ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

There are two kinds of people: those who 
   say to God, "Thy will be done," and 
     those to whom God says, "All right, 
            then, have it your way."
                    - C.S. Lewis

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is 
      the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, 
        baptism without church discipline, Communion without 
         confession.... Cheap grace is grace without  discipleship, 
                      grace without the cross, grace without 
                         Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
                                    - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

The first call which every Christian experiences is the call 
         to abandon the attachments of this world. 
                         - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Whole Word

The German Theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, once remarked during an address "We want to give the world the whole word, not a half word - a courageous word, a Christian word." It would seem if ever the whole word was needed, it is today.

As a Pastor, I am continually amazed by the audasity of the culture we live in, a worldy culture. I am also equally amazed at the lack of courage we as Christians often exhibit in our struggles with this culture. We continually absorb the challenges of our cultural misnorms with very little resistance. We refrain from discussing the word of God because we have been told over and over again that some folks find it offensive or feel disconnected because they feel its moral direction constricting. We ecco the words of Paul, who told us to not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of our mind without guarding our minds.

As believers, we need the whole word of God but we must also be ready to take on the worldly culture we are immersed in. We must do so with courage and commitment. We must also remember the word we take forward must be a Christian word. It must be focused on Jesus Christ, his birth, his ministry, his death, and his resurrection.We must share what Christ is doing in our lives, the encouragement he brings, and the changes produced by a life of faith.

A Christian word, centered in Jesus Christ, not what is often culturally acceptable. We are not called to be offensive, hurtful, or brutish to others. We are called to bring forth the "good news" that Jesus saves sinners, changes lives, comforts the hurting, brings peace in the most difficult moments of our lives and that salvation can only be found through our relationship with him. This is what people want to hear and this is what the world needs to hear. So remember Christian, we want to give the world the whole word, the full story, not just half or bits and peaces. It takes courage to share the whole word of God because it is a Christian word, a Christ-centered word, but now more than ever, it is the word the world needs to hear.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Faith is not belief without proof, 
 but trust without reservation.
                   - D. Elton Trueblood

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"It is not the man decked out in morality or philosopcical virtues who
    will repel a full charge of temptation sent from Satan's cannon;
             it is the man suited up in armour - that is, in Christ.
                                      - William Gurnall

Lord, where we are wrong, make us willing 
         to change; where we are right,
            make us easy to live with.
                 - Peter Marshall

A Simple Question

Recently I was asked a simple question, "Pastor, what are some of the priorities you have set for your ministry?' As I pondered my response a number of possible answers crossed my mind. I thought about preaching and teaching, things ministers are supposed to do. These are high priority areas of responsibility that must surely be considered. What about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others? Yes it is normal for a reformed pastor to be evangelistic, and this also could be another possible priority. Then came the idea that a pastor must be a leader within the church, important and another area to consider.  So on and on, one responsibility after another, I continued to examine “my ministry” and ask the simple question: is this a priority?

I would like to say the process was quick and decisive, but it was not. Days later I was still working my way through what was supposed to be a simple question. This morning as I spent time with God, an answer came to me. While all the things I mentioned above are important and are priorities, I can think of something I did not mentioned, yet feel it may be the ultimate priority - worshiping God.

I am sure this sounds a bit unusual for a reformed minister, even a bit charismatic, but I believe this answer is sound. We as God’s people are here to worship and glorify God, to celebrate our relationship with him through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, hearing the Word and preaching the Word are cornerstones of the reformed faith. And yes, the sacraments help unify us believers. However, it is our worship, our time together, where we come into the presence of the one true God, that make us unique. God is holy, he is powerful, he is righteous, and we as his people seek him out. For only in his presence do we feel complete. This is why worship may be the ultimate priority within the boundaries of what I define as ministry.  

Much of Psalm 96 reminds us of our need to worship. ”Oh sing to the Lord a new song; Sing to the Lord, bless his name; Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the people! For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness!”

I think we get the psalmist’s idea – worship!

Priorities are important! But ultimately one priority must top the list. So let us all seek to worship the Lord while he may be found, let us come together as his people and lift up his holy name. For he is our God and we are his people. 

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

 In faith there is enough light for those who 
want to believe and enough shadows to blind 
                    those who don't.
                    - Blaise Pascal

The Importance of Truth

Truth is an important word within the scriptures. It is a word mentioned over and over, in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. The scriptures teach us that we are changed or sanctified by the truth. It is truth that brings us to God as we recognize we are all sinners, unable to achieve righteousness outside of a true relationship with God.

