Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

Weekly Links (11/5/2018)

by Stephen Rodgers

Alright…I had to wait until after the weekend for all the resources to be available, but here we go!

  • Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (free audiobook) – This is a classic and rightfully so. If you don’t have this, it’s definitely worth picking up for the low, low price of free.
  • New Covenant Commentary: 2 Timothy and Titus (free Logos resource) – This is a commentary series that I’m not particularly familiar with, so if you’re a Logos user, perhaps it’s worth it, or perhaps not.
  • Living by the Word (November issue of Tabletalk) – The November issue of Tabletalk considers what it means for Christians to be a people of the book. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: if you only check out one resource from here, make it Tabletalk.
  • 9Marks Journal – There have been a number of new issues of the 9Marks Journal on a variety of topics. You can check out their website, and I’ve updated our index of their issues.
  • Glory Books – This past weekend was the all-church retreat with Dr. Greg Harris. I know a number of folks were excited at some of the resources he mentioned, including the free Chinese translation of the The Cup and the Glory. Now you can check it out.

Enjoy!

Pro Rege

And God Divided The Light From The Darkness

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Genesis 1:4

A believer has two principles at work within him. In his natural estate he was subject to one principle only, which was darkness; now light has entered, and the two principles disagree. Mark the apostle Paul’s words in the seventh chapter of Romans: ‘I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.’

How is this state of things occasioned? ‘The Lord divided the light from the darkness.’ Darkness, by itself, is quiet and undisturbed, but when the Lord sends in light, there is a conflict, for the one is in opposition to the other: a conflict which will never cease till the believer is altogether light in the Lord. If there be a division within the individual Christian, there is certain to be a division without. So soon as the Lord gives to any man light, he proceeds to separate himself from the darkness around; he secedes from a merely worldly religion of outward ceremonial, for nothing short of the gospel of Christ will now satisfy him, and he withdraws himself from worldly society and frivolous amusements, and seeks the company of the saints, for ‘We know we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.’ The light gathers to itself, and the darkness to itself.

What God has divided, let us never try to unite, but as Christ went without the camp, bearing His reproach, so let us come out from the ungodly, and be a peculiar people. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners; and, as He was, so we are to be nonconformists to the world, dissenting from all sin, and distinguished from the rest of mankind by our likeness to our Master.

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Fighter Verses

by Sarah Andrews

In youth ministry, our middle schoolers are currently being equipped with “Fighter verses” that will help them to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). We recently discussed Philippians 2:12-13: “Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of his good pleasure.”

What does it mean to work out our salvation; does it mean we work for our salvation? It is a tremendous blessing that we, as Christians are not striving to enter the gates of heaven based on our own merit. If our salvation was dependent on our performance, we would be unable to meet God’s perfect standard and would be fully deserving of His wrath. God showed us mercy and He died for our sins so that we would not have to pay the price. If we put our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and ask Him to forgive our sins, we will be fully forgiven and cleansed of all unrighteousness.

“Working out our salvation” means that out of our new identities as children of God, we live changed lives and are being made into the image of Christ. We are still imperfect people living in an imperfect world, and we battle sin and Satan who tempts us. We desire to obey God and live in a way that pleases and worships Him, although the Christian walk will have trials and suffering (1 Peter 1:6, 1 John 16:33, Romans 8:18).

The Holy Spirit helps us fight our fleshly desires and live righteous lives, and we have God’s word for spiritual armor and wisdom. As we abide in God and trust in His grace, He helps bear fruit in our lives. Ultimately the gospel gives us strength to continue, because we know that Christ has paid the price for our sins, and He has the final victory over Satan and sin.

I pray that all the youth at Lighthouse Bible Church may put their faith in Jesus, and as they grow older and face trials, God can give them wisdom and knowledge of His power, faithfulness and abundant grace. I am excited to see how He will work in their lives to shape them to be more like Christ.

Through trials, I have learned that God is gracious and wise, and His word is “a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105) when I am discouraged and need direction. Whether we are working at a job, caring for our families, or serving elsewhere, God calls us to love and forgive people just as Christ has loved and forgiven us, and to share the hope of the gospel.

