Getting Ready for Sunday Morning, September 7

There is a fine line between familiar and too familiar.  Familiarity includes a sense of intimacy and close relation.  “Too familiar” almost carries the sense of “former intimacy.”  When we become too familiar with something, we stop looking, thinking, and cherishing it to some degree.  It’s not caused by overexposure, but by a decision that what is familiar is now known, and no more investigation or intimacy is needed. 

This weekend, as you prepare for worship with the saints at Concord, think about the way you view the cross.  Is it familiar or too familiar?  Because we’ve heard the Gospel story so often, we are at risk of slipping away from intimacy towards indifference.  Our hearts aren’t as touched by God’s great mercy.  We aren’t as aware of our great sin, or the greatness of God’s wrath that we have been saved from - saved by the mercy of the very one we have rejected through our sin.  To too familiar eyes and ears, the Gospel is what we expected God to do.  The Gospel becomes normal, and we remain in our seats for the most amazing display of God’s glory.

The antidote for being too familiar isn’t distance apart - the cure is getting closer and finding joy and wonder.  Direct your heart away from passive overfamiliarity and towards active and intentional intimacy with the Gospel.  Meditate on this passage for several minutes, and consider that the “you” in the passage is …YOU!

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  Eph. 2:1-7

YOU were dead in trespasses and sin.  YOU followed the enemy of God.  YOU were on the wrong side and deserved judgment, and God would be absolutely right to destroy YOU.  Then, YOU received mercy.  YOU were loved by God, made alive in Christ, and You were saved, all for the glory of God in Christ.  It truly is wondrous.

On Sunday morning, we will celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection and sing “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus … and wonder how he could love me, a sinner.”  Will being too familiar dim your affection for Christ at that moment, or will refreshed familiarity cause your heart to sing “how marvelous!  how wonderful is my savior’s love for me!”? 

I look forward to worshiping Jesus with you on Sunday.

At our Men’s Retreat, Randy Stinson made an arresting statement.  In a room that size, over a dozen men were presently struggling with pornography (statistically speaking).  How do we respond to such an invasive and illusive struggle with sexual sin?  The temptations to linger and lust are everywhere, but our unlimited cable TV options and internet access have moved the battle for purity into the family room.  American churches are full of men and women who fight and fail every day.  And yet, it is hard to carry on an open conversation about sexual sin.  It becomes too easy to feel isolated and rejected, the very feelings that often lead back to sin.

David Powlison wrote an excellent article for anyone who struggles with pornography (or for those who are trying to help).  Addiction may seem like too strong of a word, but don’t let that keep you from reading the article.  From the introduction:

There is no magic bullet to free you from your addiction, but when you ask Jesus for help, he will come to you mercifully and firmly. Jesus welcomes all kinds of strugglers into his kingdom, and his Spirit will provide the deep-down change you long for.

Change happens when you face your behavior honestly, understand the roots of your behavior, and then go to God to work true change in your life. The true change that comes from God will affect not only your behavior, but also your imagination and desires in life. Do you believe God can do this? Take a step of faith; read this article, and ask God to use it to begin to change you.

Read the entire article here.

One great practice in our personal worship is to read from the Psalms every day.  The “prayer book of the Hebrews” contains a full range of emotions and responses to God, so it may be the most sympathetic book of the Bible.  We can relate to the fear, thanksgiving, worry, joy, sorrow, victory and tragedy surrounding the Psalmists.  But you won’t get too far in the Psalms without hitting a troublesome cry.  Did I just read something about “dashing their infants against the rocks?” 

What does a Christian do with “Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!” (Psalm 109) or “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.” (Psalm 69)?  Surely, God deals severely with the wicked.  But when we consider our own double-minded tendencies, do we not feel the flames of destruction on our own heels?  Is it right for us to pursue one’s destruction rather than his salvation?  How does the Gospel shape (or change) the way we read the”Imprecatory Psalms?”

This question has troubled me for some time.  I know Jesus has covered my sin with his own righteousness, and God’s wrath which I deserved has been fully spent on God’s Son on the cross, but it still makes me tremble.  Over the summer, I found two helpful resources on the subject.  If you wonder what to do with these Psalms, I’ll share one with you today.  David Powlison spoke on Jesus and the Imprecatory Psalms at the WorshipGod conference last July.  The audio is available online, and you can read a brief summary from Bob Kauflin.  After hearing Powlison’s thoughts, I discovered a great joy in these troublesome psalms.  The truth is, the expression of God’s wrath against evil is at the heart of the Gospel.  Hear this message and find joy - God will deliver us from evil.

Someone recently stated that abortion has been a matter of controversy throughout the history of the church.  If the last 50 years or so constitutes the history of the church, then the person making this observation may be right.  However, church history stretches back a little farther than 20th century liberalism. 

Historical documents from the earliest centuries of church history present a unified and unambigious position.

You shall not kill the child by obtaining an abortion. Nor, again, shall you destroy him after he is born. (Barnabas, 70-80 AD, 1.148)

You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill one who has been born. (The Didache, 80-140 AD, 1.377)

We say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder. And we also say that we will have to give an account to God for the abortion. (Athenagoras, 175 AD, 2.147)

In our case, murder is once for all forbidden. Therefore, we may not destroy even the fetus in the womb, while as yet the human being derives blood from other parts of the body for its sustenance. To hinder a birth is merely a speedier way to kill a human. It does not matter whether you take away a life that has been born or destroy one that is not yet born. (Tertullian, 197 AD, 3.26)

Indeed, the Law of Moses punishes with appropriate penalties the person who causes abortion. For there already exists the beginning stages of a human being. And even at this stage, [the fetus] is already acknowledged with having the condition of life and death, since he is already susceptible to both. (Tertullian, 210 AD, 3.218)

Are you to dissolve the conception by aid of drugs? I believe it is no more lawful to hurt a child in process of birth, than to hurt one who is already born. (Tertullian, 212 AD, 4.57)

There are some women who, by drinking medical preparations, extinguish the source of the future man in their very bowels. So they commit murder before they bring forth. (Mark Minucius Felix, 200 AD, 4.192)

The womb of his wife was hit by a blow of his heel. And, in the miscarriage that soon followed, the offspring was brought forth, the fruit of a father’s murder. (Cyprian, 250 AD, 5.326)

The soul is not introduced into the body after birth, as some philosophers think. Rather, it is introduced immediately after conception, when the divine necessity has formed the offspring in the womb. (Lactantius, 304-313 AD, 7.297)

You shall not slay your child by causing abortion, nor kill the baby that is born. (Apostolic Constitutions, 390 AD, 7.466)

Christians today who desire the protection of unborn babies would find good company among their earliest Christian brothers and sisters.  If this is controversy, I would love to see what unity looks like! 

(HT: James Grant)

CJ and Carolyn Mahaney recently sat down and discussed how they cultivated in their children a love for the local church. You can hear the 11 min audio clip here. Here are the highlights from the interview:

1. You build a heart for the local church into children by stressing that while commitment and devotion to the nuclear family is important, devotion and commitment to our family in Christ is of greater importance because he nuclear family will not endure (contrary to Mormon theology), but eternal family will.
2. Communicate to your children that the church isn’t just Daddy or Mommy’s church, but it is our church. You do this by talking to them and encouraging them to participate in the life of the church. Prepare them for membership meetings. Talk to them about what is happening in the service as you parent in the pew. Turn their attention towards the elements of worship. As they get older, involve them in ministry. Don’t keep your children on the sidelines. Involve them in the life of the church.
3. The priority of the local church over and above other meaningful life activities such as sports, ballet, swim team, Boy Scouts, etc, is biblical. As a parent your primary responsibility is to prepare your child for judgment before Jesus Christ. Cultivating a heart for God is of more importance than teaching your son to cleanly field a grounder at short-stop (though this isn’t to say you can’t do both). Our commitment to God’s people should be our joy and passion, not simply our duty. Too often (culturally) the church is seen as an inconvenience or interruption to family time or commitments, as if commitment to the nuclear family should take precedence over our commitment to God’s family. If the church is not given priority in the home, this is evidence of biblical immaturity and an indicator that the home is governedby the changing tide of desires washing ashore in the home life.

I still remember the occasion when God began giving me a desire not just to be in the ministry but to be a pastor.  I was sitting in the preaching lab at Beeson Divinity School listening to a visiting speaker talk about the church.  He spoke intelligently and biblically and passionately about God’s plan to put his glory on display through the church, about how Jesus Christ gave his blood for the church, about how the church was meant to function.  God stirred my heart.  I began to experience a love for the local church that I had never had before, and in time I knew that God meant for me to be a pastor.

The man I heard speaking that day was named Mark Dever.  Mark is the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C., and the leader of 9Marks Ministries.  I’m thankful to God for Mark’s influence in my life and am honored to call him a friend.  And I’m nearly beside myself to announce that Mark and three other leaders from 9Marks Ministries will be hosting a regional workshop at our church in October. 

Concord, make plans now to attend the workshop.  You can read the info here.  (Note: the fee for Concord members is only $20.)  You will want to attend in order to:

(1) understand me better;
(2) understand the church better;
(3) either thank Mark or blame him for his influence on my life.

1. The Missions Committee has been working for 2 years to develop a strategic missions strategy for Concord, exploring many options including, but not limited to, Canada, North Peru and South Peru.
2. The Missions Committee will continue to explore where Concord can invest significantly in international missions for the sake of the nations whether or not the Missions Committee pursues adoption in South Peru or not.
3. The Yauyos Quechua people group is within 14 hours travel via air and ground from Chattanooga.
4. The number of participants needed to invest in multiple trips to the Yauyos Quechuas may only slightly exceed the number of participants who served on foreign mission trips this year (21 people).
5. The strategy needed to plant church planting churches in South Peru has already been developed by REAPSouth of the International Mission Board but will need to be tweaked to meet the needs of the Yauyos Quechuas and the talents and gifts of Concord Baptist Church.
6. Travel to the Yauyos Quechuas is reasonably safe. Ground travel will be made by 4×4 pick-up trucks. Roads consist of both well-maintained pavement and gravel roads.
7. Accomodations among the Yauyos Quechuas are better than adequate including shelter, running water, and toilets.
8. The Missions Committee has been in consistent contact with several of the thirty-seven churches that are already a part of the REAPSouth church planting strategy.
9. The Missions Committee currently does not anticipate a financial commitment that is significantly higher than our current financial commitment to international missions in order to adopt an unreached people group. Admittedly this could change in the event that our strategy changes.
10. The Missions Committee believes that the mission strategy to plant church planting churches among the Yauyos Quechua people group is accessible to many members from our congregation, from young adults (12-19) to senior adults, depending on the kind of trip organized (discipleship, evangelism, medical, prayer walking, etc).
11. The Missions Committee strongly believes that we must become a gospel-shaped, gospel-sharing church among both our neighbors and the nations.

Suppose a well-known financial investment firm entrusted you with $10,000. The money is not to be used for yourself, but rather, is to be used to strengthen the company’s influence in the financial sector. You are given two options and the only instructions are that you take the money and invest it in an opportunity that would yield the greatest return. Neither option is necessarily wrong, but one will potentially produce a greater return in the end. 

The first opportunity involves a wide range of diverse short-term investments that would stimulate far-reaching exposure, diversity, and knowledge within the investing company about these varied financial markets, but would likely net marginal return in the investment for either the investor or investee. In other words, the company would benefit from learning more about all of the benefits of these particular markets, but the short-term investment would not lend itself to significant long-term benefit to either the investor or the investee. In the end, there would be very little way to measure the productivity of this kind of investment.

The second opportunity involves a focused, strategic long-term investment on one particular financial market. The risk in this investment is greater. This investment will require more intimate communication between the investor and investee, greater commitment from the investor toward this one particular market, patience to watch the investment grow, and willingness to lose some of the investment for the sake of greater gain in the end.

Both investments are wise. The question is: which is the wiser investment?

This scenario isn’t so different from the options we are weighing regarding Concord’s potential adoption of an unreached people group in South Peru. We’ve been charged by God with the responsibility of proclaiming His greatness and glory to our neighbors and the nations. Jesus has told us to take the Gospel to “Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus also said that we won’t see him return in triumphant glory as conquering King until the Gospel is proclaimed to all nations (Mark 13:10). But what is the best strategy (or investment) on our part as we joyfully and obediently accept the charge to bring the message of Jesus to both our neighbors and the nations?

The reality about missions at Concord is that we are going to continue doing missions in some capacity. Over the past five years teams from Concord have taken the Gospel to New Orleans (LA), Bay St. Louis (MS), Chicago (IL), Chattanooga, (TN), Guatemala, Canada and Peru. All of these short-term opportunities have proven to be profitable for us at home as we’ve seen God place a greater sense of urgency within our hearts about how best to share this pearl of great price with the world. Seeds of the Gospel have been scattered both at home and abroad. However, because we’ve scattered seed far and wide without having either the time or opportunity to really prepare the soil for harvest, it is difficult to gauge how effective our investment in these areas for Christ has really been (with the notable exception of Chattanooga where we have invested significantly for the sake of Jesus).

