Tag: Church

Hard Hearts

On By BrianIn Heart

Hebrews 3:7-14 warn us about hard hearts.  Israel hardened their hearts against God and were not able to enter the Promised Land.  Their hearts went astray.  And we are warned to take care lest we follow in their steps – lest we have evil, unbelieving hearts that lead us to fall away from God, lest our hearts be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  For we share in Christ (that is, we are saved) IF we hold our original confidence (faith) firm to the end.  That is, true saving faith endures.

How badly the church today needs the exhortation found in these verses.  Too many (and too often myself included) are too careless in their Christian walk.  Many think they said a prayer, and so they are in no matter what.  But no, we share in Christ only if we continue in the faith.  There is disagreement about those who don’t continue in the faith – did they lose their salvation or were they never truly saved (I favor the latter – see for instance I John 2:19).  Either way, this passage calls us to a vigilance, a seriousness, a careful regard for our hearts that is all too uncommon in the church today.

Beware lest you have an evil unbelieving heart, lest your heart is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  I doubt many people claiming to be Christians wake up one morning and say they are going to harden their heart and reject Christ.  A few perhaps, but for most I suspect this hardening is a gradual process often unknown to the person.  A slow drift away from God, his Word, and his people.  A slow movement into sin, toward the idols of this world.  A slow turning of the heart from seeking God to seeking other things.   Over a long time of gradual drift, they walk away from the living God.

And so we must take care.  Beware.  Be on our guard.  As Peter tells us: we must “be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith….” (I Peter 5:8-9).

Are you drifting away from God and into sin?  Take care!  Wake up!  Seek God’s mercy and grace!  Look to him!  Return!  And guard your life lest you fall away from the living God!

Remember and Celebrate!

On By BrianIn Holidays

Tomorrow is Independence Day.  The day we celebrate the birth of our country.  The day we celebrate our freedom.  The day we remember those who died to make all of this possible.

Sunday we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  Time to celebrate our new birth.  Time to celebrate our freedom from the penalty and power of sin.  Time to remember the one who made all this possible.

Pastors after God’s Heart

On By BrianIn Heart

I mentioned in a past blog that the Bible uses the phrase “after God’s heart” or something similar at least four times by my count.  Two refer to David.  A third is found in Jeremiah 3:15 –

“And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

The context of this verse references a specific time, but the application is timeless.  We need shepherds after God’s heart – pastors whose hearts beat like God’s heart.  Pastors who have hearts for God and seek to do all his will.

As a pastor, I know all too well how easy it is to get caught in the busyness of ministry.  But what I need is a heart for God.  What the church I pastor needs is a man after God’s heart.  And how will I have such a heart?  Through God’s Word that reveals his heart and through prayer that submits my life to his will.  And then from this heart flows the ministry God desires.

And what does God desire.  Back to the verse: “who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”  God desires his people to be fed.  They need the Word – to know it and to understand it to the point that they can live it.

The apostles said they would devote themselves to prayer and the Word (Acys 6:4).  That must be my calling – to be in the Word and prayer so that I might have a heart for God, and then prayerfully preach the Word so that God’s people might have a heart for God.

God, help me to be a shepherd after your heart, and raise up countless shepherds after your own heart – that you might lead your people to be a people after your heart.

People After God’s Heart 3

On By BrianIn Heart

In the last post, we noted that to be a people after God’s heart is to to do all his will.  Saul’s problem was that he didn’t – he had a bad case of selective obedience.  But wait – David – the man after God’s heart – wasn’t perfect either.  He didn’t do all God’s will – he blew it some very serious ways.  So what was the difference?

I think the difference was the heart.  David wanted to obey fully – Saul didn’t care.  When confronted, Saul just started making excuses.  David was broken – crying out for mercy and forgiveness.

So which one are we more like?  Saul with his selective obedience and excuse-making?  Or David trying to obey and repenting with a humble contrite spirit when he failed?

People After God’s Heart 2

On By BrianIn Heart

The phrase “after God’s heart” or something similar is used at least four times in Scripture – two to refer to David.  God says of David that he is “a man after my heart, who will do all my will” (Acts 13:22).  That second phrase helps define the first.  A person after God’s heart is one who does all God’s will.  Not part, not some, not a little – all.

This was Saul’s problem.  He chose to do some of God’s will.  He was content to wait for Samuel to make the sacrifice – until Samuel didn’t come, then Saul did it his way.  And he was told that his kingdom would not continue because God had “sought out a man after his own heart” (I Samuel 13:14) – a man who would do God’s will.

Later God tells Saul to wipe out the Amalekites.  Saul wipes out some of them, and then brings the rest for a sacrifice to God.  How religious and pious of him!  But no – again he did it his way rather than doing all God’s will.

We can be like this.  We try to do the Christian life our way.  We obey partly – when it is easy, or it makes sense, or we feel like it.  We have selective obedience.  I have a pastor friend who tells his congregation that the Christian life is not like a convenience store.  At a convenience store, you take just what you want.  I’ll take salvation, but not baptism; church attendance, but not ministry; some prayer today, but not tomorrow; some love and joy and peace, but not patience or self-control.  Each of us can fill in our own tendencies, but God didn’t design the Christian life this way.  He wants us to be a people after his heart – who do all of his will.

