Last Sunday I preached on Nehemiah 3. You can download the sermon, listen to it right here, download the video via the vodcast or by rightclicking on this download link. or read the edited trancript below. You can

Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.

— Nehemiah 3:1-5

We are looking today at Nehemiah, chapter 3. We're going to look at the chapter as a unit, and although it can, at first glance, seem like a list of names, you can draw a sort of graph of the wall of Jerusalem with all the different gates and places that were built. It might seem like a kind of catalogue, but it’s actually a very important chapter, and it’s important for two main reasons.

The first reason is this—it demonstrates to us that God is interested in people. All of these men and women actually built something for God, and God made sure their names got into the Bible. That’s pretty exciting, isn’t it? So God cares about the individual. He cares about you and he cares about me. The second reason it’s important is because the whole book is about building. And today we’re looking at the chapter when they were actually doing the building.

WHY BUILD?
Why did they build? What prompted them to do it? Why were they interested in building? I think that while we don’t see it directly in this chapter, we have already seen that when Nehemiah arrived, Jerusalem was in disrepair—there was a shame, a mocking that was going on. The line behind that was a concern for the honor and the glory of God. We need to understand that Jerusalem was God’s home. God’s reputation was tied up with Jerusalem because Jerusalem was the place where God dwelt. Originally the temple was in ruins. That had now been rebuilt. But when you see the walls of the city in ruins, what are you going to think about God? “Oh, so your God is the kind of god that allows his precious city to fall into ruin, is he?” This is the problem we have today, of course, because many people look at the Church, particularly in the West, and say it’s in ruins. It’s a mess. So they were concerned for the glory of God.

So why build? We build because our motivation for the work is that God may be glorified. We’re not like the people who built the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:4. Those people said, “Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves.” There are many people today who are interested in making a name for themselves. I trust that we are interested, not in making a name for ourselves, but in making a name for Jesus. We want to see Jesus famous again in the earth. And not just infamous as a swear word, as a blasphemy that is used so often, as a name to be trampled in the mud, a word used in the same way that people use for excrement. One minute they’re saying, “Oh excrement!” (whatever that word might be), and the next minute they’re saying the name of our precious Savior. That has to stop. We want to see Jesus famous again. They wanted Jerusalem to be a place that was solid, strong, yet safe from enemies, but more than that, that it would demonstrate that God was who he said he was. That God keeps his promises. Because God’s reputation is on the line. He put his reputation on the line for the Israelis. And he puts his reputation on the line for you and me. If we’re Christians, he cares about us. But also the bounds on his glory. Jesus wept over Jerusalem in his day, saying, “Why could I not gather you?” Also, the heavenly Jerusalem is seen as a picture of the Church. We are the new Jerusalem. And one day Jerusalem will come out of heaven, the heavenly Jerusalem, and will be here on earth. The dwelling of God will be with men and women forever. We will no longer be separated from God.

You will notice that when Nehemiah comes to the people, he actually, in the short-term, doesn’t promise them anything. He doesn’t say, “I’m going to give you lots of money if you work.” Instead he says, “I’ll give you sweat.” It’s a bit like when Winston Churchill said—“All I have to offer you is blood and sweat and tears . . .” and the whole nation of Britain rose up as one man. Why? Because we have a desire within us to live for something bigger than ourselves. A reason, if you like, beyond ourselves. Living for the glory of God. If you live for the glory of God, then a number of things become the norm. It becomes normal to love God, it becomes normal to have a passion for his Church, to care about his bride, the bride that so many people diss today, that so many people are negative about today, hateful about, say all sorts of evil things about. God loves his bride and God loves his glory, and he loves those who love his glory. The question is very simply this—Will we do what God’s glory deserves? It’s not so much what God will do for us. It’s what we can do for God and for his glory. What can we do for God’s glory? If we will respect God and live accordingly, then God will actually honor us and bless us too. Our purpose is to be those who live for the glory of God. There’s the old Puritan saying, the old statement of faith—What is the chief end of man? It’s this—to glorify God and to enjoy him forever and ever.

WHAT EXACTLY DO WE BUILD?
We’re not building a physical temple. We at Jubilee meet in a cinema. We don’t even have our own building. But even if we had our own building we wouldn’t be so concerned about the building. What we are concerned about is the people. How are you building your life? The Bible thinks of our lives as being like a building. Matthew 7:24-27 says:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And when the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does no do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

There are many things that shake us in this world. Things can shake us individually. Things can shake us as families. Things can shake us as communities. Things can shake us as whole nations. And right now there are things that are shaking us as the whole world. We are facing some interesting financial storms at this time. We have to ask, “Were the banks building on sand or on a rock?” Oh, it can look very nice for a number of years. It can look very attractive. You can start talking about billions of pounds; in fact, trillions of pounds—and that can all be wiped out when the storm comes, as the foundations are exposed. I want to challenge you this morning not to assume that you have the foundation right. I want you to ask, “Have I got the foundation right?” Jesus tells us in those words how we know if we’ve got the foundation right. This is not how you get the foundation right. Please understand there’s a big difference here. Being a Christian is about a relationship with Jesus. But how do you know if you’ve got that right? How do you know if you’ve been born again? Let me tell you. Jesus said this—if you do the things Jesus says, that’s how you know. Do you do the things that Jesus says? Do you live a godly life? Or is your life no different from the world? Are you sleeping around? Are you consuming too much alcohol? Are you rowing with your wife or your husband in an inappropriate way? Well, Jesus would seem to say here—be careful! Is your foundation right? Look again at your foundation. The truth is this, of course—we all sin. We all fail. Even Christians who have been Christians for ten, twenty, thirty years still sin. I’m not saying we have to be perfect to know that we’re going to heaven. The question is simply this—is the foundation there? And what is that foundation? The foundation is Christ himself. He's the solid rock on which we stand. All other ground is sinking sand. If you stand today on the basis of “Oh well, I’m a good Christian. I go to church. I pray. I read my Bible.” That’s no foundation. No, Christ is the foundation, and what he did for us on the cross. Paul explains this very well in 1 Corinthians 3. I do want us to be slightly unsettled for a moment and again look at our foundation. Am I relying on Christ for my salvation or am I relying on my own good works? Do I think I can be good enough for God? No, none of us can be good enough for God. 1 Corinthians 3 says this:

. . . like a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

And when I say “Jesus Christ,” what I mean is this—I mean his perfect life, his sinless life. I mean his undeserved death, taking our punishment for us. And I mean his resurrection from the dead, raised to life, glorious, victorious, conquering death that we might not have to suffer death eternally. Oh, we may taste death at some point in our lives, but we will not suffer it eternally if we are saved. That’s the foundation—his life, his death, his resurrection—what is laid, Jesus Christ.

Now maybe you do have the foundation right. But Paul says, “Be careful!”

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

There are two key questions that we need to ask ourselves here.

1. Do you have the foundation right? Are you a believer? Has God caused you to be born again? Has God granted you that new life? Are you aware that you are relying on him, on Jesus, on what Jesus has done? Have you truly repented from your sins? Have you truly given your heart to him? Have you given yourself to follow him? That’s just the foundation for that. But if that foundation is there, then you will go to heaven. But so many Christians stop there and say, “Well, if I’m going to heaven, that’s fine.” But notice this. Paul is saying here that there’s building to be done.
   
   
2. How are you building your life? Are you building your life for the glory of God? Or are you building your life for comfort? Are you building your life to get more money? Are you—dare I say it?—even shamefully trying to use God as a means to get more money so that you can be more comfortable? Nehemiah never offered them comfort. In fact, he said, “Come away from your comfortable houses now and work. Pick up the trowel.” I want to challenge you. Have you picked up the trowel in your own life? Or is your life a ruin? Is your life a mess? So many lives are wasted. So many lives are wasted by wrong decisions and the consequences of those wrong decisions working themselves out over years and years and years. Sometimes a life needs to be knocked down and rebuilt by the grace of God. If you have wasted your life, God can help you restore it and renew it. God is in the business of restoring. And he doesn’t just want you to get to heaven by the skin of your teeth. He wants you to get to heaven where he can look you in the eye and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. We worked together. We built together. We built together in your life. We built together in your family." Its not just for the sake of your kids being comfortable and you having that nice modern life style, but for the glory of God.
   
   But notice this. It’s also about the Church. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says this: “I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Actually, the church is built up with lots and lots of lives that themselves are being built well. If your life is being built well, God would challenge you, not just to be a passenger, not just to be a seat warmer in these nice comfortable seats, thinking, “Oh, yes, I liked that sermon. Or, I didn’t like that one as much. Wish we could get the other preacher back.” Or, “The worship was okay this morning.” No, the question is this—what are you contributing? Are you building the Church? Are you building the life of your neighbor? The person sitting next to you? The person in your small group? Are you actively seeking what God might want you to do? And I want to challenge your this morning. If you are a Christian here this morning, it’s time to pick up the trowel. And if you’re not a Christian, this is an opportunity to get a foundation that is laid by Christ. You see, only Christ can lay the foundation, but we all, with God’s help, can build on that foundation.

HOW SHOULD WE BUILD?
My third point is simply this—How did they build? And of course, “How then should we build?”

1. An interesting thing is this—when they built, they had a strategy. And they built in such a way that the work was designed in a very clever way by Nehemiah. Nehemiah rode around the wall and he identified different bits of the wall. And he said, “Okay. This bit of wall you can do. And this bit of wall you can do. This group of people—you can go there.” So they submitted themselves to Nehemiah. I wonder when you read a story like Nehemiah whether you have a tendency to identify with Nehemiah and say, “Oh, yes, God is calling ME to be a Nehemiah, and God is going to give ME a vision.” And maybe that’s right. God will give us a vision. But I wonder actually whether we ought not to be looking to identify with these ordinary people. Not everyone can be a Nehemiah. I know I’m not a Nehemiah. But I do know this. I can serve a Nehemiah’s vision. And I can build. And actually, I can build with a team alongside me. I haven't invented my own vision. I have no desire to do that. I’m building the Church of God that has been purchased by Jesus. And I’ve given my life to that. I’ve given my life to this place; to helping in whatever way I can. With maybe a group of people who are under me, if you like, who I’m leading and supervising and helping—yes.
   
   But what if the question is this—What can I do to help? How can I serve? There are many ways in which you can serve in church. There are all kinds of things. It’s not just about preaching. It’s not just about leading worship. Sometimes people come into church and the very first thing you hear from them is—“Oh, yes, I used to do this and that and the next thing in my last church.” But hold on for a second. The question is this—Will you just muck in? Will you just do what God is calling you to do? Will you just do what is needed? There are all kinds of jobs. Welcome people are needed to show others the way in from the car park when it's cold. And it’s going to get harder in the English winters soon. I can just see it now, shivering out there, while everyone in here is singing, “Oh, we worship Jesus!” And you’re saying, “You know, I’m just freezing for Jesus.” But that’s what you’re doing—you’re freezing for Jesus. And God will reward what is done in secret. There’s a God who will honor you and who will give maybe a bigger crown to you than to that person you're envying, who is at the front every week. God sees when you miss a sermon to go out and teach, not to a whole room full of people, but to a few kids. And I can tell you this. Thirty years on—I still remember one of my Sunday School teachers particularly. A lady called Janita Ring. She wasn’t a preacher on a Sunday morning. She didn’t lead a church. She didn’t do any of those things. But she inspired a young boy to love God, and I’m very grateful for Janita Ring. I’m very grateful for my Christian parents. I’m very grateful for all the other Sunday School teachers whose names I don’t necessarily remember, but I do remember the impact. And God remembers. God sees. There was some guy who invited Billy Graham to a crusade when he wasn’t saved. Imagine that! Your job in life could be to invite a young boy to a crusade! If that was all he did in his whole Christian life, that would have been pretty impressive, no? And I don’t even remember his name.
   
   
2. What we see if we look in the Scripture here is that every man is committed to the work, everyone of them. Look in verse 1—what do we have? The priests simply sanctify the wall. I wonder what that looked like. They said they sanctified the wall. Have you thought about that? It probably involved a lot of blood because everything in the Old Testament involved blood. The priests were pretty enthusiastic, and there were two other places that they built as well. Then you have the men of Jericho. In verse 2, we see the men of Jericho. They did their bit then in verse 7, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah. We’re talking about aliens. We’re talking about people who are not from Jerusalem. We’re here in London, God loves London. We’re building a church here in the midst of London for the glory of God that we want to see hve an impact on our city. We want to see a changing expression of Christianity in this city. We want to see people take notice that there’s something glorious going on. And some of us actually didn’t come from London. Some of us didn’t even come from England. I came from England, but not from London—God called me here, and God called many people here. We have many people in our church who God has taken from other nations— for example from Africa. Everyone can play a part. In verse 13, we have Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah—I mean, who are these people from Zanoah? In verse 8, we have the goldsmiths, and they also seem to be pretty keen. They get up to it again in verses 31 and 32. We have perfumers. I mean, whoever taught perfumers how to build a wall? And in verse 9, we see the ruler of half the district building, and that happens again, actually, later on—rulers building. And verse 10 is just someone building opposite his own house. Have you ever thought about your neighbors? What can you do for God with your neighbors? In verse 12, we see it says, “and his daughters helped,” so it’s not just the men, it’s the women too. And then we see a ruler building the Dung Gate. And we see goldsmiths and merchants, basically business people. Business people can make a difference for God. And many of you think, “I want to lead the church. I want to work for God full-time.” You can work for God full-time and be paid, not by the church, but by some other master.

So I urge the Christian—Please don’t be like the nobles. The Tekoite nobles wouldn’t stoop to serve their Lord. Perhaps a small group leader comes up to you. “Would you mind doing the Bible study this week?” And you reply, “Oh, I’m not sure I can really manage. I think I’ll leave that up to you. Because, you know, I’m still quite a young Christian.” And you think you’re being humble—you’re not. Actually, you’re being proud. You saying, “I refuse to stoop to serve my God.” Or someone comes up to you and says, “Would you come early one week and help with the teas and coffee?” And you say, “Well, I might be at a party the night before.” You won’t stoop to serve the Lord. That’s the posture of humility—to stoop. If it’s for the glory of God, then I will do it. Will you do it for the glory of God? It’s not about your glory. It’s not about your fame. It’s about the glory of God. Whatever he asks us, we need to be prepared to do it.

I want to close with one verse of a psalm. Psalm 127:1 says this, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” I want to ask you this, “Are you still trying to build your own house? Are you someone who maybe has the foundation right, but you know you’re building with straw. And you think, “It’s okay. I’ll get to heaven.” I would challenge you, because the Bible isn’t very clear sometimes about how we know, how we determine who is one of those people who is going to get to heaven by the skin of their teeth because the foundation is right. They do believe in Jesus. They’re just messed up a bit as their life has gone on. They haven’t really contributed. They haven’t really earned their place in the universe, if you like. And who will be the ones who Jesus will look in the eye and say this, “Away from me, I never knew you.” My passion is this—I don’t want anyone in this room to be in that group because there will be church-goers in that group. They will even be church leaders in that group, because the Bible says that there will be those who have cast out demons in the name of Jesus. There will be those who have healed the sick in the name of Jesus. And you sit there thinking, “Well, I’m all right. I’ll just scrape in by the skin of my teeth.” Are you so sure? Are you so proud that you think, “Oh, yeah, I know better than God.” See, what God says to you is this—Give me your whole life. Let’s do this business of life together. Let’s build your life my way. Let’s do things my way. And then on that glorious day when the fire comes, what you have built will stand a lot better than the British banking system. I saw a statistic today. Apparently if you want to put your money somewhere safe, they say send it to Botswana. The Botswana banks are safer than the British ones right now. That’s what it said! I guess they haven't loaned out so much money foolishly. Don’t be like the British bankers. Put your life on a firm foundation, on a sure foundation, on trust that’s not trust in some half-witted idea that money is going to keep on growing forever. No, it’s trust in the living God who loves you, who came, who died for you to save you, and to give you that new life.

Yesterday, at two different times during the day, I was confronted with the idea of God granting success to people. The first time occurred while I was reading the story of David and Jonathan where, in one chapter, the idea is repeated several times.

1 Samuel 18:5 — And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

1 Samuel 18:14 — And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him.

1 Samuel 18:15 — And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him.

1 Samuel 18:30 — Then the princes of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

Then, later in the day, someone reminded me of a verse in Nehemiah:

Nehemiah 1:11 — O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.

In fact there are also several other examples of God giving success to his people and/or them asking him for it.

Psalm 118:25 — Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!

Genesis 39:2 — The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.

Proverbs 3:3-6 — Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths.

It struck me that those of us who believe in the sovereignty of God have a common temptation to react so strongly against "faith" teaching that we feel fearful to ever follow this biblical example and ask for success. But it really does seem that a mark of the Lord being "with" someone is this surprising success that seems disproportionate to a person's natural ability. This is what the grace of God is all about. It means that God often chooses someone and plucks them from obscurity to be successful. It also means that we should not feel so shy about asking for God to grant us success.

God doesn't grant such favor in order for us to be proud. Quite the opposite, because it is his to give and he makes us look better than we are, the glory goes to him alone.

1 Corinthians 1: 26-29 — For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

UPDATE
Desiring God has now made the audio of this sermon available for free online.

Once again, Piper prayed and acknowledged his sense of unworthiness.

Romans 8:20 makes it plain that all suffering is judicial. It is a judicial act of God that brings these things on the earth. Because you have done this God says, “I will surely multiply your pain . . .” (Genesis 3:16). Natural evil is a weak testimony to the ghastliness of evil. This sin includes even our mere preferring of other things to God.

Having said that all suffering is a judicial sentence on the universe, verses 1 and 3 of chapter 8 make an important qualification. That is that no Christian experiences suffering as condemnation. Jesus absorbed all the condemnation of all the people who are united to him by faith. All of your suffering is not judgment and punishment—it is something else. It would be a tremendous dishonor for you to feel judged by God if you are in Christ.

Suffering in the Bible has many designs. For those who are unbelievers, all suffering is punishment, but all suffering is purification for believers. For those who are on their way to being Christians, suffering is to awaken them. For a non-Christian, what will happen with suffering will depend on what they do with Christ. If they turn to God it will have been in order to get their attention, and is thus redemptive, or it will be part of an everlasting life of judgment culminating in hell.

In the fall, God was doing more than merely responding to sin. He never is merely responsive. Instead he was permitting it by design so that he could carry out his purposes. God was fulfilling an eternal plan in order that the apex of his glory would be revealed through grace. The apex of his grace would be Christ. The apex of Christ's manifesting of grace would be his death on the cross. This is the reason the universe exists.

WHAT MORE WAS GOD DOING IN UNLEASHING SUFFERING?

Ephesians 1:6 says that we were predestined “to the praise of his glorious grace.” We exist to bring praise to the glory of his grace. Grace means being treated better than we deserve. Grace assumes demerit. If we were perfect we could not receive grace. Only fallen people can receive any grace! The world had to be allowed to fall in order for this to happen. This is not mere logic—it is driven by verses of the Bible! “. . . because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” (2 Timothy 1:9). The grace was all there and planned and given to us before the world was even made.

“. . . everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 13:8). The word literally means slaughtered. It was not clean; it was not quick; and it was gross. You would have thrown up, or screamed, or run away. If the book was called the book of the killed one before the foundation of the world, then the slaughter was planned before the foundation of the world. If so, then the world was created and the fall allowed so that we might be forgiven. Some people say that in heaven we won’t remember horrible things. But the main thing we will remember is the most horrible thing that ever happened in the world.

We should not be thinking big thoughts about suffering, but big thoughts about Jesus’ supremacy. He is the center, the reason for everything. It is all about Jesus. Everything is pointing to Jesus as Creator and Redeemer of the universe. The main expression of grace is the crucifixion of Christ. When God subjected the world to Judas-like murderous treachery, he was preparing the cross in order for us to be saved.

In Christ's death on the cross there is a glory that is manifold. First, he purchased deliverance from pain for all those who are in him. “By his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53). Second, he purchased our faith. This faith is sustaining and will uphold us when we are not healed.

God is both healer and the one who satisfies the suffering soul. We can glorify God by being healed. Piper said he believes wholeheartedly in the gift of healing. He thinks we should ask God to heal people by placing hands on the sick person’s shoulder. No need to add magic words. “If it be your will.” Just ask. Do what you would want someone else to do for you. If you love people, you will pray for them.

But in verse 23 we groan inwardly. In the midst of suffering that is not removed by healing, the cross purchased the grace to still be satisfied in God. Even we groan. This is there to prevent over-realized eschatology. Since Christ has purchased healing some say it is all now. Excessive charismatics get the notion that we can have every healing now. In fact, the sustaining grace is normal in this age, and the healing grace seems less common. God wants the people around us to marvel at the worth of Jesus when we love him in pain.

Why does the proportion of these two graces work the way it does? When a person is miraculously healed of a cancer, there are several things about that which do not bring as much glory. There are several ambiguities about healings that mean less praise might go up to God. First of all, people doubt the medical side of it and say that the original pictures were wrong. Second, are people praising the glory of Jesus or are they giving glory to health? Third, a few years later the healing is probably largely forgotten and there are no more prayer meetings for that man. In a sense that is perhaps why God doesn't always heal—in order that the value of Christ might be seen in a man who goes on loving God in the midst of suffering.

WHAT HELPS ARE THERE FOR US?

• After this time there will be a glory for us to see, that will satisfy our soul. We love to see greatness. We will be granted the soul-satisfying sight of the greatest reality in the universe.
  
  
• But, as we see in verse 19, there will be a revealing of the sons of God to the universe. We don't look like children of God yet. Our faces will shine like the sun in the kingdom. We will be changed (verse 21). Creation will be set free into the freedom of the glory of the children of God! We will be glorified. There is a freedom. We are bound up. We will become fit to see and enjoy. Our British restraints won't matter any more, or the fact that your dad beat you up. It’s all going to change. The sting of death will have been taken away. We will be capable of infinite happiness in Christ.
  
  
• We will see a rearrangement of creation that will allow all this to happen. The universe is about people. He changes us, then changes everything. Mountains and seas will not be thrown away. The new heavens and earth are this world renewed. We will be satisfied.
  
  
• God promises that the miseries of the universe are not death throes, but birth pangs. If you are in the kingdom now, every pain is about something new coming. If you hear a scream in a hospital, you will interpret it differently, depending on if you hear it in a cancer ward or a labor ward.
  
  
• We are to be more than conquerors. Not just death lying dead before you. What is better is if you say, “Death, get up and serve me well!” Your enemies become your servants in Christ. Whatever suffering comes your way will serve you. All things are ours—even life and death. (1 Corinthians 3:23) "Death, you think you are my enemy. Make my day!”

Piper finished with a quote of which I only caught a snippet. He said he longs for us to “Hold our lives cheap, live dangerously, and be reckless in his service!”

This is the first post in several I'll be doing in what I call “remote blogging.” A few times when Tim Challies and others have been at conferences, I've shared extracts from their posts here on my blog. This time Tim is not at the Resurgence Conference on Preaching, but the Resurgence folks are offering live videocasts of their sessions.

Here, then, are my thoughts on Mark Driscoll's talk, which is taking place right now as I'm listening to it sitting in my room here in London. (Incidentally ... No! I'm not in my pajamas!) The usual "rules" apply—these are my notes taken in real time, and I may well have missed important bits or imported a few of my own ideas as I go along! This was posted within seconds of Driscoll ending his sermon. I'm trying to decide whether to stay up another hour or so to cover Mahaney. I know I won't be able to do all of them! Whether I do CJ's will depend on if they have worship or start straight with him at 4 p.m. Seattle time.

In the first session Driscoll began with a rallying call to put preachers in their rightful place. The world came into existence with a sermon preached by God. The Bible is full of “God said ...” God's Word does what it is intended to do and brings life. We preachers are following God's example. God is not the only preacher. In Genesis 3, the serpent preached a false message. Satan tells us we need not preach because he would like his voice to be the only one heard. Our forefathers listened to the wrong sermon, but even after that, God preached another sermon which promised the coming of Jesus.

