Monthly Archives: June 2012

Understandest Thou What Thou Readest?

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Acts 8:30

We should be abler teachers of others, and less liable to be carried about by every wind of doctrine, if we sought to have a more intelligent understanding of the Word of God.

As the Holy Ghost, the Author of the Scriptures is He who alone can enlighten us rightly to understand them, we should constantly ask His teaching, and His guidance into all truth. When the prophet Daniel would interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, what did he do? He set himself to earnest prayer that God would open up the vision. The apostle John, in his vision at Patmos, saw a book sealed with seven seals which none was found worthy to open, or so much as to look upon. The book was afterwards opened by the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who had prevailed to open it; but it is written first-‘I wept much.’ The tears of John, which were his liquid prayers, were, so far as he was concerned, the sacred keys by which the folded book was opened.

Therefore, if, for your own and others’ profiting, you desire to be ‘filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,’ remember that prayer is your best means of study: like Daniel, you shall understand the dream, and the interpretation thereof, when you have sought unto God; and like John you shall see the seven seals of precious truth unloosed, after you have wept much. Stones are not broken, except by an earnest use of the hammer; and the stone-breaker must go down on his knees. Use the hammer of diligence, and let the knee of prayer be exercised, and there is not a stony doctrine in revelation which is useful for you to understand, which will not fly into shivers under the exercise of prayer and faith. You may force your way through anything with the leverage of prayer. Thoughts and reasonings are like the steel wedges which give a hold upon truth; but prayer is the lever, the prise which forces open the iron chest of sacred mystery, that we may get the treasure hidden within.

2.21p

Weekly Links (6/15/2012)

We are saved, sanctified, and sustained by what Jesus did for us on the cross and through the power of the resurrection. If you add to or subtract from the cross, even if it is to factor in biblically mandated religious practices like prayer and evangelism, you rob God of his glory and Christ of his sufficiency. (Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel)

by Richard Shin

We have another great set of links for you to mull over this weekend.

  • The Christian Counseling & Education Foundation just published the next issue of the Journal of Biblical Counseling. You can view it free until the next issue is published.
  • The Cripplegate celebrated its first birthday. Look back on the ten most read posts in the past year. I particularly enjoyed the most read post, listed last at the bottom.
  • Ken Currie from Desiring God challenges us to share the gospel even when it’s awkward.
  • Glenn T. Stanton from the Gospel Coalition shares how fatherhood is the core of the universe. What is he talking about? Click through to find out.
  • Ray Ortlund writes from Mark 6:35-37 about Jesus’ expressing his fullness through us. While every command in Scriptures demand our obedience, it also comes with His power.
  • Rich Clark from the Gospel Coalition shares how we should respond to the video game crisis that is plaguing young men today.
  • Peter Saunders shares twenty questions that atheists struggle to answer. These are good questions to ask atheists to challenge their worldview.

That’s it, y’all. Hope you have a joyous weekend.

Coram Deo

Putting the “You” in “Youth”

by Roger Alcaraz

One of my sayings (not that I have many) is “You can’t spell youth without you.” Literally, it takes y-o-u to spell youth but the play on words is really meant to encourage church members to invest in the young adults of the church in some way. Already I’ve seen great efforts by older men and women who take an interest in these vibrant lives. Whether it is through sleepovers, sharing a meal, or taking an outing together, these are vehicles through which one can impart the gospel and their life.

It may seem strange to think that your average church member can have a great impact on church youth. After all, they have Christian parents, hear several sermons per week, and have leaders caring over them. But let me share with you a story one parent told me. The family was making plans to carpool up to San Jose but the daughter didn’t like the idea and could not be convinced even after several attempts. One of the youth staff caught ear of this and told the daughter it was a good plan, to the daughter’s reply, “Really? Okay!” And just like that, the daughter was in agreement.

Poor mom. She was right all along but needed someone else to tell her daughter the same thing. That’s because counsel from a friend is received differently than counsel from a parent. There has always been a nature in people not to listen to authority. Parents are one of the most authoritative figures in a youth’s life and their counsel can often be ignored. Youth leaders help shepherd the youth, but their words can also fall on deaf ears because we, too, are an authority figure and can be seen coming from a biased perspective. Sometimes the wisdom they willingly receive best comes from someone who has no obligation to them, but simply wants to help them.

