St. Augustine quote

I was listen to a sermon on 1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

In the sermon the pastor quoted St. Augustine prayer from The Confessions.. it goes like this:

"He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake" ~ St. Augustine

God may I love you above all! And may the other people I love (namely Karen and Rachel) and things that I love, be loved for Thy sake and the glory of Your name.

Knowing God (J. I. Packer)

I just finished reading the chapter titled "God Incarnate" in J.I. Packer's classic book Knowing God. Packer referred to 2 Corinthians 8:9 which states "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich".

Then he stated something that I had to re-read a couple of times... it packs a good punch.

It is our shame and disgrace today that so many Christians - I will be more specific: so many of the soundest and most orthodox Christians - go through this world in the spirit of the priest and the Levite in our Lord's parable, seeing human need all around them, but averting their eyes, and passing by on the other side. That is not the Christmas spirit! Nor is it the spirit of those Christians - alas, they are many - whose ambition in life seems limited to building a nice middle-class Christian home, and making nice middle-class Christian friends, and bringing up their children in nice middle-class Christian ways, and who leave the sub-middle-class sections of the community, Christian and non-Christian to get on by themselves. The Christmas spirit does not shine out in the Christian snob. For the Christmas spirit is the spirit of those, who like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves porr - spending and being spent - to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care and concern, to do good to others in whatever way there seems need. (pg 71)

The Importance of a Good Statement of Faith at a Local Church

I've been thinking lately about how important it is for each local church to have a sound Statement of Faith which the leaders and congregation can unite around. Then I was listening to this sermon (specifically the 25 minute mark) I heard this quote and couldn't agree more!

John Piper states (in a January 27, 1985 sermon):

We have the reputation of trying to preserve unity, not by exalting the glorious doctrines of Scripture but by avoiding them. [The apostle] John when he wanted to preserve and cultivate the unity of the fellowship got theological. When the Baptist General Conference tries to work and preserve unity it gets a-theological. And we are paying! God willing, we at Bethlehem with many other churches, will go the other way. We will be explicitly theological. We will lay our Calvinist cards on the table... Because the last thing I care anything about is attracting or keeping members by concealing the distinctives that give me fire for God... It is deadly to reduce biblical theology to the lowest common denominator of acceptability. It is the death knell of worship and orthodoxy and missions and morality and growth.

The Church, the Neighborhood and the Nations (Stetzer)

And the final plenary session I want to make comments about was by Ed Stetzer. With all of the talk these days about the mission of God, the mission of the church, being missional etc I was eager to listen to his discussion on "The Church, the Neighborhood and the Nations"

He had 3 major points which build on one another.

1) We are sent (John 20:21)

Avery Willis says:
Mission = the total redemptive purpose of God to establish His kingdom
Missions = the activity of God's people, the Church, to proclaim and to demonstrate the kingdom of God in the world
Missionaries = are people set aside by God and the church to cross natural and cultural barriers with the gospel

The problem is these are all extra Biblical terms not found defined in the Bible.

I don't think these definitions are perfect. In fact, I'd like to see the scope of Missions narrowed to be cross-cultural proclamation of the gospel and another definition of Outreach to our own culture but I won't make a big deal about it. I would however disagree with Charles Spurgeon when he said that

"Every Christian is a missionary or an imposter" - Charles Spurgeon

See my previous post about Shooting Sacred Cows. The more people we call missionary the less we recognize that some people are called by God to cross cultures as ambassadors of Christ.

Stetzer continues:

God is a sending God:
a) Father sent the Son
b) Father sends the Spirit in Jesus' name
c) Jesus comes and establishes His kingdom
d) the Church is birthed to lived sent
e) the Son builds the Church by placing people in His kingdom
f) the Spirit empowers the Church to live sent

We're all sent. If you're a missionary in Africa, you're sent! If you live in Hamilton, you're sent! We're all sent, the only question is where and among whom.

We need to give more and go more!!! But we also need to live as those who are sent here and now... A lot of churches are missions-minded but not necessarily missional.

This is a good point. I would say that PMC started as a missional church in the early 1900s, then became a great missions-minded church and now is working to blend both. God help us!

2) We are sent TO ALL PEOPLE.

"panta ta ethne" is the Greek in Matthew 28
Some say Jesus was meaning ethnolinguistic groups. Well maybe....
In the most plain reading he meant the Gentiles. In the most plain reading he meant the non-Jews. But the disciples also saw much more. It's about making disciples everywhere.

There is a thread throughout Scripture about the topic "every, tongue, tribe and nation". From Genesis 11 to Revelation 7 and at many points in between

a) God scatters making nations (Gen 11)
b) God sends Israel to bring the nations up to Jerusalem (Ps 57:9, Isa 2:2). But the plan was not accomplished.
c) God had a sign and a plan for the nations (Acts 2:1). The Spirit gave them ability to speak languages. This is a sign that reverses the direction of God's mission from "up to Jerusalem" to "going out from Jerusalem"
d) God will be praised by men and women from every nation (Rev 7:9)

Then Stetzer closed this point with a great one liner

Don't let your church be a cul de sac on the Great Commission highway.

Stetzer's final point was

3) We are sent to all people WITH A MESSAGE

Luke 24:46

How am I going to do all these things?
- reach out missionally where I am?
- reach out to the nations?
- preach the gospel?

Only by the power of God (see Acts 1:8 "you will receive power")

He closes by saying something I pray the church I'm a part will be:

A missional, missions-minded, gospel-centered, Spirit empowered church!

