Easter Thoughts and An Invitation

I have been celebrating Easter since I was a little kid. Most of my early memories are of spring mornings, baskets full of candy and clip-on bow ties, eating ham at Grandma’s and ambrosia fruit salad for breakfast. I also remember Easter morning worship in church and how the church would have the tabernacle (the ornate box that contained the communion bread) open on Sunday morning signifying that our Savior had risen from the dead.

It was always a special morning but it wasn’t until I was 17 years old that I really understood the magnitude of the meaning, for me and for all humanity. As a matter of fact, now at 42 I am still yearning to better comprehend this most profound event of all cosmic history! It is well stated in "The Gospel Song" -

"Holy God, in love, became

Perfect man to bear my blame

On the cross he took my sin

By his death I live again"

"..Jesus our Lord,
who was delivered up for our trespasses
and raised for our justification."
Rom. 4:24b-25 (ESV)

A message so simple that a child can understand but so profound that not even the most gifted theologian can fully grasp its significance!

May you enjoy all the blessings of Easter but most of all, may you stand in awe of Jesus Christ, Risen Savior and Lord, and your forgiveness and new life in Him today!

He Is Risen!

Happy Easter &
Please celebrate with us this Sunday if you can!

Ah, Warmah Weathah

One thing about New England - we have great summers and we appreciate them. Walking with my wife Peg today was glorious in 60 degree weather. Though we love the snow it is great to be looking forward to summer - check out some of our summer pics!

Thy Kingdom Come!

This past Sunday I spoke on prayer from the Lord’s prayer, Mt. 6:9-13. (You can check out the message here.) Our Savior instructs us to pray,

“Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”

I was struck by the audacity of this request! Certainly it pertains to the return of the King at the end of this age and his consummation of all that he has been commissioned to accomplish. But, it also relates to this current age where the kingdom has already come and is growing, though not yet complete.

Have you ever thought about how much our view of the kingdom affects your Christian life? If you think the kingdom is not here until the end or the church is merely surviving until Jesus comes back than you will tend to be defensive in your posture and perhaps even to seclude yourselves from greater society, hoping you can preserve some remnant of Christian goodness in a world gone mad. You will tend to think more about the glory days of old rather than what God would do in our generation. You might find yourselves pining for the glory days of the Great Awakening instead of expecting a glorious Great Awakening for your own days.

I think scripture paints a very different picture of the church age and the kingdom’s expansion in this age. Check out Daniel 2:44, Mk. 1:15, Mk. 4:30-34, Luke 11:20, 13:18-21, 17:20-21 among many others. The kingdom has come and is to be ever-expanding. Yes, this will be amidst suffering and persecution but, in the midst of this he will build his church and his church will overwhelm the gates of hell and not be subject to them. The gospel will go to every nation as Jesus promised and it will bear fruit everywhere it goes as in the book of Acts!

If we believe the kingdom has come and is to be ever growing. And if we believe the gospel is to go to all nations drawing many into the kingdom before the end. Then we will posture ourselves aggressively and in faith in our outreach and evangelism. Perhaps our God would be pleased to duplicate here what has gone on in Korea over the past generation. In one generation Christianity in South Korea went from 1 million believers to 45 million believers – that is 1/3 the population - doubling in number every decade from 1960 to 2000[1]!

Isn’t that fantastic! Can not our God do the same here in New England? Scripture teaches us to pray for this.

Thy Kingdom Come O Lord! Whatever it takes O God! Thy Kingdom Come in New England in our generation, through our lives and through your beloved church to your great reknown for this is none like You! Thy Kingdom Come!

[1] Andrew E. Kim , History of Christianity in Korea: From Its Troubled Beginning to Its Contemporary Success, http://www.kimsoft.com/1997/xhist.htm

The Blessing is in the Doing!

Wow -the book of James is great!

I just spent some time in James preparing a message entitled, "The Blessing is in the Doing!" It seems James central concern is for authentic faith versus hollow faith. As I meditated on this wonderful book it seemed the entire book could be understood in terms of the hearer-only versus the doer of the word. Here are 15 differences I found in James.

