Don't Sell It Short--Immediate or Extended

"The family is wonderful, but unless we understand the family in the context of the triune God who is magnifying and manifesting His glory in the world and painting the picture of it through this union that we call the family, then we are selling it short and we are not seeing it for what it really is and we are limiting our capacity to enjoy it and our capacity to glorify God through it as well."

- Voddie Baucham 

 Grace Quotes Personal Interview, 2016

Logic on Fire: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones

I put aside the books this evening to watch Logic on Fire: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, and I highly recommend it to you. The documentary chronicles how Lloyd-Jones came to faith, his transition from the medical field to theology and the pastorate at Westminster Chapel in London.

His emphasis on keeping Christ central in the church is a much needed admonition even today. It tells the story of how he impacted those who sat under his preaching as well as the influence he has had on many who were interviewed for the filming, some who knew him personally.

Lloyd-Jones is shown as a caring pastor as well as a beloved father and grandfather, with interviews with his daughters and grandchildren as they talk about his home life and his personal, familial side.

When his younger daughter Ann married, they all bought a big house together and lived there until he died. Martin and his wife Bethan (who was also a doctor) helped with the grandchildren as they were growing up. In return, Ann helped care for her parents when they grew older. A sweet story of family love and care. So unlike today as many evangelical pastors preach to "hate your father and mother and children" so you can serve God alone. To Martin Lloyd-Jones, his family was part of his ministry and he served God by serving them as well as his congregants. Not one or the other, but both and.

We watched Logic on Fire on Amazon Prime, or you can purchase the DVD. If you click on the image, it will take you there. Or you can go to the Logic on Fire homepage where you can watch a couple of trailers and read about some of the contributors to the documentary who sat under Dr. Lloyd-Jones ministry or whose ministries have been influenced by him, as well as some extra interview coverage.

Then Go Rescue and Restore

Sharing some thoughts from my quiet time today.

"He who is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone." Or, as I sometimes say, "I'd be the last one qualified to accuse someone of forgetting to ____," meaning that as forgetful as I am, I certainly have no grounds to stand in judgement of another's forgetfulness. But there's more to these words of Jesus than my ready remark.

I think that as Christians we often take this verse from the passage in John 8 and give it a broad sweep that goes far beyond its context. We are too often reticent to speak up about sin in each other's lives. We've come to believe that we're hypocritical if we do, that we have no qualification or right to do so because "we're all sinners saved by grace," and that "but by the grace of God there go I." All of which can be true, but not necessarily.
 
As I was reading John 8:1-12 today (the passage of the woman caught in adultery), Jesus' writing on the ground arrested my attention. As the passage tells us, the scribes and Pharisees brought the woman as a trap for Jesus, another one of their schemes for gaining grounds to accuse Him. No one in our day knows exactly what He was writing, but it apparently meant something to the scribes and Pharisees, which is why they all turned and left one by one. Some suggest that He may have been writing something about them personally, or at least something that they recognized as exposing them in something just as sinful or illegal. This was probably the case.

They had failed to take into account that having caught the woman "in the act" meant that they had also caught her partner "in the act" as well. The scribes and the Pharisees were guilty of breaking the law themselves (Lev. 10:0; Deut. 22:22) because they let the man go.

Perhaps Jesus had written that requirement of the law on the ground, and they knew that if they pushed the issue, it would be turned on their own heads.  He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her (8:7). They were all guilty, and they knew it. That meant something to them.

This passage is often used to disarm someone who is about to speak in regard to someone else's sin, meaning that those who have no sin of their own are the only ones qualified to speak into a sinful situation. That, of course, should shut all of our mouths, which is often the intent. But we cannot take this verse out of its context and apply it as a general axiom to anyone who needs to call someone out in regard to their sin.

One of the results of this kind of thinking is that we're not admonishing one another toward righteous living. We see the results of that in our churches today. Most people in the general culture have no moral code governing their lives, and Christians often live as if we don't either. But Jesus calls us to moral as well as faith living. We're letting each other go down our own sinful paths, when what we really need is rescue.