Proclamation is crucial—Jesus was announced by John the Baptist's preaching. Jesus' own ministry began with preaching, and so should ours! Jesus was a proclamation preacher; he didn't say, "Let's discuss it in groups"! It infuriates Driscoll that ANYONE can call into question the validity of preaching when God does it, then comes to earth and preaches! Yes, Jesus did other things, but he was a preacher first and foremost. He drew crowds. Jesus had thousands come to hear him.

The first thing that must be proclaimed is the cross of Jesus for our sins and in our place. Liars who work for the devil will tell you that you don't need to proclaim the cross centrally as it is offensive. But if you don't preach it you will offend God. Seeker insensitivity is “hot.” Preaching needs to be anointed by the Spirit. When the Spirit came at Pentecost, they immediately went out and preached! And the Church was born! The preached word brought forth the Church, just as God's original preached Word brought forth creation.

We should connect the ground war with the air war, that is, connect the small groups to the Sunday sermon and apply them there. The Apostles were devoted to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Driscoll went through Acts showing the emphasis that was placed on proclamation preaching.

We must keep on preaching in spite of persecution. Some of us are too cowardly. After one lousy e-mail, we're in the fetal position and our wives are rubbing our backs. We need courage. People will react. When people say we need to do things in the way the early Church did them, Driscoll agrees. “Let's yell at people!” We have to protect our people from the wolves! The world is full of wolves—they're publishing books, making videos, etc. There is so much preaching in Acts. Don't let your people dishonor the pulpit. Some of us, in an effort to be humble, allow others to be proud.

The reformers defined the Church. The Church is both universal and local. The Church is both visible and invisible. They discussed what constituted a rightly gathered Church. They said it was about preaching the gospel and the administration of the sacraments. The Church is led by Jesus. He is not just our example. He is no longer merely a humble marginalized peasant. If we could see Jesus today we would see him like Isaiah saw him—glorified! We must teach Jesus' exaltation, not only his incarnation.

The Church needs qualified leaders. These need to be male. This issue is a "border issue." If you don't teach male elders, then you are in a different country! Everything will be seen differently. The gospel must be preached by those men. The sacraments must be administrated—baptism and communion, and Church discipline must be carried out. In preaching, the Word is heard, in sacraments the Word is seen, and in Church discipline the Word is protected.

Driscoll challenged us. When was the last time you called your people to repentance and brought them to the Lord's table? When was the last time your church disciplined someone who persistently lived an unrepentant life while claiming to be a Christian? The authority comes from the head of the Church. Elders must be godly. Their life styles need to be worthy of imitation. Preaching is not all that we must do in churches—but it is the FIRST THING WE MUST DO! It is the air war. Everything else comes after it—the ground war. Everyone is looking at the effects, no one is asking about the cause!

Driscoll was very clear about the invalidity of many groups today who function as "house churches," but have no authority and no preaching. God's grace is one-way, and so is preaching. Many emerging churches try to build communities without leadership, and without a declaration of God's Word. How can such a group be a church if no one is preaching the Bible?

The devil tried to have a debate—did God really say? Why should anyone tell you what you have done wrong?

Preachers—you must preach FOR your church. You must preach knowing what a church is. Leaders must build, defend, protect, and shepherd their church. "Internet churches" are not churches as there are no sacraments, no authority, no relationships, and no church discipline. Multi-campus churches need a bit more than just a screen for the preaching to be displayed. Although Driscoll's church does have many campuses, each campus has its own pastor who performs the sacraments, disciplines, and pastors.

Driscoll ended with the last sermon preached—that in Revelation 14. It was preached by an angel. God was the first preacher. An angel is the last preacher. In-between, we are to preach. What an awesome responsibility!

The following notes are based on a sermon I preached yesterday at Jubilee Church, London. It draws to a close our series on Ephesians. You can download the mp3 or listen right here:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:10-20)

During World War II, if you lived in London you were in a war. You could try and deny it. You could pretend it wasn't happening. But to do so you would be a fool. Every air raid siren, every mad scramble to the shelters, every destroyed home would remind you—the enemy was REAL and he was coming to get you.

Some people today act like the world is at peace. It is not. We all face a danger more deadly than air raids or suicide bombers. There is an enemy who is at work to destroy the world. You and I were born onto a battlefield, and we will live all our lives and then die on a battlefield.

The devil has many schemes. Today we will look at some of the main ones. First, he has two over-arching strategies.

1. He loves people to become fascinated with him. It was his pride that made him evil. He wants the attention and praise that is due God. Every time someone visits a medium or reads a horoscope, he has succeeded in turning someone from trusting God for their future. We see a rise in all kinds of strange spirituality because people are looking for a power encounter. Sadly an experience of power is all too often not available in the church—which is the one place where it should be seen! Meditation which empties the mind, hypnotism, witchcraft, and many other similar things all come from the devil, and the Christian has no business playing with them.
   
   Even within the church the devil uses this strategy. There are those who spend much time praying against the "spiritual forces in power in the air" which they say are over an area, forgetting that Jesus is Lord and has already defeated the evil powers! Or they blame the devil for every cold that comes their way—we live in a fallen world; let's not give the devil too much credit. But in reacting to this ploy of the devil of drawing attention to himself, too often we fall into the opposite error.
   
   
2. The devil loves to make people ignorant of him and his schemes. In the sophisticated West we easily forget him. He is happy for us to do so. Dressing himself up as the god of Mammon, we fall in line and worship him more dutifully than the so-called "ignorant, and uncivilized" people who worship spirits. "More, more, more," says Mammon. Just a bit more. Feed your flesh. Feed the hunger I am causing. You don't need God, you need ME. More, more, more. Just a bit more. Then you will be happy. Last year's mobile phone? That's no good now—what you need is the latest ... the best ... your provider will even upgrade you for free if you sign up for another year's service!!

"Not ignorant of his schemes." 2 Corinthians 2:11 NIV.

He is often disguised.

“A thorough knowledge of the enemy and a healthy respect for his prowess are a necessary preliminary to victory in war. Similarly, if we underestimate our spiritual enemy, we shall see no need for God’s armour, we shall go out to the battle unarmed, with no weapons but our own puny strength, and we shall be quickly and ignominiously defeated.”

Stott, J. R. W. (1979, 1980). God's New Society: The Message of Ephesians (263). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Story of Jewish exorcists in Ephesus (from Acts). Need to be properly prepared!!! The burning of the occult books was also in Ephesus. So the readers were well aware of the role of the devil.

Don't underestimate Satan and his demonic powers!

Our enemy is powerful—“the cosmic powers ...”

Our enemy is wicked—“spiritual forces of evil.”

Our enemy is crafty—“the schemes of the devil.”

In this passage we see the antedote to some of the devil's schemes. Lying behind Paul's description of our fight and the armour we are to use are the ways in which the devil most likes to attack.

1. First, the devil encourages us to substitute ourselves for God. In Genesis it is the devil who tells Eve, “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:4). Of course, his real goal is not that we become lord, but rather that we end up worshipping him. Like he said to Jesus, he tells us he can make us lord if we just bow the knee to him. 1 Samuel 15:23: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry" (KJV). Our response to this is simple—NO, we will be strong IN THE LORD, not in ourselves! James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Do you realize that pride is demonic? We should flee from it as much as we flee from devil worship.
   
   
2. The devil loves to distract us by making us think people are the real enemy. But "OUR ENEMY IS NOT FLESH AND BLOOD.” He would even be happy if our focus was on opposing his servants. Behind every enemy of the gospel lies a far more deadly enemy—Satan. Our war is with him. Everyone else is just a casualty of war, enscripted by the evil master. When we meet someone who serves the devil we should still hold out the hand of Christian love to that person and aim to win them over! “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We are not to be like that! We are not looking for someone to devour and criticize and prove wrong! He is the accuser of the brothers (Revelation 12:10). He sows disunity and bitterness between us. He loves to destroy relationships, especially marriages. Every time we give in to the temptation to be nasty to someone, we give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).
   
   
3. The devil teaches us to lie. He lied to Eve. “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). Lies can be flagrant or they can be subtle. They are all of the devil. Jesus had the following very strong words to say of some Jews of his day: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me” (John 8:44-45). Every "white lie" is inspired from the pit of hell. It's demonic. Every bit as much so as sorcery or devil worship! It is interesting then to see what the first piece of armour Paul mentions is—the belt of TRUTH. How do we primarily fight the enemy? By replacing his strategies and tools with the opposite. We fight a lie with the truth.
   
   
4. The devil teaches us to substitute our own righteousness for that of God's. There are a lot of theological arguments these days about the basic Christian doctrine of us having received from God an alien righteousness with which to cover ourselves and by which we can be justified. The picture here of a breastplate of righteousness expresses the image wonderfully. We are now clothed in the righteousness of God. It is expressed here as part of the armour because to inspire doubt in this righteousness is, of course, one of the devil's main schemes. We don't tend to think of doctrine as a demonic battleground, but it is. We don't tend to think of doctrinal error as coming from Satan, but it does.
   
   Let's see how Paul responded to the Galatians, who had slipped away from grace into legalism:

   “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—just as Abraham 'believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness'?” (Galatians 3:1-6)

   BEWITCHMENT. That's a strong, demonic word. Because this is one of the devil's KEY strategies. If he can persuade us to throw away our confidence in Jesus and substitute confidence in our own righteousness, he has won. For if we lose this, we lose the gospel. Never forget the enemy's role in leading the church astray doctrinally. How do we fight it? By cherishing doctrine and living in the good of it!
   
   
5. The devil prevents evangelism and the reception of truth. “Feet fitted ...” 2 Corinthians 4:4: “... the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” We fail to recognize this work of the enemy. When we share the gospel and some one fails to respond, we give up. We think “we did it wrong” or “they just aren't interested.” Then we become disheartened and are no longer ready to share the gospel. This is warfare beloved! We have to understand and recognize that rejection of the gospel is demonic. It is inspired by the enemy. So how do we fight this? We fight it by being ready to share the gospel!
   
   
6. The devil breeds passivity in us. There is another strategy we can discern here—the opposite of readiness is passivity. Adam was there in the Garden and did nothing. He said nothing. He sat by and watched his wife fall. That was surely as demonically inspired as Eve's active sin. This one is especially for the men among us, but it is also for each of us. Spending our entire lives sitting on the sofa flicking TV channels while we let the world quite literally go to hell is inexcusable. If the devil can inspire us to just sit back and do nothing he has won. This is particularly true in evangelism, but it is true in all of life. Have you ever thought that the raging desire in your heart to "just rest"—that longing to spend your life in leisure, might actually be demonically inspired? Of course, God invented rest and we need to rest! But to allow rest and passivity to rule in our hearts is to cede defeat to the enemy! This one is there throughout this passage—“stand,” “be strong,” “be ready,” “wrestle,” “stand firm,” etc....
   
   
7. The devil breeds doubt, fear, and mistrust. This is the opposite of faith. “Did God really say?” said the serpent to Eve. “God has withheld something good from you,” or “Will he really act on your behalf?” We, of course, fight this by determining to trust in God and not think he is a liar. That is my definition of faith: Not accusing God of being a liar! Growing in our confidence in God's love, power, and goodness really is a shield of faith that protects us.
   
   
8. The devil plays tricks with our minds. Thinking about salvation protects our minds. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
   
   
9. The devil misinterprets God's Word. He adds to it (“touch it and we will die”); he twists it (“every tree,” when God banned only one). Our offensive weapon is the Bible! Satan used the Scriptures to tempt Jesus. Beware of any preacher or book which tells you a complicated story of why a verse doesn't really mean what it seems to simply mean. This is one of the devil's favorite tricks. It means that even in our study of God's Word and the writings about it we must be aware of the devil's schemes. Remember the danger of pride in our learning. “'Knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 7:1).
   
   
10. The devil distracts us from prayer. This is why Paul urges us to pray here.

So how do we fight the devil?

• We fight him by using the opposite strategies.
  
  
• We fight him with the Word of God.
  
  
• We fight him in prayer.

In closing . . .

Which side are you on? We need to be wholehearted one way or the other. If the devil is God, why not serve him fully? If God is God, why not sign up as his soldier?

This second session, and sadly for Tope and myself our last session, was taken by Mark Driscoll. Mark was introduced by Andy Owen as someone who is a gift from God to the entire body of Christ.

Mark started by telling his story. His upbringing, salvation, and the way his father also was saved made a moving story. He was thrilled to be able to report that the gospel really does work.

Mark took us to Genesis 1-3 in order to look at our first father, Adam. The race is named man because men rule humanity. We are made in the image of God. We are to glorify God, because we are the glory of God—in the same way we look at our sons and say, “You are my glory!”

We are not incompetent idiots; we are made to be the glory of God. Whatever Satan tells us, remind ourselves we are the glory of our Father. The man and the woman are created like a king and queen to rule over all of creation as stewards.

We are equal by virtue of creation. But we are different. We have a culture that tries to raise people. We need to raise sons and daughters. Mark's daughters love to shoe shop, the sons love war! His sons were outside wrestling and one of his daughters brought them a snack. We are not as strong as each other. We are different. Equal, but not identical. We are good at different things.

God wants to bless his sons and daughters. Our God does not have to be manipulated to be good to us, he loves to be good. Fatherhood is to subdue the earth and fill it. Today fatherhood is not encouraged. If your father is the devil, you think differently about marriage, sexuality, and children. Wisdom is thinking God the Father's thoughts after him.

There is a distinction between lower animals and the human race. We were specially created by a loving Father to bear his image. Day begins in the evening. Begins with rest, then work! Prepare your heart to glorify your Father.

Biblical stories are often beginning-middle-beginning rather than our way of beginning-middle-end. So there is a re-telling of the creation story in chapter 2. Life is like that; it is circular in nature.

Only mankind was created with the hand of God rather than simply speaking out a command as he did with the rest of creation. God made us to also work the earth. Even in Eden, temptation was in the middle of the Garden. We have to choose every moment of every day to walk past temptation.

We must keep walking past temptation. The fool stops, sits, and then sins. If we do not work enough, we will sin too much. Work is a gift of God to keep us out of trouble. Young men are like trucks, they will drive straighter if they are carrying a heavy load. Work is worship. Everything done for the glory of God is worship.

Too many men have their life's ambition to make enough money so they can stop working.

God gives us plenty and wants to bless us. He gives us good things:

• A wife—so thank him for her rather than despising her and going after what God has forbidden.
  
  
• Your job—someone else's might be, for you, forbidden.

We each have a role to fulfil that is intended for us. We should not go after what has not been given to us.

The only thing that was described as “not good” before the fall was man being alone. Some single guys are strange, and what they need is a woman. There is nothing that sanctifies a man like a woman can sanctify him. Many young men run away from responsibility and think being alone is good. This is not true. The difference between a man and a boy is the responsibilities they carry. You need help! God is not denigrating the woman by calling her a helper. "Remember—the Holy Spirit is a helper. God is our helper. The woman is a helper suitable for the man. Our wives are designed by God for us. Burn the list you have for what you want your wife to be like if you are a single man. Your wife may turn out to be opposite to you in every way but still be your suitable helper—designed by God to help you.

God is not alone. He is trinitarian. Man does not have that relationship in himself. He cannot fully reflect God unless he has someone alongside him—namely a woman. The woman does not come from behind him, or ahead of him; she comes from the side of him. God brings the woman to him. The man has to talk to her! The first recorded words: he sang poetry to her. If you have any such ability use it, if not steal some!

The process is this: leave your parents, be your own man, meet a woman, get married, have sex with her. Don't get this order wrong. We become "one" with our Father. Out of the many there is one. Be a one-woman man. Men want sex, women want oneness. The ladies are more biblical. Sexuality need not be associated with shame. It is a great gift to have a clear conscience.

Eve became Adam's standard of beauty. Let your wife become your standard of beauty.

Everything falls apart in chapter three. The devil puts everything wrong. Pride is the root of all sin; self-esteem is just another word for pride. The devil was thrown out of heaven for being proud. He is not equal to God, he is a created being. He usurps the order and speaks to the wife.

The first attack was on the Word of God. Do we believe him or not? The words really matter. Satan comes and undermines hermeneutics. He misinterprets. The problem is not our ability to interpret the Bible, but our willingness to obey the simple words of the Bible. “Did God really say . . .?” Do not talk to everyone. She didn't have to talk to the devil. She adds “you must not touch it.” SO many people do that. God's Word is sufficient we shouldn't add to it. The devil then says, "God is a liar." But Satan is the liar. The temptation is always that God is withholding from us a good thing. He says, you don't need God you can be a god. We don't interpret the Bible, it interprets us. It reveals my sin. It teaches me about God and my need for him.

2 Corinthians 2:11—we must be aware of his schemes. He doesn't have many schemes. One is to attack your wife, one is to tell you there is something that God has withheld from you, and the other is to undermine you trust in God's words. Adam was not away. Where was he? He was there. What was he doing? NOTHING. That is the greatest sin of Adam and our greatest sin is doing nothing. We watch our countries go to rack and ruin. We watch the gospel undermined. We see false teachers. The world is full of men who do nothing, say nothing, give nothing, and change nothing. They are sons of the devil. You are the glory of God. You are not to act like sons of the devil. Satan attacks wives, and we must speak the truth to them. Adam was with her and didn't do this. Adam said nothing and did nothing. We need God's help to not be just like him.

Last week, as you may know, I preached on Jacob. During my preparation I was, not surprisingly, taken once more to the glorious doctrines of grace—the so-called "TULIP." Jacob is used in Romans as a supreme example of God's free grace.

This post is part of a mini-series highlighting quotes from others on each of these five points of Calvinism. It will also provide links to some old posts I wrote on Calvinism. We began the series with a quote that claims the doctrine of total depravity helps your marriage.

To some degree the doctrines of grace, or rather one aspect of them, Unconditional Election, came up in my sermon last week (although I didn't use the words). One quote I have been meaning to share with you, but the baptism debate got in the way, has been the following from Simeon, whose works are now available from Logos Bible Software.

Like Spurgeon and myself, Simeon is adamant that there is no such thing as what some call "double-predestination." Thus, people are wholly to blame for their own damnation, while God is wholly credited with saving us. God does not foreordain that some go to hell in the same way he foreordains that some will be saved. This might sound illogical, but it is, I believe, biblical and a great mystery we cannot fully fathom.

Charles Simeon puts it like this in a quote that should whet your appetite for the rest of his works, which are proving to me to be as useful as Spurgeon's:

"If, as the Apostle says, 'there is a remnant according to the election of grace,' we are ready to suppose that those who are not of that number are not accountable for their sins, and that their final ruin is to be imputed rather to God’s decrees than to their own fault. But this is a perversion of the doctrine. It is a consequence which our proud reason is prone to draw from the decrees of God: but it is a consequence which the inspired volume totally disavows. There is not in the whole sacred writings one single word that fairly admits of such a construction. The glory of man’s salvation is invariably ascribed to the free, the sovereign, the efficacious grace of God: but the condemnation of men is invariably charged upon their own wilful sins and obstinate impenitence. If, because we know not how to reconcile these things, men will controvert and deny them, we shall content ourselves with the answer which St. Paul himself made to all such cavillers and objectors; 'Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?' And if neither the truth nor the authority of God will awe them into submission, we can only say with the fore-mentioned apostle, 'If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.' As for those, if such are to be found, who acknowledge the sovereignty of God, and take occasion from it to live in sin, we would warn them with all possible earnestness to cease from their fatal delusions. In comparison of such characters, the people who deny the sovereignty of God are innocent. We believe there are many persons in other respects excellent, who, from not being able to separate the idea of absolute reprobation from the doctrine of unconditional election, are led to reject both together: but what excellence can he have, who 'turns the very grace of God into licentiousness,' and 'continues in sin that grace may abound?' A man that can justify such a procedure, is beyond the reach of argument: we must leave him, as St. Paul does, with that awful warning, 'His damnation is just.'"

Simeon, Charles: Horae Homileticae Vol. 1: Genesis to Leviticus. London, 1832-63, S. 210

I preached the following sermon at Jubilee Church, London yesterday. You can read the notes, download the audio, or listen to it right here:




HEROES—At the outset I should warn you that Jacob is not your typical biblical hero. We often go to the Bible to learn about how to behave. We want to read about great men of God who we can model ourselves after. We want to learn how to behave, how to be a good father, a good husband. Jacob is not that kind of hero. Actually it is fair to say that none of the biblical heroes are without flaws. Jacob, I am sorry to say, had many flaws. He was not a good husband. He was not a good father. In fact, there is very little that we can positively learn from the way he lived his life. He constantly made mistakes. Initially, I wondered why this story was even in the Bible:

1. Because it is TRUE—an evidence for the Bible’s truthfulness we often forget is the terrible flaws of its heroes. No other nation on earth describes its founder in such unsavory terms.
   
   
   
2. It is there to teach us a message—possibly one of the hardest messages we come across in the whole of Scripture.

Romans 9:13 ". . . when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

I guarantee that you will have all kinds of questions about that verse; I know I do But the life of Jacob shows us that what the Apostle Paul says in Romans is true —God chose him not because of anything in him, but because he chose him. God's love for Jacob is so great that in comparison it is as though he hates Esau.

We have to ask ourselves a simple question: If we are a Christian, is it because of something in us or is it because of something God has done for us? When we look at an unbeliever, do we feel superior to them, or does it make us tremble to think that God could also have passed us by and left us in the mess we have made of our lives?

We might say, “Haven't I got free will? Yes, but God’s is freer!” (Terry Virgo)

God is the initiator. He can never be forced to act. He is sovereign and we must remember—HE IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT!

John Piper says it in this way, imagining what God might have said to Jacob:

"I have loved you with free, sovereign, unconditional, electing love; that is how I have loved you.

• My love for you is electing love because I chose you for myself above your brother Esau.
  
  
• My love for you is unconditional love because I chose you before you had done anything good or evil—before you had met any conditions—while you were still in your mother's womb (Genesis 25:24).
  
  
• My love for you is sovereign love because I was under no constraint to love you; I was not forced or coerced; I was totally in charge when I set my love upon you.
  
  
• And my love for you is free because it's the overflow of my infinite grace that can never be bought."

". . . Why do I tell you this?

• To humble you.
  
  
• To take away your presumption.
  
  
• To remove every ground of boasting in yourself.
  
  
• To cut the nerve of pride that boasts over Esau as though your salvation were owing to anything in you.
  
  
• To put to naught the cavalier sense of self-reliance that lets you dally in my presence as though you were an equal partner in this affair.
  
  
• To make you tremble with tears of joy that you belong to God.”

The story of Jacob is the story of God's unstoppable mission. Nothing Jacob can do will stop God's determination to bless him. It’s not about Jacob, it’s about God.

Actually that can be very encouraging for us. As I have been spending time getting to know Jacob, I have been encouraged. Here is a man who makes me feel like saying, If God can use him, perhaps he can use me too!

We see in the life of Jacob that it really is not all about him. We often say in this church that it’s “all about Jesus.” Jacob's life truly was “all about Jesus.” It was all about a plan that God had set in motion to call a people to himself. Jacob’s grandfather had received promises. Despite being a man of faith—the father of faith—he hadn’t really founded a nation. Isaac, Abraham's son, had repeated many of his father’s mistakes (passing off his wife as his sister) and had also not fathered a nation.

Jacob was an “expressive” leader, but he was not always received; he lived in the future, but tried to help God out. He got angry; he told people what to do; he wasn’t reserved. But somehow he was charming. He had strong reactions.

We can look at JACOB’S CHARACTER by examining some of the words he said.

Jacob’s first recorded words: “Sell me your birthright now.” (Genesis 25:31). And also verse 33: “Swear to me now.” He steals from and blackmails his brother, and then cheats him again.

“Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” (Genesis 27:11). Not “But mum, that would be wrong!” and then lies to his own dad and steals from his brother.

We then see Jacob, whose name means “grabber” or “supplanter” or basically “thief” running away. When God appears to him, we might expect God to punish him, maybe strike him dead.

