The Manhattan Declaration

We wanted to make sure you were aware of the announcement of the Manhattan Declaration that was released a couple weeks ago at the National Press Club.  It is a statement of unified commitment to life, marriage and religious liberty from Christian Orthodox, Catholics and Evangelicals.  About a 100 Christian leaders (including Albert Mohler, Timothy Keller, and J.I. Packer)  have been working on this for several months.  This historic statement is designed to send a strong message that the Church is drawing a line in the sand on these fundamental truths and will not be moved – regardless. 

The goal is to have millions of Christians sign the statement.  Please read it and consider signing it.

For more information, you can read Justin Taylor’s helpful post.

The Power of the Word

Someone in the church passed this along to me (Joe) a while back and I recently stumbled across it again as I was going through some papers and notes.  I thought it was blog worthy and worthy of our reflection.  Enjoy!

The Benefits of Spending Time in God’s Word from Psalm 119:

1. God’s Word establishes my way (v.5)
2. God’s Word purifies my life (v.9)
3. God’s Word removes anything false in me (v.11)
4. God’s Word produces reverence for God (v.12-16)
5. God’s Word increases my courage (v.46)
6. God’s Word comforts me in afflictions (v.50)
7. God’s Word guards me from panic (v. 61)
8. God’s Word teaches me discernment (v.66)
9. God’s Word makes me useful to others (v.79)
10. God’s Word cultivates perseverance (v.87)
11. God’s Word keeps me spiritually alive (v.93)
12. God’s Word accelerates my understanding (v.98-99)
13. God’s Word creates a joyful heart (v.111)
14. God’s Word sustains me when I feel helpless (v.116)
15. God’s Word enables to honor right and hate wrong (v.128)
16. God’s Word causes me to walk in the truth (v.129-130)
17. God’s Word surrounds me with delight in spite of difficulty (v.143)
18. God’s Word develops the discipline of prayer (v.145-149)
19. God’s Word rescues me when I am defenseless (v.153-154)
20. God’s Word fills me with praise within and peace without (v.164-165)
21. God’s Word draws me back when I go astray (v.176)

Piper on “God’s Best Gift”

[This is an excerpt from God is the Gospel, p. 121]

God’s Best Gift: Being Eternally Enthralled with God

This is crucial to see.  Many people seem to embrace the good news without embracing God.  There is no sure evidence that we have a new heart just because we want to escape hell.  That’s a perfectly natural desire, not a supernatural one.  It doesn’t take a new heart to want the psychological relief of forgiveness, or the removal of God’s wrath, or the inheritance of God’s world.  All these things are understandable without any spiritual change.  You don’t need to be born again to want these things.  The devils want them.

It is not wrong to want them.  Indeed it is folly not to.  But the evidence that we have been changed is that we want these things because they bring us to the enjoyment of God.  This is the greatest thing Christ died for.  This is the greatest good in the good news.  Why is that?  Because we were made to experience full and lasting happiness from seeing and savoring the glory of God.  If our best joy comes from something less, we are idolaters and God is dishonored.  He created us in such a way that his glory is displayed through our joy in it.  The gospel of Christ is the good news that at the cost of his Son’s life, God has done everything necessary to enthrall us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy–namely, himself.

Sunday Quotes

Below are the quotes from Joe Lechner’s message on Sunday.

“The person who has no experience of the Lord’s discipline may well question whether he truly belongs to him.”  - Raymond Brown (The Message of Hebrews pg.233)

 “All God’s disciplinary processes are directed to our good… By his very nature as our loving and generous Father, he could not possibly introduce any form of discipline into our lives which would not be of real help to us.” – Raymond Brown (The Message of Hebrews pg. 235)

 “When we are unable to make any sense of our circumstances, we need to come back to the assurance in Hebrews 12:7- “God is treating you as sons.”  …He knows exactly what and how much adversity will develop more Christlikeness in us and He will not bring, nor allow to come into our lives, any more than is needful for His purpose.  Endure all hardship as discipline.  I don’t want to trivialize hardship, but all of us know there are varying degrees of adversity.  Some is life-shattering, such as the death of a loved one or a permanently disabling injury.  At the opposite end of the spectrum are situations that are really no more than temporary nuisances… All of these circumstances and events, whether trivial or serious, are intended by God to be means of developing more Christlike character.” – Jerry Bridges (The Discipline of Grace pg.223-224)

Mission 28 Update

Dear CrossWay Community Church,

The first semester of Mission28 is coming to a close. Picking up from the middle of October, we had our ‘All Day Fun Day’, which consisted of the guys playing flag football on campus and then all of us hanging out at the church for pancakes and a bon fire.  Over 3 different Thursday meetings we had Nick, Mickey, and Mike each give a message.  We are very blessed to have our pastors come and share their hearts and teach God’s word on campus.  [Thank you, Pastors!] Earlier in October we had a Girls Retreat, in the mountains, where we gathered with Jeanie Lechner and Kathryn Flanigan to come to a fresh view of God’s personal, intimate, measureless love for us as individuals.  

