Noonday Light: The Persecuted Church

/ davidsschrock

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
— Colossians 3:2 —

persecuted

Yesterday, Fox News reported the execution of 80 people in North Korea. In full view of the public, men and women in seven cities were killed for “offenses as minor as watching South Korean movies or possessing a Bible.” This story is a sobering reminder that persecution is alive and well in our world.

Yesterday, I also received news—though a few days old—that Pastor Saeed Abedini has been moved from the Evin Prison in Iran to another installation notorious for its violence and the disappearance of prisoners. Pastor Saeed, an American who had been working to plant house churches in Iran, suffers for his simple faith in Christ.

When I hear news like this my heart sinks. I realize that these are my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I grieve and I pray. But oh, how weak are my prayers?!

Perhaps like you, I need help to know how to pray in an informed manner for the persecuted church. Sometimes I need to simply be reminded as I am by these news reports. Other times, I need biblical, historical, and practical help to know how to think about and pray for those who are suffering for the sake of Christ. If you are like me, perhaps you will be helped by these resources.

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). November marks a time when Christians around the world are praying for the persecuted church. (IDOP.org)

9 Things You Should Know About Persecution of Christians in 2013. Joe Carter gives information about some of the most intense persecution in the world today. (The Gospel Coalition)

Voice of the Martyrs: Weekly Prayer Guide. Each week Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry begun by Romanian pastor Richard Wurmbrand, updates believers with a list of prayer needs throughout the world. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Is the Blood of the Martyrs Really the Seed of the Church? Glenn Penner turns Tertullian’s ancient axiom (“the martyrs blood is the seed of the church”) around. He suggests that true church growth always prompts persecution, and that the reason why we in the West have been free from persecution has been our compromising stance towards society. It’s worth considering. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand. This powerful book is Richard Wurmbrands biographical account of his blood-stained faith in Romania. If you are looking for something to read about persecution, start here. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Take time right now to pray for Christians suffering in North Korea, for Pastor Saeed, and for God to keep the persecuted church on our hearts, so that their suffering would fill up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions (Col 1:24).

Soli Deo Gloria, dss

Gospel Logic and Revelational Beauty: John Stott on Romans 1:16-20

/ davidsschrock

Rom 1On Sunday I preached from Romans 1:16-32. Earlier this summer I preached from Romans 1:16-17. Last year, I preached from Romans 1:1-7. In each instance, I found great help from John Stott.

For those unfamiliar with Stott’s work, he was an evangelical Anglican who during the latter half of the twentieth century preached the gospel, championed missions, and published numerous books, especially commentaries on the New Testament. His commentaries are always brimming with insight and full of crisp clear exposition. Thus, I share a few of his remarks on Romans 1:16-20. They helped me unpack Paul’s opening argument about the gospel, and I trust they will help you as well. Continue reading →

A Theological Introduction to Ecclesiastes (pt. 3): Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Christ

/ davidsschrock

[This is the final post on a theological introduction to the book of Ecclesiastes. See parts one and two].Ecclesiastes 3

Themes

Finally, there are a number of themes to consider in the book of Ecclesiastes. The ESV Study Bible lists six. These include:

  1. The Tragic Reality of the Fall.
  2. The ‘Vanity’ of Life.
  3. Sin and Death.
  4. The Joy and Frustration of Work.
  5. The Grateful Enjoyment of God’s Good Gifts.
  6. The Fear of God.

These six themes rightly observe the contents of the book. Yet, they do so in a thematic way that doesn’t sync with the biblical framework of creation, fall, and redemption. Therefore, let me suggest a four-fold scheme that augments these themes and helps us see the rudimentary features of the gospel in Ecclesiastes. Continue reading →

Sermon Audio: Deviation from God’s Design (Romans 1:16-32)

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Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

— Romans 1:25-27 —

After four weeks of considering God’s design for marriage, sex, and gender, I turned to the subject of homosexuality today—a subject that has and is dividing our nation, and one that Scripture addresses with candor and the message of grace.

In today’s message, I argue from Romans 1 that the great problem is not homosexuality but humanity. All who are born ‘in Adam’ are sexual sinners. Idolatry is the chief sin and as a result of this inward deviation, all men and women experience various kinds and degrees of illicit sexual desires.

I fear some Christians have been to quick to dismiss people who experience same sex attraction. Too much of the message has been, “Just change.” To support our cause, many Christians have cherry picked verses to contest homosexuals instead of sharing the full doctrine of humanity and sin, which tells us that all of us have us have sinned, and none of us have natural (read: true and righteous) sexual desires according to the flesh.

