"What I Learned in My First Pastorate"

Writing for Towers, a publication of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jim Hamilton reflects on lessons learned during his first pastorate. I identify with much of what he writes. It's worth reading as churches often struggle with what a pastor is to be and do.

Jesus gets glory when pastors forsakethe wisdom of the world, set aside attempts to show off, open the Bible and preach it.

David Wells says the mark of the evangelical church in America is superficiality. I am convinced that authenticity comes from the clear exposition of the Scriptures. People encounter God when His Word is read to them, explained to them and applied to them by the power of the Spirit. How do you get past the happy smiley veneer people wear to church? Preach the Word.

Do you want singles in their late 20s and early 30s confessing anxiety about finding a mate, asking you to pray for them to trust the Lord’s providence in their lives? Do you want guys confessing their struggles with pornography as they seek to join the church? Do you want people with real problems (homosexual urges and the fallout from past sexual sin, whether lingering STD’s or guilt from an abortion) joining the church and coming for counsel in their struggle against sin? Do you want guys coming to you because they’re afraid of the way they’ve been rough with their wives and they don’t want it to go any further, so they’re seeking accountability?

You don’t get this from wearing cool clothes, having a trendy name for your church or learning to preach from comedians. If it comes — and if the authenticity about “big” sins is accompanied by authenticity about “acceptable” sins — it will come by the power of the Spirit through the preaching of the Word. The Bible convinces us to quit playing games. The Bible shows us the beauty of holiness. The Bible convicts us of the worth of this treasure, and we sell all we have — or risk exposing our sin — to buy the field in which the treasure lies.

Read the entire article HERE.

Say it ain't so Discovery Channel!

The Sad Legacy of Theological Liberalism

From Banner of Truth:

'How Liberal Theology Infected Scotland' is a deeply instructive short article written by R. A. Finlayson, the late professor of Systematic Theology in the Free Church College in Edinburgh.

Finlayson attributed the nineteenth century infiltration of Liberalism into a confessional Church to wrong priorities by the leaders. He wrote:

...not content with opening three colleges, in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen...her theological students would not deem their course complete, or their standing in the Church assured, without a postgraduate course of one or more years in one of the more famous Colleges in Germany.

From that folly, the product of spiritual pride, the Free Church was to reap a bitter harvest. Germany then was the nursery of Liberal theology, which was spreading like prairie fire through the Protestant Churches of Europe.

Reading this assessment reminded me of the words of Archibald Alexander to the young Charles Hodge. Hodge has been given leave by the Seminary to spend two years studying in Europe. As well as developing his linguistic skills, Hodge would become acquainted with biblical criticism. Alexander cautioned him:

Remember that you breathe a poisoned atmosphere. If you lose the lively and deep impression of Divine truth, if you fall into scepticism or even into coldness - you will lose more than you gain from all the German professors and libraries . . .

At the start of the twentieth century a similar situation was faced by the young Gresham Machen as he studied in Marburg, Germany, under the renowned Liberal scholar Wilhelm Herrmann. Machen said that Herrmann believed hardly anything essential to Christianity. Yet here was a man who at the same time exuded an incredibly impressive piety. Although he rarely spoke of the profound spiritual struggle that he went through in Germany, one of Machen's students recalled him saying that:

. . . the great Dr. Herrman presented his position with such power I would sometimes leave his presence wondering how I could ever retain my confidence in the historical accuracy of the Gospel narratives. Then I'd go to my room, take out the Gospel of Mark and read it from beginning to end in one sitting - and my doubts would fade. I realized that the document could not possibly be the invention of the mind of a mere man.

It was a remarkable act of mercy that kept the young Charles Hodge, and the young Gresham Machen, from capitulating to the errors of their teachers. Embracing orthodoxy, and remaining orthodox, cannot ultimately be attributed to our own powers. How different would the history of Princeton have been if the poison of Liberalism had infected the blood stream of Charles Hodge. Perhaps we can see what it would have looked like by observing the influence of a notable Hebrew scholar on the other side of the Atlantic.

