Christmas Poem

"Irony from Bethphage"


A clatter shot up from Bethphage
In the small town awoke a sage
A worn face stretched from its slumber
A lack of sleep he encumbered
The sun was high, laborers gone
Caring for sheep outside of town
The old man, from his napping chair,
At the intruders he did stare
“What are you doing?” he growled,
His face tight and clothed with a scowl

Taken aback, the rope they held
Around the colt instantly fell
“Apologies, sir, we were told
To hurry here and watch unfold
A gift be given from above
An escort to the Lord we love.
My name is John—I beg you sir—
She shall return so please defer
Donkey and colt as a transport
To our King and powerful Lord.”

His forehead wrinkled, “What was that?”
“Ne’er a king on donkey has sat!
Imposter! Fraud! So is your Lord
A King with pomp shall wield a sword
And press upon people his pow’r
And revel in his ivory tow’r.
No, you see, your mission’s a loss
To reign as king comes at a cost
Of humility—Pride shall cloth
A proper ruler like a robe.”

Expecting heads of them to hang—
What ignominy, fear, and shame—
And mouths of cour’ge, he thou’t he’d mamed
But shockingly, they did proclaim,
“Your point is good—I’ve thought it, too
A Son of David…and humble??...it’s crude!
Again, again, my mast’r’s replied.
‘A seed is nothing lest it dies.
And taking root it bears good fruit.’
About these things our master knew-it.
To spill his blood is why he came
Redeem the world is how he’ll save.”

Interjecting, all so soon,
Giving commands, fringing on rude,
“Hurry! Enough of this babble.”
Frantically, he threw on a saddle
Whisking them, denying a sound
Leave! He urged, “Across the far mound.”

With donkey and colt under stay
James and John went off on their way
Looking quite puzzled, John shot back,
To man who now animal lacked,
“Now we’re off, before we depart
Unfold, explain this change of heart?”

“About this King, I’ve heard before
A night so calm and full of lore
Angels appeared, glory they bore
Telling the dawn of King and Lord.
To my surprise, pomp was forlorn
Rejecting strength, a baby was born
Curtain of expectation torn
A child in dirty cloths now worn
It took some time, but now I see
How King is clothed, I shall not weep
Nor query nor moan nor despair
If King above with meekness share
Once again, pricked are pretensions
Of lowly stoop, most won’t mention
But I shall praise, and worship him
This God-Man, deliverer from sin."

The Problem with DINK's

One of my favorite theologians to listen to and learn from is D.A. Carson. He has such a keen wit, but he is also a faithful preacher of the Word; He loves the gospel. The other day, I was listening to him while falling asleep late at night (it wasn't his talk that put me to sleep!), and I came across this great comment on men and women in the 20 and 30's who shun responsibility in dating and marriage.
In the climax, he asserts that the root issue is narcissism, thinking of yourselves above anything else. It's quite the powerful talk.

Audio found in sermon, Waiting in the Meantime, at Wheaton College Church.

The following is the transcript of a part of his message:

Many studies have been done in the last decade or two, for example, about how the new, younger generation coming along—the under 30’s or 35’s—are remarkably slow to grow up. Many are DINK’s—Double Income No Kids. [They are] Very slow to settle to anything, very slow to take serious decisions, very slow to actually ask somebody to marry them, very slow to make long-term commitments, very slow to serve. [They are] always looking over their shoulder because something better could come along; someone better could come along! They are just very slow to take responsibility.

It’s narcissistic. It’s immature. Where will the Church emphasize growing up, and becoming adults, and pulling your own weight? Be counterculture! This isn’t right!

This short clip reminds me of the following verses from the Apostle Paul:

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4, ESV)

April Snow Showers Bring May Flowers?

Old Man Winter doesn't want to call it quits for the year. According to weatherforyou.com and kare11.com, the Minneapolis/St. Paul area is set to get a whopping 7-12 inches of snow over the next day and a half.

God sure does have a sense of humor.

Update: The warm front from Mexico just barely pushed the storm north of us, sparing us of this unwelcome April blizzard. While we only got a dusting, many places north of us received well over a foot of snow.