“He was in disgrace, had incurred the bitter hatred of his only brother, and had shown himself a thief, liar, and scheming, mercenary wretch.” (McMillin, Bib Sac Volume 91 [1934]: Jacob At Penuel).

But by his grace, God instead reaffirms his promise to bless him. God makes an unconditional promise to an unreliable man.

Genesis 28:13-15: “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

JACOB’S RESPONSE was to make God a conditional promise!

“If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God . . . .”

He would have made a good 20th century Christian—if God will look after me, I will follow him. Too often our faith is about what we can get out of God rather than how we can serve him.

We then see that when he meets the shepherds of Laban, he immediately begins to boss them around and tell them what to do!

He then BUYS his wife! “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”

Then he was tricked himself as he and Laban try to outdo each other in trickery.

He was a terrible husband (Genesis 29:30-31) “So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”

He was incredibly insensitive. “Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” (Genesis 30:2)

He even let himself be bought for the night.

He had a RIGHTS BASED approach to life. He argued with Laban about who had tricked each other the most. Christianity is not a rights-based religion. Instead, it is about our responsibility.

Finally, having left Laban and heading back to an uncertain meeting with Esau, he humbles himself. His prayer is finally something we can copy!

Genesis 32:9-12 “And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”

God never could prevail against one who used the weapons of “weeping” and “supplication.” (McMillin)

Jacob's wrestling with God was in some ways reminiscent of his life—he had been one who fought with God and man. God doesn't get rid of the fighting spirit, but directs it appropriately, and even names his people “one who struggles with God.” Are WE those who struggle with God?

“I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (Genesis 32:26)

“For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” (Genesis 32:31)

Why delivered? It was Jesus who would save him and allow him to be hidden in his brother, not as a deception, but by the will of the father, and not so that he remained unchanged, but that he would be changed by being united with Christ. In fact, he was changed.

God made him say and own his name one more time before it could be wiped away. This is what God wants us to do. It’s not “I had a bad father; he loved my brother, Esau, not me" or even “I am struggling with a problem.” NO . . . it was “I am a deceiver, I am a cheat, I am selfish. I am in need of you. I need your blessing, Lord. I have messed up my life, but you keep blessing me.”

Actually lots of so-called "fighters" are as fearful and weak underneath as we later realize Jacob was. We are just better at hiding it! Fear leads some to be timid, and others to put a brave face on things.

GOD OPPOSES THE PROUD BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. (James 4:6)

God does take on fighters sometimes. He certainly isn’t frightened of them. If, like me, you are a bit of a fighter by nature, then know that if God takes you on, it might be a painful process. He will bring you low. He will take the brash over-confidence of youth and strip it away like he did with Jacob. As an older man he is almost quite timid, frightened of Esau. Then when God gets you to a timid, dependent state, he will cause you to rise up again—this time in HIS STRENGTH rather than your own, acknowledging HIM as King, and this time because ONE MAN PLUS GOD is the majority. No one will be able to fight against you. Why would you go on fighting against people and God? Why not surrender to the KING and let him lead you to fight on HIS side?

GOD IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT!

Finally became humble. Then he humbles himself with his brother, and is honored for his faith in passing on the blessing at the end of his life.

“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” (Genesis 48:15-16)

I love the way Isaiah 41 describes this way of God handling us:

But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand . . .
Fear not, you worm Jacob,
you men of Israel!
I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge,
new, sharp, and having teeth;
you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,
and you shall make the hills like chaff;
you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away,
and the tempest shall scatter them.
And you shall rejoice in the Lord;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

To become a valiant warrior for God we must first surrender to him and recognize we are “a worm.” Some of us have issues we need to resolve with God today.

Illustration of my debate with myself about getting up to go to the prayer meeting. You know what the outcome of this debate is going to be—give up the struggle and walk with God today!

Lig has written about his main reasons for believing in paedobaptism. What he hasn't said is whether he thinks he should be allowed to become a member in a baptist church if he wanted to, or whether a baptist would be free to join his church. Here are Lig's arguements for christening babies:-

1. God, in both the Old and New Testaments, explicitly makes a promise to believers and to their children (Genesis 17:7; Acts 2:39).

2. God, in both the Old and New Testaments, explicitly attaches specific signs (respectively, circumcision [Genesis 17:10] and baptism [Acts 2:38, cf. Colossians 2:11-12], to this promise that he gives to believers and their children.

3. Therefore, since God has given an explicit promise to believers and their children, in the New Testament, and attached a sign to this promise, and enjoined us (in the new covenant) to administer that sign [baptism, Matthew 28:19-20], then we should give the sign of the promise he has made to believers and their children, to believers and their children, in humble obedience to biblical command and example. QED.

Just in case those arguments are causing any good baptists out there to wobble in their convictions, Justin Taylor has constructed a quick reply to Lig though he is planning a fuller one soon. He said -

. . . as a credobaptist, I think that Peter's command and promise says more than the paedobaptists want it to say. It reads:
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Note the portion I've italicized. "You," "your children," and "all who are far off" are all on the same level. In other words, (1) the condition and the command (repent and be baptized) as well as (2) the promise (you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit) are designed not only for you and your kids, but also for all people . , ,

This past Sunday I preached on Abraham. You can download the sermon or listen to it here. I will share some brief notes with you here.

Isaiah 51:1-3
51:1 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.”

We should obey this passage and consider Abraham - we have much to learn from him.

In Genesis 12:1 The Lord said to Abraham, go and leave your fathers house and family to the land I will show you and I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and I will bless those who bless you and those who dishonour you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. And Abraham went...

These verses tell us that we can be in the blessing of God.

We might make a big event involving the media etc, but God starts a mission in other ways. He went to one man and said, 'GO!'

We can feel like an alien, being the only christian in our context. Abraham had to leave all that was familiar.

Summary of God's mission: 'Go, be blessed, be a blessing to others!'

Israel was characterised by being blessed and being persecuted.

God has put us on a mission....its His mission: To start a people.

GOD takes one man to bless the world contrast with what came before. Different nations initially a punishment but throughout the rest of scriptures were seen as a positive thing - multi-coloured wisdom of God.

God always chooses one person to bless the many. The summary of God's mission is this - GO, I will BLESS and then make YOU a blessing! Are we a blessing at school? Workplace? Family?

We will look at most of the words of Abraham since there are few better ways of getting to know someone than examining their words


1. THERE IS A TIME NOT TO SPEAK
Chapter 12

He doesn't speak in first half response to God "so Abraham went"

"So he built" SOMETIMES ITS BEST NOT TO SAY ANYTHING JUST OBEY
Don't give up the habit of meeting together, for example. When the bible says do something, we should do it, and when the bible says don't do something, we shouldn't do it.



2.THERE IS A TIME TO SPEAK MORE OPENLY

The first time Abraham is recorded to have spoken he makes a mistake. In verse 11 he tells his wife to say she is his sister, ie. lies by telling a half-truth. Being economical with the truth is not appropriate!

When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” Gen 12:11-13

When caught the first time he was perhaps wise to keep quiet and slip off...

Like us sometimes he didn't learn from his first mistake!

Genesis 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

Genesis 20:11-13
Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife. Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. And when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, He is my brother.’”

He was a man of no tact!


3. THERE IS A TIME TO LAY DOWN OUR RIGHTS

He was meek, despite God having given him the whole land. He did not stand up for his rights.

Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. [1] Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand [1] to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” Gen 14:22-24

Meekness should be the characteristic of all christians.


4. THERE IS A TIME TO BE 'REAL' WITH GOD

He was honest with God BUT TRUSTED HIM

FAITH- trust but we can be honest "Oh Lord I believe help my unbelief"

Genesis 15:2-3 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue [1] childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”

He is not 'making a faith declaration', but is being honest with God. God, you promised, but what is going on here? Abraham faced the facts, yet believed God. Do we face the facts?

....v6 And he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.


FAITH=TRUST and it is THE critical thing to our salvation and our ongoing walk with God.

We have all done things we are ashamed of, but we can still trust in God, like Abraham.

Romans 4:3-5, 16-25 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in [2] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness...

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”
23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24
but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

His faith was not perfect, and he is still called the father of faith despite his struggles TWENTY FIVE YEARS before had son

....v8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”


5. THERE IS A TIME NOT TO LISTEN TO OTHERS! or THERE IS A TIME TO NOT RUSH AHEAD OF GOD

Gen 16:2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children
[1] by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Gen 16:6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

6. THERE IS A TIME TO BE BOLD WITH GOD

There is a fine balance - sometimes we need to hold back and be patient, other times we need to boldly press in - knowing which takes wisdom.

Genesis 18:23-25, 27
Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”...

Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”.......

There is a contrast between when we need to be patient, take a step back and wait for God, and times when we need to press in and be bold. Other wise Christians can help you make that distinction. It is important to make that distinction.


7.THERE IS A TIME TO TAKE MASSIVE RISKS AND MAKE MASSIVE SACRIFICES

Jesus said, that if we will not lay down everything for Him, we are not worthy to be called his disciples.

Remember, we do not have such an accurate route of communication with God. God WILL NOT ask you to copy Abraham by killing your son, but he might ask you to kill your dream. GOD MAY BE BRINGING SOME DREAMS BACK TO LIFE BUT MAY BE ASKING YOU TO LAY DOWN OTHERS.

Sometimes God might ask you to kill a bad relationship, for example, or to kill a good dream. You can sometimes lay down a dream with the faith that it will come back. Later God may say, 'let the dream live again!'

Issac represents the PROMISE OF GOD. Looking at the words of Abraham throughout this story is revealing....

Genesis 22:1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.”

Genesis 22:5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy [1] will go over there and worship and come again to you.”

Genesis 22:7-8 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a
burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a
burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

Genesis 22:11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.”

Genesis 22:14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

ABRAHAM UNWITTINGLY PROVIDES POSSIBLY THE RICHEST PICTURE OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE CROSS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. THERE IS NO ANGEL TO STAY GODS HAND WHEN HE KILLS HIS SON. THERE IS NO LAMB TO TAKE JESUS PLACE, BECAUSE HE IS THE LAMB WHO TOOK OUR PLACE.

Isacc carried the wood up the mountain, as Jesus carried his own cross, both willingly. We can get caught up with blaming God for not looking after us properly but the truth is the only thing he "should" do is wipe us out the moment we first sinned. Jesus was the lamb who took our place, who took the wrath we deserve. God is more angry with sin than we think He is. It is only because of Jesus that His wrath can be turned away. That love that Abraham felt for his son, God feels for us.

The way Abraham trusted God should inspire us to serve the GOD who sacrificed so much for us and who has made us a part of the people of Abraham and hence caught up on the same mission Abraham was.

God wants us to go from being a consumer, to being a producer, in the context you are in. Have a part to play, however small. It is still a crucial part.

Here I am, sitting in a cinema next door to the conference center. Those of you who read regularly will realize that I'm feeling very at home, since the London church of which I'm a part also meets in a cinema. There is something about these venues that encourage you to shut out the world and close yourself in with God. I love the banked seating that enables you to see what is going on down below. That's another point — in an age when some churches elevate the role of the pastor too much, it somehow communicates something good when our leaders are standing beneath us rather than up on the stage. There is nothing wrong with stages, but it's possible for them to be misinterpreted as raising our leaders too high. If you have a large room and fill it with people, there are only two choices — either lift the leaders up on a stage or lift the people up on tiered seating. Anyway, back to the seminar.

Julian Adams
Julian is originally from Bay Community Church, Cape Town, South Africa, where he was an elder. He moved to the UK last August in response to God’s leading for him to be with Terry Virgo for a season and become part of Church of Christ the King, Brighton. Julian has an amazing prophetic gift and has travelled widely over the past few months serving the Newfrontiers churches in the UK.

Guy Miller
Guy Miller leads the Bournemouth Family Church, UK and leads apostolic teams that serve the Wessex Region with seventeen churches. He also overseas the work of 21 churches in the North and West of India and two churches in Portugal. He is a passionate family man, married to Heather with four children, and loves fishing.

Julian began by explaining that we need to raise the level of prophecy. We need to avoid the weird mystical things that go on in the world of prophecy. Our prophecy needs to be full of truth and must be weighed with a clear biblical understanding and application. We must be able to spot false prophetic ministry.

Guy then spoke about how Jesus has given to his Church power gifts to know him and extend his kingdom. Sometimes these gifts are trivialized and treated like wrapping paper, or they can be placed to one side and we are told we don't need them. There is sadly so much rubbish that goes on. It's no wonder that the Scripture warns us both to not put out the Spirit's fire and to test and weigh prophecy.

The roots of prophecy are found in the OT. Genesis 20:7. God spoke of Abraham as a prophet. But the one which is used as a normative one is Moses. Deuteronomy 18:14. Prophets in the OT are clearly people who are called and have a clear role among the people of God. The prophet's primary role is to bring a clear proclamation. There is a connection between the people of God and the living God. Prophets bring a living connection to God. Prediction is not primary, God is primary. The prophet brings the presence of God. Our God reigns.

Prediction is, however, a part of the prophetic movement. They see something over the horizon. The scope of the prophet is wide. Prophets see. Prayer is also a key part of the life of the prophet. These men knew where the power came from. The prophet himself was not the final judge of the validity of their own revelation. Fulfilment is not the supreme and genuine test of a prophet. False prophets can get it right sometimes. The true test is much more theological. The false prophet will draw people away from a true relationship with God. A true prophet will draw people into adoration and a closer relationship with God and the holiness that results.

Prophecy forms the greatest line of continuity between the Old and New Testaments. The last OT-style prophet was John the Baptist, who pointed to the One who was the fulfilment of all prophecy.

Shoots of prophecy. 1 Corinthians 14:1-5. The NT gift is something to be eagerly desired. Paul wanted everyone to prophecy. ALL. Men and women, young and old. We should be a prophetic community. Prophets are those who are recognized and move in a continuous way in this gift. The truth is that the Holy Spirit's gifts are gifts of a loving God to be used in love by God's loving people. How much do I love God? How much do I love these people? If you have a prophetic impulse, the motivation should be to share it — it should bring encouragement and maturity to the hearers.

This gift speaks to men for their strengthening. Prophecy is not adding in any way to the bible. It is under the bible. We judge it by the bible. The bible is like our map, we judge everything by it. Prophecy is like a compass which helps us know where we are on the map. We need the prophetic, and we must also be devoted to the scriptures.

How do we prophecy? We must be submitted to authority. We must be under the word of God, but also in the context of the local church. We must be submitted to the church's leaders. Prophecy should not lead to individualism, but rather it should be part of a loving community. Prophecy is clear, intelligible, scriptural, and truthful. There can definitely be too many prophecies in a meeting.

How does God speak? In visions. In words. Preaching can be prophetic. It can be through things we see in the world around us. We want this gift to not be in the isolated "Lone Ranger" world. We want to be a part of the community of God. The fruit of prophecy is edification — strengthening, encouragement, and comfort.

Edification — there must be a building process. We should feel closer to God and closer to our brothers and sisters.

Encouragement and comfort — there should be a courage transfusion that takes place.

Unbelievers falling down — prophecy is not always seeker-sensitive. They need to experience the power of God! Prophecy is intended to bring people to Jesus. Meeting with God. Let's not try and tame our meetings. We need the dynamic of the Spirit.

__________________________

Those of you who read my blog and who were there will know that I was singled out for some specific personal prophetic words during the ministry time. They impacted me so much that I didn't get the chance to jot down some of the things that were said. If you heard the words, do feel free to send me an e-mail with what you remember at adrian.warnock@gmail.com — but as they are, of course, personal, don't share them in my comment box or elsewhere on the web!

There was a slightly longer break between the last session and this one. I took advantage of the opportunity to doze. I didn't think I was heavily asleep, but a friend of mine said he knocked loudly on my door and called my name without getting any response! As a result of my sleep, I do feel a lot fresher and am now even more eager to hear from Dave Devenish, who will be preaching to us this evening.

David Devenish
Dave Devenish of Woodside Church Bedford UK now leads teams working with churches in the Ukraine, and other eastern European nations.

See also Andrew Fountain's notes from this talk: The Ephesus Mission - A Pattern for World Evangelism.

David is a unique gift of God to our family of churches. His voice and delivery are unique and his passionate love of the global work of God in and through His Church are impossible to miss. Dave took us to Acts 19. He gave his talk the title, “The Ephesus Mission — A Pattern For World Evangelization.”

We in Newfrontiers are all being mobilized to go on a mission together to the ends of the earth. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. This promise of God is repeated in several places in the Scriptures. Devenish explained that this verse keeps him going through all the challenges of building churches around the world, and in some of the most challenging nations in which he works. The mission of God is that he will be glorified in all the earth. We are witnesses from God. What is my inheritance in your mission to this world?

Ephesus was a church with influence. God wants to build large churches that will make a difference. In Bedford we have around 1% of the population in a Newfrontiers church. In Ephesus God was made known in contrast to the false Gods — “These man-made gods are no gods at all!” The city and the province were filled, and there was also opposition.

We need to follow the same strategy we see in Ephesus, even if it takes a lot longer than three years. So what was Paul's strategy?

1. He established a base church that would become an Apostolic base. Paul planted key churches in cities and let them fill in around them. The Lord's message rang out from individual churches. Amazingly, back in Acts 16, Paul was kept from going to Asia. There was a need to act in line with God's prophetic timing. God's timing is critical. Paul did go briefly, and sent a pioneer couple who he left there in faith.
   
   
2. He insured that key values were established in the core group. When Paul arrived, he met some disciples, and realized something was wrong. An area of weakness in establishing a church is not making sure that the key people understand the core values. An example might be not setting some of the first converts free from fear. Suddenly the whole church can be full of fear. Paul was firm in his desire to plant a community of the Spirit. We need people to have the power of God to deal with everything they are going to face. The core group needs to know and understand what we are going to build.
   
   
3. Paul taught consistent teaching of Apostolic revelation daily. Standing in one hall and teaching led to a whole region hearing the Gospel. What was taught was so clear that everyone heard. Such commitment to teach and such hunger to receive will have such benefits. Dave has a body of doctrine that he teaches almost everywhere he goes; he shares what he believes is an Apostolic foundation for the church. There is a body of foundational truth that we have to teach in every church. There is a need also to grasp the big picture from Genesis to Revelation — the purposes of God revealed, fulfilled in Christ, and the part you play in fulfilling God's work in response to what Christ has done. God has started remaking the world. Christ is the seed of Abraham and through him every nation will be blessed. We have our part in bringing those blessings to the world. God's kingdom is being revealed in the son of David. Christ's reign has begun now. We are part of that kingdom — a new people from every nation who are all one in Christ.
   
   
4. Power Evangelism. Paul did no ordinary miracles! There was a tangible anointing. It is interesting to see that there was a transferable tangible thing that could even be imparted via handkerchiefs that had touched him. The ordinary things of Paul's trade were touched by God's power. God wants us to become more familiar with his anointing. Healings can happen suddenly and sovereignly by God without us doing anything to trigger them. Sometimes healing can happen when we, in faith, cry out to God to heal. Dave also had some stories to share of his own experience in this area.
   
   
5. They confronted the culture and worldview. The strongholds of a culture need to be addressed. There was a very dramatic example of that in this chapter. Ephesus had a large number of gods, so someone tried to adopt Jesus as just another one. The demons knew not only who Jesus was, but who Paul was. Demonic strongholds had to be confronted. Church life in the West panders to consumerism or business management efficiency without really challenging our culture with the Gospel. When the people saw the power of God manifest, they dealt with the manifestations of their magical culture. They repented of the hidden things. Often people can believe on a fragment of truth and a felt need, but there are things that then need to be confronted.
   
   
6. Paul models relational servant leadership. Paul calls on the elders to imitate the way he led them. Paul had a relational style of leadership. He wasn't just on platforms, but house-to-house. There was much weeping when Paul told them he wouldn't see them again.
   
   
7. Paul endured massive opposition and pressure. Paul spoke of the hardships he suffered in the province of Asia in his letter to the Corinthians. It led almost to despair. We can't underestimate what a challenge it is to go into a place where there are no believers.
   
   
8. He prepared for future advance. While revival was happening, he was planning to move on. He knew he had to move on. The savage wolves were the elders' responsibility — he wouldn't stay because he had to move on. Apostles are not the senior managers of a region; they are called by God to train leaders to establish the Church and then move on.

The kingdom of God needs to come to every area of our world and every type of people. God is calling us to be on a mission together. Let's follow this way.

I received the following two articles from the communications director of the UCCF, and they have been kind enough to give me permission to republish them here. The first article is by J. I. Packer, and the second one is by Richard Cunningham, and were originally published in a UCCF magazine.

Penal Substitution Revisited
J. I. Packer
Throughout my 63 years as an evangelical believer, the penal substitutionary understanding of the cross of Christ has been a flashpoint of controversy and division among Protestants. It was so before my time, in the bitter parting of ways between conservative and liberal evangelicals in the Church of England, and between the Inter-Varsity Fellowship (now UCCF) and SCM in the student world. It remains so, as liberalism keeps reinventing itself and luring evangelicals away from their heritage. Since one’s belief about the atonement is bound up with one’s belief about the character of God, the terms of the gospel and the Christian’s inner life, the intensity of the debate is understandable. If one view is right, others are more or less wrong, and the definition of Christianity itself comes to be at stake.

An evangelical theologian, dying, cabled a colleague: 'I am so thankful for the active obedience (righteousness) of Christ. No hope without it.’ As I grow old, I want to tell everyone who will listen: ‘I am so thankful for the penal substitutionary death of Christ. No hope without it.’ That is where I come from now as I attempt this brief vindication of the best part of the best news that the world has ever heard.

It is impossible to focus the atonement properly until the biblical mode of Trinitarian and incarnational thought about Jesus Christ is embraced. The Trinitarian principle is that the three distinct persons within the divine unity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, always work inseparably together, as in creation, so in providence and in every aspect of the work of redemption. The incarnational principle is that when the Son took to himself all the powers and capacities for experience that belong to human nature, and began to live through his human body, mind, and identity, his sense of being the Father’s Son was unaffected, and he knew and did his Father’s will, aided by the Spirit, at all times. It was with his own will and his own love mirroring the Father’s, therefore, that he took the place of human sinners exposed to divine judgment and laid down his life as a sacrifice for them, entering fully into the state and experience of death that was due to them. Then he rose from death to reign by the Father’s appointment in the kingdom of God. From his throne he sent the Spirit to induce faith in himself and in the saving work he had done, to communicate forgiveness and pardon, justification and adoption, to the penitent, and to unite all believers to himself to share his risen life in foretaste of the full life of heaven that is to come. Since all this was planned by the holy Three in their eternal solidarity of mutual love, and since the Father’s central purpose in it all was and is to glorify and exalt the Son as Saviour and Head of a new humanity, smartypants notions like “divine child abuse”, as a comment on the cross, are supremely silly, and as irrelevant and wrong as they could possibly be.

As in all the Creator’s interacting with the created order, there is here an element of transcendent mystery, comparable to fog in the distance hanging around a landscape, which the rising sun has effectively cleared for our view. What is stated above is clearly revealed in God’s own witness to himself in the Bible, and so must be given the status of non-negotiable fact.

Again, the atonement cannot be focused properly where the biblical view of God’s justice as one facet of his holiness, and of human willfulness as the root of our racial, communal and personal sinfulness and guilt, is not grasped. Justice, as Aristotle said long ago, is essentially giving everyone their due, and whatever more God’s justice (righteousness) means in the Bible, it certainly starts here, with retribution for wrongdoing. We see this as early as Genesis 3, and as late as Revelation 22:18-19, and consistently in-between. God’s mercy to guilty sinners is framed by his holy hostility (wrath) against their sins.

Human nature is radically twisted into an instinctive yet deliberate and ineradicable habit of God-defying or God-denying self-service, so that God’s requirement of perfect love to himself and others is permanently beyond our reach, and falling short of God’s standard marks our lives every day. What is due to us from God is condemnation and rejection.

The built-in function of the human mind that we call conscience tells everyone, uncomfortably, that when we have misbehaved we ought to suffer for it, and to that extent conscience is truly the voice of God.

