Prayer for a Tuesday

Tuesday is an odd day isn't it? Not Monday, so there's no free pass to be grumpy, not Wednesday, so you don't feel like you're really making it to the weekend just yet. Tuesday is just sort of there, waiting to be got through.

I'm a fan of reading plans, and yesterday i started Joe Thorn's plan to read through the Valley of Vision in three months. I've had a copy of this book of Puritan prayers for a few years, but have hardly scratched the surface. I'm looking forward to doing just that in the coming weeks.

This morning's prayer was 'The Deeps' and what follows is the second half of that prayer.

Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly Husbandman,

that my being may be a tilled field,

the roots of grace spreading far and wide

until thou alone art seen in me

thy beauty golden like the summer harvest,

thy fruitfulness as Autumn plenty.

I have no master but thee,

no law but thy will,

no delight but thyself,

no wealth but that thou givest,

no good but that thou blessest,

I am nothing but that thou maketh me,

I have nothing but that i receive from thee

I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord,

and then fill me to overflowing,

with living water.

Reject and Protect

One of the reasons i love reading the Bible is the times when you can feel it slowly reshape your heart. Sometimes with the sudden power of a tornado, sometimes with the gentle persistence of the ocean reading the Bible informs us, changes us, it smashes up our categories and puts them back together again.

Reading the Bible confronts us with reality. In a day of mega-pastors, mega-churches and mega-conferences we need to the Bible to gently, or strongly, remind us what the church is for. That was Paul's aim in 1 Timothy. He doesn't give his young charge growth tips or ideas for a more engaging Sunday morning. he tells Timothy what the church is to reject, and what the church is to protect.

The Church, universal and local, then and now, must reject false teaching. Paul makes this very clear as early as verse three. Tell people to stop teaching different doctrines. Paul does tell us what they were teaching, but it was something Jewish, something mythical, something legal. Something that resulted in vain conversation and speculations, rather than the love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience. Reject false teaching. No matter how fashionable, no matter how comfortable, no matter how many people read the books, reject it. Spurgeon said, 'wrong is wrong though all call it right,' or something like that. And the church has to say that as well.

The church must reject false teachers as well. Not just their teaching, but them. Maybe this is who Hymenaeus and Alexander were. Hymenaeus pops up again in 2nd Timothy, so it's a fair guess that he at least was a teacher. Paul doesn't tell us that their popular and he doesn't want to cause a scene, he doesn't tell us we need to wait and see what they say next. He tells Timothy that he, personally, has handed them over to Satan. And this is a mercy! Mercy on false teachers means pointing out their false teaching.

And the church must protect what is true. How can we know what's true? Well does it issue in a deeper love for Jesus? A more whole-hearted love fro the brethren? Does it come from a pure faith and a clean conscience?

Paul's testimony in verses 12-17 are not a digression, he tells us what the church is to teach and protect.

Verse 13 tells us that Paul was a sinner before he was saved. A blasphemer, persecutor and insolent opponent, to use his words. So are we all, to a greater or lesser extent. That’s the bad news before the good news, that we’re all sinners, that we all deserve death. To get the Gospel right, the church must teach that.

Verses 12, 14 and 16 tell us that Paul was a sinner, saved by grace. Paul says that his strength comes from Jesus, that he received grace and mercy from Jesus. Our salvation is all of Jesus, and none of us. Jesus comes, Jesus lives perfectly, Jesus dies instead of us and rose again three days later. All we have to do is open the gift. Paul doesn’t want, or take, any credit for his salvation. And the church must teach that our salvation is all from Jesus, from beginning to end, if we’re going to teach the Gospel right.

Paul shows us in verse 17 that we’re saved to praise Jesus’ glory. Read that with me, because it’s so beautiful. This is what worship is. Recognizing God and giving Him glory. God is immortal, without beginning or end. He’s invisible, you can’t see Him. He’s the King of ages, His reign never ends. He is the only God. The choice is between God and no-god, not one god or another god. You were saved to give Him your attention and your affection.

These truths are the key and foundation of the church. Lose these, or even just assume them, and we lose everything.

The church must reject what's false, and protect what's true, for the sake of it's people. For the sake of every Timothy, every Hymenaeus and every Alexander. That what is beautiful may fill us to the core, and what causes shipwreck may be protected against. 

Genesis 4: Resurrection.