Priorities from Paul and His Prayers - Part 7

Our prayer that we will look at from Paul is found in Ephesians 3:14-21.

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
(NIV)

Only one remaining prayer from D.A. Carson's book, A Call to Spiritual Reformation, exists that we have yet to meditate. I hope these series of posts force you to ponder what is most important in prayer. May you desire what the Apostle Paul desired. In this specific prayer, may you have power from the Father to grasp the love of Christ, and, in so doing, be filled with all the fulness of God. As D.A. Carson has said, it takes no less than the power of God for us to truly comprehend the love of Christ. And this pondering and comprehension is transformative; it is not idle thoughts. If you desire to be filled with Christ, prayer for power--power that enables comprehension of the limitless dimensions of Christ's love.

The following is Carson's outline of Paul's prayer:


Ephesians 3:14-21 – Praying for Power

Two Central Petitions
1.) That God might strengthen us with power through his Spirit in our inner being (vv.16-17a)
2.) That we might have power to grasp the limitless dimensions of the love of Christ (vv.17b-19)
It takes nothing less than the power of God to enable us to grasp the love of Christ.

Two Grounds for Paul’s Petitions
1.) Paul’s petitions are in line with God’s purposes.
The apostle praises God for his sovereign grace in bringing lost Jews and lost Gentiles together into one new humanity, one new community.
2.) Paul’s petitions are addressed to the heavenly Father
He is the archetypal Father, the Father of all who are truly his people in heaven and on earth.

A Final Word of Praise (3:20-21)
1.) The God whom he petitions is able to do immeasureably more than all we ask or imagine (v. 20)
2.) The ultimate purpose of Paul’s prayer is that there be glory to God, in the church and in Christ Jesus.

Are Complementarians Hierarchalists?

Note: This post originally was penned at my other blog, www.gmtf.blogspot.com.
>

All words and terms contain preconceived notions, some more loaded than others. The terms "patriarchy" and "hierarchy" consistently draw a sort of "knee-jerk" reaction from egalatarians and some complementarians alike, assuming that authority necessarily leads to male abuse. Equal authority and mutual submission, some contend, is the best defense against the slippery slope of abusive power. Undoubtedly, complementarians must be the first to denounce abusive male leadership as the sin that it is, but, at the end of the day, we must be constrained to define our terms as the Bible would rather than by our modern culture.

So, we must ask ourselves, "Is patriarchy inherently sinful?" More pointedly, "Is hierarchy unbiblical and simply a term that has been hijacked by power hungry males?" Distinguished Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke, in his colossal work An Old Testament Theology, disagrees. Male authority is grounded in the nature of the Godhead. He explains:



Hierarchy in government is not the result of the Fall. It exists eternally in the Godhead itself, wherein the Son is always voluntarily subservient to the Father's will and the Spirit to both. In the mystery of the Godhead, in which the three persons are one and equal, the Son obeys the Father, and the Spirit obeys both. Paradoxically Jesus says both "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30) and "The Father is greater than I" (John 14:28). Jesus veils his own glory to follow the path of humble obedience (Phil. 2:6-11). The idea that hierarchy is an evil than can be transcended is a failed Marxist notion, not biblical teaching. (243)

Authority is not the result of the Fall, it has existed eternally in the Godhead, with the Son submitting to the Father before the beginning of time (Acts 2:24). Hierarchy cannot therefore be inherently wicked, at least not in all senses. But is it permissible in human relations? The answer is "yes." Not only is it permissible, but it is necessary for mature godliness to form, for, as Waltke hints at in his last sentence, hierarchy is the biblical teaching because human interactions are a reflection of the relations of the Godhead. The Apostle Paul writes, "But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor 11:3, ESV)

Despite male authority being biblical, what then are we to do with terms like "patriarchy" and "hierarchy?" Should we refuse these labels and adopt phrases like "mutual submission?" To this, we must also answer "no." If we do reject the descriptions of "patriarchy" and "hierarchy," we will lose the gender debate, for we implicit concede that male authority is unbiblical and always slides down the slippery slope of spousal abuse. Instead, complementarians should seek to sanctify these terms, trumpeting the tension that authority is biblical but need not be demeaning and abusive. And is must be trumpeted, for it is rooted in the Godhead itself.



