Job Review

We all have had them. When I was at Lowe's I had one every year on the date that I started with the company. In the construction companies I worked for, I had them anywhere from twice a year, to once a month. Everyone of us who has ever worked a job, has had at some point a job review. The problem with being a Pastor, is first, the review happens every Sunday and second, the review happens by the only being who is perfect in nature. As a Pastor, my review, of my servant humble glorifying heart, happens by God every time I step before His people and try to love them through the speaking of truth. And the reality is, more times than I would ever like to admit, I score very poorly on God's review of my servant humble glorifying heart. But I worship God for giving me a low score, becasue then it spurns me on in zeal to grow more like Him and love His sheep that much better the next time I glorifying Him through loving His sheep.

Thinking through this very fact, of a weekly review from God, makes me stop this time of year to reflect, prayer, and worship God for all that He has done in and through me, for His glory, in the past year. So here is my prayer thinking about my role as a Pastor for God, from the last year

Father, I thank you for another year of ministry.
You truly are amazing, God, in that you could and do use someone like me
You have done some amazing things in the life of my church this past year
And I thank you that I can be a part of it.
I thank you for your glorious nature and divine power,
I thank you for your plan for your sheep and your plan for me
I thank you that you have chosen me to be a part of your plan
A part of your plan in equipping the sheep for your work
A part of the disciple making process

But Lord, I must confess for the many times I failed you
I am sorry Lord for the pride that has crept in my heart
I am sorry for the arrogance I spout at times
I am sorry for running ahead of your will
and doing my own thing with my own desires
But Lord, I rejoice in your forgiveness
I am thankful for your grace and mercy for my sins
And I rejoice knowing you keep every promise to forgive when I confess

So as I think to the year ahead, God
I pray that you will continue to use me
I ask that you will continue to glorify yourself through me
I beg of you to create in me a heart of worship for you, the only Divine
I ask, Father, that in the year ahead I will be more humble
that I will follow where You lead and be your sharp tool
I am trusting in you God, to bring a year full of mighty works,
Works of your hand, that you chose to do through me.
Create in me a servant humble glorifying heart, that is full of worship
And I ask Father, that in 2017, I will be a better minister for you, than I was in 2016
All for you glory and to your praise, I ask
In Jesus holy righteous name,
Amen

Family Review-God's grace

You know those people. The people that write those letters with their Christmas cards. Maybe they are even the people that put the very facts on their cards themselves. These are the people that look back on the previous year and let you know of the amazing things that has happened to them. I personally wrestle with this yearly activity that many people do. "Yes, I can rejoice with you in all the awesome stuff that happened to you". "Yes, I can be proud of you in all the fun activities and places you went". "But no, I am not excited to read all of the great things you did, that I was unable to do". So, I will never say this is a condemned activity, but writing your yearly activities to others, is not a practice that I would tell others to do. We need to be a people who rejoice in ourselves and are grateful in our attitude in all the grace God has shown us the past year. But this rejoicing and gratitude should not be pushed onto others.

I say all that to point to my practice of personal rejoicing in the grace God has shown my family in the past year. Everything I have, everything I am, everything I have experienced, everything I know, and everything that has happened to my family, is all by the grace of God alone. And when I reflect on the grace of God in my life, it springs well of gratefulness, not to share with others, but to spend in worship of God.

So this past year, I saw so much grace of God in the life of my family. My family has been relatively healthy, except for a few weeks in the summer. This past year God gave, in His grace, many amazing trips away with my family, places like Pittsburgh, the beach, and the mountains. God's grace has shone on my family as we discovered education problems with a few of my children, and then found a way to provide the help that has been needed. God's grace was very real in my family as my wife and I have drawn closer through a few challenges that arose, especially the way God has seemingly provided in the challenge of finances. God's grace has led me to worship as each one of my children have grown both physically and spiritually. Sam has truly amazed me as God has instilled in him a deeper love and delight in God and His truth. God has been so gracious in forming a young woman in my daughter, Cara, as she continues to grow in her love for the Bible. God has been doing a great work in Katie, as His grace is evident in forming her into a helpful hand around the house. And God has been very evident in Ellie, as His grace has begun to mold her into a loving life rejoicing little girl.

God's grace, as you can see, has been very active in my family this past year. God has been working, in many different ways that I have seen and rejoiced in. And God's grace has been at work in the life of my family, in many places that I missed and did not see. Oh, what a gracious God we love and serve, and when I think back on 2016, I rejoice in the mighty grace God has freely shown on me.

Class Review

This is the first of five posts, where I will reflect on this past year in a particular area. I want to begin thinking about the past year, thinking through the classes that I took for my Master's degree. I am currently sitting around 75% of the way done through getting my Master's of Divinity degree or known in most circles as an MDiv. Lord willing, in December 2017, I will graduate with my Master's degree, which will fully open the door for God to do great things with and through me. But I am not there yet, which means I am still in the middle of classes. The beauty of the program I am in, is that it places each class by itself, and allows me to focus my mind in growing and learning in one area in a short period, then moving on to the next class. So in 2016, I had the privilege of taking 6 classes. I am currently on Christmas break for the 6th class, which is the first of my few Hebrew language classes. So I wanted to think through the past year and remind myself what God has taught me in the other 5 classes I had the privilege of taking.

