Tag: Christianity

Wedding Charge

On By BrianIn Family/Single Life

I was able to officiate at a wedding last weekend.  It was a beautiful ceremony on the beach of Lake Michigan.  The charge they asked me to use was from the Christian Wedding Planner by Ruth Muzzy and R. Kent Hughes – a book I highly recommend.  The charge contained many things we may seldom consider in our day.  For those of you who are married, I thought it might be helpful to reflect on these words which I slightly modified for last weekend’s wedding:

Today you are presenting yourselves before this congregation to declare your intention of uniting your lives voluntarily and honorably for the service of God and man.  You are making a double dedication:

  • To each other, in a lasting and indivisible union that shall endure for the remaining years of your lives;
  • And to God, that he may make you his dual instrument for the accomplishment of his purpose both in and by your personalities. 

The achievement of this purpose will require

  • Appreciation of each other’s abilities and virtues,
  • Forgiveness of each other’s faults, and
  • Unfailing devotion to each other’s welfare and development. 

There must be on your part a united consent to the purpose of God as he progressively reveals it to you by his Word and by his Spirit, and an unhesitant acceptance by faith of the challenges that he sets before you.

I charge you, therefore, first of all, to consider that your promises to each other are made in the presence of a God who remembers your pledges and who holds you responsible for performing them.  They must be kept inviolable before Him.

I admonish you to keep in mind that each of you is the object of Christ’s redemption and should be valued accordingly.  Neither should be neglected or belittled by the other.  Esteem each other as God’s gift for mutual aid, comfort, and joy, and as a repository of complete confidence and trust.

I encourage you to share willingly and sympathetically your joys and worries, your successes and your struggles, and to be neither conceited by the former nor depressed by the latter.  Whichever may prevail, cling closely to each other, that defeats may be met by a united strength and victories by a united joy.

I charge you to make your home a place where you will have a refuge from the storms of life not only for yourselves but also for all who enter your home.  Let it be a haven for the weary, a source of uplift for the discouraged, and a convincing testimony to a cynical world.

In short, recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as the head of your house, the ruler of your destinies, and the object of your deepest affection.  If you do, he will confirm your marriage by his guidance and will overshadow it with his peace.  I charge you to love each other, to support each other, and to serve him with sincere hearts and determined wills until your mutual service for him shall be completed.

May God help our marriages look more and more like this, that they might be authentic reflections of Christ and his church.

Lost In Wonder

On By BrianIn PASSION Quotes

When we look at life through God’s eyes, we become lost in wonder and convinced of God’s astounding generosity, his marvelous mercy, and his gigantic grace.  Sin causes us to look at life through the lens of entitlement – that we deserve salvation without repentance, wealth without work, accolades without self-denial, health without personal discipline, pleasure without sacrifice.  Biblical truth reminds us that, in reality, we deserve hell….  Every small laugh, each tiny expression of joy, a simple meal – any momentary reprieve from the ongoing agony of hell – truly is an underserved gift.  When we add the assurance that the completed work of Christ guards our eternity, our lives should radiate not merely joy (though there should be an abundance of that) but wonder and astonishment at how good God truly is.
– Gary Thomas in Holy Available

Acts Articles – Prayer 01C

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Church Life, Habit of Prayer1 Comment

Yesterday we saw from Acts 1:15-26, that the 120 disciples sought direction from Jesus in prayer.  Our churches need to pray together for direction from Jesus too.  Three specific applications from the passage:

We need to pray together for direction in our witness.  The 12 apostles had a special role in being witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, and so Judas’ replacement was important for their witness.  We too need to seek direction from Jesus as we seek to be witnesses in our communities, and beyond to the ends of the earth.

We need to pray for direction in our meetings.  As the disciples met together, they prayed.  It is entirely too easy for us to begin a church meeting with a quick perfunctory prayer and then rush into the business at hand.  But prayer is the most important business at hand as we seek to discern what Jesus wants us to do.  Every meeting should begin as a prayer meeting.  And when we come to an issue that we are unsure of or divided on, the meeting should return to a prayer meeting.  Because it is not what any of us want or think that is important.  It only matters what Jesus wants and thinks.  Our churches are not supposed to be country clubs with God tacked on.  They are churches of the Living God – and we must pray for his direction.

Finally, we need to pray for direction in leadership.  As an apostle, the man the 120 disciples chose would be a leader in the church.  And so they prayed to the Lord who knew the two men’s hearts for direction on which man should take this place of leadership.  The Word gives us certain requirements for leadership to guide us.  But we can’t see the hearts of men.  So we need to pray to the One who can see men’s hearts to guide us to whom he wants to serve as leaders in our churches.

May our churches grow in their commitment to praying together for Jesus’ direction in our witness, meetings, and leadership.

How To Encourage Your Pastor

On By BrianIn Church Life

R.C. Sproul, Jr. recently shared three simple ways to encourage your pastor.  As a pastor myself, I know how easy it is to become discouraged, and I thought his suggestions were right on:

First, pay attention to his labors. Though we do not have a duty to be at the church every time the doors are open, one thing that discourages pastors is our unwillingness to simply avail ourselves of his gifts. When the pastor labors in his study to prepare a Bible study lesson, or writes a blog post, and the sheep under his care pay no attention, it is discouraging….

