Food Bank News

I'm not sure if you are aware of the goings on at the food bank of our town so I thought I'd take a minute and bring you up to date and also give you a link. Judy Porter is the administrator of that valuable asset to our community. She updates recent activity at the "First Methodist" blog. Here is a link to her most recent entry. If you get the opportunity drop her a note on the blog and tell her how much she and all of the other volunteers are appreciated, then do your part to help out.

Rick

From whom does Faith come?

Jesus loved His people before the foundation of the world—even from eternity! and when He called me by His grace, He said to me, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
Then, in the fullness of time, He purchased me with His blood; He let His heart run out in one deep gaping wound for me long ere I loved Him. Yea, when He first came to me, did I not spurn Him? When He knocked at the door, and asked for entrance, did I not drive Him away, and do despite to His grace? Ah! I can remember that I full often did so until, at last, by the power of His effectual grace, He said, “I must, I will come in;” and then He turned my heart, and made me love Him. But even till now I should have resisted Him, had it not been for His grace.
Well, then, since He purchased me when I was dead in sins, does it not follow, as a consequence necessary and logical, that He must have loved me first? Did my Savior die for me because I believed on Him? No; I was not then in existence; I had then no being. Could the Savior, therefore, have died because I had faith, when I myself was not yet born? Could that have been possible? Could that have been the origin of the Savior’s love towards me? Oh! no; my Savior died for me long before I believed.
“But,” says someone, “He foresaw that you would have faith; and, therefore, He loved you.” What did He foresee about my faith? Did He foresee that I should get that faith myself, and that I should believe on Him of myself? No; Christ could not foresee that, because no Christian man will ever say that faith came of itself without the gift and without the working of the Holy Spirit. I have met with a great many believers, and talked with them about this matter; but I never knew one who could put his hand on his heart, and say, “I believed in Jesus without the assistance of the Holy Spirit.”

Source: Heritage of great evangelical teaching : C.H. Spurgeon 1997, c1996. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Faith Alone

Title: Institutes of the Christian Religion
Author: John Calvin

"The sum of the Gospel is, not without good reason, made to consist in repentance and forgiveness of sins; and, therefore, where these two heads are omitted, any discussion concerning faith will be meager and defective, and indeed almost useless. Now, since Christ confers upon us, and we obtain by faith, both free reconciliation and newness of life, reason and order require that I should here begin to treat of both. The shortest transition, however, will be from faith to repentance; for repentance being properly understood it will better appear how a man is justified freely by faith alone, and yet that holiness of life, real holiness, as it is called, is inseparable from the free imputation of righteousness. That repentance not only always follows faith, but is produced by it, ought to be without controversy (see Calvin in Joann. 1:13). For since pardon and forgiveness are offered by the preaching of the Gospel, in order that the sinner, delivered from the tyranny of Satan, the yoke of sin, and the miserable bondage of iniquity, may pass into the kingdom of God, it is certain that no man can embrace the grace of the Gospel without retaking himself from the errors of his former life into the right path, and making it his whole study to practice repentance. Those who think that repentance precedes faith instead of flowing from, or being produced by it, as the fruit by the tree, have never understood its nature, and are moved to adopt that view on very insufficient grounds."

Bruised (but beautiful) Feet

"If some Christians that have been complaining of their ministers had said and acted less before men and had applied themselves with all their might to cry to God for their ministers—had, as it were, risen and stormed heaven with their humble, fervent and incessant prayers for them—they would have been much more in the way of success".—Jonathan Edwards

E. M. Bounds puts it this way: “Prayer, to the preacher, is not simply the duty of his profession, a privilege, but it is a necessity. Air is not more necessary to the lungs than prayer is to the preacher. It is absolutely necessary for the preacher to pray. It is an absolute necessity that the preacher be prayed for. These two propositions are wedded into a union which ought never to know any divorce: the preacher must pray; the preacher must be prayed for. It will take all the praying he can do, and all the praying he can get done, to meet the fearful responsibilities and gain the largest, truest success in his great work. The true preacher, next to the cultivation of the spirit and fact of prayer in himself, in their intensest form, covets with a great covetousness the prayers of God’s people.” (Source: Title: Power Through Prayer Author: E.M. Bounds, chapter 18)

Now, let’s consider this topic scripturally.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version
2 Corinthians 6:3 - 2 Corinthians 6:13 (NKJV)

3We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
4But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
5in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
6by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
7by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
8by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
9as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;
10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

11O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.
12You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.
13Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open.