15 Differences Between the Doer and the Hearer Only
from the book of James.
1. The doer measures maturity by his doing, not his knowing, the hearer-only measures maturity by his knowing. (James 1:22-25, 3:13-18)
2. The doer understands salvation is not merely instantaneous but also a lifelong process, the hearer-only thinks he’s done when he first believes. (James 1:21,25, 2:14-26)
3. The doer is hungry for holiness, the hearer-only sees it as of little importance. (James 1-5)
4. The doer deals in specifics, the hearer-only in vague applications. (James 1-5 i.e. speech, generosity/wealth, humility)
5. The doer is reliant on grace and very glad for it, the hearer-only knows grace but doesn’t know the fullness of its blessing because he hasn’t truly struggled for holiness. (James 1:18, 21)
6. The doer confesses sin, the hearer-only only hides it or is unaware of it. (James 3:14, 5:16)
7. The doer relies on others for his growth in Christ, the hearer-only doesn’t seek this sort of depth in relationships. (James 5:16,19-20)
8. The doer pursues fruit in speech, the hearer-only doesn’t see his need to grow in godly speech. (James 1:26, 3:1-12)
9. The doer pursues fruit in deep relationships, the hearer-only avoids relationships or keeps them shallow. (James 1-5)
10. The doer avoids pride and pursues humility, the hearer-only is blind to his pride. (James 3:13-18)
11. The doer doesn’t boast about tomorrow but recognizes his desperate and daily need for God, the hearer-only can be boastful and self-sufficient and lives for his plans. (James 4:13-17)
12. The doer is prayerful, the hearer-only doesn’t think he needs to be. (James 5:13-18)
13. The doer is sober about becoming a teacher the hearer-only is eager to tell others what he knows. (James 3:1 ff))
14. The doer understands that the test is in trials, the hearer-only fails in trials. (James 1:2-5)
15. The doer’s hope is in the future, the hearer-only seeks comfort now. (James 1:12, 21, 2:5, 5:7-11)

Don't be overwhelmed but consider 1 small step toward becoming a better doer - that is where the blessing is! And remember - doing only can be done because Jesus has already done it all - and our righteousness is already complete in Him!

God Bless!
Paul

The Rock

I just read this morning a portion of "Preaching Christ in All of Scripture." Wow! Around page 29 Edmund Clowney has a excellent section on Christ as the Rock that was struck in Exodus 17. Take some time today to read 1 Cor. 10:1-5 and then Exodus 17:1-7 and consider these items. 1) The people accused Moses and therefore God of murdering them in the desert. 2) God tells Moses to assemble the elders for judgement 3) Moses is to bring his staff of judgement. 4) God himself will stand on the Rock. 5) Moses passes judgement on the Rock and strikes it with his staff of judgement. 6) God takes the penalty and punishment as the Rock 7) The struck Rock provides water for the people to drink.

What an incredible God we serve – we have accused him, we have maligned him and spurned him yet in Christ he bears the punishment of our sin that we might drink of the eternal waters!

Glory to God!

I'm Bored.

Have you ever made the comment "I'm bored" or heard it from your child? Well, it might be a sign of a fundamental misunderstanding of recreation and the benefit of lack of amusement.

Check out this excellent commentary on boredom and media by Justin Taylor. This applies not only to the postmodern but to anybody influenced by modern thought on amusement and recreation.

Check out Short Attention Span Theatre or http://theologica.blogspot.com/ .

A few questions to go with this:
1) How are we addressing the comment, I'm bored'?
2) How are we training our children (and ourselves) to use spare time to grow versus merely amuse themselves?
3) What recreational habits do we need to change for our own lives?
4) What do biblical rest and recreation look like?

Enjoy!

Paul

An Idiot's Guide to Correction

Thought Eric Simmons blog on biblical correction would be helpful - it sure helps me approach this biblical practice wisely.

Check it out: An Idiot's Guide to Correction

Preach the Word!

We are in a series as a church entitled, "Walking with God Along Pathways of Grace" or, "Pathways of Grace" for short. We have been talking about the importance, blessing and function of the word of God in the life of a believer and the church.

This past Sunday I preached from 2 Tim 3 & 4 on the importance of the preached word. You can check out the message on our web site here.

