Under Construction

The Blog is Under Construction.

Please bear with me the next couple days to get the blog in order.

How Sick is My Heart

"How sick is your heart..." declares God (Ez. 16:30).

The barrage of Ezekiel 16 in extensive violent and sexual imagery depicting the idolatry of God's people never ceases to surprise me.  I am confident liberal theologians scoff at the intensity of language God uses of His own people, yet the lesson is not so much to be shocked at the language of God but shocked at the idolatry of the heart.  Many come to this passage thinking that the language is sickening, yet the point is that the readers and hearers of the oracles hearts are sick. Idolatry is as disgusting as rape and as heartbreaking as adultery.

My heart, as Calvin said, is a factory of idols.  All too often I am manufacturing idols not seeking to systematically destroy them.  

How sick is my heart.

Thank God Jesus has "atone[d] for all that [I] have done" (Ez. 16:63).  The power of the Gospel is that which expels my affection for objects of idols and replaces it with affections for the person of Jesus.  Jesus changes the affections of a sick heart and causes them to be affections of a new heart.  Meditating on God's promised atonement for idolaters, even more then the punishment against idolaters, is the best power against idolatry.

Consumerism at its Ugliest

Sickening Shoppers:

"A temporary Wal-Mart worker died after a throng of unruly shoppers broke down the doors and trampled him moments after the Long Island store opened early Friday for day-after-Thanksgiving bargain hunting, police said."

A Prayer for the Wicked

"Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime." Ps. 58:8

Memories of Meece

Listening to this entire album at my old friend's house.



Nostalgia sets in.

God is Good: Therefore Enjoy Life

The Preacher, King Solomon:

"This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment." Eccl. 2:24-25

An Old Testament Scholar, Dr. Waltke:

"The hedonist says, 'Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.' But that is not Qoheleth's reason; for him, the ability to enjoy life is a gift of God...In other words, God is good. By associating enjoyment in the context of God's goodness, the preacher also rejects denial ('all is well') and false optimism ('I will be happy')." An Old Testament Theology, 962.

Serbian Abortionist Now Pro-Life

A wonderful story about a former Serbian abortionist who is now a pro-life activist says that during one abortion his mind was changed:

"...However, the baby's heart came out still beating. Adasevic realized then that he had killed a human being..."

Like Adasevic, I pray that President Elect Obama's mind and heart would be changed and that his strong pro-choice position is changed to a vigilant pro-life position.

(HT: Z)

Meaninglessness is the Mother of Meaning

In light of the Book of Ecclesiasties, under the fear of God, the following is true:

"...meaninglessness is the mother of meaning: enjoy life while you can." (Dr. Bruce Waltke, An Old Testament Theology, 961)

Christendom comprised mainly of Roman Catholics and Pentecostals

Finnish theologian and Fuller Theological Seminary professor, Veli-Matti Karkkainen, who interestingly was sent back to Finland (yet now has returned) after 9/11, mentions these remarkable statistics in regards to denominations in Christendom:

"If currently Roman Catholics are the largest Christian group, then classical Pentecostals are now the second largest and gaining fast. Catholics now number about one half of all Christians, while Pentecostals make up almost a quarter." (An Introduction to Ecclesiology, 69)

Don't Waste A Funeral

"It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart."  Eccl. 7:2

Don't Pray So Much!

"Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is heaven and you are on earth.  Therefore let your words be few."  Eccl. 5:2

The Sad Cultural Similarity of America & Rome

Niall Ferguson, a Harvard History Professor, in a 2006 article for Vanity Fair, makes the following insightful and foreboding cultural comparison between America and Rome:

"Perhaps our most perplexing vulnerability, however, is cultural. Gibbon was acute in identifying literary decline as one symptom of a more profound Roman malaise. And if his barbed allusion to the “darkened … face of learning” does not immediately strike a chord, then some of the other symptoms may. While “the corrupt and opulent nobles of Rome gratified every vice that could be collected from the mighty conflux of nations and manners,” Gibbon wrote, “the most lively and splendid amusement of the idle multitude depended on the frequent exhibition of public games and spectacles.” Orgies and circuses are not precisely the favorite pastimes of Western society today. But if you substitute pornography and NASCAR, the parallel is not so far-fetched.

Outwardly, it is true, the institutions that exist to preserve and propagate our culture are in good shape. Never has the percentage of young people attending college been higher. Never have American universities dominated higher education and academic research as they do today. Our museums and concert halls offer more exhibitions and recitals than the enthusiast can possibly hope to attend. And to enter any branch of Barnes & Noble is to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of books being published.

