Trust AND Obey

Not Against Flesh and Blood

Dave Miller — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:06:18 +0000

All Christians must remember Ephesians 6:12 when defending biblical faith. I forget this far too often; especially when debating hot-button issues like same-sex marriage the way my friend Scott and I were doing this past week.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 6:12 ESV

This verse is part of the section of Ephesians where Paul instructs the believers in Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God. Take a few moments to read these verses – after all, context is king.

Look at how many times Paul repeats the word “stand” in the first half of this section. When you see an idea or word repeated in scripture, it should alert you that this is a very important point. Standing means not moving. It infers stability, and since the context of this passage is focused on military armor, we should think about standing in a manner militant.

A soldier on guard duty is to stand his ground, not turn and run at the first sign of hostility. The equipment that a first century soldier wore helped him fulfill his duty. Likewise, God equips the saints (That’s you, believer!) to do the same today.

First, let’s look at the armor separate from what it represents: belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. Notice that all of them but one have an exclusively defensive purpose. These pieces of armor give the properly equipped Christian the ability to stand his ground when the fight comes to him. He is not to be aggressive or confrontational, but a defender. We’ll get to the weapon our soldier carries in a moment.

Now look at what each piece of this armor represents for the Christian: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the word of God. Notice that none of these things are inherent in the soldier – they are all gifts from God. As a defender and guard, the Christian soldier of today needs to know all these things are at his disposal for his own well-being and for the greater purpose for which he stands.

So, with whom is this soldier engaged in battle? Verse 12 answers that question. It is not against our fellow man, but against the powerful forces of evil that have invaded and continue to pervade this world. The ‘flesh and blood’ we encounter in our daily interactions are usually victims or slaves of these forces. They are not the enemy, but they belong to him.

This is where our weapon comes in handy; more than handy actually. It is the only effective weapon against our foe. It is The Sword of the Spirit – The Word of God. Just as our armor is a gift of God, the only weapon we wield is the word of God. Our armor is defensive; it helps us stand our ground. But when we are in danger of being pushed back, we have to struggle and fight against our enemy hand-to-hand and drive him back with the sword.

The word of God is revealed primarily and most perfectly in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And it is through Him that our enemy will ultimately be defeated. In Hebrews 4:12-13, we learn that the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword and discerns the intentions of the heart. In Revelation 19:15 we see this same imagery when Jesus returns to unleash the wrath of God. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth (like a word) to strike down His foes.

This is all the well-armored Christian may do offensively, wield the word. It is the spirit of God that does the piercing, the dividing, and the discerning. We must only speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and remember that the human beings we address are God’s image bearers, but fallen, deceived and dead in sin like we were at one time (Rom. 3:23, Eph. 2:1). They may be set free and saved from their slavery to sin, but it will not be the doing of flesh and blood, but of the spirit of God through His Holy Word.

Si vis pacem, para bellum. (If you want peace, prepare for war.)

Not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers and the spiritual forces of evil.

Lincoln – 9 May 2012

Dave Miller — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:01:08 +0000

Look to the Cross!

Dave Miller — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:31:16 +0000

From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. – Numbers 21:4-9

Many Reformed Christians tend to focus on their sin so much that they quickly despair. We might think that by enumerating our every peccadillo, we’re somehow more repentant and therefore more loveable to God. That’s just not the case. We’re much worse than we can imagine, and God is much greater than we can imagine.

The gap (between Holy God and sinful man) that the cross of Christ bridges is larger than any mere human can imagine.

I found this quotation from John Newton online this week:

When the brazen serpent was erected in the wilderness, to cure those who must otherwise have died, the benefit was not restrained to those who had been bitten by the fiery serpent but once or a few times. The worst case amongst the people was relieved as soon and as certainly as the very slightest. The remedy was universally proposed to every person. The application was easy; it was only, look and live. But if a man had spent all his time in measuring or counting his wounds, instead of looking to the ordinance of God, he might have died, though the means of life were within his view. The sense of the evil of sin is given to quicken application to Christ, and not to discourage our approach. The Scripture has concluded all under sin, and as such we are all condemned already. But the Gospel proclaims a free pardon to everyone who, with the eye of his mind, looks for life to him who hung upon the cross. (Letters of John Newton , 198) [Emphasis mine]

What wonderful news!

What a grace that shames our shame.

Look to the cross and live!

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Leaves on the Tree

Dave Miller — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:11:57 +0000

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. – Luke 12:27 (ESV)

It’s late April in northeastern Ohio and that means that the maple trees in my back yard are coming into leaf. They don’t all get their leaves at the same time for some reason. The leaves on the west and east trees mature first and the ones in the middle later. They lose their leaves the same way.

