Bible tells the history of God's purpose to redeem His people through the Savior. Bible stories learned this way do what God intended them to do - they lead people to know and believe the gospel of Jesus. Perhaps the greatest value of this book is how it can train parents (and anyone in a position of teaching) to teach the Scriptures rightly to their children." - Westminister Theological Seminary Bookstore

Remember in Deuteronomy chapter 6, we are commanded to love the Lord our God and then do our part to diligently teach our children to love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. We are to teach them of His Ways when we lie down, when we rise up, and as we go!

If you need some more encouragement on the importance of family worship, here are 2 more really good resources for you:

1. "Family Driven Faith" by Voddie Baucham
2. "Family Worship" by Donald Whitney

My Article from 'THE FINAL WORD'

Every time the newsletter article comes “due”, I consider what to share with you. I look back over the past 6-8 weeks and see if there is anything worthy of your time and this printed page. So, as I look back the highlight of this past month was the Basics Pastor’s Conference at Parkside Church. This year was my 8th consecutive year attending and as always it was a great blessing. This year’s special guests were Voddie Baucham and Jerry Bridges along with Pastor Alistair Begg. The theme was “Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves”.

All of the messages were great and aimed at encouraging Pastor’s to stay near the Cross everyday.

While each of these men were excellent to listen to, Jerry Bridges is the “master” when it comes to this subject.

I love how he reminded us that the gospel is not just for unbelievers as we so often think, but instead that the gospel is for sinners!! Therefore, we need to preach the gospel to ourselves everyday because we are all practicing sinners! Obviously, just because we are “in Christ” does not change the fact that we are sinners. And those who are “in Christ” ought to be people who “mourn” over their sin. Like Paul in all of his new testament letters (we see this in Romans as we study it in our Adult Bible Fellowships each week), we ought to be deeply aware of remaining sin and see sin as an offense to a holy and righteous God. It is true that even on our very best days, we still fall woefully short of the holiness that God requires.

If you are like me, it is at this point that we find ourselves saying “but this doesn’t feel very good”. But what we are really saying (and feeling) is that this doesn’t make us feel good about ourselves. But, the gospel and Christianity was never intended to make us feel good about ourselves. If we felt good about ourselves we would have never come to Christ in the first place. The gospel and the Cross and Christianity is intended to make us feel good about Christ!!

This is why we must start with our sinfulness. The greatest benefit of acknowledging our sinfulness is that it makes Christ and His work precious to us. Why? Because only sinners need a Savior! I am reminded of the wise words of Thomas Watson who said, “till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet”. We see this of all the saints of old…they were men and women who came to see themselves in the light of God’s holiness. We see this over and over again in the Apostle Paul’s writings. As we read his letters it is apparent that with each passing day, two things became clearer and clearer to him: his sinfulness in light of the holiness of God and God’s mercy in the face of his sin. John Newton, author of the hymn “Amazing Grace”, as he came to the end of his life couldn’t remember much but what he did remember was that “he was a great sinner and Christ was a great Savior”. They must go hand in hand. Christ will never be seen as a great Savior until we see ourselves for who we really are – great sinners!

Once again, let us hear from Charles Spurgeon on this subject:
“too many think lightly of sin, and therefore think lightly of the Savior. He who has stood before his God, convicted and condemned, with the rope about his neck, is the man to weep for joy when he is pardoned, to hate the evil which has been forgiven him, and to live to the honor of the Redeemer by whose blood he has been cleansed”.

Bridges encouraged me and I in turn encourage each of you “to preach the gospel to ourselves everyday”.

This means we must start with “guilt”. But, we don’t stay there! Next we move to “grace”. God’s grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin. It is gracious of God to provide a solution to the sin problem. His solution being that He gave His only begotten Son who lived the perfect life we could not live and then died the painful death that we should have endured. He became our sin-bearer. He was our substitute. He paid a debt He did not owe because I owed a debt I could not pay!

And then “gratitude”! As Spurgeon said in the above quote, the man who truly sees his own sin and feels that guilt and then sees the Savior extend His grace…this is the man who will then live in “gratitude” to the honor of His Savior!

