kerux noemata

My Jazz Daughter Gets a Moment of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:08:00 +0000

A little brag on my kid... :-)

Plus, you get to listen to a sweet samba.

Leadership Lesson: Never justify my actions by the size or "success" of my ministry

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:57:00 +0000

I have been trying to gather some leadership lessons from a few of the current controversies buzzing in broader evangelicalism. Here is one I have come up: Never justify my actions by the size or "success" of my ministry.

It has surprised me how many times certain church leaders have appealed to large or growing numbers of followers to defend themselves from criticism. Critiques of their decisions or statements are shrugged off as irrelevant since “we just added 5000 people to our church,” or “I pastor 13,000 people meeting in six locations.” These numbers are utterly irrelevant. There is no place in the Bible that lists “large numbers of conversions” or “growing amount of members” as the gauge of success or as a reason everyone should just do what you say.

The NT rarely lists numbers and when it does it is more out of surprise at grace than anything else. And nowhere in these texts does one find the idea that this increase made the leaders where it occurred better pastors or teachers than the others. In fact, if numerical growth were the gauge of success, Jesus was a dismal failure – His crowds shrunk to zero.

Thus, when a man is challenged on his public actions, and all he can do is appeal to numbers, that reveals an alarming pride. The notion that “big equals success” is Western, not Biblical. What disturbs me about this is not that it is new, but that some of the men defending themselves in this way really ought to know better. They have preached better.

What is the lesson? Don’t believe my own press. Don’t fall prey to thinking that even one convert makes me a better pastor than the man who, as yet, has seen none. At the same time, expect to see many conversions! We believe the Gospel is the power of God used by His grace to save sinners and we preach it like sinners will indeed be saved. But if the membership of my church is bigger than the membership of another church, that doesn’t mean I am a better pastor, a smarter pastor, or a pastor with greater ingenuity, charm, methods, or passion. In the end, it just means I bear greater responsibility and accountability.

And lest I excuse myself too easily, I must remember that this deceptive heart may find other ways to boast of numerical growth than the blatant statements above. Even Biblical sounding language, (“the Lord is adding to our numbers day by day”) can be foaming with envy and boastfulness.

Most of all, I must never allow my apparent “success” turn into a carte blanche defense of all criticism – especially if those critiques are coming from smaller corners of the vineyard. The Apostle Paul did not boast in numbers, but in Jesus. And when he did defend his ministry from accustation, he pointed to his personal suffering for the Gospel, not his "success." Godly leaders will listen carefully to their critics and compare their accusations to the Word, not their attendance charts.

(For more, see Tim's post yesterday about church size and Phil's post from today on basically the same topic.)

Living with a person who has Williams Syndrome

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:09:00 +0000

I loved, just loved what this New Zealand mom had to say about her adult daughter with Williams Syndrome.

“She’s one of the great things in our lives. She’s great! We wouldn’t changer her… well, we would change her if it would make it easier for her, but we quite like her just the way she is!"

Check out this link to my WS blog to see the video. Really well done!

Winners to the Great Image of God CD Giveaway Announced!!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:41:00 +0000

I am happy to announce the winners to the Great Image of God CD Giveaway!! In first place comes Mr. Dave Theobald, an old friend with some serious extra time on his hands. Dave put together a lovely little letter using a bunch of Christa’s earlier song titles. That was original and I and daughter #2 decided it deserved to win.

My friends have been telling me about Christa’s new EP Image of God. They’ve been like, it’s “Amazing” and it’s “All that you need!” And when I read your interview with Christa, it made me want it "all the more."

Second place was a little harder to decide, but in the end the CD will go to Daniella. Her letter was overflowing with excitement and the thought of making anybody dance around their kitchen and family room, well, that was just too good to pass by.

I'd so love a copy, any copy, any CD, of Christa's music so I can sing loud over dishes and dance in praise while I vacuum…

Thanks to all our participants and be sure to download your own copy of Christa Well’s and Nicole Witt’s Image of God. You will be blessed!

Interview with Christa Wells plus win a copy of the Image of God EP!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:42:00 +0000

Recommending music to someone is a perilous task. There is so much preference when it comes to what we like, that we can be utterly baffled when someone does not love what we love. That said, time seems to sift out those songs that are objectively good. They stick around for more than a few years. I think time will prove the songs of Image of God by Christa Wells and Nicole Witt to be in this camp.