This is where the average church member can play a vital role in helping a young person grow in their faith. Each member has an opportunity to come along-side the youth and walk with them as a friend, teaching and being an example of godly character to them. It doesn’t have to be in an organized event. A simple meal or study time could be used to share in each other’s lives (Though, please get parental permission before doing so). Sunday mornings are also a great way to introduce yourself to them. This principle of knowing one another applies not only towards the youth but to the whole church. There should be no part of the church that feels left out or neglected. Thankfully, our youth have been truly blessed by everyone’s effort to reach out to them, so this isn’t a rebuke but an encouragement to keep investing in them and you will see the fruit of your efforts. And if you’re a stranger to them, then remember that the youth need y-o-u.

Farewell to Phil

“O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention.” (William Shakespeare)

“Does anyone else think that Phil ought to be forced at gunpoint to enter the blogosphere?” (Scott McClare at the Fighting Fundamentalist Forums)

by Stephen Rodgers

I know what you’re thinking: “We’re never going to finish the prophetic books are we?”

We will. But every so often there’s an event in the Christian blogosphere that requires us to stop, take stock, and reflect. And contrary to what many of the hysteria-prone residents of the internet would have you believe, they don’t come around very often. However, yesterday was one of those events.

Yesterday, Phil Johnson basically announced that he’s retiring from the internet.

Now I’ll admit, that’s a slightly sensationalist way of putting it, but you’re welcome to read the post for yourself and get the details. Suffice to say, the original Pyromaniac is hanging up his hat to focus on other things. I wish him all the best, but I wanted to briefly take a moment to share with you what this man has meant to me.

  • I actually started attending Grace Community Church a year or so before Phil arrived. The difference was that he had been recruited by John MacArthur himself as a result of his work at Moody, and I was occupying a crib in the nursery. Notwithstanding that little difference, Phil has been something of a fixture at GCC for as long as I can remember. Other pastors, elders, and luminaries have come and gone, but he’s been faithfully serving at the same church for more than 30 years now.
  • Growing up at GCC I would occasionally cross paths with him, mostly because one of his sons was close to my age and we progressed through the various child and youth-oriented programs together. Given my anti-social tendencies that normally wouldn’t have registered, but the progeny in question had a name that was fraught with Star Wars terminology, so it stuck.
  • Fast-forward a couple of decades, and through a series of providential maneuvers that had to be lived to be believed, I wind up on the doorstep of LBC. It wasn’t the best of times: I had just returned to the United States from overseas, I was still in the final stages of a rather protracted illness, and I was grappling with quite a few of my core theological assumptions. For the first time in nearly a quarter-century I was starting to take my faith really seriously, and recognizing that, my father offhandedly mentioned that Phil Johnson had a blog.
  • (No, that’s not the famous Pyromaniacs blog, that’s the original Pyromaniac (singular) blog. Yes, that’s “OG” as the kids say.)
  • Over the next several years I devoured just about everything that Phil wrote, blogged, preached, or commented on. That wasn’t to say that I agreed with all the theological positions he espoused (at least at first), or saw much value in all the subjects he taught on (at least at first), but I kept reading. My mother was highly amused by all this and even accused my goatee of being an homage to Phil, which I distinctly remember being enraged by since I was busy vehemently disagreeing with him at the time.
  • I really should have paid more attention to one of the earliest post titles on his blog: Iuventus stultorum magister. Because the next few years were a rather constant exercise in head-banging…and not of the throw-the-horns-and-rock-out variety. No, this was more of the against-the-wall variety. Phil would post something, I’d get huffy and storm off to grab a Bible in order to correct him, only to discover again and again that it was my theology that was getting corrected. And to the amusement of my mother, I actually came full circle on a number of issues and positions that I’d been so sure were shining examples of my brilliance and his…well… obsolescence.
  • I guess the fact that two significant themes in Scripture are the value of old faith and the stupidity of young men should have been a clue right?
  • Fast forward a couple of years…I’m sporting a truly impressive goatee, buying Spurgeon biographies, harassing poor Phil for recommendations on church history books at Shepherds’ Conferences, and forcing everyone I came in contact with to familiarize themselves with early church heresies (still the finest introduction to that topic that I’ve ever heard). And let’s be clear: none of his kindness rose to the level of guidance and assistance that my actual pastors and elders poured into my life, which is as it should be. But except for a couple of really rough times that Pastor John doesn’t want to talk about, I try not to bother those real people at two or three in the morning…but Pyro was always there, as were his sermons, articles, and the entire Spurgeon archive. And on top of that, he’s the one who originally pointed me to Triablogue. And on top of that, he’s the reason that I got exposed to Frank and Dan as well.
  • One last thing before I push the publish button and this gets real…there’s something else I always admired about Phil, something that was always a profound encouragement to me: he’s a layman. He’s got no M.Div. on his wall, no Th.M. in his back pocket. As near as I can tell, he started with little more than a love for God and a bookshelf full of Spurgeon and went from there. On top of that, he’s insanely productive and still makes time to educate himself in order to serve at his church. I’ve commented before that in my opinion John Frame might just be the most dangerous man (theologically speaking, in a good way) with a master’s degree. I really think that Phil might be the most dangerous man without one.
  • So, for all that (and more)...thank you Phil. Thank you for your service to both the church writ large and the church writ small. Thank you for your example of faithfulness. And thank you for your willingness to partner with other godly men to proclaim the full counsel of God at a time when so few are willing to say what needs to be said. And most of all, thank you for blasting that truth out onto the internet where confused guys like me could benefit from it. Frank’s right: those posts aren’t going to just write themselves.

