Changes

Just before pronouncing the benediction at church today, I asked the people to stay for a brief meeting. Most people stayed and I announced that we are moving to Calgary in September. Fourteen years in Edson will be coming to an end in two months.

This was a very hard announcement to make. We are excited about the move, but we are also sad about leaving a great church and many friends. People have been very supportive. This is a positive time at the church. I would not want to leave when people were anxious for me to leave, but it is also hard to leave when they want me to stay.

I'll provide more details about what's next in future posts, but for now, we are going to be in transition. We'll get the house ready for the market and I'll start scouting for work in Calgary. We've already done a bunch of de-cluttering and fixing up around the house. We've been calling it spring cleaning, but now that our secret is out, we can finish up and get the house listed.

If you have any leads on work in the Calgary area, I'm all ears.

I will still plan to be in ministry, but it will look quite different. We're trusting God with the details, but we're convinced that this is His leading for this season in life.

Update that App?

One of the joys of having an iPhone is the app update game. The other day, I received notification that my Olive Tree ESV Bible Reader app wanted an update. I noticed in the description that there were are lot of changes, so, instead of just installing it, I read the list of updates. One line caught my attention:

"Made a change that should not affect anything, but could cause a whole slew of new issues."

What's that supposed to mean? I haven't run this update, but I have been pondering that curious offer to give my software "a whole slew of new issues."

- Could it be that the software folks are tired of writing update lists that no one ever reads (is anyone paying attention out there?)?

- Is an ex-Microsoft programmer on the loose at Olive Tree?

- Is this such an extensive update that the company doesn't know what will happen when it is sent out into the wild?

I have been waiting for an update to this update before I update (if you followed that).

Life is weird in the digital age.

Mom's Birthday

My Mom would have been 87 today. However, as of May 19, 2010, she is ageless. I miss Mom; death is still a terrible enemy. I am thankful that she is not suffering the pain of her cancer any more. During her last couple of days, she said, "I want to see Jesus" several times. She is now experiencing her greatest wish!

Regarding my health, I'm getting a little stronger each day. I am going to attempt preaching tomorrow for the first time since May 15. We have a busy day scheduled, so we'll see how it goes.

Recovery Update

This heart inflammation is a strange thing. I don't really feel sick -- thanks to my pills -- so I have a hard time not feeling guilty for doing so little. I've been feeling a little better every day, except for today. Yesterday, I thought, "Silly Dr. Two weeks recovery? No way!" I overdid it a little, so today I'm thinking, "That Dr. knew what he was talking about." I'm okay, just really tired and weak.

I wish I could say that I've been catching up on my reading and other profound things, but that's not the case. I have been reading, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped. This is a humbling experience, but I am very thankful for a good prognosis. I hope this will give me more empathy with people that have chronic and / or serious illnesses.

I don't usually do such self-centered posts, but I thought there might be a few people out there who'd appreciate an update.

Sunday at Home

It is strange to be at home today while my family is at church. I’m not feeling very sick, but I am tired and weak enough to know that it would be overwhelming to go to service. So, here I sit.

It is a humbling experience to be sick – it’s hard on my pride. As I was reading and praying this morning, I thought that in the Big Picture, me at my best and me at my weakest is not really much different. In fact, the strongest, most powerful man in the world is only a hairbreadth away from the weakest child on the streets of Calcutta. We human beings are weak – morning mists, the flower of grass.

I’m reading through the Servant Songs in Isaiah. Some verses from today’s reading stood out and led to this blog post:

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another – Isaiah 48:10-11

We are glory hogs – I am a glory hog. That profanes God’s name, even if we are “doing good” and externally worshipping God. Adversities of various kinds are God’s merciful tools to bring His people perspective. The Refiner’s fire not only serves to purge out impurities in relation to morality, but imbalances in perspective. God is God and I am not. God is indispensable, I am not. God has a sovereign plan for His universe. I don’t own a universe, and my plans don’t always go my way.