Some of you will know Christa Wells from her remarkable Frame theClouds EP. Who can forget the lyrics and melody of a song like, “Weightless?”

Well, I’ve carried this a long time

In a well-hidden bundle on my back

But I’ve realized forgiveness is weightless

So I’ll leave my burden on the tracks

How happy I was when Christa and Nicolle released their new EP Image of God at the start of the year. The album is full of rich lyrical content so perfectly carried along by creative and layered melodies and I think Christa has taken the depth of meaning in her songs to a new level in this work. It has been getting so much airplay in my world that I asked Christa if I could interview her about the album she co-wrote with her good friend, Nicole Witt. So, here are 7 questions for Christa.

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The Interview:

Christa, thanks so much for joining us on the blog today and taking the time to answer our questions. I wanted to start by asking where the idea for the song Image of God came from?

Nicole Witt and I were co-hosting a retreat with Canadian writer Ann Voskamp focusing on what it means to live creatively, “In the Image of the Maker.” We decided to write a song for those women and that weekend. So the song “Image of God” was born in Nicole’s living room, with ideas emailed between us and Ann; we sent the song to the guests before the retreat, so they could learn it and sing it all together that weekend. It was a beautiful thing, hearing those voices sing that song together for the first time.

Your thoughtful description and exposure of idolatry seems to indicate this is something you have lived through. What has the Lord used to show you your idols and how has He “left ashes in place of gold?”

That’s a huge question! ☺ Nicole and I wrote the song together, but a portion of the lyrics had come to me years ago when God began showing me patterns of pride in my life.

It didn’t look like pride to me at first glance – extreme performance anxiety (aka people-pleasing) is one example. God used Andrew Murray’s book “Humility” to begin opening my eyes. Another day, a fresh reading of Moses coming down the mountain to find God’s people worshiping a golden calf impacted me, because I saw that maybe what we most often erect in God’s place is simply Self, our own images, wants, agendas. My insecurity and fear was rooted in pride, self-preservation and ego. In essence, I was self-focused and didn’t want anyone to ever see my flaws – or even, see me as flawed. This affected my ability to share music, my ability to be free and other-centered in relationships, and ultimately my experience of joy in Christ.

He gave me eyes to see through reading, conversations, sermons, counseling. The tearing down of those idols, repentance and renovation have been a long, slow process, and he’s used many situations, people, and circumstances. He has allowed me to “fail” and then used those very moments to bless others more than the moments when I thought I was doing it all right. His beauty really shines through weakness.

Really, it will always be a temptation to resurrect the idols we are most drawn to. But there is a great, big beautiful freedom and joy that has gradually come into my life because of His work in this area.

When was the “dawn of grace” in your life? How did the Lord save you?

When we talk about (as in the lyric) the “sweetest day my heart has known,” I don’t have a specific day to refer back to, because I don’t recall not understanding that I was loved and saved by God through Jesus Christ. It seems like He was always there. I remember asking to be baptized when I was seven, so I suppose that’s when I felt a fresh awareness of that relationship.

But having said that, this song (which Nicole Witt and I wrote with Tony Wood) also points to the daily saving that He does – rescuing me from my persistent drive to try to earn His love, rather than receiving a Love I can’t possibly deserve. It goes back to the pride/idol conversation. We want to think we’re worth it because we’re good enough. But we can’t keep the Law, and grace dawns on me every time my eyes return to the face of the One who did it for us.

What comes first for you, melody or lyric? Or are they born together? Or does one drive the other?

I typically write lyrics and music in tandem, although I need at least a solid scrap of lyric to kick off the whole process. After the start, each line of lyric and melody affect the shaping of the next.

Where does songwriting fit into the life of a busy wife and mother?

I really want to be fully present when I’m with my family, and it’s a challenge once wheels start turning on a new song. Or when opportunities to share or record come along. Just making time to get to the piano is difficult, and comes and goes in seasons. During some seasons, I carve out specific chunks of time into my routine, and my husband is awesome about that. During other seasons, I fit it in in random pieces, slipping into the piano room on breaks from other activities. God has been so very gracious to allow impactful music to come from a relatively small amount of writing.

If pressed, what is your favorite song out of all the ones you have written and released? Why?

Oh, that’s so hard! I might have a special one from each project: “Garden Gate” from my first project (A Rogers/Wells Project: so much to tell you), “A Thousand Things” from Frame the Clouds, and “How Emptiness Sings” from the recent EP.