For those of you still trying to figure out that Latin phrase, it translates to “youth is the teacher of fools.” Hopefully you learn that earlier than I did. But if you don’t, I’ve got some old Pyro articles for you to read.

That’ll straighten you out.

Israel Journal – Hub Post

by Stephen Rodgers

This is the hub post for Pastor Patrick Cho’s twenty-part series documenting his trip to Israel. From this page, you can eas­ily find and refer to all posts in this series.

All posts in the Israel Journal series:

Israel Journal #20

by Pastor Patrick Cho

It’s finally here. The last day we will spend together in Israel. I know how much I have been writing about the things we have been able to see and do, but I have not written about the wonderful friendships I have been able to build with the other members of our group. I’ve been so blessed by the conversations, singing, and worship together and am sad to think that we’ll all be heading home and returning to normal life. It really has been a tremendous joy getting to know all the people we’ve been travelling with who are from all over the globe. We had Canadians, Russians, and a New Zealander with us, so we really were from the corners of the earth! One of the sweetest memories of this trip will be that we were able to experience all of this together. It is amazing to think that just three weeks ago we were strangers because we really have bonded during this trip and have built sweet friendships.

I also have not written enough about how appreciative I have been for Dr. Grisanti and his instruction. I’ve been so thankful not only for all the technical information that has been passed along, but more so for the devotional quality of it. There were times where we were free to roam the city or enjoy an evening off, and Dr. G was diligently studying and preparing for the next day’s instruction. This trip really has made a significant impact on my life, and much of that is in thanks to Dr. G. I will never forget his constant exhortations to make God big in my life and to display His glory. Certainly through all the teaching we have received, God has been made much bigger in my eyes.

This morning, those who are taking the trip for credit enjoyed an exam while the rest of us slept in and enjoyed some rest. There was a time I was curious to see how I might have done on the quizzes and exams, but those feelings quickly got washed away by the many hikes and physical exhaustion. After a nice long morning of last minute packing and a hurried breakfast, we jumped on the bus for one last trip into the Old City.

John and I spent the bulk of the morning getting last minute shopping done. We were thankful for the opportunity to spend our last day with the Vlachs who have been a great blessing and joy to get to know. We actually began the day at Zak’s antique shop to look for a gift for Dr. G. Everyone in the group has been so thankful for the work that he has put in that we decided to get a little something to show our appreciation.

After our shopping was all complete, we had some extra time so we decided to swing by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre one more time. I really thought it was a perfect ending to an amazing trip to spend some time at Golgotha. The last time we visited, I didn’t get to see much because they kicked us out of the viewing area to make room for a ceremony. This time we were able to take it in. At the top of the stairs is an ornate viewing area with a little space you can crawl in. Inside the crawl space is a little hole and if you stick your arm in the hole, you can touch the rock quarry beneath.

We came down from there and went over to the empty tomb, but unfortunately the line to go inside was even longer than it was the first time we visited. We took a few pictures from the outside and began our walk back to lunch. On our way to lunch, we realized that we had entered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with “immodest” attire (i.e., shorts). Thankfully, no one stopped us and told us to leave.

We were thankful to grab lunch at Jacob’s Pizza right by the Gloria Hotel where we had stayed earlier on the trip. Every time I had walked by, the restaurant smelled terrific so it was great to actually taste the food. It isn’t a kosher restaurant, so we were even able to get meat on our pizza.

We finished up lunch and then met up with the rest of the group to head back to the moshav. Bill Schlegel, who is an instructor at IBEX, took us on a tour of the biblical garden they have setup on the campus. It was pretty amazing! They have reproductions of a winepress, olive oil press, threshing floor, and even a rolling stone tomb. As we stopped at each display, Bill took some time to walk us through relevant corresponding Scriptures. It was neat to see the life-size illustrations before us as he taught. It was also fascinating to learn more about what life was like in biblical times.