God can test our faith in situations when people are difficult to love, or if they even hurt or mistreat us. God’s commands are possible when we find our hope in the gospel. We once hated and rejected God, but He forgave us of all our sins; therefore, the Holy Spirit allows us to love, forgive and pray for people. God’s word says,

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21)

In addition, God calls us to share the hope of Christ with people who do not know Him. Through our preaching of the gospel and living transformed lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, God can use us as instruments of His plan. It is God who changes hardened hearts and brings people to repentance. (John 6:44). We are sinners who were once no different from nonbelievers, and God desires for us to show compassion, be patient, and share the hope we have “with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander [us] will be put to shame by [our] good behavior in Christ.” (Romans 6:15-23). Ephesians 5:1-2 states as well, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Trials indeed make our faith stronger. We daily sin and fail, but we can confess our shortcomings to God and find forgiveness at the cross. Hebrews 4:16 says, “let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” We do not work to earn or keep God’s favor; rather, we work out our salvation to please and worship our Savior.

Even when we forget or have trouble trusting His promises, He still loves us. Let us “fight the good fight of faith!”

Why Require Obedience in the Classroom?

by Ryan McAdams

For some of you, this may seem like a question with an obvious answer. But, for many parents and children’s ministry servants, myself included, we have had to wrestle with whether or not we should require obedience to God’s standards from unsaved children. The logic against requiring children to obey God’s commands flows something like the following: knowing that without faith, it is impossible to please God, we cannot expect children without the Holy Spirit in them to obey; we are asking the impossible from them.

We have touched on this subject previously in the Beacon, as well as in an excellent treatment on the topic from this year’s GraceLife Weekender (Weekend Conference), and many if not most of the arguments for obedience from children within a family will apply to children within a children’s ministry.

In spite of the seemingly impossible task we are expecting from the unregenerate children, we do require obedience in the classroom. Do we do it for the sake of maintaining order in the classroom and having the events run smoothly? Tempting as it is to let that determine what we do in the ministry, no, we do not require obedience for order in the classroom alone. In short, we require obedience because God requires obedience, for the Lord Jesus himself said “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48).

Now, the astute Biblical scholar might note that Jesus was speaking to his followers about life in the kingdom of God when he made that statement, and argue that this returns us back to the starting question of how we can expect this perfection from children who have not been born again. But, God had given the children of Israel a very similar command in the book of Leviticus, saying that “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 20:26). Before you object that God gave that commandment solely to the Israelites, remember that God judged non-Israelite peoples throughout history for their wickedness, for the very lack of conformity to God’s holiness, starting with the people in Noah’s day, to the Canaanites throughout the Israelite conquest, to the judgments against nations around Israel from Nahum, Obadiah, Amos, Isaiah and other prophets. God very much expects obedience from all peoples everywhere, and this includes the children in our classrooms every Sunday.

Understanding that the heart of the natural man is desperately sick, wicked to the core, we understand that without divine help nobody can be holy as God is holy, and thus we all are in big trouble. But, as Jonah also knew, “God is a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” (Jonah 4:2b). And so God has revealed his law, as an act of divine grace. To the nation of Israel, God provided the sacrificial system, where a person would sacrifice an animal to atone for a sin. And this sacrifice served to remind the individual of the seriousness of his sin, that he should have died in the place of that animal. But even more than that, God gave the law, not so that anyone could attain righteousness by adhering to the rules, for all who rely on works of the law are under a curse, but that the law would imprison us, acting as a harsh tutor or taskmaster, as Paul explained in the third chapter of his letter to the Galatians. Essentially, the law should drive us to despair as it reveals the myriad manifestations of our sinfulness. But, this despair should drive us to the great hope of Jesus Christ, who God made to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

So, we uphold God’s standards in the classroom, like showing kindness, speaking truth, obeying authorities, and try to explain to the children when they have transgressed these things with the hope that with each transgression, they will understand more and more their inadequacy to be holy as God is holy, and the futility in trusting their own works to save them. We want their hearts to beg for God’s help and we want each of them to cling in faith to God’s mercy in the life and death of Jesus, the perfect Son of God.