1)Strategic Methods of Adult Discipleship
This class was a learning process of thinking about teaching the people of God. In this class I worked through multiple resources on how to equip God's people to do works of ministry, especially the work of making disciples. This was an important class for me, in that, my #1 job as a Pastor and Elder is to equip the saint for works of ministry. This class drove home the point of the role of a teacher in equipping disciples who make disciples. A great class on methodology in equipping the saints. This was a great class to begin 2016 for me and re-energizing me in the work of shepherding the people of God.

2)Church change, conflict, and resolution
This class came at the perfect timing in the life of my ministry. Change is inevitable. Change is to be human and live in a world of change and brokenness. Change also bring conflict. The reality of my ministry is that I am a 180 degree change from the previous Pastor; in gifts, passions, philosophy, and even theology. This has brought much conflict. And this class taught me, from many great books, how to handle change, the conflict it brings, and how to find peace in resolution. I needed to learn deeper on the topics of change, conflict, and peaceful resolution. This class did just that.

3)Greek Exegesis from the Pastoral Epistles
Again, another class, at the time I needed it. In the spring of 2016, I preached through the book of 1 Timothy. I preached through this book, becasue the church I lead, needed to hear from this book on the many different topics that Paul covers. The topics like, Eldership, the role of a Pastor, the importance of right doctrine, and how all of these things connect to the life and character of a church. This class, was an in depth study on 1 Timothy along with 2 Timothy and Titus. This class came right when I needed the help in preaching from the Word of God. God brought me to a class that did exactly what I needed it to.

4)Theology for Ministry
This was a theology class, that taught me how to incorporate and use theology in ministry, along with the theology that plays itself out in ministry. Everyone is a theologian. The Pastor is very much a theologian. I personally pride myself on my theological understanding and knowledge of God and His Word. This class played right into my passions and bent as a Pastor. A great class to start the school year off with and a great class to jump back into hard work after a summer break.

5)The Leader's life and character
The final full class I had in 2016, was focused on the character, quality, and competence of a leader. As a Elder, I am an important leader in the life of God's people. People will only go as far as the leader leads them. And one of the greatest ways a leader leads, is through his life and example. This class taught me and showed me the important of my character and my quality as a leader. Through the study of leadership in Scripture and the life of leaders in the Bible, my character as a leader was brought to light.

I had some great classes in 2016. Now with Hebrew in the present and also the near future, as well as some communication, interpretation, and exegesis classes, 2017 looks like a great year to finish my degree, and become a sharper and greater tool in the hands of God.

Advent Readings

Throughout this past year, each month I have spent time reading God's Word on a particular topic. January I spent time in the Word reading on true and false worship. February I read from the Scriptures on the topic of love. March I read through the Bible for 30 days on the topic of money. April I wanted to learn more about what encouragement was, so I read on that theme in Scripture. In the month of May, I wanted to see what all of the Bible says about true saving faith, so I devoured God's very words on this important spiritual trait. In June, I read on discipleship. Then in July, while enjoying some much needed rest, I read through 31 Psalms of David. In August, thinking about the fall ahead and the life of ministry, I read deeper on the theme of generosity and the generous heart of God. In September I read from the Bible around the action of prayer and learned more what communication with God looks like. In the month of October, I wanted to think deeper about sin, so I read from Genesis 3 through Revelation 21 on the topic of sin. In November, in response to the election of our next President, I let the Bible speak to me on citizenship and my responsibility to those governing authorities God has placed over me. And now I have come to December, where I am reading through an advent reading program.

Today, I read through reading 20 of my advent reading calendar. What amazed me about this particular advent reading calendar is that it only spends 5 days reading from advent in the New Testament. The first 20 days of this reading plan had me reading in the Old Testament. I knew this would be the case. I understood that advent means, waiting or anticipating or even getting reading for a coming. So that means most of the advent that takes place in the Bible is from the Old Testament. Almost all of the promises and prophecy's about the coming Messiah are in the Old Testament. So I knew that most of this month I would be reading through the first section of the Bible. But even as I have read through all of the promises, it still shocked me at times how much the Bible is a book of advent. Even now, we are in advent, as we await the coming of the King in all of His glory.

Here are many of the passages I have read so far this month and the promises that they bring us about the advent season and the coming of the Messiah.

-Genesis 3:8-15- The promised snake crusher
-Deuteronomy 18:15-19- The promised perfect prophet that will change hearts
-Isaiah 7:10-16- The promise of the virgin
-Isaiah 9:2-7- The promised light
-Isaiah 11:1-10- The promised root of Jesse
-Isaiah 35:1-10- The promised path of ransom
-Isaiah 40:1-11- The promised Shepherd
-Isaiah 42:1-4- The promised bruised reed
-Isaiah 61:1-11- The promised entry of the Lord's Favor
-Isaiah 64:1-9- The promised God, coming to earth
-Jeremiah 23:5-6, 33:14-16- The promised righteous branch of David
-Micah 5:2-5- The promise of the birth place
-Zephaniah 3:14-20- The promise of brought restoration
-Malachi 3:1-4, 4:5-6- The promised Refiner

God sure makes a ton of promises. And God never ever forget or fails in keeping His promises, especially the promise to save His sheep.

