Taylors for Truth

Spying Out the Land of Floripa

2008-11-10T02:07:00.000-08:00

This morning as I contemplated the thought of taking the Gospel to this city of Florianopolis, I felt overwhelmed. I felt incapable of such a great task. God, in His sovereign wisdom, led me to read Numbers 13, on spying out the land of Canaan. The story is well known. 10 spies come back saying that it is a good land, but there are giants in the land. 2 spies, Joshua and Caleb, agree to these facts but have more to say. Notice the difference in what these 2 groups actually said.

The 10 spies said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are." (v.31)

Caleb said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it." (v.30)

So, what is the big difference between Caleb's response and the other men's? At first, it may seem like Caleb had more self-confidence than the 10 men. Maybe they had low self-esteem. I don't believe that is the case though. I believe that Caleb's confidence came from knowing who God is and believing in Him. The other men's lack of confidence came from ignoring who God is and not believing Him. The spies were right in saying that the giants in the land were stronger than they, but they were focusing on the wrong thing--themselves. Here are 3 things the Lord impressed upon my heart today from this story:

1. There is a self confidence in doing a BIG JOB which amounts to pride.
I need to be aware of this and careful not have this attitude. I have noticed many times in ministry how I seem to trust in my ability to get things done.

2. There is a lack of confidence in God which leads to a lack of action.
Many people are so afraid of BIG JOBS (like evangelism or missions), they never try anything for God and His glory. They are missing out on great blessings, I believe.

3. There is a right sense of confidence which says, "We are well able to do this in the ability of God."

I don't know about my brother David, but there are many times in my life when I do not feel "able" to do the task that God has called me to do here in Brazil, and possibly in Florianopolis someday. I am encouraged today by this story to be confident that I am "well able" in the ability of my Omnipotent God.

I look forward to "spying out the land" of Florianopolis with David next month. Pray for us that we would "be of good courage".

JT

Preaching in the Spirit

2008-11-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says this in Preaching and Preachers: "There is but one thing that gives a preacher authority, and that is that he be 'filled with the Holy Spirit'."

I read Numbers 11 today and noticed a strong contrast between the Spirit resting on certain individuals and the people of Israel giving in to their "strong craving" of the flesh. The main truth that God has shown me in this text is that you cannot have the strong cravings of the flesh and also have the Spirit of God resting on you at the same time. Galatians 5:16 is very clear on this:

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

One great reason why one would want to have the Spirit of God resting on him is to be able to bear one another's burdens. Galatians 6:1 states that only those who are spiritual, meaning who walk in the Spirit, should restore a brother. I believe that there are many blessings to be had when we are walking in the Spirit, and many pains to be had when we are seeking to satisfy the cravings of our flesh. Let us look at Numbers 11 more closely.

In Numbers 11:17, God says: "I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them." The "them" here is the 70 elders which God chose to help Moses to bear the burden of the people of Israel. Right away I see that having the Spirit to help with others' burdens is a must. Now I realize that God's giving of His Spirit in the OT is a bit different than it is today. I still believe that the principle of needing the Spirit to rest on us is valid today. We call that the "filling of the Spirit".

We are told in Numbers 11:25 that "as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied." Now I realize again that prophesying in the OT was a little different. As I remember in college, it involved foretelling and forthtelling God's message, or in other words, giving prophecy of future events and simply preaching God's already revealed Word. What strikes me here as important is that the Spirit resting on these elders enabled them to preach. Sometimes we preachers forget about the absolute necessity of having the Spirit rest on us as we preach.

Later in Numbers 11:29, Joshua tells Moses to stop the elders from continuing to prophesy and Moses says, "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!" This expresses how good it would be if all God's people had the Spirit. In a sense they do, if they have believed in Jesus as their Savior. They are now indwelt by the Spirit. But the filling of the Spirit, being controlled by the Spirit, is another thing. Would that all God's people, who are indwelt by the Spirit, also be controlled daily by His Spirit!

On the flip side of all this, we see in Numbers 11 that the people of Israel are giving in to their "strong craving" for meat and the foods of Egypt that they complain to Moses. God then tells Moses that He would give them meat till it came out of their nostrils and it became loathsome to them. (v.18,20) God then sheds some light on their real problem: "because you have rejected the Lord who is among you." (v.20) They were not satisfied with God's presence and wanted the inferior pleasures of their flesh.

In the end, we see the true end of choosing the strong craving of the flesh. God struck them down in His anger while the meat was yet between their teeth. (v.33) The place was called Kibroth-hattaavah which means "graves of craving". So, in the end, their craving killed them. Is that not the truth of what our flesh will do to us? Sure, the pleasures of our flesh are enjoyable to some degree, but in the end they kill us in many ways. And at the same time, we miss the blessings that God wants to give us if we allow His Spirit to rest on us. We cannot have both the Spirit resting on us and be feeding the "strong cravings" of the flesh.

I want more than anything to be effective when I preach and teach God's Word. I also want to help people in their Christian walk and lead other to Christ. God has made me realize the importance of walking in the Spirit moment by moment if I am going to have this kind of eternal effect on people for God's glory.

JT

All or Nothing

2008-10-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

I just started reading through the book of Numbers in my devos. I cannot say that I was jumping up for joy to begin with. Numbers is one of those books of the Bible that you put off reading usually. However, I had made a Bible reading plan a few months back, and this was my next book to read. I thank God for making His Word alive and powerful to me. Here is just what I have learned in chapter 1 and 2.

Both chapters entail God giving Moses some specific command which may seem a bit too detailed and tiring. The first chapter contains the command to number all the men who were of fighting age. (20 years or older). Chapter 1 tells us exactly how many men were counted from each tribe. (603,550) The second chapter is a command of how they are to arrange the camps of all the people. Obviously, they do it by tribes and the Levites camp in the middle of all the people with the tabernacle.

What challenged my heart was the response of the people to God and His commands. Both chapter 1 and 2 end with the same phrase:

"Thus did the people of Israel; they did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses" (1:54;2:34)

This may not seem that important to you, but I believe that it was important to God and it should be important to us. Despite these seemingly trivial commands, the people obeyed all that God commanded them to do. Why was this important to God and why should it be important to us, to do according to all that the Lord commands us?

God's commands are for our greatest good.

Taking a census of all of Israel was preparing Moses and the people to be ready for the battles that were ahead of them. Imagine Moses and the people marching off to war without knowing their number exactly and having a battle plan.

2. God's commands obeyed ensure His presence in our lives.

This may seem wrong to say, since God is omnipresent, as the Bible clearly teaches. I believe God is present everywhere, but not His presence of blessing. I even believe He is present in Hell, not to bless, but to punish. He specifically commanded Israel how the people were to encamp and march. The Levites along with the tabernacle, which I believe represented God's presence, were supposed to encamp in the middle of all the tribes and march in the middle as well (2:17). If they chose to disobey what seemed like an unimportant detail of God's command, they were hindering God's presence of blessing in their lives.