I hope that this will challenge you, as it did me, to spend each morning meditating and dwelling on the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and God’s gracious disposition towards sinners like you and me.

May I leave you with a final quotation…I had heard it before but was reminded of it when Jerry Bridges gave it to us as the closing of his message…and I now keep it close by all the time.

“There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be true as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His “blood and righteousness” alone that we can rest.” - B.B Warfield

Pray for Steven Curtis Chapman

Please be praying for Steven and his wife Mary Beth and family...this morning it was announced on WCRF that his 5 year old daughter Maria died yesterday as a result of an accident. It appears that one of the teenage sons may have struck her with the car in the driveway...so be praying for the whole family during this crisis!! Also, be sure and give your spouse and kids a hug and kiss as soon as you can. It is a reminder to us that our lives are but a vapor, that appear for a little time and then vanish away...and that every day we have is a precious gift from God and another opportunity for us to "love God" and "love each other" with a Christ-like love!!

Below is the announcement on Steven Curtis Chapman's website:

MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOME

NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Thursday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

One Mediator between God and Man

My morning thought from Octavius Winslow went along so well with what I posted yesterday and what I am currently reading in "In my place condemned He stood"...so I thought I would share it in case anyone would like to read more...

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions [that were] under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. - Hebrews 9:15

"Viewed in its proper aspect, the humanity of our Lord will be found to occupy a place in the scheme of salvation, as important and essential to its perfection as His Deity; that the humanity was pure humanity, and the Deity absolute Deity, while the mysterious union of the two, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, constituted Him the proper and the "one Mediator between God and man." Glorious is this aspect of our Lord's complex person; full and clear is the testimony of the Spirit to its truth. Where Christ speaks of Himself as inferior to the Father-as having received "glory from the Father,"-as receiving "life from the Father,"-of "the Father being greater than He,"-He must invariably be regarded as alluding to Himself in His mediatorial office only, and not in His Divine character. He is equal to the Father in nature, subordinate to Him only in office. On this truth hinges all the glory and efficacy of redemption.

It was, then, essential to His fitness as the Surety and Mediator of His covenant people, that He should be "bone of their bone, and flesh of their flesh." That forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; "it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren." The nature of His office, and the success of his undertaking, required that the union of every Divine and human perfection should meet and center in Him. He was to be the middle person between God and man. He was to bring together these two extremes of being-the Infinite and the finite. He was to mediate for the offended Creator and the offending creature. How could He possibly accomplish this great and peculiar work, without a union of the two natures-the Divine and the human? Jehovah could admit of mediation only by one of equal holiness and glory, and man could negotiate in this great business of reconciliation but with one "in all points (sin excepted) like can to himself." Behold this wondrous union in the person of Jesus. As man, he was made under the law-honoring it in its precepts by His obedience, and in its penalty by His sufferings. As God, He imparted a dignity to that obedience, and a virtue to those sufferings, which rendered them eternally efficacious in the salvation of men, glorious in the sight of angels, and infinitely satisfactory to law and to justice.

Beloved reader, stand not aloof from the pure humanity of your blessed Lord. It was humanity that obeyed, that bled, and that died for you. Cling to the doctrine of His Deity. It was God in the man that rendered His obedience meritorious for your justification, and His death effectual for your redemption. Oh glorious person of the God-man Mediator! What a foundation is here laid for a poor condemned sinner to build upon! What a "new and living way" to God is opened-what a wide door to His very heart! He may come now, and feel that not a perfection of Jehovah is trampled upon in His coming-that not an iota of His law is dishonored in His salvation-but that the law appears in its richest luster, and every perfection shines in its resplendent glory, in the full and free redemption of a sinner through the blood and righteousness of the Son of God. Is it any wonder that over the door of mercy should be written in letters of brightness that might dazzle an angel's eye, "Whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life"?

Back in the action!!

These past week has been difficult for me...as some of you know, my laptop computer is giving me trouble. Therefore, I have had very little access to a computer or to the internet. It is amazing how much we (or should I say "I") depend upon computers these days. In fact, when a pastor friend of mine heard that I was without a computer he asked "so, are you able to preach?". Although this sounds funny...he was putting his finger right on the button. It has made my preparation much more difficult. I dont know how Spurgeon did it without "microsoft word" or "online bible commentaries"??