Paul knew that many of the members of the Corinthian church had been reconciled to God. These weren’t the ones who were causing him trouble. They had accepted him as God’s minister. His problem within the church was the ones who were rejecting him as God’s spokesman. In doing so, they were rejecting the message of reconciliation that he was delivering to them. Why couldn’t they accept Paul? Maybe it was because they viewed all of the incessant problems and miseries of his ministry as evidence of God’s displeasure with him. Maybe they thought that such a ministry should be evinced by peace, mercy and love. And I’m sure that many times Paul – reflecting on the words of Psalms 55 – may himself have felt the urge to “cut and run”.

Psalms 55:4 - Psalms 55:7 (NKJV)

4 My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness.
Selah

See, the true minister of God doesn’t really have that option though. The word of God burns like a fire in his bones. “Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.’ But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not (Jer. 20:9).” And yet, controversy is ever before him as he deals with the people God has given him to shepard. No, a minister of God is perpetually in the dust of the arena. He is beaten, mocked, exhausted, hungry, and bloodied – sometimes by the very people to whom he is preaching the message of reconciliation. As a matter of fact this very endurance should be the crowning evidence to stop the mouths of anyone who would deny the reality of his faith in Christ. Endure he must. It is his calling, regardless of the way he is treated. Allow me to take a small liberty with the scripture. My pastor’s name is Ronnie. Watch what happens in the following verses:

O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”(Isa. 40:9)

Ronnie,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up upon your pulpit;
Ronnie,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the city of Cross Plains, “Behold your God!”

So, with that in mind, let us look again to the words of God – through Paul (as well as our own pastor) – in 2 Cornithians 6:3-13. Are you contributing to the afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonment, riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger of your pastor in any way as he speaks in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, genuine love, truthful speech in the power of God by the Holy Spirit?

Have we failed to understand the great commission of our pastor? I think far too many times that as we reflect on his teachings we sit and complain inwardly to ourselves about a particular teaching or doctrine that he is going over again. We tell ourselves that we know that particular doctrine well enough and that he should move on and teach us something new. To be sure, the gospel is doctrinal. And doctrine is teaching and explaining and clarifying. But if we are simply there for the teaching we have missed the point. Doctrine is not the gospel – God is the Gospel. Let me use the words of John Piper to make my point:

“Gospel doctrine matters because the good news is so full and rich and wonderful that it must be opened like a treasure chest, and all its treasures brought out for the enjoyment of the world. Doctrine is the descriptions of these treasures. Doctrine describes their true value and why they are so valuable. Doctrine guards the diamonds of the gospel from being discarded as mere crystals. Doctrine protects the treasures of the gospel from pirates who don't like the diamonds but who make their living trading them for other stones. Doctrine polishes the old gems buried at the bottom of the chest. It puts the jewels of gospel truth in order on the scarlet tapestry of history so each is seen in its most beautiful place.

And all the while, doctrine does this with its head bowed in wonder that it should be allowed to touch the things of God. It whispers praise and thanks as it deals with the diamonds of the King. Its fingers tremble at the cost of what it handles. Prayers ascend for help, lest any stone be minimized or misplaced. And on its knees gospel doctrine knows it serves the herald. The gospel is not mainly about being explained. Explanation is necessary, but it is not primary. A love letter must be intelligible, but grammar and logic are not the point. Love is the point. The gospel is good news. Doctrine serves that. It serves the one whose feet are bruised (and beautiful!) from walking to the unreached places with news: “Come, listen to the news of God! Listen! Understand! Bow! Believe!”

Maybe the next time we feel compelled to utter a word of disapproval about our pastor we should take a step back and take a long hard look at his bleeding and bruised feet. Maybe we instead could offer up a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to our great and holy God for being so interested in us that he would send a man whose chief goal in life is to introduce us – personally – to God himself.

Study Notes: Romans 15

In the well known Broadway show "My Fair Lady", which is based on the play "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw, there is a line that goes like this:

"The Lord above made man to help his neighbor,
No matter where, on land or sea of foam.
The Lord above made man to help his neighbor, but
With a little bit of luck,
With a little bit of luck,
When he comes around you won't be home."

