Jun

3

Andy & Bev Warren in PCA mag

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Our own Andy and Bev Warren are featured in the current issue of byFaith, the web magazine of the PCA. The Warrens have been in Ethiopia with MTW since the mid-90s, and have been involved directly with ministry to AIDS patients in Addis Ababa since 2002.

May

15

Share in the gladness

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From Gadsby’s Hymns (1838), #408

O what shall I do my Saviour to praise,
So faithful and true, so plenteous in grace;
So strong to deliver, so good to redeem,
The weakest believer that hangs upon him?

How happy the man whose heart is set free,
The people that can be joyful in thee!
Their joy is to walk in the light of thy face,
And still they are talking of Jesus’ grace.

Their daily delight shall be in thy name;
They shall, as their right, thy righteousness claim.
Thy righteousness wearing, and cleansed by thy blood,
Bold shall they appear in the presence of God.

For thou art their boast, their glory, and power;
And I also trust to see the glad hour;
My soul’s new creation, alive from the dead;
The day of salvation that lifts up my head.

Yes, Lord, I shall see the bliss of thy own;
Thy secret to me shall soon be made known;
For sorrow and sadness I joy shall receive,
And share in the gladness of all that believe.

May

14

Nota bene: sweets from John Piper

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About once a month I look through John Piper’s blog. Here are some links to some good things from his mighty keyboard:

May

12

And are we yet alive?

Filed Under Around the Church, Bible, Music, Poetry, The Church | Leave a Comment 

A couple of folks have asked for the text of the Charles Wesley hymn I quoted in yesterday’s sermon on Genesis 8. Here it is–a hymn that the eight who emerged from the ark into the world previously submerged beneath the flood would have heartily sung:

And are we yet alive,
And see each other?s face?
Glory and thanks to Jesus give
For His almighty grace!

Preserved by power divine
To full salvation here,
Again in Jesus’ praise we join
And in His sight appear.

What troubles have we seen,
What mighty conflicts past,
Fightings without, and fears within,
Since we assembled last!

Yet out of all the Lord
Hath brought us by His love;
And still He doth His help afford,
And hides our life above.

Then let us make our boast
Of His redeeming power,
Which saves us to the uttermost,
Till we can sin no more.

Let us take up the cross
Till we the crown obtain,
And gladly reckon all things loss
So we may Jesus gain.

Apr

22

Exegesis and lovers

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Exegesis is what I do. I bring the text of Scripture to bear upon my life and upon the lives of others. A dictionary definition of exegesis looks something like this:

explanation, critical analysis, or interpretation of a word, literary passage, etc., esp. of the Bible

I strongly prefer Eugene Peterson’s definition from Eat This Book:

Exegesis is the furthest thing from pedantry; exegesis is an act of love. It loves the one who speaks the words enough to want to get the words right. It respects the words enough to use every means we have to get the words right. Exegesis is loving God enough to stop and listen carefully to what he says. It follows that we bring the leisure and attentiveness of lovers to this text, cherishing every comma and semicolon, relishing the oddness of this preposition, delighting in the surprising placement of this noun. Lovers don’t take a quick look, get a “message” or a “meaning,” and then run off and talk endlessly with their friends about how they feel.

I love the title Eat This Book. My children, unaware of the allusion to Ezekiel 3 and Revelation 10, look at me quizzically as I read it, with a look that says, “If you decide to do what the title says, I want to be there to watch.”

Apr

21

The worship leader in your pew

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Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.

What a privilege it is to lead public, gathered worship! From where I stand, I can see everyone’s faces as we sing or as I preach. Some are joyful and engaged; others bored and drowsy. Some sing heartily; others stand silently with hands in pockets. Some respond readily and tenderly to the Word; others strike an almost defiant pose. In one very important sense, every worshiper is a worship leader. I don’t mean that in the “every member is a minister” sense that obliterates all distinctions between ordained and non-ordained leadership in the church. At FPC Kosciusko the ministers, the elders, or those in training for such officiate in the worship services.

Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory.

What do I mean by “every worshiper is a worship leader”? I mean that together we are building a particular culture of worship in our congregation. Every worshiper contributes to it, either positively or negatively. Joyful, engaged worshipers influence others, demonstrating that the Triune God is worthy of our attention and affections. When people who love God because he first loved them come together to lift their hearts, minds, voices, wallets, etc. to the Lord, there is nothing like it in this world.

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!

On the other hand, bored and drowsy worshipers influence others, demonstrating that there are plenty of other things in this world more worthy than Almighty God–namely, self, pleasure, and possessions. Fathers and grandfathers who show themselves utterly disengaged from the worship of God are sending such a message to their families and those sitting around them.

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.

Of course I’m not pleading for phony, contrived emotions. I’m not saying that worship is to be done to impress others. I understand that sometimes you come into a worship service ill-tuned and poorly prepared: bad sleep the night before, those antihistamines you took so you wouldn’t sneeze through the service (imagine preaching with “medicine head”!), an argument with your wife that isn’t as resolved as you think it is, the frustration of searching for your daughter’s missing dress shoe that morning, rushing in so you’re not late, not much sense of the presence and peace of God in your life the week prior (and I haven’t the time to go into the matter of confession of sin and repentance in this blog post). All these factors militate against reverent, joyful worship. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Having said all that, I want to ask some important questions about worship:

  • Does the Gospel of God’s free grace in Christ move you to respond to God? Why or why not?
  • Does the work of Christ change you from the inside out? How?
  • Do you believe he’s worthy of all the praise and glory you can give him? How is that expressed in your life?
  • What conclusions about God and his ways can others draw from sitting next to you in worship on the Lord’s Day?

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!

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