Deep Riches: Knowing God

After a long hiatus, I am once again posting theological articles over on Deep Riches.  Essentially, these articles are brief essays that I have written on various theological topics that I plan on posting each Monday.  Remember that the Bible is the only infallable source of truth.  As you read these essays, I encourage you be a Berean (Acts 17:11) and check to make sure what I write is in line with Scripture. Feel free to leave a comment.  I do moderate comments, but I'm not just looking for people who agree with me.  My only criteria are that your comments have to be germaine to the topic at hand, they must be civil, and they must be intelligible. If I can't understand the point you are trying to make, I probably won't embarass you by posting it.

This week's installment of Deep Riches is the subject of Knowing God.  Is there a difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge?  Is there a dichotomy between the two?  Read and enjoy--and think on these things!

Extreme Devotion

Before burning at the stake for teaching the Bible, Dr. Rowland Taylor wrote these beautiful words:


“I say to my wife and to my children, the Lord gave you to me, and the Lord has taken me from you and you from me: Blessed be the name of the Lord! I have ever found him more faithful and favorable than is any husband or father. Trust in him by means of our dear Savior’s merits: Believe, love, fear, and obey him. Pray to him, for he has promised to help. Count me not dead, for I shall eternally live and never die. I go before, and you shall follow after, to our eternal home.

“I say to you my dear friends of Hadley, and to all those who have heard me preach, that I depart from here with a quiet conscience concerning my teaching, for which I pray you thank God with me. For I have, in keeping with my little talent, declared to others those lessons that I gathered out of God’s book, the blessed Bible. Therefore, if I, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you another gospel than that which you have received, God’s great curse be upon that preacher!

“Departing from here with sure hope, without any doubting of eternal salvation, I thank God my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ my certain Savior.”

Rowland Taylor

Can you recall your most memorable childhood teacher? Perhaps it was a certain perfume she wore. Maybe it was the peculiar way he smoothed his bald spot. Something about the person remains in your mind. However, when we grow older, we value teachers for different reasons. We recall what they taught us—lessons we’ll never forget. We’ll always remember the one who first taught us God’s Word. We cannot afford to forget the basic truths our teachers shared with us about God’s love and his salvation. When someone else comes along in the name of enlightenment or academia, God’s truths will protect you and help you recognize falsehood. They are more than mere memories. They are your most valuable possession.

Readings taken from
Extreme Devotion: The Voice of the Martyrs

Extreme Devotion

The people of Hadley begged Dr. Rowland Taylor not to go see the bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor. They knew the bishop was furious at the teachings of Dr. Taylor.


For nearly twenty years, the English Bible had been legally distributed in England. Dr. Taylor had simply taught all those in his church to read the Bible for themselves and to follow its teachings. In contrast, religious leaders under the brutal rule of Queen Mary I called for strict adherence to the customs of the church.

After being insulted and accused by the bishop, Rowland replied, “I am a Christian man. I have not blasphemed against the church. In fact, by your own charge, you are the heretic. Christ died once and for all for the sins of mankind. It is sufficient. You and your traditions can offer nothing more.”

For the next two years, Dr. Taylor was a prisoner. When he learned that he would be burned at the stake outside Hadley, he leaped for joy. He was not concerned for his safety. Instead, he rejoiced at the thought of traveling through Hadley and once again seeing his brothers and sisters in the faith.

Dr. Rowland Taylor was martyred in the winter of 1555.

Love is spoken in many different languages. People need to hear love in their own language in order to recognize it. Some husbands serve their wives breakfast in bed to demonstrate their love. Still other spouses need a thoughtful gift in order to hear “I love you” loud and clear. Greeting card companies hope we’ll say it with words. Jesus, however, says that his love language is obedience. That is how we express our love to him. When we obey him, we show that we love him. Taylor was martyred for teaching his followers to speak Jesus’ love language. He taught them to read the Bible and obey its teaching. Show Jesus you love him, and honor Dr. Taylor’s memory today.

Happy Birthday Francis Schaeffer!

Ninety-eight years ago today, the late Francis August Schaeffer IV was born in Germantown, PA. It would not be an exaggeration to say that, outside of the Bible, his writings have influenced my thinking more than any other. While reading Colin Duriez’ biography of Schaeffer, I came across a quote that he took from Edith Schaeffer’s book, L'Abri. Typical Schaeffer, his words are at the same time prophetic, convicting and challenging.