Second, speak well of him to others. …if word comes back to him, and it will, that you have spoken well of him, to others in the church, or even to those in your community, he will have to take your good word to heart….

Third, pursue godliness. Because he loves you, what your pastor wants more than anything else is for you to grow in grace and wisdom, to become more like Jesus….

I encourage you to read the whole post here.

Acts Articles – Prayer 01B

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Church Life, Habit of Prayer

Jesus ascended into heaven where he still acts and still speaks through his followers, through his church.  But how do we know what he wants us to do?  How do we know what he wants us to say?  In the last post we said that part of the answer was the Word.  Another part of the answer is through prayer.

In Acts 1:15-26, the disciples are guided by the Word to replace Judas.  They find two men that fit the necessary requirements for an apostle – they had to be with Jesus during his ministry, and especially be eye-witnesses to his resurrection.  Having determined the possibilities, the disciples then pray for direction. 

They pray to the Lord.  In the context of Acts, Jesus is often referred to as Lord.  And so it is possible that we should understand the disciples as praying to Jesus.  As the Head of the church, it would make sense for them to seek his direction.  As the one who chose the original twelve disciples, it would make sense for them to speak to him about his chosen replacement of Judas.

And so we ought to seek direction from Jesus in prayer.  Our churches need to pray together seeking his direction in how he wants us to apply his Word in our specific situations.  We will look at three specific applications tomorrow.

How Is Our Listening?

On By BrianIn PASSION Quotes

The conversation after church, from a biblical perspective, should go like this:

“How was your hearing today?”

“Pretty good.  I was attentive, and I’ve taken the truth to heart.  I want to hold on to it, so I’ve taken some notes, and I’m going to be praying about it this weekend.  I don’t want to lose what God has given me.”

The sad truth is, most of us would worry more about losing our wallets in church than we would about losing the truth that God laid out for us.

– Gary Thomas in Holy Available

Acts Article – Word 01

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Church Life, Habit of Scripture

Jesus ascended into heaven where he still acts and still speaks through his followers, through his church.  But how do we know what he wants us to do?  How do we know what he wants us to say?  In part, the answer is through his Word.

In Acts 1:15-26, Peter recognizes that Judas abandoned his role as an apostle, as was predicted in Psalm 69:25.  He then finds guidance in the Word.  Psalm 109:8 instructs them to replace Judas. 

The main point I want to make is that they found guidance in the Word.  The Word told them what Jesus wanted them to do.  And so the Word tells us what Jesus wants us to do. 

As we gather together as local churches to study the Word together, Jesus is speaking to us, telling us what he wants us to do and say.  As we hear the Word taught and preached, Jesus is giving us our marching orders.  And as we faithfully respond to what his Word tells us, Jesus is acting and speaking through us. 

As we gather together around the Word, let us then be careful to listen attentively and respond appropriately so that we might be the hands and tongue of Jesus.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Well, it has been a busy week, and I didn’t have anything prepared ahead of time, so blogging has been a bit light.  Should be better next week.  In the meantime, here are some good posts to consider for your weekend reading:

Is “Communion with God” a Small Thing for Today’s Evangelicals? – J. I. Packer (via Justin Taylor)
We do not spend much time, alone or together, in dwelling on the wonder of the fact that God and sinners have communion at all; no, we just take that for granted, and give our minds to other matters.

The Price of a Feel-Good Faith – Thomas E. Bergler (via Kevin DeYoung)
If we believe that a mature faith involves more than good feelings, vague beliefs, and living however we want, we must conclude that juvenilization has revitalized American Christianity at the cost of leaving many individuals mired in spiritual immaturity.

The One Indispensible Rule for Using Social Media – Kevin DeYoung
You represent Christ in a real way even if it is in the virtual world. Most people will know that you go to church, what church you go to, and that you claim to be a Christian. So let’s all think before we post. If we go by the name of “little Christ” we ought to be careful to show a little more Christ.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with God’s people worshipping our great King!

Growing Dim?

On By BrianIn PASSION Quotes

Will you pause for just a moment and consider where your eyesight may be growing dim?  Are you blinded to God’s daily blessings because you’re too focused on financial concerns, health issues, or frustrated relationships?  Have you stopped seeing people as important and instead stare persistently at possessions, power, and pleasure?  Are your eyes so preoccupied by your comfort that they have grown too tired to look at your life and your circumstances from God’s perspective?
– Gary Thomas in Holy Available

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

4 Results of Christ’s Ascension – R. C. Sproul (via Tim Challies)
Goes well with our focus in Acts this week!

Theological Primers: The Attributes of Scripture – Kevin DeYoung
Four important characteristics of Scripture for our lives.

What Christians Do When They Believe and Feel about the Word of God Rightly – Kevin DeYoung
Seven responses to the Word according to the Psalms.

A Quiet Place, A Quiet Hour, A Quiet Heart – David McIntyre (via Tim Challies)
Three essentials for a powerful prayer life.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day praising our ascended Lord, responding to His Word, and seeking Him in prayer!