August 29, 2010

• Where do you go when the world is unlovely? (Psalm 84 & the theology of Biblical counseling)

  We know the world in its fallen state is unlovely, quite unlovely.
  We know the people who live in the world are unlovely, quite unlovely at times.
  We know that we ourselves are unlovely, quite unlovely at times.

  How do you respond when all that unloveliness begins to crash down upon you and close in on you and consume you?

  Where do you go when the world is unlovely?
  Where do you go when the people of this world are unlovely?
  Where do you go when you are unlovely?

  Where do you go when clouds cover the sun?
  Where do you go when night overtakes the day?
  Where do you go when darkness cloaks the light?
  Where do you go when earthquakes shake the foundation?
  Where do you go when storms rock the boat?
  Where do you go when winds dampen the fire?
  Where do you go when lies conceal the truth?
  Where do you go when the thistles invade the garden?

  Or, to put it less poetically and more realistically . . .

  When you've got sin, disease, sickness, frailty, pressure, loss, death, pain, suffering, job loss, demotion, loss of loved ones, bf/gf break ups, separation, divorce, disappointments, hurts, failures, heartaches, insults, deceptions, lies, slightings, bullyings, betrayals, etc., etc., etc. piling up

  when all that unloveliness is heaped up upon you

  when it's all crashing down upon you

  when it's all closing in on you

  when it's all consuming you

   

  Where do you go?

  You've all known these things, all these unlovely things, these quite unlovely things. I've known all these things...In fact, without even thinking about it, I'm sure each one of you could probably list off several things that are unlovely, quite unlovely, in your life right now.

  When all that unloveliness is crashing down upon you and closing in on you and consuming you, do you follow the lead of the psalmist?

  Psalm 84
  1  How lovely is your dwelling place,
  O LORD of hosts!
  2  My soul longs, yes, faints
  for the courts of the LORD;
  my heart and flesh sing for joy
  to the living God.

  In the midst of all that unloveliness, does your soul and faint for the LORD and His lovely dwelling place?

  In the midst of all that unloveliness, does your soul long and faint for the LORD Himself who is altogether lovely?

  In the midst of all that unloveliness, do you seek grace upon grace to walk with joy and hope? (Romans 15:13)

  In the midst of all that unloveliness, do you go from strength to strength in your pilgrimage? (Psalm 85:5-7)

  Or ...

  In the midst of all that unloveliness, have you forgotten that the dwelling place of God is lovely? Have you forgotten that in spite of how unlovely this world may be today, the dwelling place of God is lovely and will always be lovely?

  In the midst of all that unloveliness, have you forgotten that God Himself is lovely, altogether lovely? Have you forgotten that in spite of how unlovely people may be today, God Himself is altogether lovely and will always be altogether lovely?

  In the midst of all that unloveliness, have you forgotten that God Himself is lovely, altogether lovely? Have you forgotten that in spite of how unlovely you may be today, God Himself is altogether lovely and will always be altogether lovely?

  • Are you still able to see the loveliness of God and His dwelling place in spite of all the unloveliness around and about you?

  • Are you still able to see the loveliness of God and His dwelling place in spite of all the unloveliness inside you?

  • Are you still longing and fainting for the LORD and His courts in spite of all this unloveliness?

  So then, why should we go to the LORD and His courts?

  Verse 1:

  How lovely is your dwelling place,
  O LORD of hosts!

  His dwelling place is lovely! Ah yes, but not only that – but Jesus Christ is lovely in and of Himself!

  And – He is not only lovely, but He is altogether lovely! (Song of Solomon 5:6)

  First, then, when we're in the midst of all this unloveliness, we should go to the courts of the LORD because HE IS LOVELY – ALTOGETHER LOVELY!

  
  Why else should we go to the LORD and His courts?

  Verse 2:

  My soul longs, yes, faints
  for the courts of the LORD;
  my heart and flesh sing for joy
  to the living God.

  Notice here that there's something we sometimes take for granted:

  Who is this LORD of whom we speak?

  The LORD is the living God.

  The LORD is THE living God.
  The LORD is the LIVING God.
  The LORD is the living GOD.