We had done quite a lot of thinking and self-examining over the previous few years. It seemed to us that so much of Christianity was being spread by advertising designed to “put across” something, that there was very little genuine recognition of the existence of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. One morning at Chalet Bijou’s breakfast table, Fran had said to me, “Supposing we had awakened today to find everything concerning the Holy Spirit and prayer removed from the Bible—that is, not removed the way liberals would remove it, but that God had somehow really removed everything about prayer and the Holy Spirit from the Bible. What difference would it make practically between the way we work yesterday and the way we would work today, and tomorrow? What difference would it make in the majority of Christians’ practical work and plans? Aren’t most plans laid out ahead of time? Isn’t much work done by human talent, energy and clever ideas? Where does the supernatural power of God have a real place?” Challenged by this, we began to think and look over our own lives and work… and, we asked God to give us something more real in our work of the future.

While Francis and Edith Schaeffer had done much in their lives up until that point, their greatest impact was yet to come. And from that point forward, the impact was produced and generated by the Holy Spirit rather than simply the work of their own hands. The tremendous legacy of Francis Schaeffer was built on what he called “active passivity.”

Lord, may I be so dependent on your Holy Spirit that the work you’ve called me to can only be recognized as His and not a product of my capabilities.

Happy birthday, Francis Schaeffer!

Extreme Devotion

They huddled inside the room while hearing the screams of fellow Christians being butchered outside. Pastor Hendrick Pattiwael and his wife were helping to lead the Indonesian youth camp, and they felt responsible for the young people in their care.

The camp had been a joyous time of spiritual growth and worship. Then they were attacked.

When the radical Muslim mob surrounded the building where they hid, Pastor Pattiwael went outside. Distracting the bloodthirsty mob’s attention away from his wife and the young people, the pastor was attacked while the others escaped.

“Jesus, help me.” They were his final words.

His wife next saw him lying in a coffin. Ugly wounds crisscrossed his torso and arms. In shock and anger, Mrs. Pattiwael cried out to God. “How could you let this happen? Why didn’t you protect my husband?”

But the Holy Spirit reminded her of her husband’s words only days before the attack. “If you love Jesus, but you love me or your family more, you are unworthy of Christ’s kingdom.” He told her that he was ready to die for Christ’s kingdom.

Remembering those words, she refused to become bitter. She still works with her church in Indonesia. The advice that she would give Christians in free nations is simply this: “Seek God more earnestly, so that you can stand in the midst of more trouble.”

We don’t have to go looking for trouble. It already has our address. Jesus often reminded his disciples that trials are part of daily living. Seeking God more earnestly does not mean seeking more trouble for our lives. No, the benefit of seeking a deeper relationship with God is to better prepare us for the inevitable. We don’t have a choice about what troubles come our way. However, we can choose to have a relationship with God that prepares us for trouble. Some trials may mean losing our lives for Christ's sake. Yet this is not the real sacrifice. The extreme sacrifice must come long before. We must sacrifice selfishness at every level in order to develop intimacy with God ahead of time. When we have sacrificed all to pursue a preeminent relationship with Christ, we will have already done the hardest part.

Readings taken from
Extreme Devotion: The Voice of the Martyrs

Richest Foundation

Isaiah 49:15

 

The love and favor of God is the foundation of the Christian's happiness. If we could order our own heart aright, we would easily see that we could not be miserable so long as we were in favor with our God. If the favor of great persons be so much accounted of, what reckoning is to be made of God's favor, who is Lord of lords? Yea, King of kings, and the more should Christians fill their hearts with joining in this prerogative, if they consider three properties in the love of God.

• For first, it is a free love. He is gracious, looking upon His own goodness, and not on ours (Hos. 14:4).
• Secondly, it is an eternal love, and unchangeable. God will never be weary of loving us (Jer. 31:3). His loving-kindness is better than life, for it lasts unto eternity, without alteration. The favor of individuals in this world is mutable. Kings might extremely loathe those they used to love with their entire affection. But in God there is no shadow of changing; He loves with an everlasting love.
• Thirdly, it is infinitely immense, and great. No affection in any, or in all the creatures of this world, if they could be fastened upon one person, can reach to the thousandth part of God's love to us (Eph. 2:4-7).

 This light of God's countenance shining upon us makes us at all times more rich than those that are increased most in corn, wine, and oil (Ps. 4:7-8).