This last truth greatly challenged me. I see myself constantly asking for God's blessing on my ministry, my family, and personal issues. However, there are many times when I am not doing all that the Lord has commanded me to do. I want God's blessing in my life. I want to have personal victories over certain addictions. I want to lead people to Christ. I want my ministry at church to grow numerically and spiritually. BUT I do not want to obey Him in all things. I want Him at my terms. What I believe God is saying to my heart today is that if I really want Him in my life, I must accept His commands as well. If I refuse to accept His commands, I lose the power, the blessing of a powerful, wise, loving God. It is All or Nothing--all His blessing and commands or none of them.

JT

My Comments on Cross-Referencing Truth

2008-10-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

I believe God's Word is one. This includes unity and diversity at the same time. There are 66 books or sections or divisions, or whatever you may want to call them. These books must be studied within their historical and cultural background to capture the truth that God intended to convey. However, they must also be studied within the bigger picture of the whole Bible since they are God's Word. Your comments were excellent in pointing that out to me.

The last blog was treating the issue of "correlation", which I do believe to be of great value. I agree with Mayhue's statement: "So it is important when we study a text that we ask what else has God said about a certain theme or subject." It is important that we ask, but I'm not so sure that it is important that we search for every cross reference on the passage we are studying. Since God's Word is one, we will find that the cross references many times are innumerable and we end up preaching 5 or 6 messages in 1.

I also agree with this statement from Mayhue: "Correlation allows us to see the part (the text we study) in the light of the whole (the entire Bible)." This is obviously important and I think that with time one will improve on his ability to study the parts of passages in the light of the whole. Mayhue suggests cross referencing to make sure that correlation is done. The danger in cross references is preaching the whole Bible in one message. This is exhausting! Not to mention impractical, because the people will not benefit from this much knowledge. We are finite beings. This picture of this man who ate a 15 pound burger is a great illustration of this. It took him 4 hours to down all that meat, but did it profit him? I think it probably hurt him more than helped him.
So, here is my view on how to use cross references. They certainly have their place.

If no cross references come to mind, don't seek them.
If cross references come to mind or there are some in the margin of your Bible, look them up.
If the passage uses a cross reference, for example from the OT, then definitely study it out and very possibly use it in the message.
If the cross reference strongly supports the passage you are studying and in fact says something in a different way or stronger way that would enhance your passage, use it.

I have learned a very awesome truth about God's Word as a whole, but especially the parts. The parts are much clearer than we think, more powerful than we can imagine, and self-sufficient in many cases. Therefore, not always, but many times these passages do not need or warrant help from other passages, despite the fact that they are all connected.

Haddon Robinson says, "Since the Bible stands entire and complete, no passage should be interpreted or applied in isolation from all that God has spoken." I certainly agree with that as well, but when we give the message of God's Word to people in the congregation, I want to give them something they can chew and enjoy and profit from. I would much rather give them a quarter-pounder than a 16 pound burger.

JT

Preparing to Preach Truth

2008-10-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

I have just begun reading "How to Interpret the Bible for Yourself" by Richard Mayhue. It is one of my Bible college books that I never really read very carefully, and I want to improve my interpretation skills a lot more. I read a section entitled, "Correlation" and I really wanted to know your thoughts on this.

"In reality the Bible is actually one Book, not sixty-six. All thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and twenty-seven of the New are parts of the "The Book" we call God's Word.
So it is important when we study a text that we ask what else has God said about a certain theme or subject. How else has a certain word been used in Scripture? What else has happened in a location in biblical history? Is there anything else about the passage I can learn elsewhere in the Bible?
Correlation allows us to see the part (the text we study) in the light of the whole (the entire Bible). It provides the way to gain a proper biblical perspective--to major on majors and minor on minors. Once the whole is understood, the part will take on added meaning.
One of the best ways to do this is by using the cross references in your Bible to get a broader understanding. Chain reference Bibles are also helpful. The ultimate in tools to do this is the The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Revell).
Psalm 13 raises the question, Is David the only person to question God with doubt? By correlation we discover David is in good company.
The prophet Habakkuk called out, "How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and Thou wilt not hear?" (Habakkuk 1:2). John the Baptist despairingly queried, "Are You the Coming One, or shall we look for someone else?" (Matthew 11:3). Even Christ anguished, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46).
David was not the only saint who had to wait a considerable time for God's plan to fully unfold. He joined the elite ranks of Noah, who waited 120 years for the judgment of the flood (Genesis 6:3); Abraham, who waited 25 years for Isaac (Genesis 15-17); Moses, who waited 40 years to be rescued (Exodus 2:23-25; Acts 7:30); Joseph, who waited over a decade to be vindicated (Genesis 37:2; 41:46); Job, who waited an indefinite period for restoration (James 5:11); and Daniel, who waited 70 years for God to intervene in Israel's history (Daniel 9:2).
If you want to expand on the idea of death's appearing to be like sleep, you can look at Jeremiah 51:39; Daniel 12:2; John 11:11-13; 14:12; I Corinthians 11:30; and I Thessalonians 4:14.
Correlation helps flesh out the text. It provides depth and is a great source of illustration. Also it prevents us from drawing wrong conclusions from only part of what the Bible says. This expanded or theological emphasis constantly allows us to understand the part in light of its whole."

Agree or Disagree? And on what points exactly? Please explain your answers. I will be giving my thoughts on this section later after I have heard your thoughts. Thank-you for helping me.

JT

Subordination to the Truth

2008-10-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

sub·or·di·nate: Subject to the authority or control of another. Paul warns Titus that there are many who are insubordinate to the truth. (1:10) Paul mentions that some of these people were of the circumcision party and then tells Titus to rebuke these people so they will avoid turning away from the truth. He says something interesting about how a person comes to turn away from the truth, which is possible for believers and unbelievers alike. Titus 1:15 says, "To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure (specifically the knowledge of the truth); but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

John MacArthur says, "If the mind is defiled, it cannot accurately inform the conscience so the conscience cannot warn the person." Paul says these people are "unfit for any good work." In case you have not noticed, good works is a huge theme in the book of Titus.

"zealous for good works" (2:14)
"be ready for every good work" (3:1)
"be careful to devote themselves to good works" (3:8)
"learn to devote themselves to good works" (3:14)

So, I see a process here which is crucial to the life of a disciple of Christ and it involves truth, which is what we say we are about. Here it is:

1. The mind must subordinate (subject to the control of) to truth.
2. The conscience uses this truth to control us.
3. The knowledge of the truth (1:1) embraced qualifies us for every good work.

What we must admit and remember is that just because we read about and listen to truth, does not mean that we have subordinated to this same truth. We still have to make a choice--subordinate or not subordinate to the truth.