After the tour, we enjoyed one last dinner together. The group from Dallas Theological Seminary headed to the airport first, so we had a brief chance to say goodbye. I was thankful that during our time in Israel, we were even able to get to know some of them. After they left, we had a little time to relax, finish packing, and make last minute phone calls before heading out. Thankfully, we had our rooms all the way until departure so we could take a shower before going to the airport. Our flight departs at around 1:00am, but I didn’t mind because it meant we could have a full last day in Israel.

What a wonderful time it has been! This most definitely has been a life-changing experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been here. I will never forget all that I was able to see, smell, hear, taste, and touch as our group travelled up and down the country of Israel. I really hope that one day I will be able to return and learn more. It would be so great to be able to travel here with Christine so that we could walk this amazing country together. For now, it is good to be heading home. I miss my family, friends, and church and am looking forward to sharing all the stories and lessons learned.

He Hath Said

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Hebrews 13:5

If we can only grasp these words by faith, we have an all-conquering weapon in our hand. What doubt will not be slain by this two-edged sword? What fear is there which shall not fall smitten with a deadly wound before this arrow from the bow of God’s covenant? Will not the distresses of life and the pangs of death; will not the corruptions within, and the snares without; will not the trials from above, and the temptations from beneath, all seem but light afflictions, when we can hide ourselves beneath the bulwark of ‘He hath said’? Yes; whether for delight in our quietude, or for strength in our conflict, ‘He hath said’ must be our daily resort.

And this may teach us the extreme value of searching the Scriptures. There may be a promise in the Word which would exactly fit your case, but you may not know of it, and therefore you miss its comfort. You are like prisoners in a dungeon, and there may be one key in the bunch which would unlock the door, and you might be free; but if you will not look for it, you may remain a prisoner still, though liberty is so near at hand. There may be a potent medicine in the great pharmacopoeia of Scripture, and you may yet continue sick unless you will examine and search the Scriptures to discover what ‘He hath said.’

Should you not, besides reading the Bible, store your memories richly with the promises of God? You can recollect the sayings of great men; you treasure up the verses of renowned poets; ought you not to be profound in your knowledge of the words of God, so that you may be able to quote them readily when you would solve a difficulty, or overthrow a doubt? Since ‘He hath said’ is the source of all wisdom, and the fountain of all comfort, let it dwell in you richly, as ‘A well of water, springing up unto everlasting life.’ So shall you grow healthy, strong, and happy in the divine life.

2.21a

Weekly Links (6/11/2012)

“Sin is cosmic treason. Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign. It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward the One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself. Have you ever considered the deeper implications of the slightest sin, of the most minute peccadillo? What are we saying to our Creator when we disobey Him at the slightest point? We are saying no to the righteousness of God. We are saying, “God, Your law is not good. My judgement is better than Yours. Your authority does not apply to me. I am above and beyond Your jurisdiction. I have the right to do what I want to do, not what You command me to do.” (RC Sproul, The Holiness of God)

by Stephen Rodgers

If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s an empty threat. And since last week I threatened another edition of the Weekly Links to highly available resources…now I’ve got to follow through.

Articles of Note

New Resources

See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

 

Israel Journal #19

by Pastor Patrick Cho

This morning, we were given a very unique opportunity to work together with the Associates for Biblical Research in an archaeological dig at Khirbet el-Maqatir. While et-Tel is the modern accepted location of biblical Ai (Josh. 7-8), there is no archaeological evidence that anyone inhabited the city during the days of Joshua’s conquest. Khirbet el-Maqatir offers an alternative site for Ai that fits well with the biblical narrative.

Those who participated in the dig needed to be up at around 4:00am to get ready. Breakfast was at 4:30am and the bus left for the dig at 5:00am. I really didn’t know what to expect, but when we arrived at the site, it was pretty impressive. Before we actually got on our hands and knees to start excavating, Gary Byers, the administrative director for the dig, walked us around the site to get us acclimated. He showed us how this site better fit the details of Joshua 7-8 than et-Tel. We were able to see where Joshua and his men might have set up their ambush (Josh. 8:4). We were also able to see that the gate of the city faced north towards Shiloh and Shechem.

