The regular season of the NHL has commenced. With my new method of writing my messages first in the week, I had a little time tonight to watch a bit of Hockey Night in Canada.
Now hockey is pretty much a religion in our country, in every sense of the word. Christians need to be on guard against the religious aspects of sport. But I do enjoy hockey - there is no sport quite like it.
I caught a bit of the end of the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canadiens won on a shootout, an innovation I could do without. The part of the game I watched was a bit slow, but it was hockey so I watched. Then my Oilers came on against the hated Calgary Flames. Edmonton beat Calgary in the opener two nights ago. This game had a lot of jump -- a number of factors, the nature of the two teams compared to the rebuilding Habs and Leafs, the style of play in the West, etc. Lots of speed and action, but not much scoring. The Oilers got on the board first with a power play, but then Calgary tied it near the end of the first and went ahead at the end of the second.
Then I quit watching. It wasn't the game, it was quite appealing. But it just isn't that important. I don't need to live and die with every shot. There will be other games and other days and it just doesn't matter who wins. (Although I do like it when the Oilers win.)
Earlier, I mentioned that the Christian must be on guard against the religious aspects of sport. How do we do that? By limiting our intake. By eschewing the tokens of the hockey gods (emblems, logos, key fobs, mugs, what have you)... or those of the football, baseball, basketball gods ...
Is it a sin to wear a cap with a logo on it? No. But is there something wrong with our hearts if we must have all kinds of memorabilia and become a walking billboard for 'my team'? Quite probably.
The way to deal with this is to put the body under, keep it under control. Turn your attention elsewhere, especially to Christ. Become enamoured with him, as a man and as God, and not just another idol. Give your time and attention to him. Labour for him. Spend your spare time on him. Serve him. Serve in his kingdom.
And if you relax and watch a period or two of hockey or an inning of baseball (or even a whole game now and then), you have not sinned. But keep your body under. Keep it in control.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
PS: I did check to see how it all came out -- the Flames won 2-1, no more scoring in the third. So I saw all there was to see as it turned out!
Saturday, October 07, 2006
on our Wednesday 10.4.06 message
I am a little late writing this summary. With Thanksgiving next Monday, an all day meeting later in the week, and a work day the following Saturday, I am feeling just a little cramped on study time. I am going like mad to keep the head above water on this project. The study and the fruit in our spiritual life at church have been worth it, but there is a lot of work.
Wednesday we had a little distraction outside our building during the service. Three young fellows decided to visit on the steps outside the exit door by the piano. One of our men checked on them. They were quite insolent and appeared to be drunk -- and they appeared to be about twelve years old. This is not typical of our neighbourhood, but all the homes around have tremendous needs. Well over 90% don't attend church at all, let alone profess salvation (or even have a clue about what that means). Our great burden is to somehow get the attention of a few and see them come to Christ.
Our message covered Luke 17.20-18.14. There are several events and parables strung together in a row here along a theme, and there are parallels in the other Gospels. We mostly stayed in Luke for the message. The subject was preparedness for the Second Coming. Just before our passage, the Lord healed ten lepers at once, with a Samaritan demonstrating faith. The Pharisees, with no faith, ask for a sign of the coming of the kingdom. The Lord cahllenges their lack of faith, but then calls the disciples to be prepared: they must be prepared for deceivers saying the kingdom is already come; they must be prepared to receive Christ, for the kingdom will come suddenly (a la the Flood, or the destruction of Sodom); they must be prepared to persist in prayer (as in the widow before the unjust judge); and they must be prepared with a humble spirit (as the publican in contrast to the Pharisee).
The last two points in the message were the point where the disturbance happened outside. It was quite a distraction to me for two reasons: the noise and worry of 'what's going on?' and as I look back on my outline, those were the two weakest points of the message! I think that I summed it up better than I preached it, but even in summing it up, I realize I may have been stretching the theme a bit on the last two parables.
This is probably a reflection of trying to cover too much too fast, and being too detail oriented. I have a compulsion to 'fit everything in'. Sometimes you just have to leave stuff out.