3 Kings

Today I want to work through a little of one of my favorite Christmas songs, “We Three Kings”. When I still played the saxophone, I loved to play this song at Christmas time. The rhythm, tone, and melody stuck with me, not only throughout the year ahead, but I can still hum this song in my mind, a few decades later. Many times, we see Christmas as a joyous, celebratory time. Christmas is also a very serious solemn time, as we realize the new born baby is destined for greater things than a manger. The new born baby we celebrate at Christmas is destined for greatness and glory through death. That is some serious thinking, and this song and melody bring the seriousness of Christmas into view.

We Three Kings

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Born a baby on Bethlehem's plain
Gold we bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to rein

Chorus
Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to Thy perfect light
Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Pray'r and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high

Chorus

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes of life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb

Chorus

I love this song. I love the words in this song. I love that it highlights what each gift given to Jesus was for and foreshadows. I love the theology of this song and the fact it tells of the true reason for this season. Next time you hear this song and sing it as a carol remember that the baby born in the manger so many years ago came for a bigger reason than the manger and a celebration. Jesus came to earth as a baby to die for our sins, in our place, so that we can spend eternity with Him. This song shows Jesus came to give us a free gift, just as we respond to this truth by giving him the gift of us. 

Connecting the Dots

Here is another Christmas carol that we sing each year. This song, sometimes, is not only sung in worship services, but it also sung on a caroling adventure, or as a special number right at Christmas. I remember singing this song at a Christmas Eve service, while holding a candle. So, the song, “What Child is this”, is at times much more than a normal carol we sing during the month of December.

What Child is this

What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

When we read those words, and start to sing the melodies in our head we tend to forget the theological significance of this song. This is a Christmas carol we sing at Jesus birth but it is a song that talks about His death as much as His birth. This song connects the dots in many places, from the wooden manger, to the wooden Cross. It tells the full weight of why, God became flesh. It answers the question of, why was Jesus born? Amen for songs that can be sung in December but show us the hope and meaning of the cross. 

Another Christmas Carol

This week I am thinking through and reading a few of the popular songs we wing this time of year. A good Christian song, is first a good worship song that directs us to the glory of God. Second, a good Christian song, is a song that teaches us Biblical truth, while we sing it.  This has me thinking about the point, words, theology, and application of some of the famous Christmas Carols we sing every year. So I decided to look this at the carol O Come All Yea Faithful. Here are the lyrics.

O Come all Ye faithful

O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant
Oh come ye O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him born the King of angels;
O come let us adore him Christ the Lord.

God of God light of light
Lo he abhors not the virgin's womb;
Very God begotten not created:
O come let us adore him Christ the Lord.

Sing choirs of angels sing in exultation
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God in the highest:
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

See how the shepherds summoned to his cradel,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear;
We too will thither hend our joyful footsteps;
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Wow, this song teaches us about the faithfulness of a true lover of Jesus. It shows that Jesus is God and teaches us part of the Trinity theology. It also shows that Jesus deserves the glory and praise and is a great reminder during this advent season the point of it all. Even though I am not as big into Christmas time as my lovely wife I true can appreciate the importance, power, and impact the songs we sing during this important and celebrated time of year. Taking this look at some of the carols we sing has really brought me appreciation for the songs we sing to celebrate Jesus birth. Wonder what carol I should take a look at next?

A Christmas Carol

This time if year we some of the most amazing, beautiful, deep, and wondrous songs about our Lord. Christmas carols are some of the songs in the Christian faith, that have the riches theology and truth in them. This week, I want to highlight 5 songs that we sing this time of year. I want to highlight these songs for the deep truths that they teach us. I want to point to these songs for the wonder of the incarnation that they tell. I want to point out these 5 songs becasue we should not just sing them this time of the year and move on. We sing in the life of the church, to teach others what we believe, reminder ourselves of what we know, and worship God through public reflection. I hope and pray as we read through each of these songs this week, that we come to grasps with the majesty of our incarnate Lord. 

Go Tell It On the Mountain
While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens,
There shone a holy light:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Saviour's birth:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Down in a lowly manger
Our humble Christ was born
And God send us salvation,
That blessed Christmas morn:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

When I am a seeker,
I seek both night and day;
I seek the Lord to help me,
And He shows me the way:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

He made me a watchman
Upon the city wall,
And if I am a Christian,
I am the least of all.
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Some thoughts on the Bible

The Bible is the most important book in history.  Each day, we should live our lives based on the standards set within it.  It is the one book that we should immerse ourselves in on a daily basis.  In order to truly live by the Bible, we must acknowledge the following steps in understanding it.

The origin of the Bible is God. The Bible starts with God and ends with God. God chose to give us the Bible and His words so that we might have a relationship with Him. The Bible is an original creation from God with His own words, feelings, desires, and will, but with the help of men like Moses, Isaiah, Ezra, Luke, and Paul. It was written down in human ways so that God’s creation could read understandably about their creator. Jeremiah 1:11 says, “And the word of the LORD came to me, saying...”. This is just one example of the times that God sent his word directly to human authors. Other times the Holy Spirit guided the authors, like Paul and Peter, to write down God’s word. 1 Corinthians 14:37 states, “If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord”. How does God use the human authors so that the Bible is still 100% God’s words?