Forget Not All His Benefits

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Psalm 103:2

It is a delightful and profitable occupation to mark the hand of God in the lives of ancient saints, and to observe His goodness in delivering them, His mercy in pardoning them, and His faithfulness in keeping His covenant with them. But would it not be even more interesting and profitable for us to remark the hand of God in our own lives? Ought we not to look upon our own history as being at least as full of God, as full of His goodness and of His truth, as much a proof of His faithfulness and veracity, as the lives of any of the saints who have gone before? We do our Lord an injustice when we suppose that He wrought all His mighty acts, and showed Himself strong for those in the early time, but doth not perform wonders or lay bare His arm for the saints who are now upon the earth.

Let us review our own lives. Surely in these we may discover some happy incidents, refreshing to ourselves and glorifying to our God. Have you had no deliverances? Have you passed through no rivers, supported by the divine presence? Have you walked through no fires unharmed? Have you had no manifestations? Have you had no choice favours? The God who gave Solomon the desire of his heart, hath He never listened to you and answered your requests? That God of lavish bounty of whom David sang, ‘Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things,’ hath He never satiated you with fatness? Have you never been made to lie down in green pastures? Have you never been led by the still waters? Surely the goodness of God has been the same to us as to the saints of old.

Let us, then, weave His mercies into a song. Let us take the pure gold of thankfulness, and the jewels of praise and make them into another crown for the head of Jesus. Let our souls give forth music as sweet and as exhilarating as came from David’s harp, while we praise the Lord whose mercy endureth for ever.

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Lead Me In Thy Truth, And Teach Me…

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Psalm 25:5

When the believer has begun with trembling feet to walk in the way of the Lord, he asks to be still led onward like a little child upheld by its parent’s helping hand, and he craves to be further instructed in the alphabet of truth. Experimental teaching is the burden of this prayer. David knew much, but he felt his ignorance, and desired to be still in the Lord’s school: four times over in two verses he applies for a scholarship in the college of grace. It were well for many professors if instead of following their own devices, and cutting out new paths of thought for themselves, they would enquire for the good old ways of God’s own truth, and beseech the Holy Ghost to give them sanctified understandings and teachable spirits.

‘For thou art the God of my salvation.’ The Three-One Jehovah is the Author and Perfecter of salvation to His people. Reader, is He the God of your salvation? Do you find in the Father’s election, in the Son’s atonement, and in the Spirit’s quickening, all the grounds of your eternal hopes? If so, you may use this as an argument for obtaining further blessings; if the Lord has ordained to save you, surely He will not refuse to instruct you in His ways. It is a happy thing when we can address the Lord with the confidence which David here manifests, it gives us great power in prayer, and comfort in trial.

‘On Thee do I wait all the day.’ Patience is the fair handmaid and daughter of faith; we cheerfully wait when we are certain that we shall not wait in vain. It is our duty and our privilege to wait upon the Lord in service, in worship, in expectancy, in trust all the days of our life. Our faith will be tried faith, and if it be of the true kind, it will bear continued trial without yielding. We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously He once waited for us.

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Tell Me I Pray Thee Wherein Thy Great Strength Lieth

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Judges 16:6

Where lies the secret strength of faith? It lies in the food it feeds on; for faith studies what the promise is-an emanation of divine grace, an overflowing of the great heart of God; and faith says, ‘My God could not have given this promise, except from love and grace; therefore it is quite certain His Word will be fulfilled.’

  • Then faith thinketh, ‘Who gave this promise?’ It considereth not so much its greatness, as, ‘Who is the author of it?’ She remembers that it is God who cannot lie-God omnipotent, God immutable; and therefore concludeth that the promise must be fulfilled; and forward she advances in this firm conviction.
  • She remembereth, why the promise was given,-namely, for God’s glory, and she feels perfectly sure that God’s glory is safe, that He will never stain His own escutcheon, nor mar the lustre of His own crown; and therefore the promise must and will stand.
  • Then faith also considereth the amazing work of Christ as being a clear proof of the Father’s intention to fulfil His word. ‘He that spared not His own Son, but freely delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?’
  • Moreover faith looks back upon the past, for her battles have strengthened her, and her victories have given her courage. She remembers that God never has failed her; nay, that He never did once fail any of His children. She recollecteth times of great peril, when deliverance came; hours of awful need, when as her day her strength was found, and she cries, ‘No, I never will be led to think that He can change and leave His servant now. Hitherto the Lord hath helped me, and He will help me still.’

