debtor to grace

This Blog is Moving

2010-10-15T13:43:00.002-04:00

Friends,

I am (finally) moving my blog from Blogger to WordPress. This switch means that:

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10/10 Sermon Notes

2010-10-12T09:38:00.002-04:00

The Glory of God

Objective Reality: His Works

Notes available as a pdf.

Introduction

A friend of mine asked me this week what I preached on for my first sermon as pastor. I smiled and said, “God.” He chuckled and said, “That’s good; start simple,” and I replied, “Yeah.” Now what he meant by that was that I began with something basic or, better, fundamental to the Christian faith, rather than something complex and controversial. Better to start with God than something thornier, e.g., the sovereignty of God and the free will of man, the fate of those who have never heard the gospel.

Nevertheless, something about his comment--and my initial response to his comment--struck me as troublesome. Why would I ever consider the subject of God to be simple? Perhaps it’s because I grew up learning about him. A little child can comprehend the concept of God, right? If she couldn’t, we wouldn’t spend so much valuable energy teaching her about God. Perhaps, then, we think that, since a child can understand something about God, then we must know all there is to know about him. I mean, sure, we’re going to keep growing. But it’s not like there’s more to the Bible that is going to be written. Once you’ve read it through a couple of times, you’ve basically got the point, right? Now that we’ve got this much figured out, we can move on to other things.

But can we? We probably wouldn’t verbalize such a thing, that we have God figured out. But practically that is how we live, as if God were a fairly simple subject matter that we pretty well understand—certainly more than the average person on the street. And there is no better way we reveal how little we think of God than how little we talk directly to him or about him. (Illustration of Michigan football for me.) If we really understood who God is and what he is like—if we understood his glory—it would transform our lives.

That’s why we’re taking four weeks to study this subject, the Glory of God. We learned last week that God’s glory begins with his massiveness/weightiness/heaviness inherent in his nature. We may describe his nature in terms of his his oneness (there is none like him), his threeness (he is three), and his character (what he is like).

Transition: All this would be unknown to us had God not revealed his glory to us. So this week we want to discuss the displays of God’s glory. God is intent on glorifying himself in everything.

Body

1. Visible Displays.

1.1 Throughout Scripture God displays something of his magnificent worth visually, usually to emphasize his presence with his people. We’ll look at three separate displays of God’s glory in the OT. I want you to look for two things as we read these texts: notice how the glory of God displays itself and how people who see it respond.

1.2 Displays of God’s glory during the Exodus

1.2.1 Exodus 16.10 – And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

1.2.2 Exodus 24.15-18 – Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.

1.2.3 Exodus 34.5-8 – Moses said, “Please show me your glory” (33.18). He wanted a visible demonstration of the glory of God. ¹⁹And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name, ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. ²⁰But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” ²¹And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, ²²and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen” (33.19-23). ⁵The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. ⁶The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, ⁷keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.” ⁸And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. (34.5-8).

1.2.4 Exodus 40.34-35 – Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

1.2.4.1 Similar events at the opening of the Temple: 2 Chronicles 7.1-3 – As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

1.3 Display of God’s glory to Isaiah. Isaiah 6.1-5 – In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

1.4 Display of God’s glory to Ezekiel. Ezekiel 1.26-28 – Above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness all around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

1.5 Argumentation: It is as if God takes a slice of time and space to display visually something of his glory. And when he does, it manifests itself in clouds and smoke and brightness and fire! In this sense we can refer to the glory of God as “the rainbow-like display of God’s manifold perfections.”

1.6 Application: Some want God to prove himself by showing up right here, right now. They reason, “If God appeared to people back in the Bible, I have a right to see him, too. He owes me that much!” This fails to consider that appearances like these were hundreds of years apart from one another and that many people in the Bible never saw visions like these. This line of thinking ends up betraying our own arrogance. A God like this—one whose very appearance forces us to our faces—is not one that can be manipulated or cornered into obedience. He owes us nothing; the fact that a God this great would show himself at all is an act of grace.

Transition: A second category emerges that is closely related to his visual displays.

2. His Creation.

2.1 Why a separate category?

2.1.1 The visible displays of his glory we just talked about were direct pointers, indicating what God is in himself, such that Moses, an Israelite, Isaiah, or Ezekiel could point to one of those displays and say truly, “There is God,” or “I saw the Lord.”

2.1.2 This category is similar in that we’re talking about a display of God’s glory that is visible (i.e., we can see creation). But it is quite different in that we cannot point to the creation and say truly, “There is God.”

2.1.3 In other words, the first point describes God’s visible displays of what he is like, while this point describes God’s visible displays of what he can do. It’s the difference between essence and activity.

2.1.4 What I’m describing is the difference between Christian theism and pantheism (the idea that all is God).

2.1.5 Illustration: We often sing, “In the rustling grass I hear him pass; he speaks to me everywhere.” But what do we mean? Is the wind that rustles the grass God? No. When we say that he speaks to me everywhere, does that mean that the chirping birds and crashing waves are the voice of God? No. To say Yes would be pantheist. (Frankly because of the possible error of interpretation, it may be best not to sing this stanza!) What (I think) the hymnwriter meant was that the works of God in creation testify to the Person who created it. The creation is not the Creator, but teaches us about him and leads us to him.

2.2 Biblical evidence

2.2.1 Isaiah 6.3 – And one called to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

2.2.2 Psalm 19.1 – The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

2.2.3 Psalm 97.6 – The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.

2.2.4 Isaiah 43.6-7 – “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

2.2.5 But isn’t that a reference only to the people of God? Cp. Ex 9.16 – [The Lord said to Pharaoh,] “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

2.2.6 Romans 1.18-20 – For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (For a helpful list of attributes of God that can be known through creation, cf. Doran, Johnson, and Eckman, For the Sake of His Name [Allen Park, MI: SGI, 2002], 201.)

2.3 Application: God is showing us something about himself through everything that he has made, from the vast expanse of stars that we see on a clear, moonless night, to the person sitting next to you on the bus, who herself is made in the image of God. His intention is for us to look around us—to look at all that he has made—and to learn truth about himself, indeed, to see his glory!

Transition: If all we had were visual displays, however, we would be left to our own interpretation as to what God really is like.