This Sunday and Monday should be better. We are expecting guests in the AM service tomorrow (10 am Pacific Time), so pray for softened hearts. We are also expecting unsaved guests on Monday for our Thanksgiving dinner and service. Pray for that service also, about 1:15 pm Pacific Time.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Wednesday we had a little distraction outside our building during the service. Three young fellows decided to visit on the steps outside the exit door by the piano. One of our men checked on them. They were quite insolent and appeared to be drunk -- and they appeared to be about twelve years old. This is not typical of our neighbourhood, but all the homes around have tremendous needs. Well over 90% don't attend church at all, let alone profess salvation (or even have a clue about what that means). Our great burden is to somehow get the attention of a few and see them come to Christ.
Our message covered Luke 17.20-18.14. There are several events and parables strung together in a row here along a theme, and there are parallels in the other Gospels. We mostly stayed in Luke for the message. The subject was preparedness for the Second Coming. Just before our passage, the Lord healed ten lepers at once, with a Samaritan demonstrating faith. The Pharisees, with no faith, ask for a sign of the coming of the kingdom. The Lord cahllenges their lack of faith, but then calls the disciples to be prepared: they must be prepared for deceivers saying the kingdom is already come; they must be prepared to receive Christ, for the kingdom will come suddenly (a la the Flood, or the destruction of Sodom); they must be prepared to persist in prayer (as in the widow before the unjust judge); and they must be prepared with a humble spirit (as the publican in contrast to the Pharisee).
The last two points in the message were the point where the disturbance happened outside. It was quite a distraction to me for two reasons: the noise and worry of 'what's going on?' and as I look back on my outline, those were the two weakest points of the message! I think that I summed it up better than I preached it, but even in summing it up, I realize I may have been stretching the theme a bit on the last two parables.
This is probably a reflection of trying to cover too much too fast, and being too detail oriented. I have a compulsion to 'fit everything in'. Sometimes you just have to leave stuff out.
This Sunday and Monday should be better. We are expecting guests in the AM service tomorrow (10 am Pacific Time), so pray for softened hearts. We are also expecting unsaved guests on Monday for our Thanksgiving dinner and service. Pray for that service also, about 1:15 pm Pacific Time.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Thursday, October 05, 2006
on deleting posts
I deleted a post I sent out earlier today. On further reflection, I decided that it was 'not ready for prime time'. My goal in posting anything is to post articles that reflect my point of view to the best of my abilities. This particular post has some things in it that I felt were vague and inconclusive (even though I thought it contained some good stuff as well). I gave a hand at clarifying my views in another post, but gave up. I think I need to think this one through more clearly, so out it goes.
Given that the readership of this blog is pretty limited, I suppose not much harm is done. But it serves to illustrate a cardinal rule of good writing: good writing comes from good rewriting. Better to wait, revise, and think through before publishing. The instantaneous publication of blogs presents a severe temptation to publish thoughts not fully formed, poorly articulated, or both.
So back to the salt mines to try again.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Given that the readership of this blog is pretty limited, I suppose not much harm is done. But it serves to illustrate a cardinal rule of good writing: good writing comes from good rewriting. Better to wait, revise, and think through before publishing. The instantaneous publication of blogs presents a severe temptation to publish thoughts not fully formed, poorly articulated, or both.
So back to the salt mines to try again.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
on "What it takes to reach them is what it takes to keep them."
Another online friend writes on this topic here, and I think I agree with him. (Good to be on the agreeing side, eh, Ben?)
I was prompted to add a few comments on this subject because in my e-mail inbox today was an e-mail from a ministry that I am sure means well, but... But here is the subject line of the e-mail:
The e-mail is from a ministry called www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com. The man behind this ministry is called Nelson Searcy. I see he went to school at Gardner-Webb University, a school in a town where I used to serve as a weekend youth pastor. I made lots of mistakes on North Carolinians! He has taken subsequent education at two SBC seminaries. The bio on his sight reads this way:
Here is the promotional blurb for the Assimilation Seminar, which is what the e-mail I received was advertising. You can find the site here. (Somehow it slipped through my ever vigilant spam filter.)
Well, I don't know. Am I responsible to keep those who come? Am I responsible to make them comfortable? I guess so, in a way. I mean I shouldn't be rude to them or unfriendly or make them feel unwelcome as PERSONS, that wouldn't be following the way of Christ.