God let me be a missional, missions-minded, gospel-centered, Spirit empowered man!

Courage, Christ, and Finishing the Mission (Ramsden)

One of the other plenary sessions from the Desiring God 2011 Missions Conference I listened to was by Michael Ramsden titled "Courage, Christ, and Finishing the Mission"

At the 47 minute mark he states:

"Is it possible that we have ordered our church life and our Christian life so that its convenient for us. To look after our children, to do things that we wouldn't like to do, to pay the occasional missionary 1% of our total income, so they can go do things that we'd rather not do, so we can have an easy life here. I wonder..."

I wonder too. God help me not to order my life to be convenient but to serve and honor you my Master and King.

The Glory of God, The Lostness of Man, the Gospel of Christ (Platt)

In October I listened to a few of the plenary sessions from the Desiring God 2011 Missions Conference. I wish I could've gone but Minneapolis is pretty far away...

One of the talks was by David Platt titled "The Glory of God, The Lostness of Man, the Gospel of Christ"

Here are some quotes:

The glory of God among the nations is not just the reason for which we have this conference. The glory of God among the nations is the reason for which we have breath!

We have an indescribably urgent mission.

At the 43 minute mark Platt develops 3 reasons answering to the question why must we go to them?

1) Because there knowledge of God is only enough to damn them to hell

"Every man in the African jungle or in an Amazon rainforest, every woman in an Asian village... all of them have the knowledge of God... It's clear in Romans 1. The knowledge they have shows them that God is glorious and they are guilty and that's all they've got.
You say well what happens to the innocent guy in Africa who never hears the gospel?
My answer to that is easy, based on the authority of God's Word, the innocent guy in Africa will absolutely go to heaven. Even though he's never heard the gospel... The only problem is, the innocent guy in Africa does not exist!
If he were innocent, which is the way the question is normally asked, why would he need the gospel? If he has no sin, of course he'll go to heaven. The problem is there are no innocent people in Africa waiting to heard the gospel. There are guilty people all over the nations, ready to hear the gospel that's why we must go to them!"

Platt's other points were that we must go to them...

2) Because the gospel of God is powerful enough to save them for heaven

3) Because the glory of God is good enough to satisfy them forever.

It's a good message.

The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism (Carl F.H. Henry)

This short, 80-page book titled "The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism" was written in 1947. According to Bruce Ware in his Systematic Theology lecture on Liberalism, Neo Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism this was one of the key books that shifted the church from being "fundamentalist" to "evangelical". For those of you like me who aren't sure who Carl F. H. Henry is, he:
- was born in 1913
- rejected the rigidness and cultural disengagement fundamentalist Christians
- began the publication of Christianity Today magazine and was its editor from 1956-1968.
- helped establish Fuller Theological Seminary
- took part in the launching of the National Association of Evangelicals.
- died in 2003
Not a bad resume eh?

Here are two quotes from the "Foreward" updated in 2003 by another Christian author...

There are some books that are important to keep in print simply because they serve as instructive museum pieces. They give us glimpses into bygone eras, helping us to grasp the insights of creative thinkers who once wrestled with questions that are very difference than the ones we presently face. The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism is no mere museum piece. (pg ix)

[Henry had] a hope for a more open evangelicalism that would transcent the barriers that had been erected by a separatistic mentality; and a profound desire to engage culture in all of its created complexity. (pg x)

Then Carl F. H. Henry gets into the nuts and bolts of his argument.

First by saying the church for too long has just sat watching the world go by, or obsessing about one type of sin over another.

Fundamentalism is the modern priest and Levite, by-passing suffering humanity. (pg 2)

But the sin against which Fundamentalism has inveighed, almost exclusively, was individual sin rather than social evil... conservative churches have clustered about such platitudes as "abstain from intoxicating beverages, movies, dancing, card-playing, and smoking" (pg 7)

This sentence made me smile but then made me think. At first I thought he was just an "old guy" upset with the new drums and guitar in the church... but I'm hoping it wasn't that he was upset with. If Henry was against the songs that have lyrics that don't even mention "God", "Christ", "Jesus" or "Saviour" then I am with him!!!! God, raise up more composers who will write Christ-centered songs for the modern church!

There is also a tendency to replace great church music by a barn-dance variety of semi-religious choruses; some churches have almost become spiritualized juke boxes. (pg 5)

Then he discusses "the kingdom":

The kingdom is here, and it is not here... the kingdom exists in incomplete realization (pg 48)

The kingdom is not wholly future - Rom 14:17, 1 Cor 4:20, Col 1:13, Heb 12:28, Rev 1:9...
Yet the kingdom has a glorious future aspect - 1 Cor 15:24, 1 Cor 15:50, 2 Tim 4:1, 2 Tim 4:18, 2 Pet 1:10-11, Rev 11:15, Rev 12:10, Acts 1:6. (pg 53)

There is a growing reluctance to explicate the kingdom idea in Fundamentalist preaching, because a "kingdom now" message is too easily confused with a liberal social gospel, and because a "kingdom then" message will identify Christianity further to the modern mind in terms of an escape mechanism. Yet no subject was more frequently on the lips of Jesus Christ than the kingdom. He proclaimed kingdom truth with a constant, exuberant joy. It appears as the central theme of His preaching. (pg 46)

Did you get that "[The kingdom] appears as the central theme of [Jesus'] preaching." Van Plet would argue that in Biblical Theology the kingdom is the thematic framework for all of Scripture... but that's another blog post.

