Archive Uncategorized | Old Paths Paved

Sep 8 2010

Preaching Without Notes (2)

Further to yesterday’s post on preaching without notes (or with less notes), here’s the method I follow to decrease reliance on paper in the pulpit:

1. Saturation

You must be saturated in your material. This is one of the benefits of preparing nearer the time of sermon delivery. The longer the time period between preparation and preaching, the more you will have to rely on your notes. I also find that praying over my sermon, applying each point to myself really helps to embed the sermon in the heart as well as in the head.

2. Scriptural

If your text is just a pretext for some topical sermon with little connection to your text, then you will be much more reliant on notes. But if your sermon points and material flow naturally out of Scripture, then you immediately have a huge help to reducing your reliance on notes. If you blank, as we all do, then you should be able to just look at your text for prompts to get you back on track.

3. Structure

You must have a clear structure for your sermon material. It is much easier to remember five bullet points than a five line paragraph. Use the outlining/indenting feature of your Word processor and use the same lettering/spacing standard each time to train your mind to step through the process.

4. Summarize

Try to summarize your points and sub-points, cutting the words down more and more until your main points and sub-points are no more than 3-5 words, and your explanatory sentences are no more than one line long. I would recommend that you end up with no more than one page of a summary. I’ve attached a sample below from one of my sermons.

5. Stress

Once you have a one page summary, stress or highlight both your structure and the main word in each point and sentence. Use a highlight marker to color the main points and sub-points. This will help “photograph” the structure into your mind.

Then, using a dark pen, underline the key word in each point, sub-point and line. This word should be one which “triggers” memory of the whole point/line. Write the first letter of each trigger word in the left hand margin. You will then have a series of letters running up and down the left side of your page. Try to memorize one main-point letter and the sub-point letters. Then see if you can recall the word and phrase or sentence related to each letter. The letter should trigger a word which triggers the point (see sample below).

6. Study

This method does not advocate memorizing the sermon word for word. Instead you are remembering the key points, sub-points and “trigger” words (the skeleton). But you will need to stock your mind with a wide vocabulary so that the “trigger” word will pull in suitable other words to speak. If you don’t you will tend to start sounding “samey.” You should read widely and constantly to build up a ready vocabulary. Read outside theological books and magazines. Read a reputable newspaper or contemporary biographies. This will keep your vocabulary fresh, contemporary, and less cliched.

7. Start

The hardest step here is simply to start. It is like learning to swim for the first time without a flotation device, or learning to ride a bike without stabilizers. It is a large psychological barrier. So, let me give you some helps to starting.

First, start small. Instead of launching out with a full sermon in your head, choose a small section which you are committed to preaching without notes and follow the procedure outlined above. Next time, do a larger section or two sections, and so on. Your mind will get into a groove and you will become gradually more confident in the method.

Second, have a back-up plan. Even though you are intending to preach a section or two extemporaneously, take your paper with you anyway so that if you do “blank,” you have your paper to fall back on. The great temptation here though is that your mind will take the easiest path and so will you. If you know there is going to be no lifebelt, you will prepare much better for the jump!

Third, don’t try to memorize Scripture references or quotations. Have these written down on a small paper so that you can read from them. That will save you a lot of mental work. Also, quotations tend to carry more authority if read rather than repeated from memory.

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Sep 3 2010

A Hymn to God the Father

Wilt Thou forgive the sin where I begun

Which was my sin, though it were done before?

Wilt Thou forgive that sin, through which I run,

And do run still though still I do deplore?

When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,

For I have more.

Wilt Thou forgive that sin by which I’ve won

Others to sin, and made my sin their door?

Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun,

A year or two, but wallowed in a score?

When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,

For I have more.

I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun

My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;

But swear by Thyself, that at my death Thy Son

shall shine as He shines now, and heretofore;

and having done that, Thou hast done;

I fear no more.

John Donne (1572-1631)

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Sep 2 2010

A Lifting Up For the Downcast

by William Bridge

You will say, then, but what is the difference between these? A man is to be humbled, and not discouraged; not discouraged and yet to be humbled! What is the difference between these two, being humbled and being discouraged?