JT

"The Long Silence"

2008-09-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

"At the end of time, billions of people were scattered on a great plain before God's throne.
Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly--not with cringing shame, but with belligerence.
'Can God judge us? How can he know about suffering?' snapped a pert young brunette. She ripped open a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp. 'We endured terror...beatings...torture..death!'
In another group a Negro boy lowered his collar. 'What about this?' he demanded, showing an ugly rope burn. 'Lynched...for no crime but being black!'
In another crowd, a pregnant schoolgirl with sullen eyes. 'Why should I suffer' she murmured, 'It wasn't my fault.'
Far out across the plain there were hundreds of such groups. Each had a complaint against God for the evil and suffering he permitted in his world. Hos lucky God was to live in heaven where all was sweetness and light, where there was no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred. What did God know of all that man had been forced to endure in this world? For God leads a pretty sheltered life, they said.
So each of these groups sent forth their leader, chosen because he had suffered the most. A Jew, a Negro, a person from Hiroshima, a horribly deformed arthritic, a thalidomide child. In the centre of the plain they consulted with each other. At last they were ready to present their case. It was rather clever.
Before God could be qualified to be their judge, he must endure what they had endured. Their decision was that God should be sentenced to live on earth--as a man!
'Let him be born a Jew. Let the legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Give him a work so difficult that even his family will think him out of his mind when he tries to do it. Let him be betrayed by his closest friends. Let him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let him be tortured.
'At the last, let him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die. Let him die so that there can be no doubt that he died. Let there be a great host of witnesses to verify it.'
As each leader announced his portion of the sentence, loud murmurs of approval went up from the throng of people assembled.
And when the last had finished pronouncing sentence, there was a long silence. No-one uttered another word. No-one moved. For suddenly all knew that God had already served his sentence." (Taken from "The Cross of Christ" by John Stott, pg. 327-328)

The Life of a Disciple

2008-06-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

In relation to my last blog, God has been challenging my heart in the area of discipleship and what it really means to be a disciple of Christ. In studying all the gospels, but especially Mark 8, here are 7 characteristics that I found should be true in the daily life of a disciple of Jesus:

1. A Life of Suffering (Mark 8:31)
In teaching His disciples, Jesus spoke about how it was necessary that He must suffer many things. Peter did not like this and Jesus rebuked him and called him Satan! Why? I believe that Peter's thoughts on suffering were wrong and were actually Satan's thoughts on suffering. Satan would have us avoid suffering at all costs. This idea of suffering is setting our mind on the things of man and Satan, and not on the things of God. (v.33)

2. A Life of Rejection (Mark 8:31)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, "There is a distinction here between suffering and rejection. Had he only suffered, Jesus might still have been applauded as the Messiah. But in the passion Jesus is a rejected Messiah." So, as I understand it, to "take up his cross" has this idea of both suffering and rejection, which means that Christ was not talking about the normal difficulties of life which everybody has. I believe that Christ was talking about taking radical risks for His cause and the gospel's which would incur suffering and rejection upon us. Therefore, if I'm not experiencing suffering and rejection ever, then it must mean that I am not living as a disciple of Christ. Of course, the kind of suffering and rejection that each disciple faces varies, depending on what God sovereignly chooses.

3. A Life of Complete Imitation of Christ (Mark 8:34)
A true disciple of Christ seeks to follow Christ in every area of his life. This will look different for each disciple, based on the amount of knowledge that he possesses. The question here is, Are you doing and being all that Christ would do and be, if He were you? Many Christians are picking and choosing in what areas they want to follow Jesus, but this means they are not true disciples of Christ.

4. A Life of Hate Toward Ourselves (Mark 8:34-35)
"Let him deny Himself." How is this going to happen? He must hate himself. "Whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:25) I appreciate Jesus' words here, because they indicate an all-out war on our old nature which seeks to love itself and preserve itself. Mark 8:35 says that "whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." This is the 2nd expression most used by Jesus in the gospels. The old nature fights against losing one's life for Jesus and seeks to preserve itself. "Whoever seek to preserve his life will lose it..." (Luke 17:33)

5. A Life Without Shame (Mark 8:38)
"For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed..." A true disciple is not ashamed of Christ and His words, but is actually bold and proud of His Master.

6. A Life of Love for Christ (Mark 8:35)
"For my sake..." This is the key to being a true dedicated disciple of Christ. My love for Christ is the only way I can suffer and be rejected for His sake. My love for Christ is the ultimate motivation for following him completely. The reason I hate myself is because I love Him so much and I don't want myself to get in the way of my love for Him. I am not ashamed of the One that I love more than anything and anyone. Matthew 10:34-39 is an interesting text because it states that Christ came to "set a man against his father". Basically He has come to cause division. Why so? He explains that "whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me..." In other words, the reason why He would cause division is that He calls for us as His disciples to love Him more than our family, which can cause division. In Luke 14:26-27, Jesus uses even stronger language to emphasize our love for Him. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sister, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Obviously He is not teaching us to hate our family, but that our love for Him should be so strong that our love for family seems like hatred.

7. A Life Without Regret (Mark 8:35)
"For whoever would save his life WILL LOSE IT..." If we are not willing to pay the actual costs in following Christ we will lose our life. I believe this is saying that we will waste our lives. I like how Luke 9:25 puts it: "For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself." I have forfeited many opportunities for Christ and the gospel and I regret this. I don't want to look back at my life anymore and have more regrets. The life of a true disciple of Jesus Christ is a life without any regrets because of how it was lived. It is a life well-lived.

JT

Challenged by My Own Message

2008-05-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

This morning I had the opportunity to speak to about 100 teenagers about being a "Hot Christian", taken from Revelation 3:14-22. This was one of those times when I really felt like I did a poor job of communicating the message which God had burdened my heart with. But I am not so concerned about how I did as much as I am concerned that I really live this message that I preached. Most of us as preachers know how easy it can be to preach a message but not live it. This message was so convicting that I want to share it, not to preach again at you, but to ask you to pray for me that the reality of this message would be actively present in my life. I say this with the most sincerity that I have ever asked anyone to pray for me.

The Author of these Words:

"the Amen, the faithful and true witness" (v.14)
"beginning [origin] of God's creation"

The Opinion of Jesus about these Christians

"neither hot nor cold" (v.15-16)
"you are lukewarm" (I believe this describes me)
"I will spit you out of my mouth" (disgust and sickened)

Part of the Problem

You say, "I need nothing." I am fine spiritually and do not need more of Christ. (v.17)
They said this because of the riches and stuff they possessed and how much value they put on such things instead of Jesus Christ.
The real truth according to Jesus: "You are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked"

The Counsel of Christ

"Buy from me" (v.18)
So, how can we buy anything from Christ, especially when we are "poor"?
Christ already paid for it through his body on the cross, so we can be "overcomers" and apply the benefits of His sacrifice.

Buy "gold refined by fire" [I Pet.1:7-speaking of trials that purify our faith like gold]
Buy "white garments" so that you will be clothed and not naked [I think this refers to practical righteousness]
Buy "salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see" the glory of Christ!