  Why would we seek help from dead idols? (Idols being anything or anyone we set our affection on that leads us away from the living God, that leads us away from seeking the living God first.)

  Since our God is the living God, since Jesus Christ conquered the grave and sin and death and Satan and lives today, why would we seek help elsewhere when we are in the midst of unloveliness? Who else is eternal and was raised from the dead and lives forevermore?

  Questions:

  Is there any other god besides the LORD who is a living god?
  Is there any other god besides the LORD who is living?
  Is there any other god besides the LORD who is God?

  More questions:

  Why would you go elsewhere when unloveliness is all around you?
  How can a dead god have the Words of Life?
  How can a dead god have the Living Water?
  What other god is the Word of Life but the Lord Jesus Christ?
  What other god is the Living Water but the Lord Jesus Christ?

  So, second, we should go to the LORD and the courts of the LORD because the LORD IS THE LIVING GOD AND THERE IS NO LIFE APART FROM HIM.

  And once more – why else should we go to the LORD and His courts?

  Verses 5-7:

  Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
  in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
  As they go through the Valley of Baca
  they make it a place of springs;
  the early rain also covers it with pools.
  They go from strength to strength;
  each one appears before God in Zion.

  The world is under a curse. There is no blessing to be found in this world apart from Christ. There is also no strength for our pilgrimage apart from the LORD Himself. How can we expect to thrive in our pilgrimage here in this unlovely world in our own strength?

  Finally, we should go to the LORD and the courts of the LORD because the THERE IS NO OTHER SOURCE OF BLESSING OR STRENGTH FOR OUR PILGRIMAGE HERE APART FROM HIM.

  Now, to summarize why we should go the LORD and His courts:

  1. HE IS LOVELY – ALTOGETHER LOVELY!
  2. IS THE LIVING GOD AND THERE IS NO LIFE APART FROM HIM.
   3. THERE IS NO OTHER SOURCE OF BLESSING OR STRENGTH FOR OUR PILGRIMAGE HERE APART FROM HIM.

   
  I'd like to move on and explain how these principles relate to Biblical counseling.

  
  Psalm 84 and Biblical counselling (er, counseling) / ministry

  Not long ago JN (llamalima) posted about the centrality of sin in counselling. (He spells it that way. Eh, well, he's a kiwi after all. )

  Anyhow, my initial comment on that post included the following:

  I think I want to do a post on my theology of counseling sometime. I've already been considering this, esp. over the past few days again. *add to the list of ideas/unwritten posts*
   

  
  Since that time, I've been mulling this over a bit. Actually I do think about counseling quite often, but often without really thinking in terms of "counseling" per se, I think of it more as ministry. And I do think about sin quite often in terms of "sin." Well, after all, sin is part of my daily life. *sigh*

  First off, I do like to talk and to write (I really like to!).

  But I also like to observe and listen and read.

  I see and hear a lot of unloveliness out there.
  I see and hear a lot of souls despairing and distraught in the midst of all that unloveliness.

  I will say here that it continues to distress me to see Christians flailing and fainting and falling in the midst of all the world's unloveliness all because they're not relying on God's means to sustain them in the midst of that loveliness – God's means being going to God Himself for loveliness, life, blessing and strength (as I described above).

  And I will say that it distresses me even more to realize how pitifully inadequate and unsound the teaching and discipleship the average believer gets in his church. The lack of right rooting in Biblical doctrine explains why we see so much flailing, fainting and failing.

  As I observe and listen and read, I seek the mind and heart of the living God through the Bible to ascertain the Words of Life and the Living Water appropriate to people's current condition. That's applied theology. Doctrine without application is worthless. We've got to have doctrine and root all we do in the Bible and check all we do against the Bible. We must be discerning. We must be Bereans. We can't expect to be thoroughly equipped for every good work apart from being rooted and established in the apostolic doctrine through study of the Word of God. However, cold, dry theological treatises that aren't empowered and inflamed by the Spirit of God will remain ineffectual. The Word of God goes out not in word but in power.