Yesterday I was rushing out of the house after supper on my way to a meeting at church dealing with computer equipment, information management, sanctuary electronics and other sundry items of interest (to me at least). I looked at the young leaves on the trees and thought about the verse quoted above. I remembered that the point of the verse is to not worry about the things that God takes care of in our lives. He clothes the lilies of the field more beautifully than noble Solomon and He will do the same for us. He cares for His image-bearers much more than the lovely grasses of the field or the birds of the air which are here today and gone tomorrow (Luke 12:28); just like the leaves on His maple trees.

As I drove to Harvest PCA, I considered that this verse applied to what we were doing at the meeting that night. Computer equipment, software, lighting, electrical circuits and cabling that was new a few years ago, now needs to be replaced. They served their purpose at the time, and still manage to work fairly well, but it is their nature to not last forever and they’ll soon be useless. This technology (all technology) is temporary, like a maple leaf.

Leaves are vital to the life of a tree; a tree that produces no leaves will die. God has given the tree the ability to sustain itself for a period of time, but doing so requires the seasonal creation of young leaves, mature functioning of the leaves, diminishing effectiveness over time, and finally obsolescence. The technology that we rely upon has a life cycle similar to that of the leaves on the tree.

These temporary physical or technological improvements are necessary to sustaining the health of the local church as much as leaves are necessary to the health of the tree. Other examples of this might be new hymnals, amplifiers, musical instruments, carpeting, furnaces or shingles. I would like to believe that these things are not absolutely necessary, but as long as the church is in the world, she will have physical needs (Acts 6:1-3).

Let us not lose sight of the fact that this is both a blessing and a solemn responsibility. Simply because of where and when we were born, we have the privilege of being stewards over much; and much will be expected of us (Luke 12:48). A great tree gives shade to a vast area, produces oxygen, shelters and feeds animals, and returns a portion of what it takes from the ground – back to the ground. It wastes no energy or ‘effort’ on useless things and it ultimately gives much more than it takes in. May we, as the body of Christ, do the same through each of our gifts as leaves on the tree.

Caveat: We, the members of the body of Christ, are *not* like leaves in that we don’t diminish in effectiveness or become obsolete. Even as we age, wither and die, we still contribute to the life of the church. At our death, we are glorified like a beautiful red maple leaf in autumn.

The World Tilting Gospel

Dave Miller — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:59:43 +0000

The World-Tilting Gospel
By Dan Phillips
Kregel (Grand Rapids): 2011

I decided to buy this book after reading a positive review of it by Jay Adams.

Specifically, I bought it because of the first six words of his review: “There’s nothing new in this book.”

Yes. I did say that it was a positive review. As a matter of fact, the author of The World Tilting Gospel (TWTG), Dan Phillips, commented on it, “…they’re sweet, sweet words to me.”

The words of TWTG were sweet to me as I took it up and read. “The greatest need of the church today is a strategic, full-orbed, robust, biblical grasp of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its transformative implications. We don’t need more glitz or glamour, better marketing or programs, snazzier décor or entertainment. We do need a whole-Bible grasp of the Gospel.” (Introduction, Pg. 19)

TWTG doesn’t disappoint; spelling out the Gospel clearly, and framing it biblically to show how it relates to and tilts the world.

“We’re a mess. What we need to do is rub the sleep-dust out of our eyes, pull the plugs out of our ears, get out of our recliners, and hit the Book. We need to expose our hearts to the true, howling darkness of our sin, and the blinding blaze of God’s holiness. We need to rivet our attention on the overflowing majesty of the person of Jesus Christ…” (Chapter 14, Pg. 300)

Yeah. That’s straightforward talk. You’ll read a lot of that in this book.

The World-Tilting Gospel will appeal to agnostics and theological novices for its readability and clarity, and to lay scholars and seminary students for its depth and breadth. I can think of a few mainline ministers who could use a refresher course in the summation of salvation it offers as well. It presents the ‘old, old story’ in a fresh, appealing way. Don’t take that to mean the truth is sugar-coated; the expression ‘gilding the lily’ doesn’t apply here. TWTG is rough and rigid where the gospel is rough and rigid; and it is soft and sweet where the gospel is soft and sweet.

TWTG may be an answer to the problem identified in Michael Horton’s Christless Christianity. The churches that Horton challenges in his book would do well to study TWTG which presents the good news captivatingly, but without so-called ‘relevant’ fanfare, shock-value or worldly means. What Horton says is missing from the center of many churches is the focus of Phillips’ book – the good news of Jesus Christ.