Anyway, I wanted to share with you the latest book that I have been reading. It is called "In my place condemned He stood" by J.I Packer and Mark Dever. Obviously the title comes from the hymn "Hallelujah, what a Savior" which includes these words:

"Bearing shame and scoffing rude
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!"

The book is a celebration of the glory of the atonement. In the first chapter, J.I Packer mentions that the word "propitiation" is only found 4 times in the New Testament but the concept of "propitiation" is found everywhere in the Bible. The doctrine of propitiation is this..."that God loved the objects of His wrath so much that He gave His own Son to the end that He by His blood should make provision for the removal of His wrath...by doing so, Christ would make those who are objects of wrath into children of God by and for His good pleasure".

This is a great place to spend your quiet time...reflecting on this great truth. So, here are the 4 verses of the New Testament that include the word "propitiation":
1. Romans 3:21-26
2. Hebrews 2:17
3. I John 2:1-2
4. I John 4:8-10

Now, if you would really like to saturate yourself with this great teaching then let me suggest that you do what I have done these past few days. Spend time reading not just where the word is found...but where the concept or doctrine is taught. As Packer said, it is all over the New Testament.

Here are a few:
1. Romans (chapters 1-5)...by the way, this is where we are in our ABF study...so join us!!
2. Galatians 3
3. Ephesians 1-2...by the way, we are reading chapters 1, 2, and 3 daily for this month
4. Hebrews 8, 9, and 10
5. I John 1-3

Maybe read a chapter of these a day...and saturate yourself with the love of God in Christ on the cross on behalf of sinners like you and me!

It will cause you to break out in praise with words similar to how one of my favorite hymns begins:

"My song is love unknown,
my Savior's love to me,
love to the loveless shown,
that they might lovely be,
oh, who am I that for my sake,
oh, who am I that for my sake,
the Lord should take frail flesh and die!"

As you can tell, this has been another great book that God is using to draw me near the Cross and near Christ!

Octavius Winslow - Morning and Evening Thoughts

I have found a new spiritual hero - his name is Octavius Winslow!

Ok...I didnt find him...but I found many of his writings via the internet. As many of you know, probably my favorite pastor and writer is Charles Spurgeon. One of Spurgeon's closest friends in the ministry was Octavius Winslow. I have found Winslow's writings to be very much like Spurgeon's. Both of them are great at keeping the listener/reader close to Christ and close to the Cross! That is why I appreciate their writings so much!

So, today I would like to share with you one of Winslow's devotions...these come from Winslow's Morning and Evening Thoughts which I have been using as my devotions of late. This particular one is a little lengthy but definitely worth the time. Because of some of the archaic language, be sure and take time to concentrate...and if possible, read twice (that's what I usually have to do!!).

"The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Rom. 8:16

THREE important things are involved in these words—first, the Witness—then that with which He witnesses—and lastly, the great truth to which He witnesses.

First, "the Spirit itself bears witness." The great business of making known to a poor sinner his acquittal in the high court of heaven, and his adoption into the King's family, is entrusted to no inferior agent. No angel is commissioned to bear the tidings, no mortal man may disclose the secret. None but God the Holy Spirit Himself. "The Spirit itself" He that rests short of this testimony wrongs his own soul. Dear reader, be satisfied with no witness to your "calling and election" but this. Human testimony is feeble here. Your minister, your friend, schooled as they may be in the evidences of experimental godliness, cannot assure your spirit that you are "born of God." God the Eternal Spirit alone can do this. He only is competent—He only can fathom the "deep things of God,"—He only can rightly discern between His own work and its counterfeit, between grace and nature —He only can make known the secret of the Lord to those who fear Him; all other testimony to your sonship is uncertain, and may fearfully and fatally deceive. "It is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth." Again and yet again would we solemnly repeat it—take nothing for granted touching your personal interest in Christ—rest not satisfied with the testimony of your own spirit, or with that of the holiest saint on earth; seek nothing short of "the Spirit itself." This only will do for a dying hour.

