Eternal hallelujahs
Be to the Father given,
Who loved His own
Ere time began,
And marked them out for heaven.
Anthems of equal glory,
Ascribe we to the Saviour;
Who lived and died
That we, His bride,
Might live with Him forever.
Hail, co-eternal Spirit,
Thy church's new Creator!
The saints He seals,
Their fear dispels,
And sanctifies their nature.
We laud the Glorious Triad,
The mystic One-in-Essence;
Till called to join
The hosts that shine
In His immediate Presence.
Faithful is He that promised,
And stands engaged to save us:
The triune Lord
Has passed His word
That He will never leave us!
A Kingdom He assigned us,
Before the world's foundation:
Thou God of grace,
Be Thine the praise,
And ours the consolation.
- Augustus Toplady (1740-1778)
Monday, September 14, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Kings & Priests
"He has made us kings and priests to our God!" Revelation 5:10
The Lord Jesus infinitely excels all earthly kings, in that He makes all His subjects kings! He has a crown of glory for every subject! Oh, what a glorious King is this! It is better to be a poor member of Christ, than the head of a nation! Oh, how infinitely happy are all Christ's subjects! They are all kings, all heirs, all favorites, all sons!
Where is there such a king to be found, who makes all his subjects kings? There are many kings who bring their subjects down lower, but Christ makes His subjects kings! There are many kings who make their subjects beggars, but Christ makes His subjects rich! There are many kings who put their subjects to death, but Christ died that His subjects might live! There are many kings who give their subjects titles, but Christ gives all His subjects Himself and then heaven!
Now, beloved, here is the excellence of our King-- He has made us all kings and priests under Him, and gives us all crowns of glory!
- William Dyer
The Lord Jesus infinitely excels all earthly kings, in that He makes all His subjects kings! He has a crown of glory for every subject! Oh, what a glorious King is this! It is better to be a poor member of Christ, than the head of a nation! Oh, how infinitely happy are all Christ's subjects! They are all kings, all heirs, all favorites, all sons!
Where is there such a king to be found, who makes all his subjects kings? There are many kings who bring their subjects down lower, but Christ makes His subjects kings! There are many kings who make their subjects beggars, but Christ makes His subjects rich! There are many kings who put their subjects to death, but Christ died that His subjects might live! There are many kings who give their subjects titles, but Christ gives all His subjects Himself and then heaven!
Now, beloved, here is the excellence of our King-- He has made us all kings and priests under Him, and gives us all crowns of glory!
- William Dyer
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Revival in Bala
It was two years ago this summer that Linda and I spend a month in the British Isles, where I was preaching for three weeks in Aberystwyth, Wales at Alfred Place Baptist Church for Pastor Geoff Thomas. During the month, we also had the privilege and enjoyment of seeing many church history sites and meeting many very dear Christians in England, Wales, and Scotland.
One of the most heart-warming and beneficial parts of the trip was to be in Bala, Wales, for visits with some very dear Christians, John & Mari Jones, who were among the closest friends of D. M. and Bethan Lloyd-Jones, as well as attend the annual summer Bala minister's conference, which was led for years by Dr. Lloyd-Jones.
Bala is situated in majestic central Wales with beautiful Bala Lake just on the edge as you come into town from the south. Situated in a beautiful valley, it is a breath-taking view driving to the north over the mountains on the small mountain road looking down on the valleys, and seeing the Welsh farms nestled among the hills with sheep scattered on the hills and in the grasslands. A prettier drive, one could not expect to see.
It was in Bala almost 220 years ago that a spiritual awakening occurred that shook the entire north of Wales. Thomas Charles, an evangelical leader time who lived there, wrote on December 7, 1791:
"Here, in our town of Bala, for some time back, we have had a very great, powerful, and glorious outpouring of the Spirit of God on the people in general, especially among the young people. The state and welfare of the soul has become the general concern of the entire country. Many, many of the wildest of the people have been awakened.