Inspiration is how God used humans to write his words. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is breathed-out by God…” God breathed His words through the human authors through inspiration of the Spirit. The Bible was written over fifteen hundred years by many different writers with many different styles. They were shepherds, kings, doctors, and teachers, and they wrote in prisons, deserts, fields, and courtyards. Yet the entire book is a unified in proclaiming and revealing God to the readers. David was not aware of Paul when he was writing the Psalms yet they both work in a unified sense to bring God’s message and promises to the readers. 2 Peter 1:21 states this very clearly, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit inspired and guided the thoughts and minds of the writers so that God’s message was proclaimed, but at the same time the Holy Spirit used the life and style of each individual to bring about the message. David wrote poems, while Moses wrote law yet both are 100% from God because the Holy Spirit guided and inspired the writer yet both are also 100% man; each is in a different style because they are from different writers who had different personalities.

Inerrancy says that because God is perfect and without fault, His word is also perfect and without fault. The truth is trustworthy. This means the Bible is correct and never wrong whether in theological ideas, historical facts, geography, or even description of events. Caution must follow inerrancy though because it does not mean every detail and fact must be in the story or description. God only brings in His word the facts and aspects that are important for us to know. God does not give us every historical detail because the Bible is not a historical record; it is a theological book that includes history in the telling. Inerrancy says that the original writing and manuscript is without error. It does not apply to the copy after copy after copy of the manuscript down through the years. Inerrancy can and will only apply itself to the original writing by the original inspired authors. Inerrancy also does not say that the Bible is easy to understand and that if we are confused it is an error. The Bible is still the word of God and he can choose to reveal certain things and keep other things hidden from us. The revelation process of God is what causes the confusion, not the fact that the Bible might be wrong or have an error. The Bible is perfect and without error. 

The Power of God in the flesh

With the advent season now over a week in, I have been thinking a lot about Jesus and what His birth actually means. During the Christmas season we tend to think most of the time about Jesus in the manger and the story around His physical birth. We picture a tired Joseph having walked days leading a donkey with Mary on it. We picture Mary, exhausted, ready to give birth at any moment. We see and smell the stable with the animals all packed in around Mary and Joseph, as she cries in labor. We hear the Angels and see the faces of the shepherds in amazement. And we might even picture the Wise Men a little later, showing up at Jesus' door to bring the new born baby gifts. 

Some others of us will realize that Jesus physical birth to Mary happened so that He might then 33 years later have a physical death to save His people from their sins. We can see in our minds eye the shadow of the cross laying over the baby in the manger. We hear the cries of the crowd over the noise of the cows. We hear see the agony of Jesus in His death clearly in the agony of Mary in her labor. We see the blood of the Cross clearly visible in the blood of a birth. We connect the dots from the pain of labor to the pain of Jesus labor of love. 

Some others will even contemplate about the fact that His physical birth in the manager sets the stage for His physical 2nd coming on the white horse with His people mentioned in Revelation 19. We see the beauty of life on the quiet cold night and see the beauty of our returning King. We hear the cries of the babe in his first breath, hearing even louder the battle cries of victory over death complete. We picture the birth of a king, so small and helpless, and then see the coming of our King in all His powerful glory supreme. 

But I have been reminded of an amazing truth that I seem to forget about Jesus and a verse from Hebrews that goes along with it.

Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.

I forgot an important truth that this verse points out. Jesus is one person with two natures, divine and human, such that He upheld the world by the word of His power while living in His mother's womb. The baby born in the manger with the physical blood and screams of a new born was at the same time caring for and loving them, in His powerful sovereign way, the women and man present as His birth. The baby being born was at the same moment in supreme control of those events. Wow. The incarnation of Jesus is an amazing mystery that we should be praising God for everyday, because without those divine truths we are all hopeless.

The Biblical Languages

This past Monday, I began the second of the Biblical languages in my studies. For the next 12 weeks, I will be working on the Hebrew language and starting to learn the original language that almost all the Old Testament was written in. The next 12 weeks will only be the beginning though, as I continue much further, in classes ahead, as well as the rest of my life. When my best friend and I were talking on Monday and I was explaining to him what the next 12 grueling weeks entail, he asked why? Why study, why work hard, why do the mind-bending work to learn another language, a language that is not even spoke today and that is truly only helpful in the study of the Scriptures? My simple answer was beauty. To learn the languages is to see the beauty of God, to dive deep into the well of His majesty, to basic in the words of His glory. To truly know the languages is to know the heart of God better. When I can learn the language that God uses to speak His truth, it is like going upstream a little further to the source, getting a fresher, cleaner, more pure understanding of the source. Yes, we all can get water that brings life from the stream, but to go back closer to the source, is to find deeper refreshment.

B.B. Warfeild stated about the original languages, “No second hand knowledge of the revelation of God for the salvation of a ruined world can suffice the needs of a ministry whose function is to convey this revelation to men, commend it to their acceptance and apply it in detail to their needs--to all their needs, from the moment they are called into participation in the grace of God, until the moment when they stand perfect in God’s sight, built up by his Spirit into new men. For such a ministry as this the most complete knowledge of the wisdom of the world supplies no equipment; the most fervid enthusiasm of service leaves without furnishing. Nothing will suffice for it but to know; to know the book; to know it at first hand; and to know it through and through. And what is required first of all for training men for such a ministry is that the book should be given them in its very words [Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek] as it has come from God’s hand and in the fullness of its meaning, as that has been ascertained by the labors of generations of men of God who have brought to bear upon it all the resources of sanctified scholarship and consecrated thought.” 

