Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Tim 1:17 (ESV)

Words by Walter Smith
1876

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

All laud we would render; O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Peace and War

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Romans 12:18 (ESV)


The Baptist Faith & Message

XVI. Peace and War

It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war.
The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord. The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations, and the practical application of His law of love. Christian people throughout the world should pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 2:4; Matthew 5:9,38-48; 6:33; 26:52; Luke 22:36,38; Romans 12:18-19; 13:1-7; 14:19; Hebrews 12:14; James 4:1-2.
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Righteousness must not be sacrificed in the name of false peace.

As defined throught the centuries, the just-war theory holds that in order for a war to be justified sevearal criteria must be satisfied:
- just cause - use of force must be defensive and never offensive
- just intention - to secure a fair, lasting peace for all parties.
- last resort - all other legitimate means of settling the conflict have been tried and failed.
- limit objectives to what is necessary to establish a just peace.
- use of force approved by a legitimate authority.
- only proportionate means be used.
- noncombatants be protected whenever possible.
- must a be a reasonable chance of successs.
- must be a realistic hope that conflict will lead to a superior, lasting peace.

Chrisitans cannot wage with earthly weapons the most important war we are called to fight. As Paul reminds us, "Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens" (Eph. 6:12) No Christian wars are fought with earthly weapons and for earthly goals.

Until Christ comes, we will have war. But Christians must work and contend for peace. We must pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace.


from The Baptist Faith & Message Study

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Prayer to Stand Firm in Truth

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
2 Thess 2:16-17 (ESV)

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Need of Grace

O Lord,

Thou knowest my great unfitness for service,

         my present deadness,

         my inability to do anything for thy glory,

         my distressing coldness of heart.

I am weak, ignorant, unprofitable,

     and loathe and abhor myself.

I am at a loss to know what thou wouldest have me do,

     for I feel amazingly deserted by thee,

     and sense thy presence so little;

Thou makest me possess the sins of my youth,

    and the dreadful sin of my nature,

    so that I feel all sin,

    I cannot think or act but every motion is sin.

Return again with showers of converting grace

    to a poor gospel-abusing sinner.

Help my soul to breathe after holiness,

    after a constant devotedness to thee,

    after growth in grace more abundantly every day.

O Lord, I am lost in the pursuit of this blessedness,

And am ready to sink because I fall short of my desire;

Help me to hold out a little longer,

    until the happy hour of deliverance comes,

    for I cannot lift my soul to thee

    if thou of thy goodness bring me not nigh.

Help me to be diffident, watchful, tender,

    lest I offend my blessed Friend

    in thought and behaviour;

I confide in thee and lean upon thee,

    and need thee at all times to assist and lead me.

O that all my distresses and apprehensions

   might prove but Christ’s school

   to make me fit for greater service

   by teaching me the great lesson of humility.

from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, page 99

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

The Solid Rock

The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—
Psalms 18:46 (ESV)


Words by Edward Mote
1834

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

Refrain

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

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The Christian and the Social Order

14  "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matt 5:14-16 (ESV)

The Baptist Faith & Message

XV. The Christian and the Social Order

All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

Exodus 20:3-17; Leviticus 6:2-5; Deuteronomy 10:12; 27:17; Psalm 101:5; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 8:16; Matthew 5:13-16,43-48; 22:36-40; 25:35; Mark 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21; Luke 4:18-21; 10:27-37; 20:25; John 15:12; 17:15; Romans 12–14; 1Corinthians 5:9-10; 6:1-7; 7:20-24; 10:23-11:1; Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Philemon; James 1:27; 2:8.
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Love of neighbor requires that we genuinely care about the shape of our society.

All human life is sacred from conception to until natural death.

Christians must stand without apology against the corruption of God's gift of sexuality.

The lordship of Jesus Christ extends to every dimension of human work and culture.



from The Baptist Faith & Message Study

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

The Dash Between Your Dates

Charles Spurgeon said "Dying is but going home. Indeed, there is no dying for the saints." Six years ago today my Daddy went home.  This post is in memory of him.  He made his dash count. I will see him on the other side when it is my time to go home. - ah

 

"A beginning and an ending, dates upon a stone

But the moment in the middle is how we will be known

Cause what defines us can be found within a line

Finding reason for our time"

... What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes

James 4:14 (ESV)

What will you do with the dash between your dates?

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past,

only what's done for Christ will last."