I think the following has come true regarding the previous obsession with "pre-millennialism" and "post-millennialism" and I think it may be a benefit to the church not to be obsessed with non-essentials.

There appears a tendency to discard dogmatism on details [referring to the end times]; if this continues, the eschatological preaching of the next generation will concentrate on the proclamation of the kingdom, the second coming, the bodily resurrection of the dead, and the future judgment, and will not concern itself too much with lesser events. (pg 45)

He also includes a couple great summaries of our faith. I hope you read these you can say with me "AMEN", "AMEN", "AMEN"!

Two great convictions are necessary:
1) that Christianity opposes any and every evil, personal and social, and must never be represented as in any way tolerant of such evil;
2) that Christianity opposes such evil, as the only sufficient formula for its resolution, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit (pg 40)

[Christianity]
- insists upon a purposive and moral as over against a purely mathematical universe;
- it insists upon a personal God as against impersonal ultimates whether of space-time or elan vital variety;
- it insists upon a divine creation as over against a naturalistic evolution;
- it insists that man's uniqueness is a divine endowment rather than a human achievement;
- it insists that man's predicament is not an animal inheritance nor a necessity of his nature but rather a consequence of his voluntary revolt against God;
- it insists that salvation can be provided only by God, as against the view that man is competent to save himself;
- it insists that the Scriptures are a revelation lighting the way to the divine incarnation in Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of mankind, as against the view that they stand among many records of religious experience without a difference in kind;
- it insists that history is bound up with man's acceptance or rejection of the God-man, rather than that history is primarily what happens among nations;
- it insists that the future is not an open question, but that world events move toward an ultimate consummation in a future judgment of the race. (pg 58)

Henry touches on evangelism and missions by saying:

That evangelicalism may not create a fully Christian civilization does not argue against an effort to win as many areas as possible by the redemptive power of Christ (pg 67)

The program of home-front expenditure has been severely criticized, in view of the heightened missionary needs on foreign fields... The distinction between home and foreign missions is a generation outmoded. (pg 69)

The evangelical task primarily is the preaching of the Gospel, in the interest of individual regeneration by the supernatural grace of God, in such a way that divine redemption can be recognized as the best solution of our problems, individual and social (pg 88).

I partially agree with him that the distinction between home and foreign missions is a generation outmoded. We definitely need to be reaching our neighbors and those from around the world God has brought to us, but that doesn't minimize the need to "go and make disciples of all nations". There still are thousands of people groups with no access to the good news of Jesus, and "how can they hear unless someone is sent?" (Romans 10)

Henry then goes on to discuss education and politics:

Evangelicalism will have to contend for a new order in education... For the past three centuries, the state has steadily supplanted the church as the indoctrinating agency, and today secular education largely involves an open or subtle undermining of historic Christian theism (pg 68)

The evangelical mood must not withdraw from tomorrow's political scene. (pg 72)

He briefly makes mention of church buildings by stating:

The day has now come for evangelicalism to rethink its whole building program. By tremendous outlay of funds, most church communities provide a worship structure which usually stands idle except for two Sunday services and a mid-week prayer meeting, if the latter. No secular steward could long be happy about such a minimal use of facilities representing so disproportionate an investment. (pg 70)

And a quote which summarizes the book:

A Christianity without a passion to turn the world upside down is not reflective of apostolic Christianity (pg 16)

Is Hell for Real or Does Everyone Go to Heaven? (Tim Keller, Al Mohler, J.I. Packer, Robert Yarbrough)

I walked into the Family Christian Bookstore last Friday to pick up a gift for my sister's birthday. I like those trips because usually it means I leave the store with a couple extra items :)
This time the extra items included a copy of the new Downhere (On The Altar of Love) and Steven Curtis Chapman (Re:Creation) CD's.

I also picked up this $10, 80-page book that was front and center on display. "Is HELL for real or does everyone go to HEAVEN?" Needless to say it caught my attention. After the uproar in the evangelical community with Rob Bell's "Love Wins" I wanted to re-study the topic again myself. With contributions from men like Timothy Keller, R. Albert Mohler Jr., J.I. Packer., and Robert W. Yarbrough I figured this would be a good book to have. The general editors are Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson (2 guys I don't know at all) but that's the background info if you're searching for the book somewhere.

The authors begin with a few questions, similar to how Rob Bell asked in his book...

Actress Elizabeth Taylor likely never professed faith in Jesus Christ. Dare one ask: Is she in hell now?... Osama bin Laden likely never professed faith in Jesus Christ. Is he in heaven now? (pg 7)

Pretty standard questions you'd think, but these days...

Looking too closely into someone's fate after death is, today, considered tasteless at best. At worst, it can appear hateful. (pg 7)

Chapter 1 - Is Hell for Real? (by R. Albert Mohler Jr.)

John Stott recently died and while he was a great evangelical Christian leader I don't agree 100% with everything he believed... for instance:

Stott said that the church had misunderstood the meaning of key biblical texts. In Matthew 10:28, for instance, Stott said that the Greek word for "destroy" meant complete destruction rather than eternal punishment. (pg 19)

Have you ever heard this line before "needing correction" not "deserving punishment".

Philosophers argued that justice is about restoration rather than retribution. Criminals came to be seen not as deserving punishment but as needing correction. (pg 21)

A sad truth Mohler is not ashamed to call out is that...

Many churches now talk about new life in Christ without talking about judgment apart from him. (pg 22)

God, may Philpott Memorial Church continue to preach about new life in Christ while at the same time proclaiming the eternal conscious torment awaiting those who reject Christ as King.