Martin Luther added, “The languages are the sheath in which this sword of the Spirit is contained. Now there must always be such prophets in the Christian church who can dig into Scripture, expound it, and carry on disputations. A saintly life and right doctrine are not enough. Hence languages are absolutely and altogether necessary in the Christian church, as are the prophets or interpreters . . .” 

Thinking about my answer to my BFF, and both quotes listed above, I also came up with 5 important ways that knowing the original languages brings me more skill and equipment for ministry. As a shepherd for Jesus to His flock, I need all the tools I can get in my tool case, and one of them is knowing the original languages. Here are the 5 skills I will gain in knowing Hebrew and in growing in love for this language.

-Skillful use of the biblical languages will enable you to speak accurately about the GLORY of God. (Deuteronomy 18:20 Galatians 1:7)

-Since the pastoral epistles make a strong connection between doctrine and godlieness (1 Tim 6:3) Skillful use of the biblical languages contributes to you being a man of God who correctly handles the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15).

-Skillful use of the biblical languages builds a stronger and healthier church (Eph. 4:11-12).

-Skillful use of the biblical languages fuels authoritative preaching.

-Skillful use of the biblical languages preserves the gospel. 

Early Christmas Thoughts

I have been working on the church's Christmas Day service recently. I want to make the service on Christmas day much different than a normal service becasue Christmas Day is a special day, a differrent and not normal Sunday. I know many of the people I worship with on a normal Sunday will take this day and go spend it with their earthly family. To me, the family I want to spend Christmas Day with, is the family that is more special, much closer, my blood family in Christ. So for those who will be worshipping God in the manager and on the Cross Christmas day, I want to make it a special service. So I have been reading from many books on Christmas, and I have come across many deep thoughts about this special day. Today I thought I would share some of the things that I have read, that have truly struck me and reminded me that this is a special day. A special day of worship, for the special people of God, that the baby in the manager came to this earth to save. The baby did not come to the earth, through the womb, to make it possible, but to redeem His special people.

To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year. - E. B. White

Jesus, Lord, we look to thee,
On this day of thine own
Nativity; Show thyself the
Prince of Peace; Bid our
jarring conflicts cease.- Charles Wesley

Infinite and an Infant. Eternal, yet born of a women, Oh the wonder of Christmas.- C.H. Spurgeon

Celebrating Advent means being able to wait.- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Shepherds sing;
and shall I silent be?
My God, no hymn for thee?- George Herbert

Developing Leaders- Vision

Leadership in any and every organization is critical to the success of the organization. The church and people of God are no different. The history of the people of God having leaders, can be traced back to the very beginning with men like Moses, Joshua, and King David. The early church was no different with leaders like Peter, Paul, and Timothy. Paul took leadership to another level when he gave us qualifications of a godly leader in his two Pastoral letters to his young developing leader Timothy. Leadership in the church today is not any different. A leader in the church can be defined as a person of Godly character that can work with others well, inspiring and influencing them to grow in their love for Jesus and join them in their vision and future hope for the church. That means to develop a leader, I must focus on character, ability to influence others, and vision for the future.

A third development that every leader needs, especially my leadership at times, is vision. To be a leader is to have a vision for the future and then lead themselves and others to that vision. If a leader does not have a vision, then they are leading themselves and others in circles. To be a leader is to have a vision. But seeing a vision clearly and a vision that is glorifying to God must be developed and grown. Nehemiah was a visionary leader. He had a vision for the restoration of God’s people in God’s kingdom. When Nehemiah heard the state of his fellow countrymen and homeland he responded, “as soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days” (Nehemiah 1:4). Developing a vision grows out of a development of character. As character develops in a leader, the God sized vision grows and becomes more clear. This comes through prayer, reading of the Word, spending time with the people of God, and allowing other leaders to pour into and mold the growing leader.

So, in conclusion, to develop myself as a leader, I must develop my character, my influence of others, and my vision for God’s glorious future. Developing these three areas will produce a leader who is leading other to develop their character, influence others for Christ, and catch the vision God has for His glorious future. But as this paper shows, the character of a leader is critical to the life of a leader, the influence of others, and the vision they have. So, I must continue to grow my character as a leader through my love and delight in God and my love and fellowship with others. It is only through the develop of my godly character that I can truly become the leader God desires me to be in leading others to what God has in store for His people.

Developing Leaders-Influence

The second most important development area in the life as a leader, is in the influence of others. One is only a leader, if they have followers. If no one is following a person, then that person is not a leader. To be a leader is to influence others in a certain direction or towards a certain vision. As a leader, a shepherd in the church, to influence others then is to equip them for their life in Christ. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:11-13, “and He gave…the shepherds and teachers [to the church] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood”. Leader's must develop their ability to equip the saints, to influence them to works of serving God. Simply put, leaders must develop their disciple making skills, so that a leader makes disciples who make disciples. And developing this part of leader means to grow in teaching skills, serving skills, and loving skills. As character grows then leaders must partner it with a growth in gifts.

