Lying is like murder

1. Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
2. 1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer...

See also Matthew 5:21-22 and Ephesians 4:25.

Reading Pilgrim's Progress backwards

This paragraph is from Kevin DeYoung's recent blog post, entitled On Mission, Changing the World, and Not Being Able to Do It All. It is a good description of how I often forget the gospel in seeking to advance the gospel. I've added the emphasis in the quote.

The danger–and it's a danger I've fallen foul of in my own preaching–is that in all our efforts to be prophetic, radical, and missional, we end up getting the story of Pilgrim's Progress exactly backwards. "Come to the cross, Pilgrim, see the sacrifice for your sins. Isn't that wonderful? Now bend over and let me load this burden on your back. There's a lot of work we have to do, me and you." A cross, yes. Jesus said we would have to carry one of those. But a cross that kills our sins, smashes our idols, and teaches us the folly of self-reliance. Not a burden to do the impossible. Not a burden to always do more for Jesus. Not a burden of bad news that never lets up and obedience that is always out reach.

Let us never forget the gospel! Resolve to build on no other foundation than the gospel! (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

Praying for the holiness of others

In A Call to Spiritual Reformation (p. 94), D.A. Carson sums up chapter five ("A Passion for People") by concluding that 1 Thessalonians 3:13 is the most fundamental way to pray for people:

When we pray for people, we must do so knowing that these people, and we ourselves, are inevitably moving toward the last day. When we pray with eternity's values in view, we are driven to pray for people, because people like you and me are the ones who must give account to God on the last day.

From that perspective, there is no prayer we can pray for others more fundamental than this: that God might strengthen their hearts so that they will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father on the last day.

Conversion as discovering treasure

Hear what John Piper has to say in When I Don't Desire God (p. 25) about what conversion means:

In the New Testament, conversion meant discovering that Jesus was a treasure of such surpassing worth that joy would enable a new disciple to leave everything and follow him: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field" (Matthew 13:44).

That is classic Piper, but worth remembering. It's what motivated me to describe my Religious Views on Facebook as "Jesus is my treasure."

Scriptures on helping the poor

Galatians 6:10

• Members of the local church should take first priority, members of the global church second, and those outside the church third.

Titus 3:14

• Urgent needs should take priority over commonplace needs. (Possible example could be a family that is on the street versus a single male who can't pay his health insurance bill.)

2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 (and 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)

• Unless they're incapable of working, beneficiary should provide proof of current employment before receiving gifts. If not currently employed, beneficiary should provide useful service in return to the church or its members; should be valuable service that is comparable to gift given.

2 Corinthians 8:13-15

• There should be fairness among recipients according to basic livelihood needs.

Matthew 6:2-4

• Giving should be discreet

Proverbs 14:21

• Giving should be generous (according to basic livelihood needs)

Matthew 7:7-11

• Beneficiaries should request assistance on their own before it is given.

1 Timothy 6:8

• Only basic livelihood needs should be provided for: food, clothing, temporary/shared housing.
• What about giving cash? (My opinion no, because that could be used for things other than basic needs or could encourage love of money.)
• What about mortgage payments? (My opinion no, since it could encourage love of money. Rent payments might be different.)

Proverbs 18:9; Proverbs 19:15; Proverbs 19:24; Proverbs 20:13

• Beneficiary should be a hard worker, not lazy.

Proverbs 22:16

• Must not give to someone who is rich -- who can provide for his own needs, but does not.

What are some other scriptures to add to the list?

2009 Family Vacation

Camp was a lot of fun this year. Here are some of the things I enjoyed:

1. At the welcome cook-out on Sunday, I chatted with a pastor from an Arminian church (probably Methodist). He was surprised to hear that I am both Continuationist and Calvinist. He didn't think it was possible to be both. In explanation, I just said I think it's exegetically untenable to be otherwise.
2. On Monday, I talked with a guy who had a clear understanding of regeneration. He was a fairly new Christian. Upon being saved by God, he attended an anabaptist church for awhile and grew in the faith. And, now, he's going to a Baptist church. He seems to be actively discipling his family in the gospel. What a blessing is our Savior! All of us are undeserving.
3. On Tuesday, I was challenged in my understanding of the scriptures by a man who ministers with Messianic Jews. Among other things, he encouraged me to read Maccabees (for historical understanding of the Jews) and to study scripture more closely. His example of faith reminds me of Romans 11:25-32.
4. Lots of volleyball.
5. Lots of swimming.
6. Lots of time watching Adeline play in the sand. She loves to dig and get dirty.