God is much bigger than I think. The reason I called God’s refining fire merciful is that God gets bigger in my understanding with each setback, loss or failure. This leads to greater contentment and joy. Why? Because I know that God loves me. How do I know that? Because God Himself stepped down from inapproachable light and took on weak human flesh in order to live for me, die for me and rise from the dead to defeat sin and death for me. To what end? That I might glorify Him and enjoy Him forever!

Without the Gospel – particularly the cross – there is no way that I could have any comfort in reflecting upon God’s vastness and greatness. It is only as God Himself steps down and comes to me in human flesh that the great chasm between us is bridged.

This is the unique message of Christianity. In the Christian story, God’s greatness is fully expressed in its incomprehensible weight of glory. On the other hand, man’s weakness and corruption is expressed with bitter honesty as we confess our hopeless condition. The Good News is that Jesus Christ steps in as the Mediator – fully God and fully man – to reconcile the world to God.

I can be content staying home from church today. God is looking after things just fine without me.

500 Posts

I just noticed that my last post was post # 500. Not exactly Challies, but not bad!

Heartsick

Well, that was quite the adventure.

In the middle of the night on Sunday night - the wee hours of Monday morning - Juanita took me into the hospital in Edson with heart attack symptoms. By noon on Monday, I was in cardiac care unit in Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital. Until Monday night, they were treating me for a mild heart attack, though my pain was getting worse on Monday afternoon and evening.

After an angiogram on Monday night, I received the good news that there was no blockage and no damage to my heart. I'm very glad they rushed that test! I have a virus in my pericardium and the inflammation caused the symptoms. They put me on good ol' ibuprofen and I feel much better. I have to wait for the virus to run its course, but I can anticipate a full recovery. I'm quite tired and a little sore still, but very thankful.

We have been reminded once again of God's goodness, particularly expressed in the kindness of His people. We are humbled by the expressions of concern, the visits and the practical help. If you were a part of that praying, caring, helping crew, thank you!

I was very impressed with the quick and excellent medical care I received. There are legitimate stories out there of problems with our system, but my experience couldn't have been better.

So, I'm home again as of about 25 minutes ago. It was wonderful to tuck the girls in (and say "hello" to Josh) and it is great to be home again.

The Dr. was quite adamant that I take it really easy for a while, so I should stop writing and go to bed.

Book Recommendations

I have read a few books recently that are particularly useful. My sphere of reference for doing these recommendations is our church book table. These three titles are excellent books for the average Christian reader - particularly ones that don't read many books. I read lots of books that I wouldn't bother to put out for our church family to buy (by suggested donation), but I would love to see these three that I'm highlighting go out the door in quantity. They are readable, reliable and cover very practical and often overlooked subjects. I'll leave it to others to do reviews, but I will make some brief comments with these recommendations.

Don't Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day, Edited by Kevin DeYoung (Crossway, 2011)

Let me get my prime reservation regarding this book out of the way right off the top: What's up with the title? Beyond that, this is a very helpful book. Eighteen authors have contributed chapters on what to believe and how to live in light of the Gospel. The applied theology in this book is such a important resource for the "Young, Restless and Reformed" movement. It is all too easy to grasp onto "cool theology" and then live like the world. If you follow the link above, you can see inside the book and read the table of contents. This is a remarkably comprehensive book given its moderate length. The chapters are very well written and profound in content. I hope they sell millions of these books, in spite of the odd title.

The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion, Tim Challies (Zondervan, 2011)

When I was in seminary about 15 years ago, my history professor made me read The Technological Society by Jacques Ellul. Maybe I was overwhelmed with my studies, maybe something was lost in the translation, but I found reading that book a nasty chore. Since that time, however, I have reflected on Ellul's arguments and observations many times to my profit. My history professor was right; this is a significant book. By all means read Ellul's book, if you have the stamina, but a better idea for most people would be to read Tim Challies' new book.