  (That said, I realize that first and foremost I must seek out God's Words of Life and the Living Water for my own soul. As God's Spirit reveals the thoughts and intents of my own heart through His Word, I have to apply that Word to my life; otherwise I end up dead and thirsty and powerless (much like the dry bones - Ezekiel 37). I will lack strength and I can't possibly have any Words of Life or Living Water to give out to dead and dry souls who are struggling on the journey in this fallen and unlovely world. I confess that I need the Words of Life and the Living Water as much as anyone else.)

  As I look at Scripture and as the Holy Spirit leads, I pray Scripture, not only for others but also for myself. I talk with God about these things. I chew on His Word and its implications for our lives (my life) and so forth. That talking is often done in the form of writing in my journal as well as talking out loud as I walk or in silent prayer. Some of that comes out in conversations or messages with friends. Some of that comes out in my posts here. As the Lord leads me, I'll pray for people and sometimes I'll comment (not usually the latter, but quite often the former). In Proverbs we read about the word fitly spoken. In Ecclesiastes we read that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. I don't like to be quiet (I like to have my say), but time and again the Lord has shown me it is much more beneficial to carry others privately to the throne of grace for a time before I attempt to carry words directly to them in love, gentleness and humility (an ongoing challenge - I Cor. 16:13-14, Eph. 4:15, II Tim. 2:24-26. We're to speak the truth, but to do so in love...I'm to do so in love).

  The thistle reminds us

  A few days ago I was playing around with the settings on the private homepage here at Xanga. (For those non-Xangans: that's the page that shows you what other people who blog here are posting and recommending, as well as a quick snippet to see who's visited your site as well as any feedback you've gotten, e.g.- comments, recommendations and so forth. It also gives you access to your recent posts, your friends and so on. Hrmph...why aren't you blogging here anyhow? I wouldn't need to explain this to you...Hmm...I do believe I am sounding like a llama on a campaign to get the whole world to blog here at Xanga... ). Anyhow, included in those settings is an option to put a header on the top of the page. I'd previously decided not to opt for a header because it takes up almost an inch of space. However, I recently changed up the colors a bit on my private page, so I went through the headers again, and one of them caught my eye:

  

   

  Thistle.
  
  Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.Thistle.

   

  The ubiquitous thistle!

  I think the thistle pretty much points to the focus of Christian ministry. (So, yes, it turns out that I'm coming at this much like JN, but with a bit different spin since he and I are different. After all, he is a llama, and I am a deer, so that goes without saying.)

  The world and all that was in it were created perfect and good by God. It was lovely and lively, but then sin and death came into the world through the disobedience of the one man Adam.

  Genesis 3:17  And to Adam he said,
  
  “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
  and have eaten of the tree
  of which I commanded you,
  ‘You shall not eat of it,’
  cursed is the ground because of you;
  in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
  18  thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
  and you shall eat the plants of the field.
  19  By the sweat of your face
  you shall eat bread,
  till you return to the ground,
  for out of it you were taken;
  for you are dust,
  and to dust you shall return.”

   

  

  Romans 5:12  Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13  for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14  Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

  
  As a result of the Fall, we've got an unlovely world filled with unlovely people. Unloveliness is constantly crashing down, closing in and consuming us.
  
  We've got a lifeless world out there, a world filled with dead people, dead ideas, dead philosophies and dead works. A world in dire need of the Word of Life.
  
  We've got a thirsty world out there, a world filled with parched, dry and barren people. A world in dire need of the Living Water.

  Due to the Fall, this world and everyone and everything in it have been overrun with thorns and thistles.
  
  This unlovely world is under the curse.

  This unlovely world is groaning.

  All the unlovely people in this unlovely world are under the curse.
  All the unlovely people in this unlovely world are groaning.

  These dead people in this dead world are lost in sins.
  These dead people in this dead world don't even know they're dead.
  These dead people in this dead world can't even seek God.
  These lost people don't even know they're lost.
  These powerless people don't even know they're powerless.
  These thirsty people don't even know they're thirsty.

  Bad news, right?
  Yes, very bad news.
  

  However, before we get too distraught and begin to despair over all the unloveliness all around us and within us, all the deadness and dryness, let's remember that along with that promise of the curse God gave another promise – the promise of redemption, the Good News, through the second Adam, Jesus Christ!

