What we want
February 4, 2011
A great expression of what a gospel-driven church should want, adapted to FPC Kosciusko’s context. The original is from Kevin DeYoung of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan. It makes an excellent prayer guide. I used it as such in our Session meeting a couple of days ago.
We want what God’s people have always wanted:
• We want God to bless us that we might be a blessing.
• We long to see sinners saved by God’s free grace.
• We aim to raise up pastors and missionaries to serve near and far.
• We want to see neighborhoods and apartments converted.
• We want the stony hears of teenagers and children, and of colleagues and neighbors, to be turned to flesh.
• We want a church where the good news of justification by faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone to the glory of God alone is preached boldly and gladly to as many as the Lord brings.
• We want children nurtured in the word of God.
• We want to make disciples and teach them to obey all that Christ has commanded.
• We want to shepherd wisely and faithfully the flock that God has entrusted to us.
• We want to cultivate a caring, loving communion of saints that use their gifts to build up the body and fan out into our community to promote Christ in word and deed.
• We want to keep doing the things we do well, and grow in the things we can do better, all to the glory of God, by the power of the Spirit, for the joy of all peoples.
• We want to help one another know Christ, serve Christ, tell of Christ, and live for Christ.
Your garden hose is too small
June 14, 2010
Great post from Pastor Dave Dorr of Cincinnati, Ohio on how you can’t handle a house fire by yourself…and how you can’t handle the guilt and power of sin by yourself either:
Recently a firefighter in our church was told by one of his colleagues that belief in Jesus was for weak people. I found that ironic coming from a firefighter.
I have a fire hydrant in our side yard. I have never looked at the fire hydrant and felt any shame. I drive by a firehouse every day. I never think, “If this community didn’t have weak people than we would never need firehouses.” Every month when I pay my property taxes, which go towards financing fire departments, I never get angry at myself, thinking, “if I could just handle fire myself I wouldn’t have to write this check.”
Imagine a person whose house is on fire. The fire is raging out of control and the fire truck pulls up, sirens blaring. The person runs out of his house in a rage and says, “How dare you come to my house and think that I can’t handle this fire myself! Firefighters are for weak people, not for me.”
What would you think of someone like that? Insane.
We know that fire departments are for “weak” people because a power exists that we simply can’t deal with on our own: fire. Actually, we admire firefighters because they are people who have committed themselves to take on the power of fire at personal expense.
Christians are weak in the same sense that a community is “weak” for having fire departments. They are people who acknowledge that a power exists that they can’t confront and live — the holiness of God. This, however, is not cause for shame, because there was one man who dealt with that power at personal expense, on a cross. And, as every firefighter can admit, when someone is rescued from the flames, they’re not thinking about their weakness; they’re overjoyed that someone would risk it all to save them.
Original post here.
Tripp on pastors
February 3, 2010
Here are notes taken from a Monday pre-conference seminar by Paul Tripp:
I don’t know how many ministers of the gospel read this blog, but this is one you really should read. Elders and anyone else who has the opportunity to be a good friend to his pastor ought to read these notes as well.
Cream of blog 12.18.09
December 18, 2009
The Sweet Dropper has been silent about 10 days, as a trip to Belize has hindered my blogging. Here are a few blog entries worth your time.
- Gene Edward Veith comments on findings of The Pew Forum, which reports that Americans are becoming increasingly syncretistic in their religious views and practices.
- Tim Keller on how to deal with criticism, and how John Newton has helped him respond in godly ways.
- Justin Taylor with resources on helping men gain victories in the battle against lust.
- CCEF has posted Tim Lane’s pamphlet Family Feuds: How to Respond–great teaching and equipping for Christmas family gatherings and the conflicts that go with them.
The aim of our charge
June 17, 2009
The Apostle Paul gave his protege Timothy a number of charges and exhortations in the two New Testament letters addressed to Timothy. Paul wants Timothy to lead his flock wisely, courageously and virtuously. He offers as something of a thesis statement this marvelous assertion in the opening of his first letter to Timothy:
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith [1 Timothy 1:5].
Love requires personal holiness (a pure heart), honest self-assessment and charitable assessment of others (a good conscience), all of which flows from one’s relationship to God (sincere faith).
- a pure heart: a heart delivered from corrupting idolatries and influences, rather than being dominated by sinful desires;
- a good conscience: a true knowledge of God and a true self-understanding, rather than being deceived by and laden with guilt; and
- a sincere faith: living a God-ward life, receiving his Word and gifts on his terms, rather than living with pretense and hypocrisy.
Pray for your pastor(s)
January 22, 2009
I am still humbled and encouraged when people tell me, “Pastor, I pray for you.” Some remember us every day. In 2007 I shared with the prayer meeting group some suggestions as to how people can pray for the pastors (and John Piper’s influence is all over this piece). Here is the outline:
Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ…that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak (Colossians 4:3-4).
