JADDOG

Just a couple thoughts to chew on from this morning.

¹⁶ For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:16-17 (ESV)

⁴ Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!

Psalm 65:4 (ESV)

I’ve been reflecting this past week about Christ’s birth and how this time of the year “the reason for the season” often references Luke chapter 2. Last weekend I spent time in this passage and Romans 3:10-18, John 3:16 and Matthew 7:21-23. These last three versus are the ones God seemed to press on me at the time to depict our sin, need for a saviour, God’s Love, the provision he sent and the requirement to know and follow him for salvation. In this New Testament era this gospel presentation seems like a great explanation of the reason for the reason for the season. Though, today Romans 11 was taught at church and I’ve also been preparing for leading worship at youth group at the January youth group meeting where Romans 12:1-2 will be taught. These passages seemed to open up a gospel message into some theology to chew on.

In college the phrase “what’s the therefore there for?” was burned into my brain for all eternity. Whenever I read Romans 12:1 that phrase pops into my head. Though, I hardly ever take the time to go back to Romans 11 and remind myself of it. It was nice to have just been taught on Romans 11 this morning as I was meditating on Romans 12:1 in preparation for the youth group meeting.

Enter the therefore, helping us understand God’s mercy.

²⁵ Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;

²⁷“and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”²⁸As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. ²⁹For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. ³²For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

³³Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁴“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
³⁵“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Romans 11:25-36 (ESV)

I think the meat of where we can understand the mercy 12:1 is referencing is in versus 27-32. Israel was disobedient and enemies of God so that we could receive mercy, that is, Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Now by the mercy shown to us, because of their disobedience, they too can receive mercy for their disobedience. Christ is the reason for the season. The reason he came was just not just to save sinners. The reason he came was so that God could have mercy on all (Rom 11:32).

I often get wrapped up in my sinful self-centred-ness. God is quick to remind me that his plan is much bigger than my simple mind can comprehend. After reminding me this, again, a response to this understanding has been so eloquently placed just following the text at the end of chapter 11 with an appeal to begin chapter 12:

¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Merry Christmas

I just finished chapter 7 in John Stott’s Basic Christianity. I can’t do a better job of depicting the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross than he’s done. This quote is from pages 117-118.

… “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus Christ had no sins of his own; he was made sin with our sins, on the cross.

As we look at the cross, we can begin to understand the terrible implications of these words. At twelve noon “there was darkness over the whole land” which continued for three hours until Jesus died. With the darkness came silence, for no eye should see, and no lips could tell, the agony of soul which the spotless Lamb of God now endured. The accumulated sins of all human history were laid upon him. Voluntarily he bore the in his own body. He made them his own. He shouldered full responsibility for them.

And then in desolate spiritual abandonment that cry was wrung from his lips, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It was a quotation from the first verse of Psalm 22. No doubt he had been meditating during his agony on its description of the sufferings and glory of the Christ. But why did he quote that verse? Why not one of the triumphant verses at the end? Why not, “You who fear the Lord, praise Him!” or “Dominion belongs to the Lord”? Are we to believe that it was a cry of human weakness and despair, or that the Son of God was imagining things?

No. These words must be taken at their face value. He quoted this verse of Scripture, as he quoted all others, because he believed he himself was fulfilling it. He was bearing our sins. And God who is “of purer eyes than to behold evil” and cannot “look on wrong” turned away his face. Our sins came between the Father and the Son. The Lord Jesus Christ who was eternally with the Father, who enjoyed unbroken communion with him throughout his life on earth, was thus momentarily abandoned. Our sins sent Christ to hell. He tasted the torment of a soul estranged from God. Bearing our sins, he died our death. He endured instead of us the penalty of separation from God which our sins deserved.

Then at once, emerging from that outer darkness, he cried in triumph, “It is finished,” and finally, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.” And so he died. The work he had come to do was completed. The salvation he had come to win was accomplished. The sins of the world were borne. Reconciliation to God was available to all who would trust this Savior for themselves, and receive him as their own. Immediately, as if to demonstrate this truth publicly, the unseen hand of God tore down the curtain of the temple and hurled it aside. It was needed no longer. The way into God’s holy presence was no longer barred. Christ had “opened the gate of heaven to all believers.” And thirty-six hours later he was raised from death, to prove that he had not died in vain.