But influencing others, in leadership, also means that leaders must develop their shepherding skills. Jesus was the perfect shepherd. To serve Him and lead in His church, is to also be a shepherd for the people of God. Joshua, a growing influencing leader was told by Christ Himself, “only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you” (Joshua 1:7). This verse point to the fact that a leader, as part of influencing and shepherding others, must have strength and courage. This is a critical area that every leader, including myself, must grow and develop. Shepherding the people of God means wolves, stubborn sheep, and valleys of death, must be faced with courage. As part of influencing others then, a leader must develop the courage and strength to make the hard choices and lead the people in the face of all opposition and brokenness. 

Developing Leaders-Character

The most important part of a leader is their character. A leader can have a clear vision and can influence others. But without a godly character, ultimately the leader will leader their followers down the wrong road and away from God. The quality of a leader shows up in their character. This means the very first part and area that a leader must develop is their character. Joseph had character in the face of opposition. Daniel had character in the face of the ungodly. Paul had character in the face of persecution. The character of a leader makes or breaks the leader, so it must be developed and continue to grow the rest of the life of a leader.

The first way to develop the character of the leader is in a discipline to godliness. Paul tells Timothy, “train yourself for godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). Disciplining in godliness is a set of intentional activities that are done to bring growth and character development. So, in my life as a leader, I must spend a significant time in prayer. I must spend a portion of my time learning and growing in my knowledge of God and His Word, through study. An important action in training for godliness is having accountability to others, who can speak truth into my life. And the key action in training in godliness is repetition. Reading the Word, spending time in prayer, and being transparent with others, must all be done continuously so that growth and development is a continuous process.

A second way to develop the character of leader is to realize the place of a leader. Jesus said to his disciples, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). A true leader is also a follower. A true leader understands that they exist to leader others, which means they exist for the well being of those who follow them. A true leader must also be a servant, with the heart of a servant. So, developing the c character of a servant and growing in humility will lead to the growth of character. For my life as a leader, I must mortify the sin of pride in my life, humbly follow the example of the greatest servant, and bend down in my heart to serve those following me. Developing the heart of a servant is to develop the character of a leader.

A third way to develop character in a godly leader, is to imitate the perfect leader, Jesus, and those who are also imitating Him. Paul says to the Corinthian church, “imitate me as I imitate Jesus” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The life and character of a leader, must be one of imitation. No, we can’t or will we ever be God in the flesh and perfect. But Jesus lays out His character, his humility, his fruit, and his actions for us to see and follow. AS a leader, I must then grow in imitating my Savior and as I imitation my Savior, my character will develop and grow. I can also watch and follow other godly leader who are imitating Jesus, and see how they deal with the brokenness of this world. I can imitate and follow other godly leader, which will also develop and form my character as aa leader, as I follow a leader who is following the perfect leader. This development looks like a mirror reflecting light around a corner. As a leader of character and imitation of Jesus, I will form my followers into also be imitators of Jesus and followers of Him. 

The Great Divorce

This past holiday weekend, in the midst of ministry and school work, I was able to find a few moments to sit down and read C.S. Lewis' book, "The Great Divorce". This was a very enjoyable, inspiring, yet quick read. The book is only 146 pages, but is pack to the brim with solid biblical truth. It is in line with Lewis' other book, "The Screwtape Letters". Both books are allegorical fables. They tell a story, a fictional story, but are designed to teach and get the reader thinking about biblical truth. "The Great Divorce" is a allegorical fable about a man who rides a bus from Hell to Heaven and then spends time walking around Heaven listening to and watching conversations between those on the bus with him, and those residence of Heaven. The book title points to the fact that there is a very clear separation between Heaven and Hell, light and dark, God and earth, sin and sainthood, living for God and living for oneself. So as I was reading the fictional story, I was reminded of the fact that I am now in the kingdom of God, in the life of light, and have been totally divorced from the flesh, sin, selfishness, and personal pleasure. At the end of the story one will realize, as I did, that to be a lover of God, it must come with the divorce from everything that is not God or God delighting.

One of the interesting things I found from the story, is that all of those outside of heaven are pictured as dark vapor like ghost. All of those who reside in Heaven, are bright colorful beings of light. The sheer contrast between the two, brings the reader to realize the kingdom of God is a kingdom and realm of light. Where as the kingdom of self, is a dark gloomy almost smoke-like, existence. When a person truly surrenders to God and is saved by Him, they enter a life of light and bright beauty. When a person remains self-absorbed and in bondage to themselves, their existence, as nice as it may seem, is truly almost non-existent and very dark. This was a great picture illustrated in the story by Lewis.

As the narrator in the story walks around Heaven, after he gets off the bus, there are so many conversation that he overhears and observes, that Lewis does an excellent job illustrating all of the reasons that we will never choose God, and remain in our selfish dark existence. Here are some of the lines that struck me from these conversations.

-"I do not look at myself. I have given up myself. That was what it did for me. And that was how everything began". (This was a being of light talking to a ghost). 

-"I do not want help. I want to be left alone and do this on my own". (This was a ghost responding to a being of light who was trying to lead them to a life eternal in God). 

-"I forgive him as a Christian, but there are some things one can never forget". (This was a ghost responding to the plea of a being of light trying to get them to place their baggage down and come into the light). 

-"You are treating God only as a means to Michael. But the whole thickening treatment consists in learning to want God for His own sake". (This was a being of light responding to a ghost who would not come into heaven unless their child came to them first from heaven). 