Russell Moore, in his insightful article After Patriarchy, What? Why the Egalatarians are Winning the Evangelical Gender Debate, gives the following helpful thoughts:

Ironically, a more patriarchal complementarianism will resonate among a generation seeking stability in a family-fractured Western culture in ways that soft-bellied big-tent complementarianism never can. And it also will address the needs of hurting women and children far better, because it is rooted in the primary biblical means for protecting women and children: calling men to responsibility. Soft Patriarchs is, in one sense, a reaffirmation of what gender traditionalists have known all along—male headship is not about male privilege. Patriarchy is good for women, good for children, and good for families. But it should also remind us that the question for us is not whether we will have patriarchy, but what kind.

Be Concise

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.

William Strunk, Jr., The Elements of Style, p. 31.

A needed word for a rambler like myself.

HT:Ched

Priorities from Paul and His Prayers - Part 6

We have a few more prayers from Paul that D.A. Carson analyzes in his book, A Call to Spiritual Reformation. The following has been absolutely transforming in my life as of late, shaping my understanding of what it means to be a Christian, to be "born again." Paul prays that the Ephesian believers would come to grasp more fully the power that is at work within them, the same power that raised Christ from the dead. The highest degree of power has been liberally given in behalf of his audience. No great power is there than that which destroys that which is most powerful. Death is most powerful; it flows from the curse and cannot be reversed. But thanks be to God!

Here is Paul's prayer from Ephesians 1:15-23:

15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

D.A. Carson gives the following outline, tracking the thought of the Apostle Paul:

Ephesians 1:15-23 – Praying to the Sovereign God

1.) Because God is sovereign, Paul offers thanksgiving for God’s intervening, sovereign grace in the lives of his readers (1:15-16)
The assumption is, of course, that apart from God’s powerful, transforming work, these people would never have been converted.

2.) Because God is sovereign, Paul offers intercession that God’s sovereign, holy purposes in the salvation of his people may be accomplished (1:17-19a)
a.) Paul’s prayer is that the Ephesians might know God better (1:17)
b.) In particular, Paul’s prayer to God is that we might have the insight need to grasp certain crucial truths.
i.) First, Paul wants the Ephesians to understand the hope of their calling—that is, the goal of their salvation.
ii.) The second blessing Paul wants his readers to be able to grasp is “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints:
iii.) Third, Paul wants us to know God’s “incomparably great power for us who believe” (1:19a)

3.) Because God is sovereign, Paul offers a review of God’s most dramatic displays of power (1:19-23a)
a.) Paul mentions the power exerted when Christ was raised from death.
b.) Paul describes the power displayed in the exalted Christ.
c.) Paul declares the power exercised by Christ over everything—for the church.

Priorities from Paul and His Prayers - Part 5

And on we march, continuing with our series from D.A. Carson's marvelous book, A Call for Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers. Carson does a masterful job of engaging difficult aspects of prayer, like exploring the tension of our requirement to pray with God's sovereignty, and expositing Paul's train of thought in his prayers. I have chose to forgo, at least at this moment, his tangential comments on difficult issues in prayer and have instead focused on his exegesis of Paul. Today's Scripture is Philippians 1:9-11.

9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (NIV)

D.A. Carson briefly notes the following priorities in Paul's prayer:

Philippians 1:9-11 – Overcoming the Hurdles

Paul Prays for What is Excellent (v.10)

Paul’s Prayer is Tied to the Long View (v. 10b-11)
1.) Paul Prays that believers will test and approve what is excellent “in order that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”

Paul’s Prayer is not Idolatrous, but Praises God
Are we concerned to utilize the gifts and graces God has given us, to utilize them for his glory and for his people’s good? Or are we simply interested in doing our own thing?
This is the ultimate test: it is the test of our motives.