Three quotes describe the vital relationship between a healthy congregation and the preacher of the word – check these out from Calvin and then about Spurgeon:

"Now the fact is that it [the church] cannot be built up, that is to say, it cannot be brought to soundness, or continue in a good state, except by means of the preaching of the Word. So then, if we earnestly desire that God should be honored and served, and that our Lord should have his royal seat among us peaceably, to reign in the midst of us, if we are his people and are under his protection, if we covet to be built up in him and to be joined to him, and to be steadfast in him to the end; to be short, if we desire our salvation, we must learn to be humble learners in receiving the doctrine of the gospel and in hearkening to the pastors that are sent to us."[1]

"A group of American clergy traveled to England in the nineteenth century to hear the great Charles Spurgeon preach and to tour his church’s facilities. After showing them through the massive sanctuary and remarkable buildings, Spurgeon asked whether they would like to see the "boiler room." The visitors politely declined, but the pastor insisted. He then led them to the church’s basement, where they found a hundred people on their faces in prayer. 'This,' Spurgeon said with a smile, 'is my boiler room.' "[2]

"When people asked the secret of his success, Spurgeon replied, 'My people pray for me.' " [3]

May God bless his under-shepherds as they preach his word to God’s people and may God’s people pray for the preachers that together we be built up for His glory and our good and the salvation of the lost around us!

God Bless, Paul


[1] John Calvin, (Sermons on Ephesians, Banner of Truth, 1973, p.374).
[2] Dr. Jim Denison, Pastor, Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, “Studies in 2 Corinthians: Taking Ministry Personally” at http://www.bgct.org/TexasBaptists/Document.Doc?&id=1134
[3] Charles Haddon Spurgeon: The Greatest Victorian Preacher, By William P. Farley

Encouragement from Romans 8

I hope you all are doing well as you find your joy and strength in the Lord and the amazing truth that the God of the universe has personally paid for our sins, forgiven us, counted us righteous in the Son and called us into eternal fellowship with him. When we grasp these gospel truths everything else falls into place!

I have been studying Romans 8 with our kids. It has been sweet to share these truths with them - and we haven't got past verse 13 yet!

There are some amazing promises from God in this wonderful chapter. Chapter 7 describes our sad predicament under sin, a seeming unconquerable foe for the believer. But chapter 8 promises us the God-given means to overcome the penalty, power and presence of sin. Let these verses encourage you:

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8: 1 -4, ESV)

[Our sin was already condemned - therefore there is no condemnation left!]

"Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit" (Romans 8:8-9 a , ESV)

[We can actually please God by the power of the Spirit!!]

"But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness . If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:10-11, ESV)

[The life we receive from the Spirit starts at conversion and completes its work in the final day of new sinless bodies - yahoo!]

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"" (Romans 8:15, ESV)

[We experience our adoption by the Spirit - God is our "dad" now - wow!]

"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:29, ESV)

[Our destiny in God's great love is to make us like his Son! - amazing grace & love!]

" What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32, ESV)

[Why worry? We are guaranteed "all things", that is, all that is truly necessary!]

Take some time this week to prayerfully meditate on these verses. May God the Holy Spirit speak to your soul through these promises and fill you with faith, hope, love & joy and holiness!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Although the long winters can be hard at times here in New England, we get to experience the full range of seasons - long springs, warm summers, gorgeous falls and snow-covered winters. Usually around this time we have some snow. The past few weeks have been more like Florida than New England - temps as high as 60 F!


Lord willing we will get some beautiful snow for Christmas. Freshly fallen snow is one of the more beautiful sights in God's creation - so pure and bright - a picture of the perfect and complete righteousness of Christ imputed to repentant sinners by faith! (Isaiah 1:18, Psalm 51:7, Mark 9:3, Romans 5:18-21, 13:14, Revelation 3:5, 18)

Thank God for snow! May you enjoy a white Christmas and be reminded of One whose life and death make us whiter than snow!

God Bless, Paul

(this is a pict of our backyard last winter.)

Dramatic Reading of Hebrews 9 & 10

Paul charged Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of scripture (1 Timothy 4:13). Reading the word out loud with appropriate passion and skill is a very powerful means for encountering the living God and His life changing truth!

Check out this outstanding example from Worship Matters: Ryan Ferguson Recites Hebrews 9 and 10

I hope this inspires you to practice this at home and with the church. May we see more and more of the public reading of scripture!