Yet as we do so, we also need to bring Matthew 7:5 to bear upon our admonition: "First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." We cannot be blinded by our own sin, cannot be biased by our own sinful ways, cannot be self-righteous.

Some will bring up Matthew 7:1--"Do not judge so that you will not be judged...." Typically the recitation ends there, but the next verse says, "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you." We don't want anyone else to judge us, so we recalibrate and look away. It's not that we have no right to judge anyone, but that we need to be careful in doing so. As John 7:24 tells us, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

My takeaway: Don't pick out fragments of verses and hide behind them to avoid involvement. Get the facts of the matter straight first and be sure I know biblically and can explain why I'm judging as I am. Then go rescue and restore with grace and kindness.

Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.

 ~ Fanny Crosby

Image ~ Gabriel Schachinger, 1886

public domain via WikiMedia Commons

How Do We See It?

If you believe in a God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things. It is we, of course, to whom things look 'little' or 'big'. 

–Elisabeth Elliot

Image via Pixabay

 

 

Weekend Daybook

My Weekend Daybook is intended to offer brief glimpses of my simple life, thinking that my dear grandchildren may one day be interested in knowing little tidbits about Nana.


Outside My Window...
A mother out for an early morning walk with her little baby and big black labrador retriever. In the summer her other two children walk with her. She walks each morning. I offer a prayer for her little family and their unfolding day.







Noticing the sound of...
David Tolk's CD, In Reverence, playing on Spotify as I write. Peaceful instrumental music with piano, acoustic guitar, string quartet, oboe. Collection of inspirational hymns and original compositions.



Looking forward to...
My nephew's wedding next weekend in a little country church. It's been awhile since we've attended a wedding after our move here. I miss going to the weddings of children of longtime friends after being a part of their growing up years. Weddings are becoming more special to me because fewer couples are committing to marriage in these darkening days.

Thankful...
That Joseph and Stephanie have chosen to begin their marriage with their wedding ceremony in the church. Such a fitting beginning to a lifetime together.

Thinking...
That I don't understand how New York can celebrate killing a baby growing in the mother. It's, indeed, A Dark Day in New York State. How did New York and much of America get to this diabolical point? As Richard Phillips writes, it's the consequence of ideas.

"One essential answer is that attitudes and behaviors are formed from ideas. And behind the gleeful celebration of the slaughter of pre-born babies is the idea that there is no God. The chief doctrine of secular humanism - embedded in the very expression - is that life does not originate as the creation of a personal and moral deity. The consequence of this denial of God is not only the rebellious egocentricity by which men and women would terminate their own children for the sake of convenience but also the loss of the very idea of humanity.... As we witness the brutalization of our culture and tearfully wonder how our fellow citizens can celebrate such slaughter, the Christian response must include a commitment to speak truth fearlessly from God's Word."

Brought a smile...
Two little twins about 18 months old in the booth next to us as we were at our favorite pizza place last evening. Brother and sister, with a new bundle of joy waiting in their mommy's belly soon to join them. Brother and I exchanged greetings over My Beloved's shoulder. They seemed to me like a precious little family with much joy ahead of them.

In the Sewing Room...
Finished Anna's dress from the fabric she chose and added tulle as a border. Six-year-old Anna loves fancies. She likes to use my scarves as dress-ups when she comes to visit. :-)




Around the house...
He will cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you will find refuge.
Psalm 91:1


Learning...
Biblical hermeneutics as I read in preparation for the upcomimg class. Most of it is new to me, so I have to stay focused.
(on my bookshelf) ...



Reading...
Biblical Hermeneutics by Corley, Lemke and Lovejoy
Required reading for the class.


Interesting so far, and I'm learning much in its 400+ pages. In our SS class last week, the question was posed as to why most of us don't study the Old Testament as much as we do the NT. My thought was that we are no longer under law but under grace. However, the following clarification is percolating now in my thoughts.