The second thing to be observed in the declaration is—that with which He witnesses—"the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit." It is a personal testimony—not borne to others, but to ourselves—"with our spirit." The adoption of the believer into the family of God is so great a privilege, involving blessings so immense, for beings so sinful and in all respects unworthy, that, did not their heavenly Father assure them by His own immediate testimony of its truth, no other witness would suffice to remove their doubts and quiet their fears, and satisfy them as to their real sonship. The Eternal Spirit of God descends and enters their hearts, as a witness to their adoption. He firsts renews our spirit—applies the atoning blood to the conscience—works faith in the heart—enlightens the understanding—and thus prepares the believing soul for the revelation and assurance of this great and glorious truth—his adoption into the family of God. As it is "with our spirit" the Holy Spirit witnesses, it is necessary that, in order to perfect agreement and harmony, he who has the witness within himself should first be a repenting and believing sinner. He who says that he has this witness, but who still remains "dead in sins,"—a stranger to faith in the Lord Jesus—to the renewings of the Holy Spirit—in a word, who is not born of God—is wrapping himself up in an awful deception. The witness we plead for is the holy testimony, in concurrence with a holy gospel, by a holy Spirit, to a holy man, and concerning a holy truth. There can be no discrepancy, no want of harmony, between the witness of the Spirit and the word of God. He witnesses according to, and in agreement with, the truth. Vague and fanciful impressions, visions, and voices, received and rested upon as evidences of salvation, are fearful delusions. Nothing is to be viewed as an evidence of our Divine sonship which does not square and harmonize with the revealed word of God. We must have a "Thus says the Lord," for every step we take in believing that we are the children of God. Let it be remembered, then, that the Spirit bears His testimony to believers. His first step is to work repentance and faith in the heart; then follows the sealing and witnessing operation. "In whom also, after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise."

The last particular is the great truth to which He testifies, "that we are the children of God." The Spirit is emphatically spoken of as a Spirit of adoption. "For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." And again, "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Now it is the peculiar office of the Spirit to witness to the adoption of the believer. Look at the blessed fact to which He testifies—not that we are the enemies, the aliens, the strangers, the slaves, but that we are "the children of God." High and holy privilege! "The children of God!" Chosen from all eternity—"having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,"—all their iniquities laid on Jesus, their blessed Surety, justified by the "Lord our righteousness,"—called by the effectual operation of the Eternal Spirit—inhabited, sanctified, sealed by God the Holy Spirit. Oh exalted state! oh holy privilege! oh happy people! Pressing on, it may be, through strong corruptions, deep trials, clinging infirmities, fiery temptations, sore discouragements, dark providences, and often the hidings of a Father's countenance, and yet "the children of God" now, and soon to be glorified hereafter.

These kind of devotions each morning and evening have been great for my soul! I hope that you have found some resources that help you in the morning hours to turn your soul's attention to Christ!

Thanks for your prayers!

So many were praying for myself and for our praise band as we participated in the activities this weekend at Relay for Life...I want to say a big "Thank You"!!

We had a great time and we trust that God will use our "planting and watering" and He will bless and give the increase as He sees fit!

Today, I will be leaving for Parkside Church for a Pastor's conference with 6 other men. Please be in prayer for us as we travel to and from Parkside today, tomorrow, and Wednesday. Most importantly, please pray that we will grow as godly men and that God will use this time to help us to grow closer together! We will be hearing from Alistair Begg, Jerry Bridges, and Voddie Baucham...should be a great time!

I will post some updates from our conference during the week!

Relay for Life - Downtown Warren this Weekend

Just as a reminder to everyone that "Relay for Life" is taking place in downtown Warren this weekend. It begins on Friday at 6:00 pm and goes for 24 hours until Saturday at 6:00 pm.

I have been invited to begin the festivities with an opening prayer tonight! Please be praying for me as I lead many of these participants in prayer.

Also, our youth praise band is scheduled to "perform" on Saturday at 3:00 at the Gazebo next to the courthouse. Please come out and be an encouragement to them and enjoy the opportunity to praise God under "open skies"!!

There are many games for the kids and of course plenty of unhealthy food to enjoy...hope to see you there!

Pastor Jerry

'OVER MY DEAD BODY'

Ok...it has been far too long since I have posted anything...but, here goes.