Both Testaments, then, confirm that judicial retribution from God awaits those whose sins are not covered by a substitutionary sacrifice: in the Old Testament, the sacrifice of an animal; in the New Testament, the sacrifice of Christ. He, the holy Son of God in sinless human flesh, has endured what Calvin called ‘the pains of a condemned and lost person’ so that we, trusting him as our Saviour and Lord, might receive pardon for the past and a new life in him and with him for the present and future. Tellingly, Paul, having announced ‘the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation (i.e. wrath-quencher) by his blood, to be received by faith’, goes on to say: ‘This was . . . to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus’ (Romans 3:2-26, my emphasis). Just justification — justified justification — through the doing of justice in penal substitution, is integral to the message of the gospel.

Penal substitution, therefore, will not be focused properly till it is recognized that God’s redemptive love must not be conceived — misconceived, rather — as somehow triumphing and displacing God’s retributive justice, as if the Creator-Judge simply decided to let bygones be bygones. The measure of God’s holy love for us is that ‘while we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ and that ‘he . . . did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all’ (Romans 5:8, 8:32). Evidently there was no alternative to paying that price if we were to be saved, so the Son, at the Father’s behest ‘through the eternal Spirit’ (Hebrews 9:14), paid it. Thus God ‘set aside . . . the record of debt that stood against us . . . nailing it to the cross’ (Colossians 2:14). Had we been among the watchers at Calvary, we should have seen, nailed to the cross, Pilate’s notice of Jesus’ alleged crime. But if, by faith, we look back to Calvary from where we now are, what we see is the list of our own unpaid debts of obedience to God, for which Christ paid the penalty in our place. Paul, having himself learned to do this, testified: ‘the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’ (Galatians 2:20).

This text starts to show us how faith in Christ our penal substitute should be shaping our lives today; which will be my final point for reflection. Thirty years ago I wrote an analysis of insights basic to personal religion that faith in Christ as one’s penal substitute yields. Since I cannot improve on it, I cite it as it stands.

1. God, in Denney’s phrase, ‘condones nothing’, but judges all sin as it deserves, which Scripture affirms, and my conscience confirms, to be right.
   
   
2. My sins merit ultimate penal suffering and rejection from God’s presence (conscience also affirms this), and nothing I do can blot them out.
   
   
3. The penalty due to me for my sins, whatever it was, was paid for me by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in his death on the cross.
   
   
4. Because this is so, I through faith in him am made ‘the righteousness of God in him’, i.e. I am justified; pardon, acceptance and sonship (to God) become mine.
   
   
5. Christ’s death for me is my sole ground of hope before God. ‘If he fulfilled not justice, I must; if he underwent not wrath, I must to eternity’ (John Owen).
   
   
6. My faith in Christ is God’s own gift to me, given in virtue of Christ’s death for me: i.e. the cross procured it.
   
   
7. Christ’s death for me guarantees my preservation to glory.
   
   
8. Christ’s death for me is the measure and pledge of the love of the Father and Son to me.
   
   
9. Christ’s death for me calls and constrains me to trust, to worship, to love and to serve.

(Cited from Tyndale Bulletin 25, 1974, pp. 42-43)

A lawyer, having completed his argument, may declare that here he rests his case. I, having surveyed the penal substitutionary sacrifice of Christ afresh, now reaffirm that here I rest my hope. So, I believe, will all truly faithful believers.

In recent years, great strides in biblical theology and contemporary canonical exegesis have brought new precision to our grasp of the Bible’s overall story of how God’s plan to bless Israel, and through Israel the world, came to its climax in and through Christ. But I do not see how it can be denied that each New Testament book, whatever other job it may be doing, has in view, one way or another, Luther’s primary question: ‘How may a weak, perverse and guilty sinner find a gracious God?’; nor can it be denied that real Christianity only really starts when that discovery is made. And to the extent that modern developments, by filling our horizon with the great meta-narrative, distract us from pursuing Luther’s question in personal terms, they hinder as well as help in our appreciation of the gospel.

The Church is and will always be at its healthiest when every Christian can line up with every other Christian to sing P. P. Bliss’s simple words, which really say it all:

Bearing shame and scoffing rude
In my place condemned he stood,
Sealed my pardon with his blood
Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

************************************

EXPLANATORY NOTE
Following the unilateral termination of the Word Alive Partnership by Spring Harvest (over the issues of Steve Chalke’s denial of Penal Substitution and his resulting status as a non-speaker at Word Alive) UCCF and Keswick Ministries have formed a new partnership (chaired by Hugh Palmer) to deliver New Word Alive (an all age event) at PW next year with Don Carson, John Piper and Terry Virgo as the main speakers. In the light of this we have asked our Director, Richard Cunningham, to comment on the significance of this doctrine and the stand UCCF has taken on it.

The issue of Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) can leave some Christians scratching their head wondering whether it is really worth falling out over such a nuanced, forensic-sounding doctrine. The reality (which Jim Packer draws out so magnificently . . . ) is that the Gospel itself is at stake.

PROBLEM FOR GOD
Would God be good if he was merely pained, disappointed, and hurt by our sin? If God is not filled with wrath (a settled righteous indignation) at human sin, how can he also be good, holy, and just?

"Standing with my boots deep in the reeking muck of a Rwandan mass grave where thousands of innocent people have been horribly slaughtered, I have no words, no meaning, no life, no hope—if there is not a God of history and time who is absolutely furious, absolutely burning with anger towards those who took it in their own hands to commit such acts."

Gary Haugen (Former Director of the United Nations genocide investigation in Rwanda)

God’s primary business is not to dispense forgiveness on fallen human creatures, but to be true to his own Just and Holy character; to demonstrate the righteousness of his sovereign reign and so bring glory and honour to himself. Forgiveness only becomes possible if God in Christ is punished for our sin and thus manages to satisfy (propitiate) God’s wrath towards human wickedness.

PROBLEM FOR US
The unity that we enjoy as confessional evangelicals around the core Evangelical distinctives (such as PSA) is extremely precious. UCCF’s Doctrinal Basis is a wonderful unity document. For we are to be as exclusive as it demands (on the atonement for instance) and to be as inclusive as it allows. The temptation for Classical Evangelicals in such times is to get this the wrong way round and to maximise exclusiveness and minimise inclusiveness. This easily leads us to make too much of our tribal (that is cultural and stylistic) distinctives. Most (though not all) of the differences between confessional evangelicals (be they Anglican or NonConformist, Charismatic or non-Charismatic) are down to vocabulary, style, and culture. By contrast the differences between confessional Evangelicals and pragmatic/liberal Evangelicals (regardless of their other tribal loyalties—NonConformist, Charismatic, etc.) will, in time, become substantive, doctrinal, and (necessarily) ethical. If I do not hold firm to the doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement, what will be the pastoral and ethical implications for my Christian faith?

LICENTIOUSNESS
On the one hand I might conclude that God has wonderfully and mysteriously expiated my sin. But I will wonder how a holy and just God can merely pronounce sin ‘forgiven’ since without the shedding of blood (a violent death) there is no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). I may end up concluding that sin is not such a big deal to God and neither should it be for me.

LEGALISM
Alternatively, a denial of PSA will leave me with no assurance that God in Christ has taken my sin, and in exchange has imputed to me Christ’s righteousness. Consequently I will become unsure of my status before God and will do all I can to please him and merit his forgiveness. Liberalism invariably presents itself as balanced, attractive, and relevant. In reality it is death! For it will inevitably lead to either licentiousness or legalism. By contrast Confessional Evangelicalism leads us to a Grace-centred and Grace-motivated gospel:

How much more, then will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:14)

I find it comforting to remind myself that this is not a new issue for the church. Richard Niebuhr makes the following comment on C19 liberalism:

A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.

A PROBLEM SOLVED
But now (Christ) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26)

The writer to the Hebrews contrasts the unfinished work of the OT priest (who is forever standing and sacrificing) with the finished work of Christ (who is now seated and waiting for his enemies to be made his footstool.) Hebrews 10:11-14

This is why Christ cried out, “It is finished.” (John 19:30). Not “I am finished.” No, this was a cry of triumph. “Finished” (teleo) is the word you would use having paid the last installment of the mortgage or a student would use it having sat their last exam. IT IS FINISHED! Nothing more to pay, nothing more to do—Finished!

NEW WORD ALIVE
By God’s grace the New Word Alive will get the exclusive/inclusive balance right. It will not be culturally narrow, emotionally clenched, or mean spirited anymore than it will be doctrinally liberal and ‘Open Evangelical’. As soon as I informed Don Carson, John Piper, and Terry Virgo (respectively) about our situation with Word Alive they instinctively recognised that this was a key moment for British Evangelicalism and made space in their over-busy diaries to be with us. We would be thrilled if you and a group from your church came to join us for this significant event as together we seek to serve the church and reach the world with the glorious gospel.

In the last post in this series on the atonement, we examined some wrong ideas about the cross. Today we will simply list some verses for us to meditate on which address the terrible problem of sin.

This series is based on teaching I first gave at Jubilee Church. If you want a sneak preview of what is coming you can download the audio (you may need to right click and save to your PC) or listen online here:

Today I want us to spend some time thinking about the following verses. Go away and look them up in their context. Mull them over. Ponder them. Worry about them. The truth is — unless we understand the depth of our problem, we will never understand the wonder of the solution God has provided for us.

• “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:15-17)
  
  
• “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:23-24)
  
  
• “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” (Romans 1:18)
  
  
• “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
  
  
• “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)
  
  
• “. . . your iniquities have separated you from your God.” (Isaiah 59:2)

Continues with "The Atonement - N. T. Wright Attacks Both Sides of the Debate"

In a previous post in this series on the atonement, we asked, “Does the Cross of Jesus Matter?” Today we will look at the historical background surrounding the cross in the Bible. You will find a list of some of the most recent posts about the atonement from my blog at the end of this post — and if you follow the xml link you will see a longer list.

This series is based on teaching I first gave at Jubilee Church. If you want a sneak preview of what is coming you can download the audio (you may need to right click and save to your PC) or listen online here:

Mark Dever’s masterful book, The Message of the Old Testament — Promises Made, rightly states that the message of the Old Testament is that there were certain promises being made. These promises were all to be fulfilled in Christ. It is not a cliché to say that, in one way or another, the whole of the Old Testament points to Christ — and in particular to His cross.

From the fall of Adam, to the flood, to the Exodus, the Passover, animal sacrifices, the life of heroes like King David, and the encounter of Isaiah with a terrifying God who cleanses his sin, we see the coming of Jesus prefigured. Many of these images simply require a form of atonement in Jesus which includes some of the difficult concepts like a God of wrath who hates sin and will punish it.

The God of the Old Testament has made certain demands on us which form the law. We cannot seem to obey the law without sinning. Therefore, we are left in a terrible place — being under his wrath.

Some people believe they can make a different God from the New Testament than the wrathful, jealous, and vengeful God we see in the Old Testament. The problem with that is — the New Testament nowhere repudiates the image of God that we are left with from the Old.

The Old Testament, however, does not merely portray God as angry and full of hatred towards sin. From the first pages of Genesis — where we see God promising to kill Adam and Eve the day they eat the fruit, and yet He does not do so, promising instead a future deliverance — we see a mystery.

The mystery is simply this: how can a holy and just God love and forgive sinful mankind whilst remaining just? This is the question of the Old Testament. We are left with a massive question after an honest reading of the book. How can God be just and still forgive sin?

This question is raised nowhere more clearly than in Exodus 4, where the two sides of God are clearly described. Since we are all guilty, we are left with a problem for which the Old Testament largely does not offer a clear solution. God is both loving and forgiving, yet never “clears” the guilty. Any understanding of the cross has to contain within it the answer to this dilemma.

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty . . .” (Exodus 34:6-7).

Continues with "The Atonement - The Mission of Jesus"

The latests posts from my blog about the atonement can be seen below. For more, follow the xml link:

We have been speaking about preaching and the importance of Christians understanding the message of the Bible. We are drawing near to the end of this extended series. I felt, however, that I should not leave the series without sharing a few resources with you that are still fairly new and will definitely help you to study the Bible yourself.

The last year or so has been a great year for Christian publishing, with some fantastic books being published. The following list is some of the best of these newly-published books that will serve as good tools to help you explore the Bible.

My only regret is that, as far as I know, only one of the following books is available as an electronic version that will work with Logos Bible Software. These days I prefer to have books that I can search on the PC, but I know that is not everyone's desire. It is also nice to have a row of good reference books on the shelf to turn to for years to come.

ESV Reverse Interlinear

First up is a revolution in publishing. I'm talking about the ESV reverse Interlinear edition of the Bible — which is also the only book with a Logos-compatible edition. The concept is a simple, yet revolutionary, idea. Instead of jumbling the English words as a traditional Interlinear does, why not reorder the Greek words so that it is easy to read the English translation? The words are numbered so that in the unlikely event that you know enough Greek to understand the rare times that word order actually can change the meaning, you can reorder them in your own mind. For most of us, though, having the Greek re-ordered really doesn't make any difference.

If you have this book you will probably be as impressed with it as I am. It comes from a collaboration between my two favorite Christian companies — Crossway and Logos Bible Software. You guys both rock — please do more together!

The ESV version of the Bible is taking the theological circles I move in by storm, and for good reason. Owning this will help you see why. Even as a non-expert, you can begin to understand how almost every word in the ESV New Testament corresponds in some direct way to a Greek word in the original.

You do not even have to be able to read Greek letters as there are three lines — one the ESV, the other re-ordered Greek words to correspond to their English counterparts, and the final one a transliteration

Even my 8-year old son, Henry, understands the concept and has been caught having taken this Bible into his bed to read. He is learning how some of the Greek words are translated. He is beginning to value the original words, asking me once, "Why is kai left out of the English sometimes, Dad?"

This version will give the advocates of non-literal translations a headache as it will allow even non-Greek experts to understand something of the way in which our English versions come to us. Once we begin to value the original words we will want our translation to be as close as possible to the word-for-word meaning of those words.

They say knowing a little Greek is a dangerous thing (and, no, I don't mean the guy who runs that kebob shop round the corner!) but surely it is less dangerous than knowing none at all?

Apart from my wide-margin journaling ESV with its growing collection of notes and underlinings, this is my favorite paper Bible. The Logos edition of the Interlinear (only available with the library compilations) allows me to search the Bible for an individual Greek word and get a list of verses in English as a result, among all kinds of other tricks. If you just want to sit down with a paper Bible and study on your own, this is an invaluable buy.

Mark Dever — Promises Made and Promises Kept, The Message of the Bible

It is one thing to read the Bible, it is another thing to understand it. The next two books I want to recommend are both by Mark Dever. Many people want to buy a guide to the Bible, and it is good to do so — I will, in fact, be recommending a couple further on in this review. Dever has gone a step further, and in the course of these two books helps us understand the unifying message of this book.

I like this series because it is based on a series of sermons — one per book of the Bible, and overviews of each Testament and the Bible as a whole. Because of this route in preaching, the books make the Bible live today in a way that a more purely academic guide cannot. If you can only buy one "introduction" to the Bible, this should be it.

I cannot commend these books highly enough, but I thought I would include a few testimonials about them which speak for themselves:

"Many Bible readers are familiar with individual trees, while failing to see the forest. They are in great danger of misinterpreting the parts of the Bible they read because they do not see the entire structure of a Gospel like John or an Epistle like Ephesians. Mark Dever fills a gaping need with his sermons on each of the individual books." (Thomas R. Schreiner)

"These expositions are theologically rich, biblically faithful, and loaded with superb introductions, illustrations, and applications." (Ligon Duncan)

"Whether you are a Christian seeking a better understanding of the Bible, or a pastor seeking to preach 'the whole counsel of God,' this unique and invaluable resource provides a wealth of insight that will serve you for years." (C. J. Mahaney)

"Is biblical exposition a lost art? Not if this book is any indication. This book is a gem and it belongs on every Christian's bookshelf." (R. Albert Mohler, Jr.)


Moo and Carson's Introduction to the New Testament

Moo and Carson are surely two of the most widely respected evangelical scholars of today. This new introduction to the New Testament certainly lives up to the expectations we would have of such men of God. It deserves its place on my shelf, and will be dipped into for years to come.

Full of information and references to the published literature, yet simple to read, this is a textbook that I am sure will serve the seminary student, as well as the beginning student of the Bible. Due to its recent publishing date, it is more up-to-date with scholarship than many similar resources from the past.

Don't look to this book to have the same pastoral wisdom as the two books by Mark Dever I have already mentioned. It is not written with that in mind — and as such, if budget is not an issue, having both of these on your shelves is a good idea.

Alec Motyer - Discovering the Old Testament

A small paperback of just 200 pages, this is an accessible and concise introduction to the Old Testament. The book describes its mission as taking the reader on a journey through the Old Testament. Its aim is to show how the Old Testament has the same message as the New. Motyer is well known to us through his commentary on Isaiah. This popular treatment of the message of the Old Testament should be understandable by all.

Unfortunately, it seems to only be available from IVP books in the UK at the moment.

IVP Introduction to the Bible
This book has the advantage that it is a single volume covering the Bible — and a slim one at that. It does, of course, mean that it is not as in-depth as some of the others. I will forgive it for using the TNIV. I am convinced that it is a useful introduction for the student of the Bible. It has earned a place on my shelf and will be referred to from time-to-time for years to come.

I thought one of the most helpful ways you could compare and contrast these books would be to share short excerpts from each of them on two books in the Bible. I have chosen Genesis and Ephesians.

GENESIS

"Interestingly, the early church presented Noah's ark as a symbol of Christ. Some of the earliest drawings of Christ are representations of an ark affixed to a cross, indicating that Christ is our ark. He is the vessel of mercy that we, once inside, can safely ride through the floods of God's judgment. God has always been merciful, and never more so than by giving Himself in Christ. Our only hope is God's mercy. As Christians, we have no ground for pride. We have sinned against God and are morally bankrupt. We have completely spent our small resources and now cannot provide for our most basic spiritual needs. We are entirely dependent upon God's mercy and grace for salvation.

This is why the cross of Christ must always be at the center of our worship, whether public or private. I don't mean a physical cross for us to stare at, but an understanding and a pronouncement of what God has done in the cross of Christ. These first chapters of Genesis present no hope for the human race apart from God's mercy! We know today with clarity what the characters in Genesis only dimly perceived: how God would specifically accomplish our salvation by giving himself in Christ. So we should praise God as Creator and Redeemer. We should sing of His truth and His mercies. We should praise the Lamb who was slain for us. As we sing in the hymn, God, All Nature Sings Thy Glory — "Our sins have spoiled Thine image; Nature, conscience only serve as unceasing, grim reminders of the wrath which we deserve. Yet Thy grace and saving mercy in Thy Word of truth revealed claim the praise of all who know Thee, in the blood of Jesus sealed." Isn't that a marvelous truth about God? The holy one is the merciful one! Yet this leaves us with another question: How can he do that? How can God act with such holiness and mercy?" (Mark Dever — The Message of the Old Testament)

"We must now step back into the shorter opening section of the Pentateuch, the eleven chapters with worldwide themes, with which Genesis opens. As with all Bible history-writing, we are not told everything we might wish to know, but only what we need to know. The narrative fixes our attention on three typical events: the fall (Genesis 3-6), the flood (6-9), and the scattering (11:1-9). They are all stories of loss: how mankind, by sin, lost its home in God's Garden, brought destruction on his world, and shattered human fellowship. Each loss found us blameworthy and brought us under divine judgment, but each time judgment was inexplicably mingled with mercy.

God is Still on the Throne
The theme of these chapters is not really the world at all, but the sovereignty of God over the world. It is one of their most striking features that when, in Genesis 3, the great rebellion has taken place and mankind, in the individual Adam, has made its bid to be 'like God', the Lord God steps into the Garden with his sovereignty unimpaired. The once voluble serpent is now silent, and neither the rebellious human pair nor anything else in all creation can resist the sovereign will which decrees a curse upon a world of sinners (3:14-19). Yet the curse is not the whole story." (Alec Motyer — Discovering the Old Testament)

"The contribution of Genesis to a biblical understanding of both God and humanity cannot be underestimated for it establishes the basis and agenda for redemptive purposes in the world. Genesis poses other questions, which can only be noted here without discussion. Its historical veracity has often been assessed negatively on the grounds that no known extra-biblical sources confirm the Genesis record of the patriarchs. While this is undeniably so, we are dealing with accounts that relate to around 2000 B.C. and are largely concerned with the lives of a semi-nomadic family that migrated from north Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan. Not surprisingly, archaeological investigations and extant texts are highly unlikely to provide explicit evidence about the biblical patriarchs and their families. Such limitations need to be remembered when assessing views for and against the truthfulness of the Genesis record.

Other considerations need to be taken into account when considering the historicity of the early chapters of Genesis. This is especially so regards ch. 1, given modern theories about how the world was created. We need to appreciate that this chapter sets out to answer the question, 'Why did God do it?' not 'How did God do it?' As many biblical scholars now recognize, the entire chapter is a literary-artistic representation creation, designed to establish the status, in relation to each other, of objects and creatures mentioned within it. Since ch. 1 is not an attempt to describe the 'how' of creation, the chapter sheds little light on the mechanism by which God created the world. We need to remember the biblical writers want to communicate particular truths. As readers we need to attune ourselves to what these ancient authors wished to say, not impose our present-day agenda on their writings. We must not expect the biblical text to answer questions that its authors were not addressing." (IVP Introduction to the Bible)

EPHESIANS

"Wow, doesn't that get your heart? There is Paul in prison, an old man, praying and asking others to pray that God would make him fearless. "Paul," you might ask, "how much more fearless can you get? You are giving your whole life away, choosing to be in prison because you want to reach people like me, a Gentile, with the gospel." Paul knew courage was needed to continue, and he knew God's Spirit had to provide what did not come naturally. So he asked for it. It was plain and obvious that sitting in prison was his duty, given by God. His suffering could not obscure God's design. Indeed, Paul's instructions on submission in this letter were hard-won. Languishing in prison, Paul certainly knew what was involved in submission, as much as any slave. Yet he knew he had the freedom to obey. No authority on earth could take that away from him.

Is it an accident that two of the New Testament's clearest statements on God's sovereignty come from the pens of two older men in captivity—John exiled on Patmos in the book of Revelation, and Paul in a Roman prison here? When this world exerts its fullest powers to oppose the gospel, it only serves to reveal the powerlessness of rebellion against God." (Mark Dever — The Message of the New Testament)

"The letter's emphasis on the church is unmistakable; Ephesians clearly tells us more about the church than do other writings in the Pauline corpus. This has generated a great deal of discussion. For many, this focus on the church is a natural and acceptable development, but for Kisemann (among others) it is a distortion of the real Christian message. In Ephesians, he writes, "the gospel is domesticated." The world "may be its sphere. But it is so only as the frame into which the picture of the church fits." He goes on to complain that here "Christology is integrated with the doctrine of the church .... Christ is the mark towards which Christianity is growing, and no longer in the strict sense its judge." Yet in some ways this is too narrow a perspective. The massive vision of a new humanity, a new household of God, rising together to reconcile warring human beings to each other and to God (chap. 2)-and all of this the product of God's predestining love (1:3-14) and unqualified grace (2:8-10)-is entirely in line with Pauline emphases on God's sweeping sovereignty in constituting his people (Rom. 9-11) and giving them the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5). More theologically telling are those studies that recognize distinctive emphases in Ephesians, but relate such emphases to central themes in the Pauline corpus. For example, Lincoln examines what it means to be seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6) and concludes that it is a kind of spatial equivalent of inaugurated eschatology. Caragounis and Bockmuehl have examined many traditions that are reflected in the letter. Peter T. O'Brien finds that much of the language of the prayers in Ephesians can be paralleled in the Qumran literature." (Carson & Moo — An Introduction to the New Testament)

"Paul wrote Ephesians from prison (3:1; 4:1; 6:20). The letter is fairly general in content and may even have been a kind of circular letter intended for several congregations in Western Asia Minor since some early manuscripts do not have 'Ephesus' as the specific destination in 1:1. However, certain emphases in the letter do suggest some of Paul's reasons for writing. The emphasis on the unity of Jewish and Gentile Christians may well be intended to address tensions in the church. Additionally, the fact that the devil and various 'powers' are mentioned sixteen times in the letter suggests a concern to encourage believers in their struggle with pernicious spirit-forces. Acts 19 associates demonic activity with Ephesus, and archaeology has uncovered ancient Ephesus as a center for magical practices, the Artemis cult, and a variety of Phrygian mystery religions and astrological beliefs. Paul wrote Ephesians to celebrate God's mighty work of redemption, which includes the forgiveness of sins and raising up of believers, both Jews and Gentiles, to new life in the power of the Spirit . . . The letter has a basic two-part structure, with chs. 4-6 setting out conduct appropriate to the gospel which Paul expounded in chs. 1-3. The transition comes in 4:1: 'I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling [to salvation] you have received.'