Priorities from Paul and His Prayers - Part 4

I hope this series has been edifying. May these brief summaries of Carson's book cause you to examine the way you pray, and, if needed, may it reshape your priorities. We are thus far halfway through the series. This upcoming post will be on Colossians 1:9-14. It reads:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[d] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption,[e] the forgiveness of sins. (NIV)

Colossians 1:9-14 – The Content of a Challenging Prayer

Lessons from the Setting of the Prayer
1.) Paul prays for Christians he has never met personally (v.9)
2.) Paul prays unceasingly (v.9)
3.) Paul links prayers of thanksgiving to prayers of petition (v.9)

Lessons from the Content of the Prayer
1.) Paul asks God to fill believers with the knowledge of his will (v.9)

2.) The purpose of Paul’s petition is that believers might be utterly pleasing to the Lord Jesus (v.10)
In Paul’s world, to be a Christian, to confess Jesus as Lord, meant to adopt a world view in which you are bound to please him in every way.

3.) Paul sketches, in terms of four characteristics, what a life pleasing to the Lord looks like (1:10b-14)
a.) Christians bear fruit in every good work.
b.) Christians grow in the knowledge of God.
c.) Christians are strengthened so as to display great endurance and patience.
d.) Christians joyfully give thanks to the Father.

A Parenthesis: Discerning One's Call to Ministry

If you would, allow me to make a quick interjection into this mini-series on prayer. You will soon notice this block will not deviate far from our discussion. In fact, not only is the issue of discerning one's call to ministry deeply connected to prayer, but my thoughts about to be written spring from the same book from which this mini-series is based, A Call to Spiritual Reformation. I bring up this interlude here because D.A. Carson focuses upon it in while discussing Paul's prayer in 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, which is my most recent post. To catch our barrings, I will post the relevant portion of Scripture, write Carson's piercing remarks, and conclude with brief observations.

1 Thessalonians 3:1-5
1So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. 2We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker[a]in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, 3so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. 4In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. 5For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.

Carson observes the following important points from Paul's message:

2.) Paul's prayer arises out of passionate affection that seeks the good of others--not their praise, gratitude, acceptance, and still less some sense of professional self-fulfillment...

As someone who has taught seminary students for more than fifteen years, I worry about the rising number of seminarians who, when asked where and how they think they might best serve, respond with something like this: "Well, I think I would like to teach somewhere. Every time I have taught, people have told me I have done a pretty good job. I get a tremendous sense of fulfillment out of teaching the Bible. I think I could be satisfied teaching Scripture."

Let me interject quickly. If you are pursuing ministry of some kind, are these thoughts true of you? I know I have fallen prey to them. If you are already in ministry, do you coddle yourself by banking on kind words others have told you about your gifts? Consider this forthcoming rebuke from Carson:

How pathetic. I know pagans who find satisfaction and fulfillment by teaching nuclear physics. In any Christian view of life, self-fulfillment must never be permitted to become the controlling issue. The issue is service, the service of real people. the question is, How can I be most useful?, not, How can I feel most useful? The goal is, How can I best glorify God by serving his people?, not, How can I feel most comfortable and appreciated while engaging in some acceptable form of Christian ministry? (82-83, Emphasis mine)

After I finished reading this chapter a little over a month ago, I wrote in the top-right corner, "Put in blog." This reason being, quite sadly, is that this is a message I must hear daily. I must be struck between the eyes consistently that my calling to ministry is grounded in the Lord's calling to be a servant for others good and for God's glory. The goal is not ultimately my self-fulfillment. I do want joy, yes, but to seek joy in the way described above is sin, for it is a joy that flows from idolatry. While so-called "serving others," the one you most want to serve is yourself and your desires. Your utmost desire is to be coddled and pampered and to be have your gifts be praised.

No. This will not do for a Christian minister or teacher or bible study leader or mentor. Listen again to Paul: "So when we could stand it no longer,...[we] sent Timothy...to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials...For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless" (1 Thess. 3:1-5, NIV).

May our hearts burn for those to whom we are ministering, not our own starving egos.