3. Verbal Displays

3.1 Scriptural Basis

3.1.1 Exodus 33.18-19 – Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name, ‘The Lord.’”

3.1.2 Exodus 33.5-6 – The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”

3.1.3 After the Decalogue was given: Deuteronomy 5.24 – Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the first. This day we have seen God speak with man and man still live.

3.2 Argumentation: “Even unfallen Adam needed to hear God’s direct speech that supplemented and interpreted God’s revelation in nature. He didn’t need to figure everything out for himself; in many cases that would have taken a long time or indeed been impossible for the finite mind. So, as God’s faithful covenant servant, Adam accepted this help gratefully. He accepted God’s interpretation of the world until he made the tragic decision to accept Satan’s interpretation instead. But after the fall, at least two other reasons for special divine speech entered the picture. One was man’s need of a saving promise, a promise that could never be deduced from natural revelation alone. The other reason was to correct our sinful misinterpretations of natural revelation. Romans 1:21-32 shows what people do with natural revelation when left with no other word from God. They repress it, disobey it, exchange it for a lie, disvalue it, and honor those who rebel against it. Thus, God has given us Scripture, or “special revelation,” both to supplement natural revelation (by adding to it the message of salvation) and to correct our misuses of natural revelation. As Calvin said, the Christian should look at nature with the ‘spectacles of Scripture.’ If even unfallen Adam needed to interpret the world according to God’s verbal utterance, how much more do we!” (Frame, Apologetics to the Glory of God [Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 1994], 22-23).

Transition: As spectacular and gracious as the displays of his glory visibly, through creation, and through his words, none compares to the display of his glory that we read about in 2 Corinthians 4.6.

4. Personal Display.

4.1 In Christ.

4.1.1 2 Corinthians 4.6 – 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. You don’t know the glory of God apart from Christ. Jesus is the climactic display of the glory of God (cp. Heb 1.3).

4.1.2 Predicted: Isaiah 40.5 – And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

4.1.3 Incarnation: John 1.14 – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

4.1.4 Earthly ministry: John 2.11 – This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. But not merely in his acts of kindness for the poor and socially outcast.

4.1.5 Crucifixion of Christ: John 13.31-32 – When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.” John 17.1 – When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you” (cp. Philippians 2.5-11).

4.1.6 Why is it crucial for God’s glory to be displayed through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ? Because it is the means by which he is glorifying himself through a host of people who are in Christ.

4.2 In us through the gospel.

4.2.1 Romans 9.23 – to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy.

4.2.2 Ephesians 1.6, 12, 14 – to the praise of his glorious grace. Today’s choir anthem (“To the Praise of His Glorious Grace”) wasn’t just another nice truth to line up with all the other biblical truths you’ve learned. It is the point of the gospel—to take a people who should display God’s glory through his eternal and just condemnation of us and make us a people who display God’s glorious grace.

Conclusion

Illustration of the Mayflower Pilgrims writing back to England. So I would say with Job, Behold, these are but the outskirts [i.e., fringes, borders] of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand? (26.14).

From one end of Scripture to another—from one end of time to the other—God is determined to make his glory known. Hk 2.14 – For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. You will glorify God forever; you exist for his glory, and God will not fail to get glory from your existence forever.

10/3 Sermon Notes

2010-10-12T09:34:00.003-04:00

The Glory of God

Objective Reality: His Nature

Notes available as a pdf.

Introduction

Please turn to the first page of the Christian Bible, to the first chapter of the first book, a book entitled Genesis. For those of you unfamiliar with the Christian Bible, you might expect that the first book/segment of the Scriptures would be all about beginnings. And you would be right; thus the name Genesis. I’d like to begin this morning’s talk with the first four words of the Bible: In the beginning God. Now the rest of the sentence tells us what this God did in the beginning, but I stop our reading here to offer a simple observation: the author does not begin by explaining who this God is or even by defending that he exists. He merely asserts, In the beginning God.

For us who are Christians, this is no surprise. But for those of you who question the existence of God or who have come this morning seeking answers about the God of the Bible, this may seem unscientific or arrogant or obscurantist. “Don’t simply tell me that he did this, that, or the other without some proof or reasoning or empirical data to support your claim.” But if you keep reading the Scriptures beyond the first four words, you’ll find that the book—not just Genesis, but the entire Bible—is the progressive unfolding of this God. You may be familiar with stories here and there: Noah and the ark, David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion’s den. But in reality the Bible is one story with one plotline and one main Character. The other stories point to the great Story, and the other characters direct our attention to the real Actor. The Bible is all about God.

In fact, not only is the Bible all about God, but everything that exists is all about God. Turn please to the second half of the Christian Scriptures, to the New Testament letter to the Romans, chapter 11 (pg. 764). At the end of a long, complex argument, the apostle Paul breaks forth in doxology: ³³Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ³⁴“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” ³⁵“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” ³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Everything is from him, everything exists through him, and ultimately everything will go back to him—thus the glory is his forever. Everything exists for the glory of God. It is the supreme reality of life. And if you regard the glory of God to be practically irrelevant to your life, you will never understand your life at all.

So then what must we do? We need to go back and study the glory of God. We could spend the rest of our lives seeking to understand his glory. In fact we should! What I’d like to do over the next four Sundays, however, is devote our attention as a congregation to the subject The Glory of God.

So let’s start right here with that word glory. Glory is not something that starts with us and goes to him; it is first and foremost something that is inherent in God himself. The meaning of dbk = heavy (as in fat [Eli in 1 Sa 4.18], riches [Abram in Ge 13.2], or the liver [Ex 29.13]). Thus we could say for starters that the glory of God refers to his weightiness, his massiveness, his heaviness.

Transition: What makes God weighty? What is it about his nature that makes him massive? This morning I’d like to explore three qualities of God that make him heavy.

Body

1. Oneness. His uniqueness.

1.1 Proven through creation.

1.1.1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1.1).

1.1.2 The God of the Bible is not a local deity; he asserts his authority over the entire universe. He created, and there is no one like him.

1.2 Proven through the exodus (p. 41).

1.2.1 [The Lord said to Moses,] “Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians’” (Exo 6.6-7)

1.2.2 [The Lord said to Moses,] “Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them” (Exo 7.4-5).