Ch. 1 opens with an inspiring thanksgiving for the gift of salvation, planned from eternity past and now being realized in the lives of believers. Paul then prays for the spiritual progress of his readers in light of Christ's supreme power in the universe. Ch. 2 recalls the readers' hopeless situation of death and condemnation and God's astounding deliverance. The barriers between Jews and Gentiles have now been demolished and their reconciliation through the cross has been achieved. Those who believe in Jesus are now united in one body on an equal basis. (IVP Introduction to the Bible)

The following is a full set of notes, including background information and quotes I used whilst preparing my sermon entitled, "Reviving Prayer," which was preached at Jubilee Church on the 25th of February 2006. Much of this material was never designed to form part of the sermon — instead it is, if you like, part of the "iceberg" that lies beneath the surface supporting what I actually said. You can download the audio (you may need to right click and save the file onto your PC) or listen right here using the following embedded player:

A. INTRODUCTION

Last Sunday at Jubilee we heard about how we believe that God is calling us to be a people of faith — a people who trust in God to do the miraculous. One way in which we express our faith — and in which our faith can grow — is by prayer. I know that for me, as I look back on my life, there are many times when I have wrestled with God in prayer and seen Him answer me. Times when things have been hard, and I have prayed, and suddenly a corner was turned. The time when attempts at moving to a new house didn't happen the way I wanted it, but I prayed and God worked it out so we had a far better house than we originally planned. Times when I have been sick, and prayer led to one of those miracles the doctors call "spontaneous remissions." Times when I felt at the end of my tether, and God intervened and refreshed me, sometimes without even solving the problem.

Sometimes it's not so much our situations that need changing — it's us. Sometimes we might be struggling in a job or a relationship and God wants us to suddenly realize the reason He has put us there. Perhaps you face lots of problems at work and it's getting you down. You might be praying to get out of a job. But God shows you in prayer that if it wasn't for all those problems, they wouldn't be paying your salary. It is often WE that need to be revived from our depressed state.

The kind of prayer I want to look at today is THAT kind of prayer — prayer that changes us. Prayer that revives. There are many great promises attached to prayer in the Bible. One of these is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This is a key verse — one you will have probably heard if you have been a Christian for awhile. It is often quoted when we are talking about prayer. In this verse God makes a glorious promise. It is essentially a promise that He will heal and revive us if we will turn and pray.

Last time I spoke we looked at revival and the example in Acts 2 — several points about that passage reflect the "typical" revival as seen in church history. One of these is prayer. This is a pattern that is repeated in Acts and throughout church history. Every revival I have ever read about in Church history started with a prayer meeting.

This quote from a journal which writes exclusively on revival supports the observation that no revival comes without prayer:

" ... let us draw some general lessons from our consideration of the Second Great Awakening . . . It is quite evident that prayer was an essential element in this revival movement, as it is in all revivals. There is no revival without prayer. It would profit us to carefully go over the title of Edwards' thesis on revival praying: "A Humble Attempt" — Every relationship to God must begin with humility, for God gives grace only to the humble (James 4:6; 2 Chronicles 7:14). "For Explicit Agreement and Visible Union of God's People" — An essential condition for revival, as well as an evidence, is unity (Psalms 133; Acts 1:14; Acts 2:1; Acts 4:24ff; Acts 5:12). "For Extraordinary Prayer" — It was Leonard Ravenhill who said, "A church will never have a revival on one prayer meeting a week." May God pour out a "spirit of grace and supplication" upon us! We need first a revival of prayer. (Reformation and Revival Volume 6, 1997)

Let me give a couple of examples of this in church history. During revivals, prayer becomes more intense, and all-night prayer meetings are not uncommon. It is often said of revival times: "You did not have to whip them up to prayer meetings; you could not keep them away." (Martyn Lloyd-Jones).

In revival, even non-Christians come to the prayer meetings and get saved!

Some examples of this:

1. This was my experience at school.

2. Perhaps one of the most striking examples of the place of prayer in revival happened in Coleraine in 1859:

   "A schoolboy in class became so troubled about his soul that the schoolmaster sent him home. An older boy, a Christian, went with him, and before they had gone far, led him to Christ. Returning at once to school, this new convert testified to his teacher, 'Oh, I am so happy. I have the Lord Jesus in my heart.' These artless words had an astonishing effect; boy after boy rose and silently left the room. Going outside, the teacher found these boys all on their knees, ranged along the wall of the playground. Very soon their silent prayer became a bitter cry; it was heard by another class inside and pierced their hearts. They fell on their knees, and their cry for mercy was heard in turn by a girls' class above. In a few moments, the whole school was on their knees! Neighbors and passers-by came flocking in, and all as they crossed the threshold came under the same convicting power. Every room was filled with men, women and children seeking God."

3. Something similar happened that year in New York where a prayer meeting which began with just six people the first week swelled to fill theatres and led directly to 1 million out of 30 million Americans being saved in a year.

This clear link between revival and prayer has led some to think this is an automatic process — that if you do certain things a massive revival is always the result. These words, however, do not remove the sovereignty of God — there is mystery, and the truth is we cannot force God's hand like that. Nor should we stop everything and just pray! Booth said "work as if everything depends on you. Pray as if everything depends on God."

BUT, if people turn and pray, in a certain way I do believe it is almost irresistible to God and He will revive them — even if this does not lead to a widespread "revival." Last time I made the point that I believe that what happens on a global or national scale in revival can be mirrored in an individual church or group of Christians, or even in a single life. God is in the business of reviving those who fear they are almost dead.

So if prayer is what triggers the people of God to be healed and revived, it is also what triggers me personally to be revived as well. How strange it is that we all struggle so much to pray as we ought!

If we were really convinced that prayer changes the way God acts, and that God does bring about remarkable changes in the world in response to prayer, as Scripture repeatedly teaches that He does, then we would pray much more than we do. If we pray little, it is probably because we do not really believe that prayer accomplishes much at all. (Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, p. 377.)

I wish I was more of an expert at prayer. I am not; but I am learning. I wish I knew more about reviving prayer. If there was ever a man who the Bible holds up as an example of fervent reviving prayer, it is Elijah. I would like to introduce us today to a man who certainly knew how to pray. I want to look at the prayer life of Elijah, since the dramatic events of his life are often seen as representing revival — we pray "send the fire" or "send the rain" — he saw both literally. Intriguingly, Solomon, to whom God is speaking in the above promise, had also seen literal fire, as did, of course, the early church in the book of Acts. Fire is very instructive to us about how God the Holy Spirit works.

The New Testament honors Elijah in the book of James:

James 5:16-18. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

So what IS effective prayer? We will look at every recorded prayer of Elijah beginning in 1 Kings 17 where we find the first recorded prayer of Elijah. But before we launch into it, I want you to know that there is no doubt this was not the first prayer of Elijah. We know this for certain because the verse in James we just read tells us that Elijah prayed for the rain to stop. That prayer is not recorded in Scripture, which I think tells us that we must learn to pray in the secret place — I am very sure that Elijah will have prayed for all kinds of small things before he began to pray his "big prayers."

B. WHAT IS REVIVING PRAYER LIKE?

If there is one prayer in the whole Bible that is an example of reviving prayer it is that first recorded prayer of Elijah found in 1 Kings 17. The widow who has been looking after the prophet Elijah during the great drought probably expected some kind of reward from God for doing so. What happened instead? Her son died. This prayer is a prayer that quite literally brought a corpse back to life — it revived the boy. This should be enough to make us sit up and take notice and say, "So what can we learn about prayer from this?" Sometimes we have to be brought into a desperate situation in which we have no "clever" answer in order for us to be driven to prayer.

"He gave no answer to her expostulation, but brought it to God, and laid the case before him, not knowing what to say to it himself." (Matthew Henry)

A REVIVING PRAYER . . .

1 Kings 17:20-21. And he cried to the Lord, "0 Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?" Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, "0 Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again."

1. Recognises the situation — doesn't deny it. For example, Abraham (in Romans 4:19)

   ". . . did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb" (or as the NIV puts it) he "faced the facts ... " Essentially, both Elijah and Abraham had one eye on the situation and were being honest and real about it, but also had one eye on God. They both knew that "where God is present, there is nothing that lies outside the realm of possibility."

   "Abraham was fully aware that his own body was as good as dead ("utterly worn out," TCNT). He was, at that time, about one hundred years old (cf. Gen 17:1). Furthermore, Sarah was "past the age of childbearing" (Genesis 18:11). From a common sense standpoint, there was not the slightest possibility that she would bear a child. This, however, did not cause Abraham to weaken in his faith. Faith goes beyond human potentiality. It acknowledges the existence of one who is not bound by the limitations of the created order. 'Conscious of his own utter impotence, Abraham relied simply and completely on the all-sufficient power of God.' Where God is present, there is nothing that lies outside the realm of possibility. The church of Jesus Christ is in desperate need of those who will insist that God is able to bring to pass anything that is consistent with his nature and in concert with his redemptive purposes. Your God Is too small is a sad epitaph inscribed on all too many ecclesiastical groups who, strange as it may seem, claim to worship the Almighty." (Robert H. Mounce, vol. 27, Romans (electronic edition, Logos Library System; The New American Commentary, Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, (c1995), p. 129.)

2. Cries to God — has a strength about it — challenging God, which almost reminds me of Genesis 32 (Jacob wrestling with God).

   The great thing is that as Elijah cries out to God passionately, his prayer is answered. The boy lives. But something happened here to Elijah — it was one more lesson in the university of prayer. Elijah learnt something, so much so that by the time we get to the very next chapter, we find a bold Elijah, not now hidden in his room, but before the whole nation, standing next to an altar that is soaking wet and a bunch of religious fanatics who have been cutting themselves with swords, trying to persuade Baal to send fire. To make matters worse, he has been mocking them - in clear proof that there ARE jokes in the Bible! So is he nervous? Not a bit of it! Listen to his clear, bold, prayer:

   1 Kings 18:36-39. "0 Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, 0 Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, 0 Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back." Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God."

3. Calls on the God of history. When we read about what God has done in the past — both in church history and in the Bible — it should make us conclude that the God who acted then can to do the same today; more than that, He wants to do the same today. All we need do is ask. God seems to delight in the kinds of prayers we see often in the Bible which say "do it again, Lord."

   Habbakuk 3:2. "0 Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, 0 Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known;" (ESV)

   The NIV paraphrases this nicely here: "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, 0 Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known."

4. Desires that God be honoured. When we pray we must examine our hearts and say — "Why am I asking for this?" Is it that I can be more comfortable? Or is it that God can be glorified? How will God be glorified in that new Ferrari you are yearning for?

5. Recognises that repentance is God's work. Some of us have prayed for years for a child who has wandered far away from God, or a friend or relative that never knew Him. Knowing that it is GOD who turns the heart around to follow Him should inspire us to not give up. If we were relying on our friend or family member seeing sense on their own suddenly, how could we believe for that? No, for as 2 Corinthians 4 puts it: "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (v4) — we were all like that once. BUT God didn't leave us like that "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (v6). If you don't know Jesus, you must ask him to do the same — only HE can make you a Christian.

6. Asks God to act "answer me." Too often prayer is simply worrying out loud. We rehearse our woes to God, then feel a bit better for having done so. Like the early church praying for the release of Peter, we are often shocked when our prayers are answered! Peter standing there knocking at the door whilst intense prayer is going on inside has always seemed humorous to me. "No, don't be silly it must be his ghost!" We must actually ASK God to do something and then not be surprised when He does it! Elijah wasn't surprised. Nor did he stop there. He had another prayer to pray ... almost the next verse:

   1 Kings 18:41-46. "And Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.' So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, 'Go up now, look toward the sea.' And he went up and looked and said, 'There is nothing.' And he said, 'Go again,' seven times. And at the seventh time he said, 'Behold, a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea.' And he said, 'Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.' And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

7. Gets perspective by going high. "No one will ever live higher than their view of God and their view of Jesus Christ."

8. Silent recognition of God's superiority. Bowing before God — in almost every culture, bowing is seen as being subservient — Elijah is recognising God is his king. Of course, any one particular posture in prayer is not critical. It is just as foolish to think we must ALWAYS pray on our knees as it is to NEVER bow our knees before God. When things go well for us — that is the time to make sure we humble ourselves before God once more.

   There was no one posture required for the exercise of prayer. Most often prayer was made standing (e.g., I Samuel 1 :26); the great prayer of the Jewish synagogue was to be called the "standing prayer" (Amidah). On occasion, however, one might pray kneeling (I Kings 8:54), or prostrate (I Kings 18:42), with hands spread out (I Kings 8:22,54; Isaiah 1:15), or lifted up." (Psalm 63:4; 1 Timothy 2:8). (Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia).

9. Is persistent in waiting on God. He doesn't give up!

10. Has the faith that sees a small sign as settling it. Sometimes there comes a point in prayer where we almost feel we need not pray any more. We don't stop praying, but a confidence comes that we know God has settled it. In fact, we sometimes even start to thank Him before we have received! Elijah now knew the rain was coming. But even Elijah didn't live on the mountain top — on a high with God — forever. In the next few words, he is right down in the valley of despair. But even in that despair, he prays.

    We see two prayers that are very different - not entirely for us to copy, but let's not forget that God honored these prayers with a very rare OT manifestation of his presence - in the "still small voice." He cannot have been totally disapproving of them. Thus, I do believe we have something to learn from them.

    1 Kings 19:4. "It is enough; now, 0 Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers."

    1 Kings 19:10. "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."

11. When at the end of tether, is at least honest before God and engages with Him. However this is an exaggeration — a "me" centered prayer. Look, the point is this — God does not mind if you get to the end of your own strength and cry out to Him in despair. But He certainly doesn't want to leave you there in your despair. Now, for Elijah, suddenly it isn't a dead boy that needs reviving, or a wet sacrifice that needs the fire to fall on it, or the rain clouds that must be summoned. We see here that God is still interested in the man Elijah - who, in this story more than any other, shows us that he was just a weak man like us. When a weak man or woman comes to God, then God is eager to REVIVE them, which is exactly what happened to Elijah. We must remember that it is not merely a matter of what words we use when we pray, or even what emotion we feel. It is more a question of who we are coming to. Elijah comes to the living God. And when the living God meets a man who wants to die, what is the result? Life from death. A new start. A new commission. As I was preparing this, I believe God dropped into my heart that there would be some here who had been this desperate, who like Elijah felt they had been faithful, but like Elijah they believed they had reached the end of the road. Perhaps you even had a "ministry" that is now "over" in your mind. Perhaps you feel you disqualified yourself. God is in the business of restoring and reviving us and wants to do just that to you.

    2 Kings 1:9 "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty. "

12. Declarative prayer. (NB this is an Old Testament prayer - but it did happen to Ananias and Sapphira!)

As I have said earlier, it is NOT a case of "follow this list and you'll get a global revival" because revival comes through a sovereign act of God. I do believe, however, this kind of prayer connects you as an individual with the reviving Spirit of God - and ANYTHING can be the result!

C. TWO MORE THINGS TO LEARN FROM ELlJAH'S LIFE OF PRAYER

1. The invitation to others. 2 Kings 2:9-10. Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you. " And Elisha said, "Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me." And he said, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so."

2. The successor's prayer. 2 Kings 2:14. "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?"

Elisha asked, "Where now is the God of Elijah?" We can sometimes ask that same thing today — Where are the miracles? Where are the salvations? Where are the dramatic acts? — Where is God?! The answer is — He is right here in this room! And as we pray, if we are praying in the centre of His will, we can be confident that He will answer. Our God really is the One who answers by fire.

We worship a God who hears our prayers and revives us. I could tell you many stories from my own life. But the one I want to tell you is perhaps close to my mind at the moment because it concerns the first few months of my soon-to-be second youngest son. In my wife's family, there is a tendency towards deafness. Andree has a 30 per cent loss herself, but manages to hear something and covers it up quite well. When our son was born, it was soon clear that he was deaf. A screening test confirmed that there was no response to sound. We observed that, unlike our other babies, he never startled to sound. Suddenly it wasn't just our relatives. It was us! Dreams were shattered. We were clinging onto God, but it was not an easy time. One day I read in the Scriptures a verse that simply said "In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book" (Isaiah 29:18). I shared this with my wife and she said, "We know he will hear one day" - meaning, of course, the final day. This is comforting, but something within me cried out, "Why not now!" So we prayed. This church prayed. Then after just a few days, I had a phone call. My wife said "I think he just startled to noise." I was shocked. To be honest, I didn't believe it. But, sure enough, a few days after that, when we had more detailed tests carried out, his hearing was perfect! Not only that, but all our children’s hearing was also perfect, and from that day to this, none of them have shown any signs of being hard of hearing. We serve a God who heals. We serve a God who revives. Let's stand and pray.

If you are looking for another example of a prayer for revival, why not read Psalms 85:

Lord, you were favourable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah.

You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.

Restore us again, 0 God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!

Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

Show us your steadfast love, 0 Lord, and grant us your salvation.

D. WHAT DO YOU NEED REVIVED IN YOUR LIFE?

• Restoring of fortunes - e.g. work and/or relationships.

• Forgiveness of sins? For the first time, or because you have drifted away?

• Renewal of relationship with the God you feel is angry with you?

• Renewal of JOY in God - knowing God brings happiness.

• Demonstration of God's love to your hearts?

This Friday I wanted to highlight again the messages from John Piper's 2006 conference. I realized recently that I had not, in fact, listened to most of them - I guess I just had forgotten somewhere along the line. I am ashamed to admit, for example, that it was only when my friend, Mark Moore, told me earlier this week that Tim Keller had quoted extensively from my hero, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, that I finally listened to his talk.

I am glad I did. Tim explores what we do about preaching the Gospel in the 21st century in quite simply the best way I have ever heard. But, the thing that stood out for me is simply these two abridged and slightly adapted quotes, which I think are fantastic in their pithy simplicity:

"Religion is I obey so I can be accepted. The Gospel is I am accepted so I can obey." (Tim Keller).

Tim Keller also quoted D. M. Lloyd-Jones preaching on Genesis 32:

“How do you know you have met with God? You limp.”

Dr Keller went on to explain this in terms of the sign of Jonah

“He will bring you down if he is going to use you.”

For more from the conference, see also my remote blogging posts:

· DG06 - More from Piper's Final Session

· DG06 - Final Session - John Piper

· DG06 - Session 5 - Don Carson

· DG06 - Photos

· DG06 - When Josh Harris Was Glad He Wasn't Mark Driscoll

· DG06 - A Blogger Responds to D. A. Carson

· DG06 - More from Session 4 with Mark Driscoll

· DG06 - Quotes from a Panel Discussion

· DG06 - Session 4 - Mark Driscoll

· DG06 - More From Session 3 with Tim Keller

· DG06 - Session 3 - Tim Keller

· DG06 - Session 2 - Voddie Baucham

· DG06 - Session 1 - David Wells

· Desiring God Conference Day 1

UPDATE
Much of the discussion on this issue is now occurring over at blogs belonging to Thabiti Anyabwile and Justin Taylor - Why not pop over and join in?

John Piper is never one to shy away from controversy or difficult subjects. This week has been no different. He has sent out an e-mail entitled How and Why Bethlehem Pursues Ethnic Diversity that is also published on his website—the main point of which is that he is looking specifically for non-white people who could be appointed to the pastoral staff of his church.

Piper gives five reasons to admire ethnic diversity in a church, and by extension these are the reasons he has determined to be intentional about pursuing this at Bethlehem:

1. It illustrates more clearly the truth that God created people of all races and ethnicities in his own image (Genesis 1:27).

2. It displays more visibly the truth that Jesus is not a tribal deity, but is the Lord of all races, nations, and ethnicities.

3. It demonstrates more clearly the blood-bought destiny of the church to be "from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9).

4. It exhibits more compellingly the aim and power of the cross of Christ to "reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility" (Ephesians 2:16).

5. It expresses more forcefully the work of the Spirit to unite us in Christ. "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13).

John Piper — How and Why Bethlehem Pursues Ethnic Diversity

This is all very admirable, and shows that Piper is a step ahead of many of us who, whilst we might agree in theory that aiming to build a multicultural church is a good goal, have not given serious thought to exactly what needs to change in our church in order to make that a reality.

It is interesting that Piper seems to have determined that pursuing an ethnically diverse leadership should be a major part of that strategy. I wonder, however, if I am the only one not entirely convinced by the wisdom of Piper's plea to the readers of his website to find him "ethnic persons" who might be suitable members of his pastoral team.

I struggle with this appeal at a more basic level than that of any concerns some may have about "positive discrimination" or "affirmative action" (although I am very open to people debating both sides of that argument in the comment section if they so desire).

My issue is that I am not convinced that any form of advertisement is the best way to find new staff members for a church. Interviewing and appointing applicants for vital church leadership positions who are strangers to the existing church leaders seems so alien to New Testament practice as to be very questionable in any circumstance. New Testament leaders were raised up through personal friendship and discipleship—they were hand-selected.

I am surprised that Piper's church (like many other thriving churches) still feels the need to go outside their own local congregation for its pastors. As I read the New Testament, I am left with the impression that Paul quickly established teams of elders in each church with the goal that they become self-sustaining and self-replicating, and so that in the future the subsequent leadership would be raised up from within the local church. As an example of this process, we have the repeated urgings of Paul to Timothy and Titus to find men to whom they could pass on doctrine and appoint to leadership roles so that they, in turn, could do the same.

It seems to me that a modern church aiming to replicate as closely as possible the New Testament model should expect that it will have a steady stream of leaders being raised up within itself. In fact, a healthy church could even find itself able to give away such leaders—ideally not to alien situations, but to sister or daughter churches where a real relationship opens the way.

I firmly believe that God has very frequently already placed the future leaders He intends for a local congregation within that very same church congregation as a specific gift from Him. It is the existing leaders' role to find them—they can seem quite hidden at times—and then befriend, train, and release them.

Now, my understanding is that Piper's church often does just that. Perhaps, however, he has been unable to identify enough ethnic diversity in his pool of leaders locally. Without wanting to speculate precisely why that may be the case at Bethlehem, it strikes me that there are a number of reasons why a local church might find itself unable to establish an ethnically diverse leadership team:

1. It is, of course, impossible to raise up a multiracial leadership team from within a local church if that church is, in fact, an entirely monocultural congregation. Sadly, all too many churches are made up not only of one racial group, but one tribe, one social class, or even one age group. In my opinion, unless that honestly does reflect the profile of the local population of the town in which the church is based, this is not something which we should be content about.

2. There may be fundamental changes to the way we "do church" or the way we relate to each other that are needed before people from different backgrounds are able to feel comfortable being members, let alone leaders, in the church. The precise nature of these changes will differ—and often we simply do not know what they need to be unless we ask an unusually honest member of another culture. I am convinced that it is very costly to make such radical changes.

3. Where churches do have the beginnings of a multicultural congregation, identification of leaders who are not from the most frequent grouping within the church can be hampered because of cultural differences. A potential leader may just feel a bit uncomfortable socially there, like they don't quite fit. They might behave in a different way from the way in which the church leaders expect them to behave. They might be quieter or louder than a potential leader "should" be, according to cultural norms existing in that specific church. They might well suppress their gifts, believing perhaps that since they are relatively new members, more established people have the ministry needs covered.