I thought I would share with you an article that I read about one of my spiritual heroes - C.H. Spurgeon.

This comes from a message he preached entitled 'Christ - Our Substitute' on the evening of Sunday, April 15th, 1860. Spurgeon was only 25 years old when he preached these words.

“Little, however, did I think I should live to see this kind of stuff taught in the pulpit. We never know today what may occur tomorrow. We have lived to see a certain sort of men, — thank God, they are not Baptists! — (though I am sorry to say there are a great many Baptists who are beginning to follow in their trail) who seek to teach, nowadays, that God is a universal Father, and that our ideas of His dealing with the impenitent as a Judge, and not as a Father, are remnants of antiquated error. Sin, according to these men, is a disorder rather than an offence, an error rather than a crime. Love is the only attribute they can discern, and the full-orbed Deity they have not known. Some of these men push their way very far into the bogs and mire of falsehood, until they inform us that eternal punishment is ridiculed as a dream.
In fact, books now appear which teach us that there is no such thing as the vicarious sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. They use the word atonement, it is true; but, in regard to its meaning, they have removed the ancient landmark. They acknowledge that the Father has shown His great love to poor sinful man by sending His Son; but not that God was inflexibly just in the exhibition of His mercy, nor that He punished Christ on the behalf of His people, nor that, indeed, God ever will punish anybody in His wrath, or that there is such a thing as justice apart from discipline.
Even sin and hell are but old words employed henceforth in a new and altered sense. Those are old-fashioned notions, and we poor souls, who go on talking about election and imputed righteousness, are behind our time.
Aye, and the gentlemen who bring out books on this subject applaud Mr. Maurice, and Professor Scott, and the like, but are too cowardly to follow them, and boldly propound these sentiments. These are the new men whom God has sent down from Heaven, to tell us that the apostle Paul was all wrong, that our faith is vain, that we have been quite mistaken, that there was no need for propitiating blood to wash away our sins; that the fact was, our sins needed discipline, but penal vengeance and righteous wrath are quite out of the question! …
Well, brethren, I am happy to say that sort of stuff has not gained entrance into this pulpit. I dare say the worms will eat the wood before there will be anything of that sort sounded in this place; and may these bones be picked by vultures, and this flesh be rent in sunder by lions, and may every nerve in this body suffer pangs and tortures, ere these lips shall give utterance to any such doctrines or sentiments!
We are content to remain among the vulgar souls who believe the old doctrines of grace. We are willing still to be behind in the great march of intellect, and stand by that unmoving cross, which, like the pole star, never advances, because it never stirs, but always abides in its place, the guide of the soul to Heaven, the one foundation other than which no man can lay, and without building upon which no man shall ever see the face of God and live.”

I hope you can see why he is one of my heroes!! May we at First Baptist Church of Howland say the same thing. If Spurgeon saw these problems back in 1860...how much more do we need to be "on guard" to protect the glorious gospel that has been entrusted to us!!

What do you REALLY believe??

After my last blog, I thought I would share something I read this week from C.S. Lewis in his book called "The Case for Christianity". Remember that our world (including every educational institution that doesnt believe in the authority of the Scriptures) teaches that there are "no absolutes". C.S Lewis argued that the belief that there are no moral absolutes is betrayed by the desire in all people to be treated fairly or properly and by their complaints when they are not.

So, listen to Lewis:

"now what interests me about these remarks is that the man who makes them isnt just saying that the other man's behavior doesnt happen to please him. He is appealing to some kind of standard of behavior he expects the other man to know about. And the other man very seldom replies, "to hell with your standard". Nearly always he tries to make out that what he has been doing doesnt really go against the standard, or that if he does, there is some special excuse...it looks, in fact, very much as if both parties had in mind some kind of Law or Rule of fair play or decent behavior or morality or whatever you like to call it, about which they really agreed. And they have."

We have all seen it (especially if we have ever watched children play!!). Someone who is wronged lashes out against the other person for violating some unspoken rule or law about fair play or basic decency. Lewis argues, and I agree, that this behavior is evidence of an innate sense of right and wrong present within all of us.