The Love of Christ
The love of Christ is demonstrated in that He rebukes us for our lukewarmness. But not only that; it also is demonstrated in that Christ tell us what is for our greatest good--zeal for Him.

Christ's Solution
Let Christ come into your heart and dominate your heart. In other words, seek an intimate relationship with Christ which will give you a heart on fire for Him, a "Hot Christian".

My problems to pray concerning:

I am lukewarm toward Christ
I am spiritually ignorant of my condition and spiritually satisfied with Christ and my walk with Him
I run away from difficulty and when I encounter it, I do not allow God to purify me.
There is much righteousness that I do not put on daily.
I am blind to the glories of Christ because I have my eyes fixed on the inferior pleasures of this world.
I do not have the intimate relationship with Christ of which I spoke today.

I want to be a zealous, hot Christian because of who Christ is--Supremely Valuable!

JT

What Kind of Fasting does God Require?

2008-03-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

Throughout the years, I have heard of Christians who have fasted for one reason or another. While I do not criticize those who choose to do such, I have always questioned what God thought about fasting for the day in which we live. As I read Isaiah 58 today, I think I saw a little of God's thoughts on fasting. The people of Israel were fasting but God was not taking notice of them. "Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?" (v.3)

Q. Why was their fasting not acknowledged by God?

"Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure and oppress all your workers." (v.3)

The Israelites were simply "going through the motions" of religion. Their fasting was just one more religious ritual that they did, but at the same time they were fighting with each other.
God then asks a question which reveals what kind of fasting He really requires:

"Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?" (v.5)

The answer is no. God then goes on to answer what kind of fasting He really requires.

"Is not this the fast that I choose?" (v.6-7)

"to loose the bonds of wickedness"
"to undo the straps of the yoke"
"to let the oppressed go free"
to break every yoke?"
"to share bread with the hungry"
"to bring the homeless poor in your house"
"when you see the naked, to cover him"
"not to hide yourself from your own flesh"

Q. If they fasted this way, what would be the result? (v.8-9)

"light breaking forth"
"healing springing up speedily"
"righteousness going before them"
"glory of God be their rear guard"
When they called, God would answer, "Here I am"

God explains again the proper way of fasting: (v.9-10)

"take away the yoke from your midst"
"take away the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness"
"pour yourself out for the hungry"
"satisfy the desires of the afflicted"

Again God shares the results of such fasting: (v.10-12)

"your light would rise in darkness"
"your gloom be as the noonday"
"the Lord will guide you continually, satisfy your desires, and make your bones strong"
"you shall be like a watered garden, springs of water whose waters do not fail"

So, what kind of fasting does God require? The kind that reaches out to people in love and helps them be freed from the bonds of wickedness and share what we have with those who do not have it. I still believe there may be a place of fasting that involves private communion with God in prayer and the Word, but if this kind of fasting does not "pour itself out for the hungry", then God will not acknowledge it as worthy.

JT

Conversion vs. Discipleship

2008-03-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

In preparation for a sermon on discipleship, I was convicted by its true meaning. Discipleship has become a bit of a glamorous word right at the top with Conversion. But there seems to be a disconnect between these words. It sounds like this: "Now that he has been converted, we need to disciple him". This has been my understanding of these ideas for years. One follows the other one, but never had I stopped to think that there is a strong connect between the two.

Luke 9:23-26

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

Conversion begins at the moment that we understand the basis for discipleship - self denial, as we see in this text. I was listening to a message by John MacArthur in which he addresses the "starting principle of discipleship" - Self Denial. Jesus says you want to come after me - you come on my terms and that means the opposite of what you think. MacArthur says: "Discipleship is not about self-fulfillment, it is about self-denial. It's not about exalting me, it is about slaying me". This is what must take place at conversion, and this is what must follow conversion. Sharon found an ad on Craigslist that depicts many in our churches today who are seeking self-fulfillment. Read it here. Lord help me to die to self today in the same way Christ took up His cross for me.

This saint of old had it right:

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights;

hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox that

the way down is the way up,

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to possess all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive,

that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,

and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine;

let me find

Thy light in my darkness,

Thy life in my death,

Thy joy in my sorrow,

Thy grace in my sin,

Thy riches in my poverty,

Thy glory in my valley.

The Great Compassion and Mercy of Jesus

2008-03-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

These last few weeks, I have been amazed at the huge compassion of Jesus toward others and the huge lack of compassion in my life. I have been teaching through the gospel of Mark to the teens and noticed the multitude of people who came to Jesus for healing but wanted nothing else to do with Jesus. They simply wanted to use Him for what they could get out of Him and then were out of His life, probably even involving themselves in a life of sin. Where I notice the compassion of Jesus is that, although He knew these people's heart and future, He still proceeded to heal them any way. Love with no strings attached. How many of us love unconditionally? That is, without expecting any love in return. How many of us would love a certain individual if we knew he was only using us, taking advantage of us in some way? I do not think I would show this man compassion and mercy.

It seems that God is working in my heart to make me a more merciful and compassionate person toward others. This last Thursday prayer meeting, I taught a devotional from James 2 on the importance of showing mercy to others without partiality. If you remember the passage, James mentions a scenario where a rich man and a poor man walk into the church. The rich man is shown great mercy by giving him the place of honor. The poor man is treated with dishonor and lack of mercy and compassion. James goes on to say that we should show mercy to all without separating whom we should love or how we should love. Right before I got up to share this teaching, guess what God decided to do to me and for me?

He gave me a hands-on application of that very teaching. Right before I got up (literally seconds), one of our regular drunkards of the neighborhood walked in the door and sat in the back row. He has a deep, loud voice which he obviously cannot control. As soon as I saw him enter, I thought, "God, get rid of this idiot. He's just going to ruin this whole Bible study." And God worked in my heart by reminding me exactly what I was teaching on at that moment. He was the poor man whom I was dishonoring in my mind. So I was challenged by God that I needed to show the great compassion and mercy of Jesus at that time, not just outwardly but inwardly. After all, "has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love Him?" (James 2:5)

What Think Ye Of Christ - John Newton

2008-02-07T06:34:00.000-08:00

A pastor friend of mine in the area was given a hymnbook dated back to 1843. The hymnbook is dripping wet with theology that glorifies God. My friend pointed this one out to me. Lord help me to think much of you!

What think you of Christ, as the test
To try both your state and your scheme?
You cannot be right in the rest,
Unless you think rightly of Him.
As Jesus appears in your view,
As He is beloved or not;
So God is disposed to you,
And mercy or wrath are your lot.

Some take Him a creature to be,
A man or an angel at most:
Sure these have not feelings like me,
Nor know themselves wretched and lost.
So guilty, so helpless am I,
I durst not confide in his blood,
Nor on his protection rely,
Unless I were sure He is God.

Some call Him a Saviour, in word,
But mix their own works with his plan;
And hope He his help will afford,
When they have done all that they can:
If doings prove rather too light,
(A little, they own, they may fail),
They purpose to make up full weight,
By casting his name in the scale.

