Author: Brian

Follower of Jesus, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, and Pastor

Web Weekly

On By BrianIn Idolatry, PASSION Points

It has been a few weeks since I have surveyed some of the best from the web, so here is a compilation of the last few weeks.

Tullian Tchividjian quotes from Sinclair Ferguson with a necessary reminder that our focus must not be on ourselves, not even on our spiritual growth, but rather our focus must be upon Christ – and then we will grow.

If we focus on our our own growth instead of Christ we will either get big heads thinking (falsely) that we have arrived, or we will mope about as we realize how far we have to go.  It is this moping constant guilty feeling that Kevin DeYoung addresses, as he reminds us of our need to cling to the gospel.

There are a number of good articles to read about various spiritual disciplines that help us grow (habits of love), including confession (DeYoung), Scripture memory (John Piper), and church membership (DeYoung again quoting from Jonathan Leeman).

Finally, Crossway gives us a portion of  Tullian Tchividjian’s new book Surprised By Grace.  This portion deals with one of the recurring themes here on this blog – the important issue of idolatry that steals our passion for God.

The Coming of the Spirit 4

On By BrianIn Church Life, God & His Glory

The Spirit comes and not only makes us part of his church, empowering us to minister and witness, but he also dwells among us.  I Corinthians 3:16 remind us that the church is God’s temple where his Spirit dwells.  As we gather together, the Spirit of God is among us.

Do we gather ready to enter his presence?  Are we even aware as we gather that God is with us?  How often are we like a poor host who neglects his guest?

The church is God’s temple where the Spirit dwells.  Temples are places of worship.  Do we gather not only recognizing his presence, but also ready to worship?  To submit our lives to his Word?  To bring our gifts to him?  To bring our cares before his throne?  To praise and honor him with our songs and our hearts?

The Spirit has come and dwells in his church.  As we gather, let us recognize his presence, bow down, and worship.

The Coming of the Spirit 3

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

The Holy Spirit makes us part of the church and empowers us to witness.  He also empowers us for ministry to one another.  We are not just called to serve one another, we are also empowered to do so.

In I Corinthians 12:4-7, Paul tells us that there are various gifts given by the Spirit for the common good of the church.  God empowers us with these gifts to serve one another.

Are we seeking his power as we minister.  Often I think we are tempted to serve in our own power.  Then only natural things happen.  But when God works, supernatural things happen.  Are we seeking God’s power?  Are we asking God to powerfully work through us for the good of his church and for his glory?

We need the Spirit’s empowerment.  May we seek it and serve in his power.

The Coming of the Spirit 2

On By BrianIn Church Life, God & His Glory

In the last post we saw how the Spirit empowers us to witness.  But the Spirit does much more.  In this post we want to see that the Spirit makes us part of his church.  Paul tells us in I Corinthians 12:13 – “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”  When the Spirit comes into our lives at salvation, he baptizes us into the church; he makes us part of the Body of Christ. 

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus foretold the coming of the Spirit, telling the disciples that they would be baptized by the Spirit in a few days.  At Pentecost the Spirit came, and the church was begun.

The Spirit makes us part of the church.  We are no longer on our own.  We are related to Christ and to other Christians.  We are part of one body, one church, one family.  We cannot go it alone, trying to be a lone ranger Christian.  The Spirit has made us part of a family.

Paul goes on to apply this truth in I Corinthians 12.  He tells us that though different, each is important.  And we are to use our differences to serve one another.  We are to care for one another, coming alongside one another in the good times and the bad.

The Spirit made us part of the church, part of a family.  Are we serving and caring for others in our family?  How might we do so this week?

The Coming of the Spirit

On By BrianIn God & His Glory, Habit of Prayer

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus predicts the coming of the Holy Spirit.  He tells the disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).  The Spirit will come with power, and in that power they will witness.

We see this play out in next few chapters of Acts.  In Acts 2, the Spirit comes upon them, empowering them to speak different languages to share the good news with Jews from many nations.  In Acts 4, Peter is filled with the Spirit and boldly witnesses to the same people who had Jesus crucified.  Later in the same chapter, the church prays for boldness to witness, and the Spirit powerfully comes upon them, giving them boldness to declare the gospel.

The Spirit empowers us to witness – giving us boldness and courage.  It is of course also the power of the Spirit that changes lives, making our witness effective.  We need the Spirit’s help to witness.  Do we seek it?  Are we praying for the Spirit to give us boldness.  Are we asking him to change lives?

Examples of Grace 12

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous

I Samuel continues the theme of grace.

Hannah prays for a son.  God graciously gives her one.  How many times have we prayed, and God has granted our request?  We are unworthy, we constantly fail the Lord, yet he answers our prayers.  This is grace.

Throughout the book, we see God’s gracious deliverance.  The Lord delivers Israel from the Philistines.  The Lord delivers David from Saul.  How many times has God delivered us – from sickness, from trials, from danger?  This is grace.

Nabal offends David.  David prepares to take vengeance.  But God uses Abigail to stop him.  He was about to sin, but God kept him from it.  How many times has God kept us from sinning?  Keeping a temptation from us.  Removing a temptation.  Giving us strength to overcome.  This too is grace.

Let us glory in the wonderful grace of God!