Chapter 2 - What Jesus Said About Hell (by Robert Yarbrough)

I liked this brief summary. People are upset about hell so take it up with Jesus. He preached on it more than he did on heaven...

To summarize, Jesus' words on hell seems fairly straightforward. There will be a bodily resurrection of all persons, the good and the wicked (John 5:28-29). The good (those who have received Jesus and his saving message) will enter heaven. This is a place of blessing and unending joy in the presence of God. The wicked (those who have not received Christ's saving message) will enter hell: "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life" (Matt. 25:46). The symmetry is stark and simple. As McKnight concludes, Jesus clearly teaches "punishment in an individual, eternal sense." We have seen that Jesus depicted hell as real, awful, everlasting, motivational, and influential in this life. In view of modern doubts about hell, Jesus' clear teaching is all the more helpful. (pg 29)

And if you're thinking... "I'll just share the '4 spiritual laws because my job is just to 'win people to Christ' or help them 'discover Jesus' ", well I encourage you to please revisit Matthew 28:18-20.

Jesus' followers are to go into the world teaching all the things that he commanded (Matt. 28:20). There is no reason to suppose that he granted them "a bye" when it came to the doctrine of hell. (pg 34)

Chapter 3: Three Pictures of Hell (by Christopher Morgan)

The three pictures of hell Morgan describes are: Punishment, Destruction and Banishment. I thought this was a great point because many times I can just call hell "separation from God". But the Bible states that that it's more than just "separation". Others can just think hell is only destruction and then believe in annihilation (that people don't live forever but will cease to be). This next quote was helpful...

At times, the pictures of hell even seem irreconcilable. How can burning fire coexist with blackest darkness, for example? How can destruction be linked to continual endless suffering? Instead of viewing these pictures as contradictory, however, we should understand them to be complementary. The different depictions of hell bring out shades of meaning that a single rendering could not. (pg 41)

Complementary. I like that word :) I was also persuaded that "banishment" is the word I should be using to describe hell instead of just "separation". Banishment means God is in control, not just a by-stander. Hell was and is God's idea.

Banishment is stronger than separation... Most evangelicals need to guard against the tendency to view hell in passive terms like separation rather than banishment (pg 46)

Then to summarize his three pictures he concludes:

Hell as punishment vividly depicts God as the Judge who justly sentences the wicked.
Hell as destruction portrays God as the Warrior or Victor who defeats his enemies.
Hell as banishment views God as the King who allows only his citizens into his kingdom. (pg 46)

Chapter 4 - Three Perspectives on Hell (by Robert Peterson)

God not only is the Judge who welcomes people to heaven and casts people into hell, He is the one who is in control in hell. Back in January 2011 a friend emailed me asking... "from a biblical position is it justified to say that Hell is a place that is absent of God. Does that go contrary to our belief that God is everywhere?"

I responded to him and said "God is present in hell. God is omnipresent, even in hell. He is omnipotent and rules hell, and will one day cast Satan and unbelievers there. I think I'd say that there is some sort of distinction between God's presence in and out of hell, but I don't have lots of time to dig out my Bible and come up with references to back this position..."

Here's a quote that reiterates my position:

God's sovereignty is expressed in his judgment. This theme recurs a number of times in the Gospels and Revelation, and it shows that the power of God over the wicked extends beyond the grave. The Bible also indicates that God rules over hell. Unfortunately, some have erred at this point. As one writer said, "Hell is where Satan rules... where his complete fury is unleashed." But this is wrong, for hell is where God alone rules and where his fury is unleashed against Satan, his angels, and wicked human beings. (pg 53)

I found this website link helpful too.


Appendix - Preaching Hell in a Tolerant Age (by Timothy Keller)

Here's a helpful definition and clarification:

I do not define sin as just breaking rules but also as "making something besides God our ultimate source of value and worth". (pg 76)

The universal religion of humankind is: We develop a good record and give it to God, and then he owes us. The gospel is: God develops a good record and gives it to us, and then we owe him (Romans 1:17)... You see, you can believe that people are saved by goodness or you can believe people are saved by God's grace, but you cannot believe both at once - and the approach that appears inclusive at first glance is really equally exclusive (pg 77-78)

I encourage you to do what I did, buy this book and then one Saturday night from 7:30-10pm take this book and your Bible in hand, and study the topic of hell. Trust me, as you sing Christ-centered, gospel-centered songs at church the next morning you'll be overwhelmed by God's love and grace.

It is only because of the doctrine of judgment and hell that Jesus' proclamation of grace and love are so brilliant and astounding (pg 80)

Conclusion - Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson

The final two quotes don't require any further explanation. God's ways are higher than our ways, and if He says hell exists, I believe him - hell exists.

Jesus himself stands out as hell's chief defender... Christians also must embrace the doctrine of hell because of its prominent place in a biblical worldview. The doctrine of hell does not appear in isolation in the Bible; it is linked to the indispensible doctrines of God, sin and the atonement. (pg 81)

Our prayer is that you will join us and countless Christians throughout history and around the world in sharing the whole counsel of God - including hell - with Christians and non-Christians alike. May we do it with a passionate love for the Lord Jesus, abiding conviction in the truthfulness of God's Word, and heartfelt compassion for the lost. (pg 83)

Sacred Parenting (Gary Thomas)

As many of you know at this past summer my life changed forever. I became a dad!!! Here's not the place to describe all of the stress felt as your wife labors in pain to deliver your child, or the amazing feeling when you finally hold your daughter in your arms... needless to say Rachel has been a huge blessing in my life already and she's not even 3 months only :)

I'm not sure who Karen recommend this book to Karen but its the first "parenting" book we bought and one I definitely recommend. It's titled "Sacred Parenting" by Gary Thomas.

