Spirit Filled Puritan

Well with another fall of the Stock Market, I’ve received another flurry of “get ready for the rapture” and Barak Obama is the anti-christ emails.   Here’s an election related one someone sent me with a note to visit this site.

I really feel like doing what Ringo Starr did this week.  If you didn’t see this, check it out.  He actually put out a video telling fans not to send him any more fan mail or objects to autograph.  “This is a serious message…please do not send fan mail to any address you have… nothing will be signed after the 20th of October,” he said.  

I think I will…“This is a serious message, after today, October 17th, please do not send me any more emails about the Rapture, Barak Obama being the anti-christ or the new world order”.

Honestly, do we as American Christians think our wallets are the indicator of the end of the world?  Where in the Bible does it say that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is God’s prophetic clock?   Do we think ourselves more worthy to be saved from our decadent excesses than those who have nothing, yet are being persecuted in India, Africa or the Middle East?   How arrogant can we get!  How about a little perspective on what it means to really “suffer” as a Christian…

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4727215.ece

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/16/christians-persecuted-in-india/

http://www.agi.it/world/news/200810151914-cro-ren0092-art.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/28/bible.burning/index.html

http://www.persecution.com/recent_saudiFatherKilling.html

Notice, what’s conspicuously absent from all of these reports?  There’s no call by these suffering saints for the rapture.  Why is that? 

Christian history, and most notably, the last 100 years,  is filled with the stories of those who believed they would see the end of the world.  In some cases their motives were sincere; other times they were not.  However, in all cases, their judgment was  wrong.  Ultimately, it was arrogance and pride what led to their failure in judgment.  The end result was that lives were wasted, Christian witness was ruined and many false prophets became rich.  No American generation has been so affected by this expectation than the current one. 

When John Winthrop led the Puritans from England to the Massachusetts Colony in 1629, he wrote to those seeking religious freedom of becoming a “city upon a hill”, a reference to Jesus metaphor in the sermon on the mount.  In it, he didn’t preach a “rapture” but called for the reformation of society through the Gospel and for people to consider the implications their lives would have on the world.   The “city” he envisioned would either shine by their humility and faithfulness or be consumed by their arrogance and pride.  He said…

“For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken… we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God… We shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us til we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going.” – John Winthrop

Are we reaping Winthrop’s legacy?  Have we abandoned our “city on the hill”  for the the lights of Hollywood or Wall Street?  Have the villages of Eastern India, the house churches of China, the Christians of the Middle East become Winthop’s  “cities”?  Are we shaming their sacrifices with our arrogance?

Years ago,  my hobby (as I called it) was trying to match current events to Biblical prophesy with the goal of predicting “the end”.     I believed this way for over 10 years, spending all my free time reading books on World War 3, Anti-christ, 666, computers in Belgium, etc.  Yet, it was through this “hobby”, and my God-given appetite for Christian history, that He revealed to me that my motives and beliefs were wrongly focused.  He graciously moved the focus off myself, by exposing the pride of my heart and refocused my heart on Him and the work He wanted me to do.   

God drew my attention to a plaque on the wall of my office, that hung there for nearly 5 years.  I’ll never forget how it took on a new meaning that day in 1993.  It said… 

"On the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions, who, at the dawn of victory, sat down to wait, and waiting–died!"  –  George W. Cecil

I was faced with a choice.  Either, 1) continue to speculate on the future, which, eternally speaking, gained me nothing but fame in my own mind or 2) move forward and re-build “the city on a hill.”   Today, by His grace, and only by His grace, I continue to move forward.