The Holy Spirit Humbles Us

On By BrianIn Biography/History, Humility Quotes

Continuing our thoughts on humility, consider these words from Charles Spurgeon:

“One way in which the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ is this – He gives us more and more debasing views of our own selves.  There are two Gods, as it were – one the true, the other the false.  Self first mounts the throne in our hearts; the higher the throne of self is exalted, the lower must Christ go.  Much of self, little of the Savior.  With exalted views of self, self-power, or self-righteousness, then there are sure to be low views of Christ, but when self goes down, then Christ at once rises.  It may be said of self, as John the Baptist once said of Christ and himself, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

“If you have had shallow views of your own natural depravity, then you have had very shallow thoughts of Christ.  If you think sin to be delightful, if Gethsemane and Golgotha and Calvary seem to you to be names without weight or meaning, if you have never groaned under your sin, I do not wonder that you think little of Christ’s groans and griefs and bloody sweat.

“But when you come to know yourself as verily lost and undone, then you will prize your Deliverer.  When the dread word lost has seemed to fall like a death knell upon your ear, then the tidings that the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost will be sweet to you as the Christmas carol of the angels when they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).  If you feel the disease, you will value the Physician; if you know your own emptiness, you will prize Christ’s fullness. But if you reject the teaching of the Holy Spirit, which shows you your utter helplessness and worthlessness, in so doing you have rejected Christ and put far from you that Savior who alone came to save sinners.

“It is, then, a most precious thing when we begin to sink lower and lower in our own estimation.  At the commencement of spiritual life, we believe that we are nothing; as we advance, we find that we are less than nothing.  May the Holy Spirit so work in you!”

(From his sermon, The Spirit’s Office Toward Disciples)

Still Swaggering

On By BrianIn Virtue of Humility

Yesterday I wrote about the swagger wagon commercials and our tendency to swagger despite God’s call to humility.  It struck me a few hours after I wrote the post, that I was swaggering about the post.  I thought pretty highly of myself for coming up with it, especially that last line with the pun (did you notice?).  I even placed a comment on the blog where I found the commercials in hopes that it might send more people to see my post.  How blind can I be?  Swaggering while writing against swaggering.  How sin can blind us to the truth.

“Search me, O God and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  (Psalm 139:23-24)

Swagger Wagon

On By BrianIn Virtue of Humility1 Comment

Toyota has a hilarious series of “swagger wagon” commercials that in their words feature “two self-absorbed parents and the only vehicle that matches their awesomeness.”  The entire series is done tongue-in-cheek, but captures a real attitude in our world today.  While the commercials are funny, what is not so funny is our tendency toward a self-absorbed “look-at-me” attitude.

I remember when I first got my current car (which I have now nick-named the swagger sedan).  When I first drove it, I had a bit of a swagger attitude.  For some it might be a new set of clothes, the newest gadget, or some accomplishment that brings out the swagger attitude.  What is certain is that my swagger sedan after several years no longer has a swagger affect, and if we take an honest look at ourselves, we are not as awesome as we sometimes think.

The Bible calls us to humility.  Humility is not an “I am scum” attitude.  Humility is seeing ourselves rightly.  We are made in God’s image and so of great value.  But we are also sinners, rebels against God.  We are broken, not what we were made to be.  We are far short of awesome.

At the same time, humility calls us to look at ourselves in comparison to God.  God is awesome – the only one who deserves this adjective.  In comparison to him, we are small.  No one can honestly swagger in front of God.  Rather humility calls us to exalt the one who is truly awesome.

Though we are small compared to God and rebels against God, God still loves us.  He came to earth and actually became one of us.  He died on a cross to pay for our sins.  He rose from the dead to remake us into the people we were made to be.  This too humbles us.  He did this not because we are awesome, but because he is.  Not because we are great, but because he is.

At the same time, God’s love lifts us up.  Though we are broken and small, he loves us.  In him our sins are forgiven and we can be who he made us to be.  We can have a relationship with him.  We can spend all of eternity with him.  But this should not lead us to swagger.  We don’t deserve any of this.  Instead we ought to praise him for all that he has done for us.

I will continue to enjoy these commercials.  But they also now serve as a reminder to me of the folly of self-absorbed pride and swagger, a reminder to get off the swagger bandwagon, and humbly praise the one who is truly awesome.

Humble Gratitude

On By BrianIn Book of Luke, Virtue of Humility

A Pharisee invites Jesus to his home.  He treats Jesus rudely – neither giving him water to wash his feet or even giving  a proper greeting.  Then comes this woman.  We know little about her – only that she was a sinner.  She had a reputation – and not a good one.  Somewhere, somehow we must surmise that she had crossed paths with Jesus.  She had heard him speak of repentance and forgiveness.  She had found mercy and love and grace.  And so now she comes.  Risking the ridicule and hostility of those at the Pharisee’s house, she comes.  She begins to weep at Jesus’ feet.  She begins to anoint his feet with ointment.  She begins to wash his dirty feet with her hair, and kiss his feet.  Here is an incredible example of humble gratitude toward God.

Do we remember our past sins?  Can we see our continued failures to follow the Lord?  Are we still amazed at his mercy and love and grace in our lives?

Everything we have talked about this week in past posts – humble submission, humble worship, humble service, and humble giving will quickly become a chore, a duty, a struggle – unless it is motivated by a humble gratitude to God for all that he has done for sinners like us.

What motivates us?  Why do we do what we do?  Are we trying to earn God’s favor?  Earn our way into heaven?  Trying to impress God?  Impress others?  All of this is so much foolishness and will wear us out in the trying.

Jesus died for our sins.  He loves us in spite of our rebellion.  In humble gratitude may we give ourselves to God…like this sinful woman did.

(Luke 7:36-50)