It ought to be kept in mind that, more often than not, theological teachers who embrace errors remain convinced that they are still orthodox. In Scotland, A. B. Davidson, who was appointed in 1863 to the Chair of Hebrew Old Testament Literature in the New College, Edinburgh, had drunk deeply at the wells of German Liberal theology. He subtly began to introduce the new theology. Finlayson notes that Davidson gave this counsel to his students:

Be careful to give this to your congregations in small doses.

A. B. Bruce, professor at the Glasgow College, is a further tragic
example of the deleterious effects of Liberal theology:

Of some others in the forefront of the movement, it can only be said that there was a breakdown in character as well as in faith, over which the veil of charity must be drawn. As sad a case as any was, perhaps, that of A. B. Bruce, because of the early promise of his work on the teaching of Christ; and yet at the end of the day one of his closest friends commented sorrowfully: 'Sandy Bruce died without a single Christian conviction.'

Read the rest of this important article HERE.

"A Lover's Quarrel with the Evangelical Church"

From The White Horse Inn:

Is something wrong with the soil in the evangelical garden? According to Warren Cole Smith, author of A Lover's Quarrel with the Evangelical Church, the answer to that question, unfortunately, is yes. On this edition of the White Horse Inn, Michael Horton talks with Warren about his provocative new book and the current state of evangelical Christianity.

Listen to the program HERE.

How did we get the Bible?

If you're looking for a good introductory answer to this question (in 12 pages), here's a helpful presentation by Matt Harmon, delivered at the No Doubt Apologetics Conference in Indianapolis.

HT: Justin Taylor

Pastors take note

Actual Craigslist post:

washington, DC craigslist > district of columbia > for sale / wanted > items wanted please flag with care:

Wanted: Christian Church

Date: 2009-08-17, 9:12AM EDTReply to: sale-qkjuk-1327299219@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Looking for a church based on the teachings of the Bible. Recommendations?

*Please don't treat me like a customer at Starbucks.

*Please don't entertain me like I'm at a concert or manipulate my emotions like I'm watching a movie.

Please just open the Bible, explain what it says and what it means for my life.

it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests PostingID: 1327299219

HT: Church Matters

John MacArthur in The Washington Post

Here is yet another reason why I like John MacArthur:

Let's be brutally honest: most of Jesus' teaching is completely out of sync with the mores that dominate our culture.

I'm talking, of course, about the Jesus we encounter in Scripture, not the always-gentle, never-stern, über-lenient coloring-book character who exists only in the popular imagination. The real Jesus was no domesticated clergyman with a starched collar and genteel manners; he was a bold, uncompromising Prophet who regularly challenged the canons of political correctness.

Consider the account of Jesus' public ministry given in the New Testament. The first word of his first sermon was "Repent!"--a theme that was no more welcome and no less strident-sounding than it is today. The first act of his public ministry touched off a small riot. He made a whip of cords and chased money-changers and animal merchants off the Temple grounds. That initiated a three-year-long conflict with society's most distinguished religious leaders. They ultimately handed him over to Roman authorities for crucifixion while crowds of lay people cheered them on.

Jesus was pointedly, deliberately, and dogmatically counter-cultural in almost every way. No wonder the religious and academic aristocracy of his generation were so hostile to him.

Read the entire article HERE.

This is what I call "Pro Life"!

From 11 Alive News:

METRO ATLANTA, Ga. -- Last weekend an Atlanta pastor made a promise that stunned his congregation and most of the people who heard it.In a speech that discussed abortion, the President, and the sanctity of life, the most provocative statement from Pastor Vic Pentz of Peachtree Presbyterian Church came towards sermon's end:"I make a promise to you now and I don't want you to keep this a secret," the pastor pronounced, "the Peachtree Presbyterian Church will care for any newborn baby you bring to this church."We will be the family to find a home for that child, and there's no limit on this. You can tell your friends, you can tell your family, you can tell the whole world ..."Reflected Pentz a week later, "I seem to have touched a nerve by saying that to the congregation."It's a speech he repeated this past Sunday, and it can be found on the church's web site under the sermon title, "Ethics of Life".

HT: Tim Challies

The Workers are Few

HT: Justin Taylor

Sunday's Sermon

Sunday's sermon was part 13 of the series through Hebrews - "Since we have a Great High Priest" (Heb. 4:14-16). You can lisen to or download it HERE.