“It is a shame that so many Christians can quite readily dialogue about the latest theory as to the Antichrist’s identity, when at the same time they are unable to defend the deity and humanity of Christ from the pages of Holy Scripture” – Kim Riddlebarger

Reading a book written 340+ years ago by a Puritan can be a daunting task, even for the most accomplished reader.  For me its a battle of intellect (mine being miniscule compared to the writer’s), the “Old English” (not just thee’s and thy’s) and my constant battle with ADD.  Yet, there are some Puritans that are extremely readable and their style is almost indistinguishable from today’s more readable Reformed authors.  While Thomas Goodwin has been labeled “The Readable Puritan”, “The Godly Man’s Picture, Drawn With a Scripture Pencil” by Thomas Watson is another excellent example.  While Thomas Watson’s writing very accessible, its readability is not an indication of generality or over simplification.  It’s quite the opposite.  In it he leaves no stone unturned, nor wastes time in the application of the truths from Scripture he points to. 

The premise of “The Godly Man’s Picture” is godliness which Watson defines as…

“the sacred impression and workmanship of God in a man whereby from being carnal, he is made spiritual.  When godliness is wrought in a man, he does not receive a new soul but he has a “new spirit…the faculties are not new, but the qualities are; the strings are the same but the tune is corrected.”

Watson specifically challenges men in not only attempting to pursue godliness but in actually achieving it.  As he puts it, “Godliness puts a man in heaven before his time.”  With pinpoint precision, Watson examines the issue of godliness, taking it off the Christian’s “wanna be” shelf and moving it to their “continue to achieve”  shelf.  He goes on to caution readers that settling for “sanctification in-part” is not godliness.  Godliness, in practice involves  “totality”, “sacrifice” and “duration”.  Throughout the book, he demonstrates how God’s grace achieves what is impossible for man to accomplish on his own. 

I am studying from this book as part of a discipleship course at the church where I attend.  After reading just the first introductory paragraph, I was hooked.  Unlike other books on Scriptural application that develop their themes first and then put application questions at the end of the chapter or at the end of the book, Watson starts applying principles immediately. 

After a short introduction and a short presentation of the Gospel in Chapter 1, Watson starts presenting his argument from Scripture in Proverbs-like bites, that godliness is mandatory .  A few examples are, as he says, “godliness…

• has truth for its foundation.”  (Psalm 119:30)
• is a ray or beam that shines from God.”
• lies chiefly in the heart…[whereas religion is only in the externals]”
• is the holy sap rooted which is rooted in the soul.” (Psalm 51:6)
• is sacred leaven that spreads itself into the whole soul “(I Thess. 5:23)
• is a permanent thing.  A blush of godliness is not enough the distinguish a Christian, but godliness must be the temper and complexion of the soul.

This is all accomplished in the first 20 pages!  Watson then spends the next 168 pages applying godliness  in understandably practical ways.  Any Christian who has a grasp of the basic doctrines of their faith will benefit from it. 

Chapter 4 represents the bulk of the book.  In it, Watson presents how Scripture provides the framework for godliness and its demonstrates its fruits.  His presentation is comprehensive and practical.

One interesting historical note is that Watson speaks to those who would “take Christ as Jesus but refuse him as Lord.”  It’s clear the same “Lordship controversy”, boiling in the church today, was also prominent in 1666, when the book was written.  It’s a vivid reminder of Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 1:9.

Watson effectively slays the notion of the security of the carnal Christian.”  Whereby many of today’s author’s who tackle this subject focus on the behavior of the one labeled a “carnal Christian”, Watson attacks the issue on two fronts; outward and inward.  His discussion of “crucifying Christ anew” by those who profess to be being Christians continue to willfully sin against the saints (church), is frank and somber.  He calls it for what it is; the sin of apostasy.  Yet, unlike modern day authors, who focus on the “carnal believer’s” liberty to choose their “lifestyle” , Watson goes right to the heart and warns readers that all Christians are at risk of becoming carnal and ultimately apostatizing through dismissing the slippery slope of sin. 

“Let us take heed of those things which will make us, by degrees, fall away from our profession…[they are: covetousness (worldliness), unbelief (not trusting God in his grace and mercy in all things of life) and cowardice (the fear of man and its result, inaction to do what is good)].”