1. Pray that we would be single-minded and united in our work: being resident theologians and missiologists, discovering the meaning of Scripture, developing a life of prayer and holiness, cultivating, and working for the cure of souls. Many little things conspire against this.
2. Pray for our purity. Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). Pray that our minds and bodies be pure. If they are not, we become weak and useless. Who wants to drink water out of rusty cup?
3. Pray for our doctrinal faithfulness. Never take this for granted. An elder must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it (Titus 1:9). Keep a close watch on…the teaching (1 Timothy 4:16). Pray that a hundred years from now the leaders of FPC will believe and love and teach and obey the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
4. Pray for joyful, Christ-exalting marriages—marriages that set an example for others, that ease the burdens of the ministry, that display the mystery of Christ’s love for the Church, that bless our children, and that protect us all from scandal. It is easy for pastors to neglect this (1 Peter 3:7; Ephesians 6:4).
5. Pray for boldness and earnestness in proclaiming Christ and him crucified. Pray that no difficulty would deter us and no disappointment dishearten us. Pray that we would fear God more than we fear people.
6. Pray that we would be “unbusy.” What I mean is that we would work hard but not vainly crowd our day with conspicuous activity nor let others fill our schedules with imperious demands. Being “unbusy” frees us to do our proper work–for visionary, creative energy. Pray that we not be lazy or domineering or cynical. Pray that we would be sharp and unhindered. Pray that the edge of our blades will not get dull (Ecclesiastes 10:10)
7. Pray for the Spirit’s power. We do not want to counsel and pray and lead and plan and teach and preach without power. Ask the Lord to open hearts and change people through our ministry. Pray that we will be sharp instruments in the Redeemer’s hands–part of a great, global awakening of doctrinally mature, Christ-exalting, God-centered reformation of worship, teaching, nurture and reaching.
Advent of humility
December 24, 2008
What a great Christmas gift Tim Keller and Christianity Today have given us in his article on humility in the December issue. I think this is worth reading and re-reading to the point of memorization. Read it here.
Coffee with Lewis: humiliation for the humble
September 18, 2008
Let’s cut to the chase. Lewis was extraordinarily funny. Why does that matter? Is there not something gracious and edifying about laughter? I don’t mean the cutting, biting, derisive laughter, but the free expression of a cheerful heart made glad by God and thus discerningly amused by what he has done and is doing. Back in 2006 I blogged about such here. The excerpt below is from a secondary source: Surprised by Laughter: the Comic World of C.S. Lewis, by Terry Lindvall:
Laughter is a divine gift to the human who is humble. A proud man cannot laugh because he must watch his dignity; he cannot give himself over to the rocking and rolling of his belly. But a poor and happy man laughs heartily because he gives no serious attention to his ego….Only the truly humble belong to this kingdom of divine laughter…Humor and humility should keep good company. Self deprecating humor can be a healthy reminder that we are not the center of the universe, that humility is our proper posture before our fellow humans as well as before almighty God…”I suppose,” wrote C.S. Lewis, “we should mind humiliation less if we were but humbler.”
Baxter: Lord, it belongs not to my care
July 25, 2008
Here’s some potent verse from English Puritan pastor Richard Baxter (1615-1691), who is generally better know for his prose than his poetry:
Lord, it belongs not to my care,
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve thee is my share,
And this thy grace must give.If life be long, I will be glad
That I may long obey;
If short, yet why should I be sad
To soar to endless day?Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than he went through before;
He that unto God’s kingdom comes
Must enter by this door.Come, Lord, when grace has made me meet
Thy blessed face to see;
For if thy work on earth be sweet,
What will thy glory be?Then shall I end my sad complaints,
And weary, sinful days,
And join with the triumphant saints
That sing Jehovah’s praise.My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim;
But ’tis enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with him.
What a team of friends we have through Jesus
July 21, 2008
Here’s some profound insight from Dr. J.I. Packer from a recent interview in Modern Reformation:
J.I. Packer: “I’m a great believer in the importance of Trinitarian thinking in discipling. A lot of what has weakened discipling is the result of thinking of only one person of the godhead at any one time–think about the Holy Spirit and what he does; think about Jesus and his death on the cross for us; think of the Father and of his love and goodwill. But you’re not thinking, you see, of the three together: the divine team which works in the unity of a single program and plan, each person in the team fulfilling his part in our salvation, so that the gospel is much less ‘what a friend we have in Jesus,’ but ‘what a team of friends we have through Jesus’–it’s the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our discipling instruction will be infinitely strengthened if we present it that way. Sometimes people say, ‘I’ve never heard it put like that before.’ People will be deistic unless they are taught the Trinity.”