It is a profitable question, and worth our time. By way of answer, therefore, thus: When a man is humbled, truly humbled, the object of his grief or sorrow or trouble is sin itself, as a dishonour done unto God. The object of discouragement is a man’s own condition, or sin producing that condition, the ultimate object of discouragement being a man’s own condition. When a man is discouraged, you will always find that his trouble is all about his own condition. Oh, says a discouraged person, I have sinned; I have thus and thus sinned, and therefore my condition is bad, and if my condition be bad now, it will never be better; Lord, what will become of my soul? His trouble is always about a his own condition. But when a man is grieved and truly humbled for sin, his trouble is about sin itself, as a dishonour done unto God. To clear this by Scripture: you know Cain was discouraged, but Cain was not humbled. How may that ap pear? Cain was troubled about his condition. Ah, says he, my punishment is greater than I can bear. On the other side, the poor prodigal was humbled, but not discouraged. How may that appear? His trouble was about his sin, and not about his condition: “I will return unto my Father (says he), and I will say unto him, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and I am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants.” David was sometimes both dis couraged and humbled, and then you find his repentance and humiliation to be very brackish; but if you look into the 51s t Psalm, you will find David humbled but not discouraged, for it is a penitential Psalm. He was humbled but not discouraged, for still he did keep his assurance; verse 14, “Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation.” Bu t what was his repentance, his trouble, about? It was about his sin, and not about his condition. Read verses 2 and 3, and so on: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: …behold, I was shape n in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” All the time, you see, his eye is upon his sin, and not upon his condition only. So that I say, when a man is truly humbled and grieved for sin, the object of his grief is sin, as a dishonour don e unto God: when a man is discouraged and not humbled, then his trouble is all about his condition, and what will become of him.

True humiliation, it is no enemy, but a real friend unto spiritual joy, to our rejoicing in God. The more a man is humbled for sin committed, the more he will rejoice in God, and rejoice that he can grieve for sin. He grieves, and rejoices that he can grieve for sin. Therefore humiliation, is said by our Saviour Christ to be an effect of the work of the Comforter: “I will send the Comforter, and he will convince the world of sin.” Because comfort always goes along with true humiliation, it is not an enemy but a friend to our spiritual rejoicing; but discouragement is an enemy to spiritual joy. A man that is discour aged is grieved, and his grief makes him sad. If you tell him that he must rejoice in God, and call upon him to rejoice in God, Oh no, says he, it is not for me to rejoice; I am a man of another disposition; joy does not belong to me, or to one in my condition. But, when a man is truly humbled, the more he is humbled for sin, the more he can rejoice in God; but the more a man is discouraged, the less he rejoices in God.

The more a man is humbled, truly humbled for sin, the more he is found in duty; the more a man is discouraged, the more his hands are weakened for duty. As it is with water; if the water continues in its true stream, it does not overflow the banks, it does not break down the dam. Sometimes you have a great fall of water, a great and mighty flood, and then the river overflows the banks, and the water breaks down the dam. So here, duty is the bank of sorrow and grief and humiliation for sin. I say, your duties are the banks of all your godly sorrow; and when a man’s sorrow or grief rises to such a height that it swells over duty, and a man says, I will pray no more, for it is to no purpose; and I will hear no more, for there is no hope for my soul; and I will examine my own heart no more — when thus sorrow swells over duty, and breaks down the dam of duty, then it is discouragement and not humiliation. Be not mistaken; this is not humiliation, this is a plain disc ouragement. There is a great difference then, between discouragement and humiliation. Many people indeed think their discouragements to be humiliation. But the Lord knows, there is not a drop of humiliation in a flood of discouragement.

Would you therefore be humbled? Oh, then, be not discouraged; for the more you are discouraged, the less you will be humbled; and the more humbled you are, the less discouraged you will be.

But you reply, if there be such a great difference between these, and if it be our duty, to be humbled for sin, but not to be discouraged, what should a man do to bear up his heart to the work of humiliation, and yet bear up against all discourag ement? How shall I be so humbled without being discouraged? Or what shall a man do that he may be humbled, and yet not be discouraged in his humiliation?