David Powlison on Calvin and Biblical Counseling

"Pray the Bible"

I have posted a link to a great resource for prayer under the "devotions" section in the right-hand column. It is called "Pray the Bible" and is based upon Matthew Henry's classic Method for Prayer.

Being offended by the right things

As a follow up to my last post take time to read Erik Raymond's thoughts about Michael Vick. He wonders what is wrong with a culture that is more scandalized by the death of some dogs than it is by over one million abortions each year.

Why is it that abortion is relegated to a controversial taboo and Vick’s dog fighting is not? Why are we united in condemning Vick and not condemning abortion? Why is our flame of righteousness burn so bright in the face of Vick but is flickering in the face of 50 million abortions? What is wrong with the American conscience?

There are lots of things in common between the two issues. In both cases you have the willful disregard for life, the deaths are both accomplished by humans, there is plenty of merciless brutality toward the victim, and there is a self-sovereign decision to end the life.

However, there is one significant difference: you get time in a federal prison for killing dogs but you get federal funding for killing babies.

Redeeming Michael Vick

"Two things you need to understand about WASP's: They love animals but they hate people."

- Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street

Initially I greeted the news about Michael Vick becoming a Philadelphia Eagle with a measure of cynicism. Certainly his participation in dogfighting was wrong, foolish, and, as he found out, illegal. Vick went from being the highest paid player in the NFL to being a resident in a federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy and running a dogfighting operation. That's enough for even PETA to seriously consider capital punishment.

But should his behavior, bad as it was, be the final chapter on Michael Vick? Should it disqualify him from ever again playing football professionally? Some reply with an unqualified "yes!" I agreed at one time. Now however I have had to reconsider my position. It's not that I don't think his crime should be without consequences. Indeed, Michael Vick has paid a steep price for what he did. When he steps out onto the field and is greeted by booing Philly fans he will be reminded that when he left the federal prison the consequences of his behavior did not come to a close.

The question for those of us who call ourselves Christians is whether or not we believe that someone who has offended our sensibilities so deeply can be redeemed. Do we believe that Michael Vick can be redeemed to the extent that he is allowed to return to that which he does so well? Make no mistake. Even if his talents are resurrected and he becomes once again a great football player he will for the rest of his career be known as the guy who killed dogs.

What I hope does not happen is for his first season with the Eagles to turn into the Michael Vick 'I Love Animals' Tour. I don't want him to wear 'I (heart) Puppies' t-shirts. He has done his time. His name is permanently tarnished. His redemption, if it is to occur, will not consist of words designed to assure us of how miserable he feels. The reality of his redemption will be revealed over time by the quality of his life. We ought to give him the time, and yes, our prayers toward that end.

Baby Talk

New and Notable Books

Bryan Chapell's commentary on Ephesians is the latest installment in the wonderful Reformed Expository Commentary series. Right now you can get it from WTS Bookstore for only $9.99 (67% off!).

Also, "The Cradle, The Cross, and the Crown" promises to be an outstanding contribution to New Testament studies. It is currently 37% off.

The Two Natures of Jesus Christ

This Sunday, Lord willing, I will be preaching from Hebrews 4:14-16 which deals with both the divinity and humanity of Jesus. As a word of comfort for struggling saints the inspired writer emphasizes Christ's identification with us through his humanity. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (v. 15).

In his wonderful little book Concise Theology, J.I. Packer writes of Jesus' dual nature:

Jesus was a man who convinced those closest to him that he was also God; his humanness is not therefore in doubt. John’s condemnation of those who denied that “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” (1 John 4:2-3; 2 John 7) was aimed at Docetists, who replaced the Incarnation with the idea that Jesus was a supernatural visitant (not God) who seemed human but was really a kind of phantom, a teacher who did not really die for sins.

The Gospels show Jesus experiencing human limitations (hunger, Matt. 4:2; weariness, John 4:6; ignorance of fact, Luke 8:45-47) and human pain (weeping at Lazarus’ grave, John 11:35, 38; agonizing in Gethsemane, Mark 14:32-42; cf. Luke 12:50; Hebrews 5:7-10; and suffering on the cross). Hebrews stresses that had he not thus experienced human pressures—weakness, temptation, pain—he would not be qualified to help us as we go through these things (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15-16; 5:2, 7-9). As it is, his human experience is such as to guarantee that in every moment of demand and pressure in our relationship and walk with God we may go to him, confident that in some sense he has been there before us and so is the helper we need.