But if I preach the truth that all without faith in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in HELL, and deserve to be there, would that make them uncomfortable? If that kind of preaching is true, I wonder when I should get around to it after I have made my visitors comfortable. I wonder if I will keep them if I do get around to it.
The concept is curious. It might be interesting to get the materials to see what they have to say and the CD advertised is only $37, so not a great cost. But... my philosophy is pretty well set on this and I don't think I will bother. Too many other things to do and read. My curiousity level isn't stirred high enough to even part with $37.
I hope the visitors we do have will come back because they have been stirred to do so by the Holy Spirit from faithful preaching of the Word of God. I don't know any other way to build a church.
I also found the return policies of this ministry to be 'interesting', that is, if this really is a ministry. Very curious. I wonder if the Lord who overturned tables in the temple would have any thoughts on it at all.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
I was prompted to add a few comments on this subject because in my e-mail inbox today was an e-mail from a ministry that I am sure means well, but... But here is the subject line of the e-mail:
This Fall, Keep the First-Time Guests You Reach
The e-mail is from a ministry called www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com. The man behind this ministry is called Nelson Searcy. I see he went to school at Gardner-Webb University, a school in a town where I used to serve as a weekend youth pastor. I made lots of mistakes on North Carolinians! He has taken subsequent education at two SBC seminaries. The bio on his sight reads this way:
In 2002, Nelson Searcy started The Journey Church of the City in New York, NY. The congregation has grown from a handful of people to over 1100 in four Sunday worship services and over 1200 in 95 small groups. The Journey is an innovative, multicultural church in Manhattan. An experienced strategist, coach and speaker, Nelson serves as a regular consultant to churches across America. He is the author of over 20 articles and 30 training resources on leadership, evangelism, church planting and church growth. Before coming to NYC, he served as the Director of The Purpose Driven Community at Saddleback Church.
Here is the promotional blurb for the Assimilation Seminar, which is what the e-mail I received was advertising. You can find the site here. (Somehow it slipped through my ever vigilant spam filter.)
It's not enough to just attract first time guests -
you must learn how to keep them! This seminar on
Assimilation discusses practical steps that will help
you create an inviting environment for your first-time guests- one that they will want to come back to time and time again! 2 Teaching CDs plus a Resource CD
Resource CD Includes:
25+ page Assimilation Strategy used at The Journey
Sample Emails
Sample Surveys
Greeter and Usher Overviews
Sample Follow-Up Letters
Sample Communication Cards
Plus much more!
Return and Exchange Policy
About The Teachers:
Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas are Teaching Pastors at The Journey Church of the City in New York, NY. The Journey is an innovative, multi-cultural, multi-site church in Manhattan and is one of the fastest growing churches in the Northeast. The church is recognized for its creativity, media and relevant approach to life changing teaching.
Well, I don't know. Am I responsible to keep those who come? Am I responsible to make them comfortable? I guess so, in a way. I mean I shouldn't be rude to them or unfriendly or make them feel unwelcome as PERSONS, that wouldn't be following the way of Christ.
But if I preach the truth that all without faith in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in HELL, and deserve to be there, would that make them uncomfortable? If that kind of preaching is true, I wonder when I should get around to it after I have made my visitors comfortable. I wonder if I will keep them if I do get around to it.
The concept is curious. It might be interesting to get the materials to see what they have to say and the CD advertised is only $37, so not a great cost. But... my philosophy is pretty well set on this and I don't think I will bother. Too many other things to do and read. My curiousity level isn't stirred high enough to even part with $37.
I hope the visitors we do have will come back because they have been stirred to do so by the Holy Spirit from faithful preaching of the Word of God. I don't know any other way to build a church.
I also found the return policies of this ministry to be 'interesting', that is, if this really is a ministry. Very curious. I wonder if the Lord who overturned tables in the temple would have any thoughts on it at all.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Monday, October 02, 2006
on pastoral leadership in an anti-leader age
The ministry has always been full of difficulty, but I wonder if there are some difficulties that are more the symptom of our time and place than perhaps at any other time in history. One of the most difficult problems I have faced is the intractability of professing Christians. There is a claim of faith in Christ, but many of those making the claim will not accept direction from the spiritual leader God appointed for them, the pastor of the local church.