I’m a sucker for ballads and really find pleasure in singing them, but more than that I enjoy the phrasing, word choices, and melody lines in these certain songs. I’ve never really tired of them.

How did you and Nicole Witt end up working together on the Image of God EP? Where did the idea for the album come from?

Well, Nicole and I work together on so much, it was natural after writing “Image of God” for us to write a few more and record them. We do a lot of our performing together and are often asked to lead at least a few songs of worship.

Neither of us has really written for corporate worship before. I really hadn’t felt the desire to do so before now. We felt it was something we could do together with integrity. It was very meaningful to both of us to pour simple music over these profound spiritual concepts and create something that we hoped would lead others to deeper reflection and prayer.

Well, sister, thank you for taking the time to let us into your world a little. It has been a joy!

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The Contest:

Conclusion and CONTEST! (Win a copy of Image of God!)

And for those of you reading at home, you can download Image of God from iTunes or Christa’s online store. Or, you can try and win yourself a free copy of the CD! Here is how it will work. Leave a comment here on my blog and on Friday I will pick the two I like best and, courtesy of Christa, send you a copy of Image of God. Tell me why you think I should send you a copy, or what you have loved about Christa’s music, or something original. I will announce the winners in another post.

You can also download two songs from Christa's album, How Emptiness Sings, from Noisetrade.

Calvary Grace Church of Calgary | Calvary Grace Conference 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:59:00 +0000

Calvary Grace Church of Calgary | Calvary Grace Conference 2012:

My good friend, Clint Humfrey, is one of the pastors of Calvary GRace Church in Calgary, Alberta. They were pleased to host a conference with Dr. Carl Truman over the weekend and thankfully have posted the audio. Be sure to download!

"The Relevance of the Reformation: Learning from the Past, Living in the Present."

'via Blog this'

The Top 10 Ways to Make Your TAG Great!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:24:00 +0000

Sunday night will be the start of what we call TAG's at Grace Fellowship Church. TAG's are Truth Application Groups - small group meetings of members of the church in homes every Sunday night where we seek to work the truth we are learning on Sundays into the warp and woof of our daily life.

TAG's are a big thing around our church. Members love them. So, to get us ready for a new season of TAG (they run from January through May) I wrote out a Top 10 list of ways to make a TAG great. A bunch of folks have emailed asking for that list so I thought I would post it here.

10. Sit beside someone new every week.

9. Help your leader. Try to take as much off their plate as you can by organizing childcare, food, weekly email, etc.

8. Look for one truth in every Sunday morning sermon to work into your life – that way you are TAGging even before you get to TAG!

7. Decide now you love your TAG – why give the Devil any opportunity?

6. Commit each week as you reach for the front door to godly openness.

5. Take your nap in the afternoon, not at TAG.

4. Expect God to work – maybe He doesn’t for you because you are a doubter?

3. Come ready to give. To give by opening your life to others or by graciously looking into thiers.

2. Pray! Pray for your TAG, your TAG members, your TAG effectiveness, etc.

1. Never miss. Attendance is everything. Be there.

0. If you are in my group – I like lemon loaf!

Reflections on Week of Prayer: DELIGHT

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:20:00 +0000

Our last night in the Week of Prayer had a lofty goal. We wanted to spend the hour simply finding our happiness in God. Is that a new concept to you? Our goal at Grace Fellowship Church is to delight in God, to the glory of God and the good of all people. We do this as we choose to treasure God above all else - an easy thing to do when we are in our right minds.
But spending time in prayer focusing on the goodness of God and expressing to Him in our words the delight we find in Him and His ways is something many find new. In one sense, this is surprising. So many of the Psalms, for instance, do this very thing. Yet, I wondered what it would be like to end our week this way.
Frankly, it was wonderful. What an encouragement to pray along with my friends as they expressed to God His great worth. It was a wonderful way to finish our week, taking us all the way back to God Himself as our chief end and pleasure.
This was my favorite Week of Prayer ever. I can't wait until the next!

Reflections on Week of Prayer: MINISTRIES

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:29:00 +0000

I suppose this might sound discouraging, but my experience of prayer last night was rather dry. Maybe “hard” is a better word. It was our fifth night in a row, our smallest turnout and I was tired. But the saints came and we prayed. How strange it is that an hour of prayer seems to go faster as the week goes on… even when you are weary.

We tried to pray for every “official and non-official” ministry carried on by the members of Grace Fellowship Church. It was a daunting task to pray for so many things and not to pray the same old thing over and over. God was gracious.