Tonight a couple of buddies of mine and I saw the new Clint Eastwood movie. Not at all what I expected. The movie had a religious flavor to the underlying story. While there was absolutely no accurate depiction of salvation, there was a strangely touching sacrificial message delivered. Stop reading here if you don’t want the end of the movie ruined. The movie ends with Eastwood’s character, Walt, being shot an excessive amount of times by a gang. This brutal murder is witnessed by many people and has the gang arrested to be locked up for a long time. One of the gang members cousins lived next door to Walt and through out the movie is befriended by Walt, not really intentionally.

I don’t think that the movie was trying to depict the sacrificial death that Christ dies for the sake of believers. Though, the movie does a  fairly good job of it. Christ died for sinners, of whom he owed nothing to. He died that they would be freed from the wrath they deserved for their sins. Walt dies for his next door neighbours, of whom he owed nothing to. He dies that they would be freed from the pain and suffering the gang was inflicting on the family. A fairly important difference is that this family did not necessarily deserve to be mistreated by the gang. Sinners deserve eternal  death.

I’ll admit the parallel isn’t perfect. Though, it was and unexpected ending to an unexpected story. An ending that reminded me of and unexpected sacrifice that Christ made. A sacrifice that those who  believe and follow will live eternally with Christ.

Tonight, in a marriage class my wife and I are taking, one of the pastors of our church said a quote worthy line:

In the Christian life we experience moments of victory and seasons of defeat.

- Daniel Baker

I feel I’m in one of those moments of victory, as I’m about to complete reading a book in its entirety. The first in quite some time. I’ve picked up, read a couple chapters and put down a number of books over the past season of defeat. I pray this moment of victory would turn into a life long passion. I’ve always struggled to desire to read, anything. What better reason to put that weakness to rest than seeking to be more like Christ.

My heart keeps beating even though I can’t control it.
My lungs keep breathing I admit I don’t know how.
Bring the flood or bring the fire in this lifetime
I’m ready for the altar or the plough
There are always days when I don’t feel like singing
There are always days when I don’t care at all
But I know the King of All Creation reigns completely
Over every moment great and small

Long Live the King, Aaron Shust

I was on the treadmill tonight listening to Aaron Shust and training for my triathlon reflecting on the evening. Quite an emotional night. Today my wife had accompanied my sister to the doctor for a consult for a surgical procedure she’ll receive this Thursday. When my wife returned home we were discussing the pre-surgical consult they attended and the “slim to none” complications came up in the conversation. Somewhere in the discussion the likelihood (or rather not so likelihood) of their occurrence got lost. After losing my Mom to MS November of 2007 it was a hard pill to swallow entertaining the “worst case” complications that could occur this Thursday and the conversion started to close with me pretty shook up and upset. I think imagining my sister with a breathing tube while she will be under escalated my impression of the procedure and really threw me for a loop.

The song quoted above reminded me of God’s Sovereignty and comforted me in knowing that the outcome of the surgery and likelihood of complications is in the hands of God. His will is ordained for His Glory and without our trust resting solely in that truth we selfishly attempt to take control of a situation we ultimately have no control over. 2 songs later I was singing along with these lyrics:

Separated from night, You spoke and then there was light, They point to You
Divided water from land, Bowing to Your command, They point to You
The sun that’s blazing at noon, And every phase of the moon, They point to You.
A baby’s cry and the way, A sunset closes the day, They point to You.

Create Again, Aaron Shust

Another simple truth struck me. Months (maybe a year or so ago? haha) we had studied Romans 1. Versus 19 and 20 teach us that God’s creation displays his “eternal power and divine nature” through his creation. All and any of his creations. From rocks to babies. It goes on from there to teach us that this display is enough for us to know that He exists and is to be worshiped. No excuses. This truth is a foundation that we’ve referenced throughout our study of Romans. Last night I finished Chapter 3 in John Stott’s Basic Christianity. In Chapter 1 he starts the book out by quoting these two versus and declares this truth.

I don’t know that I started this post with a particular point to make. I just was just reflecting on sovereignty and creation.