By making this observation, I want to be clear that I don't take the position that the pastor is the dictator of every aspect of the congregant's life. But I do believe the role pastor carries some authority, especially in spiritual matters. The Lord established the church and he gave certain gifts to the church, apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors (Eph 4). These gifts are for the purpose of building the church, equipping the saints for their own ministry.
The metaphor of building implies that the one doing the building has some authority over the construction process. That brick will go there, this beam will go here, etc. We are of course dealing with souls with wills, not with bricks and beams with no wills, so the analogy does break down at some point, but I think that the church would do better if it would break down less.
A recent difficulty with an individual got me to thinking about the problem. This individual is in constant conflict with people around him. He claims to be a Christian, but fights with everyone who attempts to exert any authority over him, whether it be a secular authority, Christian authority, family authority, government authority, you name it, he fights it. He is an extreme example, but I think that the conflict with him helps to define a much more widespread problem in the church at large.
This individual sees himself as an equal with the pastor (or any other authority he encounters). As such, he will not accept direction, and he will only accept counsel if it is given in such a way as to make him think he thought of it. In other words, the only way to affect any change with him is to manipulate him into it. He mainly wants authorities to let him do what he wants and to make him feel good. Most authorities aren't interested in either of those two options, so conflict ensues.
This individual illustrates in a vivid way a more widespread problem that exists in the church. The pastor is seen as 'the Bible teacher', but not as the 'overseer'. He is there to 'feed me', but he is not there to 'lead, guide, direct, or otherwise interfere with me'. Some churches use the term 'teaching elder' to describe him. What an anemic title! What a 'kept man'! The term reminds me of the man named Micah in the book of judges who kept a priest for himself (Jdg 17), a Levite, possibly the grandson of Moses, who officiated at the little shrine that Micah made for himself. A kept man. Later, the tribe of Dan discovered this Levite and hired him a way as the 'kept man' of the whole tribe, so that they could have their own priest in their own locale. How could such a man lead people spiritually? He was just there to provide those who hired him with religious services. He was not there by the call of God, not able to utter a thus saith the Lord!
In the church today, many people view themselves as the equal of the minister. They will defer to his Bible knowledge and enquire of him regarding Bible trivia, but there is little submission to his spiritual direction. His opinion is one among many and if it doesn't match mine, he is a control freak, a bigot, a racist, or what have you. You name it, his voice is merely an option (at best), and certainly not authoritative.
In the meantime, personal lives and families of many professing Christians are falling apart. The pastor may lead an exemplary life, be reproducing himself in the lives of his children (the only people in the church he can really train to accept his authority), be a man of impeccable credentials in the surrounding secular world, but still, he may not tell me how I ought to live!
Well, how do we win in the pastorate with such a spirit as that?
I wish there was an easy answer. I am afraid the answer is the one that our Lord gave the disciples when they were frustrated with their own inability to exercise authority: "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer." (Mk 9.29)
That answer may not be very satisfying to us. We would like a magic bullet that we could use to just say the right thing to people to get them to change. I think we have to accept the fact that people are rebels and there is nothing WE can do to make them change. But we can pray. And we can trust in God. And God CAN do something to make them change.
It is frustrating to minister to people, especially rebels who refuse to accept any authority. Thank God there are some disciples who do encourage you by their willingness to truly receive spiritual counsel.
But the man of God must truly be a man of God. The place of leadership must drive him to prayer, because "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer." The place of leadership must drive him to the Book, because the Book is his authority, not himself or his own opinions. The courage of Christian leadership is obtained only by complete dependence on Christ. We aren't here to win debates or argue people into the kingdom. We are here to cry to God for direction and strength, and see if he won't do the mighty work of changing lives.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
By making this observation, I want to be clear that I don't take the position that the pastor is the dictator of every aspect of the congregant's life. But I do believe the role pastor carries some authority, especially in spiritual matters. The Lord established the church and he gave certain gifts to the church, apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors (Eph 4). These gifts are for the purpose of building the church, equipping the saints for their own ministry.
The metaphor of building implies that the one doing the building has some authority over the construction process. That brick will go there, this beam will go here, etc. We are of course dealing with souls with wills, not with bricks and beams with no wills, so the analogy does break down at some point, but I think that the church would do better if it would break down less.