As we turn the page to Genesis 4, our eyes should be on the look out for the serpent crusher. For the one who will put right what Adam put wrong. As Eve holds Cain in her hands, we can forgive her for thinking that she's found him.

I've gotten a man with the held of the Lord. Another Adam, one unsullied by sin, one who could crush the serpent. Is he the one? We very quickly learn the answer is no. His offering is not by faith, it's not a fatty animal, it's just a token. Abel gave God the best of his flock, Cain just picked some fruit off the floor and showed up with it. Man sins with fruit.

Sin crouches once more, and we lean forward to see what this second Adam will do? He opens the door, walks to the field, and kills his brother. He is cursed, and sent to wander, seven generations later, the chaos of the fall is perfected, as Lamech is avenged seventy seven times.

Through this all, Abel is silent. He never speaks. Passive, he doesn't fight back. That's the fate of the faithful, isn't it? The Israelites on the wrong side of the Jordan would have thought. We're faithful, but we're lambs to the slaughter. We're faithful, but what hope do we have? And we can think the same. The church is faithful, but outnumbered, the church is faithful, but outgunned. The serpent has been crushed, but it's death throes are so powerful, how can we keep going? How can we keep trusting?

Because at the end of Genesis 4, we see resurrection. As in the rest of Genesis, Moses get's the unimportant out of the way before returning to the seed of the woman and the progression of the story. Cain's family are evil, Abel lays dead in the ground, but God appoints another, Seth, to carry on his line. And in the time of Seth's son Enosh, people begin to call on the name of the Lord.

Resurrection.

JC Ryle said that without the cross the Bible is a dark book, and without the resurrection, the cross is the darkest of days. Without Seth, Genesis 4 is nothing but doom and despair, without Sunday, we can't face Saturday.

But there is Seth, there is Sunday, there is an empty tomb. So even in this day of legislated and celebrated immorality, we don't need to say with Elijah that we alone are left. Instead we remember, because Jesus walked out of the tomb, that God will always provide what He promised. One to crush the serpent, in the past, now, and forever.

Be Allured by the Unshakable Kingdom (Hebrews 12:18-29)

I’m old enough to remember the first days of Facebook. I’m old enough to remember it causing me problems with my faith. The first days of Facebook were the first days I was out of college, and doing unpaid work for UCCF, and Facebook caused me a problem. There on my newsfeed every day were kids I’d gone to high school and college with. They seemed to have everything. I was leading Bible studies with college kids, and living in a bedroom barely larger than a closet. And it was hard.

I wonder if that’s the battle some of you are facing right now. You’re saved, and you know in your heart of hearts that selling out and totally committing to Jesus is the right thing to do, but you’re afraid. What if I miss out? What if I never get to drive a great car? What if I never make as much money as my friends, what if the Lord calls me to be single for the rest of my life? what if I miss out. That was the fears the Jews had as well. They feared that if they committed to Christ, they would miss out. They feared that they would miss out on their religious heritage if they gave their lives to Jesus. you can’t blame them, because the Jewish heritage is a great one, but in these verses the author shows them, and us, that there is nothing on Earth that compares to giving Christ all of your life. Not a single thing.

The author begins by reminding his readers that the law brings fear. Look at verses 18-21 with me. This is a retelling of the giving of the law from Exodus 19 and 20. This law giving was so traumatic, it was so scary to come face to face with God that even Moses trembled with fear. Look at the words used to describe what was happening. A blazing fire, darkness and gloom, loud trumpets, and a voice that the Hebrews couldn’t bare to hear. This is scary stuff. The author tells the Hebrews that there’ll lose nothing by coming to Christ, because the giving of the law was so terrifying.

Not because there’s anything wrong with the law. The OT law comes from God, and is good and holy and true. The reason the law is so scary, is because it shows us our sin. The law is a mirror that shows us how messed up we are, and that’s scary. The more you read the OT, the more your hearts should long for Jesus. No one could keep the law, no one was good enough. There is no human effort good enough to save you. None. All your good works, all your hard work, all your religious activity is just storing up more wrath, unless you come to Jesus.

Imagine hearing the voice of God, speaking from a mountain that’s covered in the loudest, darkest, most terrifying thunderstorm you’ve ever seen. Imagine being told that if even an animal touched the mountain, it would be stoned. Come to Jesus, says the author, the law only brought you fear.

