-Psalm 90:1-2
Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). But that is often easier said than done. In the midst of the storms of life, how can we pursue joy in Christ? Mark Altrogge gives us 25 helpful suggestions which include praise, prayer, the Word, serving, giving, and more. Read the whole thing here, and find help to rejoice in the Lord always.
– Psalm 62:5-8
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading.
The Gospel
Trevin Wax outlines six counterfeit gospels – and I suspect each of us are tempted to lean towards one of them.
Tim Chester discusses our desire to be our own Savior.
Tullian Tchividjian reminds us that our identity is not found in possessions or position or anything but Christ (we need to be reminded of this again and again!).
Family
Sam Crabtree discusses the importance of affirmation in marriage.
Mark Altrogge suggests several ways that we provoke our children to anger (do some of them sound a bit too familiar?).
More Good Stuff
Stephen Altrogge considers how we should respond when someone confesses sin to us.
John MacArthur offers some helpful questions to ask related to issues that Scripture does not specifically address.
Hope you have a wonderful Lord’s Day worshipping the Lord with your church family!
Psalm 46:1-3
What does my job have to do with Christ? Some Christians seem to think that they have to waste 40 hours a week working. Ministry is important; work is just necessary. Of course many non-Christians think they have to waste 40 hours a week working so they can afford to party all weekend. Many Christians might feel the same – though they may “party” in different ways. But is work really just a necessity? What if our job is a calling from God? What if we were created to work? What if we can glorify God in our work? And what if the Bible can practically change the way we approach work next Monday morning?
A couple of weeks ago, Bob Thune addressed these issues and more in a four part series. Each part is well worth your consideration; together they may change your entire approach to your work:
– Psalm 61:1-3
(Pictures taken at Cumberland Gap)
Last week my family went to Kentucky on vacation. I planned to blog, but then didn’t find the time. Oh well. Anyway, as I thought about our vacation, it seemed to me that it reflected the Biblical paradigm of Creation, Fall, and Redemption.
Creation
In the beginning, God created this world. I was reminded of this as we started our vacation at the Creation Museum. The theme continued as we enjoyed various parts of God’s creation – Mammoth Cave, Cumberland Falls, Cumberland Gap, and numerous rock formations around Red River Gorge. God made a beautiful creation that reflects his own greater beauty.
Fall
Adam and Eve sinned against God plunging our world into sin, violence, suffering, and death. I was reminded of this at the Creation Museum, and then as we toured a Civil War museum. I was reminded of the Fall as I watched the news during breakfast each morning at the various hotels – whether it was stories about fighting in Libya, or a recent murder, or the perverted shows of popular pop singers. We have truly made a wreck of our world.
Redemption
Christ came to redeem our fallen world and save a fallen people. I was reminded of this too as we toured the Creation Museum, and as we listen to the Gospel of Mark on our way home. God has not left us to perish, but came to save us. This is good news indeed!
Creation, Fall, Redemption. This is the Biblical story. And I saw various shades of it last week as we wandered around Kentucky. In some following posts, I want to illustrate various Scriptures related to these themes using more pictures from our vacation.
Found this helpful quote on Ray Ortland’s blog that reminds us of the important decision each of us must make:
“Meet me in heaven! Do not go down to hell. There is no coming back again from that abode of misery. Why do you wish to enter the way of death when heaven’s gate is open before you? Do not refuse the free pardon, the full salvation which Jesus grants to all who trust him. Do not hesitate and delay. You have had enough of resolving, come to action. Believe in Jesus now, with full and immediate decision. Take with you words and come unto your Lord this day, even this day. Remember, O soul, it may be now or never with you. Let it be now; it would be horrible that it should be never. Farewell. Again I charge you, meet me in heaven.”
C. H. Spurgeon, All of Grace (London, 1897), page 128.
As I have been reading about the hell controversy (see last post), I have been doing some reflecting on some of the issues related to this issue. Here are a few thoughts:
The Centrality of the Gospel
Christ’s church disagrees on a lot of issues. Even in my local church, there are different convictions on numerous things – from tithing to translations to issues of divorce and remarriage, and on the list could go. So who cares if Rob Bell has a different view about hell? Why the big fuss? The answer is the centrality of the gospel. No one is going to go to hell if they get tithing wrong. But if we get the gospel wrong, we are in a lot of trouble. The gospel is the core of what the church believes. God, Christ, and salvation, are all tied to this issue of hell – and to the gospel. As his book redefines the gospel, it is a big deal. While there is room to disagree on minor issues, we must hold fast to the basic truths of the Christian Faith as taught in the Scriptures and held by the Church for the last 2000 years.
A Passion for God and Compassion for People
I sometimes struggle with what I should include in this blog. It does after all have a theme – does this discussion even fit? I think it does. A passion for God includes a passion for his truth. And compassion for people means warning people that a bestselling author they might read will teach them things that could lead them astray. Compassion for people means not only warning of error, but then also reminding them of the truth. That is what I sought to do in the last post.
The Need to Preach Hell
As a pastor, I don’t preach hell much. Not many pastors I’ve heard do. I wonder how many Christians are simply unprepared to address this issue, to think Biblically about it because they have not been taught about it. How many might be led astray by this book because we have failed to preach an uncomfortable truth? And if we really have compassion for people, shouldn’t we warn them of the reality of hell, and the certainty that they will go there apart from Christ? Jared Wilson discusses this further, and Ligon Duncan has some suggestions on how pastors can do it.
True Humility on Hell
It is common for certain Christians to argue that humility calls us to approach our convictions tentatively, to recognize that we could be wrong, to hold nothing definitively as truth. That allows them to question everything and hold to not much of anything. But God has spoken in his Word, giving us answers, giving us truth to believe. Humility in this case requires us to bow the knee to his revelation, to hold to his truth. There is nothing particularly humble about refusing to hold firm to what God has clearly taught.
Is God or Man Primary?
It seems to me that one of our hangups on the issue of hell is this question of who is primary. If man is primary, then how dare God send us to hell! How dare God punish us! Who does he think he is? But what if God is primary? What if God made me and hence can do whatever he pleases with me? What if God is holy and we have sinned against him? What if God is glorious and our sin is a gigantic offense against his glory? What if God is just and will punish sin? If God is primary and Creator and holy and glorious and just, then hell begins to make sense. We don’t like it. It eats at our pride. It offends our attempted godhood. But we don’t have to like it. We just need to recognize that God says hell is a reality. We just need to receive Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. We just need to give thanks to God that through Jesus we can be spared. We just need to go forth and tell others the good news that they too can find salvation in Jesus.
For further thoughts on this controversy, check out some interesting posts from Kevin DeYoung, Trevin Wax, and Tim Challies.