Mission28 just had our annual coffee house.  This year, we had ‘Already Not Yet’ Band play, as well as, Daniel Renstrom and Shelly Moore.  There was an estimate of over 200 people there.  It was an awesome time to relax, listen to some music, eat and get to know new people!

Update with OD’s…. Each dorm has had new people come out consistently each week. That’s good news!!! Just a few weeks ago, in Moore dorm, we weren’t able to knock on doors, so no one came out, except one girl. God’s perfect plan! She came out and opened up to us some tragic things that have been going on with her family the past few months and had asked us what to do.  Not able to give any answers, we turned to prayer! So that night we were able to sit and pray for this girl.  I’ve had the pleasure to talk with her more and I believe God is going to do some wonderful things in her life. Please pray God would work through her and she would turn to Him and TRUST in what he’s doing in her life!

Looking back on this semester I see the changes God has done on campus. Many relationships are being made and students are either coming to know Christ as their Savior, or growing more in their walk with the Lord! I’m encouraged!

Thank you for your prayers.

In Grace,

Stephanie Jilek

Crossway Podcast

Make sure you subscribe to the new Crossway Podcast.  It is a great way to get sermons automatically coming to your iTunes.

Q and A with R.C. Sproul, part 3

[Here is our third and final question and answer from Sproul's The Truth of the Cross.]

DID THE ATONEMENT APPLY TO THOSE WHO LIVED BEFORE THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST?

 The answer to this question is clear from Scripture. The people who lived in Old Testament times had the sacrificial system, but the blood of bulls and goats didn’t atone for anyone. These things pointed the people of Israel beyond themselves to an atonement that would satisfy the righteousness of God. The Old Testament person who trusted the promise of the work of the Messiah, even though that work had not yet been accomplished in space and time, was saved. The ground of that salvation was the work of Christ that was yet to come. Old Testament believers were saved by a faith that looked forward, while we are saved by a faith that looks backward. The objective ground for the salvation of both groups is the same – the atonement of Christ.

Biblical Meditation

Biblical Meditation Defined:

Deep thinking on the truth of God’s Word for the purpose of understanding it, believing it, and obeying it.  (See Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1; 2Tim 2:7)

Biblical Meditation Practiced:

• Suggestion #1 – READ PURPOSEFULLY

 Whatever passages you are sitting down to read today, read it with this purpose in mind: I have come to God’s Word to meet with the Living God and there are things in what I am about to read that He wants me to understand, believe, and obey.  Therefore I must engage God’s word and read it with the purpose of understanding, believing, and obeying the things God is saying to me.

•  Suggestion #2 – READ CAREFULLY

 Pay attention to words, phrases, concepts, ideas, patterns that are repeated.  For example, in John 15 Jesus uses the word abide (ESV) ten times in ten verses.  If that’s the case, it’s probably worth thinking deeply about what that means for my life today.  Don’t read fast. Look for repetition and patterns.

• Suggestion #3 – READ REPEATEDLY

 Typically, you don’t get much out of reading something once.  In order for God’s Word to make impact with our heart and life the way it was designed to, you have to be willing to read the same thing over and over and over again.  Read repeatedly until you understand and believe and know what it is you’re supposed to obey.

•  Suggestion #4 – READ INQUISITIVELY

 Just ask a lot of questions when you’re reading.  What is that God wants me to understand – to believe – to obey?  What does this reveal about God?  What does it tell me about myself – as a human being, as a sinner, as a saint?  Is there an example for me to follow?  An example to avoid?  A sin to forsake?  A command to obey?  A promise to believe?  An attitude that needs to change?  A decision that needs to be made?  Something I am to do?  Anything I should pray about?  Thank God for?  How does the gospel speak to this? 

•  Suggestion #5 – READ CONTEXTUALLY

 Understand the context of what you’re reading.  How does this fit in with the rest of the chapter – the rest of the book – the rest of the bible?  What’s happening before this passage?  What’s happening after this passage?  Is there anything that’s said before or later that explains the meaning of this?  Who’s talking?  Who are they talking to? 

•  Suggestion #6 – READ INTELLIGENTLY

 Some things in the bible are hard to understand, but if you can help it don’t stay ignorant or uninformed – educate yourself!  Is there a word you don’t understand?  Go find the definition.  Is there a reference to the OT you don’t understand?  Go find out what it means.  Invest in a good study bible.  Learn to make notes in your bible so you can remember things and read it intelligently the next time you visit that passage.