1.2.3 The first plague: water to blood (Exo 7.17).

1.2.4 The second plague: frogs (Exo 8.10).

1.2.5 The third plague: gnats (Exo 8.18-19).

1.2.6 The fourth plague: flies (Exo 8.21b-22).

1.2.7 The seventh plague: hail (Exo 9.14-16, 29).

1.2.8 The eighth plague: locusts (Exo 10.1-2).

1.2.9 The tenth plague: death of the firstborn (Exo 12.12).

1.2.10 The exodus itself. [The Lord said to Moses,] I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord” (Exo 14.4). Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses (Exo 14.30-31). And so they sang, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exo 15.11).

1.3 Proven through the prophet Isaiah (p. 485).

1.3.1 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust (Isa 40.12-15).

1.3.2 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? . . . Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness (Isa 40.18, 21-23).

1.3.3 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing (Isa 40.25-26).

1.3.4 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols (Isa 42.8).

1.4 The fundamental meaning of God’s glory = his uniqueness.

Transition: At this point the God of which I am speaking sounds little different from the God of the Jew or the Muslim. This is precisely where the Scriptures inform us more about the One True God—and where the distinctions begin to emerge.

2. Threeness. His Triunity.

2.1 The Son.

2.1.1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Heb 1.1-3, p. 804).

o radiance = lit. brightness, either active (inherent) or passive (reflected).

o Because of the phrase in v. 3b, it’s best to take it as passive: Christ perfectly reflects the glory of God the Father.

2.1.2 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed (Jn 17.5).

2.2 The Spirit.

2.2.1 And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Gen 1.2).

2.2.2 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? (Isa 40.13).

2.2.3 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor 3.18).

o Edwards, Unpublished Essay on the Trinity.

3. Character. His perfections.

3.1 Expressed in his name.

3.1.1 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Ex 3.14, p. 39).

3.1.2 Yahweh, the covenant name of God: he is independent and immutable.

3.2 Expressed in his attributes.

3.2.1 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exo 33.18-19, p. 62).

3.2.2 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “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 will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped (Exo 33.5-8).

Conclusion/Preparation for Communion

How then may we come to this table? How may we commune with the Unique, Triune, Impeccable God? We who have sinned! We who continue to fall short of his glory! Where does our confidence come from, that we might approach God at this table and not be among those guilty whom the Lord will by no means clear? Our confidence comes in Christ alone. He has lived the life we could not live, he has died the death we deserve, he lives again to intercede for us, so that we may enjoy fellowship with the One True God.

A Scholarly Dialogue: The Book of Isaiah in Jewish and Christian Tradition

2010-09-30T09:38:00.003-04:00

If you're looking for something to do tonight, you might want to head to Trinity Baptist Church (map) for a conversation tonight concerning the book of Isaiah as understood by Jews and Christians. Two scholars will be flown in for the event:

Dr. Richard Averbeck, Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages and Director of the PhD Program in Theological Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL.

Dr. Adolfo Roitman, Lizbeth and George Krupp Curator of the Dead Sea ScrollsandDirector of the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

The event begins at 8:00 p.m. and costs $10 per person at the door ($5 for students).

Ezra Resource Available Online

2010-08-20T06:46:00.002-04:00

A few days ago, I was discussing an online review of Phil Brown's Hope Amidst Ruin, and a friend mentioned that he benefited greatly from it in preparation for a sermon on the book. He went on to tell me that Brown's book--his doctoral thesis--is available in its entirety online. You can access it here.

If you're curious, the review that prompted our conversation was written by Jim Hamilton, Associate Professor of Biblical Theology at the Southern Baptist Seminary. Hamilton calls it "the best literary and theological analysis of Ezra available." Since his initial review Hamilton has posted his "notes on what Brown says about plot, point of view, and characterization. Excellent stuff, and the description of Ezra’s theology is even better."

The book is also available for purchase.

Execution of Afghanistan Aid Workers

2010-08-10T09:59:00.004-04:00

In case you hadn't heard, ten Christian aid workers were executed by the Taliban late last week. A friend of mine knew two of the victims. He said that the group had taken all appropriate precautions, but were nevertheless intercepted by the Taliban. You can read more about the tragedy here.

May the Gospel advance in the Afghan people.

A Missionary's Perspective on Immigration

2010-08-04T13:03:00.003-04:00

One of our missionaries, David H., is on furlough in the States this summer and observes the following:

A little time in some churches has given me the impression that some Christians are allowing their feelings and positions on a variety of significant national issues to be forged by conservative TV and radio personalities, rather than the Scriptures.

As a prime example David points to the issue of illegal immigration. After pointing out the missiological opportunities the American church has to reach these people, he concludes:

Instead of seeing this issue as an opportunity to reach lost people, we are forming and fueling strong negative feelings against immigrants by spending more time listening to unregenerate radio personalities than meeting actual people from all over the world, praying for them, and telling them about Jesus.

Shame on us.

Read the whole article here.

"What Can You Do? What?"

2010-07-25T08:06:00.003-04:00

Dan Olinger, one of our elders at Heritage, is leading an eight-week mission trip for college students to East Africa. Yesterday's blog post in part described a slum near Nairobi and, more importantly, provokes Christians to think how we serve people living there.

It’s hard to describe in words what the conditions are like. The surfaces are all dirt; there is no paving, tile, or concrete. There is no electricity or running water. The surfaces of the homes and narrow “sidewalks” are uneven and filled with haphazard trenches, which run with raw sewage and water runoff from cleaning. The stench is astonishing. The homes are occasionally concrete block or mud but more often corrugated metal, wood slats, or just open. There’s rarely enough room to walk two abreast through the alleys. Chickens and dogs wander freely. Occasionally footing is pretty tricky; at one point the only bridge across a wide trench running with sewage is a truck bumper, for which we are grateful. In one alley we pass a table covered with large and relatively aged fish heads, adding to the olfactory complexity of the experience. Children are everywhere, sitting, playing, staring.