I thank God that there are individuals who are seeking to make a home in churches where they are culturally in the minority. Some of these may be future leaders. Some may even have specifically decided they want to attend a church where they feel less comfortable so they can learn more about that different culture and how it “does church." Being in that "learning" phase may make it seem as if that person is not interested in any ministry role. I have certainly seen some very gifted people take a back seat for a season because they felt that was what God was calling them to do. The challenge for church leaders is to have the eye of faith to see beyond how someone may look on the surface to what God may be doing secretly on the inside as He is training that person for future leadership. How many gifted leaders are currently sitting on the back rows of churches just waiting for someone to notice, encourage, and train them?

How do you get that eye of faith? Well, I guess it has to be a combination of prayer and taking the time to get to know someone. If you are a pastor, just maybe the answer to your prayers for God to send you someone to help you have already been answered and the person is right there in your church just waiting for you to find them, befriend them, train them, and finally release them into the role to which God is calling them.

I have moved quite some way from what Piper himself was saying, and I hope that you will all see this for what it is—it certainly is not intended as a criticism of Dr. Piper. I certainly welcome his desire to build a multicultural church for that is, I am sure, something very much on the heart of God.

This interview is being serialized over several days. So far I have published part one. Today we continue with a discussion about the role of a theologian, his book Systematic Theology, and begin to move on to his most recent book. Towards the end of today's portion of the interview, Grudem introduces us to his charge that feminism inevitably leads to liberalism. The interview is summarized in my post Dr Wayne Grudem Interview - Highlights and Reflections.

Adrian

Perhaps I should let my readers know how I first heard of you. It was a number of years ago at a charismatic Bible week in the UK. I am not at all sure that you knew it would happen, but at that event Terry Virgo strongly en-dorsed and recommended your then brand-new Systematic Theology (which I have pre-viously reviewed). I was one of hundreds of UK charismatics who bought the book that week, and I read it avidly from cover-to-cover. I believe that the publisher sent someone down that week to the newfrontiers Stoneleigh Bible Week to figure out why so many of us wacky charismatics were buying your book! How soon did you get to hear of newfrontiers and how keen we all were on your Systematic Theology, and did it surprise you?

Wayne
I can't honestly remember how I heard of newfrontiers, but I did eventually hear about this mass purchase of books, and I was thankful to God. As you probably know, on two occasions now, Terry Virgo has invited me to address his leaders’ conferences in Brighton (including July of 2006), and Margaret and I have loved the fellowship and worship times during those weeks. We are so thankful to God for the ministry of newfrontiers, and particularly of Terry Virgo, whom I think of as a godly, wise man who faithfully teaches and follows God’s Word. This year we also got to meet Stuart Townend, whose music I have appreciated so much.

Adrian
Were you surprised at just how successful that book was generally? For some reason I got the impression that early-on most people thought it would just sell to theological students.

Wayne
I am surprised, and thankful to God for the way the book seems to continue to be a blessing to people – and not just to pastors and seminary students, but lots of other Christians from all walks of life. As you know, I believe that God intended His Word to be understood, not just by specialists, but also by ordinary Christians. The “blessed man” in Psalm 1 is held up as an example for all of us: “His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2)

Adrian

Well, I want to thank you for saving me from having to read some of the other more turgid volumes of systematic theology my older Christian friends tell me about. Should I feel guilty for not having wrestled with one of them? Is there a single Systematic Theology, old or new, other than yours, that you would most recommend us to read?

Wayne

There are several excellent ones. I think first on my list would be John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion (the two-volume Battles translation is best, and I strongly recommend that people read it in the unabridged form, not a condensation, which seems to me to rob the “life” from Calvin). The volumes by Louis Berkhof and by Charles Hodge (three volumes) are also outstanding Reformed treatments of systematic theology, and there are many others as well. (I list and cross-reference many of them in the back of each chapter of Systematic Theology).

Adrian

One of the things I most liked about your Systematic Theology was the way it brought together two strands – the Reformed and the Charismatic. I get the feeling that this combination is rare in the USA. It seems, though, that biblically humble people from both reformed and charismatic camps find your Systematic Theology attractive – was that part of your purpose in writing the book - to bring the church together?

Wayne

I honestly can’t remember if that had any part in my decision to write the book. My primary purpose was just to teach what the Bible teaches about many theological topics, and to do it clearly and faithfully, as best I could understand the teaching of the whole Bible about these different topics. I’m thankful, of course, that people from several different kinds of backgrounds have found the book helpful.

Adrian

Although your Systematic Theology was seen as a great unifying force, your recent works on complement-arianism have created quite a stir! I am sure that this new book - Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberal-ism? - will add even more fuel to this fire. Do you think this twin task of being a unifying figure and at times being one who brings a clarity that actually leads to a division on certain issues is part and parcel of being a good systematic theologian?

Wayne

I suppose it is. Again, I just want to teach faithfully what the Bible teaches about men and women, and that includes both that we are equal in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and that God has given us different roles in marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33) and in the church (1 Timothy 2:11-15).

Adrian

That being so, how do you decide which issues you are going to be more strident about and which you are going to build consensus around?

Wayne

Well, I don’t think of myself as being “strident” about anything. I hold some convictions firmly and I write to persuade others about them, giving evidence and reasons to explain why I hold a certain viewpoint, and attempting to give evidence and reasons showing why I disagree with others. In all this, I’m actually trying to build consensus in the church on these matters, rather than the confusion and misunderstanding that is found many places.

Adrian

What has led you to the conclusion that evangelical feminism is so dangerous to biblical Christianity? What precisely is it about the whole issue that is so important to the church today? I suppose that your latest book is all about answering that question – how would you summarise the message of that book for my readers?

Wayne

This new book, Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism? (Crossway, 2006) documents at least 25 different arguments that are widely used by evangelical feminists today, and that deny or undermine the authority of Scripture. My point is not that every evangelical feminist follows the underlying logic of these arguments today (some don’t), but rather that the younger generation of leaders takes the logic of those arguments further and it leads directly to undermining the authority of the Word of God, and therefore to liberalism.

Continued in part three . . .

At Jubilee we have been doing a series of talks this autumn, each one lasting about an hour, during which we attempt to instruct the hearer to a greater extent than is possible in our Sunday morning sermons. One of the ones I did - which was on the subject of "What is God Like?" - has just been made available online at the Jubilee Audio Sermons site. You can visit there to download the sermon or listen to it here:



These talks have been inspired by the following verse:

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

I do want to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. Wayne Grudem, whose Systematic Theology was used as a major resource for this talk. When preparing to speak as a Christian, I believe that it is important to lean on the wisdom found in the work of others, and I certainly did that here.

I definitely did make this my own, however, so don't blame Dr. Grudem for any errors! I will now share the full notes here. You can also download the PowerPoint file. As with all my material on this blog, you are welcome to use it in any way that does not involve making a profit, and you should, of course, attribute it if you copy the entire article.


THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD - WHAT IS GOD LIKE?

Do NOT expect to understand everything about God - He is infinite; we are finite and cannot understand Him fully. Almost all language used about God is a metaphor, and therefore it has the whisper “God is, but is not the same” as the concept used to describe Him.

This is not a mere intellectual exercise, but has two goals:

1. To know, worship, and follow God more.

2. For our beliefs about God to be clearly grounded in the Bible.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Arguments for God’s Existence

• Intelligent design of the universe (teleological).
• God as the ultimate cause - that which came first (cosmological).
• The greatest being we can conceive (ontological).
• The presence of a universal basic set of ethics (moral argument).
• The spiritual nature of mankind – the mind/body problem.
• The God-shaped hole in all cultures.
• Christianity does people good (pragmatic argument).
• But . . . we cannot use our reason to prove God’s existence, for that would make our reason above God.

The Bible Assumes God Exists and People Know

• “In the beginning, God created ...” (Genesis 1:1)
• “…his invisible attributes...have been clearly perceived...” (Romans 1:18-22)
• “The fool says in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)
• God is unknowable and invisible, but chooses to reveal Himself.
• “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways…” (Romans 11:33-34)
• “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

God Has Both Transcendence and Immanence

• Christians often emphasise one or the other.
• Jesus – the revelation of God.
• “…the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power...” (Hebrews 1:1-4)
• “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” (John 1:18)
• “Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.” (John 12:41)
• “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him … Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” (John 14:7-10)

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

• “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)
• “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23)
• “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9-11)
• “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (Galatians 4:6)

The Trinity Reflects a Chain of Authority

• “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” (John 15:26)
• “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 Corinthians 11:3)
• “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” (John 14:10)
• “God has put all things in subjection under his feet...when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:27-28)

We Believe in One God in Three Persons

• “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26)
  “...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
• “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” (Matthew 4:10)
  “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:5)
• Jesus accepts worship: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
• “Let all God's angels worship him.” (Hebrews 1:6)
• Jesus shares seventeen attributes unique to God - “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Colossians 2:9)

1. God is an Independent Community - Because of His Self-Sufficiency and Trinity, He Doesn’t Need Us!

• “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:24-25)
• He didn’t make the world because he was lonely.
• “God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
• Jesus: “Father . . . you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24)

2. God is the Creator of Everything.

• God: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)
• Jesus: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17)
• The Spirit: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2)

God created diversity

• “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (Psalm 104:24)
• “...so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 3:10)

3. God is Eternal – He Always Existed

• God: “Before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2)
  “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Revelation 1:8)
• Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)
• “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13)
• “Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:5)
• Spirit: "...through the eternal Spirit..." (Heb 9:14)

4. God is Omniscient – He Knows Everything

• God: “For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” (1 John 3:20)
• “No creature is hidden from his sight...” (Hebrews 4:13)
• “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:17)
• Jesus: “...needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:24-25)
• “Now we know that you know all things.” (John 16:30)
• Spirit: “For the Spirit searches everything...” (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
• Psalm 139:1-6

God knows the future

• God: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose . . . I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.’” (Isaiah 46:9-11)
• Jesus: “I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am.” (John 13:9)
• "God knows everything that ever was, everything that now is, and everything that is to be; all that is actual and all that is possible. Therefore God knows in advance all the free acts of all free creatures." (John Edgren)
• “Everyone who believes in God at all believes that He knows what you and I are going to do tomorrow.” (C. S. Lewis)
• Openess Theology denies this.

5. God is Not Bound by Time

• God: “. . . with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)
• “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4)
• “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3:14) or I am what I am, or I will be what I will be – God’s name Yahweh.
• Jesus: “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him.” (John 8:58-59)
• Wayne Grudem: “God views the whole span of history as vividly as He would if it were a brief event that had just happened. But He also views a brief event as if it were going on forever. God sees and knows all events – past, present, and future – with equal vividness. Though He has no succession of moments, He still sees the progression of events at different points in time.”

6. God is Unchangeable

• God: “For I the Lord do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)
• Jesus: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
• God both does and doesn’t have regrets!
• “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me.” (1 Samuel 15:11)
• "The Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” (1 Samuel 15:29)
• But God does truly relate to us.
• “If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.” (Jeremiah 18:7-10)
• John Piper: “So the repentance over Saul means not that he did not know what Saul would be like, but that he disapproves of what Saul has become and that he feels sorrow at this evil in his anointed king, and that he looks back on his making him king with the same sorrow that he experienced at that moment when he made him king, foreknowing all the sorrow that would come. For God to say, "I feel sorrow that I made Saul king," is not the same as saying, "I would not make him king if I had it to do over, knowing what I know now." God is able to feel sorrow for an act that He does in view of foreknown evil and pain, and yet go ahead and will to do it for wise reasons.”

7. God is Wise

• God: “. . . the only wise God.” (Romans 16:27, see Psalm 147:5)
• Jesus: “Christ...the wisdom of God.” (1 Cointhians 1:24)
• Holy Spirit: “. . . the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and under-standing, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:2)

8. God is Truth

• God: “God is not man, that he should lie...” (Numbers 23:19)
• “God, who never lies.” (Titus 1:2)
• Jesus “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6)

9. God is Omnipresent – He is Everywhere

• God: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence...” (Psalm 139:7-10)
• "Do I not fill heaven and earth, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:24)
• Jesus: “ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20)
• But, it is not wrong to speak of God “coming.”
• “...we will come to him and make our home.” (John 14:21)
• “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send...” (John 15:26)

10. God is Omnipotent – He is All-Powerful

• “... Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)
• “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think…” (Ephesians 3:20)
• Jesus: “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41)

11. God is Uncontainable

• God: “…heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you...” (1 Kings 8:27)
• Jesus: “...he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light...” (Matthew 17:2-6) (Building a tent to contain him was foolish!)

12. “God is Light.” (1 John 1:5)

• Jesus - “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)

13. “God is Spirit.” (John 4:24)

• Jesus “And the Word became flesh...” (John 1:14)

14. “God is Holy.” (Psalm 99:9)

• Jesus “I know who you are the Holy One of God.” (Luke 4:34)

15. God is Righteous and Just

• God: “No one is good except God alone.” (Luke 18:19)
• “. . . your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
• Jesus: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

16. God is Jealous and Full of Wrath Against Sin

• God: “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful…” (Nahum 1:2)
• Jesus: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:17)

17. God is Sovereign - His Will Always Comes to Pass

• God: “. . . according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” (Ephesians 1:11)
• “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)
• “… it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:21)
• “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” (Psalm 115:3)
• Jesus: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)

But he is not responsible for sin.

• “God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one...” (James 1:13-14)

WHO IS JESUS?

Jesus Shares All the Attributes of God

• He was eternally one of the three persons in the Trinity. He is frequently described with the word “lord” which is used 6,814 times in the Septuagent for Jehovah/Yahweh. Jesus is also fully man and a real man’s man.
• “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him . . . the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1) “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.” (John 2:15)

Jesus Was Truly a Man

• He was born of a normal human mother.
• He “grew and became strong” (Luke 2:40) and “increased in wisdom and in stature
  and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:52)
• He was hungry.” (Matthew 4:2) and he said, “I thirst.” (John 19:28)
• He got “wearied” from a journey (John 4:6) and he slept. (Luke 8:23)
• He was not a “Clark Kent” figure only pretending to be vulnerable.
• There were things that Jesus, the man, did not know. "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Mark 13:32)

Jesus Felt All Our Emotions

• He “marvelled.” (Matthew 8:10)
• “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The sceptre of your kingdom is a sceptre of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” (Psalm 45:6-7)
• “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
• “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.” (Matthew 26:38)
• John Piper: “Jesus was fully human and fully God – he was not God with a human veneer – like a costume. He was a real flesh and blood man, a carpenter's son.”
• Mark Driscoll: “It's hard to worship someone you can beat up.”
• Wayne Grudem: “An infinite God came to live in a finite world. In Jesus, God and man became one person . . . For Jesus Christ was and always will be, fully God and fully man in one person.”

Jesus Remains a Man Forever

• “…a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have...” (Luke 24:38-43)
• “This Jesus…will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

How Can Jesus be Both Man and God?

• Error 1 - A human body, but not a human mind or spirit – Mickey Mouse suit.
• Error 2 – Two persons in one body – circus “horse” suit.
• Error 3 – One new nature – neither God nor man! -Drop of ink in water.
• The Solution: Two natures, but one person (see Power Point for graphical images of these - thanks to Wayne Grudem for the illustrations!)

Some Things are True of Only One of Jesus' Natures

• Jesus’ human nature ascended to heaven and is no longer in the world - John 16:28 “I am leaving the world.”
• But . . . his divine nature is everywhere present. -Matthew 28:20 “I am with you always.”
• Jesus felt weak and tired. (Matthew 4:2; 8:24; Mark 15:21; John 4:6), but in His divine nature He was omnipotent. (Matthew 8:26-27; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3).
• Jesus was 30 years old and existed from eternity!
• A false objection: “Omniscience and ignorance, omnipotence and impotence cannot coexist. The former swamps the latter.” (A.N.S. Lane)

The Two Natures and Jesus’ Death

• “. . . it is not correct to say that Jesus’ divine nature died, or could die, if “die” means a cessation of activity, a cessation of consciousness, or a diminution of power. Nevertheless, by virtue of union with Jesus’ human nature, his divine nature somehow tasted something of what it was like to go through death. The person of Christ experienced death. Moreover, it seems difficult to understand how Jesus’ human nature alone could have borne the wrath of God against the sins of millions of people. It seems that Jesus’ divine nature had somehow to participate in the bearing of wrath against sin that was due to us (although Scripture nowhere explicitly affirms this). Therefore, even though Jesus’ divine nature did not actually die, Jesus went through the experience of death as a whole person, and both human and divine natures somehow shared in that experience.” (Wayne Grudem)

A BIBLICAL SUMMARY – KEY VERSES

• “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty . . .” (Exodus 34:6-7)
  
• "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose . . .I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” (Isaiah 46:9-11)
  
• “...who, though he was in the form of God ...” (Philippians 2:6-11)

WHAT WE SHOULD SAY ABOUT GOD

• Together for The Gospel 2006
  -We affirm that the Bible reveals God to be infinite in all his perfections, and thus truly omniscient, omnipotent, timeless, and self-existent. We further affirm that God possesses perfect knowledge of all things, past, present, and future, including all human thoughts, acts, and decisions.
  -We deny that the God of the Bible is in any way limited in terms of knowledge or power or any other perfection or attribute, or that God has in any way limited his own perfections

• What does Jubilee Believe About God?
  -“Life in Jubilee Church can be summarised as: loving God, loving each other, and loving the world.” (Membership Course)
• Jubilee is a member of the Evangelical Alliance and holds to its Statement of Faith:
  “We Believe in . . .
  -The one true God who lives eternally in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
  -The love, grace, and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming, and judging the world.”

This God Chooses to Take Delight in Us!

• God: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
• Jesus: “. . . who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.” (Hebrews 12:2)

He Wants Us to Delight in Him!

• “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4).
• “Delight yourself in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4).
• “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1)

CONCLUSIONS

• If we believe in a good, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, all-wise, all-loving God who is in control of every detail of the universe and works it all out for our good, how can we not worship Him and trust Him with our future?
• When we know God better, we become more like Him.
• “And we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
• “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4)
• “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25)
  

Tichonius the Donatist set seven rules to help in interpreting figurative language in the Bible. These can be found beginning in chapter 30 of book 3 of Augustine's "Of Christian Doctrine." The rules are also quoted by Bede. I thought it might be interesting to quote them here.

1. ". . . concerning the Lord and His body, when there is a transition from the Head to the body, or from the body to the Head, and yet no recession from one and the same person . . . and yet, certainly, it must be understood how much of this belongs to the Head, how much to the body; that is, how much to Christ, how much to the Church."

". . . knowing as we do that the head and the body--that is, Christ and His Church--are sometimes indicated to us under one person (for it is not in vain that it is said to believers, 'Ye then are Abraham's seed,' (1) when there is but one seed of Abraham, and that is Christ), we need not be in a difficulty when a transition is made from the head to the body or from the body to the head, and yet no change made in the person spoken of."

2. "The second is concerning the twofold body of the Lord, or rather, concerning the true and simulated body of the Lord."

"..the rule is about the true and the mixed body of the Lord, or the true and the counterfeit, or some such name; because, not to speak of eternity, hypocrites cannot even now be said to be in Him, although they seem to be in His Church. And hence this rule might be designated thus: Concerning the mixed Church. Now this rule requires the reader to be on his guard when Scripture, although it has now come to address or speak of a different set of persons, seems to be addressing or speaking of the same persons as before, just as if both sets constituted one body in consequence of their being for the time united..."

3. The third is concerning the promises and the law, which may otherwise be expressed as concerning the spirit and the letter, or concerning grace and the commandment.

"The third rule relates to the promises and the law, and may be designated in other terms as relating to the spirit and the letter . . . It may be also named, of grace and the law. This, however, seems to me to be a great question in itself, rather than a rule to be applied to the solution of other questions. It was the want of clear views on this question that originated, or at least greatly aggravated, the Pelagian heresy. And the efforts of Tichonius to clear up this point were good, but not complete. For, in discussing the question about faith and works, he said that works were given us by God as the reward of faith, but that faith itself was so far our own that it did not come to us from God; not keeping in mind the saying of the apostle: "Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,"

Calvin in his institutes further says "Augustine says, "What God promises, we ourselves do not through choice or nature, but he himself does by grace." The same observation is made, when, in enumerating the rules of Tichonius, he states the third in effect to be--that we distinguish carefully between the Law and the promises, or between the commands and grace . . . innumerable passages testify that every degree of purity, piety, holiness, and justices which we possess, is his gift."

Calvin also quotes further "pithy sayings" from Augustine that makes this point. "God orders what we cannot do, that we may know what we ought to ask of Him. There is a great utility in precepts, if all that is given to free will is to do greater honour to divine grace. Faith acquires what the Law requires; nay, the Law requires, in order that faith may acquire what is thus required; nay, more, God demands of us faith itself, and finds not what He thus demands, until by giving He makes it possible to find it." Again, he says, "Let God give what He orders, and order what He wills."

4."The fourth is concerning species and genus. For species is a part, but genus the whole of which it is a part, as each state is a part of the whole province, and each province a part of the whole world."

"Not only, for example, about Jerusalem, or some of the cities of the Gentiles, such as Tyre or Babylon, are things said in Scripture whose significance oversteps the limits of the city, and which are more suitable when applied to all nations; but in regard to Judea also, and Egypt, and Assyria, or any other nation you choose to take which contains numerous cities, but still is not the whole world, but only a part of it, things are said which pass over the limits of that particular country, and apply more fitly to the whole of which this is a part . . . And hence these words have come to be commonly known, so that even uneducated people understand what is laid down specially, and what generally, in any given Imperial command. The same thing occurs in the case of men: things are said of Solomon, for example, the scope of which reaches far beyond him, and which are only properly understood when applied to Christ and His Church, of which Solomon is a part."

5."He lays down a fifth rule, which he names concerning times, and it may, as appears to me, also be called concerning numbers."

"The fifth rule Tichonius lays down is one he designates of times--a rule by which we can frequently discover or conjecture quantities of time which are not expressly mentioned in Scripture. And he says that this rule applies in two ways: either to the figure of speech called synecdoche, or to legitimate numbers. The figure synecdoche either puts the part for the whole, or the whole for the part . . . In the next place, our author calls those numbers legitimate which Holy Scriptures more highly favors such as seven, or ten, or twelve, or any of the other numbers which the diligent reader of Scripture soon comes to know. Now numbers of this sort are often means just the same as "His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

6. "The sixth rule Tichonius calls the recapitulation, which, with sufficient watchfulness, is discovered in difficult parts of Scripture. For certain occurrences are so related, that the narrative appears to be following the order of time, or the continuity of events, when it really goes back without mentioning it to previous occurrences, which had been passed over in their proper place. And we make mistakes if we do not understand this, from applying the rule here spoken of. For example, in the book of Genesis we read, "And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food."Now here it seems to be indicated that the events last mentioned took place after God had formed man and put him in the garden; whereas the fact is, that the two events having been briefly mentioned, viz., that God planted a garden, and there put the man whom He had formed, the narrative goes back, by way of recapitulation, to tell what had before been omitted, the way in which the garden was planted: that out of the ground God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food."

7. "The seventh rule of Tichonius and the last, is about the devil and his body. For he is the head of the wicked, who are in a sense his body, and destined to go with him into the punishment of everlasting fire, just as Christ is the head of the Church, which is His body, destined to be with Him in His eternal kingdom and glory. Accordingly, as the first rule, which is called of the Lord and His body, directs us, when Scripture speaks of one and the same person, to take pains to understand which part of the statement applies to the head and which to the body."

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of listening to my favourite preacher preach on anger from the book of Proverbs. I would urge you to listen to it, but I thought I would share a few thoughts I had and quotes I found on anger.