In the final 62 pages, Watson exhorts the true believer remaining faithful in their personal pursuit of godliness.  Watson lays out 3 “C’s” as a way for true believers to remain faithful to their grace-filled ambition:

• Caution – against the presumption of God’s grace. 
• Counsel – remaining faithful to God’s Word and His work in your life. 
• Comfort – realizing there will be up’s and down’s  in your faith (with a little help from Richard Sibbes and the “smoking flax” example)

The book ends with the vivid imagery of the Christian’s ultimate glory as Christ, foretells the coming for His humble and chaste bride.  As Watson says, “We see the love of Christ and his church running towards one another in full torrent…What is closer than union?  What is sweeter?… Though we can bring Christ no dowry, he expects us to keep ourselves pure.”

My first reading of this book has already helped me see hypocrisy in my heart.  It’s also reminded me my continued need to pray fervently and frequently.   I commented to my wife the other day that it is certainly one of the best book I’ve read regarding the personal application of Scripture.    I highly recommend it. 

 The Godly Man’s Picture is a great complement to J.C. Ryle’s book “Thoughts for Young Men ”.  Ryle has been called England’s "last Puritan".  This book,  written in the late 19th Century, is more relevant today than when it was written over 100 years ago.  It’s another example of readable Puritan literature.

Who says history is boring or is not relevant for today.  I am 5 weeks into my first class on the Patristic writers and I’m in awe.  I’m in awe not only of the writers but the people who they were writing to; the people living in the Roman empire during times of peace, turmoil, oppression and desperation.  What struck me first was their faith.  They stood strong in what they believed.  Secondly, they struggled and their faith did too.  Thirdly, the church struggled with them,  and not only with doctrine but how best to minister to the church’s growing numbers.  Through the Novatian and Donatist Controversies, you could feel how men were wrestling with the reality of both facts and emotions, along with the definition and application of forgiveness, repentance and grace.   Through the readings I experienced their pride, anger, self-righteousness, humility, grace and the Gospel.  What a roller coaster!

Another interesting thing I’ve noted so far is the absolute truth in Solomon’s statement from Ecclesiastes 1:9  “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun”.  I knew this to be true but never realized how clearly relevant it was to the church today.  In my readings I experienced church growth and decline, revival and mediocrity, heresy and subtle doctrinal error, reformation and theological entropy, piety and hypocrisy, personal sacrifice and personal gain, persecution and state religion, suffering and joy.  Another roller coaster. 

Mark Dever, pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC spoke about his pastoral reading program a few years back.  In it, he recommended in addition to Scripture, the reading and re-reading the Patristic’s on a schedule or some regular basis.  I thought to myself, knowing Mark Dever’s character, doing so probably has great merit.  However in my case, with so much to read and so little time, I relegated the Patristic Fathers to some far-off and future date.  This was partly based on my preconceptions that they would be boring and very uninteresting.  Wow, was I wrong.  Yes, it takes time.  Yes, the language is sometimes clumsy. Yes, it’s not easy but it’s definitely worth it. 

Just as an aside, one of my favorite little reads was something called The Didache or “The Writings of the Apostles”.  Whereas most experts don’t believe it was written by the 12 Apostles but actually by a group of people in the late 1st or early 2nd century, it contains some very interesting notes on church life during that time.  My favorite part is where it talks about the mode of baptism.  Come to find out, the early church was very “ecumenical” when it came to baptism.  OK Baptists, time for a little humbling here.  Yes, while it seems that the first century “Baptists” have the leg-up on the first century Presbyterians in the pecking order, it was clear that all three modes were in operation from AD 75-150.  It seems as if  immersion was preferred but it was not the only way.  Pouring came next and sprinkling, although not mentioned specifically, is alluded to.  By the way, cold water was also preferred over warm.  Maybe, that’s why pouring and sprinkling were added.  There’s nothing more “exciting” than being “immersed” in cold water.  The bottom line is that what the writers of the Didache said, water, in some way,  should be used during the baptism ritual.    Its a good reminder that sometimes by “majoring in the minor’s”, we lose sight of the bigger meaning of baptism.

