Prayer

Irenaeus of Lyons was biblical theologian par excellence, a faithful apologist for the church, and warm-hearted pastor. In his polemical work against Gnosticism, he spends two books unpacking and then demolishing the false doctrines of Marcion, Valentinus, and others. Then in books 3-5, he unfolds a rich biblical exposition of the Scriptures that centers on Christ and that demonstrates mostly well (in some places poorly) what biblical typology looks like. But at the end of Books 3 and 4, he offers a prayer for those deluded souls for whom he is contending.

He is not merely arguing against these false teachers; he is crying out to God on their behalf, asking for their souls to be saved from these pernicous doctrines. He is doing what Jude 22-23 instructs us to do: “have mercy on some who are doubting; save others snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”

Reading Irenaeus prayer gives you a renewed perspective of contending for the faith. It is not simply a proud, boastful war of words or theological jockeying– it is a crying out to God, who alone can change hearts, open eyes, and free imprisoned souls from the shackles of Satan. May we who love the truth consider that the next time we contend for the faith, and pray with Irenaeus for those who are in bondage to false teaching:

We do indeed pray that these men may not remain in the pit which they themselves have dug, but separate themselves from a Mother of this nature, and depart from Bythus, and stand away from the void, and relinquish the shadow; and that they, being converted to the Church of God, may be lawfully begotten, and that Christ maybe formed in them, and that they may know the Framer and Maker of this universe, the only true God and Lord of all. We pray for these things on their behalf, loving them better than they seem to love themselves (Irenaeus Against haereses 3.25.7).

May we love the truth, and may we truly love by interceding for brothers and sisters held hostage to false teachers!

Sola Deo Gloria, dss

Under the Lordship of Christ, a family of God living for the Kingdom: savoring the Scriptures; walking in the Spirit; speaking the truth in love; proclaiming the gospel to the nations.

It is a whole new day in the life of the Schrock household. With the addition of Titus, priorities change, schedules change; jobs change; logistics change, sleep patterns change. There is much change. But one thing remains the same–living by faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, praying and working for the glory of His name to be exalted in all aspects of our lives–in our home, in our church, across the street, and around the globe.

One of the most exciting prospects of parenting is introducing our son to Jesus and the Bible’s message of salvation. At the same time, this privilege is accompanied by monumental challenges. Besides the day to day challenge of living out a model of Christian character (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1); the tireless work of teaching, explaining, and speaking the things of God (cf Deut 6), the societal dangers and systematic evils that threaten the shalom of family life; there is the reality that Satan would love to kill, steal, and destroy this home–like all homes. Left to ourselves, we cannot stand under the outward attacks and inner decay–in fact no one can (cf. John 15:5).

Yet, we aspire to contend against these cosmic forces. Why? So that we can come up short, failing ourselves, damaging our son, disappointing our God? No, instead we trust in a greater reality, a better hope, and surer promise; we trust in the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With zero confidence in ourselves, we embark with confidence in Him who saved us, who called us to the task of parenting, and who calls us to train our child to fear the LORD. We entrust ourselves to Jesus, who gave us his Spirit to enable us to do things that we on our own could never do. With that rock solid foundation, we boldly approach the task of parenting with hope in one unwavering thing– the grace of God in the person and work of Jesus. Without this we have no hope for survival or success. This is the gospel we believe.

The gospel alone can cover our mistakes–and there will be many; it alone can atone for our sins–which lie underneath every ‘mistake’; it alone can equip us with love, forgiveness, wisdom, and patience to disciple Titus; and it alone can comfort our souls when our plans have been rerouted by the roadblocks of this world and the sovereign wisdom of our God. So, with unchanging commitment to the gospel and trust in its singular message of good news, we embark on this adventure of parenting.

Despite the uncertainty of our days ahead in this age, I offer this humble pledge and desperate prayer, that the family unit that God has established in our home will shine for the glory of Christ. To that aim we work and we pray, and we ask that Under the Lordship of Christ, we as a family of God would live for the Kingdom by savoring the Scriptures; walking in the Spirit; speaking the truth in love; and going to the nations.

May our home like your home; and your home like our home, bow the knee to the one who sanctioned all families (Eph. 3:14), who is able to do abudantly more than we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20), and pray for the gospel to pervade every aspect of our family life.

With a sober pledge and a hopeful prayer, we ask that God would get the glory in our home.

Dave, on behalf of the Schrock’s