A humble and bold Christmas

Today is the eve of one of the most celebrated days in the world: Christmas, the birth of Jesus, the coming of the Christ, the Son of God. What does it mean for you that the Lord has come?

Reading Isaiah chapter 25 in the light of Christmas brings to mind two words that rings loudly throughout the whole of Scripture: HUMBLE and BOLD.

HUMBLE ... for the coming of the Lord silences every proud heart - even the strongest and most ruthless of all. The coming of the Lord is good news only for those who see themselves with "the poor", "the needy in distress" (25:4), indeed for those who are in tears and in deep disgrace (25:8).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor-theologian-martyr, words it powerfully in this manner:

For the great and powerful of this world, there are only two places in which their courage fails them, of which they are afraid deep down in their souls, from which they shy away. These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ. No powerful person dares to approach the manger, and this even includes King Herod. For this is where thrones shake, the mighty fall, the prominent perish, because God is with the lowly. Here the rich come to nothing, because God is with the poor and hungry, but the rich and satisfied he sends away empty. Before Mary, the maid, before the manger of Christ, before God in lowliness, the powerful come to naught; they have no right, no hope; they are judged. (God Is In the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas, cited in Q ideas)
The manger and the cross summons people from every nation to bow the knee and confess that Jesus is Lord, and apart from him we are nothing.

But Christmas also brings to mind a second word,

BOLD ... for the coming of the Lord gives every one who trusts in him the reason to sing gladly about God's love and boast unreservedly about God's grace - whatever comes our way.

For from the manger in Bethlehem to the glory of the cross and power of his indestructible life in the resurrection, the Lord Jesus has demonstrated once and for all that has come and utterly destroyed that "shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations" (25:7) ... he has "swallowed up death forever" (25:8).

Assured of the blessings of this triumphant Lord ... he who has secured for us final victory over every enemy, even death, God summons his people from every nation to boldly declare, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us.This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." (25:9)
Let all God's people therefore join in with saints from every age and every nation, and the angelic choir in the heavenly realms, humbly and boldly sing & declare with one voice:

Joy to the world, the Lord is come; let earth receive her King.

Preach only "what is there, not what I think is there"

In his introduction to "Evangelical Preaching: An anthology of sermons by Charles Simeon", John Stott comments that one of the key secrets of Simeon's effectiveness as a preacher is that he was "wholly and thoroughly faithful to Scripture":

His overriding concern was so to expound Scripture that his congregation would receive it undiluted and uncontaminated by worldly wisdom. To him "biblical exposition" meant opening up some part of Scripture so that the people could feed upon it.

"My endeavour," he wrote to his publisher, "is to bring out of Scripture what is there, and not to thrust in what I think is there. I have a great jealousy on this head: never to speak more or less than I believe to be the mind of the Spirit in the passage I am expounding".

Those words seem to me to be the clearest statement ever made of the expositor's goal. Would that more preachers could wholeheartedly echo and endorse it today!

(Quoted from Charles Simeon, Evangelical Preaching (Multnomah Press), Introduction by John R. W. Stott)

May it be so indeed!

If only we had more funerals!

Rob Moll's recent article in Christianity Today is noteworthy:

"Our church doesn't have enough funerals", associate pastor John Stoltzfus said in his annual All Saints' Day sermon … Such a lack of funerals, says senior pastor Todd Friesen, is a missed opportunity for spiritual formation. A funeral, he says, is like the North Star in the sky, so that a navigator knows where the ship is and how to adjust its direction to get to the destination. At a funeral, "you get these coordinates" to position yourself in life, says Friesen.

We live in a culture that has forgotten how to help people measure their days. Through medicine and science, we know more about death and how to forestall it than ever before. Yet we know little about how to prepare people for the inevitable. The church is a community that teaches people how to live well by teaching them how to measure their days. Put another way, when the church incarnates a culture of resurrection - one that recognises the inevitability of death but not its triumph - it teaches people how to die well.