—Nicholas Byfield

 

Readings taken from Day by Day with the English Puritans

Spurgeon Saturday

Psalm 89:19

Why was Christ chosen out of the people? Speak, my heart, for heart-thoughts are best. Was it not that he might be able to be our brother, in the blest tie of kindred blood? Oh, what relationship there is between Christ and the believer! The believer can say, “I have a Brother in heaven; I may be poor, but I have a Brother who is rich, and is a King, and will he suffer me to want while he is on his throne? Oh, no! He loves me; he is my Brother.” Believer, wear this blessed thought, like a necklace of diamonds, around the neck of thy memory; put it, as a golden ring, on the finger of recollection, and use it as the King’s own seal, stamping the petitions of thy faith with confidence of success. He is a brother born for adversity, treat him as such.

Christ was also chosen out of the people that he might know our wants and sympathize with us. “He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.” In all our sorrows we have his sympathy. Temptation, pain, disappointment, weakness, weariness, poverty—he knows them all, for he has felt all. Remember this, Christian, and let it comfort thee. However difficult and painful thy road, it is marked by the footsteps of thy Saviour; and even when thou reachest the dark valley of the shadow of death, and the deep waters of the swelling Jordan, thou wilt find his footprints there. In all places whithersoever we go, he has been our forerunner; each burden we have to carry, has once been laid on the shoulders of Immanuel.

His way was much rougher and darker than mine
Did Christ, my Lord, suffer, and shall I repine?

Take courage! Royal feet have left a blood-red track upon the road, and consecrated the thorny path for ever.

Readings taken from Logos Bible Software version of Morning and Evening: Daily Readings by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Like An Electric Current

Like An Electric Current

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10 Commandments For Pastors and Church Staff

I saw this list on Tullian Tchividjian's blog. Rick Warren has gotten this one exactly right. Every day, it seems that another pastor or church staff member disgraces the name of Christ by engaging in scandalous behavior. I believe that few of those who find themselves in that situation originally intended it to be that way. Some are naive and many are reckless. The idea that, "It can't happen to me," is prevalent. Understanding that, pastors and staffs should hold themselves and each other accountable to these standards and churches should come alongside them and encourage them as they do.

Rick Warren's 10 Commandments for Ministry Staff at Saddleback:

1. Thou shalt not go to lunch alone with the opposite sex.*
2. Thou shalt not have the opposite sex pick you up or drive you places when it is just the two of you.*
3. Thou shalt not kiss any attender of the opposite sex or show affection that could be questioned.*
4. Thou shalt not visit the opposite sex alone at home.*
5. Thou shalt not counsel the opposite sex alone at the office, and thou shalt not counsel the opposite sex more than once without that person’s mate. Refer them.
6. Thou shalt not discuss detailed sexual problems with the opposite sex in counseling. Refer them.
7. Thou shalt not discuss your marriage problems with an attender of the opposite sex.
8. Thou shalt be careful in answering emails, instant messages, chatrooms, cards or letters from the opposite sex.
9. Thou shalt make your co-worker your protective ally.
10. Thou shalt pray for the integrity of other staff members.

[*The first four do not apply to unmarried staff.]

Against Our Will

Romans 8:28

Paul says to let this be your work: to give thanks in your prayers for the seen and the unseen benefits and for God's goodness to the willing and the unwilling.

I know a certain holy man who prayed this way: "We thank You for all the goodness You have shown us from the first day until now even when we are so unworthy. We thank You for what we know You have done and what we don't know, for gifts seen and unseen, for gifts of word and action, whether we have received them willingly or not—for all these things that have been given to us, the unworthy. We give thanks for tribulations and refreshments, for hell, for punishment, and the kingdom of heaven. We beg of You to keep our souls holy, and our consciences pure, worthy of Your lovingkindness. You who gave the Only-begotten for us and sent Your Holy Spirit to wipe out our sins, if we have willfully or unwillingly disobeyed You, forgive us. Don't attribute our sins to us. Remember everyone who called on Your name in truth. Remember everyone who wishes us well, or the contrary, for we are all human."

He prayed this because God gives us many benefits even against our will and maybe even without our knowing it. When we pray for one thing and He does the reverse, it is plain that He is doing good even when we don't know it.
—Chrysostom

Readings taken from Day by Day with the Early Church Fathers