In his devotional book, Taste and See, pastor-theologian John Piper lists what he calls "ten practical suggestions for hearing the Word of God on Sunday morning." This is based on his meditation of Luke 8:18: "Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away." With this verse in mind, Piper offers the following tips:
1. Pray that God would give you a good and honest heart.
The heart we need is a work of God. That’s why we pray for it. "I will give you a new heart" (Ezek. 36:26). "I will give them a heart to know Me" (Jer. 24:7). Let’s pray, "O Lord, give me a heart for you. Give me a good and honest heart. Give me a soft and receptive heart. Give me a humble and meek heart. Give me a fruitful heart."
2. Meditate on the Word of God.
"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8). On Saturday night, read some delicious portion of your Bible with a view to stirring up hunger for God. This is the appetizer for Sunday morning’s meal.
3. Purify your mind by turning away from worldly entertainment.
"Putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which I able to save your souls" (James 1:21, emphasis added). It astonishes me how many Christians watch the same banal, empty, silly, trivial, titillating, suggestive, immodest TV shows that most unbelievers watch. This makes us small and weak and worldly and inauthentic in worship. Instead, turn off the television on Saturday night and read something true and great and beautiful and pure and honorable and excellent and worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8). Your heart will unshrivel and be able to feel greatness again.
4. Trust in the truth you already have.
The hearing of the Word of God that fails during trial has no root (Luke 8:13). What is the root we need? It is trust. Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream" (emphasis added).
5. Rest long enough Saturday night to be alert and hopeful Sunday morning.
"All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything" (1 Cor. 6:12, RSV). I am not laying down any law here. I am saying there are Saturday night ways that ruin Sunday morning worship. Don’t be enslaved by them. Without sufficient sleep, our minds are dull, our emotions are flat, our proneness to depression is higher, and our fuses are short. My counsel: Decide when you must get up on Sunday in order to have time to eat, get dressed, pray and meditate on the Word, prepare the family, and travel to church; and then compute backward eight hours and be sure that you are in bed fifteen minutes before that. Read your Bible in bed and fall asleep with the Word of God in your mind. I especially exhort parents to teach teenagers that Saturday night is not the night to stay out late with friends. If there is a special late night, make it Friday. It is a terrible thing to teach children that worship is so optional that it doesn’t matter if you are exhausted when you come.
6. Forbear one another Sunday morning without grumbling and criticism.
"They grumbled in their tents; they did not listen to the voice of the LORD" (Psalm 106:25). Sunday morning grumbling and controversy and quarreling can ruin a worship service for a family. When there is something you are angry about or some conflict that you genuinely think needs to be talked about, forbear. Of course if you are clearly the problem and need to apologize, do it as quickly as you can (Matt. 5:23-24). But if you are fuming because of the children’s or spouse’s delinquency, forbear, that is, be slow to anger and quick to listen (James 1:19). In worship, open yourself to God’s exposing the log in your own eye. It may be that all of you will be humbled and chastened so that no serious conflict is necessary.
7. Be meek and teachable when you come.
"Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21, RSV). Meekness and teachability are not gullibility. You have your Bibles and you have your brain. Use them. But if we come with a chip on our shoulders and a suspicion of the preaching, week after week, we will not hear the Word of God. Meekness is a humble openness to God’s truth with a longing to be changed by it.
8. Be still and enter the room and focus your mind’s attention and heart’s affection on God.
"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10, NKJV). As we enter the sanctuary, let us come on the lookout for God, and leave on the lookout for people. Come with a quiet passion to seek God and his power. We will not be an unfriendly church if we are aggressive in our pursuit of God during the prelude and aggressive in our pursuit of visitors during the postlude.
9. Think earnestly about what is sung and prayed and preached.
"Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature" (1 Cor. 14:20, emphasis added). So Paul says to Timothy, "Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything" (2 Timothy 2:7, RSV, emphasis added). Anything worth hearing is worth thinking about. If you would heed how you hear, think about what you hear.
10. Desire the truth of God’s Word more than you desire riches or food.
"Like newborn babies, long for [desire] the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation" (1 Peter 2:2, author’s translation). As you sit quietly and pray and meditate on the text and the songs, remind yourself of what Psalm 19:10-11 says about the words of God: "More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb."
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Autumn Reflections
New England is famous for its fall foliage. The colorful leaves are resplendent with the beauty of their Creator.
Do you ever wonder exactly why or how leaves change their color during the autumn season? Why does a maple leaf turn red? What about all the bright yellows and oranges we see?
Just recently I read up on the mystery of this metamorphosis. It all has to do with what leaves are and how they function. Simply put, leaves operate as miniature "food factories." Trees and other plants take water from the ground through their roots. The leaves absorb energy from sunlight that changes carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates (specifically glucose, a kind of sugar). The process by which plants turn water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates is called photosynthesis ("putting together with light"). A chemical called chlorophyll helps to make photosynthesis happen. Chlorophyll s what gives plants their green color.
Yet hidden beneath all that green are pigments ranging from pale yellow to deep orange to bright red (depending on the type of plant or tree). As summer ends and the days get shorter and shorter, the chlorophyll breaks down. Thus the leaf’s green color gives way to the underlying yellow and orange pigments, thereby bringing about the change in appearance. The fact is, these colors have been there all along, but they aren’t visible in the summer because they’re covered up by the green chlorophyll. Moreover, while this metamorphosis in color is taking place, other changes are occurring simultaneously. A special layer of cells develops where the leaf stem is attached to the tree and gradually severs the tissues that hold the leaf onto the branch. Once the seal is cut, a gentle breeze is all it takes to make the leaf fall.
As I read of this fascinating process, I thought to myself: There are spiritual lessons to be learned here! Certainly one of them is the awesomeness of our Creator-God. The changing of the leaves are His handiwork and reveal to us God’s infinite wisdom, power, beauty, and creativity.
But beyond that I thought that there would be another lesson about the beauty that results from adversity. I thought of how the shorter days, longer nights, and dropping temperatures bring out an under-lying beauty that was there all along but couldn’t be seen until the more adverse weather conditions. Isn’t that how it is with trials in our lives? If we respond to them rightly, they bring out an inner beauty that we wouldn’t be seen otherwise. Great lesson!
Yet interestingly, as I searched the Scriptures to find a text that uses the analogy of leaves or trees in this way, I couldn’t find one! In fact, the analogies I did find in this regard were all negative! Here’s just a sampling of the Scripture verses I found:
Isaiah 1:30 - "For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades, and as a garden that has no water" (speaking in reference to God’s judgment on Judah on account of her sin).
Jeremiah 8:13 - "‘I will surely consume them,’ says the Lord. ‘No grapes shall be on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things I have given them shall pass from them.’" (Again, this speaks in reference to God’s judgment on Judah for their persistence in sin.)
Isaiah 34:4 - "All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heaves shall be rolled up like a scroll; all their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling from a fig tree" (speaking of God’s judgment on the nations).
Isaiah 64:6 - "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
In all these verses (and more could have been mentioned), the fading leaf symbolizes impending judgment, and even death, on account of sin. Contrast that with the analogy of the "green leaf" in reference to the godly man:
Psalm 1:3 - "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."
Jeremiah 17:8 - "For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."
Notice, too, how in both the first and last books of the Bible, the green leaf typifies the absence of divine judgment and the presence of divine blessing:
Genesis 2:8-9 (before mankind’s fall into sin) - "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the eyes and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden. . . ."
Genesis 8:11 (after the Flood) - "Then this dove came to him [Noah] in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters [of God’s judgment] had receded from the earth."
Revelation 22:1-2 (a new heaven and a new earth) - "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
What do all these verses teach us? That sin appears beautiful and brings pleasure for a season, but in the end it brings only death. On the other hand, those who by faith forsake their sin and follow Christ "have [their] fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life" (Romans 6:22). Green leaves may not be as flashy or impressive as the leaves of autumn, but the former will continue to flourish long after the latter ones fall.
Sometimes we, like Asaph in Psalm 73, envy the wicked and wish we had what they have. But when we, like Asaph, "understand their end" versus ours, we realize how foolish we are to want to switch places with them, even for a moment. May the colors of fall remind us of the fleeting pleasures of sin and especially the all-surpassing beauty of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Asaph put it perfectly:
... I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may declare all Your works.
-- Psalm 73:23-28
Do you ever wonder exactly why or how leaves change their color during the autumn season? Why does a maple leaf turn red? What about all the bright yellows and oranges we see?
Just recently I read up on the mystery of this metamorphosis. It all has to do with what leaves are and how they function. Simply put, leaves operate as miniature "food factories." Trees and other plants take water from the ground through their roots. The leaves absorb energy from sunlight that changes carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates (specifically glucose, a kind of sugar). The process by which plants turn water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates is called photosynthesis ("putting together with light"). A chemical called chlorophyll helps to make photosynthesis happen. Chlorophyll s what gives plants their green color.
Yet hidden beneath all that green are pigments ranging from pale yellow to deep orange to bright red (depending on the type of plant or tree). As summer ends and the days get shorter and shorter, the chlorophyll breaks down. Thus the leaf’s green color gives way to the underlying yellow and orange pigments, thereby bringing about the change in appearance. The fact is, these colors have been there all along, but they aren’t visible in the summer because they’re covered up by the green chlorophyll. Moreover, while this metamorphosis in color is taking place, other changes are occurring simultaneously. A special layer of cells develops where the leaf stem is attached to the tree and gradually severs the tissues that hold the leaf onto the branch. Once the seal is cut, a gentle breeze is all it takes to make the leaf fall.
As I read of this fascinating process, I thought to myself: There are spiritual lessons to be learned here! Certainly one of them is the awesomeness of our Creator-God. The changing of the leaves are His handiwork and reveal to us God’s infinite wisdom, power, beauty, and creativity.
But beyond that I thought that there would be another lesson about the beauty that results from adversity. I thought of how the shorter days, longer nights, and dropping temperatures bring out an under-lying beauty that was there all along but couldn’t be seen until the more adverse weather conditions. Isn’t that how it is with trials in our lives? If we respond to them rightly, they bring out an inner beauty that we wouldn’t be seen otherwise. Great lesson!
Yet interestingly, as I searched the Scriptures to find a text that uses the analogy of leaves or trees in this way, I couldn’t find one! In fact, the analogies I did find in this regard were all negative! Here’s just a sampling of the Scripture verses I found:
Isaiah 1:30 - "For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades, and as a garden that has no water" (speaking in reference to God’s judgment on Judah on account of her sin).
Jeremiah 8:13 - "‘I will surely consume them,’ says the Lord. ‘No grapes shall be on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things I have given them shall pass from them.’" (Again, this speaks in reference to God’s judgment on Judah for their persistence in sin.)
Isaiah 34:4 - "All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heaves shall be rolled up like a scroll; all their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling from a fig tree" (speaking of God’s judgment on the nations).
Isaiah 64:6 - "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
In all these verses (and more could have been mentioned), the fading leaf symbolizes impending judgment, and even death, on account of sin. Contrast that with the analogy of the "green leaf" in reference to the godly man:
Psalm 1:3 - "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."
Jeremiah 17:8 - "For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."
Notice, too, how in both the first and last books of the Bible, the green leaf typifies the absence of divine judgment and the presence of divine blessing:
Genesis 2:8-9 (before mankind’s fall into sin) - "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the eyes and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden. . . ."
Genesis 8:11 (after the Flood) - "Then this dove came to him [Noah] in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters [of God’s judgment] had receded from the earth."
Revelation 22:1-2 (a new heaven and a new earth) - "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
What do all these verses teach us? That sin appears beautiful and brings pleasure for a season, but in the end it brings only death. On the other hand, those who by faith forsake their sin and follow Christ "have [their] fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life" (Romans 6:22). Green leaves may not be as flashy or impressive as the leaves of autumn, but the former will continue to flourish long after the latter ones fall.
Sometimes we, like Asaph in Psalm 73, envy the wicked and wish we had what they have. But when we, like Asaph, "understand their end" versus ours, we realize how foolish we are to want to switch places with them, even for a moment. May the colors of fall remind us of the fleeting pleasures of sin and especially the all-surpassing beauty of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Asaph put it perfectly:
... I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may declare all Your works.
-- Psalm 73:23-28
Friday, November 16, 2007
Is Studying Prophecy Profitable?
This is an odd question to be asking on a day when our church is beginning a weekend prophecy conference! Just to clarify, this conference is about prophecy pertaining to the future, not the spiritual gift of prophecy.
I raise this question because we are living in a time when many prominent Christians are saying that studying prophecy is a waste of time. For instance, Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, writes:
"When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, Jesus quickly switched the conversation to evangelism. He wanted them to concentrate on their mission in the world. He said in essence, "The details of my return are none of your business. What is your business is the mission I have given you. Focus on that!"
I for one can appreciate where Rick Warren is coming from, in that Christians can develop an unhealthy fixation with Bible prophecy. They start trying to predict the exact time of Jesus’ return. They get so consumed with current affairs and how they play into the prophetic timeline, that they become lazy and irresponsible in reference to what God wants us to do in the here and now. Indeed, this was precisely the problem with some believers in the first-century church (see 2 Thess. 3:6-15).
But to paraphrase Jesus’ words to say, "The details of my return are none of your business," is to misrepresent Jesus’ point and to throw out the baby with the bath water. As Roger Oakland points out in his book Faith Undone,
"We find in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 two of the longest passages in Scripture quoting Jesus’ own words, and what’s more, where He details the signs of His coming. In essence, Jesus was saying, because you cannot know the day and hour of my return, you need to educate yourself in Bible prophecy and take heed of my words about the end times. Later on, one of those disciples, John, was given an entire book to write on the details of Jesus’ coming."
The apostle Peter, being moved by the Holy Spirit, wrote: "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another..." (1 Peter 1:7-8a). Peter goes on to talk about the importance of Christian hospitality, the exercising of our spiritual gifts, etc. In other words, biblical prophecy fortifies our faith and fuels our fervency! Christians are God’s watchmen and His witnesses!
Our Lord’s coming is near. The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night (1 Thes. 5:2). May God help us to live this day in light of that Day! "He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev. 22:20).
I raise this question because we are living in a time when many prominent Christians are saying that studying prophecy is a waste of time. For instance, Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, writes:
"When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, Jesus quickly switched the conversation to evangelism. He wanted them to concentrate on their mission in the world. He said in essence, "The details of my return are none of your business. What is your business is the mission I have given you. Focus on that!"
I for one can appreciate where Rick Warren is coming from, in that Christians can develop an unhealthy fixation with Bible prophecy. They start trying to predict the exact time of Jesus’ return. They get so consumed with current affairs and how they play into the prophetic timeline, that they become lazy and irresponsible in reference to what God wants us to do in the here and now. Indeed, this was precisely the problem with some believers in the first-century church (see 2 Thess. 3:6-15).
But to paraphrase Jesus’ words to say, "The details of my return are none of your business," is to misrepresent Jesus’ point and to throw out the baby with the bath water. As Roger Oakland points out in his book Faith Undone,
"We find in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 two of the longest passages in Scripture quoting Jesus’ own words, and what’s more, where He details the signs of His coming. In essence, Jesus was saying, because you cannot know the day and hour of my return, you need to educate yourself in Bible prophecy and take heed of my words about the end times. Later on, one of those disciples, John, was given an entire book to write on the details of Jesus’ coming."
The apostle Peter, being moved by the Holy Spirit, wrote: "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another..." (1 Peter 1:7-8a). Peter goes on to talk about the importance of Christian hospitality, the exercising of our spiritual gifts, etc. In other words, biblical prophecy fortifies our faith and fuels our fervency! Christians are God’s watchmen and His witnesses!
Our Lord’s coming is near. The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night (1 Thes. 5:2). May God help us to live this day in light of that Day! "He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev. 22:20).
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
"Sanctify the Congregation": Part 3
We have been surveying "the evils that have provoked the Lord to bring His judgments on New England," according to the collective judgment of The Synod of 1679. This council, which consisted of church elders and messengers, convened at the request of the General Court of the Massachusetts Colony.
The Synod set out to answer two questions: (1) What are the evils that have provoked the Lord to bring His judgments on New England? (2) What is to be done so that these evils may be reformed? We’ve already looked at the answer to the first question (see my last two blog postings). Now here is a summary of the Synod’s answer in respect to the second question. The original document gave twelve answers. I have condensed them down to ten:
1. It would tend much to promote the interest of reformation, if all that are in places above others become, as to themselves and their families, exemplary in every way possible. Moses, purposing to reform others, began with what concerned himself and his own household. People are apt to follow the example of those that are above them (2 Chron. 12:1; Gal. 2:14).
2. Declare our adherence to the faith and order of the Gospel, according to what is from the Scripture. . . .
3. It is essential to reformation that the discipline of Christ, in the power of it, should be upheld in the churches. It is evident from Christ’s Epistles to the Churches in Asia Minor, that the evils and degeneracy then prevailing among Christians, proceeded chiefly from the neglect of discipline.
4. It is requisite that utmost endeavors should be made to assure a full supply of officers in the churches, according to Christ’s institution. The defect of many churches on this account is very lamentable. In many of our churches there is only one teaching officer to bear the burden of the whole congregation. The Lord Christ would not have instituted pastors, teachers and ruling elders, nor would the apostles have ordained elders in every church (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5), if He had not seen the need of them for the good of His people.
5. It is incumbent upon responsible persons to take care that officers of the church had adequate encouragement and maintenance. It is high injustice and oppression, yes, even a sin that cries in the Lord’s ears for judgment, when wages are withheld from faithful and diligent laborers (James 5:4). If this is true of those that labor about carnal things, how much more true is it of those that labor night and day over the spiritual and eternal welfare of souls (1 Cor. 9:11-14).
6. Due care and faithfulness with respect to the establishment and execution of wholesome laws would very much promote the interest of reformation.
7. It is needful that the sins of the times should be engaged against and reformation thereof, in the name and by the help of Christ. . . .
8. It seems to be most conducive to edification and reformation ... [that] all the churches ... promote the interest of holiness and close walking with God.
9. As an expedient for reformation, it is good that effectual care should be taken respecting schools of learning. The interest of religion and good literature have been accustomed to rise and fall together.
10. Inasmuch as a thorough and a heart-felt reformation is necessary in order to obtain peace with God (Jer. 3:10), and that all outward means will be ineffectual unto that end unless the Lord pour down His Spirit from on high, it therefore concerns us to cry mightily unto God, both in ordinary and extraordinary ways, that He will be pleased to rain down righteousness upon us (Isa. 32:5; Ezek. 39:29; Hosea 10:12; Luke 11:13). Amen!
In closing, I would press home the importance of answers 2, 7, and 10 in particular. As I said in my last posting, there can be no true reformation without regeneration. It all begins with the gospel. We must rest in Christ's work, not our work. Then, having been saved by grace through faith, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, we are empowered by God Himself "both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
The Synod set out to answer two questions: (1) What are the evils that have provoked the Lord to bring His judgments on New England? (2) What is to be done so that these evils may be reformed? We’ve already looked at the answer to the first question (see my last two blog postings). Now here is a summary of the Synod’s answer in respect to the second question. The original document gave twelve answers. I have condensed them down to ten:
1. It would tend much to promote the interest of reformation, if all that are in places above others become, as to themselves and their families, exemplary in every way possible. Moses, purposing to reform others, began with what concerned himself and his own household. People are apt to follow the example of those that are above them (2 Chron. 12:1; Gal. 2:14).
2. Declare our adherence to the faith and order of the Gospel, according to what is from the Scripture. . . .
3. It is essential to reformation that the discipline of Christ, in the power of it, should be upheld in the churches. It is evident from Christ’s Epistles to the Churches in Asia Minor, that the evils and degeneracy then prevailing among Christians, proceeded chiefly from the neglect of discipline.
4. It is requisite that utmost endeavors should be made to assure a full supply of officers in the churches, according to Christ’s institution. The defect of many churches on this account is very lamentable. In many of our churches there is only one teaching officer to bear the burden of the whole congregation. The Lord Christ would not have instituted pastors, teachers and ruling elders, nor would the apostles have ordained elders in every church (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5), if He had not seen the need of them for the good of His people.
5. It is incumbent upon responsible persons to take care that officers of the church had adequate encouragement and maintenance. It is high injustice and oppression, yes, even a sin that cries in the Lord’s ears for judgment, when wages are withheld from faithful and diligent laborers (James 5:4). If this is true of those that labor about carnal things, how much more true is it of those that labor night and day over the spiritual and eternal welfare of souls (1 Cor. 9:11-14).
6. Due care and faithfulness with respect to the establishment and execution of wholesome laws would very much promote the interest of reformation.
7. It is needful that the sins of the times should be engaged against and reformation thereof, in the name and by the help of Christ. . . .
8. It seems to be most conducive to edification and reformation ... [that] all the churches ... promote the interest of holiness and close walking with God.
9. As an expedient for reformation, it is good that effectual care should be taken respecting schools of learning. The interest of religion and good literature have been accustomed to rise and fall together.
10. Inasmuch as a thorough and a heart-felt reformation is necessary in order to obtain peace with God (Jer. 3:10), and that all outward means will be ineffectual unto that end unless the Lord pour down His Spirit from on high, it therefore concerns us to cry mightily unto God, both in ordinary and extraordinary ways, that He will be pleased to rain down righteousness upon us (Isa. 32:5; Ezek. 39:29; Hosea 10:12; Luke 11:13). Amen!
In closing, I would press home the importance of answers 2, 7, and 10 in particular. As I said in my last posting, there can be no true reformation without regeneration. It all begins with the gospel. We must rest in Christ's work, not our work. Then, having been saved by grace through faith, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, we are empowered by God Himself "both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
"Sanctify the Congregation": Part 2
In my last posting, I shared the findings of The Synod of 1679 concerning "the evils that have provoked the Lord to bring His judgments on New England." This council, composed of elders and other church representatives, convened at the request of the General Court of the Massachusetts Colony. Imagine!
As I shared in "part one" of this article, the Synod came up with fourteen reasons as to why God had removed the sense of His presence and had brought His judgments on New England. The first seven reasons were shared in my last posting. Here are the final seven reasons:
8. There is much intemperance.... Temptations thereunto have become too common especially those of immodest apparel (Proverbs 7:10)..., sinful company-keeping with light and vain persons ..., an abundance of idleness which brought ruinous judgments on Sodom and much more upon Jerusalem (Ezekiel 16:49) and doth sorely threaten New-England, unless effectual remedies are thoroughly and timely applied.
9. There is a great lack of truthfulness among men. Promise breaking is a common sin and for it New-England is spoken ill of in the world.
10. Inordinate affections to the world. Idolatry is a God-provoking judgment procuring sin. And covetousness is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5). There has been, in many professed Christians, an insatiable desire after land and worldly accommodations. This has even led to forsaking the church and its ordinances and to living like the heathen so that they might have enough elbowroom in the world. Farms and merchandising have been preferred before the things of God.
11. There has been opposition to the work of reformation. Although the Lord has been calling us ... that we should return to Him who has been smiting us, yet men will not return every one from his evil way.... Sin and sinners have many advocates. They that have been zealous in bearing witness against the sins of the times have been reproached and in other ways discouraged. This proves that there are hearts that are unwilling to reform.
