Now That We Are Men (and Women!)

I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 this morning. I would like to share verses 11-13.
Often when reading the ''Love Chapter" I get so caught up in the first 10 verses that I miss all the rest. What a great promise!


When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Let us be men and live for that time when we will know fully and rejoice that have been, are and, always will be fully known.

Epic Fail

''Epic fail'' has become a trendy term for failure. There are web pages and TV programs dedicated to the failure of others. These pictures and shows are designed to be humerus (for the most part) at the expense of the one failing.

I would like to take a moment to point out that there is a book (the Bible) that does this as well though not in a humerus way. It points out that we as humans are an epic failure. The failures are different for the saved then they are for the lost but failures none the less.

I had one of those epic fail moments today while reading Phillipians 2:14. It says,
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning.''

Strong medicine eh? There are things in my life that almost require me to grumble! Oh wait...this text says all things are to be done without grumbling. Hard words for me to listen to today! I want to grumble! I want to complain! I want to question!

Thank God for this book that is living and active! Thank God that I am being changed by his Word. Yes, I continue to be an epic failure. I will continue to fail (sin) until glory. I look forward to that. No more sin. No more problems with self, or pride, or lust, or grumbling, or questioning, or..........

Be-attitudes

The beatitudes. Talk about conviction! A friend of mine recommended that I use Lloyd Jones' commentary as we together wade through the Sermon on the mount. Our latest study spoke of the meek. Matthew 5:5 says, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Meek, a short little word with a very complicated definition. Part of that definition is, ''an emptying of self''. A realization that life is not about me. It's about God. There are many great examples of this in scripture and one in particular I would like to bring to your attention. Our Lord Jesus is spoken of by Paul in his book to Philippi as humbling himself, making himself nothing in order to glorify God.

Phillipians 2:4-8
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

There is a lot of nourishment to be had from this short section of scripture! What an example we have here of what it means be meek! The creator of everything became nothing (human)! Talk about denying yourself! I have a hard time giving up the nothing that I am! Because of his awesome example God highly exalted his son. We are also promised a reward for being he meek, we shall inherit the earth! Thankfully, it is not this sin tarnished earth that will be ours but a new earth. I can not even begin to imagine what that will be like.


This short study on the word meek has humbled me, broken me, caused me to examine myself and see that I am a wretch. I am not worthy of His great love. I deserve nothing, but, because of His great love I have been redeemed! There is little pride in that statement, wonder, worship, and praise yes, but pride? I have nothing to be proud of. The glory belongs to God alone.

A church or The Church

I would like to take some time to tackle an issue that has been heavy on my heart for some time now.

Cultural relevance.

This question of cultural relevance can be seen everywhere. People are coaxed into our nations many Church's by any number of things: music, shock value, lights, camera, action, even sex and the marriage bed. Nothing is sacred. If it will draw people in it has the potential to be used to do just that. The real reasons, the Gospel and worship seem to take a back seat to all of this man made hype.

It is not your pastors personality or preaching style. It is not whether you have a contemporary or traditional worship service. It's not the friendly smiling faces that may greet you at the door. It not the size, location, or architecture of your building, it does not matter if it's a new church, old church, house church, or rented out space church. It's the Gospel.

Martin Lloyd Jones in his book "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" while speaking about the Poor in Spirit, has this to say, "There is a tendency rather to exalt a certain aggressiveness and self assurance and to justify a mans making use of himself and his own personality and trying to put it forward... The advertisements that are being increasingly used in connection with Christian work proclaim this tendency very loudly. You read the old records of the activities of God's greatest workers, the great evangelists and others, and you observe how self effacing they were. But, today, we are experiencing something that is almost a complete reversal of this. Advertisements and photographs are being put into the foreground.

If someone has been chosen by God to be saved none of these things will bring salvation. It's not as if God needs us. Men dream up many things to bring people into their churches. The Gospel does not need men to make it look more attractive. The Gospel needs God. The Gospel is not about mans glory but Gods.

I am not saying that all of these things are worthless. I am saying that when these things become who we are or what we fight for or rely on they become worthless. Man has no power to save the lost. That power belongs to a far greater God. Rom. 1:16 speaks of the Gospel as being THE power of God for salvation.

Once a church becomes more interested in numbers then they are about worship and the Gospel they are coming dangerously close to being more of ''a church'' then The Church.

The book of 1 John talks much of self examination. Self examination is important for The Church as well. Is it all about Vanity Fair and the wisdom of man to attract people or is it all about the Gospel and real worship? Are we trying so hard to look like a church that we are in danger of missing the point?

We serve a great God. It is all for His glory. Let us never forget this all important fact!

Col. 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Phil. 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Churching the Unchurched

A friend of mine shared this quote with me the other day. I had to borrow it from the ''Truth Matters'' blog to share here.

What do we need besides the gospel to attract the lost to the cross? Nothing. This job belongs to only One.

"Churching the unchurched is an absolute fallacy – it is like purposing to let the tares in. It is absolutely bizarre to want to make unsaved people feel comfortable in a church. The church is not a building – the church is a group of worshiping, redeemed, and sanctified people among whom an unbeliever should feel either miserable, convicted and drawn to Christ, or else alienated and isolated. Only if the church hides its message and ceases to be what God designed the church to be, can it make an unbeliever comfortable."

John MacArthur

The God Sense

I had a bit of time the other day and decided that it would be well spent on a river in search of some trout for my fry pan. It was truly a wonderful day. Though I did catch some trout I was further blessed by beauty of Gods creation. I could hear the birds singing to each other in their many different languages, beautiful songs, but songs I could not understand except for to praise God along with them. I could hear and feel the rumble of the fast moving water as it was slowly changing the landscape it flows through, around, over and in. I could smell a fresh breeze swirling around me; it brought with it the scents of spring, wild flowers mostly but occasionally an almost discreet odor of decay would intrude as if to remind me of the fallen world I live in. The colors I could see were stunning. The blues and whites of the sky and rushing water, the many different greens of the trees, grasses, moss, and bushes were staggering. The yellows, blues, oranges, violets, whites, and reds of the wild flowers and blossoms that were scattered around me could almost take ones breath away.

Take just one sense of the five God had given us and it was beautiful. All five and it was awesome. I was surrounded by the beauty of Gods creation. All this beauty in a fallen world. Imagine what awaits us in glory!

I was blessed that day to see, and feel, and smell, hear, and taste what it is that God has created. We as Christians have been blesses with a ''sixth sense'' as well. That is the ability to recognize the presence of God in all things. He is present in all of our lives. He is the creator and sustainer of all that we are aware of (all the we are not aware of too). In our busy lives all of this can be so easy to miss. Slow down and pay attention. Take some time to get alone with God. His attention to detail is wonderful.

Do not worship this beautiful creation but the One who created it. SDG!

Col. 1:15-23
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation1 under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.