Priorities from Paul and His Prayers - Part 3

Consider today the priorities from Paul's prayer in this passage. 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 reads as follows:

9How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

11Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. (NIV)

Paul’s Prayer: A Product of Passion for People (2:17-3:8)
1.) Paul’s prayer arises out of his intense longing to be with the Thessalonians (2:17)
2.) Paul’s prayer arises out of passionate affection that seeks the good of others—not their praise, gratitude, acceptance, and still less some sense of professional self-fulfillment (3:1-5)
3.) Paul’s prayer springs from unaffected delight at reports of the Thessalonians’ faith, love, perseverance, and strength (1:2-3; 3:6-8)

Paul’s Prayer: A Continuing Passion for People (3:9-13)
1.) Paul prays with rich thankfulness for the people of God (3:9)
Although the thanksgiving is not addressed to the Thessalonians, but rather to God for the Thessalonians, nevertheless it is cast in such a way as to encourage them.
2.) Paul prays that he might be able to strengthen these believers (3:10-11)
3.) Paul prays that there might be an overflow of love among these believers (3:12)
4.) Paul prays that these believers will be so strengthened in heart that they will be blameless and holy when the end comes (3:13)

Priorities from Paul and His Prayers - Part 2

Today we shall examine Paul's train of thought in 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12.

1Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer
3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
5All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

11With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. 12We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[b] (NIV)

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 – Worthy Petitions

Two Petitions:
I. Paul prays that God might count these Christians worthy of their calling (v. 11a)
II. Paul prays that God by his power might bring to fruition each Christian’s good, faith-prompted purposes (v. 11b)

The Goal of Paul’s Prayer
I. Paul seeks the glorification of the Lord Jesus (v. 12)
“The Christian’s whole desire, at its best and highest, is that Jesus Christ be praised. It is always a wretched bastardization of our goals when we want to win glory for ourselves instead of for him.”
II. Paul seeks the glorification of believers (v.12)
“When we are glorified, in the sense just described, we are being made more like him, we are being strengthened or empowered to exhibit characteristics that we would not otherwise display.”

The Ground for Paul’s Prayer
I. Paul recognizes all good flows from God’s grace (v. 12)

Priorities from Paul and His Prayers - Part 1

Prayer can often be very difficult for me. The trouble is not necessarily in finding the time to pray, but it is knowing the motives and goals of our prayers. What shall I pray for? More pointedly, why should I pray? I deeply desire to pray as God would have me pray, cultivating a heart by his grace that longs after what he longs, that desires what he desires. Nevertheless, most probably from my hard heart, I have spent many mornings on my knees...in heart-wrenching silence. Words dripping out of my mouth slowly, like water from an icicle on a cold, January day.

And I fear I am not alone in these barren times of prayer. Undoubtedly many of you have felt similarly, either not knowing what to pray or simply not having a desire to bow before the Almighty God.

In light of our need, I recently returned to a book written by D.A. Carson, entitled A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and his Prayers. It thoroughly examines each of the more substantial prayers from Paul in his epistles, analyzes the main foci of Paul. I was so utterly touched and encouraged by this book, I warmly passed it on to a friend who frequents Old Chicago regularly. After a week or so, she had finished reading it and promptly returned it. That day we shared our reflections on the book. We were both so encouraged. But we both had short memories. It was hard to remember all that we had read, to keep in mind the main priorities Paul had in his prayers. We needed a summary. So, the following posts will be brief summaries I have compiled that will hopefully reveal what things we ought to pray for. May you be encouraged and provoked to prayer.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 – The Framework of Prayer
3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
5All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

11With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. 12We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)

I.) Thankfulness for Signs of Grace
1.) Paul gives thanks that his readers’ faith is growing (v.3)
2.) Paul gives thanks that their love is increasing (v.3)
3.) Paul gives thanks that they are persevering under trial (v.4)

II.) Confidence in the Prospect of Vindication\Looking Forward to the Hope that will be Revealed at Christ’s Return
1.) For believers, there will be vindication (vv. 6,10)
“God is just: He will…give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well… on the day he comes to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you”
2.) For others, there will be retribution (v.10)
“God is just:…He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Rest, Waltke, and my Future Wife

Rest is a wonderful thing. It is most blessed when one rests in such a way that a delight in God is strengthened. Praying, reading good books, studying the Scriptures, having sweet communion with friends and family—these have produced a Spring Break ’08 for which I will always be grateful.