I now have a greater appreciation of the religious freedoms we have in this country and the greater privilege of having the entire Canon of Scripture available, in so many formats. 

Stephen Altrogge in his blog last week wrote a short post on the perspective of the Gospels.  In it, he made the point that “we’re not the main point of the Gospels”, Jesus is. 

All too often we read the Gospels looking for something in us or for us, rather than desiring to learn more about who Jesus is.  “The Gospels portray Jesus in order to elicit our faith and worship, not primarily in order to show us how he can meet our needs.”

He suggests asking three questions (courtesy of Jeff Purswell):

• What is there in these verses that causes me to stand in awe of Christ?

• What is there in these verses that causes me to love Christ more?

• What is there in these verses that demonstrates the all-sufficiency of Christ for a particular area in my life?

This is an excellent reminder for me to “reposition” both my heart and perspective as I study God’s Word.

Saturday evening, the church where I attend hosted a prophetic ministry team from Covenant Fellowship Church of Glen Mills PA.  CovFel is a sister church in the Sovereign Grace Ministries family.  The team was led by Mark Prater, a pastor at CovFel.

The evening was divided into two parts.  The first part was a time of teaching on what is New Testament Prophesy and the second part was a time of ministry.  At Sovereign Grace Church of Central PA, New Testament prophesy is an integral component within the church and as such it is earnestly sought and prayed for during Sunday meetings or other times of corporate gathering.  It was a great encouragement to see many people blessed with this gift, ministering to people in our church, my wife and I included.

New Testament Prophesy was new to my family when we were introduced to Sovereign Grace Ministries about 2 years ago.  However from our first encounter with people who have this gift, we knew it was a special ministry from the Holy Spirit to the church. 

Mark Prater spent time explaining New Testament Prophesy, and its role and governance within the church.  Here are few highlights of what he said.

Prophesy is a gift given to some believers by the Holy Spirit.  It is a report of a revelation from God.  It is not new revelation but a word or impression from God that is meant to edify or build up the church.   It is a sign of God’s care for his children.  As such, it is a tool of the Gospel. 

Prophesy is never to be given the same authority as scripture but in all, it is to be governed by and tested against scripture.  It is meant to encourage believers or confirm the Godly desires of one’s heart; not to set direction or for decision making. 

Many people were ministered to Saturday evening.  My wife and I received words of encouragement that we sincerely believe were from God and spoken by the Holy Spirit through the team.  Others were encouraged publicly which further encouraged us.  Our Pastor and his wife were encouraged in their pastoral service.  As further encouragement, on Sunday, a man whom I just walked up to on the street 3 months ago, with whom I  shared the Gospel showed up at church for worship.  He drove 40 miles to come that day!

I would say that Saturday and Sunday were certainly days where the Holy Spirit was moving in Altoona PA.

Here is an edited version of the talk by Mark Prater on August 23.  It contains portions of the teaching he led on 1 Corinthians 14. New Testament Prophesy MP3

After getting my MP3 player a few years back , (I must confess it is not an iPod) I began to use it for listening to sermons and messages from various sources.  Piper, MacArthur, Discoll, Azurdia, Duncan and Ferguson were all played in heavy rotation.  Added to this was a few of the professors at seminary Gamble, Prutow and O’Neill.  The podcast was my best friend.  I listened while at work, walking the dog, even cutting the lawn.  I bought one of those little FM transmitters so I could listen to the messages in my car.  I listened so much that my wife told me she thought I had regressed 25 years and become a teenager.  The white earbuds  almost became permanently attached to my ears.   Add to this my veracious appetite for good books.  Not only was I studying Greek at seminary but I was reading books from Carson, Piper, Dever, Spoul, and my all-time favorites, the Puritan paperbacks from Banner of Truth. 