Some have suggested that we should view the Old Testament as a book of law and the New Testament as a book of grace. However, such a characterization is a gross misrepresentation of the nature of the testaments. In reality, the Old Testament has a great deal to say about God's grace, and the New Testament is very concerned that the followers of Christ keep his law. Part of the misunderstanding comes from the fact that Judaism in the days of the New Testament had perverted the law. The Jewish legalism which Paul speaks against in Romans and Galatians is a corruption of the notion of law presented in the Old Testament. 

The Old Testament never construes the law as a means of establishing a relationship with the Lord or of achieving "salvation." The passages in Exodus which introduce the Sinaitic covenant make it clear that the law was based on the grace which God had already expressed to Israel.

.... The law communicated God's will for his people, and as such was a great act of divine grace.... As we attempt to interpret specific Old Testament laws, it is essential that we not lose the "big picture" provided by this canonical perspective. The basis of every law was divine grace, and the goal of every law was relational.

-from Biblical Hermeneutics in chapter 17 on "Interpreting the Law" by Robert R. Ellis

Not in The Least Bit Inconsequential

Recently, Tim Challies has been calling for bloggers to continue their personal blogs or to pick up and try again if they've given up. He posted some comments today from readers with their reasons for continuing, or having given up, why they were drawn back to it. While many of the comments are from those who blog on ministry sites, Challies encourages all of us to write for the sake of the gospel.

I'm one of those who started for a year, gave up for several years, then began again a few years ago. Sometimes consistently. Most often not. One of the reasons for inconsistency or even giving up is that writing is work and takes time. Words do not come easily to me, although thoughts are constantly bouncing around in my head. I don't always have the time to sit and focus on those thoughts, to bring them from my mind through my fingertips onto the keyboard in coherent discourse. It's definitely a discipline much like exercise and too often left unattended.

Adding to the time issue is the feeling that there are many other bloggers out there saying things in a much more compelling way than I possibly could. Their experiences seem so much more alive and interesting than my own. Yet, I know, too, that what is familiar and perhaps mundane to ourselves can be new and interesting to others. Perhaps it's the turn of words, the slight nuance that helps someone see things in a slightly different light, or the connection of one's life to another's experience.

My thoughts may be simple, but I've been reminded that if anyone is reached with the truth of the gospel, if anyone is encouraged by thoughts that are eventually formed into sentences and paragraphs with gospel meaning, then I have at least had a small (but never insignificant) part in encouraging the call to Kingdom life.

And that is not in the least bit inconsequential.

Exegetical Fallacies, A Brief Review

D.A. Carson's book, Exegetical Fallacies (2005 ed.), exposes word-study fallacies, grammatical fallacies, logical fallacies, presuppositional and historical fallacies that often lurk in exegetical sermons and writing. The purpose of the book is to enable the student of the Word to identify, avoid, and correct such fallacies.

It was a challenging read because I found myself in the dictionary page after page. The book is required reading for a hermeneutics class, so I couldn't just skip over words when the context didn't enlighten me as to possible meaning. In order to write the paper, I needed to thoroughly understand its contents. So it was a pretty slow trudge.

I understand now why pastors engage in devotional reading beyond their study for a sermon. Carson encourages distanciation coupled with caution. Distanciation is defined as: to establish or create a mental or emotional distance. This approach tends to detach us from spiritual interaction with the passage being studied and could be why many scholarly theologians lose sight of their faith. Study can become cerebral with little actual engagement. As Carson states, "It is difficult and sometimes costly."

In realizing the far-reaching impact of fallacies, one could become overly self-critical and discouraged in attempting an exegesis of any passage, becoming concerned with leading listeners or readers into error. However, gaining more awareness and skill is intended to benefit, not harm. Mindfulness should be the approach.

Strengths of the book would be that it presents a vast array of fallacies to be considered so that students of the Bible can handle it more accurately. The book is arranged in such a way that it is easy to locate a type of fallacy according to category: word-study, grammatical, logical, presuppositional, historical. One could run thoughts about a passage through the grid of listed fallacies.

Weaknesses would include the lack of giving definition to many of the terms used throughout the book. Reading was often interrupted by the need to understand what a word meant to the context. If the book had not been required reading, I would have laid it aside early on.

