A Fool for Christ

A pall lies over the church. Like a thick blanket of winter fog, spiritual coolness hovers above the people of God, freezing right to the bone.

Where is passion? Where is heat? Where are spiritual vigor and zeal? Who is there among the saints who is truly devoted, who has counted all things as loss that he may gain Christ? Who is there that has forsaken all to follow in the way of the cross: forsaken pleasures as well as sin, left behind earthly comforts and passing joys for superior and lasting glory of a heavenly sort?

I confess that I myself am not such a man. Always distractions on every side; always laziness presses in on my soul; always does hesitancy slow my steps and timidity hinder my path when I would run hard after my God! O Lord! May I not be the man choked by the concerns of the world and the desire for other things! Let me rather die today in flames of fervent love for you and others than live ten thousand days in this spiritual desolation!

O my people, my people! My brothers and my sisters bought by Majesty’s blood! Will we not together be done with lesser things and do all for Jesus, sparing not our comfort or our very lives? Awake! Arise! Let us tread this day the path He walked: after Golgotha waits Glory!

Who were the Puritans?

Who were the Puritans? While I am no expert, I think this sums things up in essence:

“Puritan” is a word that is notoriously difficult to nail down in terms of whom it applies to and to whom it does not. In general, though, to be a Puritan meant to be part of that body of English believers and ministers (on both sides of the pond) who sought to “purify” the Church in the period of about 1560-1700, to bring it into greater conformity to the mind of Christ as revealed in Scripture. But this was more than merely an attempt at institutional reform. The Puritans were concerned that true Gospel holiness pervaded all spheres of life: church life, family life, community life and, of course, personal life. So great was their concern for holiness that they have come to us as having the reputation of being somewhat gloomy- killjoys we might say. But the truth is something different: the Puritans, for all of their “precision” in both doctrine and conduct, are examples of Gospel-centered joy and devotion, as anyone who has read their works can testify. Yes, they are rigorous and disciplined, but that cannot be confused with being rough and depressed. Rather, the Puritans should be considered as models of spiritual depth and maturity. In fact, spiritual maturity may be their greatest legacy. Hear J.I. Packer:

“What could these zealots [i.e. the Puritans] give us that we need, it is asked.
The answer, in one word, is maturity. Maturity is a compound of wisdom, goodwill, resilience, and creativity. The Puritans exemplified maturity; we don’t. We are spiritual dwarfs.”

There you have it: spiritual maturity displayed. That is the legacy of the Puritans to those who have eyes to see, and their great gift to us today. 

Let me, therefore, encourage you: Would you grow strong in Gospel-faith and deep in the true Christian religion? Read the Puritans. Insofar as mere men, with all their imperfections, may help us, these will do so. 

Reading with you,
aaron

The Reason for Christ's Death

“…and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

Why did Christ die? What was God’s purpose in his bloody, awful crucifixion? For what reason was the Son of God crushed on the cross? Certainly the Christian may rejoice in that Christ died to secure the forgiveness of our sins and our reconciliation to the Godhead. No other fount we know to provide such cleansing and restoration. But here, Paul fixes our attention on something else that our Lord’s death accomplished. Namely, by virtue of his cross-work, Christ not only redirects the eternal destiny of every believer, but also radically transforms the believer’s daily focus. In what way? The essence is this: Christ’s death makes it possible that believers “might no longer live for themselves but for him.” That is, Christ’s death makes it possible for a saint to live for and be preoccupied with those things that concern Christ and his Kingdom. We may now be “done with lesser things,” as the old hymn teaches. Even further, not only does it make it possible for a Christian to live in this way, it makes it a certainty. For, we died with Christ and have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

What glorious liberation is this effect of the cross! How many pains are at root the results of a self-centered lifestyle? How many sins are in essence the bitter fruit of pursuing the kingdom of me rather than the Kingdom of I Am? But, thanks be to God, what a Savior we have who provides for us (and at so great a price it should be added) freedom from the vanity we are born to and toward which we tend!