- C.T. Studd

"The measure of life is not its duration but its donation." - Peter Marshall

"Great beginnings are not as important as the way one finishes." - Dr. James Dobson

We must be intentional if we want to finish well. Remember Luke 9:23:

And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23 (ESV)

chorus:

And the years go by, how they seem to fly

They’ll all be over soon

When our life is done, did we live and love

The way we wanted to

Cause everyday that we leave behind

Goes on to tell the truth

Of how we lived in the line between the two

The line between the two

So teach us to number out days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalms 90:12 (ESV)

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,   making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:15-16 (ESV)

"Will I walk straight, will I be true

Will I finish strong

Will I stand up for the moment

When I could right a wrong

Because the legacy we have will never change

It’s how we spend our days"

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

1 Cor 16:13 (ESV)

In 2 Chronicles 26 we read about the life of King Uzziah.  Uzziah started strong. In verses 1-5 we find him seeking the Lord. In verses 6-15 we see the Lord giving him success, but in verse 16 his life takes a tragic turn. Through all of his success and blessings from the Lord "when he was strong" Uzziah grew proud and it led to his downfall in verses 16-23. 

But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

2 Chron 26:16 (ESV)

"I could live a life for just myself

Or I could live a life for someone else

But I’ll live and die just to hear

You say

Well done my son come and be with Me"

 

The question is less "what is God's plan for my life?" and more "how does my life best fit into God's plan?" - Alvin Reid

O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.
Psalms 71:17-18 (ESV)

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.   I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

2 Tim 4:6-8 (ESV)

Be determined to make your dash count! Have a battle plan and be intentional about finishing strong.  Be able to say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Don't be like Uzziah. Remember it is not how you start but how you finish. FINISH STRONG!

The song "The Line Between The Two" was written by Mark Harris, Jeff Moseley & Pete Kipley. 

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

Influential Anglican John Stott (April 27, 1921 - July 27, 2011)

"The Rev. John Stott dies at 90; influential Anglican evangelist

Unassuming but erudite, the pastor was considered a mentor to Billy Graham and Rick Warren. He was a principal framer of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant that launched the global evangelical movement.

The Rev. John Stott did not fill stadiums with the faithful like his longtime friend, Billy Graham, or give the invocation at a presidential inauguration, as megachurch pastor Rick Warren did for Barack Obama. Yet he was a giant of the evangelical world — perhaps the most influential evangelist most people have never heard of."  - Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times

John Stott wrote 50 books including Basic Christianity, The Cross of Christ, The Birds, Our Teachers, and his last book The Radical Disciple.

Time magazine named him one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2005.

Below are some John Stott quotes and a tribute video.

"The church has a double responsibility in relation to the world around us. On the one hand we are to live, serve and witness in the world. On the other hand we to avoid becoming contaminated by the world. So we are neither to seek to preserve our holiness by escaping from the world nor to sacrifice our holiness by conforming to the world.  Escapism and conformism are thus both forbidden to us. 

from The Radical Disciple

"So faith in God is not incompatible with co-operation with God.

We acknowledge that our food comes ultimately from God, and we

rightly thank him for our daily bread. But we are still dependent on

farmers and fishermen, and on the wholesale and retail trade. Again,

when we are ill, we rightly pray to God to heal us. But if we are

wise, we also consult our doctor and accept whatever treatment he

recommends. ....

Faith and works go together. Not indeed in salvation, which is by faith alone.

But in everything else we both trust God and take appropriate action."

from The Birds, Our Teachers

ChristianPost.com list 10 Memorable Quotes from John Stott

• His authority on earth allows us to dare to go to all the nations. His authority in heaven gives us our only hope of success. And His presence with us leaves us with no other choice.

• The truth is that there are such things as Christian tears, and too few of us ever weep them.

• Every Christian should be both conservative and radical; conservative in preserving the faith and radical in applying it.

• Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.

• We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather we should ask, "What has happened to salt and light?"

• Social responsibility becomes an aspect not of Christian mission only, but also of Christian conversion. It is impossible to be truly converted to God without being thereby converted to our neighbor.

• Sin and child of God are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony.

• Good conduct arises out of good doctrine.

• The very first thing which needs to be said about Christian ministers of all kinds is that they are "under" people as their servants rather than "over" them (as their leaders, let alone their lords). Jesus made this absolutely plain. The chief characteristic of Christian leaders, he insisted, is humility not authority, and gentleness not power.

• We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Prayer to Fulfill His Purpose

11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thess 1:11-12 (ESV)


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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

The Story of Everything

From the Month of July 2011

July 11
Harry Potter, Jesus and Me by Andrew Peterson

I’m a fan of the Harry Potter books. There. I said it. Whenever I visit a bookstore I can’t resist a walk through the Young Readers section, where my heart flutters at cover illustrations of dragons and detectives and ghosts and kids dashing across fantastic landscapes. I’ve always loved those stories, and many times I take the books from the shelves and, with chills running up and down my arms, thumb through them. Sometimes I even smell them. (There. I said that, too.) Click here to continue reading. 

(I not yet read any of the Harry Potter books. - ah)

July 12
Is It OK For Christians To Believe In The Doctrine of Hell But Not Like It? by Keving DeYoung

It takes a certain courage to look at what the Bible teaches, not like it all that much, and still believe it. I am thankful for brothers and sisters who believe in hell or believe in complementarianism or believe in election and reprobation or believe homosexuality is a sin despite their internal protestations. It’s a good sign when we take our stand on the Bible even when we’d prefer to take our stand somewhere else.
But it’s a better sign when we take our stand on the Bible and learn to love where the Bible stands.
Click here to continue reading.