A recent difficulty with an individual got me to thinking about the problem. This individual is in constant conflict with people around him. He claims to be a Christian, but fights with everyone who attempts to exert any authority over him, whether it be a secular authority, Christian authority, family authority, government authority, you name it, he fights it. He is an extreme example, but I think that the conflict with him helps to define a much more widespread problem in the church at large.
This individual sees himself as an equal with the pastor (or any other authority he encounters). As such, he will not accept direction, and he will only accept counsel if it is given in such a way as to make him think he thought of it. In other words, the only way to affect any change with him is to manipulate him into it. He mainly wants authorities to let him do what he wants and to make him feel good. Most authorities aren't interested in either of those two options, so conflict ensues.
This individual illustrates in a vivid way a more widespread problem that exists in the church. The pastor is seen as 'the Bible teacher', but not as the 'overseer'. He is there to 'feed me', but he is not there to 'lead, guide, direct, or otherwise interfere with me'. Some churches use the term 'teaching elder' to describe him. What an anemic title! What a 'kept man'! The term reminds me of the man named Micah in the book of judges who kept a priest for himself (Jdg 17), a Levite, possibly the grandson of Moses, who officiated at the little shrine that Micah made for himself. A kept man. Later, the tribe of Dan discovered this Levite and hired him a way as the 'kept man' of the whole tribe, so that they could have their own priest in their own locale. How could such a man lead people spiritually? He was just there to provide those who hired him with religious services. He was not there by the call of God, not able to utter a thus saith the Lord!
In the church today, many people view themselves as the equal of the minister. They will defer to his Bible knowledge and enquire of him regarding Bible trivia, but there is little submission to his spiritual direction. His opinion is one among many and if it doesn't match mine, he is a control freak, a bigot, a racist, or what have you. You name it, his voice is merely an option (at best), and certainly not authoritative.
In the meantime, personal lives and families of many professing Christians are falling apart. The pastor may lead an exemplary life, be reproducing himself in the lives of his children (the only people in the church he can really train to accept his authority), be a man of impeccable credentials in the surrounding secular world, but still, he may not tell me how I ought to live!
Well, how do we win in the pastorate with such a spirit as that?
I wish there was an easy answer. I am afraid the answer is the one that our Lord gave the disciples when they were frustrated with their own inability to exercise authority: "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer." (Mk 9.29)
That answer may not be very satisfying to us. We would like a magic bullet that we could use to just say the right thing to people to get them to change. I think we have to accept the fact that people are rebels and there is nothing WE can do to make them change. But we can pray. And we can trust in God. And God CAN do something to make them change.
It is frustrating to minister to people, especially rebels who refuse to accept any authority. Thank God there are some disciples who do encourage you by their willingness to truly receive spiritual counsel.
But the man of God must truly be a man of God. The place of leadership must drive him to prayer, because "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer." The place of leadership must drive him to the Book, because the Book is his authority, not himself or his own opinions. The courage of Christian leadership is obtained only by complete dependence on Christ. We aren't here to win debates or argue people into the kingdom. We are here to cry to God for direction and strength, and see if he won't do the mighty work of changing lives.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Sunday, October 01, 2006
on the sermons of 10.01.06
I am burdened by our lower attendance of late. We had 35 today. We are working towards outreach, but we live in a very hardened city. We primarily focus on reaching the lost, not folks who are Christians already, even though our philosophy is so different from the philosophy of most (virtually all) of the other churches in town. Next week on Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving. We will be having our annual Thanksgiving dinner. Several unsaved guests will be present and we will be having a service after the dinner. Pray that the Holy Spirit would work in hearts! Today we did have one unsaved teen in the services who came as a guest of one of our families. Pray for him, that he might receive the gospel preached today.
Our messages were all in Luke today. We are in that extended seciont of Luke that is unique to him, from about the end of chapter 9 all the way to chapter 18 or 19 or so. It covers a good deal of what is known of the Lord's ministry in the last months leading up to the crucifixion.
