The Disruptive Grace of God

Help Sod at Church?

2009-07-13T18:06:00.001-04:00

If you want to help, come to the property Wednesday after 4pm.

Couple o' announcements from Sunday

2009-07-13T11:24:00.001-04:00

In case you missed it:
1.). Instead of having a Vision Night this August, we are taking 5 weeks to consider our calling and vision as a local church. Starts August 23.
2.) We will stay one Sunday morning worship service this Fall.

Claims by rejecters of Christ as Only Way to God

2009-07-11T08:48:00.003-04:00

A couple of claims made by folks who think Christianity's claim to "THE truth" is to be rejected--- and a brief counter-thought:

Claim #1 “All major religions are equally valid and basically teach the same truth.”

Tim Keller: Ironically, the insistence that doctrines do not matter is really a doctrine itself. It holds a specific view of God, which is touted as superior and more enlightened than the beliefs of most major religions. So the proponents of this view do the very thing they forbid in others.

Claim #2 “Each religion sees part of spiritual truth, but none can see the whole truth.”
<> Three Blind Men and an Elephant
Blind Guy #1 grabs trunk and says, "Elephant is pliaple thin thing, like a snake."
Blind Guy #2 grabs a leg and says
Truth be told, as the story goes, they all have part of the truth and none have all of the truth. We--the chaps who aren't blind and are actually all-seeing--will now tell you what an elephant is in reality.

In response, Leslie Newbigin: “There is an appearance of humility in the protestation that the truth is much greater than any one of us can grasp, but if this is used to invalidate all claims to discern the truth it is in fact an arrogant claim to a kind of knowledge which is superior to [all others] . . . We have to ask: ‘What is the [absolute] vantage ground from which YOU claim to be able to relativize all the absolute claims these different scriptures (and religions) make?

Can There Be Only One Way to God?

2009-07-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

Quotes from Chapter 1 of Tim Keller's Reason for God

"It is common to say that 'fundamentalism' leads to violence, yet, (as can be easily seen), all of us have fundamental, unprovable faith-commitments that we think are superior to those of others. The real question, then, is which fundamentals will lead their believers to be the most loving and receptive to those with whom they differ? Which sort of unavoidably exclusive beliefs will lead us to humble, peace-loving behavior? (19,20)

Christians have within their belief system the strongest possible resource for practicing sacrificial service, generosity, and peace-making. At the very heart of their view of reality is a man who died for his enemies, praying for their forgiveness. Reflection on this could only lead to a radically different way of dealing with those who were different from them. It meant they could not act in violence and oppression toward their opponents. (20)
--Tim Keller

Isaac Watts hymn on Psalm 146

2009-07-10T21:14:00.000-04:00

I'll praise my Maker while I've breath;
And when my voice is lost in death,
   Praise shall employ my nobler powers.
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
   Or immortality endures.

Happy the man whose hopes rely
On Israel's God! He made the sky,
   And earth, and sea, with all their train.
His truth forever stands secure;
He saves the oppressed, he feeds the poor,
   And none shall find his promise vain.

The Lord gives eyesight to the blind;
The Lord supports the fainting mind;
   He sends the labouring conscience peace;
He helps the stranger in distress,
The widow and the fatherless,
   And grants the prisoner sweet release.

John Calvin

2009-07-10T09:30:00.001-04:00

Was born 500 years ago today!

Sermon Mini-Series

2009-07-09T09:11:00.001-04:00

The Problem with Christianity
(Looking at two main perceived problems with historic Christianity)

July 12 Can There Be Just ONE True Religion? Rob Pendley 1 John 4:1-10

July 19 How Could a Good God Allow Evil & Suffering? Steve Lammers

The Riches of Grace

2009-07-07T11:31:00.001-04:00

"When a believer has fallen into a low, sad state of feeling, he often tries to lift himself out of it by chastening himself with dark and doleful fears. Such is not the way to rise from
the dust, but to continue in it. It is not the law, but the gospel which saves the seeking soul at
first; and it is not a legal bondage, but gospel liberty which can restore the fainting believer afterwards. Slavish fear brings not back the backslider to God, but the sweet wooings of
love allure him to Jesus' bosom…Whatever good quality there is in divine grace, you shall enjoy it to the full. All the riches of divine grace you shall receive in plenty; you shall be as it were drenched with it: and as sometimes the meadows become flooded by the bursting
rivers, and the fields are turned into pools, so shall you be--the thirsty land shall be springs of water." Charles Spurgeon

Worship

2009-07-02T09:31:00.001-04:00

I need to post Scotty Smith's excellent "Tensions in Worship". Til then:

Transcenence & Imminence (sp?).
Our Triune God is Majestic AND in our Midst!