But the Gospel brings life, look at verses 22-25 with me. Aren’t they some wonderful verses. The intention of the author is clear here, he wants to show us, as clearly as he can, that we’ll lose nothing if we commit our lives to Jesus. All through the Bible, Jesus calls us away from sin and towards Him. He doesn’t do this by simply telling us that sin is evil and deadly, although He does do that, but by telling us that He is better. Hosea tells us that He allures us, He draws us away from the other things that distract us so easily, and He brings us to Him.

Look at what we come to. We come not to terrible thunderstorms and a loud voice, but to Zion, to the Kingdom of Heaven. We come to God Himself. We come to the reality and not the picture. Imagine your summer vacation, you’re at the beach, by the ocean. You’re not simply sitting next to a postcard and pretending are you? You’re really there. Next to the real beach, the postcard is nothing. And that’s what the author is saying here. We come to God, not to Moses, or the law, or the Temple, we come to God Himself. When we pray, we know God hears, when we read the Bible, we know God is speaking. Come to God, he says, put down the picture.

And we come by the blood of Jesus, which speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. When Cain killed his brother, God told him that Abel’s blood cried out against Him for condemnation, but now God tells us that Jesus’ blood calls out to us for righteousness. We are counted righteous because Jesus shed His blood for us. He gave everything for us, why would we hold back giving Him everything He asks for. If He shed His blood for you, He will never let you down, never cause you to miss out on anything that you need.

Finally we see the application of this chapter, in verses 25-29. The Kingdom should be received. Look at those verses with me.

Don’t refuse, says the author. This has been his plea throughout the book. He’s told his readers to cast of sin, to not harden our hearts, not he says, don’t refuse. Don’t refuse the open hand of God that offers you life. If people didn’t escape from a warning that came from Earth, how will we escape a warning that comes from heaven. Right now, this moment, from His Word, God offers those of you who aren’t saved salvation. He says now is the time, don’t delay, now if your chance, don’t waste it. Be saved. You won’t always have this opportunity. Right now, God offers those of you who are holding out the chance to be all in. he says don’t waste your life chasing lesser dreams, don’t waste your life holding out for something better than what Jesus has for you. There is nothing better!

There’s no escape anywhere from this God. Verses 26 and 27 tell us that He shakes the Earth and the Heavens, and that what can be shaken will be shaken. There’s nowhere you can go on Earth to hide from God, so run to Him while He may be found.

And worship Him acceptably. Some commentators argue that’s what the next chapter is about, what acceptable worship looks like. We worship God with reverence and awe, we’re grateful and we’re amazed by His love. We know He is the judge of the whole world, and so we honour Him rightly. We’re warned He is a consuming fire. This is one of the harshest warnings in the whole book. God is a consuming fire, so make sure your life won’t be burnt up when the fire blazes, make sure your life is made of what pleases God.

See in this passage that following God with all your heart, for all your life, is always worth it. Don’t hold out waiting for something better, because it simply isn’t there.

Lessons From Ecuador

So here are four lessons i learnt from my recent trip to Ecuador. I went along with four other adults and nine teenagers for 8 days, two of them in Quito, five of them in Misualli, the 'gateway to the jungle,' and one more in Bella Vista, a deep jungle tribal village that doesn't even appear on Google maps. It was, by almost any measure, an extraordinary week.

The Gospel really is the hope for all nations

OK, so i didn't 'learn' this in Ecuador, but i tasted it. I guess it's easy living in the United States to feel like the power of the Gospel is somehow limited by borders or ethnicity Or to feel like we've limited it. Most people in our churches are 'just like us,' one way or another. It's easy to drift into the mindset that the Gospel is only powerful in in the Bible belt. But that's a lie, as you know. The Gospel is powerful to change lives everywhere. Monks Risborogh, Greenville, Quito, everywhere. It was so good to be reminded of this, and reminded of it so powerfully. And it has to be the Gospel. What is the hope for kids in those remote places? Just the Gospel. Sure, running water and electricity would be nice, but only for a life time. The Gospel offers life beyond life, life after death. His Word speaks and creates life wherever we are. It was wonderful to see the Jesus of the nations, to hear His praises' sung in Quichua and to see His Word at work deep in the jungle.