The first message covered five 'vignettes' which I entitled "Correction of Misapprehensions". The theme was getting disciples to think God's way. First, James and John want to call down fire on a Samaritan village. I called that understanding the spirit of discipleship. Then three would-be disciples receive the Lord's searching question forcing them to examine the heart of their motivation for discipleship. I called that understanding the cost of discipleship. Then we saw the 70 sent out, coming back rejoicing that the devils were subject to them. The Lord corrects their thinking, so I called that understanding the joy of discipleship. The next vignette was Martha and Mary, where Martha complains about Mary's idleness. I called that understanding the good part of discipleship. And last, we covered the Lord's instructions on prayer in Lk 11. I called that understanding the prayer of discipleship - we go to God because he is good, not because he is someone we must cajole into giving us blessings.
The second message was "Denouncing the Pharisees" from Lk 11.37-12.12. The proposition: False religion presents particular threats to true faith. The Pharisees are denounced for their hypocrisy, the scribes for their apostasy. The Lord warns his disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees, for Pharisaism is a deadening influence for true religion. The Lord prepares his disciples for the attacks of those (like the scribes) who say the work of the Spirit springs from the devil and will therefore persecute the true believers. God cares more for the believer than for anything else in this world and will protect any saint under attack like this. We need not be forearmed, we must trust in God alone to preserve us against attack.
The last message was on the three lost things of Luke 15, entitled "Joy in Heaven". We spoke to the proposition: The joy of heaven ought to involve God's people in the mission of redeeming those who are lost. I began by comparing lost things: the sheep and the coin were lost inadvertantly, we have no moral indignation about their lostness. They are lost because, in the first place, a sheep is a sheep and has a weak, next to useless, brain, and in the second place because a coin is a coin and has no brain at all. It just happens to be lost. The son on the other hand, lost himself. He spent everything he had and ended up in the pigpen. People like this earn our moral indignation. We tend to think of them, they deserve what they get for what they did to themselves. We are partly right, but the fact is that all men do such things because it is our nature to do them. We are sinners. Lostness is part of our nature.
Next, I compared the finding of the lost things. In the case of the sheep and the coin, they were found after a diligent search. God has to take the initiative 'to seek and save those that are lost'. In the case of the son, the son found himself, so to speak. He realized his condition, saw that even servants had it better than he does, got up and out of the pigpen and headed home. Though God takes the initiative in salvation, man must see himself for a sinner, see Christ as the solution, get up and come home in repentance and faith. Salvation cannot happen without both sides of the equation operating. Those who wish to dismiss one side of salvation or the other do not teach the whole counsel of God.
The next thing to compare was the joy over the found things. In the case of the sheep and the coin, the shepherd and the woman told their friends and rejoiced with them. The father told his servants (not the older son) and rejoiced with them. Those who rejoice with the finder are those who are predisposed to the finder's point of view.
Finally we compared the mind of heaven over the salvation of sinners. The parables of sheep and coin are essentially one, teaching exactly the same lesson concerning the mind of heaven. God states that there is joy in heaven over ONE sinner that repents. I take this quite literally. The figure is the parable, the statement of fact is the heavenly viewpoint. God's angels rejoice when a sinner turns to God. I believe that every believer has had his name sung in heaven. I made this application: has your name been on the lips of angels? Then I considered the response to the finding of the son: it is not the heavenly, but the earthly view. The older son comes in from the field (earth-centered focus), he is offended because 1) He has slaved 2) He has kept the law (father's commandments) and the father has not given him so much as a baby goat (much less a fatted calf) to celebrate with HIS friends (not with the fathers servants). He 'does well to be angry'. The father reminds him that the son was dead and is alive, was lost and is found. This is the view of heaven. The earthly view is: If I keep my nose clean, God MUST bless ME. The heavenly view is: there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents.
We need to adopt the heavenly view of sinners: they are not our friends just to satisfy our desire for friends. They are lost whom the Saviour desires to save. We are no friend if we will not do all we can to turn the lost to Christ, and find joy in their repentance and salvation.
Well, all in all, it was a great day in the Lord. Salvation is a great joy and those who share in the one bread and the one cup are truly blessed. May there be more to share it with before the Lord returns!
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Note: you can see the notes for the messages by clicking the links in the sermon titles.
Our messages were all in Luke today. We are in that extended seciont of Luke that is unique to him, from about the end of chapter 9 all the way to chapter 18 or 19 or so. It covers a good deal of what is known of the Lord's ministry in the last months leading up to the crucifixion.