As Paul argues in Romans 1, humanity has exchanged the glory of God for the glory created things, therefore God has given the human race over to the lusts of their flesh. As Romans 3:23 concludes, “all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.” This is the great problem. Man has suppressed the truth in unrighteousness, because their natural state is not good or righteous. Sexual deviation is the ‘natural’ result of a fallen human condition. Homosexuality—like pornography, fornication, adultery, and divorce—is but one outward expression of this deeper deviation.

I am still grappling with how to state these things, but I pray this message will help you avoid some traps and give you light to better understand what God has said about humanity’s fallen condition. As I state at the front, the message is directed at Christians, but it is also applicable to those non-Christians who are willing to hear how all of us have sinned and how God has provided salvation in Jesus Christ.

Deviation from God’s Design (Romans 1:16-32)

For the rest of the sermons in this series (‘God’s Design for Marriage and Sex’), go to Sermon Audio.

Soli Deo Gloria, dss

A Sunday Hymn: Now Why This Fear?

/ davidsschrock

Over the weekend, I attended the 2013 Indiana Shepherd’s Conference. It was a joy to fellowship with Indiana pastors and pastor-theologians like George Robinson, Greg Gilbert, Eric Bancroft, and Timothy Beougher.

The topic was evangelism and the conversation was motivating without being condemning. (All that to say, you should listen to the audio when it comes available in a few days).

Still, perhaps one of the greatest highlights of the time was hearing the gospel preached in song. In particular, the words of this old Augustus Toplady song caught my attention. It is called “Now Why This Fear?” and it is wonderful meditation on the good news of Christ’s death in my place. Listen to it and let it tune your heart for worship.

As we approach Sunday, may we let the words of this hymn lead us to praise and thanksgiving.

Now why this fear and unbelief?
Has not the Father put to grief
His spotless Son for us?
And will the righteous Judge of men
Condemn me for that debt of sin
Now canceled at the cross? 

Complete atonement You have made
And by Your death have fully paid
The debt Your people owed
No wrath remains for us to face
We’re sheltered by Your saving grace
And sprinkled with Your blood 

Be still my soul and know this peace
The merits of your great high priest
Have bought your liberty
Rely then on His precious blood
Don’t fear your banishment from God
Since Jesus sets you free 

Have a gospel-rich Lord’s Day!

dss

Noonday Light: Thoughts on Sex

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marriage

Not a week goes by but what the news channels are filled with conversation and debate about sex. On top of the societal changes that swirl around us, legal changes are happening here and abroad. For instance, Germans now have the legal option of putting ‘other’ down as the gender of their ‘intersex’ baby. The Atlantic reports

A new law in Germany creates a third sex category on birth records. It could seem like an obvious solution to some problems of intersex: If some babies are born with bodies that are neither clearly male nor female, then it seems there should be some category beside “male” or “female.”

This is just one more example of why Christians need to have a deeply biblical understanding of sex, marriage, and gender. It is not enough anymore to believe in ‘traditional marriage’ or gender based on simple biology. In a fallen world, biology is not simple! We must have a deeply theological answer for why God’s image is only male and female, how the Fall can explain the phenomenon of intersex, and how gender is not a social construct but determined by the God who makes us in his image.

These examples are but the tip of the iceberg. To help us get a handle on some of these things, we need to take time to read, think, and study the Scriptures. To help you process some of these things, take a look at the following articles, audio, and video. They are reliable guides to help you walk in the light.

Christianity and Homosexuality: A Review of Books. Tim Keller, in his October newsletter to his church reviewed and commended two important books on the subject of homosexuality. The first was Sam Allberry’s Is God Anti-Gay, also reviewed by CBMW. The second was Wesley Hill’s Washed and Waiting. 

Here We Stand: Midwestern Seminary & Same-Sex Marriage. Dr. Jason Allen, President of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, writes why he and his school will hold fast to the biblical view of marriage.

It’s About Scripture, Not Sex. Here are three quotations for Denny Burk’s What is the Meaning of Sex? that represent three divergent views in evangelicalism today. They expose that the divide between Christians who oppose same-sex marriage and those who support it has to do with biblical interpretation, not sexual preference. The latter is always downstream from the former.

What Does He Really Want? Aileen Challies (the wife of Tim Challies) kicks off a series of blogs on the subject of sex at CBMW’s women’s channel. She seeks to deconstruct some of wrong views of sex that Christian women bring into marriage.