As believers we are to practice, live by, the truth (1 John1:6). Paul says it this way: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24). The latter part of verse 24 is more literally translated “in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” This would line up with what many commentators say, that truth should be seen as a source of the righteousness and holiness that is being created in the new person.

The idea here is simple; truth has a direct connection to righteousness and holiness in our lives. The opposite would also be simple; a lack of truth will have a direct connection to the lack of righteousness and holiness in our lives. Truth is directly connected to our spiritual lives and is required in our day-to-day walk as believers in Jesus Christ.

With all of this comes the reality that we often do not know the whole truth. We may hear information first or second or third hand. It may be passed on by those who have only heard only one side of the story or who want to pass themselves off as the appointed representatives for a specific opinion or group. Yet, in the end, this kind of behavior is not what God requires of his people.  

As believers we must remember that our old self has been crucified with Christ and we are called to a higher level of behavior. Truth is not always connected to those who make the most noise or claim to represent the greatest numbers. So we are called to seek the truth, live in and by the truth, and speak the truth in love. Our sanctification, our change from our old self to a new creation, is based our understanding of eternal truths.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. 
         Aim at earth and you get neither.
                       - C.S. Lewis

Reality Check

One of the greatest changes and challenges the church faces today is in the area of information, or more specifically, access to information. The continual emergency of digital tools and new technologies is moving at an unimaginable pace. “Well that’s o.k. If you’re into that sort of thing,” I often hear folks say.

Reality Check Number One: You may not be interested in this, but the vast majorities of people thirty and under are.

Reality Check Number Two: Personal computers, tablets, mobile devices, and smart phones are providing our society with almost unlimited access to people, information, and their ideas. This is especially true for generations of people born after 1960 (the last birth year for those who qualify as Baby Boomers).

Last year when I was preaching in a church in Wichita I gave a children’s sermon before the “real sermon.” In it I ask the kids what they enjoyed doing the most in their spare time. A very precocious little girl, about seven, answered with “I like to text me friends.”

Reality Check Number Three: Technology is fueling rapid change in our society and generational disconnections. This is especially true of the current generation (who have been labeled Mosaics) and the previous one (labeled Busters), to some extent. These generations have been born into and raised up in this age of overwhelming technological change. In fact, an argument could be made that the current generation not only continues to adapt to change but also now expects continual change. They look forward to the latest or newest version of a game, product, app, or technology.

Reality Check Number Four: In the midst of these new technologies and the access they bring, the church struggles to connect and minister. While our message of change, grace, and eternal life through Jesus Christ is alive and even viewed as “edgy” by many young people today, the church itself is often viewed as outdated, stiff, boring, and unable to change. Yes, it is here where the battle rages and challenges must be met.  

We know our message is relevant but we must also address the necessary changes that will allow others, especially younger generations, to see the church itself as vital and relevant in their lives. This might be the greatest challenge before us.

Technology, information access, and change are part of the current generations self-identity. It affects how they view the world around them and previous generations’ views on culture, politics- and especially their view of religion in general and Christianity specifically.

Bottom-line, the church today must address the necessity of change if it expects to remain relevant in a changing world or as the Apostle Paul would remind us, we must be in the world but not of the world.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard,
there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults."
                                   - John Calvin

In the Dark

Some people are in the dark, they just don't get it. Over and over in the Word of God sin is identified with darkness. Yet so many people refuse to acknowledge even the existance of sin in the world, much less in their own lives. So, in a very real spiritual sense, they are in the dark.

Most Christians would agree that Satan is the great promoter of sin. He is the prince of darkness and the external cause of sin within the world we live. However, the internal cause of sin is the natural darkness of our souls, a consequence of the Fall and the sin nature that came with our decent into darkness. The darkness of our condition continues to lead us deeper into sin.

Many today have grown accustomed to this darkness, even prefering it. People who choose to walk in darkness shun the light. To a sinner, one in darkness, the light of truth is blinding and confusing. In John 1:5 we read, "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." Here John is refering to Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, who came to shine the light of truth on the darkness of our condition. God has also given his Spirit to illumiate and expose the sin in our lives. But many today still prefer darkness to light.

Those who reside in darkness have no power of their own to resist sin. They are blinded by their condition and do not have the ability to see clearly. They live in fear, whether they choose to admit this or not, because they fear a hopless eternity.

Yet there is hope for everyone because Christ died for all and, as the Scriptures remind us, the darkness can not over come the light.