The first message covered five 'vignettes' which I entitled "Correction of Misapprehensions". The theme was getting disciples to think God's way. First, James and John want to call down fire on a Samaritan village. I called that understanding the spirit of discipleship. Then three would-be disciples receive the Lord's searching question forcing them to examine the heart of their motivation for discipleship. I called that understanding the cost of discipleship. Then we saw the 70 sent out, coming back rejoicing that the devils were subject to them. The Lord corrects their thinking, so I called that understanding the joy of discipleship. The next vignette was Martha and Mary, where Martha complains about Mary's idleness. I called that understanding the good part of discipleship. And last, we covered the Lord's instructions on prayer in Lk 11. I called that understanding the prayer of discipleship - we go to God because he is good, not because he is someone we must cajole into giving us blessings.
The second message was "Denouncing the Pharisees" from Lk 11.37-12.12. The proposition: False religion presents particular threats to true faith. The Pharisees are denounced for their hypocrisy, the scribes for their apostasy. The Lord warns his disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees, for Pharisaism is a deadening influence for true religion. The Lord prepares his disciples for the attacks of those (like the scribes) who say the work of the Spirit springs from the devil and will therefore persecute the true believers. God cares more for the believer than for anything else in this world and will protect any saint under attack like this. We need not be forearmed, we must trust in God alone to preserve us against attack.
The last message was on the three lost things of Luke 15, entitled "Joy in Heaven". We spoke to the proposition: The joy of heaven ought to involve God's people in the mission of redeeming those who are lost. I began by comparing lost things: the sheep and the coin were lost inadvertantly, we have no moral indignation about their lostness. They are lost because, in the first place, a sheep is a sheep and has a weak, next to useless, brain, and in the second place because a coin is a coin and has no brain at all. It just happens to be lost. The son on the other hand, lost himself. He spent everything he had and ended up in the pigpen. People like this earn our moral indignation. We tend to think of them, they deserve what they get for what they did to themselves. We are partly right, but the fact is that all men do such things because it is our nature to do them. We are sinners. Lostness is part of our nature.
Next, I compared the finding of the lost things. In the case of the sheep and the coin, they were found after a diligent search. God has to take the initiative 'to seek and save those that are lost'. In the case of the son, the son found himself, so to speak. He realized his condition, saw that even servants had it better than he does, got up and out of the pigpen and headed home. Though God takes the initiative in salvation, man must see himself for a sinner, see Christ as the solution, get up and come home in repentance and faith. Salvation cannot happen without both sides of the equation operating. Those who wish to dismiss one side of salvation or the other do not teach the whole counsel of God.
The next thing to compare was the joy over the found things. In the case of the sheep and the coin, the shepherd and the woman told their friends and rejoiced with them. The father told his servants (not the older son) and rejoiced with them. Those who rejoice with the finder are those who are predisposed to the finder's point of view.
Finally we compared the mind of heaven over the salvation of sinners. The parables of sheep and coin are essentially one, teaching exactly the same lesson concerning the mind of heaven. God states that there is joy in heaven over ONE sinner that repents. I take this quite literally. The figure is the parable, the statement of fact is the heavenly viewpoint. God's angels rejoice when a sinner turns to God. I believe that every believer has had his name sung in heaven. I made this application: has your name been on the lips of angels? Then I considered the response to the finding of the son: it is not the heavenly, but the earthly view. The older son comes in from the field (earth-centered focus), he is offended because 1) He has slaved 2) He has kept the law (father's commandments) and the father has not given him so much as a baby goat (much less a fatted calf) to celebrate with HIS friends (not with the fathers servants). He 'does well to be angry'. The father reminds him that the son was dead and is alive, was lost and is found. This is the view of heaven. The earthly view is: If I keep my nose clean, God MUST bless ME. The heavenly view is: there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents.
We need to adopt the heavenly view of sinners: they are not our friends just to satisfy our desire for friends. They are lost whom the Saviour desires to save. We are no friend if we will not do all we can to turn the lost to Christ, and find joy in their repentance and salvation.
Well, all in all, it was a great day in the Lord. Salvation is a great joy and those who share in the one bread and the one cup are truly blessed. May there be more to share it with before the Lord returns!
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Note: you can see the notes for the messages by clicking the links in the sermon titles.
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