KIbera is allegedly the largest slum in Africa. (Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg, fights it for first place.) The thing that’s really hard to fathom is that people generally live here voluntarily. These and other major slums of the world--in Mexico City, Cairo, Shanghai--are the products of urbanization, mass migrations of people from rural areas into the cities to find work. Living decently in the cities is much more expensive than in the country, of course, so workers squat in these dense areas, not designed for human populations, free of sanitation and thus overwhelmingly dangerous to life and health. Many of the residents put on nice clothes every weekday and go to work in offices in the city; if you saw them on the sidewalk, you’d have no idea they live in the slum. They make a good wage and send the extra money back to their families in the country. It all seems so unnecessary.

Where do you start in ministering to these people? Do you open clinics, trying to hold back the cholera and dysentery and mortal dehydration, knowing from the beginning that you will be overwhelmed by the waves of human suffering? Do you install toilets? Connected to what sewer system? Do you want to make living here more comfortable, thereby encouraging a larger influx, which will just overwhelm whatever system you can cram into these few acres? Do you just preach the gospel, hoping to get them into the family of God seconds before the dysentery gets them? Can you minister for months, years in the midst of this place and not, like Jesus, be moved with compassion, moved to act in powerful and effective ways to alleviate their suffering?

What can you do? What?

It’s wrenching.

Read the whole thing here.

Oracles for Today

2010-07-22T08:59:00.002-04:00

I read the oracles of Isaiah 13ff. this morning and was wondering why there are no words from the Lord like these today. Certainly the nations of the earth are no less violent or unjust. Does our age—or, for that matter, the ages from the close of the OT canon until now—not need a specific word from the Lord about the destinies of individual nations? It seems that this could even become a criticism of the OT, of the Scriptures, of the Lord himself. “If there were a God,” a skeptic may ask, “and if the Bible were his book, whence the revelation today? Why are there no contemporary oracles against, say, North Korea, Morocco, Iran, Liberia, or the United States?”

I am persuaded, though, that this criticism arises from a heart that believes God is obligated to speak in every age the same way as he did in a previous one. If we ask about such oracles in our day, we must wonder too about the lack of similar words before the time of the OT prophets. And yet the presence of God—more specifically, the word of God—in that era is unquestionable. The forms may change, but the activity of God does not.

Actually this criticism should be turned on its head. Far from contributing evidence to the Scripture’s lack of integrity, OT oracles prove that when God speaks—even when he speaks words of judgment—his words are full of grace. He is not obligated to communicate to Moab, Damascus, or Assyria. Yet he opens his mouth, as it were, and communicates truth so that people will turn from their sin and look in faith to him. And in precisely this way there is no difference between the specific oracles to the nations of old and the general call of faith and repentance to our contemporary age. All these words are words of his grace, meant to awaken sinners to the living God: the aroma of life to life for those who believe, but the aroma of death to death for those who will not.

Hope for Alyssa

2010-06-08T08:27:00.003-04:00

Here's a great way to buy some good music and support a worthy cause.

Over the past three months Jon and I have been working hard on a fundraiser for our friends, Josh and Alyssa Stolvoort. Alyssa has been bravely battling brain cancer since November 2008 and has gone through three surgeries, chemo, radiation, and many types of therapy.

I have recorded a CD of songs that are filled with HOPE. These songs are close to the hearts of Josh and Alyssa as well our own. The Stolvoorts live in HOPE every day despite Alyssa's medical condition because they have the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

We want to share this HOPE with everyone we know, so we are making the CD's available for purchase online. All proceeds from sales will be given to Josh and Alyssa towards Alyssa's medical expenses. We greatly appreciate any contribution that you can make to this special cause.

Thank you so much,

Jon & Kelly Hubbard

The songs featured on the CD will be familiar to most of you. Here's a list of the tracks:

Introductory word from Alyssa
In Christ Alone
O Great God
Complete in Thee
Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Give Me Jesus
I Will Glory in My Redeemer
Mercies Anew
Speak, O Lord
The Gospel Song
O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

The song texts are rich, and the arrangements are beautifully simple: a single female vocal accompanied by piano. You can listen online to samples of tracks 4 and 8. The CD costs just $12 plus shipping and handling.

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Place an order here.

Read Alyssa's story here.

Olinger Reviews My Book

2010-05-21T13:48:00.003-04:00

Dan Olinger, one of Heritage's elders and the Chairperson of the Division of Bible at BJU, reviewed my book today for our church's blog. Dan has read my book more times than anyone else ever will, myself included. He was a reader on my dissertation committee and then served as editor for publication. I think he's read it nine times!

You can read Dan's review here.

Moving to NYC?

2010-04-11T12:28:00.003-04:00

I shared with the Heritage congregation today how the Lord has been directing in the lives of my family. Below is the text of what I read (more or less).

-----

Thank you for your prayers and concern for my health. It’s been six weeks now since I had surgery to remove a liter of fluid from my heart. Every week I feel a little bit better, so much so that right now I feel as well as I have in two years. God has been most merciful to me and my family.

When I went into surgery, Kimberly and I walked up to the hospital with our arms around one another’s waists. I told her that I had a strong sense that this was not my time, that I would survive surgery, survive this whole incident, that it wasn’t time for me to go. I had been hesitant to tell her that because, of course, I could have been wrong! To my surprise Kimberly said the same thing to me. As a matter of fact, we had a stronger sense that this was not my time than when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. Of course, we confessed that we didn’t know the future and that, if this were my time, God would be doing what was good and right. Nevertheless that sense remained.

I think I can tell you why, humanly speaking, the Spirit had given us this sense. It is becoming increasingly likely that the Lord is preparing to uproot my family from Heritage and plant us in another congregation. We sensed that this was not the time because we believe God still has glory to get from our little lives.

This whole process started over a year ago when I had lunch with Mark Dever in D.C. He told me about this church, and that got the ball rolling. After securing Danny’s permission last March, I began to correspond with the search committee. That led to a first visit for Kimberly and me back in September, then a second in November and a third in January. Later this morning, the church will have a congregational meeting during which they will announce their intention to call for a vote re: my candidacy. It looks like our whole family will make one last trip (the first for the girls) on the weekend of April 25. Then the church will vote May 16. As you can tell, this is not a “done deal” yet, but we thought it wise to announce this today with the other church.