So, may it be that today, Christian, you see clearly the connection between the death of your Lord and the death of your self, and may such awareness encourage you to live for him who for your sake died and was raised!

Finished!

Today I finished reading Richard Baxter's The Reformed Pastor. Never have I read as incisive and as helpful a book as this on ministry. A bit like facing the surgeon's scalpel, only Baxter cuts deeper.

Here are five takeaways for me relative to pastoral ministry, without any elaboration whatsoever:

1. The necessity of caring for the WHOLE flock of god.
2. The diligence required for such care.
3. The means available for such care (particularly, personal instruction of all those in the church).
4. The dangers of avoiding such care.
5. The blessing of attending to such care.

Also, just to give you a little taste of Baxter's vision of a pastor's duty, here is a longer excerpt. He bases it all on Paul's discourse to the Ephesian elders found in Acts 20.

"O brethren! write it on you study doors- set it in capital letters as your copy, that it may be ever before your eyes. Could we but well learn two or three lines of it, what preachers should we be!

[a] Our general business- SERVING THE LORD WITH ALL HUMILITY OF MIND, AND WITH MANY TEARS.

[b] Our special work- TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES AND TO ALL THE FLOCK.

[c] Our doctrine- REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD, AND FAITH TOWARD OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

[d] The place and manner of teaching- I HAVE TAUGHT YOU PUBLICLY, AND FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE.

[e] His diligence, earnestness, and affection- I CEASED NOT TO WARN EVERY ONE NIGHT AND DAY WITH TEARS. This is what must win souls, and preserve them.

[f] His faithfulness- I KEPT BACK NOTHING THAT WAS PROFITABLE UNTO YOU, AND HAVE NOT SHUNNED TO DECLARE UNTO YOU ALL THE COUNSEL OF GOD.

[g] His disinterestedness and self-denial for the sake of the gospel- I HAVE COVETED NO MAN'S SILVER OR GOLD OR APPAREL: YEA, THESE HANDS HAVE MINISTERED UNTO MY NECESSITIES, AND TO THEM THAT WERE WITH ME, REMEMBERING THE WORDS OF THE LORD JESUS, HOW HE SAID, IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.

[h] His patience and perseverance- NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME, NEITHER COUNT I MY LIFE DEAR UNTO ME, SO THAT I MIGHT FINISH MY COURSE WITH JOY, AND THE MINISTRY WHICH I HAVE RECEIVED OF THE LORD JESUS.

[i] His prayerfulness- I COMMEND YOU TO GOD AND TO THE WORD OF HIS GRACE, WHICH IS ABLE TO BUILD YOU UP, AND TO GIVE YOU AN INHERITANCE AMONG ALL THEM WHICH ARE SANCTIFIED.

[j] His purity of conscience- WHEREFORE I TAKE YOU TO RECORD THIS DAY, THAT I AM PURE FROM THE BLOOD OF ALL MEN."

Lord, give us such men as Baxter in our churches, and may I be such a one.

On my "to read list"

This looks like an excellent resource for pastors- indeed for all Christians. From two men I respect greatly...

http://www.crossway.org/books/1-and-2-timothy-and-titus-hcj-1/

Note to self...

1 Timothy 1:5 "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

What charge is Paul referring to here? Looking at verse 1:3, we see that it was the charge that "certain persons not teach any different doctrine" in the church, that is, doctrine that is outside of true Gospel orthodoxy. Thus, while some perceive the practice of guarding doctrine both divisive and pedantic, Paul saw it as the pathway to love and purity, to "a good conscience and a sincere faith."

Note to self then: doctrine and love are not incompatible.

The Pastor's Books

Some helpful words:

"The pastor’s work and the pastor’s books are inseparable. Since dialogue with scripture and tradition is so central to pastoral care, it is to be expected that the life of the pastor will be deeply enmeshed in the meditative reading, thoughtful study, and care of good books. Since the pastor’s time is limited, selection of excellent books is a consequential pastoral decision."

Oden, T. C. (1987). Becoming a Minister. Classic Pastoral Care (159). New York: Crossroad.