Thus faith views each promise in its connection with the promise-giver, and, because she does so, can with assurance say, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!’

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Weekly Links (10/5/2018)

by Stephen Rodgers

Howdy folks…it’s the first Friday of the month, which means we’re back with a free-stuff version of the weekly links. So without further ado…

  • Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon (free audiobook) – This is a biography by evangelist Greg Laurie detailing the life of Steve McQueen. It’s not of any particular interest to me, but I’ll include it here just in case that absolutely excites any of you.
  • Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings: Lectionary Cycle A (free Logos resource) – This seems to be a compilation of ancient prayers by the church fathers, which might be interesting, depending on the editorial intention and slant. But again, it’s here in case that’s of interest to anyone.
  • “Perfectionism and Control” (free Tabletalk magazine) – The October issue of Tabletalk addresses the issue of perfectionism, control, and the sovereignty of God. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Tabletalk is pretty great. This I can highly recommend.
  • “Holiness” (free Credo Magazine) – The latest edition of Credo Magazine discusses the topic of holiness and sanctification.

There you have it. Hopefully at least one of these resources (*cough, cough* Tabletalk *cough*) is helpful to you this month. See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Is Social Justice a Gospel Issue?

by Pastor Patrick Cho

There has been a lot of talk recently in evangelical circles about social justice and the gospel. The dialogue has particularly ramped up since the publishing of the “Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel” (which I happily signed). Much heated exchange has taken place between those who want to guard against “mission drift” in the church with the incorporation (and even substitution) of social issues into the gospel message and ministry, and those who want greater awareness of real or perceived social injustices.

Sadly, it seems there is a lot of talking past one another and not enough helpful dialogue. Kevin DeYoung writes a helpful article explaining some of the disconnect – a disagreement on definitions. Evangelicals are divided on the definitions of terms such as racism, justice, micro-aggressions, intersectionality, etc., and this makes it very difficult to address these issues or potential solutions. There may never be agreement for the various sides of the debate. There may never be agreement on what the real issues are or how to combat them. Regardless, no matter how you define terms related to social justice, the church should be united on the gospel. There is no question that all Christians in this debate should agree on what is or is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When I Passed By Thee, I Said Unto Thee, Live

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Ezekiel 16:6

Saved one, consider gratefully this mandate of mercy.

  • Note that this fiat of God is majestic. In our text, we perceive a sinner with nothing in him but sin, expecting nothing but wrath; but the eternal Lord passes by in His glory; l He looks. He pauses, and He pronounces the solitary but royal word, ‘Live.’ There speaks a God. Who but He could venture thus to deal with life and dispense it with a single syllable?
  • Again, this fiat is manifold. When He saith ‘Live,’ it includes many things. Here is judicial life. The sinner is ready to be condemned, but the mighty One saith, ‘Live,’ and he rises pardoned and absolved. It is spiritual life. We knew not Jesus-our eyes could not see Christ, our ears could not hear His voice-Jehovah said ‘Live,’ and we were quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. Moreover, it includes glory-life, which is the perfection of spiritual life. ‘I said unto thee, Live:’ and that word rolls on through all the years of time till death comes, and in the midst of the shadows of death, the Lord’s voice is still heard, ‘Live!’ In the morning of the resurrection it is that self-same voice which is echoed by the arch-angel, ‘Live,’ and as holy spirits rise to heaven to be blest for ever in the glory of their God, it is in the power of this same word, ‘Live.’
  • Note again, that it is an irresistible mandate. Saul of Tarsus is on the road to Damascus to arrest the saints of the living God. A voice is heard from heaven and a light is seen above the brightness of the sun, and Saul is crying out, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’
  • This mandate is a mandate of free grace. When sinners are saved, it is only and solely because God will do it to magnify His free, unpurchased, unsought grace. Christians, see your position, debtors to grace; show your gratitude by earnest, Christlike lives, and as God has bidden you live, see to it that you live in earnest.

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