Consider it a blessing or a curse, God has given me a voracious appetite for books. Whenever I have a break from my studies, I consume book after book, satisfied at the abundance potluck of wisdom present in so many theologians today. After purchasing Bruce Waltke’s An Old Testament Theology, this long-awaited book has not been a disappointment. I am over one hundred pages in, and he is essentially still introducing his presuppositions to biblical theology, the approach that is the backbone of his enormous book.

On poetics and intertextuality, Waltke goes to great lengths to parse various types of literary forms present in the Old Testament. Despite its consistent intricate nature, it is a tremendous feast for the soul. Consider the following paragraph from the book:

A contrast can be discerned in the type scenes involving meeting a bride at the well in Haran. In one scene, Abraham’s servant meets Rebekah at the well when he is in prayer, trusting God to lead him to the right bride for Isaac. In a second story, Abraham’s grandson Jacob is at the well in his flight from his murderous brother, Esau. This story relates that there is a huge rock over the well, such that three shepherds cannot move it, but Jacob moves it single-handedly. The “bride at the well” narratives contrast a servant who is strong in prayer with Jacob, who is strong in brute strength; they contrast a happy wedding with an unhappy wedding. The former is rewarded with a beautiful and virtuous bride whose faith in I AM outstrips that of her husband; the latter gains a beautiful bride who clings to her old family idols. The message, though not initially perceptible, becomes clear: Power in prayer is greater than power in human strength in establishing God’s kingdom, but nowhere does the narrator of Genesis command his audience to pray (118, emphasis mine).

What wonderful insights! May God grant me a wife like Rebekah, not like Rachel. May her beauty be primarily an inward beauty (1 Pet 3), of a soft heart and humble spirit that loves God and yearns to do his will. Similarly, may I be a man of prayer, like the faithful servant of Abraham that sought God’s face. May I not be tempted by superficial and temporal beauties, but may God grant an eternal, transcendental view of his beauty and its reflections in his covenant people.

23 going on 13? A Call to Mature Manhood

Note: This is an article I recently penned for the Northwestern College school paper, The Column.

“Oh, come on! Be a man!” Undoubtedly you have heard this phrase. More often than not it is used by a group of rather snobbish delinquents daring a naïve friend to do something quite stupid. Point is, if he does this daring physical feat, he is a man. If he does not, he has come up short in attaining desired masculinity.

I fear that for many young, male Christians, their conception of manhood is similarly blind. The assumption is that true manhood in Christianity is nothing more than being a wildman who embraces adventure but cringes at responsibility. A man who welcomes mystery with open arms but buckles at the thought of leadership. A man who values being a “lone ranger” but sneers at the call to be a spiritual provider for others.

Simply put, the growing pattern for young men is to imitate the passivity that is so commonplace among men in our culture. For some, it is called adultolescence—a phenomenon where men never grow up and simply become 30 and 40-year-old boys.

Men throughout the ages have struggled with passivity, but how did this recent phenomenon come about? Many answers could be given, but the following strikes at the core of the issue: We as a Church have failed to speak courageously and clearly from the Word of God on what the calling of a man is.
Growing up, I never was exhorted to become a man. I frankly did not know what defined a man. As far as I was concerned, I wanted my life to echo the old Toys-R-Us jingle: “I don’t wanna grow up; I’m a Toys-R-Us kid.” If someone were to ask me what the difference should be between a mature man and a mature woman, I would have responded with eerie silence.

As I grew older, I came to appreciate that the call for manhood found in the Bible was unmistakably clear. Being a man is taking responsibility rather than shirking one’s tasks. It is realizing that a man is called to be a spiritual provider in appropriate ways to men and women (1 Tim 3:4-5; Eph 6:4). It is acknowledging that husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the Church (Eph 5:22-33). It is also the courage to lead in a likewise manner. It is affirming that fathers are to provide physically for their families, and if they do not, they are worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim 5:8). Above all, it is the calling to grow in godliness and be zealous for God’s glory (1 Tim 4:7).

