Revival Reflections

I'm still thinking about tonight's sermon. Bro. Keith made two statements that continue to run through my mind. First, he stated that God always wins. Second, he stated that God is determined to save sinners. These two truths are connected. In fact, the cross teaches us both.

At first glance, the crucifixion of Christ might seem like defeat. If the narratives only gave us the account of his arrest, trials, beatings, and death, it would most certainly be a story of defeat. That is most certainly what the audience of Christ's crucifixion thought. "He saved others," they scoffed, "let him save himself." They chided, "Come down from that cross, and we'll believe you are the Christ." All looks lost. Yet, we know, God always wins. The empty tomb turns the bloody cross into a message of victory.

Paul states, "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to an open shame, by triumphing over them in him" (Col. 2:13-15). In other words, what the world (and Satan) saw as defeat was actually the picture of Christ "triumphing over them." Elsewhere, Paul expresses that had these "rulers" understood what was truly happening in the crucifixion of Christ, they would not have participated. He states, "None of these rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 3:6).

What Satan meant for the toppling of God and the destruction of mankind, God meant for the deliverance of sinful humanity. What Satan saw as defeat, God declared victory. When Satan thought he was delivering the deathblow he was merely bruising the heal. When Satan thought he would be receiving his crown, he actually received a crush skull (see Gen. 3:15). Through his obedience, even to the point of death on the cross, Christ was highly exalted and given a name above every name (see Phil. 2:5-11). Jesus, now ascended on high as King of kings and Lord of lords, rules from his unshakable throne. The cross means God always wins.

The cross also means that God is determined to save sinners. The Scripture is clear, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, now wishing that any should perish, but at that all should reach repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). God desires sinners to come to repentance. The cross guarantees that those who come will find forgiveness. We must, however, keep in mind that the salvation does not come to everyone. We are not universalists, who believe that all people will go to heaven. We believe that only those who turn from their sin and trust in Jesus' person and work will be saved. The appointment by God of individuals to salvation is often called the doctrine of election. Concerning election:

The 1963 Baptist Faith and Message states:

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is a glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility (Article V. God's Purpose of Grace).

Monticello's Articles of Faith states:

Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life-not because of foreseen merit in them, but of His mere mercy in Christ-in consequence of which choice they are called, justified and glorified (Constitution Article III. Sec. 1. G).

Monticello's statement of faith declares that we believe God has determined to save sinners. He has chosen, through the death and resurrection of the Son, to bring life to those who repent and believe. And we are confident that God always wins. So let us join with Paul is saying, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16).

Revival Sunday Recap 9-6-09

Morning: Bro Keith brought a message from Jonah 1:1-16. Throughout the message he reminded us that we can't outrun God. Jonah's shameful attempt to avoid the call of God in his life reminds us that disobedience is costly. Jonah came to the place where he thought he would rather die than obey God, yet God was merciful to him. We were also reminded that God used Jonah, in spite of his disobedience, to bring about the conversion of the crew of the ship he was on.

Evening: Bro. Keith's message drew from Jonah 1:17-2:9. The message focused on the great reality spoken of in Jonah 2:9--salvation is from the Lord. The message called us to recognize the Lord's sovereignty, to realize our helplessness, and to be repaired to our God. We reconcile to God through prayer, as we cry out for mercy, and by worship, as we worship the Lord in spirit and truth.

I am looking forward to the rest of the messages, and I am confident that the Lord will continue to speak through the Word he has given his servant. This is shaping up to be an exciting revival.

Against the Flow

I recently began reading Kris Lundgaard's The Enemy Within. In speaking about the Christian's awareness of indwelling sin, he offers this thought provoking word picture:

"Believers are the only people who ever find the law of sin at work in them. Unbelievers can't feel it. The law of sin is a raging river, carrying them along; they cannot measure the force of the current, because they have surrendered themselves to it and are borne along by it. A believer, on the other hand, swims upstream--he meets sin head-on and strains under its strength" (page 25).

A Lesson from Prayer

We were all sitting around earlier today, when Sophia bowed her head and began whispering. When Delia and I continued to speak, Sophia announced it she wanted us to "pay" (pray). She grabbed our hands and announced "pay," "pay." So we followed orders and bowed our heads. She began to whisper again. A few seconds later she stated, "Amen."

She led us through this ritual several times. She would call us to prayer, grab our hands, bow her head, and begin praying. Finally, she stopped to pray by herself. She bowed her head and began to rattle off a prayer that only her and the Lord understood. However in the midst of her inarticulate prayer she said, "Help, Daddy" and then "Help, Mommy." She repeated both phrases two or three times. Then she said, "Amen." Looking up from her prayer, she smiled at us.

When we pray with Sophia, I often asked the Lord to help us to be the daddy and mommy we need to be. I ask him to help us shepherd her little heart into his fold. Seeing her praying, encourages me to know we are headed in the right direction. If we continue to cling to the Lord, he will see us through any difficulty. It also encourages me to see that our transparency is being caught. She knows we need help, because we have told her so. She also knows where we turn for help--to the Lord.

Watching her pray has also reminded me of an important reality. Children learn as much from watching our lives (maybe even more), than from hearing our words. If we want Sophia to continue to seek the Lord in prayer, then we have to be sure and model it for her. With the Lord's help we will continue to teach her to pray by both word and action. We will continue to pray for her, too, so that she may grow up strong in the Lord.