Faith is radical

The word radical has lots of traction in Christian culture at the moment. We all want to be radical in our faith, which is no bad thing, as long as we understand what it really looks like to be radical. I guess one of the first things we think of to define radical is the family from the States who pack up everything and move to another country to teach people about Jesus. And we met some of those people last week. People who had given up nearly everything to be play their part in the great commission. And it was inspiring. Like i told our teens at one point, either they were in love with Jesus or they were out of their minds. Maybe sometimes there's not much difference. But, the same radical seed that blooms in the hearts of those overseas blooms here also. Getting on a plane does nothing to your relationship with the Lord, by itself at least. Reading the Bible is radical, Heaven breaking out on Earth as we open the Word. Being faithful to church is radical. In a me, me, me society, why would i give my time, and treasure and talents so freely, so abundantly. We've either lost our minds, or we love Jesus. And increasingly, as anti Biblical morals are legislated and celebrated, simply living like the Bible is true will become more and more radical.

I almost had a religious experience

To be a Christian is to be an iconoclast. No sacred space, except everywhere, and no sacred time, except all the time, but at the Saint house, the renovated HQ for Operation Auca, now turned into a museum, i nearly had a religious experience. To stand at the very radio, in the very room, where Nate, Jim, Roger, Pete and Ed failed to radio in at 4.35 on January 8th 1956, to see the airstrip from which Nate Saint would fly into the jungle from, to stand in the kitchen where the five wives were told of their husbands' fate, to know that real, living, recent Christian history happened in these very walls, was almost too much. What a legacy and calling those men and their wives left behind.

Never grab a monkey by it's tail

And that's all i'll say about that.

Sometimes. And That Time

Sometimes the words flow easily. Sometimes it's a matter of getting them out of my brain and onto a screen before i lose them. Sometimes, even 140 characters for a tweet is asking too much, never mind a few hundred words for these pages.

And who knows why. Sometimes i read the Bible and find what Edwards might have called 'a pleasing symmetry' between the Word and my heart, sometimes i'm just dull, dull dull.

Sometimes singing in church is a labour (because of my heart, you understand), but this Sunday it was a joy, so that's something. Such fluctuations in our hearts, our minds, our lives. Such coolness where warmth is appropriate, such out of place warmth for things that don't much matter. How can my smartphone be more interesting than Jesus? And yet so often it is.

On Saturday morning, i'm headed to Ecuador. Me and Rachel, three other adults and nine teenagers will board and early flight from Norfolk, Va, to Miami, and then to Quito. A night or two in Quito and then a bus ride over the Andes. We're going to the town of Missualli (probably not how you spell that!) to lead a Bible school, and then working our way back through Shell Mera and Banos, before flying home on Sunday week.

I've never been to South America before, and being the most south westerly Wycombe Wanderers fan appeals to me quite a lot. I'm looking forward to seeing how our nine teenagers (and me!) cope with a totally different environment, and what we'll learn from people in Ecuador.

But, as you might have guessed, one of the highlights of the trip will be the visit to Shell Mera. If the church were the right way up, people would drive for days to visit this place, not Elevation, although of course, if the church was the right way up, they wouldn't, but for different reasons! I can still remember the affect that hearing the story of Nate, Jim, Roger, Ed and Pete had on my in the final year at uni. It still does to this day. To stand in the very room, at the very radio, where their fate unfolded promises to be an overwhelming experience. It certainly should be. It will be a massive privilege to follow, even in the smallest ways, in the legacy of those men. Rachel and I have been watching these short Youtube episodes as we prepare, if you'r interested in finding out more, i can't recommend them highly enough.

So pray for us, and i'll see you on the other side.

So Monday Doesn't Have to be All Bad

No wonder that what is divine is powerful and effectual, for it has omnipotence on it's side. If God dwells in the heart, and is vitally connected to it, He will show that He is God by the efficacy of His operations. Christ is not in the heart of the saint as in a tomb, as a dead saviour that does nothing, but as one in a temple, who is alive from the dead. For in the heart where Christ savingly is, there He exerts Himself after the power of His endless life that He received at His resurrection. Thus every saint who is the subject of the benefit of Christ's sufferings is made to know and experience the power of His resurrection. The Spirit of Christ, which is the immediate spring of life in the heart is all life, all power to act, 2 Corinthians 2:4, 'in the demonstration of Spirit and all power.'... and thus it is that holy affection have a governing power in man's life.

Jonathan Edwards, The Religions Affections

In The Complete Works, Volume 1

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