What is a man? It is certainly not a passive man, one who simply does not “wanna grow up” and spends all of his free time on the internet or Halo. It is not a bullying, tyrannical leader. Much less is it a Christianized wildman, one who loves the thrills of the outdoors and extreme sports but has no capacity to shepherd others. It is a humble, firm leader. It is a providing, protecting, loving, nurturing, God-fearing, mature man.

This is the biblical calling. Men, how shall we respond?

Thinking About Prayer

Ever felt convicted about your lack of prayer? Ever wondered what the connection is between regeneration and intentional communication with God? Does the former lead to the latter?

If you have thought of these questions, read Lee Irons' wonderful article.

The Center of our Salvation

“Jesus Christ is not merely the means of our rescue from damnation; he is the goal of our salvation. If he is not satisfying to be with, there is no salvation.

He is not merely the rope that pulls us from the threatening waves; he is the solid beach under our feet, the air in our lungs, and the beat of our heart, and the warm sun on our skin, and the song in our ears, and the arms of our beloved.”

- John Piper, Taste and See, 406

A Few More Words

Here are some more words from Carson. My index card is now full, and the process of writing them down is becoming more of a distraction than an opportunity to satisfy my curiousity. Well, here are the new words. Perhaps you can add this list to your array of words, or maybe it is a refresher for you. Once again, the definitions are from dictionary.com.

Tautologous: needless repetition of an idea

Apogee: the highest or most distant point

Unguents: A salve for soothing or healing; an ointment.

Self-abnegation: self-denial or self-sacrifice

Equanimity: mental or emotional stability or composure, esp. under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium.

Obduracy: The state or quality of being intractable or hardened

Paschal: of or pertaining to Passover

Paucity: smallness of quantity; scarcity; scantiness

Preponderance: superiority in weight, power, numbers

Adumbration: to foreshadow; prefigure

Aphorism: a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation

Aporias: the expression of a simulated or real doubt, as about where to begin or what to do or say.

Frescoes: the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture

Progeny: a descendant or offspring, as a child, plant, or animal

Nascent: beginning to exist or develop

And thus concludes your grammar lesson for today. I suppose I good lesson always ends in application, so your task is to use four words you did not previously know in a sentence today.

Example: Your equanimity will not be affected by the paucity of your present vocabulary; however, I fear that my emphasis on the importance of increasing your nascent, linguistic range is becoming tautologous.

My Expanding Vocabulary

D.A. Carson sure has an expansive vocabulary. Even though I had not read very much of him prior to his commentary on John, I realized rather quickly that he has great dexterity with the English language. At times it is rather comical. I have been keeping writing on a notecard all the words Carson uses that of wich I am not familiar. After only 100 pages of keeping track, my notecard is nearly full. Here is a list of some of the words I came across (the definitions supplied are from dictionary.com):

Umbrage: offense; annoyance; displeasure

Ignominy (I have came across this word at least 3 or 4 times): disgrace; dishonor; public contempt

Pettifogging: insignificant; petty;dishonest or unethical in insignificant matters; meanly petty

Reticent: disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved

Incenses: To cause to be extremely angry; infuriate.

Assize: an edict, ordinance, or enactment made at a session of a legislative assembly

Viticulture: the culture or cultivation of grapevines; grape-growing

Derelication: Not in dictionary (He possibly meant dereliction)

Marauders: Not in dictionary

Putative: commonly regarded as such; reputed; supposed

Groundswell:any surge of support, approval, or enthusiasm, esp. among the general public

Sapiential: containing, exhibiting, or affording wisdom; characterized by wisdom

Animus: strong dislike or enmity; hostile attitude; animosity

Proleptic: the anticipation of possible objections in order to answer them in advance.

Castigate: to criticize or reprimand severely

Brigands: A robber or bandit, especially one of an outlaw band

And to think, this is a commentary aimed at "pastors, teachers, and students everywhere"! Granted, a majority of teachers would probably be familar with these words; however, I doubt most seminary students and pastors would fully grasp what Carson was saying without a dictionary near at hand.

