A Blippet

  I closed my last post by saying I’m humbled before such a great GOD.  He is indeed great.  What I’ve been sharing with my youth group, or attempting to, is that the primary reason for Scripture is to reveal GOD.  To reword that a little, the best place to go to discover who GOD is, is the Bible.  It is withing these pages that He lets Himself be known. 

  As I’ve been reading through the History and Prophets (Old Testament) GOD has been opening my eyes wider and wider.  I used to think that the Old Testament was all about a wrathful and judgemental GOD while the New was about a loving GOD.  Not at all!  Within these pages I am blown away at GOD’s mercy!  Just this weekend my reading found me in 2 Chronicles 33.  Here we find the story of one of the most wicked kings that ever existed: Manasseh, king of Judah.  He had a godly father (Hezekiah) but he did not take after his dad, even though Manasseh began to reign when he was only twelve.  In 2 Kings 21: 16 it says "Moreover, Manaseeh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end…"  He undid all the good his father had done, going so far as to sacrifice his sons in fire and get involved in witchcraft, sorcery and divination, among other things.  He completely and blatently disobeyed all of GOD’s commands.  "The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention."  In short, this was one bad man.  

  You would think that GOD would just get rid of the guy.  And it seemed like He would because he brought an army against Judah that "took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon."  (v. 11)  Sounds like the end of the story.

  But it’s not. 

  Manasseh cried out to GOD.  He was desperate.  What did GOD do?  He listened.  He brought Manasseh back to his kingdom.  Did Manasseh deserve it?  Absolutely not!  But what happened?  "Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God."  (v. 13)  He went on to tear down all the altars he made and from that point served only GOD. 

  It’s really a powerful story, which the Word of GOD tells a lot better than I do.  I find within this story some amazing truths.  For one, GOD gives second chances, or even third or fourth.  Praise GOD for that!  Although I’d have a hard time putting myself on the level of Manasseh, without second chances, I’d have been done away with long ago.  GOD is merciful (doesn’t give us what we deserve, ultimately hell). 

  Secondly, GOD can use anyone.  From the sounds of it, Manasseh and Hitler had a lot in common, but GOD used Manasseh in an incredible way after he humbled himself.  If He could use Manasseh, murderer, child killer, star worshipper and GOD hater, who can He not use?  His ability to use us is not based on our track record, but His power through us.  Now that is a wonderful thought!

  And thirdly, even though Manasseh once worshipped idols, stars and was involved in witchcraft and the powers of darkness, when he realized that the LORD is GOD, he got rid of all of these non-gods.  He realized they had no power.  It’s not that GOD is the strongest, most powerful GOD.  He’s the only GOD.

  This is just one blippet of a revelation of GOD.  There is so much more.  He’s so much more.  The wider He opens my eyes, the wider they get with awe. 

Blessed

  I am so blessed.  In so many ways.  One of the most amazing to me right now is that GOD is choosing to use me.  As one song puts it, "How [amazing (don’t remember what word goes here)] to know You don’t need me, how refreshing to find You still want me."  It is refreshing. 

  These last few weeks have been fertile ground for growth.  In December Clem announced that he would probably not be helping with youth in the new year, which has happened.  I find myself with the responsibility of leading a youth group.  There was a day when pride ruled and I thought that I knew how everything should be run and if only I was in charge everything would be alright.  I find myself humbled and in need of mercy and wisdom.  And GOD is gracious.  I tend to look at where ‘my kids’ are not and be frustrated by that but in the past couple weeks GOD has opened my eyes to see growth, to see fruit.  Even as I tremble and say "GOD, I don’t know what to do, I can’t lead these kids" He has been working through me and in me.  That’s so phenomenal.  Even as I have so much to learn, He is still big enough to work despite my failures. 

  I’m humbled before such a great GOD. 

GIFT ~ Friday

  A reminder to all of you who are praying, GIFT is scheduled for this Friday.  It has been exciting seeing how the band has been growing in their spiritual walks since the beginning of the year.  Let me rephrase that: in OUR spiritual walks.  We’ve been learning a lot about worship and what it means, and of course there is so much more to learn.  I will probably be sharing some thoughts on worship before too long. 

  Some thoughts for prayer: pray for Mark Mast as he prepares to share.  He was recently in Guatemala and is returning there, LORD willing, in a couple weeks.  He will probably be sharing a bit of his experiences there.  Pray also for the band.  With exams coming closer most of the band members are under more stress than usual as well as having conflicting schedules that are still being worked out. 

  Another thought for prayer is this, we do not want GIFT to be merely a performance.  My prayer is that GIFT will be an evening of spurring each other on, of praising and worshipping our great GOD as a corporate body. It’s not just about having fun, it’s about worshipping GOD for who He is and what He’s done. 

  Much to pray about.  Much to learn.  May GOD be glorified and made famous!  Together with You, so be it.   

Awesome God – CD Review

  The first time I listened to Awesome God by Sovereign Grace Ministries I was surprised.  Understanding that it was a ‘kid’s’ CD I was expecting the usual sounds that seperate kid’s music from the rest: dramatized voices of furry characters pictured on the front and blings, blongs and whatever other sound effect that can be found that are ‘fun’.  That’s not to be found on this CD.  What I discovered was a project of well crafted songs ranging from upbeat songs, like "Your Love", to soft and reflective songs, such as "Have You Heard?",  that can be enjoyed by all ages.