And not only were many of the conversations the narrator overheard critical in the point of the fable and allegory, but also a few lines the narrator himself wrote down. Here are my 2 favorite lines from the entire book.

-You cannot fully understand the relations of choice ad time until you are beyond both.

-"But they (beings of light) aren't distinguished-no more than anyone else. Don't you understand? The Glory flows into everyone and back from everyone; like light and mirrors. But the light's the thing.

The Great Divorce is a book I would recommend for anyone to read. If one is not a lover of God, they can find truth in this book without it smacking them in the face. Lewis does an excellent job weaving the truth of God and salvation into a story that makes it clear, yet not so clear that it is like reading a Bible. This book, for a Christian, is an excellent read becasue it takes the imagination of the person and draws them into the heart and mind of God through this instrument. I would highly recommend this book for everyone.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Here is an amazing Thanksgiving prayer that I have had in my mind this entire week. We must not only be thankful this week, but throughout every week and every year. Thanksgiving must be on our lips continually, not becasue of our circumstances, but to Him who is behind every single circumstance.

"Honor and praise be unto you, O Lord our God, for all your tender mercies again bestowed upon us throughout another day.

Continual thanks be unto you for creating us in your own likeness; for redeeming us by the precious blood of your dear Son when we were lost; and for sanctifying us with the Holy Spirit.

We thank you, for your help and succour in our necessities, your protection in many dangers of body and soul; your comfort in our sorrows, and for sparing us in life, and giving us so large a time to repent. We are thankful for all the benefits, O most merciful Father, that we have received of your goodness alone, we thank you; and we beseech you to grant us always your Holy Spirit, that we may grow in grace, in steadfast faith, and perseverance in all good works, through Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank you for being you and being the only true good, true love, and faithful in all that you are for us".

-John Knox

Psalm 100

Part 1

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

² Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

So, if we have a good translation, we probably notice that there is a larger space between verses 2 and 3, between 3 and 4, and finally between 4 and 5. Our translation is helping us out, by pointing the breaks of interpretation and helping us understand the flow of this Psalm. So, hopeful we can see that this is a 4-part Psalm. This Psalm rotates back and forth. First it points to thanksgiving and then gives a reason why, the points to thanksgiving and then gives a reason why. Look at verses 1 and 2. Verse 1 is the theme, point, or main thrust of this psalm. As the people of God, we are called to make a joyful noise to God and we are called to do it all over the earth. Remember, Genesis 1:28 is our commission from God. We are called to spread the glory of God over all the earth. And in spreading God’s glory all over the earth, it must come from the joyful noise and joyful heart. As Charles Spurgeon said of this verse, "we have a happy God so we must also be a happy people spreading the joy of the happy God". Being thankful is tied to being joyful. No matter what circumstance we are in, are we a joyful people? If we are joyful, then we must also be thankful. If we are thankful, the we must also be joyful. Joyfulness and thankfulness go together like 2-sides of the same coin. And then verse 2 not only restates verse, but also compounds the thought by driving it deeper. This is an important interpretation tool that we must see in many of the Psalms. Hebrew poetry and song is hard to make sense of at times. So, understanding right interpretation tools is critical. Verse 2, the author drives thanksgiving to gladness. A synonym I find very helpful for gladness at times, is cheerfulness. We are not only to spread God’s gory all over the earth with rejoicing, but as we go, as we serve God we must do it with cheerfulness and gladness. Our gladness is a sign of true faith. We might have heard it said that it is not about doing a duty for God it is about delight. We have this idea that if we serve God in a way that is not delight or is not cheerful or is not full of gladness, then we must not do it. Maybe we have heard it said, it is not about duty. But this verse nails the truth on the head. If we serve God without gladness, cheerfulness, or delight, our faith comes into question. But we must serve God. We must do our duty for God. Because not serving God or doing our duty for God, brings our faith into question also. It is serving with gladness. It is working with cheerfulness. It is true duty with delight. And a thankful heart is doing this. And the second line drives the point further. A thankful heart, a cheerful heart, a glad heart that is delighting in duty is one that is continually in the very presence of God with rejoicing and singing. In the Hebrew culture, singing was a sign of delight and worship. So, as a thankful people we must be thankful, but it must be a cheerful, glad heart that is ever worshiping and delighting in the very presence of God. Coram Deo, we are always in the very presence of God. We must always be a thankful, cheerful, glad, rejoicing people full of thanksgiving.

Part 2

³ Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

So why must we be thankful? The first reason we must be thankful is based in our knowledge of who God is. If we base our thanksgiving in our circumstances, then our thanksgiving will come and go. Our thanksgiving will be strong when life is good and none existent when life is hard. When suffering comes we will not be thankful at all. Spurgeon had an amazing line that still rings in my heart today. “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock of ages”. This is a line about being thankful for who God is, for the knowledge of God. Even in the middle of trials, Spurgeon was and could be thankful because of who God is. Only when we know God can we truly know anything else, including ourselves. And as this Psalm then drives deeper, knowing not just God, but knowing God is our Creator and our owner. He created us and owns us. This is where true comfort comes from. And when we are truly comfortable then and only then will thanksgiving reign from our hearts. Our thanksgiving today, Thursday, and every day, must be rooted in God alone. Because then whether it is a wave or a blessing, a provision or a suffering, a gift or a pain, then and only then can we always be thankful.