Inevitably, some would argue that the presence of evil in the world or disagreements between cultures about this "innate" sense would serve as proof against its existence. Lewis used the reality of World War II, the context in which he gave these lectures, to refute this argument.

Lewis continues:
"They called it Law of Nature because they thought every one knew it by nature and didnt need to be taught it. Taking the race as a whole, they thought that the human idea of decent behavior was obvious to everyone. And I believe they were right. If they werent, then all the things we say about the war are nonsense. What is the sense in saying the enemy are in the wrong unless Right is a real thing which the Germans at the bottom know as well as we do and ought to practice? If they had no notion of what we mean by right, then, though we might still have to fight them, we could no more blame them for that then for the color of their hair."

Of course those who REALLY believe in "no absolute truth" would argue that the actions of Nazi Germany were not wrong (and either was the action of the shooter at Virginia Tech). They would say that they were just doing what was right for them at the time. As I said last time, that is where that kind of thinking has to lead.

I will continue to speak on these issues in my next few posts.

We will continue to try and address some of the crucial issues of our day, such as:
- all religions are basically the same!!
- the most important thing is tolerance!!
- the only absolute is that there are "no absolutes"!!
- the Bible isnt the only holy book, what about all the other religious writings??

These are issues that we must address in order to know what we REALLY believe!!

Biblical Worldview

Saturday, June 16th is the 2 month anniversary of the infamous Blacksburg shooting. If you and I are anything like the media, our thoughts have moved from Virginia Tech on to the lastest breaking news. While we move on, there are many who still grieve and will so for a long time. April 16, 2007 is now known as the deadliest shooting in modern US history. Seung Hui Cho took 32 lives on that day before taking his own life. Before you continue reading this, will you pause and pray for the 33 families that grieve over losing a loved one and the many other students and friends that had their world turned upside down. Please pray that in the midst of chaos and confusion many will come to know and trust that our God is a refuge and a very present help in times of trouble. May all those who were affected by this tragedy "be still and know that He is God".
Read Psalm 46!

As I reflect back on that tragedy, it once again reminds me of our need to teach our children and adults a biblical worldview. What is a worldview? A worldview, according to Francis Schaeffer is "the grid through which one sees the world". In other words, a worldview is like a pair of glasses which enable you to see more clearly. Chuck Colson describes a worldview as "the sum total of our beliefs about the world, the big picture that directs our daily decisions and actions". You see belief will always affect behavior - our beliefs direct our daily decisions and actions! Our children and young people will ultimately act on what they believe. Whatever their worldview is will determine what they do. So, what kind of worldview do most Christians have? According to George Barna, less than 10% of self-proclaimed "born again" Christians in America have a biblical worldview. How can a worldview be tested? What subjects determine who has a biblical worldview and who doesnt? Well, it may vary a little bit, but there are 5 basic elements that determine our worldview. The 5 elements are:
1. Our view of God
2. Our view of Man
3. Our view of Truth
4. Our view of Knowledge
5. Our view of Ethics

The first issue is the nature of God. Our question is not simply 'is there a God?' - 90% of Americans believe in a "higher power". The real question is 'do you believe in the God of the Bible?'. A Holy God who created all things and is over all things and who has made Himself known to us. This is the God of the Bible. We find that most do not believe in the God of the Bible. So, you can see that most of Americans have an Atheistic view and not a Theistic view.

The second issue is the nature of Man. Although there is much to discuss on this subject as well, I will narrow it down to two simple question: what do you believe about man, is he/she basically good or sinful? The Bible is very clear on this subject. But which worldview does most of our world adopt? Almost everyone believes that man is good and it is only the world that corrupts him. The second question refers back to our view of God as Creator - do we believe that man has been created by an Intelligent Design or do we believe that man has evolved?

The third issue is our view of Truth. Is truth relative (what's good for you isnt necessarily good for me) or absolute (true for all people, at all times, in all places)? I hope you realize that almost the whole world believes that there is no absolute truth. In fact, a recent study says that 85% of Christian teenagers do not believe in absolute truth. This is where we are losing the battle and I will come back to this issue.