  What impresses me most about this project is that there is not a single song on the entire project that focuses on ‘me’.  These are not songs that simply tell a Bible story or remind us to be good and smile.  Every song directs our focus to our ‘Awesome God’, even while dealing with who we are and things we struggle with.  For example, in "Sovereign One" we find the lyrics "When I’m all alone and afraid I will trust in You for You watch over my ways….When I don’t get to have my own way I will trust in You for You know what is best".  This project also points out what we have been created for.  "And You’ve created me to worship You and You’ve created me to love You and you have made me to delight in You.  All glory to Your name!"  (Almighty Creator).  In an age where kids are taught that it’s all about them, this is a much needed message, one we all need to be reminded of.

  To be honest, at first I was not entirely impressed.  My preconceived ideas about kid’s songs told me that the content of these songs is too deep for kids.  The more I listened to the CD though, the more I realized that maybe what the problem has been is that we underestimate the ability of kids to understand.  We end up spoon feeding them Bible stories with "feel good, do good" messages rather than teaching them about who GOD is because we think they won’t get it, maybe because we don’t.  This project lays out attributes of GOD in a simple way while still maintaining a spirit of mystery.  On the back cover it states that one of the goals of the project is to express who GOD is in words that kids can understand.  In general I would say they have done an excellent job, although there are some words such as sovereign and righteous that do appear on this project.  These are words that, sadly, the average Christian has trouble understanding and may need some explanation when these songs are introduced.   

  I applaud Sovereign Grace Ministries for the production of this project.  I will be placing it right alongside my other praise and worship CDs.  I will also be introducing some of these songs both to youth and children.  It’s a must for any music leader.    

Meeting the Stranger

  Within this last year I came to the startling realization that I do not really know the Jesus of the Bible.  Yes, I know the stories, the healings, the miracles, and yet as I read I feel as though I am watching a stranger.  (Reminds me of Martin Smith’s song, Intimate Stranger.)  I find myself wishing I could have been there to hear His voice, see His facial expressions, watch His hand movements.  Many times as I read I stop and ask "Why did You do that?  It doesn’t make sense."  Jesus is not predictable and the words He speaks often seem out of place.  At one time we encounter His great compassion, then He speaks words like, "…how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?"  At times He seems rough and reserved and I shy away, and then I read how He is personal and gentle.   One thing is for sure.  Jesus is not a flannelgraph character.  He’s worth studying and finding out.  As Paul says in Philippians 3 "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."  We’re supposed to be like Him, so what is He like?  Is the Jesus we follow simply some fluffy puff character from 2000 years ago?  Or is He dynamic, living, complex and beautiful, the central point of our faith?  I want to know Him, I want to see Him more clearly. 

Church Words

  There are a lot of words that are common to Christiandom but rarely used anywhere outside of the context of theology.  Words like righteous, saviour, salvation, sovereign, redemption and almighty.  I’d like to add another to the list: sin.  As with the other words, because we do not use it on an everyday level, we have a hard time fully grasping the meaning of the word and it’s only after some thought and study that we can give it a remotely proper definition.  I ask you, what is sin?  In Sunday School an answer such as "doing bad things" or "disobeying" would probably cut it.  The Hebrew word usually used in the Old Testament for sin literally means "to miss the mark."  All true, but not complete.  Wayne Grudem in Systematic Theology writes, "Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature."  (emphasis mine)  The Sunday School definition of sin gave me the perspective that sin is things we do; that we are sinners because we do sinful things.  With such a definition it has been very hard for me to view myself as a sinner.  My thoughts on sin began to change a few years ago when I read from John Piper’s Pierced by the Word in a chapter entitled "How to Drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God":

  When I am asked, "Is the doctrine of total Depravity biblical?" my answer is, "Yes."  One thing I mean by this is that all of our actions (apart from saving grace) are morally ruined.  In other words, everything an unbeliever does is sinful and thus unacceptable to God.

  One of my reasons for believing this comes from 1 Corinthians 10:31.  "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  Is it sin to disobey this biblical commandment?  Yes.

  So I draw this somber conclusion: It is sin to eat or drink or do anything not  for the glory of God.  In other words, sin is not just a list of harmful things (killing, stealing, etc.).  Sin is leaving God out of account in the ordinary affairs of your life.  Sin is anything you do that you don’t do for the glory of God.

  But what do unbelievers do for the glory of God?  Nothing.  Therefore everything they do is sinful.  That is what I mean by saying that, apart from saving grace, all we do is morally ruined.

  What this means, then, is that our state as sinners does not begin with the external.  The actions of a sinner and a saint may be identical to the human eye.  Rather it is the internal.  Sin in essence is glorifying ourselves rather than GOD.  As unbelievers we cannot glorify GOD because our whole existence is wrapped up in glorifying ourselves.  (Sadly, we do this too often even as Christians.)  Therefore, we are not sinners because we do sinful things, but rather we do sinful things BECAUSE we are sinners.  The sinful actions we see are merely the working out of what is within.  "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart."  When we sin, we are insulting GOD by claiming His glory as our own.  All sin is against GOD.  Even if in the action of sin we wrong others, primarily we wrong GOD.  With a definition like this sin becomes a lot more hidious, a lot less easy to justify, and a lot easier to find in our lives.  God "seest more defilement in my duties than I ever saw in any of my sins."  (The Name of Jesus, Valley of Vision)  The wonder of it, though, is that it is when we realize our state as sinners that we can be healed.  If we think we’re okay, Jesus cannot be our Saviour.  ^"Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’"  Hallelujah!  What a wonderful Saviour!