Let Christians carry this rule always up and down with them, namely, That a man is to be humbled for his sin, although it be never so small, but he is not to be discouraged for his sin, though it be never so great. Both these parts are true. A m an is not to be discouraged under his sin, though it be never so great, because discouragement itself is a sin, and that c annot help against sin. Sin cannot help against sin. A man is to be humbled for his sin, though it be never so small, for it is a dishonour to God, and little sins make way to great sins. So, then, if you would be humbled, and not discouraged, ca rry this rule up and down with you, and remember it upon all occasions: It is my duty, and I have reason to be humbled f or my sin, although it be never so small; but I have no reason to be discouraged under my sin, though it be never so great.

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Aug 31 2010

The Perils of ‘Wannabe Cool’ Christianity

Thanks to Rev. J Schoeman for alerting me to this.

By BRETT MCCRACKEN

(Please see Corrections & Amplifications item below.)

‘How can we stop the oil gusher?” may have been the question of the summer for most Americans. Yet for many evangelical pastors and leaders, the leaking well is nothing compared to the threat posed by an ongoing gusher of a different sort: Young people pouring out of their churches, never to return.

As a 27-year-old evangelical myself, I understand the concern. My peers, many of whom grew up in the church, are losing interest in the Christian establishment.

Recent statistics have shown an increasing exodus of young people from churches, especially after they leave home and live on their own. In a 2007 study, Lifeway Research determined that 70% of young Protestant adults between 18-22 stop attending church regularly.

Statistics like these have created something of a mania in recent years, as baby-boomer evangelical leaders frantically assess what they have done wrong (why didn’t megachurches work to attract youth in the long term?) and scramble to figure out a plan to keep young members engaged in the life of the church.

Increasingly, the “plan” has taken the form of a total image overhaul, where efforts are made to rebrand Christianity as hip, countercultural, relevant. As a result, in the early 2000s, we got something called “the emerging church”—a sort of postmodern stab at an evangelical reform movement. Perhaps because it was too “let’s rethink everything” radical, it fizzled quickly. But the impulse behind it—to rehabilitate Christianity’s image and make it “cool”—remains.

There are various ways that churches attempt to be cool. For some, it means trying to seem more culturally savvy. The pastor quotes Stephen Colbert or references Lady Gaga during his sermon, or a church sponsors a screening of the R-rated “No Country For Old Men.” For others, the emphasis is on looking cool, perhaps by giving the pastor a metrosexual makeover, with skinny jeans and an $80 haircut, or by insisting on trendy eco-friendly paper and helvetica-only fonts on all printed materials. Then there is the option of holding a worship service in a bar or nightclub (as is the case for L.A.’s Mosaic church, whose downtown location meets at a nightspot called Club Mayan).

“Wannabe cool” Christianity also manifests itself as an obsession with being on the technological cutting edge. Churches like Central Christian in Las Vegas and Liquid Church in New Brunswick, N.J., for example, have online church services where people can have a worship experience at an “iCampus.” Many other churches now encourage texting, Twitter and iPhone interaction with the pastor during their services.

But one of the most popular—and arguably most unseemly—methods of making Christianity hip is to make it shocking. What better way to appeal to younger generations than to push the envelope and go where no fundamentalist has gone before?

Sex is a popular shock tactic. Evangelical-authored books like “Sex God” (by Rob Bell) and “Real Sex” (by Lauren Winner) are par for the course these days. At the same time, many churches are ﬁnding creative ways to use sex-themed marketing gimmicks to lure people into church.

Oak Leaf Church in Cartersville, Georgia, created a website called yourgreatsexlife.com to pique the interest of young seekers. Flamingo Road Church in Florida created an online, anonymous confessional (IveScrewedUp.com), and had a web series calledMyNakedPastor.com, which featured a 24/7 webcam showing five weeks in the life of the pastor, Troy Gramling. Then there is Mark Driscoll at Seattle’s Mars Hill Church—who posts Q&A videos online, from services where he answers questions from people in church, on topics such as “Biblical Oral Sex” and “Pleasuring Your Spouse.”