  Genesis 3:14  The LORD God said to the serpent,
  
  “Because you have done this,
  cursed are you above all livestock
  and above all beasts of the field;
  on your belly you shall go,
  and dust you shall eat
  all the days of your life.
  15  I will put enmity between you and the woman,
  and between your offspring and her offspring;
  he shall bruise your head,
  and you shall bruise his heel.”

  GLORY!

  If that promise doesn't make you tremble and weep,
  if that promise doesn't fill you with joy unspeakable,
  then perhaps you've never known Jesus Christ
  and the glory of a holy and just God providing a way of salvation for fallen men,
  in punishing our sins in Jesus Christ,
  in forgiving our sins in Jesus Christ,
  in passing over sins and yet being just in doing so,
  in declaring sinners just and righteous by faith!

  Romans 3:21  But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
  although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
  22  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
  For there is no distinction: 23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
  24  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
  25  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
  This was to show God's righteousness,
  because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
  26  It was to show his righteousness at the present time,
  so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

  Galatians 3:13  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—
  for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”...

  GLORY!

  If God's redemption in Jesus Christ doesn't make you tremble and weep,
  if God's redemption in Jesus Christ doesn't fill you with joy unspeakable,
  then perhaps you've never known the depth of your sin,
  perhaps you've never known the depravity and hopelessness of your unlovely and lost and dead state apart from Him
  and your desperate need for His love, mercy and grace to be given you through the cross of Jesus Christ.

  Romans 5:6  For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
  7  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—
  8  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us...

  15  But the free gift is not like the trespass.
  For if many died through one man's trespass,
  much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of
  that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
  16  And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin.
  For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation,
  but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.
  17  If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man,
  much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
  and the free gift of righteousness reign in life
  through the one man Jesus Christ.

  18  Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men,
  so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
  19  For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners,
  so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
  20  Now the law came in to increase the trespass,
  but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
  21  so that, as sin reigned in death,
  grace also might reign through righteousness
  leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

  GLORY!

  If God's redemption in Jesus Christ doesn't make you tremble,
  if God's redemption in Jesus Christ doesn't fill you with joy unspeakable,
  then perhaps you've never known the Father's love
  which sent His only begotten Son to die for us while we were yet sinners;
  perhaps you've never known the God
  in Whom was manifest grace and truth,
  in Whom justice and mercy kissed,
  the Lord Jesus Christ.

  Apart from Jesus Christ, we are unable to seek God.
  With Christ, we are able to seek God.

  Apart from Jesus Christ, we remain lost in our sins.
  With Christ, we have hope of redemption from sin.

  Apart from Jesus Christ, we groan without hope.
  With Christ, we groan with hope.

  Apart from Jesus Christ, we are dead in our sins,
  With Christ, we are made alive.

  Apart from Jesus Christ, we remain under the curse.
  With Christ, we are blessed because our sins are forgiven and Christ's righteousness is credited to us.

  Imparting loveliness in the midst of unloveliness: How we ought to go through the Valley of Baca

  The psalmist continues in Psalm 84:

  5  Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
  in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
  6  As they go through the Valley of Baca
  they make it a place of springs;
  the early rain also covers it with pools.
  7  They go from strength to strength;
  each one appears before God in Zion.

  First off, let's remember that anytime we're blessed, we're blessed for two reasons: so we might bless the Lord and so we might bless others. In other words, we're to seek to be a blessing wherever we go (e.g. - Genesis 12, Acts 1, the great commission).

  Please note that the Valley of Baca is known as the weeping valley or the thirsty valley.

  With that in mind, now look to verse 6:

  As they go through the Valley of Baca ...

  or, better said –
  
  As we go ...

  In other words, while we're on this earth, we will go through the Valley of Baca. That means we will encounter tears and thirst. Not only our own tears and our own thirst, but those of others. That's a reminder of the fallen state of the world. The Psalmist knows all about the thorns and thistles and all about the unloveliness due to the Fall.

  However, while we're going through the Valley, because we've been blessed – because we have come to know the loveliness, the life and the strength of the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ, we can thrive there in the valley by continuing to return to the LORD and His courts, by continuing to be filled with His loveliness, His life, His living water and His strength.

  And not only that, but we are called to impart loveliness, Christ's loveliness, right there in the Valley of Baca to others. As we do so we can make that place a place of springs, covering it with pools. Through an intimate knowledge of God the Father through Jesus Christ we can bring life to dead places and light to dark places – starting with our own souls. We can bring loveliness to this unlovely world because we have come to know the One who is altogether lovely and because we continue to hasten to spend time with the Beloved in His lovely tabernacle.

  The unlovely people in this unlovely world are weeping and without hope. Those of us who know Christ are to show them the loveliness and the hope and the life that are available to them by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

  The unlovely people in this unlovely world are thirsty. We're to lead them to the Living Water, Jesus Christ.

  I want to remind you that each and every one of us is called to this type of ministry.

  (But again, keep in mind we have to keep going to the courts of the LORD ourselves and drinking there – another reminder of that coming below).

  Yes it's true some Christians are specifically called to pastoral ministry (Eph. 4), yet all believers are called to be Christian counselors or ministers. We have to remember that those gifts in Ephesians 4 – the apostles, pastors, evangelists, pastors and teachers – were all given to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Who's to do the ministry? Only your pastor? No! All the saints are to be engaged in the work of the ministry. In other words, if you know Christ, you're sent into the world to tell others about Him as much as your pastor is sent. You're called to bring loveliness to the unloveliness of the world, life to the dead places and water to the thirsty places. Freely we have received, freely we are to give. If you've received, you're sent to give. For example:

  I Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

  Romans 15:14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

  Hebrews 10:19  Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20  by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21  and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

  (Picking up on that Hebrews 10 passage...I'll add here that the greater the assurance we have, the greater ability we have to encourage one another effectively. How can you really encourage someone if your soul isn't fully assured of the work of Christ on your behalf? I'm not going into this right now, but hope to pick up on this at a later date.)

  As we walk in this unlovely world, this Valley of Baca, we must remember that:

  In and of ourselves, we have no strength.
  Jesus Christ is our strength.
  
  The only strength we have to walk with is Jesus Christ.
  Jesus Christ is our strength.
  
  The only strength we have to offer to the powerless is Jesus Christ.
  Jesus Christ is mighty to save.
  
  In and of ourselves, we have no life.
  Jesus Christ is our life.
  
  The only life we have to offer to the dead is Jesus Christ.
  Jesus Christ is the Life.
  
  In and of ourselves, we have no loveliness.
  Jesus Christ is our loveliness.
  
  The only loveliness we have to offer to the unlovely is Jesus Christ.
  Jesus Christ is altogether lovely.
  
  In and of ourselves, we have no water.
  Jesus Christ is our Living Water.
  
  The only water we have to give to the thirsty is Jesus Christ.
  Jesus Christ is the Living Water.

  As we keep remembering these things, we will remain humble and have the strength we need to walk in the works God has ordained for us.

  What do we have that we have not received? Do we have any cause to boast? I Cor. 4:7.
  Are we sufficient in and of ourselves? No. Our sufficiency is from God. II Cor. 3:4-6.

  
  In summary, how then do we go through the Valley of Baca, how do we walk on this unlovely earth (this quite unlovely earth), with unlovely people (quite unlovely people), including our own unloveliness?

  1. We walk with a sense of necessity for we realize each one of us has been blessed by the LORD be a blessing.

  2. We walk in continuing dependence for we realize we not sufficient in ourselves.
  
   3. We walk in humility for we realize that all we have we have received from the LORD.

  How I seek to walk here

  As the grace of God allows me to rely on Him to go from strength to strength in my pilgrimage here and to keep setting my heart on pilgrimage (see the NKJV for Psalm 84) to go through the Valley of Baca, to journey on here in the midst of the unloveliness, the deadness, the dryness, the thistles, the curse,

  • I long to impart loveliness to people, so I bring them the lovely words from the only One who is lovely, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • I long to impart life to people, so I bring them living words from the only living God, the only One who has the Words of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • I long to impart blessing to people, so I point them to the One who became a curse for them, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • I long to impart peace to people, so I point them to the Prince of peace, who died to reconcile us to God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • I long to impart joy to people, so I point them to the One who is exceeding Joy, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • I long to impart hope to people, so I point them to the Hope that holds within the veil, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • I long to impart truth to people, so I point them to One who is the Truth, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • I long to impart wisdom to people, so I point them to the One who is the Way, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • I long to impart freedom to people, so I point them to the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • I long to impart forgiveness to people, so I point them to the atoning Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  And so forth . . .

  until I appear before God in Zion.

  So that's my take on Biblically based counseling/ministry. (And that's not only my take on counseling/ministry, but that's the only way I can truly thrive here in the midst of unloveliness – to keep pointing myself to God's blessings and provision in Jesus Christ, to keep going back to the LORD and His courts.)

  Jesus Christ was sent into the world by God the Father and anointed with the Spirit of God. We too are sent into the world and anointed with the Spirit of God...

  to bring loveliness to this unlovely world
  to bring water to this thirsty world
  to bring life to this dead world
  to bring blessing where the curse is found

  Since we're filled with the Spirit of Christ and sent by Jesus Christ, aren't we to do what the Lord Jesus did...

  No more let sins and sorrows grow,
  Nor thorns infest the ground;
  He comes to make His blessings flow
  Far as the curse is found,
  Far as the curse is found,
  Far as, far as, the curse is found.

  No more let sins and sorrows grow,
  Nor thorns infest the ground;
  He sends to make His blessings flow
  Far as the curse is found,
  Far as the curse is found,
  Far as, far as, the curse is found.

   

  That's why I'm keeping the picture of the thistle on top of my private home page.

   

  
  
  

  Christian, will you join me in that mission to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found?
  Christian, will you join Him in that mission to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found?

  As we walk through the Valley of Baca
  may we make it a place of springs;
  that the early rain might cover it with pools!

   

  .

  ---

  Related Scriptures: Isaiah 58, 61; Luke 4:16-21.

  Related posts....

  on God's sovereignty and stability in spite of the world's unloveliness

  • Encouragements to press on: consider Jesus (the book of Hebrews)
  • Bible Reading-Isaiah: When We Think the LORD Has Forsaken and Forgotten Us
  • Third Sunday of Advent: His Kingdom is unshakable even when we're being shaken
  •  Lessons from the Slurry Wall: "What Remains When Everything Else Falls Down"
  •  when we're being shaken: let us look unto JESUS!
  •  Are clouds covering your sun today?
  • We know that all things work together for good...(Spurgeon)
  • All things (even bad things) work together for good...

  on theology of ministry:

  • My Credo for Being a Godly Encourager
  • dedication 2010 (reflections on God's Word & God's grace)
  • my ministry & your attitude toward the Word of God
  • "I could write a thousand words" (my credo ~ why I preach the Gospel)
  • Here I stand & from here I cast (devoted to prayer & the ministry of the Word)
  • thoughts on necessity (Richard Baxter, myself)
  • Tonight I am weak . . .

  on the Christian's call in the unlovely world:
  

  • the commission is given to all
  • They went everywhere gossiping the word; shouldn't we also? (Acts 8:4)
  • are you gossiping the word to one another?
  • Why preach the Gospel? # 1: Bad men need Good News!
  • Why preach the Gospel? # 2: Dead men need Life!
  • blogging to build up the ruined Church of God
  • Epiphany: we are made a light to bring salvation to the ends of the earth
  • our yearnings & desires and God's mission (Isaiah 26:9)
  • MARTA: A Song about Anthony and a Prayer for Anthony and the Church
  • Are you robbing God? Where is God telling you to "Rise and go!" for the joy of others?

  on the vital importance of our going to the LORD:
  

  • Considering Jesus: (1) Making time to consider Jesus
  • Considering Jesus: (2) Why do we do quiet time anyhow?
  • Get gnawing, put your nose down in the Book to feed the white-hot flame of God's gift
  • In the multitude of our anxieties, the Lord's comforts alone delight our souls
  • "give me also springs of water" - Will you be an Achsah? (letter 66 on assurance & fighting for joy)

  Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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