One of the things I learned last night was the joy of help. I felt like Aaron and Hur were holding my arms last night so that we would prevail. Brothers and sisters kept praying, kept grappling and kept on until we covered it all. How glad I am for the Body of Christ. This is one of the great blessings of corporate prayer… you are helped along as you pray along with others.

In my morning devotions today I read Paul’s description of the prayers of Epaphras: “… always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” Colossians 4:12. The only way Paul could know the content of Epahras’ prayers was to hear them. And Paul drew great encouragement from what his brother sought from the Lord. This Paul finds a similar boon when he hears the prayers of his fellow church members!

Reflections on Week of Prayer: LEADERS

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:08:00 +0000

Last night we devoted an hour to pray for our leaders. This may seem very self-serving (since the leaders set the agenda for the meetings!) but there was a theological rationale behind it. Strike the shepherd and the sheep are scattered. False shepherds lead the sheep astray. Like priest, like people. The Bible contains a robust and careful job description and qualification list for church leaders. We believe in it. Yet it is so precise and full of exacting standards that we know the only way we will get and keep leaders like this is by prayer.

I wondered if last night would be the shortest of meetings, yet the saints came ready to work hard on behalf of their elders and deacons. How humbling to hear such tender, Scripture-full, pleading prayers on our behalf.

After several years in the ministry I concluded, “The only reason you have gotten this far is people are praying for you.” I had a renewed sense of that last night.

I'm not making this up. I really get to serve the best saints in the world. I don't deserve it.

Reflections on Week of Prayer: CONVERSIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Having already confessed how few conversions we saw last year, and thanked God for the ones we did see, the pump was primed to set after praying for more. Believing our first mission field is in our own camp, we listed out all the names of the kids from High School and down. Some of these kids are already graciously converted, but we were happy to pray for all of them by name asking God to save.*

What a time of prayer. A wave of pleading swept over us. After an hour there was a palpable sense we needed to keep on, so we excused those who needed to leave, but pressed on for another 40 minutes beseeching the Lord of the harvest. I don’t write this to boast in anyone but the Lord. Who are we?

What most of us wanted was a renewed burden for friends who are not Christians yet. May God give it.

Pondering that Jesus came to “seek and save that which was lost” and that He “came into the world to save sinners” and that His Father “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked” we were led to feel we were praying the will of God as we prayed for men and women to be saved from the guilt and penalty of their sins. Children, friends, family members, neighbours, co-workers, old friends were all prayed for.

Graciously, God was with us again.

*This is no offense to a godly parent. What mom or dad does not want their child prayed for? And if someone prays for one of my converted children to be converted, I hear that prayer in the spirit is given. If the Apostle could speak of “not having already attained” salvation in the fullest, realized sense, then I think we can pray for children – especially when we consider how feeble and tempted a child may be.

Reflections on Week of Prayer: THANKSGIVING

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:38:00 +0000

We met last night to thank God. I was reminded of Jesus’ delight in the one former leper out of ten who returned to thank Him for his healing.

“Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:18 ESV)

We are thankless far too much.

Last night created the same experience as our night of confession – as brothers and sisters thanked God for the specific blessings of the last year, my heart was caught up with them to the throne in gratitude to the Giver of all good things. Precious were the words of thanks from the children. Oh, for more of that simplicity in my own prayers.

Another effect of an hour of thanks was a further humbling. Yes, it was humbling to confess our sins, for which we alone are responsbilbe, but it was equally humbling to thank God for all the good in our lives. He gets all the credit for dealing with our sin and all the credit for “every good gift.”

God seems very evidently at work in our church. All the glory for that goes to Him.

Reflections on Week of Prayer: CONFESSION

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:23:00 +0000

Take us down and lay us low

Leave ashes in place of gold

Life-giver sustainer

Let nothing remain of our pride

From your mountain on high

Lay us low

These are the words to Christa Well’s new song, LayUs Low. The Image of God EP was released just the other day and I am thanking God for it – especially for the way it poetically captures what happened last night.

We met for one hour to confess our sins to God. How does one write about these things? I felt that God was with us in power and grace. He kept us from all the nearby dangers an exercise like this can fall in to and He came with forgiveness, holiness and love. It was a powerful time and I hated to draw it to a close. God was with us.

Another of Wells’ songs says:

We come in pieces

We come in fragments

We come discolored

To the foot of the cross

Our Maker sees us

All that we have been

Bonds us together

The Image of God

We left our meeting last night humbled, more in love with each and more thankful than ever for Jesus.