But are these gimmicks really going to bring young people back to church? Is this what people really come to church for? Maybe sex sermons and indie- rock worship music do help in getting people in the door, and maybe even in winning new converts. But what sort of Christianity are they being converted to?

In his book, “The Courage to Be Protestant,” David Wells writes:”The born-again, marketing church has calculated that unless it makes deep, serious cultural adaptations, it will go out of business, especially with the younger generations. What it has not considered carefully enough is that it may well be putting itself out of business with God.

“And the further irony,” he adds, “is that the younger generations who are less impressed by whiz-bang technology, who often see through what is slick and glitzy, and who have been on the receiving end of enough marketing to nauseate them, are as likely to walk away from these oh-so-relevant churches as to walk into them.”

If the evangelical Christian leadership thinks that “cool Christianity” is a sustainable path forward, they are severely mistaken. As a twentysomething, I can say with confidence that when it comes to church, we don’t want cool as much as we want real.

If we are interested in Christianity in any sort of serious way, it is not because it’s easy or trendy or popular. It’s because Jesus himself is appealing, and what he says rings true. It’s because the world we inhabit is utterly phony, ephemeral, narcissistic, image-obsessed and sex-drenched—and we want an alternative. It’s not because we want more of the same.

Corrections & Amplifications

Pastor Mark Driscoll at Seattle’s Mars Hill Church has talked about sexual topics in church services but says he has not delivered sermons with sex-themed titles. An earlier version of this column mistakenly used the word sermon.

Mr. McCracken’s book, “Hipster Christianity: Where Church and Cool Collide” (Baker Books) was published this month.

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Aug 27 2010

I heard the Voice of Jesus Say

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one, lay down
thy head upon my breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
the living water; thirsty one,
stoop down and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s light;
look unto me, thy morn shall rise,
and all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in him my Star, my Sun;
and in that light of life I’ll walk
till traveling days are done.

Horatius Bonar

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Aug 18 2010

Prayer Answered by Crosses

I ask’d the Lord, that I might grow

In faith, and love, and ev’ry grace,

Might more of his salvation know,

And seek more earnestly his face.

‘Twas he who taught me thus to pray,

And he, I trust has answer’d pray’r;

But it has been in such a way,

As almost drove me to despair.

I hop’d that in some favour’d hour,

At once he’d answer my request:

And by his love’s constraining pow’r,

Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this. he made me feel

The hidden evils of my heart;

And let the angry pow’rs of hell

Assault my soul in ev’ry part.

Yea more, with his own hand he seem’d

Intent to aggravate my woe;

Cross’d all the fair designs I schem’d,

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this, I trembling cry’d,

Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?

“‘Tis in this way,” the Lord reply’d,

“I answer pray’r for grace and faith.

“These inward trials I employ,

“From self and pride to set thee free;

“And break thy schemes of earthly joy,

“That thou mayst seek thy all in me.”

John Newton

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Aug 9 2010

A Few Good Men- People a Pastor Needs

I think the “Pastor on a Pedestal ” era has ended. There was a time, not long ago, when a pastor was considered other-worldly, and the rumour was his feet never actually touched the ground. With the fall of so many prominent ministers in the last half-century, and with the broad range of communications now available to every kook that covets the title, many now look at a minister with eyes wide open, as a fallible creature (which we are!). Add to this the cultural arrival of professional familiarity (a whole other topic with its pro’s and con’s, where Rev. William Smith is now Pastor S., or just plain old ‘Billy’) we are no longer able to separate the person from the office, our pal from our pastor. The upside of this familiarity is the reality that we are human, and have the same basic needs as any other member of the church.

So while we are being open and transparent, here are 5 people, besides his wife (who is indispensable!) that every pastor needs in his life. Some of these will be in the local Church, others, outside in the wider body of Christ.