Here's a couple of quotes from the Introduction and you'll see why this was a great first parenting-type book to read.

The process of raising children requires skills that God alone possesses, and we are decidedly not God...If you thought this book would give you 5 steps to help your daughter succeed in school or 10 steps to prepare your son for adolescence, you're in for a big disappointment. Instead, it approaches a much different territory - how God uses these children to shape us, spiritually speaking. (pg 12)

Our kids have taught us how to sacrifice (chapter 12), and how to handle guilt (chapter 3); they've schooled us in the art of listening and forced us to our knees in prayer (chapter 4); they've shown us how to laugh (chapter 5), how to grieve (chapter 9) and how to live courageously (chapter 6); they've helped us face our inadequacy, need, and reliance on One who is greater than we are (chapter 13). The experience of parenting comprises one of the most influential aspects of spiritual formation I've ever known. (pg 13)

Spiritually speaking, we need to raise children every bit as much as they need us to raise them (pg 15).

One of the things I must confess already is that there have been times when it's easier to just let Rachel cry, or leave Rachel and Karen upstairs and selfishly "run" and "retreat" to do my own thing. God help me!

If we have only a selfish motivation, we will run from parenting's greatest challenges... not by retreating to our bedrooms or backyards, but to our offices, boardrooms, workout clubs, Starbucks or even churches. (pg 17)

But I must remember too that their are times when the most loving thing I can do as Rachel's dad and Karen's husband is to pour myself into God's Word and prayer...

Parenting is like an airline emergency. Parents should put on their own masks first before attending to their kids... What's true in the air physically is equally true on the ground spiritually. If we neglect our own "spiritual oxygen" - our walk with God - our motivations will become polluted. (pg 19)

One of the things this book repeated over and over is that parenting cannot be done in our own strength. God alone is in control - not us. Our role is to point our children to Jesus.

Parenting demands skills of me that I don't possess... It also puts me on the spot, in charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year - and even 366 days in a leap year. (pg 40)

None of us can be such good parents that God becomes obligated to save our children's souls. On the more encouraging end, none of us can mess up so badly that our children somehow extend beyond the reach of God's mercy. (pg 43)

I can't be God to my kids, but I can model my need for God (pg 46)

Another important reminder in this book was that parenting isn't just all about "the kids". God uses parenting to refine, purify and sanctify me! God, please use these next 20+ years when Karen and I have little ones running around our humble home to make me more like Jesus and to help me enjoy life more!

God has created an institution - the family - through which he can shape, mold, and form all of us, parents included. We come into the family as imperfect people, and we sin against each other every day; yet through rubbing shoulders and learning to ask for, and offer, forgiveness, we all come out the richer for taking part in this sometimes painful process. (pg 51)

Our children can also teach us to become a little less busy and enjoy life a whole lot more. (pg 82)

I absolutely loved this personal story that Gary Thomas shared. When I read it I stopped and prayed, "God I can't wait to get a phone call similar to this from Rachel! And when it happens, help me do the right thing and drop work to come home."

Instead of listening to traffic and weather reports "on the fives" I stretched out, a small step from heaven, in a place called contentment - not because of a call from a publisher, a job promotion, or a raise, but because a 4 year old had called with a simple question: "Dad, would you come home early and play football with me today?" (pg 84)

Have you ever thought how many relationships you had in your family growing up?

A family of five represents ten distinct relationships! Tension or disagreement in just one of those relationships can affect the entire family. (pg 142)

I had never thought about that but consider:
A family of 2 = 1 relationship (ie me + Karen). That's what our Heska family used to consist of.
A family of 3 = 3 relationships (ie me + K, K + Rachel, me + Rachel)
A family of 4 = 6 relationships
A family of 5 = 10 relationships
A family of 6 = 15 relationships
Pretty crazy!

This next quote was a good reminder too:

Pastor, it's okay that not every one of your sermons will be remembered... Go ahead and take that walk with your kids, even if your weekly sermon suffers. (pg 160)

I personalized it and thought "David it's okay that not every Saturday you get to read the newspaper" or "David it's okay that not every time you lead a Bible study that you've gone over the content 3x until you've read all of the parallel passages" or "David it's okay if you leave work on time. Tomorrow the same work will be sitting there for you."

God, help me to know when to say yes to ministry opportunities and when to say no. I recognize there will be different "chapters" in life and I thank you for each of them.

It is shortsighted at best, and the height of arrogance at worst, for fathers or mothers to become so busy with their own ministries and lives that they shortchange their children. (pg 184)

Elton Trueblood has helped many Christians face this between between family life, service, and devotion by pointing out that we live our lives in chapters. No one chapter defines a complete story. There is the chapter of your singleness, the chapter of your first years as a married couple, the chapter of your years raising toddlers, the chapter of your years raising teens, the chapter of your years as empty nesters, and the chapter of your years as a grandparent. God won't judge our lives by one chapter in isolation but by the story these chapters, woven together, create. (pg 192)

Help me to remember...