"This glorious work began on a Sunday afternoon in the chapel, where I preached twice that day; I cannot say that there was anything particularly special in the ministry of that day, more than what I had often experienced among our dear people here.
"Then toward the close of the evening service, the Spirit of God seemed to work in a very powerful manner on the minds of great numbers present who never appeared before to seek the Lord's face; but now there was a general and loud crying, 'What must I do to be saved?', and, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner'. About ten o'clock at night, there was nothing to be heard from one end of town to the other except the cries and groans of people in distress of soul. The very same night, a spirit of deep conviction and serious concern fell upon whole congregations in the town, when they were calling upon the Lord.
"In the following week, we had nothing but prayer meetings, and widespread concern about eternal things swallowed up all other concerns. The spirit of conviction spread so rapidly that there was hardly a young person in the town who did not begin to ask, 'What will become of me?' The work has continued to go on with undiminished power and glory, spreading from one town to another, all around this part of the country. A dispensation so glorious, I have never beheld nor indeed expected to see in my day.
"While it stirs up the opposition and rage of some determined enemies of the Lord, yet the coming of the Lord among us has been with such majesty, glory, and irresistible power, that even His enemies would be glad to hide themselves somewhere from the brightness of His coming.
"It is an easy and delightful work to preach the glorious gospel here in these days, for many are the fervent prayers by the people for the preacher, and they hear the Word for eternity. Divine truths have their own infinite weight and importance in the minds of the people. Beams of divine light, together with irresistible energy, accompany every truth delivered . . . I bless God for these days, and would not have missed seeing what I now see, not for the whole world."
- Thomas Charles
Iain Murray says:
"This year of 1791 proved to be of the greatest importance in many respects in Wales, as it marked the beginning of genuine revivals which continued in several districts of North Wales over the next three years, and more occasional similar scenes were to be seen there repeatedly over the next forty years. The moral change was immense and permanent for several generations to come. In 1811, twenty years after the awakening, Thomas Charles wrote: 'The whole country is in a manner emerging from a state of great ignorance and barbarity to civilization and piety. . . . Bibles without end are called for, are read diligently, learned by heart, and searched in with diligence and care. Instead of vain amusements, dancing, quarreling and cruel fights, we now have public prayer meetings and congregations are crowded."
This divine intervention in a country, which is rightly called a spiritual awakening, is the very last and ONLY hope America has in any way. That is why political action, as good as some of it may be, as far as making one's voice heard-- political action will never bring a nation back to where it was before. Only God can save a nation. Does He purpose to do so with America? Only what happened in Bala in the 18th and 19th centuries will preserve our nation. That is why history is so important.
- Mack Tomlinson
One of the most heart-warming and beneficial parts of the trip was to be in Bala, Wales, for visits with some very dear Christians, John & Mari Jones, who were among the closest friends of D. M. and Bethan Lloyd-Jones, as well as attend the annual summer Bala minister's conference, which was led for years by Dr. Lloyd-Jones.
Bala is situated in majestic central Wales with beautiful Bala Lake just on the edge as you come into town from the south. Situated in a beautiful valley, it is a breath-taking view driving to the north over the mountains on the small mountain road looking down on the valleys, and seeing the Welsh farms nestled among the hills with sheep scattered on the hills and in the grasslands. A prettier drive, one could not expect to see.
It was in Bala almost 220 years ago that a spiritual awakening occurred that shook the entire north of Wales. Thomas Charles, an evangelical leader time who lived there, wrote on December 7, 1791:
"Here, in our town of Bala, for some time back, we have had a very great, powerful, and glorious outpouring of the Spirit of God on the people in general, especially among the young people. The state and welfare of the soul has become the general concern of the entire country. Many, many of the wildest of the people have been awakened.
"This glorious work began on a Sunday afternoon in the chapel, where I preached twice that day; I cannot say that there was anything particularly special in the ministry of that day, more than what I had often experienced among our dear people here.