Christians, focusing on Jesus’ deity, have sometimes thought that it honors Jesus to minimize his humanness. The early heresy of Monophysitism (the idea that Jesus had only one nature) expressed this supposition, as do modern suggestions that he only pretended to be ignorant of facts (on the supposition that he always actualized his omniscience and therefore was aware of everything) and to be hungry and weary (on the supposition that his divinity supernaturally energized his humanity all the time, raising it above the demands of ordinary existence). But Incarnation means, rather, that the Son of God lived his divine-human life in and through his human mind and body at every point, maximizing his identification and empathy with those he had come to save, and drawing on divine resources to transcend human limits of knowledge and energy only when particular requirements of the Father’s will so dictated.

The idea that Jesus’ two natures were like alternating electrical circuits, so that sometimes he acted in his humanity and sometimes in his divinity, is also mistaken. He did and endured everything, including his sufferings on the cross, in the unity of his divine-human person (i.e., as the Son of God who had taken to himself all human powers of acting, reacting, and experiencing, in their unfallen form). Saying this does not contradict divine impassibility, for impassibility means not that God never experiences distress but that what he experiences, distress included, is experienced at his own will and by his own foreordaining decision.

Jesus, being divine, was impeccable (could not sin), but this does not mean he could not be tempted. Satan tempted him to disobey the Father by self-gratification, self-display, and self-aggrandizement (Matt. 4:1-11), and the temptation to retreat from the cross was constant (Luke 22:28, where the Greek for “trials” can be translated “temptations”; Matt. 16:23; and Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane). Being human, Jesus could not conquer temptation without a struggle, but being divine it was his nature to do his Father’s will (John 5:19, 30), and therefore to resist and fight temptation until he had overcome it. From Gethsemane we may infer that his struggles were sometimes more acute and agonizing than any we ever know. The happy end-result is that “because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:18).

* Packer, J. I. (1995, c1993). Concise theology : A guide to historic Christian beliefs. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.

Blunting The Truth

"We have to deal with a spirit, I know not how to denominate it, unless I call it a spirit of moderatism in the pulpits of protestant churches. Men have begun to rub off the rough edges of truth, to give up the doctrines of Luther and Zwingle, and Calvin, and to endeavour to accommodate them to polished tastes. You might go into a Roman Catholic chapel now-a-days, and hear as good a sermon from a Popish priest as you hear in many cases from a Protestant minister, because he does not touch disputed points, or bring out the angular parts of our Protestant religion. Mark, too, in the great majority of our books what a dislike there is to sound doctrine! the writers seem to fancy that truth is of no more value than error; that as for the doctrines we preach, it cannot matter what they are; still holding that 'He can't be wrong whose life is in the right.' There is creeping into the pulpits of Baptists and every other denomination, a lethargy and coldness, and with that a sort of nullification of all truth. While they for the most part preach but little notable error, yet the truth itself is uttered in so minute a form that no one detects it, and in so ambiguous a style, that no one is struck with it. So far as man can do it, God's arrows are blunted, and the edge of his sword is turned in the day of battle. Men do not hear the truth as they used to."

- Charles Spurgeon

"When Helping Hurts" (2)

Okay, I said my next post would be a review of the book "When Helping Hurts." However, I found this interview with the authors and thought it would be beneficial. I'll begin going into detail on this important book in the next post.

Worship Carefully Considered

It seems that worship is too often limited to the topic of music. Since music is an emotional issue (in the church at least) this narrowing is probably why discussions concerning worship often generate more heat than light. There is also a tendency to assume that the forms of worship are completely up to the worshipper. It is said that we should be as creative as we like and use whatever elements we like so long as our "heart is in the right place." Now, I could go on about the issue of our hearts being in the right place. What exactly does that mean? But I digress.

Josh and Nick over at Reformed Forum discuss the Regulative Principle of worship with Dr. Derek Thomas (one of my favorite preachers). Check it out HERE.