But for all the good that I was getting out of these resources, messages and books had become an idol.  In all of this I was learning new ideas and perspectives but they were coming at the expense of my spiritual disciplines, especially individual scripture study.  Not that I was not in the Bible, my studies at school “required” that.  But I was not searching and wrestling with the text in my personal devotions.  This fact was lovingly pointed out by my wife.  

So in order “kill” this sin, the MP3 player was put away and as much as it killed me to do so, I decided to read no other book but the Bible for 6 months.  This post happens to be the 6 month anniversary of that decision.   Did I make it through?  Yes, but not with the temptation to fall back.  Most notably, having attended Together for the Gospel in April 2008, I received a year’s worth of reading materials from authors like Piper, Mohler, Dever,  and others. 

I did read one complete book, Carson’s The Cross and Christian Ministry which my pastor asked the men on our church’s leadership team to read as part of our discipling process.  I also read portions of books (about 40) for reference in my seminary paper for the book of Acts.  I did also listen to a few messages.  However, the result of this 6 month process was a deep examination of my heart. 

This AM, the Holy Spirit encouraged me with an article from The Briefing, an evangelical monthly magazine from Australia.  In it on the last page was an article by Nathan Walker entitled,  iPod, iSermon, iRighteous?.  In it he cautioned readers to avoid the sin I had waded into.  The encouragement was that the Holy Spirit had shown him there was such a danger and by God’s grace, through the magazine, this danger would be pointed out to others.  As Paul the Apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:13  “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (ESV)  I walked through this temptation and the associated sin and it was only by God’s grace through my wife that it was pointed it out.  Now Walker  has encouraged thousands of readers about this temptation and it is my prayer that others would see the temptation, heed this advice  and avoid the sin that can come from this temptation.  Discernment provides the way of escape.

So here is the application of God’s grace in my life regarding what I learned.  I hope it is an encouragement to you.  Good books and messages should be read and listened to.  However they should not  supplant one’s own personal devotions and study.  Be on guard if you make statements like “Well according to {insert favorite preacher or author here}…” more than statements like  “According to God’s word…”

One other thing.  Read The Briefing from Matthias Media.  It is filled with challenging articles that are not purely informational or theological.  The articles are informative, hard hitting and convicting, yet written in a conversational style and always pointing your back to God’s word and Gospel application.  Its well worth the $40 ($30 for an e-copy).  I love Modern Reformation magazine for its information on modern culture and ecclesiastical issues but I equally love The Briefing  for it’s focus on application.

Honestly I was expecting a softball game at tonight’s Saddleback Church Civil Forum.  Boy was I pleasantly surprised.  Rick Warren asked some really great questions.  He really got to the heart of many issues and the answers of both Barak Obama and John McCain showed their clear differences.

A few years ago I lived in Northeast Philadelphia, an area of the city known for it’s growing Russian population.  At the local Sunoco station station I always stuck up a conversation with the local immigrants who I had assumed to be Russian.  I was to find out that they were Georgian. 
Well that changed things.  Georgian politics was a whole different animal especially in light of the Rose Revolution in 2003. 

Over the last week we’ve seen this radical difference played out in the Russian invasion of South Ossetia and Georgia.  The roots of this war go deep.  Nationalism, ethnicity, pride and geo-politics, all play a role. 

In each of us a similar war is being waged.  It’s a war of who we are, to whom do we pledge allegiance, how do we see ourselves and how do we want to be seen.  It’s the war that’s mentioned several times in the New Testament in Romans 7:23, 2Cor 10:3, Hebrews 11:34, James 4:1 and 1Pet 2:11. 