This is a book about the digital revolution and how it is changing our lives, even if we are not conscious of it happening (as most of us are not). It is as if the author lifts us up above our immersion in all this technology and lets us look at it from a high place - seeing the forest instead of all the pretty, shiny trees, so to speak. This perspective is given to the reader in terms of historical development, theology and the very personal effects brought about by the digital revolution. Challies' goal is to help the reader objectively analyse what is going on in their own lives with theological discernment. The Next Story will give you tools to develop wisdom in our times and help you to honestly assess your digital consumption.

As an added bonus, for the month of May you can download an audio book copy of The Next Story for free at christianaudio.com If you do read or listen to the book, it may seem ironic to you this book is even available in an audio format. But I can't talk - I read it on a Kindle.

These Last Days: A Christian View of History, Edited by Richard D. Phillips and Gabriel N. E. Fluhrer (P&R Publishing, 2011).

I have never read such a satisfying book on eschatology. This is a collection of transcribed messages from the 2010 Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology. Contributors include Sinclair Ferguson, D.A. Carson, Alistair Begg, Michael Horton and six others (click through to the Amazon page to see the full list of contributors and more book details).

If you have been frustrated with end times teaching because it is so complicated and speculative, you will find this book a breath of fresh air. It is simple, direct, biblical and worship inspiring. Because the chapters were messages, the book flows well and is an easy read. It would make an excellent introduction to eschatology from a biblical theology perspective - that is, seeing the Bible as a continuous story - The Story - from Genesis to Revelation with Christ at the center of it all.

***

So, there we have three books for "the regular Christian" (if there is such a category of people). All three are profound, practical and rooted in solid theology. I believe I will be recommending them for years to come, even though they were all published in 2011.

EBC Website Working!

After a couple months of problems, our website for Edson Baptist Church appears to be working properly again. I just uploaded three sermons - that was the last bit to get figured out.

Many thanks to the great company in Toronto that fixed things up for us!

If anyone has been waiting for sermons, they are now ready for streaming or downloading.

Thank you for your patience!

Dr. Beale Busted Again

In a recent post, I observed that a message by C.H. Spurgeon had some striking similarities to a course on NT theology that I am working through with a few men in our church. Tuesday morning, while preparing for my Sunday sermon, I came across another parallel, this time in good old Matthew Henry.

One of Dr. Beale's specialties is the subject of idolatry among the people of God. A few weeks ago, Dr. Beale made the charge that the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day had made an idol of their commitment to the traditions of their heritage. They were proud of the fact that they did not profane themselves with the idols of their fathers, but they fell into a new idolatry nonetheless. This connection made sense and it left an impression.

In his commentary on Zechariah 13:2, particularly the phrase "...I will cut off the names of the idols from the land," Matthew Henry writes:

This was fulfilled in the rooted aversion which the Jews had, after the captivity, to idols and idolatry, and still retain to this day; it was fulfilled also in the ready conversion of many to the faith of Christ, by which they were taken off from making an idol of the ceremonial law, as the unbelieving Jews did; and it is still in the fulfilling when souls are brought off from the world and the flesh, those two great idols, that they may cleave to God only.

Dr. Beale has no reason to feel "busted," of course, but it is neat to see themes emerge across the centuries. Evangelical Biblical Theology has been around for a very long time, no matter what names it has worn. The first to make these connections were the writers of Scripture themselves, as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Contentment Messages

Juanita had the opportunity to speak at a ladies rally at Elk Point Baptist Church on Saturday. Her messages on contentment are online at the church website (April 9, 2011).

I haven't listened to the messages yet, but I did get to read the manuscripts ahead of time and I can say that they are excellent.

Better yet, Juanita practices what she preaches. I am so thankful that she is my wife!