(quoted from "A Culture of Resurrection: How the church can help its people die well", in pp34-36 CT June 2010, by Rob Moll)

Moll's article reminds us of the lessons the Teacher seeks to pass on in Ecclesiastes. Many discern in Ecclesiastes the voice of despair, how everything one considers as valuable is actually meaningless, and therefore how every effort one considers worthwhile is actually futile. The fact is the Teacher wisely dispenses wisdom on how to live well - the art of living well in the light of the one common destiny that confronts all without exception: death and accountability before the Maker. Living with this destiny clearly in view helps us measure the true value of all things in life, while at the same time recognising the wisdom of pleasing God and looking to him to supply us with the ability to enjoy even this present life!

For Christians living this side of the cross, the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus adds greater clarity on the guiding principle for living well - that though death is inevitable, Christ and all who are in him has triumphed over death. Thus while the Christian lives in view of death, he does not live in fear of death. As written by the apostle Paul, "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"  (1 Corinthians 15:55; cf. Isaiah 25:8).

Moreover, how then should we live? Paul continues, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58). The Christian is able to confidently affirm that our efforts certainly do not count for nothing - if indeed we are doing all things for the glory of the Lord - beginning with the work of spreading the word of the cross of Christ, but continuing into living all of life in the light of his return in glory.

So for anyone wanting to learn the secret of a life truly lived well: don't bother with those expensive self-improvement seminars or courses. Check out a nearby Christian funeral service instead! It will help you fix your eyes on your "North Star"! It'll help you fix your eyes on Jesus!

Our times are in His hands

The coming national population and housing census in July brings to mind another census that took place a long time ago - the census decreed by Caesar Augustus cited in Luke 2.

Reflecting on the occasion when Christ was born, JC Ryle comments on how the sovereign wisdom of God is clearly displayed through this, and how it helps all God's children to not be anxious, but trust in Him who always knows when the time is right:

God's wisdom is seen in this simple fact. The Jews were coming under the dominion and taxation of a foreign power. Strangers were beginning to rule over them. Augustus taxes the world, and at once Christ is born.

It was a moment which was particularly suitable for the introduction of Christ's Gospel. The whole civilised earth was at last governed by one ruler. There was nothing to stop the preacher of a new faith from going from city to city and country to country. It was indeed "the right time" (Romans 5:6) for God to interpose from heaven and for Christ to be born.

Let us always rest our souls on the thought that times are in God's hands (Psalm 31:15). He knows the best time to send help to his church and new light to the world. Let us beware of giving in to anxiety about the events around us, as if we knew than the King of kings when relief should come.

Quoted from  J.C. Ryle, Luke: The Crossway Classic Commentary (Crossway).

Preferring God over the world

J.C. Ryle reflects on the example of Moses (cf. Hebrews 11:24-26) and leaves us a valuable lesson concerning the necessity of faith:

Nothing will ever enable you to choose God before the world, except faith.

Nothing else will do it. Knowledge will not, feeling will not, a regular use of outward forms will not, good companions will not. All these may do something, but the fruit they produce has no power of continuance; it will not last. A religion springing from such sources will only endure so long as there is no 'tribulation or persecution because of the Word', but as soon as there is any, it will dry up. It is a clock without mainspring or weights; its face may be beautiful, you may turn its fingers round, but it will not go. A religion that is to stand must have a living foundation, and there is none other but faith.

And what does such a faith look like? Ryle continues:

There must be a real heartfelt belief that God's promises are sure and to be depended on - a real belief that what God says in the Bible is all true, and that every doctrine contrary to this is false, whatever anyone may say. There must be a real belief that all God's words are to be received, however hard and disagreeable to flesh and blood, and that His way is right and all others wrong. This there must be, or you will never come out from the world, take up the cross, follow Christ and be saved.