The fourth issue is our view of Knowledge. How do we know what we know? Is it because of revelation from God or only through naturalism? A biblical worldview says that we gain our knowledge from God's revelation in creation, God's revelation in His Word, and finally by God's revelation in the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ.

The fifth issue is our view of Ethics. Are ethics "timeless and absolute" or "cultural and negotiable"? Who determines what is "right and wrong", man or God?

The two basic worldviews are Secular Humanism and Christian Theism. Here is how the two look in comparison to one another in these 5 categories:

Secular Humanism
View of God - Atheism
View of Man - Evolution
View of Truth - Relative
View of Knowledge - Naturalism
View of Ethics - Cultural

Christian Theism
View of God - Theism
View of Man - Special Creation
View of Truth - Absolute
View of Knowledge - God's Revelation
View of Ethics - Absolute

Just by a quick glance, you can see what our world teaches. This includes a high academic institute like Virginia Tech. Although this sounds harsh, the reality is that the shooting at Virginia Tech is a product of the very teachings that go on at Virginia Tech and almost every other "higher learning institute".

I guarantee that at Virginia Tech the school's view on truth is not absolute but relative. Which is often defined as "what's good for you isnt necessarily what's good for me". Which basically means that we all have the right to do whatever pleases us. So, what if what's good for me is to fly planes into towers and take many innocent lives? What if what's good for me is to walk into a campus dorm and classrooms and take 32 innocent lives? If we do not believe in absolute truth, than what gives anyone the right to say these killings are wrong? What standard are we using to determine what is right and what is wrong?

You see that kind of teaching and logic doesnt make sense! Throughout all the media coverage of the VT shooting, there was one thing that I never heard - I didnt hear anyone say 'would you leave the shooter alone, he did what felt good to him'. Isnt it interesting that everyone seems to know that what he did was wrong! You see no one really believes in "no absolute truth" - because it doesnt work logically!

When our children and young people believe in a Secular Humanist worldview which consists of: no Intelligent Design but instead we just happened to evolve - that we are just here by chance without any real purpose - that there is in reality no right or wrong but everyone can do whatever is right in their own eyes and whatever pleases them - is it any wonder that the behavior that comes with that belief system is one that devalues life?

All of these teachings and beliefs are a result of what the Bible describes as the depravity of man. Although man was created in the image of God with inherent dignity and value, through Adam all mankind is under the curse of sin. The Bible says that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; that there is none that doeth good, no not one; that there is none that seeks after God; that we have all turned to our own way. Even though God has revealed Himself and pointed each of us to the Way -the Way is Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross for us. 1 Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God". This is the whole purpose of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ- TO BRING US TO GOD. Christ became our sin bearer so that we could have our sins forgiven. Apart from the redemptive work of Christ, man remains in his sin. We are all dead (spiritually) in our trespasses and sins and our greatest need is to be made alive spiritually. We must be born again. This is the greatest need in the world today - not education, but salvation. Turning from our sin to the Living God in repentance and faith for new birth. But for many, instead of turning to God as He has revealed Himself in Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, people are doing exactly what Romans 1 says:

For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

I hope this topic will burn in your hearts as it does in mine. I believe God wants us to be very intentional about teaching our children and young people a biblical worldview. If God is burdening you with this issue, may I recommend a few books for further reading:

How now shall we live - Chuck Colson

Worldviews in Confict - Ronald Nash

The Gagging of God (Christianity confronts Pluralism) - D.A. Carson

Total Truth - Nancy Pearcey

Also, if you would like to add to this recommended reading list other books that you have found helpful on these topics, please feel free to post them.

Christianity Explored starts Sunday!!

I am very excited about our summer ABF series called "Christianity Explored".

This is a video series put out by Rico Tice. Two weeks ago we showed a trailer about this series before the worship service and last week we viewed a 12 minute summary of the 10 week series.

We hope to see you there beginning this Sunday morning (Father's Day) at 9:30.

Please take a moment today and think of someone you could call and invite. Christianity Explored is a great way for an unbeliever to be exposed to who Jesus is and what He has done and why it matters!!

Hope to see you Sunday!!