The first place I want to start is actually the American Psychology Association who asked, "Is It Good To Let it All Hang Out?" — this is in light of the old notion that it is important to "lance the boil" of anger and let it all out. You might be surprised to read what this secular organisation had to say:

"Psychologists now say that this is a dangerous myth. Some people use this theory as a license to hurt others. Research has found that "letting it rip" with anger actually escalates anger and aggression, and does nothing to help you (or the person you're angry with) resolve the situation.

It's best to find out what it is that triggers your anger, and then to develop strategies to keep those triggers from tipping you over the edge.

Over on the Desiring God website, there is a great article, "Is It Ever Right to Be Angry at God?, which says:

" . . . when we get angry at a person, we are displeased with a choice they made and an act they performed. Anger at a person always implies strong disapproval. If you are angry at me, you think I have done something I should not have done."

This is why being angry at God is never right. It is wrong — always wrong — to disapprove of God for what He does and permits. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" (Genesis 18:25). It is arrogant for finite, sinful creatures to disapprove of God for what He does and permits. We may weep over the pain. We may be angry at sin and Satan. But God does only what is right. "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments" (Revelation 16:7)."

Because of this definition of anger from Piper above, it becomes immediately clear why even our anger with other people is rarely anything other than sinful. Who are WE to say that we strongly disapprove of what someone has done? Are we God? Are we their Judge? If they have said something we found hurtful, how can we be so sure that they meant it the way we thought they did? What if they had said it innocently? How can we read their hearts? If they sinned, who are we to judge the severity of that sin given the upbringing they may have had? And most of all, what about the log in our own eyes? What gave sinners the right to suddenly be the judge and determine the guilt of another and so to disapprove of them strongly and angrily?

It is only to the extent that our anger is inspired and in line with the revealed anger of God towards sin rather than our own indignation at being slighted or let down that we can hope to be angry and not sin. We actually have NO RIGHT to be angry on our own account with another because the other person is answerable to God and not us!

Piper also says: "harbored anger is the one thing the Bible explicitly says opens a door and invites the devil in." We must make sure that even if our anger really is justified, we do not nurse it, as that will destroy us. Elsewhere in the same article Piper says:

"In marriage, anger rivals lust as a killer. My guess is that anger is a worse enemy than lust. It also destroys other kinds of camaraderie. Some people have more anger than they think, because it has disguises.

When willpower hinders rage, anger smolders beneath the surface, and the teeth of the soul grind with frustration. It can come out in tears that look more like hurt. But the heart has learned that this may be the only way to hurt back. It may come out as silence because we have resolved not to fight. It may show up in picky criticism and relentless correction. It may strike out at persons that have nothing to do with its origin. It will often feel warranted by the wrongness of the cause. After all, Jesus got angry (Mark 3:5), and Paul says, "Be angry and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26).

However, good anger among fallen people is rare. That's why James says, "Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20). And Paul says, "Men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling" (1 Timothy 2:8). "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you" (Ephesians 4:31).

Therefore, one of the greatest battles of life is the battle to "put away anger," not just control its expressions. To help you fight this battle, here are nine biblical weapons . . ."

I will let you read the rest of the article for his biblical weapons. But I do want to leave you with one more thought of my own. Are we angry because God's honor has been slighted? Even then that righteous anger should be tempered by the realisation that we, too, have angered God by our own sin.

Let's call our anger what it is — sin. Remember, sin destroys relationships by the recriminations it prompts. Sin destroys people by the guilt they feel. Sin kills, steals, hurts, and divides. To Christian theology sin is something to be battled against in our own personal minds, and indeed this war never stops. John Owen said, "Be killing sin, or it will be killing you."

It is possible to be angry and not sin, but hard. Our own sense of our violated rights drives much anger. How often do we meditate on the wrongs we have done to others rather than the wrongs they have done to us? How much does anger contribute to sadness in the world? Recriminations and a tit-for-tat mentality lead to conflict in the home and on the world stage. Sooner or later someone needs to stop the cycle and forgive.

The sad truth is that sin produces wrath, partly because it should do. We are, in one sense, right to be angry at the damage sin has done. So is God. It is just for sin to be punished. So, a consideration of sin should leave us slightly despairing of ourselves. It should leave us aware that we deserve nothing but punishment from the hands of God.

God disapproves of what we have done wrong ourselves with the same righteous fury that He disapproves of the other party. Even if we feel the other one has got God's anger coming to them first, we better realise we are not far off — unless we have truly hidden in the God who is a refuge from His own wrath.

Psalm 2:12
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Today I preached a message on Joseph for my UK church. The message is entitled "Joseph - God's Dreamer" and is available as an mp3 file for download. (To download this, simply right click on the mp3 link and save it to your computer. Or, why not subscribe to the podcast either by following the link or seaching inside the iTunes podcasts list for "Jubilee."

It was the first sermon I have preached using only notes written in the margins of my new Bible. If you listen to the audio, you can judge for yourself the effect, if any, on my preaching style.

So whilst this is not the actual set of notes I preached from, it is a summary of those notes and an outline of the thoughts I had as I prepared. As usual, these notes, I am sure, will not convey the sense of exactly what I preached as I have a habit of interjecting material spontaneously. Us charismatics claim that is the immediate assistance of the Holy Spirit — but then so does John MacArthur, so it’s not just us wacky types!

The sermon is based on Genesis 37-50 and is entitled “Joseph—God’s Dreamer.” I wanted to encourage people to make great men of God their friends and disciplers — imagine what they would say to us today. The notion of dreaming big dreams for God is one that should be encouraged. It is not wrong for us to want to be significant for Him — whether in family, work, marriage, or church. We should start by wanting to be significant in some small way, and be willing to allow God to fulfil our dreams if He has given them.


1. The DREAM GIVEN (Genesis 37:3-11)

When God wants to save the world, He always chooses one man to do it. Joseph would find out that allowing God to take your life and inject it with destiny would be an interesting ride! Joseph, no doubt, despite the foolish favouritism of his father, felt fairly useless because of the hatred of his brothers — he just wanted to be appreciated by them! Who doesn’t!

Sharing such a dream with his brothers shows the naïvety of the dreamer.

The dream was rejected, but with shades of Mary’s response to the birth of Jesus, his father kept mulling this whole notion over.


2. The DREAM TESTED — we will all face similar trials!

• The dreamer rejected — sold into Egypt. (Genesis 37:19-22, 26)
• Great promise — Genesis 39:1-6 — success is still testing.
• Great temptation (Genesis 39:7, 10-12)
• Great injustice (Genesis 39:16-23)
• Great opportunity (Genesis 40:1, 8, 13-15)
• Great disappointment (Genesis 40:23-41:1)

3. THE DREAM FULFILLED

• It is such a time for us as a church RIGHT NOW. But when God is blessing corporately, we should also expect times of individual blessing!
• God tests His leaders in the secret place, and isn’t in a hurry.
• But suddenly He quickens the pace!
• Note that Joseph already had experience of dreams! So don’t wait for the dramatic — get on with the ordinary!

THE KEY LESSON — TRUST GOD! (Genesis 45:4-7, 50:15-21)

• 
  Answers to Common Questions About Creation
  
  For one year, Mark Driscoll preached through the book of Genesis, verse-by-verse. It was, he says, one of the most rewarding studies he has ever done. In this section, he attempts to answer common questions about the doctrine of creation.
  
  (tags: driscoll genesis)
  


• "When I think that my sins alone required the death of God�s Son to enable me to have a relationship with God, it produces the right responses of grief, wonder, amazement, conviction, humility, gratefulness, holiness, and commitment to God�s Kingdom."
  
  Bob Kauflin meditates on the Precious Blood. "Our culture can tend to talk about the cross in a way that magnifies our worth to God rather than our sin against Him."
  
  (tags: atonement worship)
  
  
• 
  UNDER SOVEREIGN GRACE - T4G: Affirmation and Denials, Part 12
  
  Mathew Sims' critique and commentary on Together for the Gospel's Articles X and XI. In it, he provides his "absolute favorite" quote concerning the doctrine of election.
  
  (tags: election salvation T4GB)
  
  
  
• Rob Rufus Sermon Downloads
  
  Download sermons from this preacher, who made a real stir at TOAM06 - the newfrontiers conference.
  
  (tags: sermon web)

links for 2006-01-07

• Google Pack
  A great free software collection that will install and update a whole bunch of really useful software including firefox and Adobe PDF reader. Will they ever stop having great ideas?
  (tags: google web tech free software)
• Time Management for the Glory of God
  Girltalk are ceasing the opportunity the New Year brings to encourage us to be more organised and have the right motives
  (tags: article children family discipleship mentoring)
• Genesis
  Search Christian Blogs and honory bloggers Piper and Spurgeon for work on Genesis
  (tags: genesis bible textual)
• Exodus Blogsearch
  (tags: exodus bible textual)
• A Community of Bloggers?
  Bob rightly believes that true community can only be found in a good church. But blogging and the intense relationships that can arise might serve those without such a church by producing a godly hunger for real community.
  (tags: leadership blogging christian discipleship)
• Motives for blogging
  Why blog? "I�m persuaded that my desire to see my Savior exalted is greater than the desire to exalt myself"
  (tags: blogging discipleship christian)

One of the best things about blogging is when several things come together on one day. My pastor Tope and I were talking face to face earlier today (yes I know thats so pre-blog!) about what kind of preaching impacts hearts and lives and not just minds. We had a great time, so imagine my joy to come home and bump into the following "by chance":

3:17 lists his favorite books on preaching, and summarises this story on the vital place of imagination in preaching:

"Grandma Thatcher hobbles into church one morning. As usual, her unsaved husband had sent her off to church with curses ringing in her ears. She was in constant pain, and had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. She dreaded the arrival of winter and was praying that fuel prices wouldn't go up again. If it weren't for her Lord, her large-print Bible, and her Christian friends, Grandma Thatcher would have given up a long time ago.

When Pastor Bowers stepped into the pulpit to preach, Grandma Thatcher silently prayed, 'Father, give him something special for me. I need it!' The text was Genesis 9, and the message was the twenty-second in a series on Genesis that Pastor Bowers called 'Beginning at the Beginnings.'

The sermon was titled, 'God Talks to Noah.' Pastor Bowers read the chapter and then gave the congregation his main points:

I. Creation Presented - 9:1-3
II. Capital Punishment - 9:4-7
III. Covenant Promised - 9:8-17
IV. Carnality Practiced - 9:18-23
V. Consequences Prophesied - 9:24-29

As some of the saints dutifully wrote the outline in the space provided on the back page of their worship folders, Grandma Thatcher breathed a disappointed sigh. 'Last week it was all S's. Today it's all CP's.' She settled back in the pew, turned the preacher off and began meditating on the psalm she'd read early that morning before George had gotten up to menace her day.

It struck me that that outline was like a lot of the preaching I heard around me (except from my own pastor). It wasn't really a sermon, just a verbal commentary on the passage. Wiersbe's book seeks to bring life and imagination into such stale sermons. He does so not by being innovative, but by being biblical. A significant chunk of the book is devoted to looking at the use of imagery throughout scripture. He then shows how we can use the Bible to guide our imagination in our sermon preparation so that what we say makes it into the lives of our hearers."

Jollyblogger has a great post on the kind of preaching that reaches only minds and the kind that reaches hearts

People often miss the emphasis that Rick Warren places on preaching. He apparently has over 300 books on the subject and takes it very seriously. In his ministry email that I also got today he quotes the following scripture which he claims is the only passage which instructs us how to prepare sermons.

Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. (Eccl 12:9-13) ESV

Compare the NASB which Warren quotes:
In addition to being a wise man, the preacher also taught the people knowledge, and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. The preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails. They are given by one shepherd.

I included the last verse there because it seems to me that it is relevant to some tendancies we may have towards overly theologising the simple plane words of scripture. But I will give Rick the last word as he outlines what he feels this verse can teach us about preaching preparation in a post he entitles "On being a wise preacher":

Notice all the preparation involved:

He ponders - In other words, he carefully thinks about what he will say.

He searches out - He researches and he studies before he speaks.

He arranges - As he searches out truths, he categorizes them. He sets things in a logical order.

He looks for just the right words - He doesn't cut any corners by just arbitrarily picking his words.

This preacher is worth listening to because he does his homework.

As a result, Solomon says his words are like goads. A goad is a sharp stick that you use to guide animals. Think of it as an ancient, electric cattle prod. In the same way, your messages need to motivate people to do something.

Then the Bible also says his words are like well-driven nails. The best-crafted messages make a truth memorable. Like a nail, the truth is driven in and you can�t pull it out. People remember what is said.

Brad at Broken Messenger, is asking for comments on what the original sin was in the Garden of Eden. Brad asks:

Was it Eve�s pride/arrogance in thinking that she could be like God? Was it Adam's? Was it Adam and Eve�s disobedience to God�s command? Was it their unbelief that God would not really allow them to die and/or their distrust on His command on the basis of what the serpent promised? Was it Eve's lust of the fruit? Was it all of these? Some combination? Either? Neither? None?

My take on this: In Genesis 3, I see Eve's first mistake as engaging a talking snake. In my opinion, Eve's correct response should have been, "Ahhhh! A talking snake!" This should have followed by whacking the snake with the stick, or, if you share my aversion of snakes, fleeing and screaming like a little school girl. Either response would have been much better than Eve's, which led her to eat from the forbidden tree.

Some wise commentator may point out there was no fear in the Garden, and animals talking may or may not have been a normal occurence, but the first thing out of the snake's mouth was to question God's word. That should be pretty good clue to anyone they are engaging evil and should turn the other direction.

I think it's also good advice to young women: Don't talk to snakes. Don't give evil a foothold to speak into your life. Eve was very naive about this and her life spiraled downward from that moment on. (And for the record, Adam made the same mistake by following down the path with Eve, so this is not an indictment of women).

This post was brought to you by guest blogger Matthew Self of The Gad(d)about and the letter 'H.'

Nancy Pearcy has recently received the ECPA Gold Medallion award for her book Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity (Crossway) for best book of the year in the category of Christianity and Society. This comes on the heels of winning the Award of Merit in the Christianity Today 2005 book awards in the category of Christianity and Culture. It is my privilege to welcome her to my blog for a "blog interview" which took place over e-mail. For more information on this book see its official website.

Adrian: Congratulations, Nancy, on your award. I suspect you feel that it reflects also on your mentors who taught you. Who would you say has had the most influence on you?

Nancy: After spending several years as an agnostic, I converted back to the Christianity of my childhood through the work of Francis Schaeffer at L'Abri in Switzerland, so I will always be grateful for that. Schaeffer also introduced me to a form of Christianity that engaged with the intellectual and cultural world of the day, which was something I had never witnessed before. As a result, right from the beginning of my Christian life, I had an understanding that Christianity is meant to be an entire worldview--that it gives the resources to be involved in politics, science, and the arts, so that we don't need to avoid or be intimidated by secular culture.

Adrian: What would you say was the main message of the book for those of us who haven't yet had a chance to finish reading it? To be honest, I got very excited about this book a few months back and very much enjoyed the first few chapters but am sad to admit that I haven't been able to get back to it recently. I promise I will read it eventually!

Nancy: I wrote Total Truth to help Christians develop a worldview perspective. Of course, I had the same goal earlier when I authored my chapters in How Now Shall We Live?, but after finishing that project I left my position as founding editor of "BreakPoint" and actually had time to talk with real people and hear their questions, and I began to learn why the concept of worldview is so difficult for contemporary evangelicals to grasp. So I used those questions as a guide in researching Total Truth: Why *don't* evangelicals have a strong intellectual tradition? What is our own history and heritage? What are the inherited patterns of thought that still influence us today? I found that if you fly up for a birds-eye look at how evangelicalism developed over time, many people have an "aha" experience as they recognize where certain patterns came from--how we lost a Christian mind, so to speak. Which gives us clues to how to recover it.

Adrian: Some of my readers may not have even heard of the concept of a Christian mind or worldview. Can you explain to them briefly what the concept means?

Nancy: Talking about worldview means we want to overcome the sacred/secular divide that keeps Christian faith compartmentalized into a narrow part of life explicitly labeled "religion." It means being convinced that Christianity gives a framework of truth for all of life--for science, economics, education, medicine, and so on.

The biblical basis for this is the opening chapters of Genesis; that's where we go to find out why God created the human race in the first place, what His original purpose was. In Genesis, God gives what we might call the first job description: Be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth. The first part--be fruitful--means to develop the social institutions, such as families, churches, schools, governments, laws. The second part--subdue the earth--means to harness natural resources, to plant crops, build bridges, design computers, compose music. This passage is sometimes called the Cultural Mandate because it says that our original purpose was to create cultures, build civilizations. That's why it is just as much a matter of service to God when we do our professional work as when we pray and worship--because it is obedience to the Cultural Mandate.

Adrian: It may interest you to know that I work full-time for a commercial organization but am part of the regular preaching team of my local church. Does it surprise you at all that so many of my readers tend to initially assume that as I am a preacher I must be full time for the church? Do you feel that having preachers who also work out there in the real world will help the church interact with our culture?

Nancy: Absolutely. This was not such an issue in a pre-industrial society, where life was more holistic. But modern societies are split between public and private realms, with things like religion and church relegated to the private arena--demoted to something you do in your leisure hours, with no more status than a personal hobby. As a result, it has become remarkably difficult for Christians to know how to integrate their faith with their work and professional lives. Religion almost inevitably becomes therapeutic--focusing on the private realm of family, relationships, personal piety and moral behavior.

For pastors, this means it has grown increasingly difficult to maintain any realistic sense of ideas and trends in the secular world or to teach their congregations how to interpret those ideas within a biblical framework. Many pastors would benefit from spending at least some time on the other side of the public/private divide, in order to experience firsthand the incredible challenges to their faith that most ordinary Christians face every day.

Adrian: How can we counter this public/private split as individuals and churches?

Nancy: The first step is simply to learn how to recognize it. We have to realize that for most contemporary Westerners, the private realm of religion and morality is no longer where we talk about real truths but only personal "values." This is sometimes called the fact/value split, and it divides human experience into two separate and incompatible domains. Reliable knowledge is assumed to a matter of scientific "facts," which are objective, rational, and value-free. But what does that mean for "values"? They have been relegated to the realm of human subjectivity where they are, technically speaking, not a matter of true or false at all. Values may be personally meaningful, may be part of our cultural tradition, but ultimately they express something only about ourselves, not about objective reality.

Today most Westerners have absorbed this two-track view of truth. Alan Bloom, author of the well-known book The Closing of the American Mind, in another essay wrote: �Every school child knows that values are relative. [They] are not based on facts but are mere individual subjective preferences." In other words, this new definition of "values" is so deeply ingrained in the Western mind that it is something �every school child knows."

So why don't most Christians know it? Why do we continue to talk about defending our "values"? We are not listening to the people we want to reach. We are using language that means one thing to us, and something quite different to the mainstream culture. This is a prime example of how evangelicals are so isolated in a subculture that we are not effective in engaging with people outside it.

Adrian: To accomplish all that, what kind of changes in our churches will we need?

Nancy: The most immediate place to begin is to teach apologetics from the pulpit. Whenever a pastor introduces a biblical teaching, he should also explain how to defend it against the most common objections. Teach Christians how to present biblical principles as genuine truths--how to break through the stereotype that religion is merely about subjective "values."

Equally important, churches must lead the way in overcoming the sacred/secular dichotomy by recognizing how they themselves are often compromised by it. Christian churches and ministries borrow techniques of marketing, management, and fundraising from the secular world as though they were philosophically "neutral," without subjecting them to a worldview critique. For example, books on church marketing uncritically adopt the assumption that the church's goal is merely a mutual exchange of goods and services--a concept that arose out of social contract theory, which treats institutions as products of choice, created by self-interested individuals. How does that square with the idea that the church is not a product of choice but is ordained by God? That it has a normative structure and function beyond the individuals that comprise it? That it is the mystical Body of Christ headed by Christ Himself? Christian marketers do not seem to recognize the secular worldview roots of the techniques they are incorporating into many churches and ministries.

Adrian: A while back there was a rumour you were thinking of starting a blog. Will you ever do so, do you think?

Nancy: My husband, Rick, and I will soon launch a website of news, comment, and worldview called The Pearcey Report. Rick used to be managing editor of a Capitol Hill newspaper called Human Events and has significant background in writing and editing. He has edited several books, including David Limbaugh's Persecution. So stay tuned.

Adrian: We certainly will, make sure you let us know when it is launched and I will link to it here.

There seems to be a conscious effort to incorporate the views of modern evangelical scholars in the ESV�often a commentator�s alternate reading correcting one of the previous translations proves itself to be reproduced almost exactly in the ESV. Were modern evangelical commentaries consulted in the production of the ESV, and is it fair to say that the need to use a commentary to check the actual meaning of a passage is reduced by using a translation such as the ESV? Would it worry you if the ESV led to fewer people reading commentaries?

Watch C. John Collins respond (Windows Media format).

The question is whether the ESV will eliminate the need for commentaries at all, or at least reduce people�s interest in reading the commentaries. And of course I think the answer is no, since many of us who work on the ESV have written commentaries, we don�t want you to stop reading what we�ve written. (Smiles.)

But I think, more importantly, that the job of a commentary is to clarify what�s in the text, and so the commentary is concerned with showing you the large flow of thought, showing you the relationship between this text and texts that come before it, texts that may have used our particular passage.

I will say, as a matter of fact, now that I�ve written a commentary myself using the ESV as my main English text, it is a delightful tool. I find that I can write a commentary�a very technical-level commentary on Hebrew and Greek texts�using the ESV, and I hope that the commentary makes things very clear, makes my rationale very clear, and so forth. And the ESV lends itself very well to using commentaries.

My response to this reply

Commentaries are vital to our understanding of the Word of God. I hope we will take C. John Collin's joke in the spirit it was intended and forgive the plug for his own commentary. He was perhaps too modest to tell us more about this, but having done a bit of research I think it must be his forthcoming commentary on Genesis 1-4 which looks like it should be very interesting. These broader issues and issues of historical background are what commentaries can help us most with. Tell me in blog poll, are YOU still interested in commentaries and would you like to see reviews to help you buy them? Comment on or trackback this post for your chance to win a free ESV Bible.

UPDATE
In January 2008, the following post was identified as the 12th all-time most popular post with readers of this blog. The 13th most-read post was my post concerning Bishop Tom Wright's response to John Piper.

The post below was republished from an article I wrote many years ago. In some ways it was this article that first stirred the "writing bug" in me. I survey the historical events associated with what was called "The Toronto Blessing" and examine some biblical and church history data. Some of my reformed friends are uncomfortable with the fact that I am willing to see good in what happened. No doubt some of my charismatic friends will be unhappy with the fact that I accept that unhelpful excesses also occurred in some places.

***************

I thought I would share with you—for history's sake and in its entirety—an article I wrote almost eleven years ago about the so-called "Toronto Blessing."

An Outpouring of the Holy Spirit? What on Earth is Going On?

In the months following May 1994, there was a sudden wave of bizarre phenomena in many churches in the UK, USA, and elsewhere in the world from a wide variety of backgrounds. Since then, the city of Toronto, Canada, has become closely associated with these events. Much attention has been drawn to all of this in both the secular and Christian press.

Phenomena widely reported with these events included falling over, laughing, crying, shaking, peculiar movements, cries, roars, intoxicating joy, and incoordination. While a dramatic transformation in the life of many of the people affected by these phenomena was observed, a large number of conversions was not reported and most people did not call this a revival.

The falling may, on occasion, have been sudden and violent. I am unaware of any cases of injury resulting. Giddiness was sometimes reported prior to the fall. There usually was not a total loss of consciousness, and most were able to hear, although they might not respond. A feeling of detachment was common—hours could go by and seem like minutes. An apparent spastic or flaccid paralysis was often present in individuals affected. Many reported impressions and visions imparted to them while on the floor. Some felt as if they were physically pinned to the floor and felt quite unable to move.

Likewise, shaking and other apparently involuntary movements took a wide variety of forms. These had to be seen to be believed, but included repetitive leaping to a great height, a heightened physiological tremor, twitching, and being thrown as though hit by an electric charge.