A Confidant- someone who will be his friend. The irony of the ministry is that it is distinctly possible to be very lonely in the midst of so many people. A pastor needs someone he can be himself around, go fishing with, and pop in on unannounced, just to chat. I don’t mean that he is one person in the pulpit and another in private, but there are aspects of the personality of the pastor that he cannot show everyone. This is often someone outside the local congregation (but not always), who he can be himself around.
A Counsellor- someone he can unburden himself to and who is removed enough from the daily activities of the local church to give objective advice. Often this is another pastor, or a wise elder of another congregation who can give a word in season regarding the focus, desires, and goals of the pastor. These people are most precious, and you only need one or two to really make a difference.
An Intercessor- someone who will promise to pray for him and the church. Believe it or not, this kind of person is a rare commodity! It is a selfless act of love, simply because there is no outward return for it. To find someone who will wrestle in prayer with him, and for him, is one of the greatest blessings of the ministry.
A Critic- someone who loves him enough to be honest with him regarding the many aspects of the ministry. While there are always many applicants for this position, very few know how to be a good critic. This person is often a seasoned elder in the congregation, or a past office-bearer, who not only knows what a good ministry looks like, but desires to see him succeed. While praise is gravy to the ministry, the meat and potatoes are often found in loving criticism from someone who has a vested interest in his success. So this person is often in the local congregation.
An Encourager- someone who loves the man and the ministry, and is not afraid to speak of the positive elements of the pastorate. The ministry can be very discouraging at times, and a pastor, being the sensitive person that he is (believe it or not), often has a difficult time seeing the good amidst all his perceived failures. An encourager, (who if he is exceptionally gifted, is also the critic), knows when to send that card or email, or pick up that phone and lift up the hands that hang down (Ex 17:11; 12:12.).

What do you think, have I missed any people a pastor needs? I’d appreciate your thoughts.

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Aug 7 2010

Is Your Ear Pierced by Christ?

Exo 21:5,6 “And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.”

If you were able to purchase a servant from the slave market (which most could not afford), the LORD had something to say about that purchase. Six years was the length of time you could own someone, and only six. In the 7th year they must be freed. Not only freed, but as Deut. 15:14, says, “Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.” In the end, it would cost you greatly to own a servant. What happened when a servant did not wish to be released? There was provision made in the law for this. This time however, it was going to cost the servant something.

We read in this text that if a servant wanted to stay with his master, he would have to declare it. He would have to “plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free ”. Then, the slave and the master would go together to the Sanhedrin, the counsel of Israel, and they would hear the servants words. Once declaration was approved, the master and servant would now walk together to the door of the city, and would do the following;

The master would take an awl, a large thick needle, usually used for leather repair, and drive it right through the servants ear into the door or post of the door. It was not driven through the lobe of the ear either, where there is less sensitivity, but through the top of the ear into the hard cartilage. As I was meditating on this passage some time ago, I was reminded of the answer to our beloved Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1. “That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ”.

Is your ear fixed to the cross of Christ? Can you honestly say, “Who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him”?

Christ’s Own Ear Pierced

Jesus Christ never asks us to do anything that He Himself has not done. Christ humbled Himself willingly, and came in the likeness of flesh (Philip.2). His humiliation tells us that He too had an awl bored through his ear. We read in Psalm 40, that Messianic Psalm, “Mine ears hast thou opened”.The word “opened” in the Hebrew means “digged” or “bored”, and it is referring directly to the act we have just spoken about. Christ, for His great love to the Father, and the elect, had his ear, as it were, bored through for our sake. And he did so willingly, like the servant in Exodus. 21. He says of his own life in Joh 10:18 “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” He could have gone free if He wished. He says to Pilate, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above (John 19). When the Pharisees mocked him on the cross, (“If He be the Son of God, let Him come down from the Cross”), he could have leaped in one giant stride from that cursed tree, and brought down fire from heaven to consume them. But He did not. No, His ear was to the door. His Servant’s heart kept him nailed to that tree. Willingly, without struggle, he was, of his own will, “lead as a sheep to the slaughter.”