"Then toward the close of the evening service, the Spirit of God seemed to work in a very powerful manner on the minds of great numbers present who never appeared before to seek the Lord's face; but now there was a general and loud crying, 'What must I do to be saved?', and, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner'. About ten o'clock at night, there was nothing to be heard from one end of town to the other except the cries and groans of people in distress of soul. The very same night, a spirit of deep conviction and serious concern fell upon whole congregations in the town, when they were calling upon the Lord.
"In the following week, we had nothing but prayer meetings, and widespread concern about eternal things swallowed up all other concerns. The spirit of conviction spread so rapidly that there was hardly a young person in the town who did not begin to ask, 'What will become of me?' The work has continued to go on with undiminished power and glory, spreading from one town to another, all around this part of the country. A dispensation so glorious, I have never beheld nor indeed expected to see in my day.
"While it stirs up the opposition and rage of some determined enemies of the Lord, yet the coming of the Lord among us has been with such majesty, glory, and irresistible power, that even His enemies would be glad to hide themselves somewhere from the brightness of His coming.
"It is an easy and delightful work to preach the glorious gospel here in these days, for many are the fervent prayers by the people for the preacher, and they hear the Word for eternity. Divine truths have their own infinite weight and importance in the minds of the people. Beams of divine light, together with irresistible energy, accompany every truth delivered . . . I bless God for these days, and would not have missed seeing what I now see, not for the whole world."
- Thomas Charles
Iain Murray says:
"This year of 1791 proved to be of the greatest importance in many respects in Wales, as it marked the beginning of genuine revivals which continued in several districts of North Wales over the next three years, and more occasional similar scenes were to be seen there repeatedly over the next forty years. The moral change was immense and permanent for several generations to come. In 1811, twenty years after the awakening, Thomas Charles wrote: 'The whole country is in a manner emerging from a state of great ignorance and barbarity to civilization and piety. . . . Bibles without end are called for, are read diligently, learned by heart, and searched in with diligence and care. Instead of vain amusements, dancing, quarreling and cruel fights, we now have public prayer meetings and congregations are crowded."
This divine intervention in a country, which is rightly called a spiritual awakening, is the very last and ONLY hope America has in any way. That is why political action, as good as some of it may be, as far as making one's voice heard-- political action will never bring a nation back to where it was before. Only God can save a nation. Does He purpose to do so with America? Only what happened in Bala in the 18th and 19th centuries will preserve our nation. That is why history is so important.
- Mack Tomlinson
Monday, September 7, 2009
Glorious Truth
Predestination is God's sovereign, eternal arrangement of all the affairs of the universe to secure the object of His electing love, to secure the everlasting salvation of His adopted sons and daughters. It is God's purpose, the blueprint by which He created the universe and rules it in providence. This great, blessed work of God's grace includes all things and can never be altered. This, too, is a matter of such unmistakable, clear revelation that ignorance of it is inexcusable (Acts 13:48; Ephesians 1:4-5, 11; Romans 8:29).
Redemption is the ransom of chosen sinners out from under the curse of God's broken law and offended justice by the sacrificial, substitutionary, sin-atoning death of our Lord Jesus. Redemption is the satisfaction of justice by the blood of Christ and the deliverance of God's redeemed ones from all possibility of condemnation (Ephesians 1:7; Galatians 3:13; Colossians 1:14; 1 Peter 1:18-20). The redemption of our souls by Christ's shed blood also includes and guaranteed the redemption (deliverance) of our souls from the bondage and dominion of sin (Isaiah 53:10-11), and the redemption of our bodies from the grave at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:14; 4:30). All who were redeemed by the blood of Christ must and shall be saved by God's grace in him.
Regeneration is the new birth, the actual deliverance of chosen, redeemed sinners from spiritual death into spiritual life by the effectual power and irresistible grace of God the Holy Spirit (John 3:8; Ephesians 2:1-4; Colossians 2:10-13). It is a resurrection from spiritual death to spiritual eternal life in Christ by the Spirit of God.