Let me tell you a little bit about the church where I am candidating. It is the First Baptist Church of New York City. It is one of the oldest congregations in the country, actually a bit older than our country at almost 250 years old. The first pastor served during the American War for Independence as George Washington’s chaplain. The church’s building is located in Manhattan on the Upper West Side at the corner of 79^th and Broadway, two blocks from the American Museum of Natural History, three blocks from Central Park, and about twenty blocks from the Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, and the Met. There is a subway stop literally at the front steps of the building. The building itself has a capacity roughly equivalent to our sanctuary, but there are currently only about 120 members of the church. God has graciously preserved this congregation’s fidelity to Scriptures and desire to see Christ honored. We view it as an awesome opportunity to revitalize an urban ministry

The most unusual thing about this process has been the potential for a double transition, with both Eric and me moving on. Neither of us planned this. Frankly, the process with NYC has moved very deliberately, so much so that the elders have been preparing for this announcement this since the Elder Retreat in September. We all thought that today would have come a while back. (Of course, given my health issues, we can see why God kept the process moving slowly.) We can really say nothing more than that the timing was the Lord’s. Christ is the head of the Church, and it appears that he intends for Heritage to endure two pastoral transitions at once.

[Note: This actually points to an uncommon work of grace in our church, namely, the relatively long pastoral tenures that God has blessed us with. Danny has been here 18 years, Sandy for 13, and Warren forever. That is unusual—a gift from the Lord. Some churches always have a pastoral opening, but that (thankfully!) hasn’t been the case here.]

The most difficult thing about this has been the prospect of moving on from Heritage. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been here almost a decade now. And even though we’re not leaving yet, it appears that by the end of the summer God will have repositioned us. Over the past year Kimberly and I have shared many tears at the thought of leaving Heritage. You have welcomed us into your lives. You have borne with me as I learned to serve as a pastor, first as Pastor of YYAD, then as PMV. And most significantly you cared for me and my family through the darkest moments of our relatively brief lives. Heritage is much more to us than a building or an order of worship or great preaching. Heritage has been our home; you have been our family. We love you.

I would do well to implement this chart

2010-03-26T11:22:00.002-04:00

How to tackle your inbox:

HT: Lifehacker

Pushing Kids to Do What We Do Not

2010-03-25T16:38:00.002-04:00

Here's a convicting post for parents, a fictional first-person narrative in which a dad impresses upon his daughter the need to memorize Scripture. Her need, that is.

Read the Introduction to "Assurance of Salvation"

2010-03-23T16:15:00.002-04:00

To give you a taste of my new book, Assurance of Salvation: Implications of a New Testament Theology of Hope, here are the first three paragraphs from the introduction:

For millennia, thinking people have wrangled with the problem of human existence. The primary areas of discussion concern humanity's origin (summarized in the question, "Where did we come from?"), purpose ("Why are we here?"), and destiny ("What happens after death?"). Philosophers of every culture, language, and era have applied their minds to solve these fundamental riddles of life. This unending search for satisfying answers should not surprise Christians, since God has told them that "he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end" (Ec 3:11, ESV). So the greatest human thinkers continue to apply their finite minds to the task of understanding the eternal that God has set in their hearts.

Fortunately for the Christian, God has answered these and many other questions through His revelation of Himself in Scripture. From the first pages of the Bible, the believer learns that the origin of humanity is God Himself: "God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness'" (Ge 1:26, ESV). Scripture also teaches the believer what the purpose of his existence is: "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Co 10:31, ESV; cf. Co 1:16; Re 4:11). Scripture asserts, however, that humanity cannot fulfill its purpose because of its sin (Ro 3:23). What one does with the problem of sin, the Bible teaches, determines his destiny. If one goes on in his sin, he will face death, but if he turns from his sin, he will enjoy eternal life (Ro 6:23). John the Apostle summarizes the two possible destinies for all people: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (Jo 3:36, ESV).

Since Christians have God's Word on these matters, one might conclude that there would follow a strong sense of confidence concerning humanity's origin, purpose, and destiny. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, especially in the matter of human destiny. That is not to say all believers are in full agreement on the other two issues. Concerning human origin, professing believers hold a variety of views. Nevertheless all agree in principle that life begins with God. Concerning the purpose of humanity, few Christians would disagree with the truth that the purpose of life is to glorify God. Scores of Christians, however, lack assurance regarding the third issue, the matter of their own destiny. They might agree with the biblical truths concerning Christ's efficacious atonement for the sins of His people and His justifying work for those who believe. But on the heels of these truths follows a nagging sense of doubt. "These things are true, but are they true for me? Am I completely sure that my destiny is an eternity with God?" In other words, the difficulty for these people lies not in the area of objective truth, but in the area of subjective assurance of the objective truth. This lack of assurance gives birth to years of doubt and spiritual affliction for many believers.

You can continue reading the introduction online. The following pdfs are available:

Hope to see you at tomorrow's signing!

PCRT Returns to Greenville

2010-03-22T13:47:00.003-04:00

The Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology returns to Greenville next month. Last year's gathering was a tremendous blessing, and this year should prove to be another wonderful time of instruction, fellowship, and worship.

This year's slate of speakers includes:

Joel Beeke, President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI. He has authored many books and recently spoke at commencement for Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville.
Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary in Escondido, CA. He is editor-in-chief of Modern Reformation, a bi-monthly magazine.
Cornel Venema, President and Professor of Doctrinal Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, IN.
J. Ligon Duncan, Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, MS, and a native of Greenville.
Rick Phillips, Senior Minister of the host church, Second Presbyterian Church in downtown Greenville.

This year's topic is These Last Days: A Christian View of History. From the brochure:

How do we biblically understand our time as the final age of world history and what does it mean to our faith? This is the question that will be taken up by our 39th meeting of the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology. Reformed Christians have often shunned the field of eschatology, surrendering end times doctrine to more popular (but less biblical) schemes. But eschatology is important! Paul describes the fulfillment of history as "our blessed hope" (Titus 2:13), a hope made real to us now through our faith. It was their Christian doctrine of history that thrilled the first Christian disciples: they realized that with the coming of the "last days" they had entered into the reign of the eschatological kingdom that dawned with the coming of Christ. Our faith will likewise be strengthened by a biblical view of eschatology and a right understanding of what it means to live in "this present evil age" (Gal. 1:4) by means of the "powers of the age to come" (Heb. 6:5).