The Believer’s Ear Pierced

Natural man hates the very thought of being the servant of Christ. By nature we have the Pharisee’s mind, “We will not have this man to reign over us.” Our only master is self. We live for self, we die for self. We sacrifice dust and ashes on the alter of self. Others say, “I will go to the door and make my ear available after.” After what? “After I have had my fun. After I have had my pleasure. After I have sown my wild oats. Leave me alone until I am ready to have my ear nailed to the door. Perhaps when I am ready to settle down, and have a family, a wife, some children, but until then, I will not have my ear pierced.” But they know nothing of the words quoted above, “That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ”. Nothing at all. And without the Lord making them willing, they will never submit to the awl and the door.

There are still others, who have professed that their ear has been pierced, yet time proves them false. Their ear was never really pierced at all. Technology today has fabricated false beauty. Is gold plate real gold? Yes, the plating is gold, but the metal underneath is nickel. A cubic zirconium stone fools the natural eye, but not the expert. So it can be with those in the Church. One old writer said, “ Oh, it is a thing most vexatious beneath the skies, the plague of the Church, and the minister’s nightmare, that there should be so many hollow confessions of faith” (C.H. Spurgeon). Some, in the Church, if I can put it like this, have a clip on earing. When it suits them, in the company of believers, they wear it proudly. They speak with the language of Zion in the Church, but once they are out in the world, off it comes. This is all to prevalent in the Church today.

Submitting ot the door and the awl means a forsaking of self, and all that self might want. The Hebrew servant could now go free if he wished. He could have started a little farm of his own, or perhaps a store. He could now wake up and go to sleep when he pleased. Go where he wanted to go. Live as he wishes. But he does not. Instead, the one thing he desires above all else is to be with the one he loves. The pain he will face at the door, evidently, is well worth the benefit of his master’s house. So it is with those who can truly say, “That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ”. Yes there is a cross for us. Yes there is pain on the road up ahead. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. But it is worth it. Hear Paul’s own words in Php 3:8, “Yea doubtless, The aand I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ”. He counts every apparent advantage; his personal happiness, his personal pleasure, his apparent freedom, his reputation, his wealth potential, his pride, his all, he count them as “a stinking pile of refuse”. Paul knew what it was to say, “That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ”.

The awl’s of the Gospel

What are some marks of the awl of the gospel?

Your ear has been bored by love.

Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Love given compells love returned. The Hebrew servant said, ” I love my master…I will not go free.” What a testament to the love the master had given to the slave. When the converted heart sees the great love of God in Christ, freedom is not an option, but love-slavery. Romans 1:1 “Paul, a servant (bond slave) of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.”

Your ear has been bored by mercy.

In the Old Testament, a many were made a slave by their own hand. They did not have prisons like we do today for those who had committed wrong. No, they either made restoration for their wrong, or they became the slave of the one whom they had offended. Other times, they might have mismanaged their finances so badly that they are essentially bankrupt. And all they can do to survive is either beg, or become the slave of another. So when the master would go the the market, he would be presented, very often, with people who were the lowest of the low, starving, dirty, often naked. They had poor health, and poorer manners, and were the scum of society. Often the slave, when purchased by a renown loving master, was so thankful for their purchase, they would kiss the hand of their new master. The Master was able to see them at their worst, and still look upon them in mercy. So it is with every believer who has had his or her ear pierced by the gospel of mercy. We are slaves to sin, born in it. We are offenders of the law of God, we are poor, and hungry, and naked, and sick. Romans 9:15, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Or as one poet says of Christ,

He saw me ruined in the fall,

He loved me not withstanding all.

You have seen some of the awls, but I cannot pierce your ear. This text forbids it, “And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl”. There is no man that can fix your ear to the cross. There is no preacher who can make you say in heart, “That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.” It is Christ that must do it.

Is your ear pierced by Christ?

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Jul 21 2010

Connected Kingdom (12): How to use technology for God’s glory

My friend Rev. Dr. David P. Murray almost always hits the nail on the head. I say “almost always” because, well, he’s human, so he has to miss every now and again right? Having said that, I have yet to spot his flaw. The latest Connected Kingdom is another welcomed podcast on the proper use of technology, and how it can be used for God’s glory. Give it a listen.

http://headhearthand.posterous.com/connected-kingdom-12-how-to-use-technology-to

From Head, Heart, Hand. Download here.

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Jul 16 2010