July 13
Burst the (Christian) Bubble by Alvin Reid

Leaders of the church in any era have the responsibility of identifying the idols of our time and confronting them with the gospel. David Platt has done this with the idol of the American Dream and it’s materialism, for instance. We have a variety of idols in our time, from rampant sensuality, to prolonged adolescence (especially in young men) to the new atheism, and the historically ubiquitous idol of worshiping self. But there is another idol that has slowly crept into our lives and into the very culture of our churches. We joke about it, and can see it around us. But I am not convinced we see it as the threat to genuine Christianity that it has become.

I refer to the Christian subculture, or the Christian “bubble.”  Click here to continue reading.

July 18
Freedom of Religion Has to Be Freedom For Everyone by Ed Stetzer

I have great concerns when people start deciding what "is" and "is not" a real religion and if other religions can build places of worship. Be aware that the standard that Christians advocate here may very well be used on Christians in the future.

As the views of evangelicals become increasingly distasteful to many in prevailing culture, some may use these same arguments when they ban your building. How you treat our Muslim minority may very well point to how the majority culture will treat Christians one day. Click here to continue reading.

An Open Letter to an Unborn Baby by Russell Moore

a young woman will give birth to a little boy, and has made an adoption plan for this couple to become his parents. The pastor asked if I’d write a letter to this boy, for when he’s old enough to start asking questions about his adoption and what it means. I’ve changed his name, but this is what I wrote. Click here to continue reading.

July 19
Reparative Therapy, Homosexuality and the Gospel of Jesus Christ by Albert Mohler

This controversy will inevitably demonstrate the basic worldview divide that separates the secular therapeutic community and evangelical Christians. The politicians, the mental health industry, and the media will have their own debate on the matter, but Christians now face the urgent challenge of thinking about these issues in a way that is fully biblical and theological — and thus faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Click here to continue reading.

Cooperation

For we are God's fellow workers. ...

1 Cor 3:9 (ESV)


The Baptist Faith & Message


XIV. Cooperation

Christ's people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner. Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ's Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ's people. Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations, when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.


Exodus 17:12; 18:17ff.; Judges 7:21; Ezra 1:3-4; 2:68-69; 5:14-15; Nehemiah 4; 8:1-5; Matthew 10:5-15; 20:1-16; 22:1-10; 28:19-20; Mark 2:3; Luke 10:1ff.; Acts 1:13-14; 2:1ff.; 4:31-37; 13:2-3; 15:1-35; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 3:5-15; 12; 2 Corinthians 8-9; Galatians 1:6-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Philippians 1:15-18.
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For Southern Baptists cooperation means a worldwide kingdom work with others who share our faith, values and worldview.

Congregationalism is a deeply established Baptist principle. 

Congregationalism: The belief that a local body of believers is directly responsible to God's authority, not a church hierarchy.

Voluntary Association: The united, cooperative effort of churches with common beliefs to minister together in ways they could not minister alone.

Our churches can do together what no one church can do alone.

Cooperative Program: A plan of cooperation by which Southern Baptists provide financial support for ministry and missions in an ongoing, systematic way.

The Cooperative Program allows local Baptist congregations to unite in a single, unified budget for advancing the cause of Christ.


from The Baptist Faith & Message Study

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Our churches can do together what no one church can do alone.  Sometimes I wonder if Southern Baptists still believe this?  If only Southern Baptist Churches could get back to this Baptist pattern of cooperation.  It was John Wooden that said "It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit."

Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Prayer for Sanctification (To Be Set Apart, Holy)

23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24  He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

1 Thess 5:23-24 (ESV)


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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Continual Repentance

O God of grace,

T hou hast imputed my sin to my substitute,

          and hast imputed his righteousness

     to my soul,

   clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe,

   decking me with jewels of holiness.

But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;

   my best prayers are stained with sin;

   my penitential tears are so much impurity;

   my confessions of wrong are so many

     aggravations of sin;

   my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with

     selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance;

I need my tears to be washed;

I have no robe to bring to cover my sins,

   no loom to weave my own righteousness;

I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,

   and by grace am always receiving change of

     raiment,

   for thou dost always justify the ungodly;

I am always going into the far country,

   and always returning home as a prodigal,

   always saying, Father, forgive me,

   and thou art always bringing forth

     the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it,

   every evening return in it,

   go out to the day’s work in it,

   be married in it,

   be wound in death in it,

   stand before the great white throne in it,

   enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of

   the exceeding sinfulness of sin,

   the exceeding righteousness of salvation,

   the exceeding glory of Christ,

   the exceeding beauty of holiness,

   the exceeding wonder of grace.

From The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah