Missions is bidding the Nations "Sing with us!"

How are you going to say that... if you're not singing?

All the money needed to send and support an army of self-sacrificing, joy-spreading ambassadors is already in the church. But we are not giving it.

In 1916, Protestants were giving 2.9% of their incomes to their churches. In 1933, the depth of the Great Depression, it was 3.2%. In 1955, just after affluence began spreading through our culture, it was still 3.2%. By 2000, when Americans were over 450% richer, after taxes and inflation, than in the Great Depression, Protestants were giving 2.6% of their incomes to their churches.

Moreover, “If members of historically Christian churches in the United States were giving an average of 10% in 2000, there would have been an additional $139 billion a year going through church channels.”

Don't Waste Your Life - John Piper

If I get the job I'm going for, they said the salary is $62500. 10% of that is $6250. That leaves $56250 dollars. That is still better than most people's whole salary! When you look at it like that, it seems ridiculous not to give at least 10%.

Granted I don't have my own house, my own bills, my own lady friend or my own kids like many Christians do. But I have been overseas, and that cost me about $6000 just to go. $6250 is not too much of God to ask of me.

I'm writing this down in the hopes that I'll remember this truth if I do get the job.

Calvin's Commentary - Philippians 1:27-30

I've discovered I like commentaries on Philippians 1 a lot more than I do on Philippians 2. Perhaps it's just my experience as I don't know/read many. It just seems to me that they lose momentum coming into chapter 2. They make beautiful encouragements about salvation at then end and *bam* hit the wall of focusing on (dis)unity.

Oh! If you only knew how joyous unity is IN salvation! Perhaps you could then sing the hymn of praise Paul sings to Christ in verses 5-11. But that assumes I have a grasp on it, which I certainly do not. Please help me to not lose sight of Jesus, Father!


Here is some of the beauty though (Calvin's thoughts on 1:29):

'To you,' he says, 'it is given, not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for him. Hence even the sufferings themselves are testimonies of the grace of God; and, since it is so, you have from this source a token of salvation.' Oh, if this conviction were fixed in our minds, that persecutions are to be reckoned under god's benefits, what progress would be made in the doctrine of godliness! And yet, what is more certain than that it is the highest honour of the Divine grace, that we suffer for His name either reproach, or imprisonment, or miseries, or tortures, or even death, for in that case he decorates us with his insignia. But more will be found who order God and His gifts to be gone rather than to embrace the cross readily when it is offered to them. Woe, then, to our stupidity!

Philippian Comfort

"For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ." Philippians 3:18

Groaning for salvation (understanding it to be for those unsaved and saved). With tears weeping for a dear Brother. Free him from slavery to sin. So unite him with Christ that his sin is dead on the Cross. Raise him anew so that his life is hidden with Christ. Give him eyes to see the joy of salvation and who he is in Christ. Make him pure and blameless as he walks with you for your glory and honour and praise.

Preaching next Sunday. I am anxious for attacks to come. I am so weak. I'm worried about arrogance because I'm so full of pride. I'm worried that I will not speak your words as clearly and joyfully as I could.

In both cases there is a word...

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

Matthew Henry on Philippians 1:27-30

Those who profess the gospel of Christ, should live as becomes those who believe gospel truths, submit to gospel laws, and depend upon gospel promises.

What sound does a man in a hood at the back of church make?

Jesus, in my weakness
I forget to emulate your meekness,
And I speak
When I should remain speechless.

Exodus 3:5-6
"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God."

This is sometimes my experience of meeting with God. Tonight it was. He was real again. He was beautiful again. So was my sin. So was my hardness of heart. So was the knowledge that He knew ALL of it.

Through the tears and through the shame,
I turned my face when I heard Your name.
When my eyes were fixed on the ground,
My ears hear your sweet Word resound:

Exodus 3:7-8
"The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people... I have heard them crying out ... and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them..."

A Flowery Song

Beautiful day, wonderful feeling,
this reason to sing, psalms meaning songs singing praises all day long.
Joy fills the weak, joy makes us strong.
Filled 'till we burst, songs of praise to the God of the Universe.

Despite our selfish selves, despite all loss of hope,
despite our lack of faith, despite our stony hearts,
despite the waning moon,
despite the ebbing tide of how we think this world should be.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
praise Him all creatures here below,
praise Him above ye heavenly host,
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Gray rainy day, down in the mud for us.
Don't feel I can sing, songs to the God in control of the seasons.
But what's good and bad, flow from the hands,
of the God with the perfect plan.
Filling us with joy, all of this will glorify.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
praise Him all creatures here below,
praise Him above ye heavenly host,
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

I love FIF :)

Young Man, there's a place you can go...

Tonight we looked at Titus 2. It was encouraging to look at what we can learn and what we can teach by our lives as Christians. Particularly lovely was the response of the boys who looked at the young men section.

"Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."
Titus 2:6-8

Please pray that we would be self controlled in everything: In the way that we pray, in the way that we use our time, in the way that we relate to each other, in the way that we relate to girls, in the way we drink alcohol. Please pray that we will set a good example, and that we will do what is good. Pray that we will have integrity in what we say, will be mature in the way we speak and speak in a way that builds others up and not use our mouths to talk crap. Please pray that we will be able to stand firm under opposition and that those who oppose us will come to know Jesus as their Saviour by our blameless lives.

Something along those lines anyway. I think it's good to pray these things for young men. As one myself, I know I need it prayed for me. As a leader I know I need to pray it.

You're welcome?

