Tag: Christianity

Let Us Go Over

On By BrianIn Church Life

Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.”  And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish.  Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” – I Samuel 14:6-7

“Come, let us go over”

The Philistines had invaded Israel.  The two armies were camped on either side of a large ravine.  Jonathan wanted to go over to these uncircumcised – those who were not God’s people, those who did not know God.  His mission was to defeat them and chase them out of the land.  We too need to go over to those who are not God’s people, who do not know God.  Our mission however is different – to make disciples, to show the way to God, to point people to Jesus.

Jonathan needed courage to go.  There was a great risk.  He could have been killed.  We too need courage to go, though the risk is not usually physical death but death to our pride – they might ridicule us, laugh at us, reject us.  It would be easy for us to sit around as Saul did (see v1-5), but God calls us to go.  Are we seeking opportunities to share the gospel with others?  Come let us go over.

“It may be that the Lord will work for us”

Jonathan is hoping God will deliver Israel from the Philistines and bring about a great salvation.  We hope that God will deliver people from their sins and bring about a great salvation.  Salvation is God’s work.  We must go over and share the gospel, but God must convict of sin, and give grace to respond.  We are completely dependent on God for the results of our going over.  As such, we ought to pray, asking God to bless our efforts, asking God to change lives.  Pray – it may be that the Lord will work for us.

“By many or by few”

Saul was concerned with numbers – 600 Israelites against thousands of Philistines.  Jonathan understands that numbers mean nothing when God is at work, and so he goes over.  The result?  God brings a great victory (see v8-23).

Have you noticed that God loves to use the small, the humble, the few?  Jonathan and his armor-bearer against thousands.  David against Goliath.  Gideon amasses a great army, and God says, “Too many.”  God reduces the army until we would say, “Too few.”  But God uses them to bring about victory.  There is a church near us in a town of 125.  Four years ago the church had 6 people.  Today it has over 100.  God delights to use the small, the few, the humble.  Will we trust that God can work through us?  By many or by few.

“I am with you heart and soul”

Jonathan’s armor bearer is also a great example to us.  He is of one heart with Jonathan.  They will go over together.  As local churches, we must be united around the great commission.  We ought to pray for each other to have opportunities to share the gospel, and courage to make use of those opportunities.  We ought to support our church’s outreach efforts – whether through prayer, or inviting people, or helping to do the work.  What a wonderful thing when each person in a church can say to the other – “I am with you heart and soul.”

Come, let us go over!  It may be that the Lord will work for us – by many or by few.  I am with you heart and soul.

Web Weekly

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

A few days late, but here are some noteworthy links from the past week (and in same cases older).

First, some good links on prayer: wandering prayer, morning prayer, and a prayer for generosity.

Justin Taylor quotes D. A. Carson about how we tend to drift from holiness, and ways we try to justify it.

Finally, some important questions for us to ponder from Chris Brauns and Coram Deo.

The Coming of the Spirit 8

On By BrianIn God & His Glory1 Comment

The Holy Spirit changes us.  At the moment of salvation, he comes into our lives and gives us a new life.  We are born again of the Spirit (John 3:3-8).  Though we were spiritually dead and unable to please God, the Spirit makes us alive in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:1-10).  The Spirit changes us.

Not only does the Spirit give us a new life, but he then begins a process of making us more holy, more like Christ.  He produces within us the Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  He changes us.

The Spirit changes us, but we must walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).  We must cooperate with him.  We must follow his lead.  Suppose I see my son playing in the middle of a busy road.  I am going to go out and change his location.  He can either cooperate and walk with me off the road.  Or he can drag his feet.  Are we walking with the Spirit away from sin?  Or are we dragging our feet?

To conclude this series – the Holy Spirit comes and does amazing things in our lives:

  • He empowers us for witnessing
  • He makes us part of the church
  • He empowers us for ministry in the church
  • He dwells in his church
  • He makes us God’s children
  • He helps us in our daily lives
  • He dwells within us
  • He changes us

Let us give thanks to God for the work of the Spirit in our lives!