What I like most about TWTG is that it is structured like a pyramid, with one course built solidly upon another, tapering upward toward the peak. But the book doesn’t end with just a single point. When it reaches that expected dénouement; it’s fireworks time! Instead of a single point of light, there is an explosion of truth and beauty and love and mercy and praise and glory and joy all directed at the person and work of Christ Jesus.

Before I even finished reading the book, I purchased additional copies and gave them to a few cherished friends. Buy yourself a copy and do the same.

Trevin Wax reviewed TWTG earlier this month. Doug Wilson reviewed it early last month. Aaron Armstrong and Mark at HereIBlog both reviewed it last year; and Rebecca Stark is giving away a free copy at her blog this week!

Dan Phillips is the pastor of Copperfield Bible Church in Houston, Texas. His blog is Biblical Christianity and he is a member of TeamPyro, the Pyromaniacs blog; both of which you’ll find linked in the sidebar to the right up toward the top. Dan is also the author of God’s Wisdom in Proverbs, a copy of which is sitting on my bookshelf awaiting my eager eyes.

Lincoln – 19 April 2012

Dave Miller — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:00:30 +0000

Advanced Thinkers

Dave Miller — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:04:18 +0000

We’re going to play a game here on tando.org today. What modern movement is being described here? The answer appears at the end.

Little by little, here in America, a very exclusive group of people has arisen in both power and pretention. This conceited clique likes to throw around terms like “progressive,” “tolerant,” “intelligentsia,” “superstitious religious beliefs,” and “fundamentalism.”

Clearly, these people are not nearly as smart as they want you to believe they are; and they are neither as progressive nor as intelligent as they say they are. This is obvious by their constant bragging about their way of life. They say they believe in freedom, but they work to reduce it. They declare themselves progressive, but their policies are regressive. They claim to be tolerant, but their intolerance belies the truth.

In the old days, Jews called Gentiles “dogs,” and Muslims called everyone else, “infidels,” but nobody has expressed as much contempt for his fellow man than the so-called ‘intellectuals’ who hate orthodox Christianity with a passion. If someone dares to even hint that they firmly believe in an objective truth, these ‘culturally enlightened’ people let loose with the most intolerant vitriol imaginable against the ‘closed-minded bigot.’

These liberal extremists bathe in an intolerance of the most vicious and cruel kind imaginable. They sneer at the idiots who dare to express their belief in Biblical Christianity with an elitist air that only pseudo-intellectuals can muster. When feeling particularly charitable, they express their hope that these ‘hateful bigots’ might come to accept their loving view of ‘affirmation and acceptance’ (of evil).

The greatest offense against these people is to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints by God (Jude 3). Such a claim is foolishness in this new century. The practice of resurrecting old heresies and passing them off as tolerance and acceptance is sure to elevate one to a high position in the ranks of these “enlightened” few who have freed themselves from the shroud of orthodox Christian beliefs.

These cultural elitists have some odd tactics. In the past, such unbelievers would just leave bible-believing churches and ignore Christians altogether. At least this was an honest response. But today, these types stay in churches they think are too “doctrinally focused” while their anger grows against the teachings that show their beliefs to be questionable. “Churches shouldn’t force their beliefs on people; tolerance is the only virtue of a denomination; dogma is a sin, and doctrine is a myth:” this is the notion of the “elite.” In their eyes, bible-believing Christians who band together to spread the truth of God are nothing more than extremists trying to restrict the flow of modern thought. For Christians to financially support a church in which only the clearly imparted truths of the bible are taught is treason to tolerance; and guarding the pulpit from heresy is hurtful bullying worthy of hatred by any “thinking” person.

According to their “tolerant views,” the right thing to do is to leave doctrine to the idiots who care about it. There is no such thing as truth, only opinions; and ministers should be allowed to crush faith and insult convictions no matter how biblical they are. They can teach anything, everything or nothing at all; whatever their tolerant culture and enlightened minds desire. If the closed-minded old farts who built the church have a problem with that, they can either shut up or leave.

“Do Christians have a right to be certain of anything? The right to doubt is absolute, but not the right to believe.” This is the modern gospel. “Believe nothing; doubt everything and ye shall be saved.” Every form of skepticism is acceptable, but faith in a babe in a manger is insupportably vast.

The ‘honest skeptic’ is the greatest of all among the cultural elite, but one who holds to the faith of their fathers is a fool. The delightful duty of all enlightened minds is to scorn believers; to walk boldly into their churches and attack their silly superstitions, their ignorant love for backward dogma, and to generally agitate them and upset their established order. So what if they have a statement of faith? They have no right to believe it! Rather, it should be ridiculed.