Rather than take multiple short-term trips to an increasing number of destinations, doesn’t it make sense to invest in an opportunity that is accessible to us, spiritually and physcially depressed, yet open to the Gospel,  and where we know there is little to no viable, sustained Gospel witness? It is true that making a commitment to a specific, targeted area over the next 3-5 years will likely be more difficult than the kind of short-term trips we’ve grown accustomed to over the past 5 years. It is also true that doing so may require more training and equipping on our end for the sake of the Gospel in South Peru. And it is also true that adopting the Yauyos Quechuan people group will demand more from us relationally.

But think about the greater reward of that investment. Wouldn’t it be awesome to share in the joy of being among the first people to share with Peruvians made in the image of God who Jesus is and what Jesus has done to rescue them from their sin? Can you imagine the overwhelming sense of purpose and gratitude you would feel when you ask a man or woman if they have ever heard of Jesus, and when they say “no”, you get to be the first person to tell them about your glorious Savior and King? Can you imagine the joy of being a part of the harvest of planting a church in a village where there is no church rather than simply being a part of a team that flies into a country for a few days, puts on a puppet show and feeds a few hungry bellies, and then leaves in 8 days to go back our comfortable lives in the United States (please understand I am not denigrating these kind of short-term trips. I am only pointing out how one investment may be much wiser and more fruitful than the other)?

The Missions Committee has been planning and praying about South Peru for over a year now. The Spirit has been preparing our church for this opportunity for more than 5 years. This Sunday night (August 17) you will have the opportunity to hear more about why the Missions Committee believes we should adopt the Yauyos Quechua people group and how they think God has been preparing us to make this happen. You will also have an opportunity to ask questions this Sunday night, as well as on Wednesday September 3. Be sure to check out the display that will be in the Atrium sometime this coming week. Drop your questions in the Q&A box if you have concerns about logistics, strategy, safety or exactly what our long-term involvement might mean.  We’d also like to hear from those of you who are excited about the opportunity before us to invest in South Peru (and realistically, South America). Tell us why you are excited about what God is doing and why you believe the Spirit is leading us to South Peru.

John Piper has said:

When you have found the greatest treasure in the world [Jesus], you don’t need the world. You need room to share.

This is what the Missions Committee is saying to our church in all of their prayers, deliberations and discussions about God’s leadership in South Peru. We have the greatest treasure in the world. Yes, we need to share this treasure with Chattanooga. But Chattanooga is not big enough for this treasure. We need room to share with others - yes - with the world. Will you join the Missions Committee in the cause of making much of Jesus in Chattanooga, in South Peru, and beyond? See you Sunday night.

This morning my mother emailed me and asked me to pray for the family of Buddy Wagner, a 63 year-old man from her church who suddenly died this week. He went to his dentist for a root canal and developed a serious infection which required hospitalization for five days. They sent him home with a prescription for antibiotics, and once he completed the antibiotics they put him on a blood-thinner to prevent clotting. He apparently then suffered a stroke, and because he was on blood-thinners, he bled out and went to meet His Savior Jesus. This request reminded me of the complexity of issues grieving family members are confronted with when their loved ones become seriously ill or die.

Interestingly, today I also received a “Fresh Words” email from Desiring God that offered some very helpful advice about how family members can plan for these complicated end of life issues. While very few of us like to talk about death, it is important that we thoughtfully consider how to care for our loved ones during the sufferings of serious illness, as well as how best to meet our obligations to them, since Scripture clearly states that the way we care for our suffering loved ones is an indicator of the legitimacy of our faith in Jesus (1Tim 5:8). Check out John Ensor’s advice below. He offers nine questions which his family recently asked his aging mother, first gauging her preference then responding as caring sons and daughters.

1. What can be done to prolong her independence?

Since she lives alone and the nearest of her children is an hour away, we discussed maid service, delivery of meals and groceries, and, for our peace of mind, a personal alarm for her wrist. This was a difficult discussion. My mother does not spend money on such things. But we got them on the table.

2. What measures should be considered when total independence is not possible?

Here we introduced the idea of her staying with one of us during periods of treatment and recovery or during the winter months, when isolation is a real danger and getting around is more difficult and dangerous. We also heard her views about moving to a community village where independent living is possible but help is nearby. (Not interested.)

3. What is our “family care plan” when living independently is no longer possible?

She expressed a desire to live with family, and we agreed. We discussed her options and how to prepare for it.

4. What conditions or indicators will trigger the family care plan?

My mother listed some of the things that would indicate it was time to move in with one of us (like going blind). We listed about 6-8 others. Hopefully this will help us all recognize the time.

5. How are costs related to her safety, ongoing medical care, and living expenses to be covered?

My older sister is spending extra time understanding our mother’s assets, her insurance plans, and business affairs. She will also advise her on when to spend her money on herself, since we know she will not do so without encouragement. We also introduced sharing expenses when necessary.

6. If a nursing home setting is required for her care, where will that be?

We talked about researching quality care and understanding the costs and the need for it to be close to family.

7. What medical directives should be in place in her last days, and what principles should guide our health care proxy decisions?

This was the most difficult discussion we had. Avoidance of suffering seems to be the great determinate in our culture. But this is not so biblically. God has long worked good through suffering. We sought to appreciate that. We discussed discerning what measures promote life versus what measures merely prolong death. We reviewed real cases of other relatives and what seemed appropriate and what seemed excessive. We also talked about food and water as not an extreme measure. And we reviewed the medical power of attorney assigned to my younger sister.

8. What funeral instructions and burial wishes do you want us to observe? And what prearrangements have been made or should be made?

We listened to my mom pour out her heart’s desire to make her funeral a final testament of the grace and glory of Christ and the resurrection. I’ll be preaching. And out of a biblical respect for the human body, she will not be cremated.

9. What do you want us to know regarding the disposition of your assets?

My mother seemed most concerned about this question (in fact, she wanted to start with this question). She is mindful of how families have been torn apart fighting over money and goods. But we have two things going for us. First, she hasn’t collected a lot of stuff and is a woman of modest means. And second, we her children are going to pray that God keep us from falling back into this world. “All that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world” (1 John 2:16).

There is a million dollar question in evangelical Christian circles. Do you know what it is? “How can I discover God’s will for my life?” We often ask this question when trying to make decisions about situations where it is impossible to measure and evaluate every variable we are confronted with. Life is fluid and unpredictable, constantly throwing us all kinds of off-speed pitches such as:

• A job opportunity in another city;
• A broken-down vehicle that leaves us wondering whether we should buy new or used for our next car purchase;
• The decision to send your children to public, private or even consider homeschooling;
• Wondering whether or not you should request an increase in compensation from your employer;
• Whether or not we should take a romantic relationship with the opposite sex to a higher level of commitment;
• Whether or not we should take out a $500,000 or $1,000,000 life insurance policy;

And there are, of course, hundreds of more examples. There are some things in life where there are no easy answers to the questions we have about how we should proceed. This is the challenge of honoring God in all of life.

Unfortunately, when considering God’s will, some people think of God’s will as some kind of nebulous, mystical plan that God only reveals once we meet certain conditions. They think of God’s will as revealed almost exclusively in signs or special circumstances. Some people often eagerly wait for another special revelation from God apart from His Word. While I don’t want to be quick to dismiss the reality that God does still speak in a variety of ways in the world, we should not seek these other ways to the exclusion of God’s primary way of speaking to us. The reality about God and His will for our lives is that He has made it pretty clear to us what He expects of us through His Word. In other words, if you want to know and discern what God’s will for your life is about any given situation, you should begin by seeking to learn and apply what is pleasing to Him first and foremost. The Apostle Peter would say it this way, “God has already given you the power to navigate life through His Spirit. Everything you need for life and godliness are yours. They are gifts to be had and enjoyed through your growing knowledge of the Son of God Jesus Christ” (2Pet 1:3). And how does our knowledge of Jesus grow? Through getting to know Him as revealed in God’s Word.

Tim Challies in his excellent book The Disipline of Spiritual Discernment offers the following principles we can use to seek and follow God’s will in matters that Scripture may not address directly.

1. Where God’s commands are explicit, obey immediately, joyfully and without question. There is no need for you to wrestle with issues addressed clearly in Scripture. Husbands should provide for their families. Honor your marriage bed and avoid sexual infidelity. Pay your taxes (i.e., give Caesar what is Caesar’s). Obey your governing authorities. Worship together with other believers in the local church regularly.
2. Where the Bible offers no explicit guidance, God gives us both freedom and responsibility. Do not choose recklessly or without reasonable consideration to all variables, but rather with prayer and guidance by Scripture. Choose on the basis of what you know about the character of God.
3. Where the Bible offers no explicit guidance or command, God gives us wisdom and discernment to choose what we will do. Seek wisdom and exercise discernment (wisdom in action) so that you can make decisions that honor him.
4. When you have chosen what is moral and wise, trust God to work all the details of your decision together for good as you seek to love, know and obey Jesus fully. Express confidence that God is faithful and eager to bring about purposes in your life that reflect the glory of His name.