All of the above phenomena occurred in combination with the same individual. They sometimes followed prayer, with laying on of hands, or began spontaneously during worship, preaching, or alone at home. People became so intoxicated with joy that they had to be carried to their cars. Some were carried out rigid, others staggered as though drunk. It was very difficult to observe all of this without wondering, "What on earth is going on?"

A pattern emerged from study of the spread of the these phenomena. People, and especially church leaders, flocked to the affected churches to investigate. Even the skeptical found themselves being affected, much to their surprise. Upon their return home, often before assimilating what had happened, they found similar events breaking out in their own churches. The briefest of statements about God doing strange new things might be followed by a request for any who would like a fresh touch from God to stand. Often at this point an entire congregation would stand to its feet, and following a short prayer, a sudden outbreak of the above phenomena occurred. Those affected might not have even heard of the specific phenomena that had occurred elsewhere!

Origins of the Movement

The center of much of this attention, with 20,000 to 30,000 visitors from around the world in the first six months of 1994, was a tiny building at the end of a runway in Canada where the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church (now Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship) was meeting. John Wimber was the unofficial leader of the Vineyard Movement, of which this church was a member. This was one of several groups of charismatic or "new" churches worldwide. The Vineyard Movement was strongest in the USA, but certainly had churches elsewhere, including London.

Although the controversial John Wimber had seen many of these reported phenomena on a smaller scale in his conferences, he seemed to have had little to do directly with the birth of this movement. Indeed, Mr. Wimber subsequently died.

The first place where these phenomena occurred in the intensity and extent now so well known was actually not Toronto, but in the USA. In 1989, South African evangelist, Rodney Howard-Browne, complained that his meeting was being ruined when many people fell off their seats and began laughing. He soon became convinced that God was to blame. These events followed Howard-Browne and persisted after he had left, spreading rapidly. In April 1993, during meetings in Florida which were attended by 10,000 people, waves of laughter affected the congregation. Subsequently, widespread attention was drawn to these events. Approximately 2,200 people were baptized in water, and 800 new members were added to the host church by the middle of 1994. Another church in the area, whose initially reluctant pastor was suddenly struck to the floor with laughter, reported that by the middle of 1994 the church had grown from 800 to 1,500.

As a result of this meeting, Howard-Browne was invited to preach to 4,000 students later that year. He reported, "One night I was preaching on hell ... [laughter] just hit the whole place. The more I told the people what hell was like, the more they laughed. When I gave an altar call, they came forward by the hundreds to be saved."

The interesting thing has been that far from dying down after this evangelist left town, the phenomena continued and spread. The movement did not appear to be centered in a man, and in terms of its spread to the UK, Howard-Browne played a very limited role.

Since 1991, there has also been a separate outbreak in Argentina, where the phenomena seemed to be associated with a full-scale revival. In November 1993, John Arnott, the pastor of the Toronto Vineyard Church, traveled to Argentina and the United States to see what was happening. He met with another Vineyard pastor, Randy Clark of St. Louis, who had been prayed for by Rodney Howard-Browne and subsequently experienced similar effects in his own church.

On the 20th of January 1994, a meeting with Randy Clark took place in the Toronto Vineyard and the phenomena broke out. Very soon, news spread and the people started coming to investigate. From this church, other Vineyard churches and many other groups were affected.

Spread to the United Kingdom

A church in Columbia, Missouri (near St. Louis) was at that time led by a man named Terry Virgo. Terry Virgo was the founder of another international network of "new" churches known as New Frontiers International (NFI). New Frontiers was made up of over 200 churches, most of them in the UK, and included a number of prominent Baptist churches which maintained their links with others. Terry Virgo's church in Columbia began to be affected after members attended Rodney Howard-Browne's meetings in St. Louis. In late April, Dave Holden, the UK leader of NFI, made a scheduled visit to this church, and due to an airport delay, also attended a Rodney Howard-Browne meeting. Following his return, the phenomena followed him—first to Cambridge on Sunday May 1st, then to fifty other London church leaders, and then to his own church on May 4th. His church in Sidcup began having an extra evening service on Sunday June 12th, and 900 people completely filled the hall and side hall. Hundreds were turned away, and a wall-to-wall carpet of bodies resulted.

Separately, on Sunday, May 1st, the meeting of the Brighton NFI church was disrupted by an outbreak of the phenomena as one of the elders, Alan Preston, began to speak of what he had seen in Toronto. The church had been in a sense of expectancy since a prophecy in February had warned to prepare for disruption.

On the following Sunday, May 8th, Gerald Coates (the leader of Pioneer, another grouping of thirty "new" churches) attended the Vineyard church in Putney and was surprised by the phenomena which followed his message. Subsequently, the Pioneer movement gradually became affected, particularly after a leadership meeting in July.

That same Sunday, May 8th, in the Queens Road Baptist Church in Wimbledon (also part of the NFI network) one girl on her knees weeping after the service led to widespread weeping and repentance, continuing to 11 p.m. Norman Moss, the church leader, visited Toronto the following weekend. He was there at the same time as Mrs. Eleanor Mumford, the wife of the pastor of the Vineyard Putney church.

On Sunday, May 15th, while he was away, one of the elders, Malcolm Kytes, asked the Wimbledon Church to quietly wait on God. After seven minutes, he fell to the floor and remained there for almost one and a half hours. As he lay there, the phenomena erupted in the rest of the church. A weekly ministers' fraternal, hosted by the church, grew from 6 to about 200, many traveling from all over the UK.

On Tuesday May 17th, two hundred NFI church leaders, including Terry Virgo and David Holden, met for prayer and fasting and most were overcome by these phenomena. Many were still surprised when the same thing happened in their own churches the following Sunday. The phenomena also spread from this meeting to the NFI churches in South Africa and India who had been represented there.

On Tuesday May 24th, at a small meeting for leaders in her home in South London, Mrs. Mumford shared about her time in Toronto. Nickey Gumbel, a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), a well-known charismatic Anglican church in London, was one of those present when, after prayer, everyone was remarkably affected. He then rushed back to a prayer meeting at his church, to arrive as it was finishing. He briefly shared, prayed, and instantaneously people were affected in ways few had ever experienced or seen. People fell to the ground again and again. Other people walking past the room were also affected.

Sandy Millar, the vicar, was telephoned at the Evangelical Alliance with the news that the whole team was on the floor following prayer. On asking how the caller had got to the phone if that was the case, the caller responded, "I crawled!"

On the following Sunday, May 29th, after Mrs. Mumford shared her experiences, HTB was "rocked by waves of 'holy laughter', weeping, and a multitude of other phenomena." Two days later, Sandy Millar traveled to Toronto to investigate further. The involvement of this church drew the attention of the secular press, and in September 1994, the church considered issuing tickets to their services to ensure regular attendees could gain admission. Holy Trinity became a major focus for the spread of the phenomena, especially among Anglicans.

From the 3rd to the 4th of June, Icthus (another group of "new" churches which began in London) had a leadership conference culminating in a celebration held at Westminster Chapel. Sandy Millar of HTB spoke, and the Icthus movement then experienced the phenomena. David Pytches of St Andrews, Chorley Wood, also visited Toronto. The phenomena broke out in a special church meeting held on 12th of June following his return.

These phenomena have since spread to hundreds of mainly Anglican leaders in meetings held at this church. Another group of charismatic churches, based in Southampton and led by Tony Morton, also experienced the phenomena in June and became a base for further spread.

Many churches in the midlands, including another group of charismatic churches—Covenant Ministries (led by Bryn Jones)—also became affected following Rodney Howard-Browne's meetings in Birmingham from June 14-17. Most outside of the midlands were unaware of his visit. The Covenant Ministries group also saw hundreds of other church leaders travel to various locations and experience the phenomena.

In July, an Evangelical Alliance leaders' meeting at Westminster Central Hall resulted in most leaders present being on the floor following prayer, with many shaking. At another leaders' meeting held on October 1st, Roger Forster, leader of Ichthus, reported that at that point (in what some thought was a conservative estimate) 2,000 UK churches of all types were involved.

These peculiar events have appeared in the secular and Christian press alike. One particularly astonishing account of a meeting at the Vineyard in Putney speaks for itself and was published in the Times:

"After his sermon, Mr. Mumford prayed for 'the tornado to visit the church'... Outside it was calm, but suddenly the curtains shielding an open door blew in and over my face, a huge wind rushed in, scattering service sheets and papers ... nearly everyone else fell over, stood rigid, or [were] shaking, sobbing, clutching at their faces, or waving their hands before them ... I clambered over a couple of prostrate bodies for tea and coffee and found myself giggling uncontrollably ... I felt dizzy, grasped a chair in order not to collapse ... I downed the coffee and ran."

Billy Graham, the well-known evangelist, has commended the current work and declared he is praying for a new touch from the Holy Spirit.

It's Not New! - Similar Phenomena in History

Much of the secular press, and even at times the Christian press, speak as though these phenomena are a recent occurrence. They have actually been seen on and off in various places within the charismatic section of the Church for some years. In particular, John Wimber conferences have been noted for the phenomena. American psychiatrist and author, Dr. John White, wrote on the subject in 1988 and discussed all of the various phenomena. It is the extent and intensity of the current phenomena that is different now.

The phenomena have also been reported in Church history, particularly during revivals. Earlier this century, in the Belgian Congo revival, there were many "drunk with the Spirit, many shaking beyond their control, others throwing themselves on the floor ... yet none were hurt."

The so called "holy laughter" was also a feature of the Welsh Revival of 1904, as were the "sobbing disorderly meetings."

In 1859, a revival broke out in Ireland which then spread extensively in the British Isles. Physical "prostrations" were very marked in Ireland, and also in Scotland and parts of England. "Even strong men have staggered and fallen down under the wounds of their conscience. Great bodily weakness ensues. The whole frame trembles."

Towards the end of the 1700's, in camp meetings in the USA, "large numbers fell and would lie motionless for hours or would shriek or groan at intervals ... Some talked, but could not move. Some beat the floor with their heels ... It was a common sight to see men leap, sob, shout, laugh, or swoon ... the scoffer was as likely to be stricken as the convert."

Charles Finney, the famous 18th century revivalist, "saw people weep, cry, and fall senseless." John Wesley, a revival preacher earlier in the 1700's, was no stranger to these sort of phenomena. For example, while preaching in Wapping, London, "Many of those that heard began to call upon God with strong cries and tears. Some sunk down, and there remained no strength in them; others exceedingly trembled and quaked; some were torn with a kind of convulsive motion in every part of their bodies, and that so violently that often four or five persons could not hold one of them."

One man who listened to Wesley on another occasion found that before the sermon was over, "I was so overpowered with joy and love that I had much ado to walk home." This experience sounds remarkably like the "drunkenness" reported by many more recently.

Wesley also reports having discussed with his colleague, George Whitefield, the latter's reservations about the phenomena. Wesley says,

"But the next day he [Whitefield] had an opportunity of informing himself better: for no sooner had he begun (in the application of his sermon) to invite all sinners to believe in Christ, than four persons sunk down close to him, almost in the same moment. One of them lay without either sense or motion; a second trembled exceedingly; the third had strong convulsions all over his body, but made no noise; the fourth equally convulsed, called upon God with strong cries and tears. From this time, I trust, we shall all suffer God to carry on His own work in the way that pleaseth him."

There is even a most remarkable reference from the revival in Camberslang, Scotland, around this time to roaring, where the wife of a Carter in Rutherglen, following family prayers, "was made to roar out twice in a hideous and terrible manner ... not like a human voice."

David Brainerd saw a revival among American Indians beginning in 1745. He writes, "The power of God seemed to descend upon the assembly 'like a rushing mighty wind' and with an astonishing energy that bore down all before it."

John Bunyan, the seventeenth century divine and author of Pilgrim's Progress, while reading Hebrews 2:14,15 "thought that the glory of these words was then so weighty on me, that I was both once and twice ready to swoon ... yet not with grief and trouble, but with solid joy and peace."

Responses to the Phenomena

There have been numerous explanations of the phenomena. Mass hysteria or hypnosis have been suggested by many lay people. Alan Morrison, a Baptist minister in Derbeyshire, linked the phenomena with mesmerism. This, however, reveals a simplistic view of such phenomena. Mass hysteria is an illness associated with negative symptoms. Hypnotism cannot explain the phenomena, particularly when the 'hypnotist' (church leader) is already on the floor himself!

Suggestion and peer pressure are other factors that have been used to explain what is happening. In meetings where the phenomena are all of one type, or individuals are prayed with for prolonged periods, the pressure to conform must be strong. Some individuals may also learn "appropriate" responses to certain stimuli.

Baldwin, a consultant psychiatrist, wrote a critique of John Wimber's meetings for the CMF, describing similar phenomena on a smaller scale. He felt that much could be explained in terms of CNS excitation due to excessive sensory input and primed by suggestion. The release of certain behaviors such as laughing, etc. could result, and "in the extreme instance, momentary deregulation of the brain stem occurs, resulting in complete physical collapse." Baldwin is quick to point out that this does not rule out the Spirit's activity in producing these phenomena, but merely allows the influence of other factors. He points out the danger of exaggerating the differences between the natural and the supernatural. It would certainly seem to be the case that previous experience, unwitting suggestion by the leader of a meeting, and the phenomena experienced by others can all have an influence on how a person responds to a sudden experience of God.

The presence of bizarre phenomena, even if we suppose them to be supernatural in origin, does not guarantee that the Spirit is at work. The prophets of Egypt were able to reproduce most of the signs that Moses produced. (Exodus 7, 8). Jesus warns that false prophets will appear and produce signs (Mark 13:22), and warns that even miraculous powers exercised in his name are no guarantee that a person will be saved. (Matthew 7:22)

There are some who find the whole thing somewhat disturbing. Citing the Scripture, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40, AV), the rampant display of powerful emotions and peculiar actions is seen as inappropriate. There is a tendency among evangelicals to downplay experience altogether. Faith is made to be mere intellectual assent, and if there are no feelings or experiences, that really doesn't matter. This is simply not biblical.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the famous preacher (who was also medically trained) said that the trouble with many Christians today is that they

"talk much about the truth but very often they have never felt its power ... They have never been mastered by it ... The essence of the Christian position is experience—experience of God! It is not a mere intellectual awareness or apprehension of truth ... It is inconceivable that a man should really perceive the truth of this Gospel and feel nothing ... It is impossible that this amazing message that tells us that God, before time, planned this scheme of salvation, that the Son came in the fullness of time, humbled himself, divested himself of the signs of his glory, should leave us unmoved."

It would seem that if we become profoundly moved, the depths of our emotions may naturally find expression in at least some of these phenomena. As the American, Jonathan Edwards (who saw revival in the 1700's characterized by many of these phenomena) put it:

"It is easily accounted ... how a right influence, a true and proper sense of things should have such affects on the body, even those which are of the most extraordinary kind, such as taking away bodily strength, or throwing the body into great agonies, and extorting loud cries."

Of course, the mere force of emotion does not indicate the reality of a person's experience of Christ; we must look elsewhere for that.

The scriptures mention many of the phenomena seen today. The accusation of "drunkenness" (Acts 2:13-16) made to the Apostles is interesting. Scripture does not say what it was that led to the accusation. It is unlikely that people speaking in languages they did not know would be sufficient in itself to produce these accusations. As the disciples were suddenly filled with the Spirit and boldness, it seems that they knew the same intoxication with joy seen today. The current move has been identified by many as "a time of refreshing." (Acts 3:19) Certainly many today are feeling empowered for Christian service. The flourishing of new life in the desert seen in Isaiah 35, and the typological interpretation of Ezekial 37, with the river representing the Spirit of God which we are called to enter fully into rather than only ankle deep, have been widely quoted.

Laughter is the result of God restoring his people in Psalm 126:2, and is also described positively in Abraham (Genesis 17:17). In this reference, Abraham also fell to the ground. Falling to the ground in the presence of God is frequently described in the Bible. The following are examples: Joshua (Josuha 5:14), the parents of Samson (Judges 13:20), Jehosophat and all the people of Judah (2 Chronicles 20:18), Daniel (Daniel 10:9), Jesus' disciples (Matthew 17:6), Jesus (Mark 14:35), the guards arresting Jesus (John 18:6), the Apostle Paul on his conversion (Acts 9:4), and John (Revelation 1:17). Admittedly most of these fell forwards and most of today's cases fall backwards, but in not every case is the direction described. Something similar may be meant by the references to trances (Acts 10:10, Acts 11:5, Acts 22:17). Saul also is described as lying all day and all night prophesying. (1 Samuel 19:24)

This "falling over" has often been referred to as being slain in the Spirit. Many do not like this terminology as the phrase is more in keeping with the experience of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:5-11) than the experiences of many currently reporting this phenomena.

There are also many examples (e.g. Exodus 19) of trembling before the Lord, although these examples are usually accompanied with fear, which does not always seem to be the case today.

If we are to believe in a God who never changes, we have to accept that God could do the same today. The question is—Is he actually doing the same today?

Testing the Movement

If we are to accept the unavoidable conclusion that, both in the Bible and in Church history, God has acted in similar ways to what we are seeing today, we need discernment in order to determine whether he is indeed doing so.

Jonathan Edwards discussed how to judge if a movement is of God. According to Edwards, we should not be influenced by

1. Bizarre and unusual phenomena
   
2. The interest generated by the phenomena in the world
   
3. The ecstasy and reports of impressions or visions
   
4. The fact that imitation is to some degree responsible for producing the outward effects
   
5. The conduct and teaching of those affected.

It was his opinion that none of these things prove anything.

It was in his study of 1 John 4 that he found the signs to indicate the genuineness of a work of God:

1. An increase in esteem for Jesus as the Son of God
   
2. A greater following of God's ways
   
3. An increased hunger for and understanding of God's Word (thus listening to the Apostles)
   
4. An increased love for God and man.

It is by the fruit of this movement that we will know its genuineness. (Matthew 7:15-20). The result of all of this ought to be a greater desire for holiness and to see souls saved.

What of the current movement? Terry Virgo reports that he has observed several specific results of this movement.

"Prayer meetings are growing in size and number. People have a greater desire to be with the people of God. Bad relationships are being resolved. There is a new desire to witness, and an increase in the participation in meetings. Morale has been lifted greatly, and there is a fresh hunger."

Sandy Millar writes, "People are experiencing a tremendous new love for Jesus Christ, for the Bible as God's Word, and for the things God loves."

At least some of what has been going on seems to be genuine. Thousands of believers have been asking God for his Spirit's influence. To claim that they are all receiving something else flies in the face of Scripture. "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11)

At times there have also been excesses. It is hard to disagree with a charismatic pastor's concern about a few people in Toronto laughing uncontrollably while God's Word was read concerning the death of Christ. A response to this kind of thing, where powerful words from the Bible have seemed to excite a few people further, is to quietly ask the affected to remove themselves or be removed if incapable. We do not have to accept everything we see simply because we conclude that God is at work.

There is a worrying tendency among some to try to appropriate the movement as though it belongs to them, or indeed to attach it to a particular church or place. This article deliberately has not called the phenomena, "The Toronto Blessing," which has become an all-too-frequent name for it. If this is a blessing, it is God who has given it, not Toronto. In fact, the very fact that this "blessing" has not been confined to any particular group in spite of our terrible divisions is perhaps a sign of its genuineness. There are some signs of a growing unity where churches and groups who have separately discovered the same phenomena are having joint meetings, particularly among their leaders.

What Should I Do?

Four broad categories of response can be observed:

1. The Pharisee Response
   After a minimal investigation, possibly largely by hearsay, some vigorously oppose what is going on. As one Baptist pastor who had never attended a meeting pronounced, "This movement is not of God." The extreme denunciation of any movement is out of place without a careful investigation. In the case of the Pharisees, their opposition to this young upstart, Jesus of Nazareth, was largely based on jealousy. To oppose from a distance is dangerous since, unless one throws aside the history of revivals, one has to conclude that these phenomena could be the work of God. How sad to fall into the same trap as those biblical men who opposed every revival in history.
   
   
2. The Gamaliel Approach (Acts 5)
   Leave it alone since, if it is of God, it will continue; otherwise, it will fail. At first sight, Gamaliel's "stand back and see what happens" advice seems good. It is certainly an improvement on the first position. We should not forget, however, that these were the words of an unbeliever. The biblical view of the Church is that, like it or not, we are all part of one another. When a widespread movement is affecting so large a part of the Church, if you feel you have wisdom and maturity, you have a responsibility to investigate. If this is a work of God, don't miss out! If this is a deceptive endeavor, rescue your brothers and sisters!
   
   
3. A Blind Acceptance of Everything
   There are those who become so enraptured by experiences that nothing else matters. There was apparently at least one church which had not had a sermon for nine weeks solid. This is a road fraught with danger. Power is dangerous. Heresy, error, and sin may result. We need to be more responsible than this.
   
   
4. Recognize Carefully the Work of God and Seek His Blessing
   Careful investigation with discernment is called for. We should actively promote this movement if it is of God. It is a fearful thing to oppose God. At the same time, we need to be wise, as excesses can happen. We need to ensure that decency is always maintained. For example, sometimes young women wear clothing that can become revealing as they fall. This needs to be managed to prevent improper exposure. We need to care for those prayed for, and particularly those who feel left out. Any appearance of manipulation ought to be rooted out.

A careful eye needs to be kept on the stricken. A medical emergency could easily be missed. There has already been one case of status epileptics which was, fortunately, discovered amidst a mass of twitching bodies. This is one area where the trained eye of a doctor could be especially useful. The graying face could also easily be missed if surrounded by a carpetful of other prostrate bodies. Let's endeavor to conquer our built-in cynicism and discover whether this is a move of God. There is a great need for the wisdom and steadiness that a doctor provides. Should you be serving your brothers and sisters in this way?

If you choose to attend a meeting, it's important not to merely go as a spectator. Nor should you go with a strong desire to be struck by a particular experience. You may well merely witness a bizarre, possibly humorous, spectacle if either attitude is yours. Instead, attend with a desire to experience God for yourself if all this is genuine. Do not seek phenomena, SEEK GOD! We are desperate, needy people who live in a world destitute of any hope, except that which is offered in the gospel. We ought to cry out for the sovereign influence of the Holy Spirit for our renewal—yes—but also for revival where countless people become Christians. We need to see a work that is not confined to church buildings, still less to a time for prayer. There are some who believe that we stand on the threshold of a great revival. Lloyd-Jones, who died in 1981, believed he was doing a preparatory work for a great revival by helping to renew a foundation of biblical teaching. Let's hope this movement is indeed a small shaking, leading up to a great earthquake of God's moving to awaken his Church and add many, many people to his bride.

If that is so, the current phenomena could very well be a part of God testing us to see whether we are faithful in the small things so he can entrust us with the big things. Let's not veer away from our biblical roots, nor despise the work of God. In view of the dangers of both excesses and blanket rejection, the correct approach to the movement is surely found in one of Paul's letters:

"Do not quench the Spirit ... but test everything; hold fast to what is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:19,21, NRSV)

Thanks to Patriot Paradox for this

A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a card and wrote 'Revelation 3:20' on the back of it and stuck it in the door.
When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, 'Genesis 3:10.' Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter.


Revelation 3:20 begins 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock.'

Genesis 3:10 reads, 'I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked.'

From Thinklings Weblog: "The great danger of Christian discipleship is that we should have two religions: a glorious, biblical Sunday gospel that sets us free from the world, that in the cross and resurrection of Christ makes eternity alive in us, a magnificent gospel of Genesis and Romans and Revelation; and, then, an everyday religion that we make do with during the week between the time of leaving the world and arriving in heaven. We save the Sunday gospel for the big crises of existence. For the mudane trivialities, . . . we use the everyday religion of the Reader's Digest reprint, advice from a friend, an Ann Landers column, the huckstered wisdom of a talk-show celebrity. We practice patent-medicine religion: we know that God created the universe, . . . [b]ut we can't believe that he condescends to watch the soap opera of our daily trials and tribulations.'

Eugene Peterson "