• Suggestion #7 – READ IMAGINITIVELY

 This book was lived out by real people in real history experiencing real things in real time.  Try to imagine yourself in the story.  The bible is not to be read like a text book – it’s alive, full of emotion, and full of action.  Imagine being Daniel… Moses… Peter.  Imagine being there when the Red Sea parted or the resurrected Christ showed up in the room where you were having dinner.  Reading Scripture like this can sometimes make all the difference in the world.

•  Suggestion #8 – READ PRAYERFULLY

 All other practical tips aren’t worth much without the empowering, illuminating work of the Holy Spirit.  He is the one that opens our hearts, and minds, and eyes.  It’s why David prays in Psalm 119:18 – “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”   Every minute we read we ought to be praying this same thing.

•  Suggestion #9 – READ EXPECTANTLY

 The above prayer is one that God desires to answer!  The greatest treasures in the world are found in the Bible and God intends for those who dig for them to find them – see Proverbs 2:1-6.  Expect God to meet you in His Word!

•  Suggestion #10 – HANG ON TO THAT ONE THING!

 Don’t get up from your Bible without that one nugget of truth – that one thought – that one thing that you are going to remember and feed on and meditate on throughout the rest of the day.  And then hang on to that one thing and seek, to the best of your ability and by the grace of God, to apply that one thing to every situation and test and trial and temptation that you face that day.  Before you get up from your Bible, determine what that one truth will be that your mind will be stayed on as your daily bread for the next 24 hours.  Think about that one thing all day.

[by Joe Lechner]

Q and A with R.C. Sproul, part 2

[Like I said in part 1...this question and answer is from Sproul's The Truth of the Cross]

JESUS WAS FORSAKEN BY HIS FATHER ON THE CROSS. SIMILARLY, WE SOMETIMES HEAR IT SAID THAT THOSE IN HELL ARE FORSAKEN BY GOD IN THE SENSE THAT HELL IS THE ABSENCE OF GOD. SCRIPTURE CLEARLY TEACHES THAT GOD IS OMNIPRESENT. DAVID SAID, “IF I MAKE MY BED IN HELL, BEHOLD, YOU ARE THERE” (Ps. 139:8B). HOW, THEN, ARE WE TO UNDERSTAND HELL AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD?

 It is common to say that hell is the absence of God. Such statements are motivated in large part by the dread of even contemplating what hell is like. We try to soften that blow and find a euphemism to skirt around it.

 We need to realize that those who are in hell desire nothing more than the absence of God. They didn’t want to be in God’s presence during their earthly lives, and they certainly don’t want Him near when they’re in hell. The worst thing about hell is the presence of God there.

 When we use the imagery of the Old Testament in an attempt to understand the forsakenness of the lost, we are not speaking of the idea of the departure of God or the absence of God in the sense that He ceases to be omnipresent. Rather, it’s a way of describing the withdrawal of God in terms of His redemptive blessing. It is the absence of the light of His countenance.  It is the presence of the frown of His countenance. It is the absence of the blessedness of His unveiled glory that is a delight to the souls of those who love Him, but it is the presence of the darkness of judgment. Hell reflects the presence of God in His mode of judgment, in His exercise of wrath, and that’s what everyone would like to escape.

 I think that’s why we get confused. There is a withdrawal in terms of the blessing of the radical nearness of God. His benefits can be removed far from us, and that’s what this language is calling attention to.

Q and A with R.C. Sproul, part 1

[Okay, I'd love to say that I (Mike) called up Dr. Sproul and asked him some questions for our blog, but let's be honest...he as better things and more eternal matters to take care of than talk to me.  However, I was recently reading The Trust of the Cross by R. C. Sproul and at the end of the book, he has some common questions that people ask him.  I thought they were helpful and I thought they might interest my church family at Crossway.  I hope you enjoy!]

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD IN THE ATONEMENT?

 The idea that there’s some intrinsic or inherent power in the blood of Jesus is a popular concept in the Christian world. It even crops up from time to time in various hymns and praise songs. This idea reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the concept of the blood as it relates to atonement from a biblical perspective. I once heard my dear friend John Guest, who is an Anglican evangelist, preach on the cross and the blood of Christ. He asked the question: “Had Jesus some to this earth and scratched His finger on a nail so that a drop or two of blood was spilled, would that have been sufficient to redeem us? That would have constituted the shedding of blood. If we’re saved by the blood of Christ, wouldn’t that have been enough?” Obviously the point John is trying to make is that it’s not the blood of Christ as such that saves us.

 The significance of the blood in the sacrificial system is that it represents life. The Old Testament repeatedly makes the point that “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11). Therefore, when the blood is poured out, the life is poured out. That’s significant, because under the covenant of works in the Garden of Eden, the penalty that was laid down for disobedience was death. God required that penalty for sin. That is why Jesus had to die to accomplish the atonement. When the blood is shed and the life is poured out, the penalty is paid. Nothing short of that penalty will do.