12. A public spirit is greatly wanting in most men. There are few that are of Nehemiah’s spirit (Nehemiah 5:15). All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s (Philippians 2:21). They serve themselves even while pretending to serve Christ.... Matters pertaining to the kingdom of God are either not regarded at all or not in the first place.... A private, self-seeking spirit is one of those evils that renders the last times perilous (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
13. There are sins against the Gospel, whereby the Lord has been provoked. Christ is not prized and embraced in all His offices and ordinances as He ought to be.... Although the Gospel and the Covenant of Grace call upon men to repent, yet there are multitudes that refuse to repent, even when the Lord grants them time and means. No sins provoke the Lord more than impenitence and unbelief (Jeremiah 8:6; Zechariah 7:11-14; Hebrews 3:17; Revelation 2:21,22).
14. [The following answer is not so much another reason for the Lord’s judgments so much as a summary of all the above considerations, to prove that the evils mentioned are the chief causes for the Lord’s displeasure and discipline]: 1. They are sins of which, for the most part, a great many are guilty. 2. They are sins which have already been acknowledged... and yet not reformed. 3. They are sins which have not been punished (and some of them are not punishable) by men, therefore the Lord Himself punishes for them.
Certainly these findings give us a lot to think about. Also, let us remember that there can be no true reformation without regeneration. This is why it’s so important for us to live out the truth of the gospel, that we "may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life..." (Philippians 2:15-16a).
As I shared in "part one" of this article, the Synod came up with fourteen reasons as to why God had removed the sense of His presence and had brought His judgments on New England. The first seven reasons were shared in my last posting. Here are the final seven reasons:
8. There is much intemperance.... Temptations thereunto have become too common especially those of immodest apparel (Proverbs 7:10)..., sinful company-keeping with light and vain persons ..., an abundance of idleness which brought ruinous judgments on Sodom and much more upon Jerusalem (Ezekiel 16:49) and doth sorely threaten New-England, unless effectual remedies are thoroughly and timely applied.
9. There is a great lack of truthfulness among men. Promise breaking is a common sin and for it New-England is spoken ill of in the world.
10. Inordinate affections to the world. Idolatry is a God-provoking judgment procuring sin. And covetousness is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5). There has been, in many professed Christians, an insatiable desire after land and worldly accommodations. This has even led to forsaking the church and its ordinances and to living like the heathen so that they might have enough elbowroom in the world. Farms and merchandising have been preferred before the things of God.
11. There has been opposition to the work of reformation. Although the Lord has been calling us ... that we should return to Him who has been smiting us, yet men will not return every one from his evil way.... Sin and sinners have many advocates. They that have been zealous in bearing witness against the sins of the times have been reproached and in other ways discouraged. This proves that there are hearts that are unwilling to reform.
12. A public spirit is greatly wanting in most men. There are few that are of Nehemiah’s spirit (Nehemiah 5:15). All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s (Philippians 2:21). They serve themselves even while pretending to serve Christ.... Matters pertaining to the kingdom of God are either not regarded at all or not in the first place.... A private, self-seeking spirit is one of those evils that renders the last times perilous (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
13. There are sins against the Gospel, whereby the Lord has been provoked. Christ is not prized and embraced in all His offices and ordinances as He ought to be.... Although the Gospel and the Covenant of Grace call upon men to repent, yet there are multitudes that refuse to repent, even when the Lord grants them time and means. No sins provoke the Lord more than impenitence and unbelief (Jeremiah 8:6; Zechariah 7:11-14; Hebrews 3:17; Revelation 2:21,22).
14. [The following answer is not so much another reason for the Lord’s judgments so much as a summary of all the above considerations, to prove that the evils mentioned are the chief causes for the Lord’s displeasure and discipline]: 1. They are sins of which, for the most part, a great many are guilty. 2. They are sins which have already been acknowledged... and yet not reformed. 3. They are sins which have not been punished (and some of them are not punishable) by men, therefore the Lord Himself punishes for them.
Certainly these findings give us a lot to think about. Also, let us remember that there can be no true reformation without regeneration. This is why it’s so important for us to live out the truth of the gospel, that we "may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life..." (Philippians 2:15-16a).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)