Providence is the glorious, though mysterious, sovereign rule of the universe by our God for the salvation of His people and the praise, honor and glory of His own great name (Romans 8:28; 11:36; Ephesians 1:11). Providence is God working out in time what He purposed in eternity. Nothing is more comforting, nothing inspires boldness and nothing gives peace like a good understanding of and a confident faith in God's predestination, redemption, regeneration and providence.
Redemption is the ransom of chosen sinners out from under the curse of God's broken law and offended justice by the sacrificial, substitutionary, sin-atoning death of our Lord Jesus. Redemption is the satisfaction of justice by the blood of Christ and the deliverance of God's redeemed ones from all possibility of condemnation (Ephesians 1:7; Galatians 3:13; Colossians 1:14; 1 Peter 1:18-20). The redemption of our souls by Christ's shed blood also includes and guaranteed the redemption (deliverance) of our souls from the bondage and dominion of sin (Isaiah 53:10-11), and the redemption of our bodies from the grave at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:14; 4:30). All who were redeemed by the blood of Christ must and shall be saved by God's grace in him.
Regeneration is the new birth, the actual deliverance of chosen, redeemed sinners from spiritual death into spiritual life by the effectual power and irresistible grace of God the Holy Spirit (John 3:8; Ephesians 2:1-4; Colossians 2:10-13). It is a resurrection from spiritual death to spiritual eternal life in Christ by the Spirit of God.
Providence is the glorious, though mysterious, sovereign rule of the universe by our God for the salvation of His people and the praise, honor and glory of His own great name (Romans 8:28; 11:36; Ephesians 1:11). Providence is God working out in time what He purposed in eternity. Nothing is more comforting, nothing inspires boldness and nothing gives peace like a good understanding of and a confident faith in God's predestination, redemption, regeneration and providence.
A Wise Perspective, Pt. 2
In our last Daily Thoughts, Carl Trueman spoke about "mega-everything" in church life and ministry. He was not saying that normal, smaller church life is boring or dull; rather, he was saying that anyone who is of the mega-mentality might view churches without the fluff as being boring and unexciting. And that is wrong.
What Trueman said also has another important application.
The effect of "mega, not mundane" has taken a huge toll on the view point of many young men and couples entering the Christian ministry today. It is evident that some do not want the mundane routine of being prepared under faithful pastors until they are truly ready for ministry, not ready in their own eyes, but in the eyes of their pastors and church, prepared by doing real service in unseen ways and learning submission. By the mid-twenties, they often desire to have positions of ministry that often take 20 years to mature into.
Some seem to think they have the wisdom of a 50 or 60 year old pastor and do not want to be under, for any length of time, an experienced pastor. Two years is about the maximum length of time many younger men have the ability to stay put. They become bored by the mundane, discontented, impatient, wanting to be up and doing something on their own, rather than seeing that they could exercise a wonderful ministry right where they are, assisting the elders, visiting the elderly in the nursing homes, going to the hospital to visit the sick, going down to witness to the homeless and where the local teenagers hang out.
But that isn't attractive; its not big enough or interesting enough; they would rather blog, tweet, and dialogue about theology while they drink their wine and beer, exhibiting their "superior" freedom which they believe is much more than those old foggies down at the church. The attitude at times is--"those men are nice, they are good men, but they are not up to date enough, they aren't cutting edge; they don't relate enough; they don't preach like Piper or Driscoll; I need something innovative, I need to be under someone who is exciting that younger people are really tracking with. I just can't stay with them--they don't do ministry good enough. I believe God is leading me away from here."
The truth is, often they are simply running from what would be God's best for their maturity and growth, and they are blaming God for their flight by saying, "God is leading me"; no one in the church sees God leading them; their elders who have loved them don't see God leading them; yet they have convinced themselves it is true.
This is often a deception which is caused by the pride of youth. They simply can't see that if they were to stay where they are and supported and submitted to the godly leaders they already have, do the menial tasks, serve, be faithful and very consistent at all the meetings of the church, they would make gigantic leaps toward maturity, wisdom, ministry effectiveness, and fruitfulness.