Another weakness is the apparent tone in which the author writes (although I realize that without emojis perceived tone in written work is often surmised). I, personally, found the tone to be rather haughty as he points out examples of fallacies from the works of other authors, pastors, scholars, etc.. The impression I was left with is that Carson considers himself the authority, that these other people are in error, and that caution should be taken in reading their works. This set a negative response reaction in my mind as I read. Far better, in my opinion, would have been examples of fallacies without such negative references.

Nevertheless, Exegetical Fallacies brings to light common fallacies of exegesis and is a ready reference. Carson urges diligence in studying and interpreting the Scriptures. He introduces the book with the hope that the reader will aspire to more correctly interpret the Word of God.

Not Even His Brothers

I've often heard it said that family members are the most difficult ones to witness to about their need for Jesus. They know us too well is often the lament. This may reveal the fact that we're often hypocritical or that our old nature too often is on display. We surely need to give attention to our walk and our talk.

But we are not the only stumbling blocks in drawing others to Jesus. Just as some of us may have been before we came to faith in Him, we tripped over ourselves. We did not (would not) believe. While the door is always open to whosoever will come, we cannot come unless we are drawn by the Holy Spirit. We err when we think we hold the key to the decisive moment of entrance.

As I was reading today, I came to John 7:5, "for not even His brothers were believing in Him." Here is the Christ Himself who lived for 30 years in the same house with His brothers, and He is perfect. He always walked His talk. They knew Him very well as a brother, so there is more to it than the supposition of thinking family "knows us too well."

While our purpose is to glorify God in all we do, only God can draw people to Himself. And so we pray to that end. Jesus' brother James believed only after His resurrection, which is the foundation of the Christian faith. That was the pivotal point for James. That's when He understood fully his own need and the scope of redemption through Jesus.

We don't know what the pivotal point may be for a family member. But it is surely that they must understand their need and see Jesus as their redemption. We, ourselves, must walk in a manner worthy of our own calling in the meantime. And lest we think it's about us, know that it's about being an ambassador for Him.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

~ 2 Corinthians 5:20 

Image ~ A Close Game

Harry Brooker, 1848-1940

public domain

Come and See

Sharing an excerpt from my reading today.

There are those who choose to reject Jesus because some of his followers are hypocrites. But this makes no sense. Many people don't live consistently with what they profess to believe. Christians don't own the monopoly on hypocrisy.

There are plenty of humble and lovable Christians. But often the attention falls on false Christians or loudmouths or hypocrites. The gospel is all about Jesus. The Jesus that Christians believe is good, even when his followers violate his teachings.

The Bible never says you have to believe in Christians to be saved. It says you have to believe in Jesus. He's the One we're invited to come and see (John 1:46), and the only One who can save and transform us.

- Randy Alcorn 

Face to Face with Jesus: Seeing Him as He Really Is

Nathanael said to him, 

“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” 

Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 

- John 1:46

~ Image, An Afternoon Read
Louis-Charles Verdee,  1832-1882
public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The Spotlight Is On...

I've begun the new year in the book of John and pondering today the passage where Jesus talks with the woman at the well (4:1-45). He has told her things that only Someone who sees into the heart and mind can know, and she realizes that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah people have been waiting for. When she tells others about Him, they also believe.

The Scripture says that "many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me all the things that I have done.' '' So they went to Jesus and heard what He Himself had to say. The Samaritan woman is, of course, an example to us to tell others about Jesus. They believe because it is evident that Jesus is more than mere mortal.

What struck me today is that they believe because of the word of the woman. It isn't who she is that draws others to Jesus. It is Jesus Himself. The important point is that she is astonished at what Jesus knows about her, amazed at what He says to her, affected by who He is. And she tells others.

But it isn’t about her. She pointed to Him. The people who came to Jesus then heard Him and believed, and told the Samaritan woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

The spotlight goes on Jesus and who He is, not on us and who we are. We have no life-changing power, but we can point others to the One who does.