As parents, we cannot and must not live as childless men and women. (pg 192)

Here's one last fictional but cute story that makes me smile :)

A young father followed the same routine every evening: He went into the kitchen, opened a cupboard, and took out a glass. He then walked over to a cupboard, pulled out a cookie jar, took out two or three cookies, and put them on a plate. Then he'd go to the refrigerator, get some milk, and pour himself a tall glass. Following that, he'd walk into the living room and enjoy his milk and cookies while sitting in his favourite chair.

One evening as he was heading into the kitchen for his nightly ritual, the father noticed his 3 year old son heading into the kitchen ahead of him. The boy had a determined look on his face. Instead of announcing his presence, the father decided to stay unobserved so that he could watch what his son seemed so determined to do. The boy pulled out several drawers, essentially making steps so he could climb onto the counter - something he was forbidden to do. Next he walked across the counter (another no-no) and opened an upper cupboard door. He reached in and pulled out a glass, knocking over several other glasses in the process. The young boy placed his glass down, hopped off the counter, then picked up his glass, and put it on the floor. He marched to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk, then poured it into the glass. The flowing milk proved too strong for his little hands, and it spilled over the top of the glass. The little boy wiped up the spilled milk with his shirt.

Then he left his milk, walked over to another cupboard, and pulled out the cookie jar. This was strictly forbidden; the father's son knew he wasn't supposed to get cookies without permission. But he reached in and while doing so pulled several other cookies out of the jar. The boy put them back and wiped up the crumbs with his milk-soaked shirt. The father stepped out to intercept his son, only to be greeted by a huge smile. "Here are your cookies, Dad. I love you!"

In this story, I want you to place yourself in the son's position, not the dad's. We're the little child, trying to serve our heavenly Father and yet making a lot of messes in the process. We can't reach as high as we'd like, so we make do with makeshift steps to reach the counter. We knock over a few glasses, and we spill the milk while we're trying to prepare a drink. Lacking all wisdom, we come up with the great idea of cleaning up the mess with our shirt instead of with a washcloth. But what dad wouldn't feel touched by such a display of service, however messy it might be? (pg 52).

My prayer on September 24, 2011

God, as Karen and I stand up at church tomorrow to dedicate Rachel - it's only a public profession of our private heartfelt prayers. You have blessed us abundantly by entrusting us with the life of little Rachel Elisabeth and we declare that she is not ours, but yours.
I reiterate a what I declared at our wedding reception, that "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord". But I know that accomplishing this is not something I can do on my own. Help Karen and I love, protect, teach and nourish Rachel. Thank you for the family and friends we have to support us in this great adventure. In your time call Rachel into your kingdom. Seek her and save her. May she place her faith in You Jesus, as her Lord and Saviour at a young age; and may she live for You all her days.
For your glory alone and the sake of your great name among the nations. Amen.

Biblical Theology

I've been listening to the first few mp3 lectures by Dr. Miles Van Pelt in a Biblical Theology course I'm taking.

I thought it was very interesting that other scholars answer the question "What is the Bible all about?" by saying, the Bible is all about:
- a creation theme (G K Beale)
- acts of God (G E Wright)
- monotheism (Paul House)
- the promise-plan of God (Walter Kaiser)
- the revelation of God (Vos)
- the Kingdom of God (Bright)
- the presence of God

Van Pelt believes the Bible is "purpose driven" and it's:
- Thematic Framework is the Kingdom of God
- Theological Center is Jesus Christ
- Canonical Structure is the Law and the Prophets

He says the Kingdom of God is "the skin" of the Bible, Jesus is "the heart" and the Law and Prophets are "the bones". I think I agree with him. I'm happy a friend recommended to Karen and I that we buy a copy of "The Big Picture Story Bible" to read with Rachel. It goes from Genesis to Revelation talking about Jesus as King of God's Kingdom!

Here's a quote from Stewart Olyott that made me say a good "AMEN" out loud in Fortinos while I was grocery shopping. This is from Olyott's book "Preaching: Pure and Simple":

"The third key feature of preaching is Christ-centeredness. It has to be. This is because preachers are heralds of the Scriptures, and all of the Scriptures are about Christ - explicitly or implicitly, directly or indirectly. Every single part of the Bible points us to Him. There is no passage in the whole book which is an exception.
It was the Spirit of Christ that moved every Old Testament author to write what he or she wrote (1 Peter 1:10-12). It was the Lord Jesus Christ himself who opened the Old Testament to his disciples and explained to them that He was in it everywhere (Luke 24). The four gospels and Acts, all the epistles and the Revelation also have him as their great subject.
So what shall we say about a preacher who opens the Bible and does not preach Christ from the passage in front of him. Such a preacher has not understood the Book, and if he does not understand the Book he should not be preaching!"

mp3s by Bruce Ware

I just listened to this talk in Bruce Ware's Systematic Theology course online.

At the 43-51 minute mark he states the following:

Men and women are equal in essence but have different and complementary roles.

These 6 things were true in the Garden of Eden before sin and show God's design for male headship
1) Adam was created first (1 Cor 2:13, 1 Cor 11:8)
2) Woman was made for the man's sake (Gen 2 "helper", 1 Cor 11:8-9)
3) Man named the woman (before sin) and Adam named Eve (after sin)
4) Eve was taken from/out of Adam (1 Cor 11:9). She is the "image of God" by being the "image of man"
5) Adam was given primary responsibility in the Garden
6) Satan tempted the woman to usurp male headship. Eve sinned first but God comes to Adam first. Rom 5 and 1 Cor 15 say it was "Adam's sin" even though it was Eve who sinned first.

At the 54 minute mark he answers a great question which I've pondered before but never really thought through myself.