The conference begins Friday, April 16 at 6:00 p.m. and runs through the day Saturday. It concludes with the Sunday worship services at Second Presbyterian Church. The cost is $125; registering with a group of 5 or more lowers the price to $95.

You can register online here.

More Book Signing Info

2010-03-22T10:48:00.002-04:00

A few things I've learned about Wednesday's book signing:

As you know, the signing itself will be over lunch, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
The book will be available at a 30% discount. That brings the price to $16.07 plus tax.
That price is good all day Wednesday at the BJU Campus Store. It opens at 8:30 a.m. and after the 7:00 p.m. service on campus.

In addition to BJU Press and Amazon, you can order copies online through the Campus Store. I'm not sure you can get the discounted price on Wednesday through the website, but it's probably worth a try.

Book Signing on Wednesday

2010-03-21T07:30:00.004-04:00

I'll be signing copies of my new book, Assurance of Salvation: Implications of a New Testament Theology of Hope, at the BJU Campus Store (map | #10 on campus map). I'll be there this Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. I think there will be a discount on the day of the signing. Hope you can stop by and say Hello.

Can't make it to the signing? You can order a copy online (BJU Press | Amazon).

The Campus Store has created a FaceBook event. You can RSVP here.

Considerations for Suffering People

2010-03-19T10:05:00.003-04:00

Ed Welch, author, counselor, and CCEF faculty member, posted a very helpful article entitled, "More Things Not to Say to Those Who are Suffering." If you are interested in knowing how to serve suffering friends and church members with your deeds and words, I recommend that you give attention to his comments. (Frankly I would commend any of Welch's writings to you.)

I would like to draw attention to one point of disagreement. My quibble is not with Welch, per se, as you will see. I simply want to encourage sufferers to consider how they endure hardship.

Welch describes how, over the years, he has heard from many sufferers. Through those conversations he developed a list of helpful and unhelpful things that sufferers had heard from would-be comforters. Then he writes:

Here is something that I have heard a number of times on the “Not Helpful” list. I have heard it often enough that it deserves to become part of our body of pastoral wisdom.
“If you need anything, please call me—anytime.”

Suffers are usually gracious and give us a lot of slack for thoughtless remarks, so I was surprised when this became a theme. Those who mentioned it didn’t say that the comment was meaningless to them, though it was. They said that it was actually unhelpful. Why? I usually don’t ask that question, but I can piece together some of the answers.

If “comforters” knew anything about real hardship, they would know that sufferers usually don’t know what they want or need.
If comforters knew anything about the sufferer, they would know what the sufferer wants or needs.
If comforters really knew the sufferer, they would know that he or she would never make the call. Never.

The comment is the equivalent of “ta ta, see you later,” “luv ya, call me sometime,” or some other mindless goodbye. The speaker is not giving any real thought to the comforter’s needs and circumstances, and the suffering person knows it.

So don’t say “If you need anything, please call me—anytime.” to anyone. Let’s put it to rest and never let it appear on another “Not Helpful” list.

I mildly disagree with the frequent objection to the comment, "If you need me, call me--anytime." When I was going through chemotherapy and radiation, I heard it countless times. And sure it may seem the equivalent of "a mindless goodbye." But it seems at least a step better than that. The comforter could simply end what to him/her is already an awkward conversation by actually verbalizing, "Well, bye," and then walking out. Thankfully that never happened to me. But if it did, I wouldn't put that on the same level as "If you need me, call." The latter is at least an attempt to serve or care; the former is not.

Furthermore I think the sufferer needs to be careful about thinking things like, "if they knew hardship they wouldn't ask" or "if they knew me, they wouldn't ask."

Re: hardship, the sufferer must recognize that God is just as sovereign over the other person's relative non-suffering as God is over his/her own suffering. Is it really that person's fault for not knowing hardship like the sufferer does? Does the sufferer even know whether the comforter has experienced hardship? And that perhaps, when the comforter was suffering, he/she had a list of ways that people could help? In short, the sufferer needs to be careful not to assume the position of judge.
Re: relationship, the sufferer must recognize that friendship is a two-way street. Saying "if the comforter knew anything about me" presumes that the other person is the only one responsible for a relationship. That raises a couple of different thoughts. (a) Assuming a larger church like mine, is it really reasonable for the sufferer to expect that everyone would know him/her? The sufferer recognizes that he/she cannot know everyone else, so why should he/she suppose that others know him/her very well? (b) Assuming a smaller church in which everyone is recognizable, the sufferer must consider whether he/she has invested at all in the comforter's life. Again, relationships are a two-way street. They may not know me, but do I really know them? And would--or should--my limited knowledge of them keep me from caring for them?

To sum up, the sufferer needs to recognize that depravity did not depart with the onset of hardship. We are still as prone to self-centered living as in times of comparative ease. Consider God's response to Job. The friends certainly were out of line, chapter 42 unquestionably demonstrates. But Job, the sufferer, didn't suffer sinlessly. Comforters certainly need to take care what they say; to that end Welch's article is tremendous. I would simply encourage sufferers to appreciate even mindless words and view them as tokens of God's favor to give friends who are (if nothing else) well-intentioned.

HT: Andy Naselli

Announcing My First Book: Assurance of Salvation

2010-03-17T18:24:00.002-04:00

I am pleased to announce my first published work, Assurance of Salvation: Implications of a New Testament Theology of Hope.

From the back cover:

How may believers be sure of their salvation?

For centuries, this question has troubled Christians in both the pew and the pulpit. Some believers live for years under a cloud of doubts. Others minister to professing Christians who have complete assurance of salvation but show little fruit of it.

Among theologians, debates rage especially over two general questions: what may Christians be sure of regarding their salvation, and what should make them sure of it? May they be sure of final salvation now, or is assurance possible only about their present state? Should they look only to the promises of God to gain their assurance, or should they also examine their own lives?

To sort through the debate, Matthew Hoskinson begins by exploring historical views of assurance and the major schools of thought among orthodox Protestants today. Then he details what each part of the New Testament teaches about hope, measuring today's positions accordingly. Along the way, he discusses topics such as Lordship Salvation, Reformed and Wesleyan theology, the Second Coming of Christ, and whether assurance is a necessary part of saving faith. The result will clarify how to have--and how to teach how to have--what Hebrews 6:11 calls "the full assurance of hope unto the end."