God Bless, Paul

Enjoying Repentance and Faith Today

I have been reminded lately of the essential experience for the Christian of repentance and faith. What we begin with at conversion we are continue in throughout our lives. To walk with God is to continually experience repentance and faith. But what exactly are repentance and faith?

Jesus said - "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15, ESV) and "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17, ESV). Paul told of his mission as "testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:21, ESV)

John Calvin said "For while Christ the Lord and John preach in this manner: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand", do they not derive the reason for repenting from grace itself and the promise of salvation? Accordingly, therefore, their words mean the same thing as if they said, "Since the Kingdom of Heaven has come near, repent." - JC, Institutes, Book 2, Chapter III.3 -J.T. McNeill, Ed.

How do repentance and faith relate? Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin. In order to reorient yourself to God you must believe that he is good and worthy and true, especially in regards to the gospel. With this you will also believe that sin is bad and unworthy and untrue in relation to God. We turn from self and sin and place our faith for forgiveness and righteousness and life in Christ alone. We can't have one without the other!

"Again, if we remember that repentance is turning from sin unto God, the turning to God implies faith in the mercy of God as revealed in Christ. It is impossible to disentangle faith and repentance. Saving faith is permeated with repentance and repentance is permeated with faith."- John Murray

"Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner out of a true sense of sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after new obedience." – Westminster Shorter Catechism

May you, today, by the power of the Holy Spirit, turn from that which is most vile (sin in any form) to enjoy and live for and depend on that whom is most glorious, worthy, faithful and enjoyable, the Triune God especially revealed in the glorious good news of Jesus Christ - his perfect life, his vicarious propitiating death for sinners like us and his universe-shattering resurrection to new life for all his people - even us!

God Bless, Paul

The Core of Contentment and the Secret of Sanctification

Have you ever been in a funk? Do you know what I mean - one of those periods of inexplicable discontent, despair and confusion? I recently found myself in such a state - once again. I had been aware of a number of things around me that weren't going the way I wanted - a $6,000 tuition bill, a broken furnace, not enough money for Christmas gifts, various overwhelming parenting challenges and some household maintenance we couldn't afford. - I found myself in a "funk".

My rotten attitude reached a peak when I was trying to pull out of the local gas station in our 6000 lb. Chevy Conversion van. Despite the well known Boston-driving maneuver of pulling halfway out into traffic, no one was letting me in. When I finally saw some daylight I gave the 5.7 liter engine all the gas we had and laid rubber as I fish-tailed my way into traffic - more out of frustration and sin than necessity. I knew my attitude was poor but I felt trapped in my funk.

After praying, reading the word and journaling in a desperate but confused effort to get out of my self-made mire, I got alone with God and cried out for help. The answer came not so much in a clear statement but in a fresh impression and reminder of what life in Christ is all about - my death, his life. And when I remembered this fundamental gospel message, it seemed that all my problems and unfulfilled desires miraculously turned from temptations to sin into opportunities to trust, enjoy and honor Christ - death to my selfish cravings and empty pride and life in Him and for Him by faith - I could feel the funk lifting!

Then the thought came to me - isn't this the very core of my contentment and the secret of my sanctification - my death, his life. Isn't this what the gospel is all about - my death, his life? Isn't this what maturity in Christ all about - my death, his life? Isn't this to be my joy and glory - my death, his life? I no longer dreaded my undesirable circumstances but was now trusting Christ to use them as he was pleased, even working death for me (that is my sinful self) but life in Him - death to my sinful demands but life in Him and His glory shining through his sovereign plan. I found myself content in Him and a good bit more pleasant!

I memorized two verses very early in my Christian life. They are sort of my life verses - in theory at least - and they well describe what I am talking about. Listen to God's word -

"I have been crucified in Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Gal. 2:20 (ESV) - and

"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this; that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (ESV)

God freed me from my funk by a simple yet powerful reapplication of gospel truth. Thank God!! All our trials turn from despair to joy when the truth of the gospel applied to our life reorients our world from self to Christ. May you find life and freedom from your funk through the wonderfully good news of the gospel! May the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ be the worst news for your pride and selfishness but the very best news for your joy and life in Christ!

God Bless - Paul

Entitlement & Misery

I am not a morning person - at least not for the first 30 minutes or so. It seems like indwelling sin is awake as soon as the alarm goes off but my new nature is still sleeping until a half-hour has passed. It was this way this morning.