New Creation in Spurgeon

A few of us in the church are working through a course by Dr. Greg Beale on NT Theology. It has been very profitable. Dr. Beale's "Big Idea" for understanding the Bible is "New Creation" (see Dr. Beale's "Bible in a sentence" summary here).

I just discovered a Spurgeon sermon from about six months before he died. If he hadn't died in 1892, I would have thought that he had been reading Dr. Beale's notes. I love the way he applies New Creation themes for both now and for the future Consummation.

The older I get the more I appreciate the great older teachers like Spurgeon, Matthew Henry and many others. They really make my heart sing.

Habakkuk

I presented an overview of the book of Habakkuk the other day. I have been amazed at that little book for years, but one thing particularly struck me as I prepared for this class. After complaining to God and receiving a very difficult answer, the prophet yielded himself to God and he sang.

Chapter 3 - the final chapter - is in the form of a song. It is a song of worship and remembrance on the eve of national destruction. Habakkuk experienced the revelation of God and it changed everything for him. He still could not have rejoiced in his circumstances - present or future - but he chose to rejoice in the God of his salvation.

I would encourage you to work through this little book. It is a smaller version of some of the larger prophecies and it comes to some of the same conclusions as books such as Isaiah and Jeremiah. God is sovereign. God is working out the best for His people. Our response must be humble confidence in God's promises and quiet submission to His purposes.

But we get to sing!

Resurrection Quote

An excellent quote on the nature and significance of Christ's resurrection - I'll just give you the link to Tony Reinke's blog. I was glad to read this and couldn't agree more!

St. Patrick - From a Different Perspective

I was pleased to see this article by my friend Clint Humfrey in the National Post. The story of the life of Patrick is well worth learning. As Clint points out, there are valuable lessons for today to be learned from his experience and faithfulness to God's call on his life.

"My grace is sufficient..."

If none of God’s saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well

the consolations of divine grace.

This is the opening line of Spurgeon's Morning and Evening reading for today. What a gift to the church Spurgeon is. The whole entry is excellent, as is the daily habit of Morning and Evening.

Telling The Story

A couple weeks ago I began a sermon series on Ezra-Nehemiah. As I was preparing for the introductory message, it dawned on me that I have been slowly, steadily learning the story of the Bible. I have repeatedly read the Bible through, and I have "known" it for years, but there are endless connections to be made as I learn how the many stories relate to The Story.

What stood out to me in Ezra-Nehemiah is that it is a "success" story that leaves you hungry for the much more. The exiles return according to God's Word and God's pre-announced timetable; the temple, the wall and the city of Jerusalem are rebuilt and God's people return to the Word with confession and corporate worship. On the other hand, they are yearning for the restoration that was promised by the earlier prophets, the restoration to be established by Messiah.

Today, we Christians are greatly blessed to live on the other side of the cross and the empty tomb. Messiah has come. We live in the age of the Spirit in the inaugurated kingdom, yet we, too, hunger for more. Our vision ought to be raised to New Covenant standards, however. Ezra and Nehemiah longed for a restored Israel. We long for a restored Universe. This is the rest of the story that we long to experience as we groan over disease, war, earthquakes and other marks of the fallen world.

A Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:3-9

What's it Worth?

Over the Christmas season this year, I have noticed the quality of many of the hymns and carols we sing. Perhaps this is because of my involvement in our community choir, or maybe I'm just maturing. Both the music and the lyrics to many of these songs is profound. This fact is set in relief by the many inane seasonal songs. Even good songs are undone by a cheesy presentation. But that's another subject altogether.

On Christmas Eve, we were treated to a particularly well-done presentation of O Holy Night (thanks, Jackie). I must admit that this is far from my favorite Christmas song as it is hard to do well as a solo and falls flat as a congregational song. It is much loved and so oft performed. So be it. Our friend did an excellent job - she sang it expressively and with great ability.

I have been reflecting on a line from that song since Christmas Eve: "Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 'til He appeared and the soul felt its worth." I was just thinking about it again this morning, so I thought I would blog about it even thought it is two weeks late.