Yet for those whom God has saved through faith in Jesus Christ, the war is over.  Romans 5:1 says those whom God justified have peace with him.  Yet in God’s economy we live in a state of  “the already and the not yet”.  The end result is assured but the skirmishes continue.  Arturo Azurdia, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Western Seminary,  gives us a great example of this concept.  In his 80+ part series on Revelation, he likened this victory to the final days of World War Two.  With the successful invasion of Normandy on D-Day and subsequent Allied victories, the German’s knew the war was over.  I was not over in terms of a formal surrender or at that very minute, but with blow after crushing blow, the reality of shrinking German territory confirmed it was only a matter of time before the Allies won. 

Thus it is like this in our lives after redemption.  We live in the present, battling the flesh yet we persevere in light of the victory that Christ won on the cross and the confidence in the Gospel’s triumphant march towards the eschaton.

So how should we respond? 

Earthly war is an effect of our depraved humanity, love of self and hate of God.  In  every conflict large or small; local or global, we should hate evil.  Psalm 97:10 says those who love the Lord should hate evil.  Proverbs 28:5 says that evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely. In effect we should respond the way God responded to our war with him- grace, mercy, peace and justice. 

We must pray for our leaders and not respond sinfully, becoming caught up in the political frenzy.  The Spirit provide us with discernment and the ability to act Godly, though we don’t always use it or act appropriately.   We must remember that peace is not the absence of armed conflict but the result of a change in heart.  As the late Alexander Solzhenitsyn said “gradually it was discerned to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either–but right through every human heart.”  That change can only be wrought by God. 

Ultimately the answer to world peace is the Gospel.  While I am here living in the tension of the “already and the not yet” I will experience the effects of sin but I know that my sovereign God, the Lord of history is in complete control and that His glorious Gospel will triumph. 

Remember Milli Vanilli?  They were the pop group from Germany who were rising stars in the late 1990’s and won a Grammy only to have it stripped when it was discovered they were lip synching someone else’s voice.  The two guys looked very cool.  The problem was, they couldn’t sing.

Well today the Olympic media is reporting that the Chinese pulled a Milli Vanilli of their own during the opening ceremonies.   According to the press, 7 year old, Yang Peiyi had the perfect voice, but was not as pretty as Lin Miaoke, the little girl who we all saw on TV.  Come to find out Lin lip synched little Yang’s recorded voice.    The Chinese music director is reported to have justified this decision by saying that "The reason for this is that we must put our country’s interest first.”

This story causes me to ask several questions.

• Is it OK to deceive if someone is seeking a greater good? 
• Can a nation’s “interests” be defined as a greater good?
• Is deceit OK if it is limited to purely entertainment?
• How should I respond to deceit?

I think the answer lies in our motivations.  But it’s an answer that many of us don’t want to hear.

A review of God’s word shows that deceit in all its forms is never good.  There are numerous examples in the Old Testament that point to the fact that Israel’s interests were not served by deceit.  Also, Jesus clearly condemns the presentation of outward appearance that in contrary to the inward (Matt 23:27-28 and the Scribes and Pharisees) as hypocrisy.  Deceit is also part of the human condition.  It is an evidence of our depravity (Jer 17:9).   Likewise, in our depravity we tend to worship deceit; choosing ourselves over God.

In contrast to us,  Jesus stands as the ultimate revealer and healer of the deceitful.  The story of Zacheus comes to mind.  My story comes to mind.

I think the response to deceit needs to be one of pointing the deceiver, and the deceived to the truth of the Gospel.  For it is through the Gospel that absolute truth is revealed.  It is also through the Gospel that our deceitful heart and its fruits are exposed.  Finally it is through the Gospel that the grace of God is purposefully bestowed, sanctifying the believer through a process of revealing and healing.

The church where I attend recently held an evangelistic training session called Proclaim.  It was the best such training session I have ever attended.  What made it so special was that it did put Evangelism in perspective, the proper perspective: Proclaim the Good News and leave the rest to God.  No methods, no tricks, no manipulation; just the Gospel.  Here is a little flavor of what it was like…