So, we had a great time. And, I'm glad we're home again. It was hard to have regular prayer times. It's good to be back on our daily schedule.

Test your humility

Do we desire to be a humble servant to others? Do we desire to minister to others? If that's our focus, we might not be humble.

We must mortify the desire to appear humble before men and instead seek God, to whom we must give an account (Romans 14:12). Genuine humility is wretchedness before God:

James 4:8-10  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

When we desire to be a humble servant to others, we forget that God would rather that we make ourselves small and lowly before Him, than that we choose our own sacrifices:

Psalm 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Rather than desiring that we minister to others, God desires that we minister to our own soul, by trembling at His word:

Isaiah 66:1-2  Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Test your humility. Do you desire praise from men or praise from God? (John 5:41-44)

Accountants rapping

This is rather scary.

Making disciples of Jesus in Frederick City

So, I'm beginning to plan how I'm going to redeem time (Ephesians 5:16) to be missional for the gospel in Frederick City. I want to pray and plan carefully so it's not a burden on my family (discipling my family in the gospel is the priority), but I also want to advance the gospel outside the home.

I really want to disciple guys in Frederick City to know Jesus and love Jesus. It's my vision to have a church that preaches the gospel in Frederick City -- from the research I've done, there are no biblically faithful churches in Frederick City that preach the gospel. Unless we begin to build disciples who are faithful to Jesus, there might never be a faithful church in the city. It was on my heart the other day to pray for fifty guys to disciple. I'm probably going to keep praying for that, but I'm going to wait on God to bring them to me (1 Corinthians 3:7). I don't know God's time frame (Proverbs 16:9), if that is God's will. The important thing for now is to seek to get to know them. Trust and understanding must be built before they will receive God's truth (Proverbs 18:13; Proverbs 18:2).

I have two ideas of how to do this:

• First, I could hang out in bars and cafes. Do you think hanging out in bars would be a good place to meet guys and build relationships with them? Do people regularly attend bars? Do you think it'd be constructive? I don't really know.
• Second, I could volunteer at the Frederick Rescue Mission and tutor or teach (math, literature, etc). Tutoring at the rescue mission is probably a great way to build relationships with people, but I don't know if it will be a context where I can actively disciple them.

Which would you do? Hang out at bars or tutor at the rescue mission? Why?

Right now, I'm planning to do this one evening a week (maybe Monday evenings) for 3-4 hours. (Probably 5-9.) I'm hoping to find some other guys to join me in doing this. I'm not strong enough to stand against temptation on my own (1 Peter 5:8), and the enemy will actively oppose this by sending temptations (Matthew 4:1-11) and opposition (1 Thessalonians 2:1-2) in many forms.

Please do comment with your thoughts. Your feedback, critical or encouraging, is most welcome. Also, if you'd like to join me in this, let me know.

How Charles Simeon was converted:

When [Charles] went up from Eton to King's College Cambridge in 1779, he was still a godless, worldly, and carefree youth. So he was shocked to be informed by the Provost within three days of his arrival that by an ancient college rule he was "absolutely required" to attend a terminal service of Holy Communion. "Conscience told me," he commented later, "that Satan was as fit to go there as I; and that if I must go, I must repent and turn to God, unless I chose to eat and drink to my own damnation." He had three weeks in which to prepare, and made himself "quite ill with reading, fasting and prayer." The Holy Spirit was also convicting him of sin. "So greatly was my mind oppressed with the weight of my former numberless iniquities," he said, "that I frequently looked on the dogs with envy" (Carus, p. 6).

From John Stott's introduction to Evangelical Preaching: An Anthology of Sermons by Charles Simeon, page xxviii.

August 2009 family photo

Here's a family photo from today. Thanks to my father-in-law for snapping it.