I was assigned to dig in a first-century house that was discovered at the site. The first hour or so was pretty discouraging because we spent most of the time moving dirt and rocks. But after some time, we discovered a jug handle and rim that was probably from the Roman period. Those who were assigned to sift through our dirt also found a small purple coin that might be a widow’s mite. In the area just next to us, a group discovered a cistern about eight feet deep in one of the rooms of the house. It was pretty exciting and every time something was discovered, you could hear cheers around the dig.

Later in the morning, the rest of our group who did not participate in the dig joined us. We walked back down to the bus and headed north to Shiloh. This was Israel’s religious capital during the days of Joshua. The Tabernacle was erected at Shiloh and remained there for over 300 years. Shiloh was also where Joshua cast lots to divide the land amongst the twelve tribes. We didn’t spend a lot of time at Shiloh, but it was interesting to see a possible location where the Tabernacle might have been set up. An area is there that would have been able to meet the dimensions of the Tabernacle.

After Shiloh, we headed even farther north to a lookout on Mt. Gerizim overlooking Shechem and opposite Mt. Ebal. According to the command of Moses, Israel was to put six tribes on Mt. Gerizim for blessing and six on Mt. Ebal for cursing to review the covenant God made with His people (Deut. 11:29; 27:12-26). Joshua obeyed this command after destroying the city of Ai (Josh. 8:30-35). After the land had been allotted to the tribes of Israel, Joshua gathered the people at Shechem to renew the covenant (Josh. 24).

In the Old Testament, Shechem was set aside as one of the six cities of refuge (Josh. 20:1-9). As we stood on the lookout, we could look down below to Shechem where there is a building marking the traditional location of where Joseph’s body would have been buried (Josh. 24:32). There is also a large red-roofed church built over Jacob’s well where Jesus would have met the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-42). Given the biblical significance of this area, it was neat to be able to stand there and envision all that took place surrounding the city.

It is Friday so we celebrated Sabbath dinner together back at the moshav at Yad-Hashmona. Dinner and dessert were delicious, and afterwards one of the leaders for IBEX stood and read from Psalm 92 declaring the greatness and goodness of YHWH. It was another tiring day in Israel but also very rewarding. This was also our last day of touring in Israel. Tomorrow, we have a free day in Jerusalem before heading back to the moshav to pack and enjoy our last dinner together as a team.

Sonlight’s Spring 2012 Outings

by Abram Kim

On May 20, 2012, some of the Sonlight boys and girls experienced the first of hopefully many more fellowship outings. The staff’s goal for these outings is to further develop relationships with the children and parents we serve outside the classroom setting. We pray this will be the first of many such outings.

The boys, dads, and male Sonlight staff went to the Padres/Angels game at Petco Park in downtown San Diego. It was a nice San Diego afternoon at the ballpark. Our seats were at the upper decks, right behind home plate. It was shaded until about the 7th inning so it wasn’t too hot. The ballgame was tied 2-2 after the 9th inning, so the game went into extra innings. We tried to stay to the end, but it was getting to be long and with no end in sight, we left after the start of the 12th inning (the game finally ended in the 13th inning, with the Padres winning it). The game was a great informal way to just be in each other’s presence.

Here is some reaction from some of the boys.

Matthew

  • Matthew, are you having fun? Yes.
  • What’s been fun about this outing? Food.
  • Are you glad you came out with Sonlight guys? Yeah.
  • What’s something encouraging to say to your Sonlight staff? Thank you.
  • Thank you for what? For teaching us.
  • Teaching you what? About God.
  • What about God have you learned this year? I learned to be like Jesus.

Caleb

  • Caleb, did you have fun today? Yea.
  • What was the funnest part? (seeing that I was holding a recorder) Dadadada gonawana tadagana woganana. Turn it off, turn it off, turn it turn it off.
  • Alright (hiding recorder), what was the funnest part? Us winning [the Padres].

The girls, moms, and female Sonlight staff held a tea party in the courtyard at church after a time of devotion and crafts in the Sonlight room. Stephanie McAdams led the devotion, speaking of true beauty out of Proverbs 31:30. The girls then got to decorate picture frames to reflect on what they learned. Then all the ladies went out to the courtyard where the tea party would be held, with the works (sandwiches, baked goods, fruit, tea and juice).

Here is some reaction from some of the girls.

Ellie and Megan

  • We like the desserts. We’ve been looking forward to this day.

Dana

  • I like the food.
  • I am looking forward [to this event] because I want to have some fun with everybody.

Mia

  • We learned about what is real beauty. I like what we learned because … I don’t know.

Melody

  • We got to learn about the heart being pretty and beautiful.

Kasey

  • We got to do Bible study together with the girls. And the boys did other things. We had a tea party.