The surprising blessing to me was listening to my brothers and sisters confess. I had thought that might be an odd thing to do, but in reality it exposed my heart. As one brother wept for his sin, it made me see the same sin in me. As one sister compared her sin to other actions, I thought, “That’s me, too, Lord!” Every person who prayed led me to see more of my own sin and in turn more of the beauty of the Gospel.

I will never forget that night.

11 Reasons You Should Come to Every Meeting during the Week of Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:13:00 +0000

11. It will not kill you to do it, and it will bless you and your children to be there.

10. You need to learn how to prevail in prayer and this is an excellent way to teach you.

9. This is your church, you are her members, and your leaders want you here for they know it will be good for you.

8. You will model to the world that God is real when you give up 6 nights to pursue Him in prayer.

7. You will gain the joy of doing something for the Lord. How many times do we aspire to do great things for God or even complain that we want to serve more? Well, here is the way to do something for real.

6. You personal spiritual life will be blessed as you follow the logic of the week from confession, to thanksgiving, to conversions, to leaders, to ministries, to delight in God.

5. You will be speaking to God with God’s people every day this week! What is better than that?

4. You will be humbled.

3. You will be deeply reminded of how needy we are for God to work as we lay out our many requests before Him – needs that are easy to otherwise forget .

2. Other than having to work, or being in the hospital, or traveling, or providing childcare so your spouse can go, or health concerns or sickness – what good reason would there be to miss these meetings? Your entertainment? No. Your rest? No. Your privacy? No. I can’t think of one good reason.

1. Your praying in general will be revitalized from taking one week to pray with God’s people every night.

Help! I am being tempted toward sexual sin!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

The real threat of sexual sin is not a disease. It is what will happen to you if you do not repent of it and seek God's forgiveness in Christ.

For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
(Ephesians 5:5-6 ESV)

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
(1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 ESV)

And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
(Revelation 21:6-8 ESV)

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
(1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV)

Learning from the Old Men First: Driscoll, Keller, and Marriage Books

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:27:00 +0000

Having read parts of Tim Keller’s and Mark Driscoll’s new books on marriage, I have been struck by one thought. A man ought usually to wait until he is older before he offers his wisdom to others.

When Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, began his reign, the Scriptures tell of how he consulted first with the old men, then with “the young men who had grown up with him” on how he ought to rule. This was a matter of wisdom – the application of truth to a certain situation. There were specific principles for the kings of Israel to follow, but Rehoboam’s question was more in the line of ethos or style. What would his reign feel and look like. 1 Kings 12 goes to rather extensive pains to show that Rehoboam’s folly was in listening to the young men, rather than the old men. And this notion holds true in general.

I recall an old pastor telling me once, “You may want to wait a few years before you preach on parenting.” That was good advice since my kids were 5 and 2 I pretty much thought I knew all there was to raising children – everybody’s children! I also tended to think the Bible had much more to say about parenting than it really does. Thankfully, I mostly kept my mouth shut other than to say specifically what the Bible said on the topic. That has enabled a few less regrets at this stage of my ministry.

This has been one of my fears for Pastor Driscoll through the years. I think he has tended to write “too close to the lesson.” Even this latest book, if I read the chronology right, seems to say that all the good things he is directing us to do are things he has really only applied in his marriage in the last 3-4 years. I am glad where Biblical truth is changing any marriage, but I think it is not wise to speak of seeing huge long-term results so close to their application.

In comparison, Pastor Keller purposefully waited until he was older in years and experience to write a book on marriage. Frankly, I think he has a lot more to say not only because of the manner in which he approaches the subject, but because he has lived through 37 years of applying this Truth in marriage. His own and others.

In a fast-paced culture like ours, we do well to remember that God has created things in such a way that our older folks ought to be sought out for their opinions first. And if you are a young man, you do well to work out your salvation in fear and trembling and a certain level of quietness now. Your day to impart wisdom to others will come soon enough, and you may find that the humbling of years gives you far less to say.

Be Quick to Seek Forgiveness - Really Quick

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:14:00 +0000

“Let me be very personal and ask about your relationship with Christ. Has any cloud come between your soul and your Saviour? An incident is told of Spurgeon who suddenly stopped in the middle of the street he was crossing and prayed. [These were the days when streets were somewhat safer, populated with horses rather than automobiles.] When he reached the other side, his companion asked him, ‘Why did you stop to pray in the middle of the street?’ Spurgeon's reply was something like this, ‘A cloud came between my soul and Christ, and I could not let it remain there even long enough to reach the other side of the street.’” – J. Vernon McGee

Sermon Preview: Gospel Freedom (Romans 14-15)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:46:00 +0000

Long before the whole concept of preaching our "Gospel Revolution" series was birthed came the idea of preaching a sermon or two on the freedom we have in Christ. There were a bunch of reasons for this, not the least of which was the reality that true Gospel Freedom is under constant siege... even in our happy little church.

To whet your appetite for what is in store tomorrow I offer you this brief outline of what I hope to cover.

___________________

The Gospel Revolution

Romans 14:1-15:7

Gospel Freedom for True Unity

1. The types of Christians who need to be unified

· The weak in faith (2,5,6)

· The strong in faith (2,4,5,6)

2. The situation that threatens unity

3. The temptations towards division

· The weak are tempted to condemn the strong (3, 10-12)

· The strong are tempted to treat the weak with condescension (3, 10-12)

4. The burden on the shoulders of the strong to keep the church unified

· Do not despise the weak (1)

· Make sure you are holding personal convictions not just miming traditions (5,22-23)

· Fully embrace the weak (1)

· Use your Gospel-freedom to deny your freedoms in order to love the weak (14:13, 15-16, 19-21; 15:1-3)

Grace Connexion: Some Thoughts on Brokenness and Staying Gospel-centred

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:39:00 +0000

Our little group of churches met back in October to fellowship with each other and rejoice in the Lord's doings. I took a few minutes to address one concern I had in regards to keeping the concept of "Gospel-centred" from being just a pet phrase void of meaning. Several folks wrote and asked for a recording or notes from that night so I finally got to typing something out.
I preach from handwritten notes, so what I offer here is really just a sketch of what I said there. The main ideas are present and I hope they are helpful.

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Galatians 1:6-9 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

If you have ever piloted a boat you know how easy it is to drift off course. This shift can happen quite subtly and very quickly and if not corrected you will end up in the rocks, or worse. The church of Christ in every age is called to remain vigilant and stay in the channel of the true Gospel.

False Gospels are everywhere – messages of salvation that promote self-reliance through cleaning ourselves up, atoning for our sins by doing good, or in some way telling us we can make ourselves acceptable to God without going through Jesus Christ.

Elders bear a special responsibility to keep the authentic Gospel at the Mission Control Centre of every local church, but the job does not stop with them. It is the duty of the church as a whole to guard the good deposit entrusted to them.

We can often spot the big waves attacking our Gospel ship. Mormonism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Atheism – these black clouds stir up the storms and we all set to rowing or steering in order to handle them. In one sense, they are easy to spot and easy to resist, partly because the true Gospel is so clear in comparison.

But there are other –isms, little breezes and quiet currents that go easily unnoticed in the life of a Christian and a local church. These “other gospels” are particularly insidious and sneaky for the very reason that they masquerade quite effectively as the true Gospel. Formalism (outward acts of piety without the corresponding heart affections), legalism (trusting in what I do), mysticism (trusting in what I experience), activism (making sure I am involved in the vogue trends), Biblicism (a salvation by knowledge), therapy-ism (valuing need-fulfillment over moral failure) and socialism (making good friendships my true salvation) – all of these –isms can creep in.

They are all rooted in spiritual idolatry. We exchange the worship of God for the worship of something created, whether that is an animal or a concept like fame. So, “another Gospel,” or a “Gospel substitute” is anything that squeezes our love for God to second place. Even good things can do this! When that idol becomes what we love most then we are actively opposing, repudiating and denying Jesus. We have fallen into an –ism and worst of all, we usually do this in His Name. We get caught in one of these riptides where the Gospel is shoved to the periphery and then we dress up all our idolatries with Bible vocabulary and ideas. Over time, our pride increases and we steadily drift further and further away.

Recently I was meditating on the idea of “brokenness” and in particular why it was not more a part of my life. Why did I have to sin in order to feel broken and contrite? I took some comfort in that most of the Biblical occurrences of this concept were in the context of sins discovered and confessed.

Think of these Psalms of contrition:

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted / and saves the crushed in spirit.”

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

Then I read this promise from Isaiah 61, a promise that comes on the heels of chapter after chapter of sin-exposing confrontation.

Isaiah 61:1-2a “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn…”

It was this portion of Isaiah’s scroll that Jesus read and sat down saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled.” This means that Christ’s advent, incarnation, sinless life, death and resurrection brought about the fulfillment of the promise that the brokenhearted could be restored. In other words, the Gospel is the one thing that makes us and keeps us right with God.

Here is the link. If we are going to become more of and stay a Gospel-immersed movement, then we must stay low before our God.

Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”

It is brokenness and contrition that will keep us running to the Good News that Christ died for our sins and was raised. Which means we have to maintain in our own lives a persistent asking: “What difference does the death and resurrection of Jesus make to this moment/event/joy/temptation?”

Here is one faithful anchor to fend off Gospel-drift and eventual Gospel-substitution. We need to go low, seek contrition and aim for a brokenness that leads to the cross.

Romans 12 - Get Your World Turned Upside Down!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:43:00 +0000

I have been refreshed this week studying Romans 12. In this passage the Apostle launches into a robust description of what every Christian life should look like. The root of this awesome change is a full grasp of the Gospel.

Sacrifice. Humility. Service. Love. That about sums it up! Below is an extended outline I hope to preach from on Sunday (i.e. not the one found in your weekly handout). I would encourage you to read through Romans 12 with this in hand and ask of God what area of your life needs the most revolutionizing now.

The Gospel Revolution: The Call to a Revolutionized Life

Romans 12

1. Sacrifice yourself (1-2)

2. Prioritize humility (3)

3. Serve appropriately (4-8)

4. Act in love like Jesus did to friends in the church

A. Chase after your own sanctification (9)

B. Commit yourself to God’s people

i. Immerse yourself relationally in your church family (10a)

ii. Scavenge for grace in every church member (10b)

C. Be intensely God-focused

i. Stay tirelessly diligent in spiritual matters (11a)

ii. Stay on fire in the Holy Spirit (11b)

iii. Stay committed to doing whatever God says (11c)

D. Cling to God through your troubles

i. Boast in your sure future (12a)

ii. Remain true under pressure (12b)

iii. Stick to your prayers (12c)

5. Respond in love like Jesus would to friends in the church

A. Give to alleviate your brothers’ needs

i. Immerse yourself in the needs of your brother (13a)

ii. Hunt for Christian strangers to house (13b)

B. Feel what your brother feels

i. Delight in his successes (15a)

ii. Empathize with his sorrows (15b)

C. Hang out with the forgotten brothers (16)

6. Respond in love like Jesus did to sinful people that hate you

A. Stop denouncing and start praying for your persecutors (14)

B. Retaliate against your enemies with good (17)

C. Conspire for peace (18)

D. Conquer evil (19-21)

A Gospel Living FAQ - notes to prepare for this week's sermon

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:13:00 +0000

We are continuing our series on The Gospel Revolution this Sunday (God-willing) and I plan to tackle the bulk of Romans 8-11 in one swipe. That is a hefty goal, but this passage sure sings when you look at it all at once like this. Sometimes it is hard to wait until Sunday to preach.

Below is the outline to the sermon I plan to preach. It is a little different in that I am structuring the passage around the questions that are behind the answers given in the text. In the tradition of those helpful catechisms from the past I have tried to summarize each.

If you get the chance to read the passage prior to the weekend I am confident God will bless your work. Try reading with this questions and answers in mind and see if the preacher got it right!

The Gospel Revolution

Part 5: A Gospel-living FAQ

Romans 8-11

Q1. If I still sin, am I actually blameless in the eyes of God? (8:1-4)

A. Yes, even when I sin, I am still blameless in the eyes of God since I am no longer condemned.

Q2. Did anything really change in me when I became a Christian? (8:5-11)

A. Yes, when I became a Christian I was indwelled by God’s Holy Spirit.

Q3. What does being indwelled by God’s Holy Spirit provide? (8:12-27)

A. God’s Spirit in me provides: the power to kill sin; the ability to know God’s will; the assurance I really am a Christian; and the strength to endure.

Q4. How can I be confident all this work of God’s Spirit applies to me? (8:28-30)

A. The Holy Spirit’s work applies to me because I was foreknown, predestined, called, justified and will be glorified.

Q5. How can I be sure I won’t ultimately lose my salvation? (8:31-39)

A. I will not lose my salvation because no one can oppose, accuse, condemn or separate me from God.

Q6. How can I be confident that nothing can separate me from God? (9:6-20) (11:29)

A. I am confident that nothing will ever separate me from God because He chose me to be saved before the creation of the world.

Q7. If God has chosen who will be saved, why should I share the Gospel? (10:9-17)

A. I need to share the Gospel because it is only through the Gospel that God calls the elect to Himself.

A little reminder from Piper on the place of words in seeking doctrinal clarity

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:24:00 +0000

Have you been following the recent storm surrounding James MacDonald's decision to invite TD Jakes to the Elephant Room (a symposium for Christian leaders to candidly discuss their differences)? I was reminded today of something John Piper preached in a biographical peice on Athanasius. I think it provides an excellent reminder.

The truth of biblical language must be vigorously protected with non-biblical language. Athanasius’ experience was critically illuminating to something I have come to see over the years, especially in liberally minded baptistic and pietistic traditions, namely, that the slogan, “the Bible is our only creed” is often used as a cloak to conceal the fact that Bible language is used to affirm falsehood. This is what Athanasius encountered so insidiously at the Council of Nicaea. The Arians affirmed biblical sentences. Listen to this description of the proceedings:

The Alexandrians . . . confronted the Arians with the traditional Scriptural phrases which appeared to leave no doubt as to the eternal Godhead of the Son. But to their surprise they were met with perfect acquiescence. Only as each test was propounded, it was observed that the suspected party whispered and gesticulated to one another, evidently hinting that each could be safely accepted, since it admitted of evasion. If their assent was asked to the formula “like to the Father in all things,” it was given with the reservation that man as such is “the image and glory of God.” The “power of God” elicited the whispered explanation that the host of Israel was spoken of as dunamis kuriou, and that even the locust and caterpillar are called the “power of God.” The “eternity” of the Son was countered by the text, “We that live are alway (2 Corinthians 4:11)!” The fathers were baffled, and the test of homoosion, with which the minority had been ready from the first, was being forced (p. 172) upon the majority by the evasions of the Arians.

R. P. C. Hanson explained the process like this: “Theologians of the Christian Church were slowly driven to a realization that the deepest questions which face Christianity cannot be answered in purely biblical language, because the questions are about the meaning of biblical language itself.”39 The Arians railed against the unbiblical language being forced on them. They tried to seize the biblical high ground and claim to be the truly biblical people—the pietists, the simple Bible-believers—because they wanted to stay with biblical language only—and by it smuggle in their non-biblical meanings. But Athanasius saw through this “post-modern,”post-conservative,” “post-propositional” strategy and saved for us not just Bible words, but Bible truth. May God grant us the discernment of Athanasius for our day. Very precious things are at stake.

Having Fun at Fellowship Lunch - Chisso is a Friend of Mine!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:49:00 +0000

In case this makes very little sense to you, you may want to harm your ears by listening to this:

Sunday Preview - Leaders, followers and love

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:04:00 +0000

We are getting close to the end of our study of Hebrews and now finish off some of the ethical commands at the end of the letter. It should be no surprise that our author ends where he started - pointing us to Jesus.

Below is the outline of the passage as I propose to preach it Sunday morning.

Did you know we are now hosting the audio of our sermons on our new church website? You can download or stream some excellent audio quality for free, if that kind of thing is helpful to you. For the sermons on Hebrews go here.

When it comes to these outlines, my suggestion is to read through the passage on Saturday some time with this outline in front of you to get a sense of what it says. The verse references are in brackets beside the points.

So, Follow Jesus!

Hebrews 13:7-19

1. Follow what you saw of Jesus in your former leaders

A. Mimic their persevering faith in Jesus (7)

B. Remember their unchangeable Model (8)

2. Follow the Gospel of Jesus

A. Take seriously the warning to not marginalize the Gospel (9)

B. Work continually to centralize the Gospel in your life (10-12)

3. Follow the ways of Jesus

A. Lead a life of not belonging and anticipation (13-14)

B. Lead a life of public worship and active love (15-16)

4. Follow the present leaders Jesus has given you

A. Trust them (17)

B. Pray for them (18-19)

Keller Touches on Toronto as he considers the splits that can occur between Christians

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Martin) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:57:00 +0000

Blog - Redeemer City to City: "I fear that we are in a period in which many in the Christian church are dividing into extreme positions over the very conduct of polemics. On the one side there are seemingly more people than ever, especially through the Internet, engaging in polemics, and yet it looks to me like there is a large number of younger Christians leaders who are reacting to this as if polemics is a pure evil. We want “conversation”, never argument or apologetics."

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