Wow.

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

I wish my puny mind was capable of even thinking about the Lord in such clear, beautiful terms. Somehow I am reminded of the haunting melodies of the Anglo-Genevan Psalter lofting beautifully to God.

Blest be the LORD for

Wow.

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

I wish my puny mind was capable of even thinking about the Lord in such clear, beautiful terms. Somehow I am reminded of the haunting melodies of the Anglo-Genevan Psalter lofting beautifully to God.

Blest be the LORD

Wow.

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

I wish my puny mind was capable of even thinking about the Lord in such clear, beautiful terms. Somehow I am reminded of the haunting melodies of the Anglo-Genevan Psalter lofting beautifully to God.

Blest be

Wow.

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

I wish my puny mind was capable of even thinking about the Lord in such clear, beautiful terms. Somehow I am reminded of the haunting melodies of the Anglo-Genevan Psalter lofting beautifully to God.

Blest

Call me "El Monergismo."

"The difference between them [universal/"unlimited" atonement and definate/"limited" atonement] is not primarily one of emphasis, but ofcontent. One proclaims a God who saves; the other speaks of a God Whoenables man to save himself . . .. One regards faith as part of God'sgift of salvation, the other as man's own contribution to salvation; onegives all the glory of saving believers to God, the other divides thepraise between God, Who, so to speak, built the machinery of salvation,and man, who by believing operated it'" ( J.I. Packer, Introduction to John Owen's The Death of Death, p. 4, parenthesis mine).

Amen.

Let no one say that Calvinists believe in a God who is "monstrous." In Christ's death God gave himself fully. God didn't wait for me to believe, that'd be impossible because I was dead to sin. God saved me fully, and He get's all the glory. This is why I'm a Calvinist and ever shall remain one. 100% Biblically certified Monergist.

"Our countless misdeeds and transgressions."

Q: From where do you know your sins and misery?

A: From the Law of God.

-The Heidelberg Catechism

It's been a long time since I worked to committ the catechism to memory but I never forgotten this Q&A and never will. This is because it's very true. I remember being in church, Sunday after Sunday hearing the Ten Commandments being read while the Spirit is using the words to violently chisel away all the excuses I made for the sins I committed during the past week. I can honestly say that I felt naked and helpless, knowing that I was totally unable to please God. This is hardly a pleasant memory.

Did I, however, leave church feeling this way? No. Why? Because immediatly after the Ten Commandments (or Ten Words as they're more appropriately called) the Minister opened his Bible and read a few passages of scripture highlighting the fact that those who are in Christ are forgiven. They must look to Him and find themselves in Him to understand this forgiveness.

This is my point: that one can't look at their sins and misery without looking to Christ. Perhaps looking to our sins is sometimes healthy, it keeps me honest that's for sure. But if you're going to think about our sins let's look to Christ as well with the understanding that Jesus is yours and you are His.

60. Q. How are you righteous before God?

A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.[1] Although my conscience accuses me that I have grievously sinned against all God's commandments, have never kept any of them,[2] and am still inclined to all evil,[3] yet God, without any merit of my own,[4] out of mere grace,[5] imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ.[6] He grants these to me as if I had never had nor committed any sin, and as if I myself had accomplished all the obedience which Christ has rendered for me,[7] if only I accept this gift with a believing heart.[8]

[1] Rom. 3:21-28; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8, 9; Phil. 3:8-11. [2] Rom. 3:9, 10. [3] Rom. 7:23. [4] Deut. 9:6; Ezek. 36:22; Tit. 3:4, 5. [5] Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:8. [6] Rom. 4:3-5; II Cor. 5:17-19; I John 2:1, 2. [7] Rom. 4:24, 25; II Cor. 5:21. [8] John 3:18; Acts 16:30, 31; Rom. 3:22.

That's all I have to say about that. Ay-men.

Orthodoxy vs. Relationships.

It has always seemed to me that really there are only two real critera when people select churches and that depending on who you are you'll elevate one criterion over the other. I am referring of course to Orthodoxy and Relationships.

Orthodoxy: Is the church Biblical? Is the preaching expository? Is the worship reverent? Are there ample opportunites for Christian Education? Does this church adhere to any historical creeds of the church?