I was "down" and just not too happy about life. As I drove to breakfast to meet with my good friend Jeff I sensed the Spirit of God addressing me. It went something like this -

"Why are you unhappy?"
I guess because I want something and I don't have it.
"Do you deserve ______?"
No.
"What do you deserve?"
Nothing. Well, worse - hell that is.
"What do you have?"
Jesus. Forgiveness, eternal life with God, his sovereign care over my life, a relationship with the most excellent being ever. ..... Oh how quickly I forget this. ..... Thank you God for what I have! Now I am happy!

I feel so much better!

I so often experience these struggles and so often need the reminder of the gospel.

I call this my entitlement attitude.

The gospel kills it and that's a good thing. May you be happy today not in having _____. But in having what you don't deserve, Jesus! May your entitlement attitude perish and gospel-centered gratitude prevail!

The End of the Beginning of It All

Wow - sorry for the 4 month hiatus from the blog. It is hard to find the time amidst the many time consuming blessings of walking with God, being a husband, dad, pastor and friend.

Anyhow, here we go.

We just ended a series from Genesis entitled, "The Beginning of It All". Wow a wonderful time it has been. I trust God has blessed others as much as I have been blessed studying this book. We so need the book of Genesis. In it we find, in story form, the following key truths:

1. The origin and therefore the purpose of all creation - God! (Genesis 1:1)
2. The purpose and uniqueness of mankind - imaging God. (Genesis 1:26-2:25)
3. The importance of resting in God's finished work - the Sabbath. (Gen. 2:1-3)
4. The original and future realm of man & woman - in the royal garden paradise with God. (Gen. 2:4-25)
5. The God given blessing of gender roles - manhood & womanhood . (Gen. 1-3.)
6. Our unique God given role - to work with & for God. (Gen. 1-3)
7. The tragedy of life apart from God - sin. (Gen. 3:1-20)
8. God's amazing promise - gracious & sovereign redemption. (Gen. 3:1-24)

This book is so much more than children's bible stories - it sets the themes for the entire rest of the bible. How rich the word of God is and how wise its Author!!

Spend some time in Genesis 1-3 and enjoy its riches!

Paul

p.s. You can access the audio files from this series at http://www.kingofgrace.org/SundaymessageFILE/genesis1t3/genesis1t3.htm.

The Beginning of It All

We are beginning a summer series in Genesis 1-3 entitled, "The Beginning of It All". It's amazing to see in God's word the key themes of His glory, his covenant with man, the fall & redemption in Christ all appear in the first three chapters of the bible. We are excited to see what God will do through this series. Come visit us or check out the messages as they appear on the website.

Message for June 4th "In the Beginning, God..." Genesis 1:1

Check out these resources as well:

The End for Which God Made The World - Jonathan Edwards

The Glory Is All His - John Piper

Van Til's Most Succinct Synopsis - Greg Bahnsen

Two Adams, Two Covenants of Works- Meredith G. Kline

Creation as Miracle or Blind Fools - Ed Walsh

The Days of Creation - First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS

The Framework Interpretation - Meredith G. Kline et al

Monergism Web Site on Creation - Many Excellent Resources

Gospel Centered Everything

We just recently finished a 20 month series from 1 Corinthians . Wow, what a book! Paul does a masterful job of answering the Corinthians varied questions and crises all from a gospel centered perspective. David Garland says the following about this:

“The cross, its wisdom or its effect, is also pivotal in every issue except the one concerning headdress. It is central to his discussion of factions (1:18-31, 4:8-13) but also appears in his discussion of incest (5:7-8), lawsuits (6:7), sexual immorality (6:20), marriage (7:23), idol meat (8:11), the Lords supper (11:26), spiritual gifts (13:1-13), and the resurrection (15:3). [1]

In light of the all pervasive influence of Jesus as Savior and Lord, how are we experiencing the message of the gospel? How is it functioning in our lives? How is the truth of Jesus as Savior and Lord impacting us in the nitty gritty of life? 1 Corinthians clearly leaves us with the impression that there is no question or concern where the good news of Jesus as Savior and Lord does not speak.