Recently we've been getting a few people from other churches visit our church. A lot of them are my friends, so it's nice to see them. It does pose a problem though. It's easy to welcome people you know and to forget that there are other people. Scary people that you don't know. People for whom the act of welcoming is a sacrifice because they might think you're crazy, or that you will invest love into and they won't come back again.

Is welcoming a social problem? Or is it a spiritual problem? I'm inclined to think it's the latter (though the former can't be ignored!). Some people, often people who need most to feel the warmth of Christ's love through Christians, sit invisible at churches.

Would we only welcome some people if we were praying for all people?

http://matthiasmedia.com.au/briefing/library/1645/

I'd be interested to know how the church in the above post has gone after almost 20 years.

Got Zeal?

“Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which no man feels by nature, which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when he is converted, but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called “zealous” men.
This desire is so strong, when it really reigns in a man, that it impels him to make any sacrifice, to go through any trouble, to deny himself to any amount, to suffer, to work, to labour, to toil, to spend himself and be spent, and even to die, if only he can please God and honour Christ.

A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he dies, whether he has health, or whether he has sickness, whether he is rich, or whether he is poor, whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offense, whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish, whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise, whether he gets honour, or whether he gets shame, for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God’s glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it, he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him. Such a one will always find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, and work, and give money, he will cry, and sigh, and pray. Yes: if he is only a pauper, on a perpetual bed of sickness, he will make the wheels of sin around him drive heavily, by continually interceding against it. If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua, he will do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill. (Exod. xvii. 9-13.) If he is cut off from working himself, he will give the Lord no rest till help is raised up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I speak of “zeal” in religion.”

J.C. Ryle

Why is 3 afraid of 4?

Last night at Bible Study we looked at Titus chapter 1. One of the things we thought about was what happens when, as a leader, you don't understand the heart of the gospel.

E1: "Why is six afraid of seven? Because seven eight (ate) nine!"
E2: "Why is three afraid of four? Because four five six!"

The logic for the joke is the same, but E2 didn't get what made the joke. So many people in Crete had similar logic, but missed the truth and beauty of the gospel. Godly leadership protects from error by making Jesus the focus of everything.

Elders/Overseers/Leaders in general should be:

• Blameless
• Faithful to their spouse
• Able to lead their family well
• Hospitable
• A lover of good
• Self-controlled
• Holy
• Upright, and
  
• Disciplined.

An elder/overseer/leader in general must not be:

• Overbearing
• Quick tempered
• Given to drink too much
• Violent
• Greedy
• A talker and deceiver
• Devoted to myths and controversies
  
• Someone who claims to know God but does not live like they do.

My personal opinion is that everybody leads somebody, no matter how uninfluential you think you might be. We can all learn from Paul's instruction to Titus and we should be praying for good leadership (both in ourselves and others).

Lord, at Thy mercy seat, humbly I fall;
Pleading Thy promise sweet, Lord, hear my call;
Now let Thy work begin, oh, make me pure within,
Cleanse me from every sin, Jesus, my all.

Tears of repentant grief, silently fall;
Help Thou my unbelief, hear Thou my call;
Oh, how I pine for Thee! ’Tis all my hope and plea:
Jesus has died for me, Jesus, my all.

Still at Thy mercy seat, Savior, I fall;
Trusting Thy promise sweet, heard is my call;
Faith wings my soul to Thee; this all my song shall be,
Jesus has died for me, Jesus my all.

I like hymns that make me cry :)

Bonhoeffer on Separation

"I should like to say something to help you in the time of separation which lies immediately ahead. There is no need to speak about it's difficulties, but as I have learnt something about it myself during the last nine months, having been separated during that time from all those I love, I should like to pass it on to you.

Firstly, nothing can fill the gap when we are away from those we love, and it would be wrong to try and find anything. We must simply hold out and win through. That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time it is a great consolation, since leaving the gap unfilled preserves the bonds between us. It is nonsense to say God fills the gap: he does not fill it, but keeps it empty so that our communion with another may be kept alive, even at the cost of pain. Secondly, the dearer and richer our memories, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude converts the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy. The beauties of the past are not endured as a thorn in the flesh, but as a gift precious for it's own sake. We must not wallow in our memories or surrender to them, just as we don't gaze all the time at a valuable present, but get it out from time to time, and for the rest hide it away as a treasure we know is there all the time. Treated in this way, the past can give us lasting joy and inspiration. Thirdly, times of separation are not a total loss, nor are they completely unprofitable for our companionship- at least there is no reason why they should be. In spite of all the difficulties they bring, they can be a wonderful means of strengthening and deepening fellowship. Fourthly, it has been borne in upon me here with peculiar force that a concrete situation can always be mastered, and that only fear and anxiety magnify them to an immeasurable degree beforehand. From the moment we awake until the moment we fall asleep we must commend other people wholly and unreservedly to God and leave them in his hands, transforming our anxiety for them into prayers on their behalf.

'With sorrows and with fears,
Let EVERYTHING be taken to God.'

This was written to Bonhoeffer's dear friend who was about to be sent off to fight in the war for Germany. I'm sure it must have been difficult to have to leave a country and the people you love, fight for a dictator you hate and tried to dispatch, and also serve Jesus fight against people you don't know. "That sounds very hard at first...", no?

God IS love

‘Love is not what Christ does and suffers but what Christ does and suffers. Love is always Jesus Christ himself. Love is always God himself. Love is always God’s revelation in Jesus Christ.’ - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Having not slept enough, this is a confusing but beautiful thing to get my head around.

Does it make a difference? I think it does... maybe in time I'll work out how to articulate it :)