Relationships: Are the people friendly? Are there opportunities to get to know people? Who is the pastor? Is the worship people-involving? Is the preaching practical?

It seems like you'll get either orthodoxy or relationships in congregations. Meaning that the people who like to go to churches that excell in orthodoxy avoid churches that excell in relationships like the plauge, and visa versa. I can only guess that this is due to a feeling of being threatened. I love orthodoxy. When I am around "relationship" Chrsitians I feel threatened somehow. I don't like "getting to know people" as do most of my closest friends. I guess "relationship" Christians feel the same way when they come among my church circles. Very doctrinal preaching. Everything is examined. Teaching is very heavy.

This attitude has gotten the church nowhere. This is what has resulted: In the "Orthodox" churches people are sometimes lulled into thinking that right belief is everything. Little action results. In the "relationship" churches people are zealous but not according to knowledge some of the time. Their churches are much more prone to heresy.

What is the solution? I think we ought to get together and talk. I am surrounded by relationship Christians and they've changed me radically. I feel more balanced and well rounded. The fact is we need both. This is the experience of the Acts Church. They had the true Gospel and what resulted? Community. We need eachother.

Amen.

Reflections on Worship-Less is More.

I have attended many types of churches. It seems to me that most people are either drawn to the people-involving worship services of the charismatic Christians or the high, other-worldly liturgical worship of our high-church brethren.

My preference is neither. I don't like distractions in worship. Nothing that would focus my attention on anything other than God and His adoration. When I first came to faith I attended a church that was very "showy" in practice. A full band and chior, drama presentations and testimonies. After a month I began to feel profoundly dissatidfied with this. So I attended an Anglican church for a while. I liked the reverence and awe with which the liturgy was filled. The prayers of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer are undenyably beautiful. But I grew dissatisfied with the ritualism.

When I first attended a Reformed church I was more aware of what wasn't in the worship services than what was. No religious imagery. No choirs. No testimonies. No elaborate music. Almost no congregational partcipation. I found it rather dull and severe.

After attending this Reformed church for a while I began to realize however that there was much congregational partcipation. No, there were no solos or testimonies. No one was ever asked to come forward to read the Scripture. But this isn't what I am talking about. We, as an Assembly of the Church of Jesus Christ were actually listening to God together in the reading and preaching of His word. We were also talking to God together in prayer and song. We were partcipating in worship together. The starkness and simplicty of the character were therefore nessessary to highlight this fact. The purpose of Worship is the exaultation of God. Sharing in people's talents (however wonderful) was viewed as antithetical to worship were we pay attention to God. Wonderfully refreshing. This isn't to say that people's talents are irrelevant to the life of the church, however in worship it's about God and His attributes, not ours. The Reformed churches seek merely to keep the focus where it ought to be, namely on God.

Am I saying that worship must be done in a Calvinistic fashion? No. However I think that this is one of those times where less is more.

What must we do...

I think we all like people who are like us. I am a fairly cerebral person therefore I find it easiest to talk with people who are likewise. It's easiest for me to talk about things that I'm interested in like theology, politics and history, things that aren't really related to "doing" anything. In fact I have to confess that I don't like to talk about practical things usually. In group discussions about theology and scripture as soon as someone says "How do we live this out?" I tune out. I can't help it most of the time. For example, last Saturday I was involved in a discussion about God's absolute control over the hearts and affections of men whom he pushes away from Himself in His own good pleasure for reasons we don't understand save to say that the person who had been pushed away deserved it. No one in the room objected. I was, however, somewhat frustrated when immediately someone wanted to know how they can apply this to their life.

I felt like saying "Is it not enough to be totally moved by God and who He is when talking about this; does everything about our Christian faith have to result in doing something?"

As soon as I heard this i answered my own question. It MUST promt us to do something, namely worship. When I hear about how Jehovah is the uncontestable Ruler of the universe who in his soveriegn grace works out everything for my salvation I must worship in thankfulness. When I hear about God the judge who justly condemns wicked and unrepentant people to hell I must worship in fear and reverence. I must also worship out of gratitude because He has lovingly saved me from this wrath.

Worship is what God is looking for. This is why He has saved you and I (John 4:23-24). Yes, sometimes what we learn about God should motivate us to do something practical. But it MUST ALWAYS motivate me to Worship Him.

Amen.