Some style Him the pearl of great price,
And say He's the fountain of joys;
Yet feed upon folly and vice,
And cleave to the world and its toys;
Like Judas, the Saviour they kiss,
And while they salute Him, betray;
Ah! what will profession like this
Avail in this terrible day?

If ask'd what of Jesus I think?
Though still my best thoughts are but poor,
I say, He's my meat and my drink,
My life, and my strength, and my store;
My Shepherd, my Husband, my Friend,
My Saviour from sin and from thrall;
My hope from beginning to end,
My portion, my Lord, and my All.

What Is Your Strength?

2008-01-30T14:20:00.000-08:00

In the 7 months that I've been in Brazil as a missionary, I have noticed that there are at least 2 kinds of missionaries. The first kind of missionaries are the people and project-oriented missionaries. These seem to be the majority of the missionaries I know. The second kind of missionaries are the study and office-oriented missionaries. It seems implied that the first kind have a certain "strength" in dealing with people and getting big projects accomplished, and the second kind have a "strength" in studying and intellectual matters. I am not criticizing either one of these kinds of missionaries, but simply analyzing what kind of missionary I am and what kind of missionary God wants me to be.

Isaiah 30:15 says, "...in quietness and in trust shall be your strength." I am certain that God wants me to be the kind of missionary that quietly trusts in Him daily. It is easy to be a missionary who trusts in his people strengths or intellectual strengths to get the job done, but even if the "job" does get done, God will not be exalted in this effort. I'm convinced, though, that the job will not actually be accomplished effectively and consistently if I am not quietly trusting in God for such.

The people of Israel had the problem of trusting in their supposed strength of Egypt. Listen to what God said about Egypt:

"Everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit..."
"Egypt's help is worthless and empty." (Is. 30:5-7)

These people said they did not want to hear no more about the Holy One of Israel, and despised the Word. (Is. 30:12) Why? Because they trusted in their "strengths". I wonder if I don't do that as well. I trust in all the intellectual powers I get from reading so much (now you know what kind of missionary I am: :), that I don't quietly wait on Him for the results. I also see myself wanting to be more of a people oriented missionary, which can be good, as long as I don't trust in my visitations and evangelistic efforts to ultimately get the job done.

In conclusion, I realize that God has appointed to do His work through people and their hard work. I am simply stating the danger of trusting in your hard work, your "strengths", to accomplish successfully what God has called you to do. Your greatest strength is in quietly trusting in your GREAT GOD!

God is Worth the Wait

2008-01-22T16:58:00.000-08:00

God spoke to my heart this morning through Isaiah 25. Isaiah starts by saying,

"I will exalt you, God" Why?
"For You have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure."

He mentions that strong peoples would glorify God and fear Him. Why?

"For You have been a stronghold to the poor and needy"
"A shelter from the storm and shade from the heat." (v.4)

Isaiah goes on to prophesy what is still to come in the future and how God will "swallow up death forever". He mentions that people in the future will say,

"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us" (v.9)

What I noticed is that these people waited and trusted in God, their stronghold, and in the end, they will be proud to call Him their God and will exalt Him. We always exalt what we are proud of. Are you proud of your God? I think that one way that we show we are proud of our God is to wait for Him. By waiting for Him, we show our trust in the fact that His plans are "formed of old, faithful and sure." By waiting on Him, we will become more proud of Him when we see the "wonderful things" that He will do, and therefore we will exalt Him even more. God impressed upon my heart that He is worth the wait. In the end, I will "be glad and rejoice in His salvation", and He will be praised.

Christ is Superior

2008-01-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was reminded of why I am here in Brazil. It is because Christ is superior to all things and all people. This conviction is what will keep me here as well. Our missionary conference started tonight and Doug Brown (teacher at Faith Baptist Bible College and Seminary) was our speaker. I just want to share my notes of what he shared tonight from Hebrews 1:1-4.

4 Ways Christ is Superior:

1. Christ is Superior in His Agency
As an "agent" of God the Father, Christ is superior because He is the pinnacle of God's revelation to man. As an agent, He is superior because He is the "heir" of all things, specifically the future kingdom to come. He is the appointed King, for which we are simply waiting for the coronation. He is superior as an agent because He created all the worlds or ages, which include the past as well as the future ages to come.

2. Christ is Superior in His Essence
Christ does not simply reflect the glory of God. Somehow I think this would detract from His deity. Christ radiates the glory of God because, as Hebrews says, Christ is the "exact imprint of His nature". This makes Him superior because He is 100% God.

3. Christ is Superior in His Actions
Christ upholds the universe and everything in it by the words of His mouth. He has purged our sins and "sat down" at the right hand of God. Have you ever noticed that in the Tabernacle, there were many items and furniture, but there are no seats, chairs, or couches to sit on? Why so? Because the priests' work was never finished. What makes Jesus Christ superior is that what He did was once and for all finished at the cross. How do we know this? Because He "sat down".

4. Christ is Superior in His Apelation(not sure of correct spelling)
Apelation means name and Hebrews 1:4 says that Christ is superior because He has a more excellent name than the angels. What is this name? I think v. 5 answers this question. I think this excellent superior name is "Son of God". "So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth," (Phil. 2:10)

He concluded with a superior thought to have. Christ is superior to all things and all people. Let's give Him His place!

JT

What You Feel vs. What is Real

2008-01-04T07:14:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from Living the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney

And this is how serious it gets: In our arrogance, we invest our feelings (or lack therof) with final authority rather than recognize that our emotions tend to be unstable, unreliable, often governed by pride, and riddled with lies - lies that "feel" like the truth.
I've watched people yield to such lies repeatedly. It's a frightening experience to sit with individuals who actually insist that what they feel is ultimately more authoritative to them that what's written clearly in Scripture. They even somehow assume God is sympathetic to this attitude. But He is not. He would, in fact, identify it as the height of arrogance - which is something He's unalterably opposed to: "God opposes the proud," His Word declares.

How subtly true this is in our lives. Lord help us to rely on Your objective truth.

David

More Worthy Resolutions

2008-01-03T03:53:00.000-08:00

21. Resolved, never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him. (Resolutions 1 through 21 written in one setting in New Haven in 1722)

22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God' s glory, to repute it as a breach of the 4th Resolution.

24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.

25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.

26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do abate my assurance.

27. Resolved, never willfully to omit any thing, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.

28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.

30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.

31. Resolved, never to say any thing at all against any body, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said anything against anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.

32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Proverbs 20:6,‹A faithful man who can find?Š may not be partly fulfilled in me.

33. Resolved, to do always, what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without overbalancing detriment in other respects. Dec. 26, 1722.

34. Resolved, in narrations never to speak any thing but the pure and simple verity.

35. Resolved, whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.

36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. Dec. 19, 1722.

37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,- what sin I have committed,-and wherein I have denied myself;-also at the end of every week, month and year. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.

38. Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord' s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.

39. Resolved, never to do any thing of which I so much question the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not; unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.

40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.

I really like resolution #22 and #25. Trusting in a greater happiness and love that is found in God alone.

James

Worthy Resolutions

2008-01-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

With the new year here, I've read many blogs and articles which discourage new year resolutions because they tend to exalt man and his accomplishments. I agree that resolutions can result in the exaltation of man, but at the same time I think they could go in an opposite direction and result in the exaltation of God. I think that Jonathan Edwards' resolutions are an example of how resolutions can be a good thing which benefits man the most and glorifies God the greatest. Here are just a few of his resolutions:

THE RESOLUTIONS

of

Jonathan Edwards

BEING SENSIBLE THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT
GOD' S HELP, I DO HUMBLY ENTREAT HIM BY HIS GRACE TO ENABLE ME TO KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS, SO FAR AS THEY ARE AGREEABLE TO HIS WILL, FOR CHRIST' S SAKE.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God' s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.

2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the aforementioned things.

3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. July 30.

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder.

12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.

13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.

14. Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge.

15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.

16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

18. Resolved, to live so, at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.

19. Resolved, never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.

20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance, in eating and drinking.

In the next few weeks, I will post the rest of his resolutions. They are such Godward thoughts and aspirations to aim for.

2008 Devotions

2008-01-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

My plans are to read the Chronological One Year Bible in the the mornings. To suppliment the morning reading Sharon and I are going to read John Stott's Through the Bible Through the Year. Please pray for us and let us know of your intentions for Bible Study this year!

David

3 Games

2007-12-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

Like many of you we met with family, indulged in much food and little activity today. The extent of our exercise included finding a chair to watch a funny show or finding a chair at the table to play a game. We engaged in three games today of which you may be familiar.

In the game called Loaded Questions the questioner posed a question to all, which led to 11 hidden responses around the room. The anonymous responses were quoted for the questioner who was to guess what response went with what person. Your score depended on one thing: How well do you know others in the room?

In the game called Like Minds two were paired up. A phrase was posed and the answers between the pairs were to match and points were awarded for each one that did. Again, your objective was to come up with quick responses, yet try to determine what your teammate might be thinking. Your score depended on one thing: How well do you know another in the room?

The final game we played called Moods was somewhat theatrical. 9 different moods were displayed on cards in front of all. One person per turn would quote a given phrase in one of the 9 moods unbeknown to the entire group. Points were awarded to you for your performance by those around you who could identify the exact mood you had acted. Points were also awarded to those who properly identified your mini-drama. Your score depended partially on this thing: How well do you know others in the room?

I must admit that I failed miserably. I did not fail because I lost some of the games, but in one sense I did. I failed because my overall outlook toward others is lacking at best. We are not concerned with much more than the obvious when it comes to family and friends! To our credit Christmas is the only time we see particular family members who we have not seen or heard from during the year. But honestly, this fact did not satisfy my disgust in my personal selfishness. It is easy to be consumed with one person in the our lives – the one in the mirror – the one we look for every time we look at a picture – the one we pray about – the one we feed – the one whose name we look for in our peripheral under the tree – the one we go to the mailbox for – the one we love the most!

Here’s what Scripture says:

James 3:14-15

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.

Gal 5:19-20

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,

Prov 18:1

An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.

Lord, help us to obey these next verses:

Phil 2:2-4

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Ps 119:36

Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

I have not given you practical helps because I am considering what they might be for myself. Help me by responding with you practical ideas and I will post a follow up blog.

David

What Idolatry Truly Is

2007-12-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

I have just started reading Isaiah in my daily reading and am loving it! Yesterday I read chapter 2 and learned a great deal about what idolatry truly is. God said this concerning His people: "Their land is filled with idols." (v.8) He then goes on to name all their idols. What I noticed is that the sin of idolatry is associated, in God's eyes, with the sin of pride. Actually what I saw in this chapter is that they are basically one in the same. I would define idolatry as "exalting something or someone in place of God." I would define pride as "exalting self above all else." It is clear that God is condemning the pride of Israel as you read of at least 15 phrases that speak of man exalting himself above God such as these:

"haughty looks of man"
"lofty pride of men"
"haughtiness of man"
"lifted up"
"uplifted hills"
"high tower"

God is speaking of the future "day of the Lord" and says 2 awesome things. Two times He says, "the Lord alone will be exalted in that day", as opposed to man being exalted. Then He says, "In that day mankind will cast away their idols", linking pride with idolatry.

The end of this chapter is phenomenal! He says, "Stop regarding man." I believe He is saying to stop exalting self. "For of what account(value) is he(man)?" God is not saying that man has no value, but that, compared to Him, we are not that valuable to be "lifted high". This thinking will help us in deciding each day who we will exalt. Will we exalt self, "in whose nostrils is breath"? Or will we exalt God, who has "splendor of majesty"?

What I have learned about idolatry is that my idol is actually me. We tend to say that our idols are things outside ourselves such as money, sex, stuff, our jobs, family, etc. These, I believe are simply outward manifestations of who our idol truly is, who we are exalting above God. Our idol is self which would also be pride. I once read a great book by Jim Berg in which he said that our daily choice is "pleasing God or pleasing self". I understand what he meant but I don't like that expression because it can mislead some to think that there is no pleasure in serving and pleasing God. I think the daily choice is actually this: Exalt God or exalt self.

Please pray for me bro., that I may "stop regarding man(self)" daily and exalt our GREAT GOD!

James

The Jealous God

2007-11-27T06:51:00.001-08:00

I've arrived at chapter 17 in Packer's book Knowing God. Immediately I think about jealousy in my own life and cannot seem to marry that word anywhere with God! Jealousy as defined by me is very similar to coveting. I want what someone has or more specifically I want to be where someone is or in the position of prominence that they hold. The result of this attitude is inner bitterness and anger and an attempt to do everything I can to attain to my desirable results.

Personal illustration: Recently I went hunting with a friend. We were both in a tree stand with equal opportunity, but he had the nice gun and the prime spot for deer. On top of that - he has already shot several deer this year - which means he will only shoot if something with big horns comes through. Meanwhile in my head I am in the tree, low to the ground, in a new spot, with a gun that is not designed to shoot deer. You already know where my mind went when we came out of the woods and I found out he had seen 5 deer and they were all too small for him to shoot.

Is divine jealousy the same way? Does God react in this way when things "go wrong" on the earth? Packer's question had me captivated: "How can jealousy be a virtue in God when it is a vice in men?"

He poses two facts to answer these questions that are helpful.

1. Biblical statements about God's jealousy are anthropomorphisms - that is, descriptions of God in language drawn from the life of man. He says: "The reason why God uses these terms to speak to us about Himself is that language drawn from our own personal life is the most accurate medium for communicating thoughts about Him that we have."

God uses these words for our better understanding. These words however can stand alone in their meaning with God - apart from the affects of sin that may result from these attitudes in our hearts.