Yet beneath this upper crust of high culture there simmers a less appetizing stew. Few children read for pleasure. Most boys would rather fritter away their time on brutalizing video games such as Grand Theft Auto. Girls no longer play with dolls; they are themselves the dolls, dressed according to the dictates of the fashion industry. Endlessly gaming, chatting, and chilling with their iPods, the next generation already has a more tenuous connection to “Western civilization” than most parents appreciate.

Gibbon’s argument against Roman “luxury” was in part that it sapped the empire’s martial strength. Here, too, there is a striking analogy. For our culture’s sedentary character—our strong preference for watching over doing, for virtual over real action—seems closely correlated to our changing physical shape. Gibbon’s Romans became metaphorical pygmies. We, by contrast, are being transformed into actual giants. We are certainly taller on average than past generations, a consequence of improvements in nutrition. But we are also wider, since we now consume significantly more fats and carbohydrates than we actually need. According to the standard measure of obesity, the body-mass index, the percentage of Americans classified as obese nearly doubled, from 12 percent to 21 percent, between 1991 and 2001. Nearly two-thirds of all American men are officially considered overweight, and nearly three-quarters of those between 45 and 64. Only Western Samoans and Kuwaitis are fatter."

The Fountain of Youth

Here.

Three Things Worth Skimming

Q&A with Billy Graham

The Shallowest Generation?

A cure for AIDS?

Happy Friday - Enjoy What is at Hand!

I thought the words of Dr. Bruce Waltke, in regards to the book of Ecclesiastes, were in order for this Friday:

"The wise accept the present time as the proper time for what is at hand. What is proper for tomorrow is unknowable and hebel. The aims of wisdom are thus tempered; it shifts expectations from profit to portion, from storing up to enjoyment of God's gifts. The moment to enjoy life is the given time. Wisdom that seeks beyond today strives beyond its limits in an attempt to storm the gates of heaven...The striving for the future will never satisfy, for things fail, decay, and are forgotten; the only sure expectations under the sun are injustice and death. Instead of being involved in the futility of trying to master the future, one must find enjoyment in what is at hand. This does not point to a hedonistic or irresponsible existence, but to a life of simplicity and ironic commitment in the fear of God." (An Old Testament Theology, 964-965)

Free John MacArthur

When I read that John MacArthur was releasing all his sermon audio for free nostalgia overwhelmed me. In my early 20's there is no doubt that the preaching of John MacArthur had a profound effect upon me.

Here is a list of some of the sermons he preached that I listened to over and over again on cassette tape (there are a few more I haven't been able to locate yet, but when I do I will post them):

Chosen by God, Part I
Chosen by God, Part II
Chosen by God, Part III

Jesus Prays for His Disciples, Part I

Thanks to Pastor John for releasing these to a public. Clicking through pieces of the audio of these sermons has reminded me of how indebted I am to him.

UPDATE:

The Master's Men

Putting God in His Place: The Case for Sovereign Choice

The End of Obama's Speech

I was particularly affected and moved by the end of President-Elect Obama's speech. The progress he spoke of I am thankful for and the call to live for another generation is a call self-centered American's, like me, need to hear:

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing -- Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call."

President-Elect Barack Obama

A historic night indeed...

May we honor and pray for our new President-Elect.

(Image Source: MSNBC)

Election Day! Go Vote!

The Implications of King Jesus the Day before Election Day

'Twas the day before election day and I can't help but think about the implications of King Jesus...

I'm reminded afresh of who I am and who I serve.  At the core of my identity I am a part of a "chosen nation" (1 Pe. 2:9).   My "nation" is first not any earthly nation with borders, but the kingdom of God.  Allegiance to King Jesus always comes before any American patriotism.

I have been elected by God the Father not via democracy but by His sovereign choice.  I did not choose my Ruler.  I did not get a vote in the process of my election.  My Ruler chose me.    

As my pastor aptly pointed out in yesterday's sermon, I do not have deserved "rights" in this kingdom, as I do in America, anything I have is "undeserved."  Being a King's kid has thousands of priviledges that are greater then being an American, yet every priviledge is derived from grace and never from rights that I deserve or fought for.  Every priviledge has been given to me, even though I committed treason, by my sinfulness, against the King of the Kingdom.  I did not fight for any right, rather the King fought for me and bought me every "spiritual blessing" (Eph. 1:3).