Image ~ A Girl Reading, Charles Edward Pergini, 1870

public domain via WikiMedia Commons

We See Things Differently

I'm slowly reading and pondering Speak the Truth: How to Bring God Back Into Every Conversation by Carmen LaBerge. To bring God back into the conversation is first to get ourselves mindful of Him, then to stay in the conversation ourselves so we can bring His truth to bear. Sharing a brief excerpt with you from the chapter--"Yes, It's Personal (and You Should Take It That Way)."
 

Part of the freedom that comes with the Gospel is the freedom to be selfless. Secure in the knowledge of who we are, whose we are, where we're going, and what we're promised. Christians are liberated in ways the world simply does not comprehend. We can rejoice in suffering. We can accept adversity. We expect persecution. We see things differently.

Children of God are sons and daughters of the King, citizens of the Kingdom, co-heirs with Christ of glory.  That totally reshapes how we view our role and time on earth. We're not trying to make a name for ourselves so much as make the name of Jesus known to others. We're not living for ourselves so much as offering our lives as living sacrifices for God to use as He wills. We're not living for the accumulation of wealth so much as we're seeking for our time, talent, and resources to be spent by God in ways that advance the Gospel

I know, it sounds a little crazy and I suspect that is part of the point.

- Carmen LaBerge in Speak the Truth:
How to Bring God Back Into Every Conversation

You can read more of what Carmen has to say on bringing God back into our conversations by clicking on the image. It will take you to her post on “How to Lead and Love in the Face of Animosity.”

Image ~ Untitled, Haynes King, 1831-1904

public domain via WikiGallery

Empowered or Equipped?

Empowered to do what? And, exactly, what does empowering itself mean for a woman?

According to the Oxford dictionary: "Make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights."

There are articles and lists of ideas abounding of how to empower women. Most of those things are what most people seek, men and women alike. But it's only politically correct to empower women. Empowering seems to be rather gender-specific. Or discriminatory. Or anything but equitable.

Personally, I want to be equipped, not empowered. Equipped to fulfill responsibilities in my sphere of influence, in my marriage, in my home, toward my extended family, in my community of faith, toward my friends and those who need the touch of God's love and drawn to Him who are on the outside looking into the life of one who lives for more than this world and its achievements can offer.

I don't need (nor want) to be empowered to claim my own rights, to rise above others, to have my own dreams fulfilled at the expense of others, to have them pushed aside so I can get ahead, or to have position or rank or wealth or opportunity handed to me simply because I am a woman of the 21st century and he's a man. I don't want the freedom to be non-committal in relationships, to walk away when I feel the urge, nor to be open-ended in decisions. I don't need empowerment to prove myself. I see the desire for empowerment as empty and self-aggrandizing.

Give me, rather, opportunity to become equipped for whatever role I may be called to fill. No role is small. There are circumstances when I may be called elsewhere, but the home is central to life itself, to the welfare of a nation, certainly to the welfare of the children. We are seeing the results of a generation raised without their mothers, mothers who are themselves confused about who they are. We are living in an age of confused identity and suicide is at its height because of it. People are killing themselves because they see no hope in the vortex of present-day ideology.

Where is their guidance? Who is confusing and leading the children away? The Pied Piper, and he isn't after the rats. He is the rat. Who is home to even know he is whispering and shouting detrimental philosophies and dark thoughts and perversion into developing ears and minds and hearts? Mothers are at the office, on the construction crew, anywhere the paycheck is, while the children are trained by the philosophies of this present world system.

Women have been empowered, and as she says, Santa Baby, she doesn't need your stuff because she can buy it all herself. And do it all herself with just a little help from her friend empowerment.  Or so she's been led to believe. Until one day when she says, "What has happened to me?"

No, don't empower me. Equip me and encourage me to fulfill my responsibilities, to develop and strengthen my abilities and capabilities in order to benefit and support others and in that glorify God, with the freedom to be who I am and who I need to be. And with that equipping, enabled by the Holy Spirit to be God-confident, not self-confident. To be selfless, not self-actualized.

Image ~ Young Woman Before a Mirror

William Merritt Chase, 1887

public domain via Wikimedia Commons