Be Thou My Vision

With our fall revival approaching, I have been thinking about what revival would look like. Should God be pleased to revive us during these extended services (and I pray he is), what will that "revival" look like? I cannot say with specificity, but I believe a genuine revival brings renewed emphasis on the gospel, a renewed atmosphere of humility and service, a renewed spirit of dependence upon the Lord, and a renewed desire to see Christ exalted through our lives. I heard the hymn, "Be Thou My Vision," today, and I began praying its rich truths for my life. The words are:

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art:
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, they presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me Lord:
Thou my great Father, I thy true son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Riches I heed not, or man's empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'n's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

Father, be our vision, be our wisdom, and our true word. Grant us the ability to walk in obedience to your Word, and to accomplish the call you have placed on our church's life. To you be the glory.

I pray that in the days ahead the God, through Christ, will become my all consuming vision, that I will seek his glory first and foremost, and that I will walk in humble submission to his Word. Revival services begin at Monticello Baptist Church (Butler County, KY) Sunday, September 6th, 2009 during the 11:00 am service. Services will be held nightly at 7:00 pm through Wednesday, September 9th. A humble servant of the Lord and good friend of mine, Keith McWhorter, will bring the messages. I am anticipating fruit from these meetings in the days, weeks, and months ahead. Please, pray with us that these services would serve as an awakening and a renewal, and that God would be glorified in us.

Profitable Time

Back in January I began a journey through the Prophets. I finished reading through the Prophets this evening. I went through them at the pace of a chapter a day. One advantage of this approach was that I didn't get bogged down (particularly in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). One disadvantage to this approach was that it was difficult to keep context in view particularly in the larger books).

As I read through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and the other prophets, I began to realize just how much the informed the New Testament. Through quotes and allusions they pepper the New Testament. Unfortunately, these books which were so relied upon by the early church are often neglected in our time. Each book points in some way to the coming Christ. The prophets were allowed to glimpse down the corridor of time and to report what they saw. They hailed a coming King who would fulfill all the promises of God. He would deliver God's people from bondage and rule over them in righteousness and justice.

Reflecting on the message of the prophets, Peter commented,

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be your searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look (1 Pet 1:10-12).

Thus, the Prophets are ours. Much of what they have spoken has been fulfilled by Christ, some is yet to be fulfilled (but most certainly will be). As we sit down with the Prophets we get a better understanding of the Gospels. We also get a better understanding of the New Testament as a whole. I would encourage you to begin reading through the Prophets.

The Importance of Doctrine

"So the Church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied" (Acts 9:31).

When the great persecution that swept Jerusalem lost its more ardent warrior, Saul, the church entered into a season of fruitfulness. Luke describes this period as one of peace and growth. The people were allowed to live normal lives: go to work, worship, evangelize, minister, etc. While their neighbors may not have shared their Christian convictions, they stop trying to arrest and kill them for having Christian convictions.

Also during this time, the people went from trusting in Christ to being built up in the faith. With the persecution over people had the opportunity to dig deeper into their faith. When prison and death are imminent, there isn't much time for theological debate. When the dust settles in times of persecution, the opportunity for the expansion and clarification of doctrine arises. To put it another way, during persecution the basics of the faith--God, sin, Christ, repentance and faith--are the subject matters that receive the most emphasis. When persecution ceases, then the church has the opportunity (and obligation) to flesh out the implications of the gospel and to formulate doctrine.

The formulation of doctrine at least two purposes. Articulating what we believe in clear and concise language by way of creed or confession allows us to instruct new converts. Since we are commanded by Christ to teach new believers everything he commanded, we cannot neglect teaching doctrine. To neglect doctrinal teaching is an act of disobedience. How can they obey what they are not taught.

The second reason we formulate doctrine is so we can address our detractors. The Scripture calls us to be ready to defend the hope that is in us through Christ Jesus (see 1 Pet. 3:15). When people misrepresent our beliefs, we are obligated to point out the errors in their thoughts and arguments. When people accuse us falsely of believing or doing absurd things, we are obligated to show them what we really believe and do.

Acts 9:31 expresses this in such beautiful language. There was peace and people were being built up. The end result is also beautiful. As the people walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the church multiplied. The image of "walking in the Spirit" indicates the people were producing the fruit of the Spirit--peace, joy, love, kindness, goodness, gentleness, patience, faithfulness, and self-control. They hated evil and loved the Lord. The image of walking in "the comfort of the Holy Spirit" indicates that the Spirit was healing the wounds caused by persecution.

The phrases, walking in the fear of the Lord and walking the the comfort of the Holy Spirit, teach us another important reality. In the Christian life we must do our part, and we can be sure the Spirit will do his. We are to work our faith with fear and trembling, but know that it is the Spirit who works God's will in our heart and lives (see Phil 2:12-13).

As the people walked with the Lord in the power and presence of the Spirit, the church grew. This is no mere adding daily. This was multiplication. The church flourished under doctrine of the Lord. When our theology, or doctrine, is out of focus our life will be out of focus. When our theology is correct, then our actions will be correct. When we are believing and living correctly, the church will multiply.