Aaron Shust
Whispered and Shouted
© 2007 Bridge Building Music, Inc. / White Spot Publishing

One day Christ will return, hopefully before then I will actually finish reading a book. I was reading CS Lewis’ Mere Christianity, I think I’ve started it about four times by now. I put that down to study Bob Kauflin’s Worship Matters with a friend of mine. In the seventh chapter he references a John Stott book. I was discussing this with my friend and I couldn’t remember the name of the Stott book. I should have looked it up. Unfortunalty I was  little ahead of him in the book and our discussion ended up on Basic Christianity. After the conversation I picked up a copy of it. I looked up the one Kauflin references later and found out that he had referernced Authentic Christianity. So now I’ve started Mere Christianity, Worship Matters, Basic Christianity and I still want to cross reference Authentic Christianity when it shows up in the mail. A good dose of Paul’s perseverance please? At least I’m reading consistently. That’s a huge improvement in my habits.

I’ve been praying for the past year for a desire to read and a yearning to study God’s truth more earnestly than anything else in this world that entertains me. Praise the Lord for a prayer that’s  being answered.

For now Basic Cristianity is a short read and I’m enjoying it. So I’ll probably journal about that again before the others.

I was in the pool today at lunch and completed a 1000 yard work out. It was a great time of reflection that I’d like to write about.

I’m discussing the book I’m reading, Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008), with a friend of mine. He sent me and email with his thoughts on the first few chapters a few days back and I had a chance last night to sit down and digest it. I enjoyed rereading this excerpt from chapter 2 which he brought attention to:

How do I know what I love the most? By looking at my life outside of Sunday morning. What do you enjoy the most? What do I spend the most time doing? Where does my mind drift to when I don’t have anything to do? What am I passionate about? What so I spend my money on? What makes me angry when I don’t get it? What do I feel depressed without? What do I fear losing the most.

Our answers to those questions will lead us straight to the God or to the gods we love and worship.

p26.

This makes me think of two area’s of my life I’ve been pursing in the past few months. One, I’ve been irregularly meeting with a groomsman of mine where we’ve been challenging one another to pursue growing in Christ. We’re holding one another accountable to the goals we’ve set for ourselves. I’ve set goals to read the bible and Christian books at least every other day and to serve my wife selflessly. Two, I’ve committed to a 100km bike race in February and planning to sign up for a sprint triathlon in April. Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Between Paul and Kauflin I’m encouraged by conviction. I’m encouraged that I can see my goals in both biblical training and athletic training. I’m convicted that I often day dream about the athletics more than the sacrifice our Saviour made. I’ll end with another quote from Kauflin that I love. He asserts this in the context of leading a body of believers in song to worship our King.

If our doctrine is accurate but our hearts are cold towards God himself, our corporate worship will be true but lifeless. Or if we express our fervent love for God but present vague, inaccurate, or incomplete ideas of Him to those we’re leading, our worship will be emotional but misleading — and possibly idolatrous. Neither option brings glory to God.

My Prayer for myself and every worship leader is that we’ll become as familiar with the Word of Truth as we are with our instruments. Hopefully even more so. If we do, there’s a strong possibility people are going to walk away from our meetings more amazed by our God than by our music.

And that will be a very good thing.

p32.

I think Kauflin has it right here. Further I believe you can replace the role of a music leader with any role, formal leadership or not. We have to be pursuing God’s truth and refining our understanding of His word and we have to be living His truth in our daily lives. If I replace the leadership role he’s discussing with my triathlon training I have two outcomes of every day. I can consume myself with athletic training and try and find time to pursue God. Or I can consume myself with pursuing God and ask for my athletic training to bring Him glory.

I pray the later would be my mindset.

I’ve been reading Bob Kauflin’s book Worship Matters and have just finished chapter six. I have been recommended to read the book by many and I agree with their recommendation. The book is a great blessing thus far and I have high expectations to continue to be challenged and grown by Kauflin wisdom and experience. This post in by no means an attack or a rant against my one disagreement with Bob Kauflin, so far. It’s just a journal entry as I wrestle through the place God has me in my transformation by the renewing of my mind.