So today take the opportunities God gives you and mirror his light in a world of darkness. Be an example for those around you. Let them know that you, too, once shunned the light for darkness. But because of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you now understand the light.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool;
                   and he who dares not, is a slave."
                              - John Drummond

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"All our progress and perserverance are from God."
                             - John Calvin

A Stranger to Your Holiness

God is holy! This is not a point of contention for Christians, we believe God is holy. However, as a Christians I struggle with the idea of holiness, especially when I am trying to apply it to myself. Holiness in Christian belief is always connected to the word sanctify. We are holy because as believers we have been sanctified, set apart, for God's purpose.

God is holy! I am not! I must admit I often feel like a stranger to God's holiness, always struggling, to hang on to the few gains I have made. It is never easy for me to be holy.  I have a temper and at times my anger gets the best of me. I struggle to love others as I would have them love me, not very holy on my part. I admit I have spoken when I should have held my tongue, said unkind things and thought unkind thoughts. A stranger to God's holiness, I believe the phrase would fit me.

God is holy and by my own admission I am not. I struggle with my familar sins, the ones I know all too well and those who seem to know me. So I believe I am qualified to say I am a sinner, and again, a stranger to God's holiness.

Yes, God is holy! Yet even in the moments when I struggle with my unholiness, God is holy. And here is the bottom-line: because of my relationship with God through Jesus Christ, God sees me as holy. That's right, he sees even a sinner like me as holy. This is not because I have done anything on my own to merit this, it is because my relationship with Christ has changed the way I am seen by God. God sees the obedient sacrifice of his Son on the Cross, and because of his sacrifice, my sins are forgiven. I may view myself as a stranger to God's holiness but God sees me as his holy child. Because I am a child of God I am called to be holy and I believe God will continue to strengthen me for this call.

So let me find hope and encouragement in the words of 1 Peter 1:15, But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. For it is written: "Be holy for I am holy."

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"Truth is loved and prized only by those who recognize it
                        and know it personally."
                          - William Gurnall

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over
          which Christ, who is Soveregin over all, does not cry "Mine."
                                          - Abraham Kuyper

Shake Me, Wake Me

Most of us would agree that life can be a challenge. We may often relate to a line from a song performed by the Four Tops "shake me, wake me, when it's over." We may have economic success at one moment and failure may come a short time later. We may go to bed feeling on top of the world and wake up the next morning with an illness. We try to take precautions but we all know things can happen. In reality, life appears to offer no guarantees, at least of our own making.

In 2 Samuel, David experienced the fickleness of life, its people, and day-to-day events. One minute he was supported and things are going well, a short time later, support had vanished and he was to blame. At that time I am sure David's confidence was shaken. The truth is life has the ability to shake us all up at times. It can be confusing, people can be difficult, and events can seem so unfair. Yet, for the believer,  life does come with some guarantees.

One: Salvation is a free and gracious gift. It comes through faith in Jesus Christ. This fact cannot be shaken and it does not change. In this life you may experience times of loss, times of disappointment, painful struggles, yet our salvation is secure in Jesus Christ. He is our rock and our mighty fortress, in him we have eternal security.

Two: Heaven is a kingdom that cannot be shaken. As believers we at not citizens of this world but of heaven. Buy the grace of Jesus Christ and through our faith in him, we have been guaranteed access to this kingdom. This world may be a place of dispair and disappointment but it is not our final destination. Christ has purchased our passage beyond this world and into the kingdom of God. It comes with a guarantee that cannot be resended. There are no additional charges, no late fees or weight limits. It is not based on any religious belief but on our relationship with him.

Three: This life is not permanent but our life with Jesus Christ is eternal. It has been purchased with his blood and will be perfected with his love. So I will continue to remind myself that life may shake me but God has chosen to wake me and give me his unconditional guarantee, through Jesus Christ my Lord.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"God has not thrown me away. I am in his mind day and night, and
                      his thoughts are at work to do me good."
                                     - William Gurnall

Possess What You Profess

I recently posed a question to a friend of mine, when does a half truth become a full lie? I have heard people use the phrase "half truth" as a sort of bridge between the truth and a lie as if it were an acceptable compromise. To be honest, I find this kind of moral quibbling very disappointing, and I view it as a proverbial slippery sloop. It is easy to profess variations of what might resemble the truth but much more difficult to possess what is the truth.

As followers of Christ we are encouraged by the scriptures to speak the truth. Our credibility is founded on truth, spoken with love, for the good of the listener, as well as the speaker. There is no place in the christian life for half truths, three quarter truths, partial truths, or fragments of the truth. This is especially true for those in positions of authority, clergy, elders, deacons, teachers, etc..

So here is the plain truth. The half truth does not exist; it is just a phrase used to disguise a complete lie. If one decides to withhold part of the truth then one has taken it upon oneself not to tell the truth. Half truths are the less sophisticated cousins of innuendo and gossip, but all are liars at heart.