What does it mean that the soul felt its worth when Christ appeared? Is it that Christ came to show us how valuable our souls are to God? Is it the Incarnation itself that made The Soul - the individual soul of Jesus - realize a divine ideal? Is it some of each, or something else entirely? This song was written and translated in the late 19th Century, so I can't ask the author. I did a Google search and found some flaky stuff, but no satisfying answers as to authorial intent.

What I've been thinking about in relation to this line has to do with self-identity. The longer I live, the more I realize how important it is to have the right doctrine of God and the corresponding right view of ourselves.

With many conservative Christians, I have been not only concerned but rather dismissive of "self-image talk" as it too often dismisses God and inflates the self. Truth matters, and the truth is that by nature, we are all sinners justly under the wrath of a Holy God. The appearance of God-in-flesh in the person of Jesus Christ into this sin-soaked world - the world pining in sin and error - is monumental.

John 3:16 is not so amazing because the world is lovable, but because of the rage against God in the world before the coming of Christ. The light came to the world, but the world did not comprehend it. They snuffed out God's light because it was unbearable - it exposed the darkness of their hearts. We are no better.

Christ's coming - and His substitutionary death - is God's love writ large, to put it mildly. God did not send Christ to fan the spark of human goodness into a flame by being an example of love for us, Christ came because there was no other way for sinners to be reconciled to God other than the death of His Son in our place. Human evil and sin - the curse of the Fall - is so profound and so comprehensive that there is no redemption outside of death and resurrection.

Regarding the "soul felt its worth" line, I think that the soul of Jesus is the best meaning. Jesus Christ is the new Adam, come to be the Ultimate Human and Divine Saviour in one person. That God would condescend to become human in this fallen world is the greatest realization of the soul's worth. Not what the soul was worth before the Incarnation, but what the soul became in the Incarnation. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, but Jesus Christ IS God in human flesh - fully God and fully God. The human soul cannot go higher than that.

The good news is that the implications of this elevation of the soul are not limited to Christ alone. The benefits of this incarnation are available to all who believe in Him and confess Him as Lord. The New Testament uses language to describe the identity of the believer in Christ that is shocking. It almost seems blasphemous, but it is God's Word.

Consider this from the Apostle Peter:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 2 Peter 1:3-4

And this from Paul:

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. Colossians 2:9-10

By extension, the worth that The Soul felt when it was possessed by the Eternal Son of God is OURS by faith in Christ who is our crucified Saviour and risen Lord. This makes Christmas really, really significant! Now in our identity, we must never confuse our status and identity IN Christ with BEING divine. Christ is Creator, we are creatures. However, the possession of God's fullness, being partakers of the divine nature and our adoption as the sons of God are mind blowing implications of faith in Christ. This inheritance is ours as a gift from God because of the finished work of Christ in His life, death and resurrection. This is love. This is mercy and grace!

These truths regarding the Christian's identity in Christ are foundational to discipleship, counseling, dealing with suffering and every other aspect of our lives. Our identity in Christ is the fountain of our joy, our hope, our faith and our love. If God has loved us like this when we were His enemies, then how should we love others?

Have you though about what your soul is worth lately?

True or Nice?

I have been busy reading great blog posts by other people and have been neglecting my blog. However, I read a post today over at The Gospel Coalition that made me want to share.

One of the chief charges against Christianity is the problem of evil. One of the ways I have answered this objection is to simply point out that the problem of evil is not just a problem for Christians, it is a human problem. The question is, who has the best answers to this problem?

I encourage you to go and read this post by Petar Nenadov on a recent Tony Blair / Christopher Hitchens debate. These two sentences need the context of the whole blog post to make sense, but I'm going to post them here to highlight them and to encourage you to go and read the whole thing:

"If good means nice or safe, then none of these topics is good for the world. If good means true or real, then we must address them."