Then there are the lines ia a song that says:
"Oh! what a beautiful morning!
Oh! what a beautiful day!
I've got a beautiful feeling,
Everything's going my way."

We live in a selfish world and selfishness is the principle mark of the human race. The words I, me, my, and myself appear more than forty times in Ecclesiastes 2:1–11! This says a lot about the lifestyle that the writer was pursuing. He seems to have been focused on the gratification and glorification of himself.
Does this self-centered outlook sound familiar? Many people today are using their skills to attain a lifestyle that is built around their own comforts and convenience. The needs of others hardly matter to them.
But Ecclesiastes shows that this approach to living is ultimately empty, futile, and passing; it is “vanity and grasping for the wind” (Eccl. 2:11).
Is there a better way? Yes, the book goes on to say that real value in life can be found in fearing God (Eccl. 12:13) and honoring Him in the simple, basic “stuff” of life, such as work and family (Eccl. 2:24; 3:22; 5:18–19; 8:15).
One way to evaluate ourselves in this regard is to ask: In the midst of all our pursuits, whose life is enhanced by what we are about? If the only answer is “me,” then we are already on the perilous road of self-indulgence.

Have we forgotten the contrast between the selfishness of human nature and the selfless attitude of Jesus Christ? The greek word ego is translated as "self". To be selfish therefore is to be egotistical. But in verse 3 of the 15th chapter of Romans we are told that Christ did not please himself. This is a very different humanity that is so prevalent in our society today. Most people today have this "Get-Out-Of-My-Way" attitude that nowhere resembles the example of the scripture of Phil. 2:5 ("Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...").

So, what does selfishness do for a person. Well, it will cause him to crucify the Lord. Take a look at Psalm 69. This psalm is one of the great messianic psalms. With Jesus in mind, this psalm shows that he was denied and slandered by his enemies, estranged from his own brothers, made a proverb by the people, critized by the rulers, and was the theme of obscene songs by drunkards. This psalm shows the kind of abuse we should be willing to endure for God and others....not the kind of abuse we so often dish out.

To persuade people of their sin is not difficult. Almost everybody will admit that at some time they have done something wrong. But Christianity is not concerned with showing that people sin. Christianity is concerned with persuading people under judgment how radically serious sin is. The issue is theonomy, the law and rule of God, against autonomy, self-rule. Every sin, no matter how slight, manifests a gut-level drive for autonomy. The revolt against God’s rule began in the Garden of Eden and has continued ever since. No one is exempt and even our best deeds are tainted by impure motives and selfishness. Selfishness is one of the greatest sins as it is a sin of unbelief.

See you Sunday!

Rick

A Devotional

Title: Morning and Evening
Author: Spurgeon, Charles H.

July 14

Morning

“If thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.”

- Exodus 20:25

God’s altar was to be built of unhewn stones, that no trace of human skill or labour might be seen upon it. Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the doctrines of the cross into a system more artificial and more congenial with the depraved tastes of fallen nature; instead, however, of improving the gospel carnal wisdom pollutes it, until it becomes another gospel, and not the truth of God at all. All alterations and amendments of the Lord’s own Word are defilements and pollutions. The proud heart of man is very anxious to have a hand in the justification of the soul before God; preparations for Christ are dreamed of, humblings and repentings are trusted in, good works are cried up, natural ability is much vaunted, and by all means the attempt is made to lift up human tools upon the divine altar. It were well if sinners would remember that so far from perfecting the Saviour’s work, their carnal confidences only pollute and dishonour it. The Lord alone must be exalted in the work of atonement, and not a single mark of man’s chisel or hammer will be endured. There is an inherent blasphemy in seeking to add to what Christ Jesus in His dying moments declared to be finished, or to improve that in which the Lord Jehovah finds perfect satisfaction. Trembling sinner, away with thy tools, and fall upon thy knees in humble supplication; and accept the Lord Jesus to be the altar of thine atonement, and rest in him alone.

Many professors may take warning from this morning’s text as to the doctrines which they believe. There is among Christians far too much inclination to square and reconcile the truths of revelation; this is a form of irreverence and unbelief, let us strive against it, and receive truth as we find it; rejoicing that the doctrines of the Word are unhewn stones, and so are all the more fit to build an altar for the Lord.