My King served me in a way I could never serve myself.  King Jesus said, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). This is an odd King.  Rather then sending His subjects and citizens to death--this King "gives his life."  However, that is not nuanced enough, for I too am called to suffer as a follower of King Jesus.  If the State demands my allegiance to say that anything or anyone else is "Lord" besides King Jesus, I do not bow.  At that point I am called to die in allegiance to King Jesus, rather then say anything or anyone else is my sovereign.

The kings of the earth, and many Presidents, think they rule and act in a way as if they are the only Sovereign.  Rather, they are ruled.  Any sovereignty of any nation's ruler is derived and curbed in the soverignty of King Jesus.  Jesus is the "ruler of the kings of the earth" (Rev. 1:5).  I give a President to much clout when I am overly excited or overly depressed about the outcome of any election, because that President is ruled by King Jesus.

America is not my home.  In fact, the whole earth I will inherit.  The Gospel of the Kingdom has no borders.  The message of the Kingdom is for every border and every tribe and tongue.  I need to live in such a way that reflects that my concern is not chiefly American, but for the whole earth.  I am a part of a kingdom that is mutinational and multiethnic.  If I live and think and breathe only for the American agenda I probably am not living the life of the Kingdom as I should.  This does not mean I am to be unAmerican or a passive citizen.  On the contrary, I am to "honor the" President and to live as an honorable and dutiful citizen (1 Pe. 2:17).  I am thankful for this country and glad to be a citizen of it, yet I am an alien on the earth and resident of heaven, and an inheritor of the new heavens and the new earth where "righteousnes dwells" (2 Pe. 3:13).

I reject conservative self-righteousness and liberal naivete.  I am called to the upside-down values of the Kingdom: where the last is first, the internal is more important than the external, and the Gospel fulfills the Law.  

There has been a whole lot of "I" in this little blog.  That itself is a bit wrong-headed for the "I" individualism of the America does not reflect the corporate and "we-us" language of the Bible.  I am a part of the people of God.  "I" am called to live not for self but for "us."

Party-agendas and platforms, no matter what one, do not sum up who I am or what I stand for.  I am an ambassador for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the true Lord of the world and King of Kings.  I proclaim His message that frees people from sin, that which no political party's message can ever do.  I proclaim the historical event that Jesus died and was resurrected, and by doing so forgave sinners, defeated the devil, and triumphed over death.  This message, this Gospel of the Kingdom, is what I am called to live for and die for.  

Democracy may be good, but it is not eternal.  I am a servant of King Jesus.  My knee will bow to King Jesus, as my temporary vote is cast tomorrow.

The Insolence of Devotion to Mary the Mother of Jesus

John Calvin stood against the grossly inappropriate titles for Mary the mother of Jesus by the Roman Catholic Church.  This too is not strictly old theology that has been done away with by the more modern Vatican II Roman Catholic Church.  The Catechism states the following:

"971 'All generations will call me blessed': 'The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.'  The church rightly honors 'the Blessed Virgin with special devotion.  From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored wiht the title of 'Mother of God,' to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs....This very special devotion...differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.'  The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an 'epitomy of the whole Gospel,' express this devotion to the Virgin Mary."  Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part I, Section II, Chapter III, Article 9.

More disturbing language comes a bit earlier in the Catechism:

"969 This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect.  Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation....Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."  Catechism of the Catholic Church, ibid.

There is an attempt to clean it up with qualifiers in the next section in 970 but it remains blasphemy.  Titles like these for Mary made John Calvin cringe.  He wrote in his commentary on Luke 1:48, which contains Mary's Magnificant the following:

"Now observe, that Mary makes her happiness to consist in nothing else, but in what she acknoledges to have been bestowed upon her by God, and mentions as the gift of his grace.  'I shall be reckoned blessed,' she says, 'through all ages.'  Was it becuase she sought this praise by her own power or exertion?  On the contrary, she makes mention of nothing but of the work of God.  Hence we see how widely the Papists differ from her, who idly adorn her with their empty devices, and reckon almost as nothing the benefits which she received from God.  They heap up an abundance of magnificent and very presumptuous titles, such as, 'Queen of Heaven, Star of Salvation, Gate of Life, Sweetness, Hope and Salvation.'  Nay more, to such a pitch of insolence and fury have they been hurried by Satan, that they give her authority over Christ...None of these modes of expression, it is evident, proceeded from the Lord...If it was her duty to praise the name of God alone, who had done to her wonderful things, no room is left for the pretended titles, which come from another quarter.  Besides, nothing could be more disrespectful to her, than to rob the Son of God of what is his own, to clothe her with the sacrilegious plunder."  Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 1.