Further resources:
How should the gospel function in the life of the local church? - Mike Bullmore
The Functional Centrality of the Gospel in the Life of the Local - Mike Bullmore

[1] David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians, BECNT, Baker Academic, MI, USA, 2003, p. 17

I Don't Know Him from Adam

Sorry for being off-line. I'm back.

I have been recently studying my bible and considering the importance of Gen 1-3. So often we breeze over these passages as almost trivial information best suited for children's Sunday school. At least I've kinda thought like that. I am beginning to see how important these three chapters are in determining the whole storyline of the bible. Understanding the Covenant with Adam (also known as the Covenant of Works) is key to understanding Christ, Christianity, Life and ultimately the trajectory of all creation.

Check out what Meredith Kline has to say on this: Two Adams, Two Covenants of Works. It may make you dizzy at first but invest the time - it will be worth it.

Let me know what you think.

A Return to Greatness

American evangelicals seem very interested in revival. I live in New England and you can't go long around here without hearing from somebody about revival. Maybe it's our heritage of revival here that drives us to long for revival - Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, the Second Great Awakening, D.L. Moody etc., or maybe it is the sad awareness that every evangelical Christian in New England has of being a culturally non-existant minority. Regardless, I for one think there is nothing wrong with longing for revival. The only question I have is, "What are we longing for when we say, 'revival'" ? Are we longing for merely an intensified and more populous version of what we already experience in 21st American evangelicalism? More passionate worship? More relevant sermons? More fruit in evangelism? Greater impact on the culture? Growing churches? Political reform? Are these at the core of what we want or is it something deeper and closer to the heart of true revival? I submit that at the core of revival is the glory of God. Revival is a renewed knowledge, desire for and experience of the glory of God - the glory of God manifest in and through Jesus Christ and known by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Listen to what our forefather Jonathan Edwards reported of those thus affected in the Great Awakening:

"They speak much of their sense of excellency in the way of salvation by free and sovereign grace, through the righteousness of Christ alone; and how it is with delight that they renounce their own righteousness, and rejoice in having no account made of it....The supreme attention of their minds is to the glorious excellencies of God and Christ; and there is very often a ravishing sense of God's love accompanying a sense of His excellency. They rejoice in a sense of the faithfulness of God's promises, as they respect the future eternal enjoyment of Him....The unparalleled joy that many of them speak of, is what they find when they are lowest in the dust, emptied most of themselves, and as it were annihilating themselves before God; when they are nothing, and God is all; seeing their own unworthiness, depending not at all on themselves, but alone on Christ, and ascribing all glory to God."
Jonathan Edwards , A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God

May God bring such revival. May we long for this, pray for it and live for it. Let us return to the core of revival - God himself in all his glory as shown in awesome Son, Jesus Christ. Bring this sort of revival O Lord! Start with me. Start with my family, my church. Whatever the cost. More of You and less of me!

Islam and the Glory of God

Recent reading of the Oxford History of Islam by John L. Esposito has made me realize that Islam gets at least one thing right - the majesty of God. At the heart of Islam is the sense of "submission" to the will of the majestic One - God. "Muslim" means "submitted one" and "Islam" means "submission." While there are numerous areas where Islam veers from the truth significantly, this is one area where Christians should take heed. So often we focus on the nearness (immanence) of God to the neglect of His greatness (transcendence.) We mustn't neglect His immanence; but how often have we reduced Him to a sort of cosmic Santa Clause who will gladly let us climb up on His lap and give us a hug to make us feel better. Nothing against feeling better, nothing against God's tender mercy and love, but I think we can miss His incredible and unfathomable glory and greatness in our conceptions of His kindness and nearness .

It is not ultimately about us, it is about Him.

He alone is "I AM" - He is the source of all - He has created all things and He sustains all things, all for His glory. Yes, His mercy and love and tenderness is part of that glory but we mustn't domesticate God. His glory is unfathomable, His purposes are deeper than we can probe, His worth is endless. His holiness and wisdom are perfection itself. We can not know Him fully. Yet, He invites us to know and enjoy Him in His glory.

Let our lives be swallowed up, not in the pursuit of feeling good about ourselves but in the pursuit of glorying in that which is most worthy – God Himself. And let no Muslim outdo us in our sense and worship and submission to the transcendent One!

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36, ESV)