2. There are two sorts of jealousy among men, and only one of them is a vice. Vicious jealousy is an expression of the attitude,'I want what you've got, and I hate you because I haven't got it.'
But there is another sort of jealousy - zeal to protect a love relationship, or to avenge it when broken.

"... He demands from those whom He has loved and redeemed utter and absolute loyalty, and will vindicate His claim by stern action against them if they betray His love by unfaithfulness."

May God help us come to appreciate this jealousy for the love that is woven into it's very fabric. This jealousy is designed for our good and for His name sake. We can view this jealousy as harsh and cruel, but the effect that God has intended is in the very least - the opposite. I love my Savior more today because of His divine jealousy. I am free to relinquish the sinful jealousy of my heart to the righteous impeccable jealousy of God purchased for me in the death of His Son.

DT

Why has God left me here on earth?

2007-10-12T05:11:00.000-07:00

Recently I was listening John MacArthur preach and he said something that has stuck in my mind. He said basically that the reason we, as Christians, are still here on earth and not in heaven is primarily to evangelize those who are not Christians. God does not leave us here primarily to worship Him, because we will do it much better in heaven. He does not leave us here to be holy, because we certainly will be much more holy in heaven with our glorified bodies. He leaves us here on earth, because there's still the need to evangelize. We will not evangelize in heaven because we will not need to. Most of this was said by MacArthur. What do you think? Is this primarily the reason that we are still here on earth and therefore, our life's purpose? I think it is.

I have started putting together a purpose statement for my life to keep me focused. Here's what I have so far: I am still alive here on this earth to magnify God and His Son so as to gather more worshipers/God-glorifiers (I'm inventing a new word here). Magnifying Him is not the end but a means to the end. Just as a telescope shows small-looking things as they really are--BIG, so we are to show Christ as He really is (we do our best, at least). As we magnify Christ, some see Him for who He is and some do not. (II Cor. 4:3-4) I believe God has determined to gather worshipers through a certain means which is: God's Word of the cross + Holy Spirit + worshipers like you and me= more worshipers of God. This is ultimately why I am still alive. One other thing that I have thought of is the importance of first being a worshiper of God myself and then also helping other Christians(such as my wife, kids, friends, brothers and sisters at church) to be true worshipers of God, so we can all gather more new worshipers of God.

David, and others who read this, Please tell me what you think. I do not want to waste my life. I want to make each day count for the purpose for which God has granted that day to me. Please pray for me now as well to live this way for His glory.

JT

My Devotions in Romans

2007-09-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

By God's grace my intentions are to come to better personal understanding of Romans. I have been in chapter one for two weeks and I am nowhere yet. This passage begins with some definition of the unrighteous proceeded by a wonderful act of grace on God's part to make Himself known to the unrighteous. However, the following list is how the ungodly respond to the glory and beauty of God.

Try to discern what you would do with such a person as this:

Supress the truth in their unrighteousness
They know God
They do not glorify Him as God
They are not thankful, but futile (vain, meaningless conclusions - McArthur)
Foolish dark hearts
Claim to be wise - believe in themselves
Change God's glory into an earthly image
Worship creation instead of the Creator

At this point God gives them over to their debased mind

Lust - Dishonoring their own bodies (unclean)
Exchange the truth of God for a lie
The Lie - There is no God who deserves obedience and glory
Vile passions - Homosexuality/Lesbianism
Try to forget there is a God
Debased minds - "Not passing the test" (worthless metals - discarded for impurity)
Unrighteous
Sexually Immoral
Wicked
Covetous
Malicious
Envious
Produce Strife
Deceivers
Evil-minded
Whisperers (Gossipers)
Backbitters
Haters of God
Violent
Proud
Boasters
Inventors of Evil Things
Disobedient to Parents
Undiscerning
Untrustworthy
Unloving
Unforgiving
Unmerciful
Blatant Rebelliousness (Because they know God -yet do these things)

Pauls logical conclusion to this list is: "those who practice such things are deserving of death..."

May God help us if for one moment we come to believe we are in any way deserving of ANYTHING in this life or the life that is to come. May God help us to bow in humble obedience each day to the authority of our Savior and King! May God help us to communicate the truth in Corinthians that we have "NOTHING that we have not RECEIVED" to our children surrounded by the deep waters of man centered living in the world and in the so called "church". May we acknowledge that the only reason that we don't do the things in this list on a regular basis is because GOD has caused us to not do these things. He has "shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." All of this because on our very best days - we could not keep one of these things to it's fullest of our own free will! God grant us the grace to live off the fuel of this reality!

DT

What Is True "Profit" for the Believer?

2007-09-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

I am afraid that my last article may have been misunderstood a bit. I apologize for not being clear in my communication, which is something I am working on improving. In writing about doing good for your own profit, I think I assumed that you knew what I meant by "profit". Since you may not know what I meant, then you may have perceived my article as supporting a very selfish motive for doing good to others. As I have looked over Galatians 6 and its context, God seems to point out to me that we should not weary of doing good to others because "in due season we will reap(profit), if we do not give up."(v. 9) Now the big question is: What kind of profit is God promising? Verse 8 says that "the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap(profit) eternal life." So the profit is eternal life. I don't believe that Paul was saying that if we do good to others, we will gain eternal life, because he was talking about Spirit-led lives which only would apply to believers. I believe the profit of eternal life means that our eternal life/relationship with God and Jesus would become better and more intimate.

If I do good to others seeking to profit eternal life, this is not a selfish motive but a God-glorifying motive. If I do good to others believing it will bring me closer in my relationship with God, this glorifies God and brings me the highest good possible. If I don't do good to others, I will reap(profit) corruption and death in my spiritual life--my life with God. In obeying the guidance of the Spirit, I must believe that it is for my highest profit, or else I will not obey. If I do not obey, I won't profit and God will not be glorified in my life.

As a side note, David and anyone else who reads these blogs, please feel free to completely disagree in love with whatever I write. I cannot grow (as much as I want to) in my communication skills and my daily walk without your exhortations in my life daily. Spiritual edification is one of the reasons for this site, right?

JT

Doing Good to Others for Your Profit

2007-08-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

I recently read a booklet by John Piper entitled, "The Dangerous Duty of Delight", in which he challenges us to pursue our delight in God. Excellent and easy read! One of the chapters really caused me to think on some of the verses that I've read recently and what should be our motives when doing good to others. He shares a quote from a popular writer who says: "For the Christian, happiness is never a goal to be pursued. It is always the unexpected surprise of a life of service." Do you agree? Is this truth, according to the Bible? I say no. There are some key issues I would disagree with in this quote. First of all, to say that we shouldn't seek happiness or contentment or joy or pleasure in God (I don't differentiate those) may imply to unbelievers that it may not be available in God. To say that it will be a surprise if happiness is found is to say that it may or may not be found in God and living for Him, and this takes much glory away from God. Secondly, he speaks of a life of service, which it is, but it is a life of joyful service, not obligatory, fearful service.