Memorial Day 2007

I hope you had a happy Memorial Day yesterday! We were able to spend the majority of the day with my side of the family for a cookout. It is always nice when you are able to take advantage of the different holidays to be with family. Since yesterday was a day to remember those who gave their very lives to defend and protect our country, I think it is only fitting that we would want to spend it with those who are nearest and dearest to us. So, we did what most families do...got together, prayed and gave thanks to our Great God, and ate. We enjoyed one another's presence and then each of us went on our way...looking forward to the next occasion that will draw us together again. If you are removed from your immediate family, I hope that you are able to spend these holidays with church family and friends.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about something else that we did this Memorial Day. I hesitate to share it because these are the kind of things that I like to do without any public acknowledgment. But, I feel that the Lord would have me to share this with you so that you and I are encouraged as the body of Christ to "let our light shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in Heaven".

For some time now, I have been praying and considering what my wife and I could do to meet our neighbors and be a blessing to them. I believe that it is no accident where God has placed us. In Warren, Ohio at First Baptist Church of Howland. Even down to the house that we live in is part of God's plan and purpose. But, unfortunately, we have lived there for almost 6 years and really havent gotten to know our neighbors much. Although I think many of them know us as the people who live in the "minister's house" and know me as the "minister", that's about as far as it has gone. Wanting to do something to break this down, I told my wife that I would like to use the holidays over the summer months (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, etc.) to do something small to break down the barriers. So, I asked her to pray and think about what we could do. Finally on Sunday, we decided to buy cupcakes and hand them out to each of our neighbors on our street (we have a small street). So, we put 3 cupcakes on a small paper plate and covered them and put a label on it that said:

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 13:15)

YOU ARE LOVED!

Jerry, Jennifer, Jana, and Josiah Croyts

(at 204 Wheelock)

Now I have one advantage over some of you...I have two children at the ages of 6 and 3. Now it may not seem like an advantage but trust me. Most of the people on my street are in their 50's or older. So, they love to see young children. Most of them are at the grandparent stage now so they love to see children come, visit for a few minutes, and then leave. They are conditioned for that!! So, we put the cupcakes in their little red wagon and down the street we went. Jennifer holding Josiah's hand...Jana pulling the wagon...and me bringing up the rear on my crutches. We went from house to house and thankfully we found most of our neighbors home. Those that were home were so thankful and thought that it was such a sweet gesture. The one or two homes that seemed like they were unmoved at first, later made it a point to thank us. I told them that we wanted to do something small for our neighbors and we hoped that they would enjoy it. It was also a great lesson for teaching our children...it was the opposite of trick or treat. Instead of going from house to house to "receive" something, we went from house to house to "give" something. Jesus says it is far more blessed to give than it is to receive. We had a wonderful time and most of our neighbors introduced themselves to us. In fact, some even asked if we just moved in...that was like the Lord saying "I told you". One house had children the same age as our children and we stood and talked with the father for 15 minutes. Then when we were finished and returning home, he came out and asked if we would like something to drink. So, we took him up on it and it allowed us to visit for a few more minutes. He said that he moved up here from Georgia in the past couple of years and his wife is used to the "southern hospitality" and we all know that you dont find that in Northeastern Ohio. But, maybe the Lord will allow us to show them something far greater than "southern hospitality"...it's what Hebrews calls "christian hospitality" (as long as she brings her homemade lemonade).

Now, we didnt get the chance to share Christ with any of them yet. But, in a way we did!! We have been teaching Jana about "giving a cup of cold water in His Name or for His sake". This was a chance to put these teachings in action. Now, I am praying about what to do on the 4th of July. My hope and prayer is that eventually we will be able to invite some of our neighbors to a "neighborhood bible study" with the purpose of seeing unbelieving people become passionate followers of Jesus Christ.

I share all of this with you for 2 reasons:

1. to encourage you to think outside of the box...there are many ways to show Christ to our family, friends, and neighbors. the important thing is that we are being led of the Lord and being obedient to Him.

2. to ask you to share any "ideas" or "suggestions" that you might have for outreach, especially in our neighborhoods.

Please post any thoughts or ideas...maybe some that you have tried and worked or some that you are thinking about.

"There is no greater place to serve God than where He has placed us down"

May God use us right where He has placed us!!

In Christ,

Pastor Jerry