With all that said, I don't know if this is more of an indictment against Carson's enigmatic writing style or the general American's ignorance of the wealth of English words.

What is True Freedom?

D.A. Carson, Research Professor from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, gives a very helpful analysis of freedom in his commentary on John. He writes:

"True freedom is not the liberty to do anything we please, but the liberty to do what we ought; and it is genuine liberty because doing what we ought now pleases us" (350).

How true, and what a clever, pithy statement. It should be disclosed that Carson may have borrowed this material from St. Augustine. No footnotes were given, but my friend seemed to recall reading a similar phrase from the fourth century theologian.

Desiring God's Conference

My father, who is a pastor, and I will be going to the Desiring God Pastor's Conference on February 4-6, 2008. It looks great. The theme this year is the Pastor as Father and Son.

The following is an excerpt of John Piper's welcome:

The theme of the Desiring God 2008 Conference for Pastors is owing most immediately to my father’s death on March 6, 2007. He was a fruitful evangelist. He preached the gospel for over seventy years, if you count the final testimonies in the nursing home. I loved him. I admired him. And I wondered how I might honor him.

The thought came to me: “Make him the subject of your biography at the Conference for Pastors. Tell his story and the impact he had on you.” Then I recalled that Don Carson of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School had lost his father, a Canadian pastor, and was hoping to write a book about him. (In fact, the book is written and will be ready for the conference in February, Lord willing.)

It occurred to me that Don might find it enjoyable to celebrate his own father’s ministry while instructing the rest of us about lessons learned from him and from the Word. Maybe, I thought, we should build the whole conference around the pastor as father and son, that is, the pastor as father of a family and father of a church; and the pastor as son of an earthly father and son of a heavenly Father. I wrote Don and told him my vision. He embraced it and agreed to come.

At that point, the Desiring God staff got excited about doing something totally unusual with this conference, namely, encouraging all the pastors to bring their sons and their fathers. Amazing. We all loved it. So that’s the plan. Come. And if you can, bring your sons and your dad.

Read the whole invitation here.

If you are in the area, please come. No other alive theologians have influenced me more than D.A. Carson and John Piper. The impact they have had in trumpeting the supremacy of Christ and the preciousness of His Word has been incalculable. If money is an issue, Desiring God has generously offered a whatever-you-can-pay policy. If you are unable to attend, please pray that God would richly bless the efforts of the Desiring God staff, and that Pastor, and their sons or fathers, would more fully grasp a passion for the glory of God.

Who is the Most Pro-Abortion Candidate Ever?

Barack Obama.

Terence Jeffrey notes: He is so pro-abortion he refused as an Illinois state senator to support legislation to protect babies who survived late-term abortions because he did not want to concede -- as he explained in a cold-blooded speech on the Illinois Senate floor -- that these babies, fully outside their mothers' wombs, with their hearts beating and lungs heaving, were in fact "persons."

Read the whole story here.

This is alarming; even the most hard-hearted politican, one would think, would be in favor of saving babies who have survived such a catastrophe. What an offense against the dignity and value of human life. Moreover, what an offense against God, the author of life, who formed and shaped each baby in his image to give him glory. Where do humans have the right and audacity to take away such a blessing?

HT: JT

Judge Not!

I am currently reading through D.A. Carson's Commentary on the Book of John. I am 300 pages in, and it has been an eminently enjoyable read thus far.

John 7:24 reads: Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. Giving a helpful note on judgment and discernment of all sorts, he writes:

In an age when Matthew 7:1 ('Do not judge, or you too will be judged') has displaced John 3:16 as the only verse in the Bible the man in the street is likely to know, it is perhaps worth adding that Matthew 7:1 forbids judgmentalism, not moral discernment. By contrast, John 7:24 demands moral and theological discernment in the context of obedient faith (7:17), while excoriating self-righteous legalism and offering no sanction for censorious heresy-hunting (317).

What an apt warning for falling out on either side of the spectrum.