Getting back to the point of this discussion, what should be the motive in doing good to others? Many Christians say that, in doing good to others, we should never seek any good out of that act for ourselves because that is selfish. In other words, you should not seek any personal profit from doing good to others. Galatians seems to clearly disagree with this teaching.

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." (Gal. 6:9-10)

Why should we not give up on doing good to others? Because it is the right service to do for God? NO! Because in due season we will reap and profit. How? I'm not completely sure but God promises happy profit for us, so why should that not be a viable motive for love and good works.

Here are some more verses where I've seen this same pattern that shows it is ok, in fact, crucial to believe in the happiness and profit attained for us when we do good to others. This first verse actually shows how there is destruction for us when we don't do good to others.

"But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not CONSUMED by one another." Gal. 5:15

"...REMEMBER the words of the Lord Jesus, how He himself said, 'It is more BLESSED(HAPPY) to give than to receive'" Acts 20:35

"In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife LOVES HIMSELF. (because his love for her will affect him. I know, I've experienced this.)"
Eph. 5:28

"If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, BUT have not love, I GAIN nothing." I Cor. 11:3

JT

Psalm 19:14

2007-07-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

God has used the His word and the mistakes of others to convict me of truth. Lately I have become very upset with people who do not keep their word. The answering maching says: "Please leave your name and a brief message and I will get back with you as soon as possible." That right there my friends must be the abominable lie of the century! We live in the most advanced communications era of all time - yet we fail so miserably - I fail miserably. God gave me two texts in Ecclesiates that are helpful truth.

This passage makes it clear that such a man is not trustworthy or reliable:

Eccl 10:12-14
12 Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips. 13 At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness- 14 and the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming- who can tell him what will happen after him?

This following text is in reference to our commitments to Lord and his response to broken commitment. God describes this as sin and your words as meaningless to the point of destroying the work of your hands.

Eccl 10:4-7
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the [temple] messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.

I must magnify the last line in that verse as application. In light of our words to others and more importantly the Lord - Stand in awe of Him! Let His glory dicatate whether or not you will make any kind of promise. Let His glory dictate whether or not you will blog another word. Let His glory dictate your words to your wife. Let His glory dictate your next words to an unbeliever. These are the truths I am learning - please pray for my growth in this area.

1 John 3:18-19
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in thy sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer

DT

Who Do You Think You Are?

2007-06-25T15:57:00.001-07:00

This is the question that seems to be brought to my mind these last few days. As my family and I are getting on a plane tonight to go to Brazil where we plan to magnify Jesus Christ, I keep thinking, "Who do you think you are, to be venturing on such a task?" The truth is: There is nothing inherently special in me that would make this mission successful. I am not especially intelligent or knowledgeable, neither am I very strong in communication or in people skills. Besides that, the Bible says that my heart is desperately wicked and my righteousness is as filthy rags. So, the question, "Who do I think I am?", is fairly easy to answer, in light of Biblical truth. So, when this question comes to my mind, what is it that pushes me to continue ahead toward this hard mission? Who do I think God is? I am so grateful for God working in me and proclaiming Himself to me. What makes me distinct is nothing about my own person, but it is that "God goes with me." (Ps. 33:16) It is so humbling to me that God would get involved in my life and proclaim His name to me. As a desperately wicked sinner, I deserve no good thing but only Hell and death itself. David, I have been challenged lately to fight the heart attitude that says I deserve this good thing or that good thing. You don't deserve to get support from churches or even to get meetings at all, even though God has called you to Brazil. Humbly remember each day of what you deserve and of what God has given you that you do not deserve. I'm still working on that myself. Tonight I don't deserve a good flight or well-behaved children or no problems in Sao Paulo. If it happens, praise the Lord! So the question that perhaps Satan or my flesh seems to keep asking me, "Who do you think you are?" can best be combatted by another question, Who Do I Think God Is? It's great to know that God has chosen the foolish things of the world (that's me) to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world (that's me again) to confound the things which are mighty. He can use me because of who He is-Allmighty and All-wise.

JT

A Truth That Is Changing Me

2007-06-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

Are you a humble person? I think that most of us, if completely honest, would have to say that we are not so humble. Yet God obviously values humility greatly. Isaiah 66:2 says, "But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." I have been challenged recently both by God's Word and also by the book, Humility, by C.J. Mahaney. Mahaney defines humility as "honestly assessing ourselves in light of God's holiness and our sinfulness." That's a good definition. In his book, he brings out the fact that you can love God's Word, love Christ and His sacrifice on the cross, and even believe in the importance of relationships and yet not have humility. Unbelievable, isn't it? The truth of the importance of humility is changing me, both in my heart and in my actions. As I have studied Mark 9-10, where the disciples proudly discussed who was the greatest, I've found some characteristics of one who is growing in humility. One characteristic is that he is less argumentative, unlike the disciples who argued about who the greatest was. The reason he is less argumentative is because he has a less opinion of himself. This happens as he trembles at who God is in holiness and who he is in sinfulness. In having a less opinion of self, this liberates him to serve others more frequently, because he "counts others more significant" than himself (Phil. 2:3). Living my life in remembrance of God's mercy has changed me. Reminding myself that I deserve nothing from God, except eternal separation from Him in hell, has changed my daily walk. It has removed arguments from my heart and lips. It has changed my opinion of self to a more true Biblical one. It has enabled me to serve others with a pure and joyful heart. This truth has helped me to "walk humbly with my God" (Micah 6:8), and this is what He requires.

JT

My Intentions

2007-06-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

I intend this blog to serve the very purpose of its title. This is the blog of 2 brothers searching truth, exposing truth, and trying to live truth. Solomon said: I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. Paul prays for the colossians and these are his words: so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. Our objective is to seek God in all of His glory in the very face of Christ - as this is where we will find it (II Cor.4:6). On to the next verse: in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In this relative, subjective, post-modern world we live in, the truth can be a mysterious, treasure like, hidden enigma, specially to those who are lost and to those who don't want to live in its light. Our movies and reality shows depict unbelievers at their best, searching for buried treasure that is not truly treasure and is merely temporal. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. We must expose this truth as our fellowship with God depends on it. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth." This brings me to my next point. Accountability is my final reason for this blog. I do not intend to write about a truth I have studied for hours and lived for minutes. Truth is truth whether we live it or not. Personal maturity and growth however is only visible to the degree that we apply objective truth consistently in our lives. My desire is that others will see my actions for truth and understand that I belong to truth.
let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. This is how we know we belong to the truth. May it never be said of me: Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. I have asked James to write this blog with me as an accountability method. We do not claim to be great theologians, or to have the final say on any Scripture, but we know that the no lie comes from Biblical truth. The practical implications of this theological truth are what James and I are striving for.
May God receive the glory for what is studied, exposed, and ultimately lived from this blog. James - feel free to add as you would like - I just had some thoughts and had to get them out.

DT