Holiness and Sexual Purity. Denny Burk preached a message on 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 last week. Take forty minutes to hear his exposition.

Kids and Sex. Pure Hope Ministries reminds parents that is never too young to begin addressing ‘age-appropriate’ discussions about sex.

Parenting Booklet. PureHope Ministries also has a forty-page booklet for parents on how to address the subject of sex with their children. This booklet has an appendix with “age appropriate teaching points.” If you are not familiar with Pure Hope, you should be.

If you have specific questions on this subject, please drop a note in the comments. I’d be happy to put you in touch with appropriate resources.

Soli Deo Gloria, dss

A Theological Introduction to Ecclesiastes (pt. 2): Date, Title, Genre

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[This is the second part of a three-part series outlining a theological introduction to Ecclesiastes].

Ecclesiastes 2Date: Tenth Century

If Solomon is the author (see part one), the date is pretty easy to determine (10th Century B.C.). A better question might be—on the basis of Solomon’s wise but foolish life—when did Solomon write this?

The book itself portrays an aged and chastened king calling young men to avoid the mistakes he has had made. From Solomon’s life we have much to learn, and the point that Solomon wants to drive home on the basis of his own life is twofold:

  1. Fear God and keep his commandments
  2. Beware the vanity of material pleasures

This is the counsel of an older man, whose pain drives him to warn others of his mistakes. Continue reading →

A Theological Introduction to Ecclesiastes (Pt. 1): Authorship, Authority, and Intertextuality

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[This post starts a three-part series aimed to introduce Ecclesiastes and draw a few theological implications from its overview].

Ecclesiastes 1

To get a handle on the book of Ecclesiastes it is imperative to understand who the human author is (or in this case, who is the most likely candidate). Likewise, since Ecclesiastes is part of the biblical canon, it behooves us to see how the New Testament cites Ecclesiastes. Last, since Ecclesiastes is one of many wisdom books, and one of three in Solomon’s corpus (Proverbs and Song of Songs being the other two), we will consider how Proverbs and Ecclesiastes relate to the life of Solomon and how a structural comparison with Proverbs helps us better understand this enigmatic book.  Continue reading →

The Doctrine of the Trinity: Three Distinct Persons

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Trinity_3Over the weekend I presented the first part of a ‘bare-bones’ outline of the Trinity. In short order, I argued that the doctrine can be sub-divided into two basic assertions, which each require a healthy dose of explaining.  The first proposition is God is one God. The second proposition is God is three Persons. Under those headings I added the following points.

God is One God

  1. The Father is God.
  2. The Son is God.
  3. The Holy Spirit is God.
  4. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are Uncreated, Co-Eternal, Inseparable, and Perfectly Equal in Essence.

God is Three Persons

  1. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  2. The Father Sends the Son and the Spirit.
  3. The Son is Sent by the Father, and Sends the Spirit.
  4. The Spirit is One Sent by Father and Son.
  5. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit works together to create the cosmos, sustain life, and redeem the church.
  6. God’s visible actions in history reveals his invisible triune nature.

Because of the difference in classification (God and persons) there is no logical inconsistency between saying God is ‘one’ and God is ‘three.’ Still, there is natural difficulty (not too mention the effect of sin on our thinking) in trying to understand how God is one and three. On the one hand, natural man cannot grasp an infinite God—even with God’s inspired word. On the other hand, God’s revelation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit guides Christians to a true but incomplete knowledge of him.

Keeping our creatureliness and Godward-dependence in mind as we approach this doctrine, this outline aims to help us put some of the pieces together.  Since, I’ve already laid out a defense of God as one God, the  next step is to pick up the second proposition—God is three persons—and  consider the first four points. Continue reading →

Noonday Light: Christians and Poverty

/ davidsschrock

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
– Colossians 3:2 –

New York Construction Workers Lunching on a Crossbeam

Last week,   asked the question: Are Churches Are Making America Poor?  She reported in Newsweek that a group of atheists in Washington D. C. want to crack down on churches with ‘crooked’ books.  Troubling as this report may be, it is worth considering how churches might relate to the poor. Here a few articles on the matter.

What the Poor Need Most. Joe Carter gives a personal testimony to the riches of his poverty and Christians’ responsibility to care for the poor. (Acton Blog)

The Poverty of the Nations. Greg Forster reviews Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus’s new book economics and policy-making that brings about human flourishing. (The Gospel Coalition)

Economics 101: Productivity Starts at Home. Here’s a more constructive piece by Greg Forster. (The Gospel Coalition)

Soli Deo Gloria, dss