In chapter six Kauflin address the often seemingly equivalence with using the word “worship” when we mean corporate worship through music. He addresses it in the specific context of the “worship leader” by quoting D.A. Carson:

I would abolish forever the notion of a “worship leader.” If you want to have a “song leader” who leads part of the worship, just as the preacher leads part of the worship, that’s fine. But to call the person a “worship leader” takes away the idea that by preaching, teaching, listening to and devouring the word of God, and applying it to our lives, we are somehow not worshipping God. **

Kauflin goes on to commend Carson on his point and expand on the quote stating:

If the individual leading the singing is the “worship” leader, it can imply we aren’t worshipping God during the rest of the meeting. But activities such as praying for others, giving financially, and studying God’s Word together are also acts of worship that bring glory to God. **

He continues by portraying what I interpret as an awkwardness we experience from trying to break away from the cultural tie to calling our music leader “worship leader.” He then states:

And while I agree with Carson’s perspective, I don’t think we have to lose the term worship leader. **

I disagree. I’m going to take a step back and present my thoughts from a more general perspective. I routinely find Christians referring to music during a corporate or small group setting as worship. “Will we have worship tonight at small group?” “Let’s do the announcements after the worship.”

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)

These are my favourite two versus in scripture and I think that they will ground my opinion well. I have no idea why we started to call tie our music time to “worship”. I have my theories, but I won’t waste your time. In the beginning of chapter six Kauflin suggests that those born after 1980 are too young to remember how it happened. Fair enough, I was born after ‘80. But I don’t care where it came from, I ‘d like to question why we should keep it. I believe that Romans 12 is the best description of worship I’ve experienced. To sacrifice our bodies holy and pleasing requires that we are in obedience to Christ seeking sanctification as our bodies are in service to His Glory. That is our spiritual worship. Further our worship is meant to test and discern the will of God. Kauflin has already made the case for me that there are other things that we do to worship God during our corporate worship other than sing and play music. If we line up the use of the word worship to refer to the time we play music next to the list of other ways to worship God Kauflin presents next to Romans’ definition of worship I think you’ll find that “one of these things is not like the other things.” There’s a quote for those of you born after 1980 you should remember from Sesame Street. So lets do some discerning here and realize that the use of the word worship as Kauflin suggests we can continue takes the word worship out of its proper context. I challenge you to consider how it could very easily mislead both believers and non-believers who are not familiar with the surfacey equivalence that our verbage superimposes around our corporate worship through music and true worship.

Honestly I have wrestled with this since I began attending the church we’re about to join since our move last July ‘08. Now that we’ve stepped out of a fellowship that shares the same practices as I believe I often am discouraged by its seemingly equivalence. I’m curious how nievely it’s used like that. I believe the church is solid and this is not an issue to raise  up in arms about. Again I use such strong words to get thoughts and feelings out, not to discount anyone.

I’ll conclude with my proposed solution. Otherwise I feel like I would just be complaining. I agree with Kauflin that when we meet together in obedience to Hebrews 10 it’s sometimes awkward to reference our time of music as something other than worship. I challenge you to call the music exactly what it is. If you’re singing a cappella then maybe call it singing. If you’re using instruments maybe call it music. If you want to refer to the music as worship call it worshipping through music. How often do we say something like “lets continue our worship as we study God’s word.” Well, “lets continue our worship as we worship though music.” Maybe you start your service with music. “Lets begin today by worshipping God through song.”

I’ve been blessed to wrestle through putting my feelings into this post. I worship God for the intelligence we’re given to encourage one another by discerning what is good and acceptable and perfect.

On a side note. I’m reading this book at the same time as my previous pastor and plan to study it with the music pastor at the church I’m about to join. I image you may here more on this topic as I discuss it with them.

**Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008), 53-54.

I had another chance today to enjoy a reflection on the Chistmas songs we carolled at our Christmas Party last week. It seems the simples truths are often the blessings that touch us most.

As part of Christmas I’ve had the opportunity to read Luke chapter 2 with my family a couple times and was blessed by its correlation to the song Angels we have heard on high.

Angels we have heard on high is about angels and shepards giving “Glory to God in the highest” that Christ the savior is born.

In Luke 2 the angels appeared to the shepards and gave them the good news about Chirst’s birth. They’re surrounded by heavenly hosts and sing “Glory to God in the highest.” Once the shepards have followed the angel’s instructions and found Christ in the manger they give glory to God and sing his praises.

On a kinda comical note I am spending my Christmas watching Home Alone in my recently “made into a family room” basement which we moved our TV into but have no furniture in. So we’re all in sleeping bags on the floor.

Meanwhile my wife, brother-in-law (the two of them choose the movie) and sister-in-law are out cold sleeping through the movie.

I choose to journal my reflections on giving “Glory to God in the highest” instead of paying attention to the movie.

Merry Christmas.