If a younger man or couple in their twenties were to say, "Let's stay right here where we are for the next ten or fifteen years and serve, serve, serve, doing what no one else is doing, doing all the elders ask us to do and be the most faithful believers in this fellowship"-- that young man or couple would be given exceedingly wonderful ministry by the Lord and would far excel those who run from one situation to another. But very few stay put for the long haul. And that is where true ministry really happens. This is a call for all those under 30 years to really consider and search their hearts.
Where is the 20-30 year old Christian young man who would say to his church leaders: "I would love to take on all the nursing home visits, the shut-ins, and the hospital visits; I will do anything you want me to do that no one else is doing; Can I serve Christ in whatever capacity you see is needed in the church?" Where is such a Christian?
Where are the young women who will say to their elder's wives, "Let me learn from you; let me come and serve your family, and serve along side you in hospitality and in church events-- let me help you and I would love for you to mentor and teach me. Let me be a blessing to others and not just receive; let me be a blessing along side you."
It's just such a mentality that God abundantly pours out His blessing upon for future quality ministry because the one who is faithful in that which is little will be entrusted with more.
Any young man or couple who are driven about and focused on having a ministry, let them be honest with themselves and beware--they are on dangerous and deceptive ground unless their church body and their elders are like-minded with them; Let them first serve faithfully under their own pastors and elders in their church and patiently let God blossom them into the ministry He will prepare them for. And let them go to their elders to see when they should be sent out to do any ministry. If they do this, they not make the mistakes that so many make and later regret. The truth is, it's the mundane, faithful Christian, who glorifies God the most.
- Mack Tomlinson
What Trueman said also has another important application.
The effect of "mega, not mundane" has taken a huge toll on the view point of many young men and couples entering the Christian ministry today. It is evident that some do not want the mundane routine of being prepared under faithful pastors until they are truly ready for ministry, not ready in their own eyes, but in the eyes of their pastors and church, prepared by doing real service in unseen ways and learning submission. By the mid-twenties, they often desire to have positions of ministry that often take 20 years to mature into.
Some seem to think they have the wisdom of a 50 or 60 year old pastor and do not want to be under, for any length of time, an experienced pastor. Two years is about the maximum length of time many younger men have the ability to stay put. They become bored by the mundane, discontented, impatient, wanting to be up and doing something on their own, rather than seeing that they could exercise a wonderful ministry right where they are, assisting the elders, visiting the elderly in the nursing homes, going to the hospital to visit the sick, going down to witness to the homeless and where the local teenagers hang out.
But that isn't attractive; its not big enough or interesting enough; they would rather blog, tweet, and dialogue about theology while they drink their wine and beer, exhibiting their "superior" freedom which they believe is much more than those old foggies down at the church. The attitude at times is--"those men are nice, they are good men, but they are not up to date enough, they aren't cutting edge; they don't relate enough; they don't preach like Piper or Driscoll; I need something innovative, I need to be under someone who is exciting that younger people are really tracking with. I just can't stay with them--they don't do ministry good enough. I believe God is leading me away from here."
The truth is, often they are simply running from what would be God's best for their maturity and growth, and they are blaming God for their flight by saying, "God is leading me"; no one in the church sees God leading them; their elders who have loved them don't see God leading them; yet they have convinced themselves it is true.
This is often a deception which is caused by the pride of youth. They simply can't see that if they were to stay where they are and supported and submitted to the godly leaders they already have, do the menial tasks, serve, be faithful and very consistent at all the meetings of the church, they would make gigantic leaps toward maturity, wisdom, ministry effectiveness, and fruitfulness.
If a younger man or couple in their twenties were to say, "Let's stay right here where we are for the next ten or fifteen years and serve, serve, serve, doing what no one else is doing, doing all the elders ask us to do and be the most faithful believers in this fellowship"-- that young man or couple would be given exceedingly wonderful ministry by the Lord and would far excel those who run from one situation to another. But very few stay put for the long haul. And that is where true ministry really happens. This is a call for all those under 30 years to really consider and search their hearts.