What are we doing our way instead of God’s way?  How do we pick and choose like Saul what to obey?  How are we failing to be people after God’s heart?

Oceans Drained Dry

On By BrianIn God & His Glory1 Comment

A good way to conclude this week’s discussion about God’s amazing heart for us might be to reflect again on these wonderful words from F. M. Lehman:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Drain the oceans and fill the sky – and you still have not grasped the depths of God’s love!  A great thought to prepare us to gather tomorrow to worship this great God of love!

Why Don’t We Talk About Jesus?

On By BrianIn Heart, Revival2 Comments

In my last two posts, I wrote about using every context of our lives to talk about Jesus – to encourage other believers and to share the good news with those who are dead in their sins.  My question here is – why don’t we do this more?

Why is it that we talk about Jesus in Sunday School and the Worship Service, but before, between, and after we talk about everything else but Jesus.  Why don’t we talk about what we heard from God’s Word just minutes before.  Why is my Facebook account filled with “friends” who are Christians but who rarely if ever mention Christ?  Why is it that we don’t talk more about Jesus?

Let me be clear – I’m not judging anyone – because I am guilty of this too.  I’m just wondering why we are so slow to talk about Jesus.  Could it be that we don’t talk about Jesus much because we don’t think about him much?  Or maybe we are afraid to mention his name?  Or are we so distracted by the things of this world that other things take our focus and hence we talk about those things?

If Jesus is most important in our lives, wouldn’t we be talking about him?

Fill your town with Jesus

On By BrianIn Revival2 Comments

I just finished reading John Piper’s solid book about being born again called Finally Alive.  In his last chapter, he applies the doctrine by calling us to do our part to lead people to Jesus that they might be born again.  He writes:

When the apostles were put on trial in Jerusalem, the hight priest said, “You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching” (Acts 5:28).  That is what I dream for the churchs of my city.  If all the Christians were talking about Christ, and giving out literature about Christ, and sending e-mails about Christ, and inviting people to church for Christ, and being lavishly generous to others for Christ, then someone might say, “Those Christians have filled the city with their teaching.”  May it be so.

Do we dream of filling our towns with Jesus?  How might we do it?  What are we waiting for?

Together For The Gospel

On By BrianIn Biography/History, Revival

Just finished reading biographies about George Whitefield, Charles Wesley, and John Wesley – the three leaders of the Great Awakening in England.  I confess I was most interested in Whirefield as I am more at home with his theology.  The Wesleys were interesting when they weren’t railing against the Biblical doctrine of predestination or pushing their unBiblical view of Christian perfection.  Okay that was strong – but that was Whitefield’s view.  Of course, the Wesleys thought Whitefield’s views were unBiblical.  And yet, for most of their lives, they were friends.

They met and became friends at school before any of them were saved or famous.  After they were born again, they ministered together preaching the gospel around England (and beyond).  But then, despite Whitefield’s plea, John began preaching against and writing against predestination.  Whitefield felt he had no choice but to respond and defend the doctrine.  The cord of three was broken.  But over time they came together again.  The gospel was central in each of their lives and it was around this that they came together.  They agreed to disagree on the other issues – the main thing was the gospel.  Indeed at the end they were preaching for each other again.  When George Whitefield died, John Wesley led the service in England.  Charles Wesley wrote a long poem about his friend.  In particulars they differed, but they were friends in the gospel.

Which brings us to today.  Calvinism is on the rise – and I praise God for it.  Yet it is often antagonistic toward non-Calvinists.  On the other side is a responding antagonism against Calvinism.  Can we agree to disagree?  Can we come together around the gospel like Whitefield and the Wesleys?  Can we keep the main thing the main thing?  Whitefield didn’t want Wesley to publish against predestination because he didn’t want to divide the church and hurt the revival that was going on.  For the sake of the church, and the hope of revival, can we keep the gospel central and rally around it?

We have much to learn from these men.  For further reading, check out these biographies that I just read:

George Whitefield – Arnold Dallimore (I read the one volume edition, there is also a much more complete two volume edition)

George Whitefield and the Great Awakening – John Pollock

Assist Me To Proclaim: Life and Hymns of Charles Wesley – John Tyson

John Wesley – Stephen Tomkins

Not About Me

On By BrianIn Biography/History, PASSION Quotes

George Whitefield was a great preacher and revivalist who God used along with others to bring about the First Great Awakening.  Crowds of thousands flocked to hear him.  Yet he knew it wasn’t about him, but about Christ.  Consider these Whitefield quotes I found in Dallimore’s Whitefield biography:

“Let the name of Whitefield perish, but Christ be glorified.”

“Let my name die everywhere, let even my friends forget me, if by that means the cause of the blessed Jesus may be promoted.”

“But what is Calvin, or what is Luther?  Let us look above names and parties; let Jesus be our all in all – So that he is preached….I care not who is uppermost.  I know my place…even to be the servant of all.”

It’s not about me.  It’s not about you.  It’s only about Jesus.  Lord, help us share Whitefield’s attitude, and let your glory be over all the earth!