Many professing Christians have begun by discarding Christian doctrine, then practice, and finally morality. It’s not always this bad outwardly, but inwardly it may be worse. Look at how many preachers have “advanced” beyond their honest skepticism and into total blasphemy.

Theological liberality is celebrated today, but it is wise to consider what it is we are dealing with. If something man-made, then by all means, let tolerance and doctrinal diversity be the rule. If we created it, then let’s approve all ‘big tent’ proposals. But no, it is God’s own truth that we are dealing with, the Lord’s Gospel that we are entrusted with, and we will be held accountable for our stewardship of this grace. It is not required that stewards be liberal, but that they be found faithful.

False doctrine is not made harmless by winking at it. God hates whatever gloss we put on such lies. No lie is of the truth, and no amount of ‘tolerance and acceptance’ can make it so. A doctrine is right, or it is wrong, there is no middle ground.

Christianity is not a flickering candle of opinion, but the fixed rule of the Bible; it is treason, as black as the sin of witchcraft, for someone to know God’s truth and talk about forfeiting it.

In the name of the Eternal King, who is this liberal that concedes God’s truth?

Who is this profane betrayer of the Most High God, that he should even consider such sedition and deceit?

Did you guess who this was written about? It was a trick question, of course; this ‘movement’ is not modern. It is as ancient as the Garden of Eden. The truth might surprise you though. This was written 140 years ago by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. It originally appeared in the November 1871 issue of Sword and Trowel and was entitled “Advanced Thinkers.” I updated the language to sound more modern, but the ‘translation’ is pretty much ‘thought-for-thought’ Spurgeon.

We face the same heresies in the 21st Century as Spurgeon did in the 19th, as Luther did in the 16th, as Augustine did in the 5th and as Paul did in the 1st. The basis of all heresies is the same as the basis of all sin.

Pride.

Source: http://www.spurgeon.org/s_and_t/advnth.htm

Happy Easter 2012

Dave Miller — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 13:46:21 +0000

A repost from last year. Well worth watching again as Christians celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.

A very moving account of Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection as seen on Twitter. Even if you don’t know about or understand Twitter, I think it is worth watching. (My apologies for the advertisements. They’re out of my control.)

With thanks to God for loving his children enough to die for them, and to Bob Frazier for the link!

A Christian Soldier’s Deck of Cards

Dave Miller — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:16:06 +0000

An illusionist demonstrates a Christian Soldier’s Deck of Cards. Hat Tip to Dan Phillips. Be sure to stay tuned to see the end. It’s a nice presentation.

UPDATE: Please pause the video at 3:10 or before. Some of the ads at the end (over which I have no control) may be offensive.

Lincoln – 22 March 2012

Dave Miller — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:00:07 +0000

Linkin Again!

Linking to noteworthy articles from other blogs and websites.

I love to read good writing. This article about the Encyclopedia Britannica is beautifully written and entertaining to read. If you had a set of encyclopedias in your house as a kid, you’ll identify with the author’s lament.

RIP, Britannica: An Elegy for an Encyclopedia by Albert Mohler

Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. announced Tuesday that it would no longer offer its venerable reference set in a printed edition. Western Civilization just took another hard blow to the chin.

From Hair to Eternity – Courtesy of The Sacred Sandwich

7 Scripture Texts About Evangelism by Tim Challies

As I pray about sharing the gospel with others, or as I pray for those who do not yet know the Lord, there are many passages from the Bible that can give focus and direction. Here are just a few of them.

Easter Sunday Is A Lie by Chris Vacher

Easter Sunday must be more than the day the nice church people welcome the nice community people, tell the nice story of the happy ending and then everyone goes on their merry way.

Copts, Popes, Shenouda? Did I miss something? by Clint Archer

If you read any news other than the sports pages, you have probably picked up that the Pope died. But not that one, the other one. The late Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria was the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church from 1971 until last Saturday (17 March 2012) when he passed away at 88 years of age.

Be Thou My Vision by Eden’s Bridge

The Subtle Art of Sabotaging a Pastor by Jared Wilson

The reports of your progress warm my blackened heart. When you were assigned to one of the Enemy’s ministers ten years ago, his infernal Majesty and I knew you’d have a rough go of it.

Homosexuality and Christian Bigotry by Jason Helopoulos

Christians intend to communicate life-giving, objective truths about the real world. But their statements are interpreted as attempts to impose personal preferences.