The Coming of the Spirit 7

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

The Spirit of God not only makes us God’s children and helps us in daily life, but he also dwells within us.  I Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.  God himself dwells within us.  That is an incredible thought.  Stop and ponder what it means for God to dwell within you.

One response we must have to this incredible truth is that we must glorify God with our bodies.  This is what v20 tells us.  In the context of the chapter, to glorify God with our bodies first means that we must not commit sexual immorality.  But the application can swing much wider.

All of our actions are to glorify God.  All of our words are to glorify God.  All of our thoughts are to glorify God.  When we sin in deed, word, or thought, we desecrate God’s temple.  We bring abominations into God’s temple.  Sin is serious indeed.

What is more, if our bodies are God’s temples than we must take good care of our bodies.  How could we treat God’s temple poorly?  This includes what we eat, proper exercise, and avoiding those things that would be harmful to our bodies.  What we wear must also be considered.  Do my clothes honor God?  Modesty is important here.

The Spirit of God dwells within me.  My body is the Spirit’s temple.  I must use my body for his glory.

Web Weekly

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

A few gems from the past few weeks.  First Chris Brauns challenges us to get serious about fighting sin with a great quote from Billy Sunday.  He also challenges us to get serious about preparing to hear God’s Word preached with a quote from Spurgeon.

Meanwhile Justin Taylor quotes Tim Keller on how salvation by grace encourages our outreach.  And Kevin DeYoung gives us some helpful thoughts on assurance of salvation.

Finally, He Is My Delight asks us, “What were we made for?“

The Coming of the Spirit 6

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

The Holy Spirit not only makes us God’s children giving us hope, but he also helps us in our daily lives.  Jesus calls him our Helper (John 14:16, 16:7).  Various translations translate the word Helper as Comforter, Counselor, or Advocate.  And he is all three.

The Spirit is our Advocate interceding before the Father for us (Romans 8:26-27).  The Spirit is our Counselor teaching us how to live (John 14:26, 16:13, II Peter 1:21).  The Spirit is our Comforter giving us peace in the midst of trials (John 14:26-27, Galatians 5:22).

The Spirit is there to help us.  We must simply look to him.  Are we in need of comfort and peace in the midst of trials?  We can look to our Comforter.  Are we in need of direction and counsel?  We can look to our Counselor.  Are we filled with cares and concerns?  We can look to our Advocate who will intercede for us.

We need not face life alone.  The Spirit has come to help us.  Let us look to him for the help we need.

The Coming of the Spirit 5

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

In the first four posts on the coming of the Spirit, the emphasis was on the Spirit’s work in us together as the church.  In the next four, we want to see how the Spirit works in us as individuals.

First, the Spirit makes us God’s children.  Romans 8:15-17 tells us that it is through the Spirit that we are adopted, it is through the Spirit that we call God our Father.  Because we are God’s children, we are heirs.  We have an inheritance.  One day we will receive resurrected glorious bodies like Christ’s resurrected glorious body (I Corinthians 15) – we will be co-heirs with Christ.  We will dwell in a new heaven and new earth where there will be no more pain or crying or death (Revelation 21:1-4).

Our response to this should be hope.  We have a great hope of a day when we will be with the Lord, and there will be no more sin, no more suffering, no more sickness, no more pain, no more death.  In the last week, an older man in our church passed away, and a young woman in our community passed away.  In the face of death, how we need this hope!

In the midst of trials and struggles – times of loss, sickness, surgery, family problems, and so much more, we can cling to our hope of a better day that is ours through the Spirit.  In the midst of good times that God blesses us with for our enjoyment, we can cling to the hope that even better days are coming through the Spirit.  In the face of our own deaths someday, we can cling to the hope that a day is coming when even death will be defeated and we will dwell in paradise with the Lord forever – all because the Spirit has made us God’s children.

Is this hope alive in us today?  Do we live in the good times and the bad times holding on to the hope of what God has prepared for us?  Or do we get so caught up in life today, that we forget our hope?  Our hope can give us strength and courage for today.  Our hope can clarify our priorities and motivate us to live for Christ in this life.  Are we living each day in light of our glorious hope?

The Spirit makes us God’s children and heirs of a great inheritance, and so we have hope.  Let’s live like it!

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.