Corporate & Private

Holiness & Grace

Humility & Boldness

---developing

What is your only comfort?

2009-07-02T09:06:00.001-04:00

In life and death, my only comfort is:

That I am not my own,
but --in life & death--belong, body & soul,
to my faithful Savior--Jesus Christ.

(Hberg Cat 1)

5 functions of The Church

2009-07-02T08:32:00.001-04:00

Think octagon where all 5 points are equally important.

Evangelism
Fellowship
Learning
Mercy
Worship

Spurgeon "A singing bird in an open cage"

2009-07-02T07:35:00.001-04:00

"Our heart shall rejoice in Him."
- Psalm 33:21

Blessed is the fact that Christians can rejoice even in the deepest
distress; although trouble may surround them, they still sing; and, like
many birds, they sing best in their cages. The waves may roll over them,
but their souls soon rise to the surface and see the light of God's
countenance; they have a buoyancy about them which keeps their head always
above the water, and helps them to sing amid the tempest, "God is with me
still." To whom shall the glory be given? Oh! to Jesus-it is all by Jesus.
Trouble does not necessarily bring consolation with it to the believer,
but the presence of the Son of God in the fiery furnace with him fills his
heart with joy. He is sick and suffering, but Jesus visits him and makes
his bed for him. He is dying, and the cold chilly waters of Jordan are
gathering about him up to the neck, but Jesus puts His arms around him,
and cries, "Fear not, beloved; to die is to be blessed; the waters of
death have their fountain-head in heaven; they are not bitter, they are
sweet as nectar, for they flow from the throne of God." As the departing
saint wades through the stream, and the billows gather around him, and
heart and flesh fail him, the same voice sounds in his ears, "Fear not; I
am with thee; be not dismayed; I am thy God." As he nears the borders of
the infinite unknown, and is almost affrighted to enter the realm of
shades, Jesus says, "Fear not, it is your Father's good pleasure to give
you the kingdom.
" Thus strengthened and consoled, the believer is not afraid to die; nay,
he is even willing to depart, for since he has seen Jesus as the morning
star, he longs to gaze upon Him as the sun in his strength.
Truly, the presence of Jesus is all the heaven we desire.
He is at once

"The glory of our brightest days;
The comfort of our nights."

Book Rating

2009-06-30T20:02:00.001-04:00

Shout out to Gordons, Smiths and Millers. I will rate some books soon.

Kubo Family

2009-06-30T17:41:00.000-04:00

Fun to see baby Asa

Kubo Family

2009-06-30T17:25:00.000-04:00

Fun to see baby Asa

Yancey's story of Jessye Norman out-doing gunsN roses --and the thirst for grace

2009-06-28T07:28:00.001-04:00

Bill Moyers' documentary film on the hymn "Amazing Grace" includes a scene filmed in Wembley Stadium in London. Various musical groups, mostly rock bands, had gathered together in celebration of the changes in South Africa, and for some reason the promoters scheduled an opera singer, Jessye Norman, as the closing act.

The film cuts back and forth between scenes of the unruly crowd in the stadium and Jessye Norman being interviewed. For twelve hours groups like Guns 'n Roses have blasted the crowd through banks of speakers, riling up fans already high on booze and dope. The crowd yells for more curtain calls, and the rock groups oblige. Meanwhile, Jessye Norman sits in her dressing room discussing "Amazing Grace" with Moyers.

Finally, the time comes for her to sing. A single circle of light follows Norman, a majestic African-American woman wearing a flowing African dashiki, as she strolls on stage. No backup band, no musical instruments, just Jessye. The crowd stirs, restless. Few recognize the opera diva. A voice yells for more Guns 'n Roses. Others take up the cry. The scene is getting ugly.

Alone, a cappella, Jessye Norman begins to sing, very slowly:
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found --
Was blind, but now I see.

A remarkable thing happens in Wembley Stadium that night. Seventy- thousand raucous fans fall silent before her aria of grace.

By the time Norman reaches the second verse, "'Twas grace that taught my

heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved ...," the soprano has the crowd in her hands.

By the time she reaches the third verse, "'Tis grace has brought me safe this far, And grace will lead me home," several thousand fans are singing along, digging far back in nearly lost memories for words they heard long ago.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun.

Jessye Norman later confessed she had no idea what power descended on Wembley Stadium that night. I think I know. The world thirsts for grace. When grace descends, the world falls silent before it.

Originally from Phillip Yancy's "What's So Amazing about Grace?"

