The Blessing of Counsel

Last week at church we heard from Jeremy Bell from Acts 20 and Paul's instructions to the Ephesians elders. From that message, we saw that the gospel liberates us from the prison of self to serve God seen most clearly in Paul's example.
One of the ways that we can continue to be imprisoned to self is by not bringing others into decision-making thinking our way is best and we don't need the help of others.
A couple of ladies from our Queens care group brought some great counsel on why this can be a struggle.

1. There is no accountability if we don't bring people in to our decisions. If I bring people into decision making then I am accountable for the choices I make.
   
2. There is a sacrifice of time necessary in bring other people into my decision making. It is easier to just step out and make choices and not ask others for advice.

I was really humbled by both of those answers, as I can look back on my life and the ways I have been selfish in these ways. I pray that these wise words help you in decision making in the days and weeks ahead as we see how the gospel provides us with the gift of brothers and sisters who can help us make wise choices so we can serve God more faithfully and fruitfully.

Zeal in the Right Place

In relation to this past week's sermon, I came across this quote from JC Ryle's astounding book Holiness,

"We have too often been content with zeal for orthodoxy and have neglected the sober realities of daily practical godliness."

Though, he is talking in reference to the pursuit of godliness, this quote is equally helpful as we consider God's call in us applying His promises in the midst of uncertainty and trial. It is not merely knowing the truth that will help us and guide us in the desperate moments of life. Instead it is living in light of these promises and by His strength allowing these promises to penetrate our minds AND hearts that they might affect our actions, thoughts and words. As my wife and I have walked through this difficult season of losing a baby to miscarriage, it is important that I not just collect verses for my mind, but live in the good of the real promises that God has provided. It is not simply a collecting of information but an application and love for these promises, marked by trust and obedience in which God pours our His grace to all the areas of our lives.

So let us pursue practical godliness with zeal as we learn to love God and His promises more and more in every situation we face.

A Conflict of Interests

Between reading James and The Peacemaker by Ken Sande, God has really been addressing me in this area of conflict and a short quote from the book by Sande has helped me put the two resources together. Sande writes,

"Every time you encounter a conflict, you have an opportunity to show what you really think of God."

Such a short quote, but it is packed with truth. The book of James is written to help Christians see how God's wisdom affects all areas of life and more than that, not just that wisdom would be gathered but also applied. As it relates to conflict, when tempted I have a choice, I can say God's wisdom [His wisdom as it relates to my speech, my actions towards others, my desires] is good and worth following or I can trust my way. In that moment when conflict arises or even when conflict has started, I can display God's sovereignty and goodness and what I think of it, or I can display my craving for sovereignty in wanting things to go my way.

Oh God, I thank you for this humbling reminder and pray with increasing measure in faith and in the strength that you provide that I would reflect your goodness in the conflicts of life.

The Isolation Age

I have this sort of love/hate relationship going with Facebook. In some ways I love it because it allows me to stay in contact with people and find out what friends are up to, but in other ways, it can hinder relationships because I can think that because I am reading someone's Facebook wall, I know them. I'm reading David Wells book, The Courage to be Protestant and this quote really made me think about the way I interact with friends using the media around me,

"We are the Wired Generation living in a mostly electronically mediated world. However, have you noticed that while everyone is speaking, no one is really listening? We are swamped by voices. So many want our time and attention that for our own protectin we shut out most of them. And while we are surfing the Internet, emailing, watching television, or playing video games, we are doing it all alone. We are wired, but we are also more lonely and have fewer confidants that ever before. The Putnam thesis of the 1960s is correct: we are in touch with everyone potentially, but we know and are known by almost no one in particular."[31]

In the city this can be a particular struggle. Though we are surrounded by people, we are alone, even though we are contacting people through the media.
Thinking about this, here is the challenge if we are game. Make personal contact with a different person among your Facebook friends each week. This might not be face to face but that is the ideal. Maybe it is leaving a comment or message about a prayer request or a way God is really teaching you right now, but through this is going beyond just information about people to really knowing them and in turn that we might be able to care for each other and display the love of God in more purposeful and meaningful ways.

As you experience this I would also love to hear what you are learning and how it is going, so please do leave comments.

I have also attached a great blog by Justin Buzzard about how we can use Facebook to fuel instead of replace personal interaction.

Facebook for the glory of God

Convicting Grace

As Paul Tripp points out in his helpful little devotional Whiter than Snow, "We all have a perverse capacity to be comfortable with what God says is wrong."

God's response is to bring conviction and though painful at the time is meant to warn us, protect us and restore us, as Tripp describes,

"God's loving hammer of conviction is meant to break your heart, and the pain of heart you feel is meant to alert you to the fact that something is spiritually wrong inside of you. Like that warning signal of physical pain, the rescuing and restoring pain of convicting grace is a thing worth celebrating." Whiter than Snow, 35

Perhaps you are feeling the pain of conviction, God has used His Word or a faithful friend to point out sin, rejoice today that God is working and pouring out grace to protect you and use this conviction to help you trust and reflect His Son in greater ways. It is God's heart that we grow to see conviction, even though it is painful at times, as true gift from His hand.

Do you really think you are the worst sinner you know?

Some people have asked in coming to City Church and Sovereign Grace about our application of the doctrine of sin and what this means in terms of how we view ourselves. It is the conviction of City Church that we follow Paul's example in describing himself as the "chief of sinners" [1 Timothy 1:15]

What does this mean practically and how does this play out? Listen to the discussion linked as CJ has a very helpful interaction with another pastor wrestling with this concept. Perhaps you have some of these same questions, I pray this blog and video help provide clarity.

Doing Life Together

In thinking about our desire for and pursuit of our biblical fellowship, this quote though from a marriage book, clearly and practically describes the Bible's view of care and what we pray is experienced in our care groups,

"Christian fellowship is an expression of both love and humility. It springs from a desire to bring benefit to others, coupled with a sense of personal weakness and need. It has a double motive - the wish to help, and to be helped; to edify, and to be edified. It has a double aim - to do, and to receive, good. It is a corporate seeking by Christian people to know God better through sharing with each other what, individually, they have learned of him already."

J.I. Packer quoted in Love that Lasts