Q) Why did God use masculine language in Scripture? (There are some female metaphors to describe God, but no feminine descriptive terms. The Biblical words are "King", "Father", "Lord" not "Queen", "Mother" etc)
A) God created male and female in such a way He invested males with headship and authority. So God depicts Himself in the role of male (even though He is not male) because He is the chief authority over us. God is not male, but He deliberately cast Himself as male.

mp3s by Al Mohler and C.J. Mahaney

One of the latest blessings in my life has been listening to free mp3s on the drive to and from work and construction sites. My favourite sites are
www.biblicaltraining.org
www.desiringgod.org
www.sovereigngracestore.com

From the Sovereign Grace page I downloaded one message by Dr. Al Mohler (President of SBTS) titled "Embracing God's Design for Marriage". In it he highlighted the importance of male headship in the home and church. Here are the 9 dimensions of headship he described. The whole talk is good but if you want to hear these 9 listen from the 38-50 minute mark.

1) spiritual - every husband must be a Bible teacher. He must ensure his wife and children are spiritually instructed.
2) relational - husbands must lead in developing deep meaningful relationships in the home. First with his wife, then with each child.
3) sexual - the husband must learn to be a lover. He must study his wife and please her.
4) governmental - the husband must govern, not as a president who was elected, or as a dictator not considering others opinions, but as a governor looking out for the best interests of his household
5) judicial - he must lay down the law. Obedience must be learned; disobedience must be punished
6) ecclesial - every godly husband must lead his family to be actively involved in a local church
7) cultural - he must take responsibility for the type of entertainment allowed into the home, for what his family sees and listens to
8) financial - husbands are to provide adequate provision, 1 Tim 5:8 reminds us we must first provide for our own family or else we're worse than unbelievers. Husbands should lead in giving to the church and to God's global purposes.
9) historical - husbands are to commemorate and instruct their children in the tradition of faithful ones who have gone before.

Overall I thought this talk was great. Very challenging and convicting. Definitely some points / ideas for future Men's Breakfasts!

I also listened to talks by C.J. Mahaney titled "Gospel-Centered Parenting". Here's part of one of his closing prayers:

We leave trusting You to work in the lives of our children in ways only You can work... We thank you that you have provided for us the children of Your choosing. [Thank you] that You are committed to caring for them, and will assist us with Your grace, as we train them to serve You for Your glory.

As he prayed that my voice cried out "AMEN". For some reason God has blessed Karen and I with Rachel Elisabeth. He has chosen her for us and He is more committed to loving and caring for her than we could ever be. What peace that brings!

He also said at one point:
Parenting is ultimately about preparing your child for the Day of Judgement.

And he emphasized that the local church family should be valued more than your individual family. He shared how valuable family nights have been for his family, but he also said make church family events even more of a priority!

In my application that means PMC family > Heska family. Interesting. He says the Church (big family) will endure forever. The Heska (little family) will not. I'm still wrestling through how that will be lived out.

Husband Coached Birthing (Robert Bradley)

During the 9 months leading up to Rachel's birth Karen was reading various books on labour and delivery and I felt a bit out of the loop. So I got a copy of this book "Husband Coached Birthing" by Dr. Robert Bradley and read it. It wasn't the most exciting book I've read but there were some cool points he made that I highlighted:

In one chapter he asks: Is the husband really that important? Isn't it just easier for him to sit out in the waiting room until the "good news" comes? He lists these 25 reasons why it IS important for the husband to be there!

1. Who will go with the mother to classes to learn what to expect and how to help her in labor?
2. Who will encourage her to exercise during pregnancy?
3. Who will encourage her to eat well every day?
4. Who will help her in early labor?
5. Who will call the doctor or midwife when she's in labor?
6. Who will sign the admitting forms and answer questions?
7. Who will keep her relaxed?
8. Who will remind her to slow her breathing and relax again after something disturbs her?
9. Who will recognize the natural alignment plateau and keep her from getting discouraged?
10. Who will spoon ice chips in her mouth?
11. Who will wipe her sweaty brow while she is working?
12. Who will she rely on to keep watch and help her to avoid unnecesary pain?
13. Who will she depend on to tell her she's doing a great job over and over and over and over again?
14. Who will act as an advocate for the mother when decisions must be made?
15. Who will know what relaxes her?
16. Who will rub her sore back?
17. Who will hold her up in the shower if she wants to take one?
18. Who will sit with her in the bathroom when she wants to labor in there?
19. Who will help her find a good pushing position?
20. Who will hold her up in the pushing position, even for hours, if necessary?
21. Who will remind her to push to the point of comfort?
22. Who will relax her between contractions?
23. Who will tell her when you can see the head?
24. Who will share this special time of bonding?
25. Who will the mother say she couldn't have done it without?
The coach has a lot to do!! (pg 54)

Another good reminder for me was this:

Coaches have the responsibility to set the mood for labor. We tell them when they arrive at the hospital that they should say enthusiastically and with conviction tell everyone they come in contact with, "My wife's doing great" and "I am so proud of her" - frequently to as many people as possible. (pg 80)

And finally in the "Labour and Birth" chapter there was a great description of the internal miracles that happen during the first moments of life. What a joy it was to be there watching Rachel enter this world, take her first breath, let out her first cry and then see her cuddle up warmly on her mother's chest.