Jessye Singing Amazing Grace in Wembley Stadium

2009-06-28T07:25:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Day

2009-06-28T07:17:00.002-04:00

Need to write longer later---but thinking of Zeph 3 and having jogged to U2 y'day i find 3 songs summarizing this section of scripture
1.) All because of you
Zeph 3:9 couldn't be clearer
I WILL change the speech of the nations (i.e. convert them)
Just look at how often God says,
"I WILL." in zeph 3:9-20

2.) Beautiful Day
Prophet wants us to dream of who we will be in New Heavens & New Earth--- a people who don't lie, who don't fear, who know no shame---boggles the mind. 'twill be a beautiful day-- and it shall never end

3.) I still haven't found what i'm looking for
The longing for the beautiful Day makes the pain that is here more bearable, yes. But also, meditating on how good it SHALL be also reveals how incomplete the work IS RIGHT NOW.
This is already/not yet. and so we groan, with hope!

See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colours came out
It was a beautiful day
A beautiful day
Don't let it get away

Touch me, take me to that other place
Reach me, I know Iím not a hopeless case

God finds joy

2009-06-27T15:01:00.002-04:00

of zeph 3:17 C.H. Spurgeon said: “I can understand a minister rejoicing over a soul that he has brought to Christ; I can also understand believers rejoicing to see others saved from sin and hell; but what shall I say of the infinitely happy and eternally-blessed God finding, as it were, a new joy in souls redeemed? This is another of those great wonders that cluster around the work of divine grace! … The Lord takes pleasure in them that fear him, imperfect though they be. He sees them as they are to be, and so he rejoices over them, even when they cannot rejoice in themselves. When your face is blurred with tears, your eyes red with weeping, and your heart heavy with sorrow for sin, the great Father is rejoicing over you. The prodigal son wept in his Father’s bosom, but the Father rejoiced over his son. We are questioning, doubting, sorrowing, trembling; and all the while he who sees the end from the beginning knows what will come out of the present disquietude, and therefore rejoices. Let us rise in faith to share the joy of God.”

Those Who Sing

2009-06-27T11:21:00.001-04:00

I'm thinking about all the singing and rejoicing in Zeph 3---

Elizabeth Achtemeier offered the whimsical suggestion that at least one of the reasons why God made this world is because God is a music lover. She said: "Biblical faith has always been a faith filled with the sound of song. From the song of Miriam at the time of the Exodus, through the songs of the Psalter, to the hymn Jesus and the disciples are reported to have sung at the Last Supper, to the singing of Paul and Silas in prison, and ultimately to the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus in the kingdom of God anticipated in the book of Revelation; throughout the Bible those who trust in God are consistently portrayed as
those
who
sing
songs of praise to God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism affirms that our chief end as human beings is to glorify God and to enjoy God forever. The Scriptures and the Confessions alike affirm that we were made to glorify God’s name in songs of praise and thanksgiving.

Pish Posh on all talk of sin?

2009-06-27T11:12:00.004-04:00

Zeph 3 says God has taken away our judgment---and we say, "So?" Good thoughts on this---

"We think we are rather decent people who do a lot of good things and who therefore have a lot of healthy goodness in us. To hear, as the people of God heard in Zephaniah's time, that God has removed His judgment from us does not square either with our notions of God or with our assessments of our own character. Why should we rejoice over the fact that God has stilled His warfare against us? As far as we're concerned, He need not and He has not declared war against us in the first place."

--Elizabeth Achtemeier

shingles going on roof!

2009-06-27T10:31:00.001-04:00

these cats helped me in a pinch

2009-06-26T11:42:00.001-04:00

Shout out to the movers of office furniture

Sunset

2009-06-26T09:18:00.001-04:00

Global Impact of God's Grace

2009-06-24T14:38:00.003-04:00

Zephaniah 3:10 talks about offerings brought by Yahweh worshippers from "beyond the rivers of Cush."

The sovereign grace of God will reach beyond the rivers of Cush in its converting of the nations . Past the southernmost branches of the Nile , deep into the continent of Africa , shall come prayers for salvation addressed to Yahweh alone . (Cf . J . M . P . Smith , p . 249 , who identifies the " rivers " of Cush with the most distant branches of the Nile .)

Earlier Isaiah had characterized Cush as a " land divided by rivers " ( Isa . 18 : 2 , 7 ), which sent " envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water " ( 18 : 2 ). He also depicted these distant people as bringing gifts to the Lord Al- mighty ( 18 : 7 ).

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
O. Palmer Robertson. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (New International Commentary on the Old Testament). (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990). Page 329.