Part 3

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

So, rejoicing, gladness, and cheerfulness must also be public. Here the Psalm in verse 4, shows that thanksgiving, joy in the Lord, a delight in who God is, must be a very public act. If we, as verse 1 shows, are going to spread the glory of God all over the earth through joy, that must be public. In verse 4, the public nature is the Temple, the very real visible presence and place of God and his people meeting. As I was reminded a few weeks ago in 1 Corinthians, we as the body of Christ, the church, are the very garden Temple of God. So, the very first public place that we must be a thankful people is in this group. Not only must this group be a big part of why we are thankful, we must also be very visibly thankful in this group. So, if we are sour, depressed, critical, angry, arrogant, greedy, or self-absorbed in church, that is the complete opposite of being thankful in the church. We must be in the very presence of God with thanksgiving. We must have a public devotion, a public awareness of thanksgiving we must have a public praise of God. And the imagery of blessing God is very important. The most basic sense of blessing someone is to give to someone something they do not have. When God blesses me with a house, He is giving me a house I did not have. If you bless someone with a new car, you are giving them something they do not have. The truth is, when we bless God we are giving Him something that he does not already have. But God has everything. That’s right God does have everything. But God does not have our praise, our thanksgiving, our gladness, our cheerfulness, that is our responsibility. We can bless God by giving him our praise, our gladness, our cheerfulness, and our thanksgiving. When we are thankful we are blessing God. As Isaac Watts wrote, “Let those refuse to sing, who never knew our God; But favorites of the heavenly king, must speak His praise abroad”.

Part 4

⁵ For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

The Psalm closes with another reason we must be thankful. In the first reason in verse 3, we saw that knowing God must driving thanksgiving, and knowing God and His relationship to us. Verse 5 gives us a knowledge of God, not in his relationship to us, but in His very character. Verse 5 is one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture. God is good. This does not mean that God does good. This does not mean that there are certain periods that God has done good. This in Hebrew, is 2 words. God and good. Simply put God’s nature is good. God Himself is the very definition of good. That means every single action of God is good. Nothing that God does is not good. God is good. God is defined as good. If we were to look up the definition of the word good in Gods dictionary it would be one word. Good can be defined as God. And He is good which means he is steadfast love. God is also love. Every single action that God does is love. God himself is the definition of good and the definition of love and as the third line shows, he is also the definition of faithful. All that God does is good, loving, and faithful. Nothing is counter to any of that t God. That means that the cancer that Hiram has been bestowed by God is defined by God as good, loving and faithful. That means when my car broke down and is still breaking down, God is good, loving, and faithful in breaking my car down. As humans, we define good, loving, and faithful from a human perspective. But God is the very definition of good, loving, and faithful. That means as the people of God we must define good, loving and faithful from his perspective, from his character, from his very nature. Which means there is nothing in the universe that has happened, that is happening, or that will happen that is not defined by God as good, loving, and faithful. And in that truth, in that knowledge, how can we not be thankful. And that is the point I want us to show from this Psalm. If we are rooted in the very nature and character of God and His relationship to us, then we will always be thankful, we will always be rejoicing, we will always be cheerful, we will always be glad. 

Doctrines of Grace

A friend recently asked me, "what are the doctrines of grace"? To fully write about the doctrines of grace would take multiple posts. So, Lord willing, come December, after the thanksgiving holiday, I will write a series of post defining, explaining, and giving Biblical evidence for each of the doctrines of grace. Today, I just want to show why they are called the doctrines of grace and also tell what they are.

So simply put the doctrines of grace, are 6 doctrines or truths that the Bible teaches us. The 6 doctrines of grace are; the sovereignty of God, the total corruption of man, the unconditional election of God, the particular redemption of God, the irresistible calling of God, and the sealing of the saints by God. Here they are in a list form.
-Sovereignty of God's nature
-Total depravity of man
-Unconditional Election for salvation
-Particular redemption in salvation
-Effectual calling to salvation
-Eternal security

 These are called the doctrines of grace becasue these are the 6 most visible actions of God's grace. Grace in the simplest way is receiving something that one does not deserve. In God's character, salvation comes by grace alone (Sola Gratia). Salvation is a gift from God, where as, he acts and does everything to, on, and for us, in the entire process of saving us. We play no whatsoever part in our own salvation, except the sin factor. God in His grace, totally controls every aspect of salvation (sovereignty of God). God, in His grace, then overcomes the corrupt nature of man and his inability to ever chose God on his own (total depravity). God then overcoming the nature of man, calls the elect or those he chose to save, on no condition of their own (unconditional election). God choosing some for salvation then guarantees their salvation in grace, by overcoming their nature and drawing them to Himself and placing in them the desire to want Him and delight in Him above all else (effectual calling). God then in grace guarantees the salvation of his elect, by making a way for the elect to be saved, orchestrating the plan at the perfect timing, in the perfect way, for the complete salvation of all those he chose for his free gift of salvation (particular redemption). Finally, in grace, God makes sure that those He chose for salvation, which again is a gift from God, make it to eternity with Him (eternal security). Simply put, from the very beginning to the very end, the doctrines of grace teach that it is God's grace and His grace alone, that saves a person. That is why they are called the doctrines of grace.

*Like I said earlier, hopefully I will write about each doctrine after the holiday this week.*