You must learn to believe promises better than possessions, things unseen better than things seen, things in heaven out of sight better than things on earth before your eyes, the praise of the invisible God better than the praise of visible man. Then, and then only, you will make a choice like Moses, and prefer God to the world.

Quoted from J.C. Ryle, 'Moses - an example', in Holiness (Evangelical Press)

"Everybody cannot do everything"

As the church and her leaders continue to be bombarded with urgent needs from every direction, John Stott draws out an important and urgent ministry insight as he reflects on Acts 6:1-7 in conjunction with his lifelong pastoral ministry:

A vital principle is embedded in this incident [i.e. the choosing of the Seven], which the church urgently needs to re-learn in every generation, namely that 'everybody cannot do everything'. Indeed, everybody is not called to do everything.

Or let me express this principle in three positive statements:

1. God calls all his people to ministry (diakonia). 
2. God calls different people to different ministries.
3. God expects those called to the ministry of the word to concentrate on their calling and on no account to allow themselves to be distracted by social administration.

It is obviously deliberate that the work of the Twelve and the work of the Seven are both called diakonia ('ministry'). The Twelve were called to the diakonia of the word (verse 4) or to pastoral ministry, while the Seven were called to the diakonia of tables (verse 2) or to social ministry. Neither ministry is inferior to the other. On the contrary, both are Christian ministries (ways of serving God). Both require Spirit-filled people to exercise them. And both can be full-time Christian ministries. The only difference between them is that they are different!

Quoted from John Stott, The Living Church: Convictions of a lifelong pastor (IVP).

On church planting

We thank God for the wonderful privilege for the opportunity to serve as part of a church planting team in a growing township in Malaysia. The process of planning and planting a new congregation, a new community of God's people (or "City within the City", to borrow Tim Keller's terminology) has been for us thoroughly exciting ... and yet, terribly confusing at the same time.

The words of Mark Dever proves helpful in encouraging us to stay the course, to keep our focus on what we're really on about:

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe (Heb 1:1-2)"

Living as we do after the Fall but before the Heavenly City, we are in a time when faith is central, and so the Word must be central - because God's Holy Spirit creates His people by His Word! We can create a people by other means, and this is the great temptation of churches. We can created a people around a certain ethnicity. We can create a people around a fully-graded choir program. We can find people who get excited about a building project or a denomination identity. We can create a people around a series of care groups, where each feels loved and cared for. We can create a people around a community service project. We can create a people around social opportunities for young mothers or Caribbean cruises for singles. We can create a people around men's groups. We can even create a people around the personality of a preacher. And God can surely use all of these things. But in the final analysis the people of God, the church of God, can only be created around the Word of God.

Asked about his accomplishments as a Reformer, Martin Luther said, "I simply taught, preached, wrote God's Word: otherwise I did nothing ... The Word did it all." The Word of God brings life.

Quoted from Mark Dever, "Expositional Preaching" in Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Crossway).

Trusting God through every trial

Ajith Fernando shares a story about C.T. Studd to show us an example of the meaning of unflinching belief in the sovereignty of God that looks at every trial in a positive light:

C. T. Studd was founder of the Heart for Africa Mission, now known as WEC International. For much of his missionary career he lived deep in the jungles of Africa ... The mail would come once every two weeks, and Studd made quite a ritual of the opening of the mail.

Once a lot of funds came in the mail, and Studd said, "Bless God forever! He knows what a bunch of grumblers we are and he has sent enough to keep us quiet." Another time, when a small amount came in, Studd said, "Hallelujah, we must be growing in grace. He thinks we are learning to trust him." Once nothing came in. Studd's response was, "Hallelujah, praise God forever! We are in the kingdom already, for in the kingdom there is neither eating nor drinking, but righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost."

Quoted from Ajith Fernando, "Not gluttons for punishment", in The Call to Joy and Pain (Crossway). Originally cited in Dennis Kinlaw, This Day with the Master (Zondervan).