Friendships

"Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind."
-Simon & Garfunkle

Although I have had some excellent friendships in my life I've never been the most friend-oriented person. In highschool I has a lot of people I'd hang around with but only a few close people who I'd have over to my house and actually talk about personal matters with. Later in life during my post-secondary education I was involved widely in school life but didn't want to spread myself too thin with a harum of friends.

For many summers I have been involved in Summer Camping in a variety of different capacities. Every summer it's the same thing. During Pre-camp (staff training before the kids arrive) someone tells the entire staff that they love everyone in a meeting. Then everyone else agrees and says that they love them. I know better. As soon as those relationships become strained all of the "love" that was once there fades and turns into bitterness. It happens every summer. Moreover I seriously doubt that the "love" people feel for each other is real love at all. It's just feeling good around another person. In my thinking love, sacrifice and selflessness are nearly synonoumous. If this "love" fades so quickly then it's selfish. Once one person can't meet the other's needs or expectations then it's done. This isn't love.

What are loving friendships? Ones where sacrifice is present. I'm not talking about dying for people here. But would you be willing to give something up for your friends? If you had to would you become bitter? Recently people have given things up for me. I know I would willingly give things up for them. This, in my opinion, is a crucial part of friendship because if there's no willingness to sacrifice in a "friendship" then it's a selfish relationship. Either you are being used or you're using someone to make you feel better or some other reason.

Another thing that I feel is important in friendships is embodied in the above quote. I have some people in my life who genuinely ease my mind. Around them I can feel free to act like an idiot. Around them I can make self-deprocating remarks without having to worry about how they'll take it. Around them I can talk about all of the things that confuse me about myself without worrying about freaking them out. I hope that I can people can feel this way around me too. Without feeling this way, friendships are nothing more than pretentious posturing. If I feel the need to be pretentious around someone I typically have to force myself to be around them. If people feel like they need to posture themselves around me then I think that person and I need to chat.

I hope that every one of you have fulfilling friendships.

I had to say something...

Complaining about the Church is sin. Why? The church is the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is joined to Him and it is His Bride. Jesus has bought it with His precious blood. Our Heidelberg Catechism explains the Church this way:

Q: What do you believe concerning the Holy, Catholic Christian Church?

A: I believe that the Son of God,
out of the whole human race,
from the beginning of the world to its end,
gathers, defends, and preserves for Himself,
by His Spirit and Word,
in the unity of the true faith
a church chosen to everlasting life.
And I believe that I am
and forever shall remain
a living member of it.
(Q&A 54)

Clearly the Fathers of the Reformed Faith had a much higher view of the Church than we do today. The HC tells us that the Lord Jesus bought the Church for Himself. He gathers and defends it for Himself. The Church is His holy possession. He owns it. He is, as the Westminster Confession says, its only Universal Head. Interesting thing, Headship, isn't it? Ephesians tells us that Jesus is the Head of the Church the same way a husband is the head of his wife. Any good head would would be upset if you slandered His wife. No one would blame him if that husband went to great lengths to clear his wifes name of the curses you put on it. Is it much different if we're constantly wining about the Bride of Christ?

All of this considered I am surprized when Christians whine about the Church. We hear constantly that it's out of date, that it needs to be less judgemental or that it needs to conform to a list of suggestions all of which have everything to do with personal felt-needs. How selfish. Are you suggesting that the Church abandon it's Two-Thousand year history to meet your needs? Are you suggesting that what the Church has been doing for two millenia is now obsolete because you find it boring?

"Hold on" someone reminds me "we need to follow the Bible, not tradition." That's true. However do you think that your personal needs and thoughts somehow have something on the way the Church has understood the Bible for 2000 years? Moreover you're the one who's suggesting that the Church accomdate you? How is that following the Bible?

But even more specifically we need to think about how we talk about our churches. I confess that the Lord has recently dealt with me on this subject. Sometimes I am uncomfortable with the church I attend simply because it's not what I like in church. I like things a certian way that dosn't happen at the church I attend. But I won't complain anymore. Why? Not because it's perfect but because it belongs to Jesus.

Since Augustine, theologians have called the church the Mother of all Christians. I think that this is a fitting metaphor. We're nourished by her, we're sustained by her and we're loved by her. My Father loves my Mother, and so do I.