Internally, miracles are happening to your baby at birth. Valves are automatically closing in the umbilicus to prevent baby blood from running back in the cord. Valves are closing in the baby's heart, valves that remained open during the intrauterine life to direct blood through the cord and placenta to pick up oxygen and other nourishment from the mother via the placental surface. Other valves that remained closed are now opening for the first time, allowing the blood that used to go to the placenta for oxygen to circulate through the baby's lungs, which now contain air for the first time. Isn't it a miracle that these parts know how to do these things at the proper time? (pg 113)

Yet another reason I believe there is a very good Creator God!

Churchill (Paul Johnson)

For those who know me, I like reading biography books. I had been wanting to learn more about Winston Churchill and after "seeing" him in "The King's Speech" I told Karen about how great of a leader I thought he was. So before our January road trip to Florida, my loving wife bought me this short 166 page biography on his life. C.J. Mahaney recommends it and I recommend it!

As a background... Do you know if Churchill was religious? Well...

Churchill read Winwood Reade's atheistic tract which turned him into a lifelong freethinker and a critic of organized religion (though he always conformed outwardly enough to avoid the label "atheist", which might have been politically damaging.) (pg 13)

Heading into our 2011 Canadian election its refreshing to think that Churchill didn't care which political party he was associated with.

He was not a party man. That was the truth. His loyalty belonged to the national interest, and his own. At one time or another he stood for Parliament under six labels: Conservative, Liberal, Coalition, Constitutionalist, Unionist, and National Conservative. (pg 22)

Here's a simple line from the book that made me smile.

Churchill delighted in his marriage. He was a happy man. (pg 28)

Churchill had power and worked hard.

As prime minister and minister of defense, Churchill held power "in ever growing measure" as he himself put it, from May 1940 to July 1945. Probably no statesman in British history had held power for so long in so concentrated and extensive a form. (pg 109)

Churchill himself began to set a personal example of furious and productive activity at Ten Downing Street. He was 65 but looked, seemed - was, indeed - the embodiment of energy. he worked a 16 hour day. (pg 113)

2 famous quotes which are classic!!!!!!

"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival." (pg 112)

"We shall not flag or fail. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender." (pg 116)

As with any great leader Churchill had unique abilities to foresee the future, get priorities right, and relax.

Churchill had a sense of the importance of airpower and his speed in grasping the opportunities it offered. (pg 117)

Churchill had an uncanny gift for getting priorities right. (pg 123)

Churchill's great strength was his power of relaxation. (pg 128)


I'm sure I was probably taught this in Grade 10 History class but I didn't remember it. So when I read that the Allies were decoding the Nazi signals I said to myself, "That's sweet!"

Thanks to possession of the Nazi encryption machine Enigma and the British decoding center at Bletchley, he was getting regular intercepts of top-level Nazi messages. This was the most closely guarded secret of the war, and it says a lot for the precautions Churchill personally took, and his own discretion, that the Nazis never suspected their codes were broken and continued to use them to the end. (pg 121)

And a great final summary the author rights is below, I couldn't say it better myself:

Winston Churchill lead a full life, and few people are ever likely to equal it - its amplitude, variety, and success on so many fronts. But all can learn from it, especially in 5 ways:
1) Always aim high
2) There is no substitute for hard work. (He also manifestly enjoyed his leisure activities, for him another form of hard work, to keep himself fit and rested and to enable himself to do his job at the top of his form. The balance he maintained between flat-out work and creative and restorative leisure is worth study by anyone holding a top position.)
3) Never allow mistakes, accidents, illnesses, unpopularity and criticism get you down.
4) Spend little time and emotional energy on the meannesses of life: recrimination, shifting blame to others, malice, revenge seeking, dirty tricks, spreading rumors, harboring grudges.
5) Be joyful. (No great leader was ever laughed at, or with, more than Churchill).
(pg 162-165)

As we lead, let us learn from Churchill's life and example.

History of Missions

It's a wonderful Saturday afternoon as I sit down here after a great day at the TrueCity Conference. What a joy it is to worship among a group of Christians from various denominations as we pray, plan and encourage one another for the good of our city - Hamilton.

A friend sent me Chapter 1 of his "History of Missions and Development" textbook a few weeks ago and I've taken time today to reflect on it. Here are my thoughts:

"each Christian is one who is a missionary" -- I'd disagree with this statement. See my previous post on "Shooting Sacred Cows". All Christians are disciples, and all disciples are to evangelize; but the problem is that the more people we call missionaries the less we minimize the unique calling of going to the nations with the message of the gospel.

"A missionary means anyone who works to fulfill the church's mission. More usually it refers to those who cross cultural boundaries with the gospel, preaching and interpreting it in a way that is sensitive and relevant to the new context." --- I don't believe a missionary is "anyone who works to fulfill the church's mission"; that's too general of a definition. I'd prefer the definition to include "cross-cultural boundaries".

"The term "missions" on the other hand, refers to the specific task of making disciples of all nations, and thus refers to evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. It thus incorporates the work of mission agencies and organizations, churches, and missionaries around the world. By these definitions, missions would be a subset of mission: mission incorporates the entire task of the church and includes the traditional idea of missions." -- I agree with this one!! :)

In the hands of the World Council of Churches (WCC), since the 1960s, the understanding of the mission of God lies not in world evangelism and church planting, but in advancing the political and economic well-being of people. In this the WCC adopted an almost socio-political understanding of missio Dei. -- I do believe God's Mission "missio Dei" includes socio-political aspects BUT the Church must not water down it's passion for world evangelism and church planting. God's Kingdom will come complete with social change, political change, AND people from every tribe, tongue and nation responding in faith to the message of the gospel of Jesus!