In Zechariah 8:16-17, God spoke these words to Zechariah: "These are things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgement in your courts; do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely, I hate all this," declares the Lord.

As Christians, we are called to speak the truth in a faithful and loving manner so that it may benefit the one who hears and the one who speaks. It may be uncomfortable, difficult, or even a painful task to complete but it is what we are called to do. God encourages us to never be afraid to question or examine the words of others. We are to hold them up to the sound guidance of scripture where truth and lies are easily seperated.

So do not be afraid to seek and speak the truth, the whole truth. In doing so you will be one step closer to living the life you seek. Possess what you profess, for the truth will set you free.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"God always gives his best to those who leave the choice to him."
                                        - Jim Elliot

The Cross is My Anchor!

A Roman philosopher once said, “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.” I think I would have to agree because it seems I grapple more than tango through the days of my life. I often feel that my days spring forth with more challenges than moments of celebration. Yet, I know I am not alone in in my view. Another wise Roman was a bit more specific in his assessment when he said “Life is warfare!”  Well, I don’t know if I would carry it that far but I would say life can be difficult and challenging. 

However, trying to build my philosophy of life on either one of these phrases would be depressing. I know life can be difficult but I want to enjoy it and I want it to have meaning. So let me suggest another phrase, one that carries some meat on its bones.

The cross is my anchor! These words are translated from a Latin phrase I often use in e-mails and writings I send to friends. It reminds me my life is anchored in the Cross of Christ and all it stands for.


Carrying one’s cross has nothing to do with a servile submission to difficulty or disaster. It has nothing to do with a passive resignation to the pain and difficulties we all face in this life. Instead, it has everything to do with a joyful abandonment to doing the will of God. Fulfilling the will of God in our lives always involves putting the concerns of God’s kingdom before the pursuit of our own passions, security, possessions, status, or power.  The Cross of Christ is our constant reminder that we are to seek God’s will in our daily lives, just as Jesus did in his life. The world regards this as a foolish way to live life. People we know may even challenge us over the wisdom of our beliefs. They may regard the cross as a symbol of weakness. However, our daily lives can testify to the power of the cross and all that it stands for. 

In Hebrews 6:19 we read these powerful words, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. “ The verse refers to the certainty of God’s promises to us. God’s purpose and his promises are certain and our lives and hope are anchored in the cross, the ultimate symbol of his will. So we all can resonate with the phrase “the cross is my anchor.” May it always be and may we never forget.

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"Christ is the candle that light's the way out of man's darkness."
                                   - William Gurnall

A Fool's Coat

In the scriptures Paul reminds us that we are not to be conformed to this world. Translation, we are not to compromise ourselves with the corrupt customs of our culture. We are to be different, or as Paul likes to say, “in the world but not of the world.” This is a task even the most dedicated believers struggle with.

The Puritan Minister, William Gurnall, echoed Paul’s reminder saying, “The Christian must not be such a complaint tailor as to cut the coat of his profession according to popular fashion.” Gurnall’s words are on target, even more so when we consider they were penned 1600’s.

“The coat of our profession” is a wonderful phrase. It’s like saying you are what you wear. It shows that we are not of this world but citizens of heaven. We therefore should be clothed in the garments of truth and not dressed in what is popular or the most current fashion. Popularity and fashions change about as often as the direction of the wind in Kansas.

It is difficult at times to stand out. Nonconformity is never trendy or popular. It is a difficult task to take a stand for truth, to choose to make decisions based on the word of God instead of what is popular. Yet many people struggle to stand up to the pressure to conform. They do not want to be labeled fools by those whom they view as more knowledgeable in worldly matters. They are afraid to be seen in what the world might call the fool’s coat. They choose, what we might describe as a self-tailored, yet fashionable, coat of conformity. A coat that is more stylish and colorful, more attractive to their pride. But in doing so, they turn their back on plainer yet more costly garment, the coat of truth. They have exchanged the truth of the scriptures for the praise and customs of the world. As Gurnall would say they “lose heaven because they are ashamed to go there in a fool’s coat.”

Truth is not always popular or fashionable. Truth is often difficult to discover and even more difficult to embrace. Individuals or our culture may seek to redefine truth based on their perceived needs, what is comfortable for them, or the opinion of a specific group.  However, truth is not based on the opinion of an individual or the group, or even a custom or fade. Truth is found in and based upon the word of God. To many this might be “a fool’s coat,” but to those who have given their lives to Jesus Christ it is, and will always be, in style. 

RefRev

ReformedRev's Quote of the Day

"Possess what you profess."
        - ReformedRev