Unlikely Weapons

Recent superhero and spy movies and news releases of Defense Department plans highlight the latest and greatest weapons of mass destruction – blasters, bombs, power orbs, heat-seeking missiles, and countless tricky little destroyers.  Compared to all that arsenal, the armor of God (Ephesians 6.10-20) may seem sort of puny.

But the Ephesians passage brings into perspective the real war being waged: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (vs 12).  The armor we are given in this important battle are not for destruction of others, but to allow us to “withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (vs 13).  The weapons portion is God himself, which is pretty powerful!

The two most recognizable armaments are Prayer and the Word of God.  Prayer is shown to be very powerful when it pulls in God to keep his bountiful promises. The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6.9-13) asks for temptation avoidance, deliverance from evil, and the Lord’s kingdom coming as well as daily bread and forgiveness.  Paul’s prayer for the Colossians brings God’s judicious viewpoint to the fray when it asks that they would be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1.9).

The Word of God is also described as the Sword of the Spirit, the one who will “guide you into all the truth” (John 16.13). Truth is the first part of the armor; the Word of God, used by the Holy Spirit, distinguishes God’s truth from Satan’s lies and half-truths.

The gospel of peace, the most important information the church has (1 Corinthians 15.3-11), is on our feet, giving us a solid foundation for standing firm. The gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed all about the free gift of the other armor parts we have – righteousness, faith, and salvation.

So, our not-so-puny spiritual weapon strategy is to trust God, using the Word and Prayer to stay grounded in the truth of the gospel, continuing in righteousness, faith, and salvation as part of our ongoing sanctification. Stand Firm!

Cool Number Dates – 6/28/15-7/4/15

Tuesday, 6/30/15, is the last June date with all multiples of three.  Look for more three products in September and December.

Don’t expect much in July.  7 and 15 don’t play well together.  But, Happy Independence Day on Saturday!

Did you know they have a Fourth of July in England?  And a fifth of July, and a sixth of July…

Kinds of People

There are three kinds of people in the world: those who can count and those who can’t.

There are two kinds of people in the world:  those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.

There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those that understand binary and those that don’t.

There are three kinds of people in the world: those who can do math and those who can’t.

Blessings

Part of the letter of Paul to the Philippians addresses the need for unity among brothers and sisters in Christ.  The first verse of chapter 2 uses an IF clause with the same meaning as SINCE to indicate possibly the best reason to be humble in order to promote unity.  The blessings that are ours because of Christ’s humility should create in us a deep desire to be like him.  The blessings include:

  • Encouragement in Christ
  • Comfort from love
  • Participation in the Spirit
  • Affection
  • Sympathy

These blessings in verse 1 will inspire us to be of the same mind, have the same love, be in full accord and of the same mind (vs 2).

Don’t Steal

There was this guy at a bar, looking mournfully at his drink. He stays like that for a half hour. Then a big trouble making truck driver steps next to him, takes the drink from the guy, and drinks it all down. The poor man starts crying.

The truck driver says, “Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I’ll buy you another drink. I can’t stand to see a man cry.”

“No, it’s not that,” the man replies, wiping his tears, “This day is the worst of my life. First, I oversleep and go in late to my office. My boss fires me. When I leave the building to go to my car, I find out it was stolen. The police say they can do nothing. I get a cab to go home, and after I get out, I remember I left my wallet inside but the cab driver has already driven away. I go inside my house where I find my wife in bed with the gardener. I leave my home, come to this bar, and  just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison.”

Praying the Book of Church Order

Jason led a very specific prayer time the other night.  It was an elders meeting discussing, among other things, the Book of Church Order (BCO) of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).  Our opening prayer time appropriately focused on Chapter 8, The Elder.  We read the first four paragraphs, and then prayed for each other that our lives and service would reflect what we had read.  The instructions were to review the descriptions, definitions, and admonitions and pray for one another in light of what we read.

There was a similar reaction to these paragraphs as one has when reading the qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 – these goals are too lofty, I can never measure up.  So it was right to pray, recognizing our helplessness and need for a mighty God who provides wisdom, assistance and good gifts in abundance.

Jason noted that the BCO, although written in the 1970s, draws from a long heritage of such documents in Presbyterian history.   Accordingly, there is wisdom in the pages.  As the Westminster Confession of Faith makes clear in its first chapter, the BCO (and the WCF itself, for that matter) do not have the same level of authority as the Bible, but it is still a trustworthy guide. An additional prayer of our is that PCA elders and members pay attention to all three (WCF, BCO, and especially the Bible) for many decades and centuries into the future.

Cool Number Dates – 6/21/15-6/27/15

This week has THREE days with all multiples of THREE; a pattern is emerging.  See Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday: 6/21/15, 6/24/15 and 6/27/15.

Today is also a Minus Subtract Day, since 6 – 21 = -15.

And Wednesday is also a half back day.  Go up 18 from 6 to 24 and come back 9 (half way) to 15.

More Steven Wright

“A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.”

“If you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain.”

“All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand.”

“The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.”

“OK, so what’s the speed of dark?”

Check 6/6/15 for more.

 

Westminster BIG God

The first five chapters of the Westminster Confession of Faith have a wonderful way of describing a BIG God.

The Confession opens by discussing the Bible, the Word of God.  The confession teaches what the Bible claims about itself – it was written by God to provide revelation about himself to mankind.  It is authoritative (1.4), sufficient (1.6), and clear enough so that the message of salvation is understandable to anyone who reads it (1.7).  In addition, the work of the Holy Spirit in the elect includes persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth of the Word (1.5).

The Second chapter of the Confession describes this BIG God.  He is Spirit, unchangeable, boundless, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, and the rewarder of those who diligently seek him.  He is also most just, hating all sin. (2.1)

Chapter three lays out what we know, through the Word, of God’s eternal, wise and holy plan for the whole universe, centering on his care for his people (3.1).  Some people are predestined to life, all to the praise of his glorious grace (3.5); the rest are predestined to wrath, all to the praise of his glorious justice (3.7).  The first answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism echoes this notion:  “Man’s chief end is to glorify God , and to enjoy him forever.” Some (the elect) will believe, glorify him, and enjoy him in heaven forever.  Others will reject the revelation of God and suffer his wrath.

Chapters four and five speak of the ways that God has worked his plan, including his power and goodness in the creation of the universe and his providential care ever since.  He uses ordinary means, including “laws of science” (which God ordained and which reflect his character) that govern the normal events of the day.  He is also free to work without, above, and against the ordinary means as he desires (5.3).  God can do what he pleases; what he HAS done includes the way things are in the world around us, spiritual realms we cannot see, and all past and future events.

A Christian worldview values the Word as an external reference point for all knowledge about God and our duty toward him.  This BIG God works all things together for the good and salvation of those who are called according to his purposes (Romans 8.28).

A Naturalistic worldview denies God’s complete control, replacing it with a different source – nature,  science, mankind,  randomness, or something else.  A less-than-Christian worldview would value man’s experiences, feelings, and culture just as much as Biblical revelation.  Both these alternate worldviews  usually elevate man’s position and diminish the role of the BIG God, thus producing a small God.