Over the next few days, I'll post some excerpts from the book, where to purchase it, and (for you who live in Upstate SC) book signing information.

Heritage's New Logo

2010-03-14T19:59:00.002-04:00

Here's what it looks like:

And here's why we did it.

Cancer Journal (10.03.13): Why I Should Have Died . . . Again

2010-03-13T19:31:00.002-05:00

Reflection
Last night we celebrated our middle daughter's turning five years old. Actually her birthday was at the end of February, over two weeks ago. We had originally planned her party for the Friday following her birthday, but we had to cancel. The night of the party, I was in ICU.

Trouble began the second week of February. I began feeling miserable: fever, chills, headaches. Thinking it was just the cold or a flu, I went to my oncologist the day after Valentine's. He prescribed an antibiotic, but it did little to help.

Heritage's Church Planting Conference was the next week. I felt well enough to attend most of the sessions, but it was obvious that I was still quite sick. I went back to see my oncologist the last day of the conference, the 24th, our daughter's birthday. He was puzzled that I was still not well. So he ordered a CT scan of my chest as a precaution, to verify that my cancer hadn't returned. I thought this was a bit unnecessary, since my symptoms were not the same as those that accompanied my cancer. But my doctor hasn't been wrong yet, and I wasn't about to question him.

The next day I went for my CT scan. I felt so miserable that merely sitting in the waiting area was nearly unbearable. I had brought A. W. Pink's The Attributes of God, but had difficulty concentrating. I just wanted to lie down somewhere and sleep.

That night Kimberly and I planned to take our girls out for dinner. The last night of the Church Planting Conference had preempted our family's birthday celebration. We were just about to leave when my phone rang. It was my doctor's office. I quickly deduced that my lab results had come back, but I did not expect to hear my doctor's voice on the other end. (That's not normally a good sign.) He explained that I had fluid on my heart, an unexpected development to be sure. At first he thought I might need to go to the hospital immediately, but after talking with the cardiologist, he determined that I could wait for the morning. But if I had any issues, I was to go to the emergency room right away.

Kimberly and I hugged and cried for some time. A new flood of concern swept over us. Was this related to the cancer? Was this a relapse? Or did I have some kind of heart disease? None of the answers were particularly satisfying.

In God's gracious providence, we have a friend from church, Jeff, who is a physician's assistant for a thoracic surgeon. I gave him a call to ask his opinion. He patiently explained the various methods of draining fluid from the pericardium and graciously offered any help he could.

After a relatively good night's sleep (all things considered), we awoke Friday the 26th, took the kids to school and babysitters, and headed to the cardiologist. My appointment was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. After a brief EKG, the doctor advised an echocardiogram--an ultrasound of the heart. It was after noon by the time the technician completed the echo. When the cardiologist returned, he advised, "The fluid needs to come out, and I think it needs to come out right away." Surprised that I hadn't been fainting, he expressed concern that waiting for Monday or Tuesday would increase the risk that I would begin to pass out.

The cardiologist then explained the two ways of removing the fluid, essentially needle or surgery. The former method he could perform right there in his office. But it would be only a temporary solution; I would have to do it again if the fluid collected again. Surgery was more radical, but it offered a long-term solution. (Jeff had already reviewed these options with us, so we were prepared.) Given my medical history, the doctor advised surgery and we quickly agreed. He asked if I had a preferred surgeon, and I said, "Whoever Jeff works for." The cardiologist knew Jeff and his surgeon, so the wheels were set in motion.

What happened over the next hour is largely fuzzy to me. This much I know: surgeries typically occur in the wee hours of the morning and surgical teams are finished by the early afternoon. Now it was already after one o'clock on a Friday afternoon. How quickly could a surgical team be ready? As someone told me that day, it could be midnight before surgery began.

As Providence would have it, I was under general anesthesia by 3:00 p.m.--and it would have been sooner if there hadn't been a breakdown in communication with the receptionist at the hospital. Like I said, exactly how this happened is a mystery to me. I have a hunch, though, that Jeff pulled a few strings and called in a few favors to get me in.

I awoke some time that evening in ICU. I remember seeing Kimberly and the cardiologist. The latter informed us that the surgeon drained a liter of fluid from my heart. "That much fluid," he said, "was life-threatening." I was in and out for the next few hours, but I distinctly remember Kimberly's next ICU visit. With her were Danny and Kristen Brooks (my pastor and his wife) with Jeff. I don't remember much of what we talked about, but I remember that Danny laid his hands on me and prayed. As I recall, it was the only time I cried that weekend. But cry I did. I think what had happened--especially the proximity of death and the mercy of God--became reality somewhere deep within.

Thankfully I was moved from ICU by noon the next day. That meant Kimberly could stay with me, unhindered by the ICU's visitation guidelines: twenty minutes every two hours. Other friends stopped by to see me. Danny came again with his oldest son Luke. A friend of Kimberly's brought her lunch and chatted for a few minutes. One gentleman, a newcomer to Heritage who lives close to Spartanburg Regional, took it upon himself to rescue us from hospital food. He would pop in, take our order, and come back an hour later with dinner for everyone. We received phone calls, text messages. tweets, and Facebook messages (from many of you!) who shared your love, your concern, your prayers. And it meant the world to us.

While I was recovering in the hospital, our concern focused on the cause of the fluid build-up. The surgeon not only removed the liter of fluid, but also took a piece of the pericardium itself. While he was in there, he snagged a lymph node as well, again a precaution to ensure that the cancer hadn't returned. We waited for the pathology report to come back. It wasn't until Tuesday, the day I was discharged, that we heard the good news: no sign of cancer. And we rejoiced.

Whence then the fluid? Monday afternoon my radiation oncologist, who had been informed of my situation only earlier that day, stopped in to see me. She was almost apologetic. Not at all that she had committed malpractice. But she reminded me that this is one of the risks of radiating the upper register: fluid on the heart. It occurs in less than one percent of such patients--my oncologist hadn't seen it before--but it can happen. And apparently I am one of the less than one percent. Furthermore she explained that what the surgeon did was precisely the right solution, even though there hadn't been time for the surgeon to consult with her. What the surgeon did, she went on, will keep this problem from ever recurring. God be praised!

I am now in the midst of a six-week recovery period. I have a two-inch vertical cut at the base of my sternum that is healing and a less-than-half-inch "stab wound" about an inch southeast of the cut. The possibility of herniating that area means I cannot lift anything more than ten pounds during this period. I'm also finishing up a two-week stretch of not driving. (Good thing I live three doors down from the church!) Most importantly I am supposed to get rest. I can't say I've done a great job of that the last ten days, but I'm learning that my body will stop me if it must.

This whole episode has prompted me to ask Why. Not Why in the sense of "why do I have to suffer?" But Why in the sense of "why aren't I already dead?" Cancer would have killed me before the calendar struck 2009. And in 2010 as the fluid swelled around my heart, every time I breathed in it forced my right ventricle to close almost completely. Had the fluid not been discovered, I would have run in my first 5K just eight days after the surgery. What then? Could my heart have survived that?

The answer to that question is, as one infamously put it, "above my pay-grade." Who knows the myriad purposes God fulfills in a single action? But I do know this: God has allowed me to live. No, God has commanded me to live. I am alive because he is willing it to be so right now. And that means I have the joy and opportunity of glorifying him as long as he gives me breath. May his command to live be accompanied by his grace to follow.

Rejoicing
Because, though sufferings may fill our lives, we're confident we're heirs with Christ--and so we cry, "Abba, Father." How wonderful the Father's love for us!

Because the Church Planting Conference prepared us for surgery--and so much more.

Because God positioned my friend Jeff to serve me and my family--literally to save my life.

Because God gave Jeff, a Buckeye, the grace not to inscribe "OSU" on my chest.

Because the surgeon did what the radiation oncologist would have advised.

Because my friend Brad, as soon as he heard I was going into surgery, immediately drove out to Spartanburg to sit with Kimberly while I was under the knife. Even though he had spent much of the previous day in a hospital in Atlanta to care for a member of his church.

Because my oncologist had been wondering why I haven't bounced back from chemo. He expected me to be back to my usual self (strength, stamina, energy) by now. But the fluid on the heart clarified the matter for him. His hope: that I will feel like myself again after this period of recovering.

Because our middle daughter patiently waited for two weeks to celebrate her fifth birthday. And God graciously satisfied her with a great party, great friends, and great gifts.

Request
That I would finish well. I have as clear a sense as ever that God has left me here--commanded me to be here--on purpose. How I finish is more important than how I start.

That my doctors would see the glory of Christ. I had an incredible opportunity to share the gospel with my oncologist in December. Oh God, open his heart to believe your word!

Letters Along the Way by D. A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge

2010-03-12T12:18:00.003-05:00

I reviewed Letters Along the Way: A Novel of the Christian Life by D. A. Carson and John Woodbridge for the Heritage Bible Church blog today.

My conclusion:

Believers–especially those preparing for or serving in pastoral ministry–will find Letters Along the Way to be an enjoyable way to eavesdrop on a pastoral mentoring relationship and hear the counsel of the godly.

Included with the review is a topical index (pdf) I put together for the book. To find out why Letters needed such an index, you can read my review here.

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Purchase the book here.

The Gospel Coalition has made a pdf of the book available for free here.

"I Agree with Most of What He Wrote"

2010-03-06T07:42:00.003-05:00

Responding to what he describes as Kevin Bauder's "cannon ball in the fundamentalist pool," David Doran offers his assessment of the current state of affairs. Doran, the pastor of Inter-City Baptist Church and president of Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary (both in Allen Park, MI), affirms, "I agree with most of what he wrote. I would imagine that most of what we agree on is recognizable to those who are familiar with this blog."

Rather than delineate areas of agreement, for brevity's sake Doran hones in on one disagreement: "I believe that this discussion is too complicated to make that assertion [i.e., that conservative evangelicals are not new evangelicals] at this point." Doran offers two reasons for his assessment:

It is not very clear what constitutes conservative evangelicalism.
It is not really clear how we are defining new evangelicalism.

Doran concludes this way:

Dr. Bauder is certainly correct in reminding us that these men are not our enemies. We may not agree with one another on important issues, but these disagreements are between brothers. Some disagreements, though, can adversely affect fellowship even among brothers.

As with Bauder's article, Doran writes with gravitas, grace, and accuracy. I highly commend the whole thing to you (here).

"Historic, Mainstream Fundamentalism Has More in Common with Conservative Evangelicals Than It Does with Many who Wear the Fundamentalist Label"

2010-03-05T19:16:00.003-05:00

In today's "In the Nick of Time," Kevin Bauder articulates an understanding of conservative evangelicals that one rarely hears from a fundamentalist leader. Dr. Bauder is the president of Central Baptist Seminary in Minneapolis, MN. Despite the controversy that he will most certainly face for this article, I am grateful to hear someone of his stature say what so many in my generation have been thinking--and with far more gravitas, grace, and accuracy than my peers and I possess.

Here are the concluding four paragraphs:

Conservative evangelicals are not our enemies. They are not our opponents. Conservative evangelicals have proven themselves to be allies and even leaders in the defense of the faith.

If we attack conservative evangelicals, then we attack the defense of the faith. We attack indirectly the thing that we hold most dear, namely, the gospel itself, for that is what they are defending. We should not wish these brothers to falter or to grow feeble, but rather to flourish. We must do nothing to weaken their hand in the face of the enemies of the gospel.

If we believe that we must respond to conservative evangelicalism, then let us begin by addressing the areas in which they have exposed our weakness. Let us refocus our attention upon the exaltation of God. Let us exalt, apply, and defend the gospel in all its fullness. If we were more like what we ought to be, perhaps we would feel less threatened by those whose exploits attract the attention of our followers.

Whatever our differences, I thank God for John Piper. I thank God for Mark Dever. I thank God for John MacArthur. I thank God for D. A. Carson. I thank God for a coalition of Christian leaders who have directed our focus to the centrality of the gospel and the exaltation of God. May their defense of the biblical faith prosper.

Read the whole thing here.