Where is the 20-30 year old Christian young man who would say to his church leaders: "I would love to take on all the nursing home visits, the shut-ins, and the hospital visits; I will do anything you want me to do that no one else is doing; Can I serve Christ in whatever capacity you see is needed in the church?" Where is such a Christian?
Where are the young women who will say to their elder's wives, "Let me learn from you; let me come and serve your family, and serve along side you in hospitality and in church events-- let me help you and I would love for you to mentor and teach me. Let me be a blessing to others and not just receive; let me be a blessing along side you."
It's just such a mentality that God abundantly pours out His blessing upon for future quality ministry because the one who is faithful in that which is little will be entrusted with more.
Any young man or couple who are driven about and focused on having a ministry, let them be honest with themselves and beware--they are on dangerous and deceptive ground unless their church body and their elders are like-minded with them; Let them first serve faithfully under their own pastors and elders in their church and patiently let God blossom them into the ministry He will prepare them for. And let them go to their elders to see when they should be sent out to do any ministry. If they do this, they not make the mistakes that so many make and later regret. The truth is, it's the mundane, faithful Christian, who glorifies God the most.
- Mack Tomlinson
Thursday, September 3, 2009
A Wise and Correct Perspective
I worry that a movement built on megachurches, megaconferences, and megaleaders, does the church a disservice in one very important way that is often missed amid all the pizzazz and excitement--it creates the idea that church life is always going to be big, loud, and exhilarating and thus gives church members and ministerial candidates unrealistic expectations of the normal Christian life. In the real world, many, if not most of us worship and work in churches of 100 people or less. Life is not loud and exciting; big things do not happen every Sunday; budgets are incredibly tight and barely provide enough for a pastor’s support; each Lord’s Day we go through the same routines of worship services, of hearing the gospel proclaimed, taking the Lord’s Supper, with some churches teaching Sunday School; perhaps several times a year we do leaflet drops in the neighbourhood with very few results; at Christmas time we carol sing in the street and hand out invitations to church and maybe two or three people actually come along as a result. But no matter — we keep going, giving, and praying as we can; we try to be faithful in the little entrusted to us. It’s boring, it’s routine, and it’s the same, year in, year out.
Therefore, in a world where excitement, celebrity, and cultural power are the ideal, it is tempting amidst the circumstances of ordinary church life to forget that the routine of the ordinary, the boring, the plodding, is actually the norm for church life and has been so throughout most places for most of the history of the church; that mega-whatevers are the exception, not the rule; and that the church has survived throughout the ages because of the day to day faithfulness of the mundane, anonymous, non-descript people who constitute most of the church, and who do the grunt work and the tedious jobs that need to be done. History does not generally record their names; but the likelihood is that you worship in a church which owes everything, humanly speaking, to such people.
- Carl Trueman
Therefore, in a world where excitement, celebrity, and cultural power are the ideal, it is tempting amidst the circumstances of ordinary church life to forget that the routine of the ordinary, the boring, the plodding, is actually the norm for church life and has been so throughout most places for most of the history of the church; that mega-whatevers are the exception, not the rule; and that the church has survived throughout the ages because of the day to day faithfulness of the mundane, anonymous, non-descript people who constitute most of the church, and who do the grunt work and the tedious jobs that need to be done. History does not generally record their names; but the likelihood is that you worship in a church which owes everything, humanly speaking, to such people.
- Carl Trueman
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Guarding Your Heart
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life!" Proverbs 4:23
See that your chief study is about your heart: it is there that God's image is planted, that His interests are advanced, that the world and flesh are subdued, that the love of every sin is cast out, and that the love of holiness grows.
"I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind!" Jeremiah 17:10
- Jonathan Edwards
See that your chief study is about your heart: it is there that God's image is planted, that His interests are advanced, that the world and flesh are subdued, that the love of every sin is cast out, and that the love of holiness grows.
"I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind!" Jeremiah 17:10
- Jonathan Edwards
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