A brilliant preacher, Martin Lloyd-Jones was a profound thinker and pulpiteer in the early to mid-twentieth century in London's Westminster Chapel. This winsome fellow was not only a fruitful minister, he was a physician.
Listen to a passage in his book entitled, The Doctor Himself. Too many practitioners know more about some detail in the anatomy or pathology of a person than they do about the person himself. While we may talk more of, and pay lip service to, the concept of ‘the whole man’ and ‘the complete patient’, we must be very careful that in fact and in practice we do not forget him. It is something which we need continually to bear in mind. The patient, the total patient and all that happens to him, is rarely being fully remembered in contemporary practice. Let me quote McFarlane Burnett again. He says, ‘An important part of the technological and social crisis of our time is this. The social problems of drug addiction and the more subtle influences of the need of alcohol, tobacco, sedatives, tranquillizers, and the rest, to make intolerable situations acceptable, are tolerated instead of making an effort to change them.’ I think that is a very profound remark. Our tendency is to tolerate, just to make these things - these intolerable situations - acceptable without any real thought of radical attempts to change them. Wow! I want to draw parallel to the matter of spiritual ministry because I know that is where our protagonist was going.
I had ocassion recently while travelling, to visit a friend's church. I did not notice the casual worship atmosphere; I paid no attention to the demographics, but I was drawn to the pastor himself. I found in him a genuine ethos that defies trite colloquial descriptions of hospitality. I noticed somebody who was in tune to each person; who was engaging at a spiritual level. I noticed somebody who had a genuine interest in spiritual change in people. He had not lost sight of ministering to the whole-man for the sake of churchiness and technology. He owned the role of shepherd. Now I would not brag on my friend openly here; I would not want to rob him of the spiritual blessing that I am sure is awaiting him. I do want to commend him to you as an example. I am reminded of the Apostle Paul's offering in 1 Cor 4:15a when he says "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet [have ye] not many fathers...".
Ah, here is the tension. I do not believe that God is looking for the qualified instructors, He is looking for the fathers! He is looking for the disciple-making sisters and mothers and brothers. Yes He is looking for the Pastors too. Everyone who is a genuine Christian has spiritual gifts and we are called to identify the struggling, intersect them with Jesus and show them a resounding model of the sanctified man! Hello! Are you out there? Sherrell here.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Unspeakable
Did you ever possess the compelling desire to pray, caught up in the affairs of life, overwhelmed by burdens, but yet you could scarce define the words, mouth any expression?
Psalm 5: 1 starts... Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
Spurgeon's Classic, "A Treasury of David" comments on this expression, listen:
On Verse 1. There are two sorts of prayers—those expressed in words, and the unuttered longings which abide as silent meditations. Words are not the essence but the garments of prayer. Moses at the Red Sea cried to God, though he said nothing. Yet the use of language may prevent distraction of mind, may assist the powers of the soul, and may excite devotion. David, we observe, uses both modes of prayer, and craves for the one a hearing, and for the other a consideration. What an expressive word! "Consider my meditation." If I have asked that which is right, give it to me; if I have omitted to ask that which I most needed, fill up the vacancy in my prayer. "Consider my meditation." Let thy holy soul consider it as presented through my all-glorious Mediator: then regard thou it in thy wisdom, weigh it in the scales, judge thou of my sincerity, and of the true state of my necessities, and answer me in due time for thy mercy's sake! There may be prevailing intercession where there are no words; and alas! there may be words where there is no true supplication. Let us cultivate the spirit of prayer which is even better than the habit of prayer. There may be seeming prayer where there is little devotion. We should begin to pray before we kneel down, and we should not cease when we rise up.
Take solace my friend; we serve the Omniscient Maker of the universe! He knows our need, even if we don't. Romans 8:26 advises, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
I like that! How about you? Blessings!
Psalm 5: 1 starts... Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
Spurgeon's Classic, "A Treasury of David" comments on this expression, listen:
On Verse 1. There are two sorts of prayers—those expressed in words, and the unuttered longings which abide as silent meditations. Words are not the essence but the garments of prayer. Moses at the Red Sea cried to God, though he said nothing. Yet the use of language may prevent distraction of mind, may assist the powers of the soul, and may excite devotion. David, we observe, uses both modes of prayer, and craves for the one a hearing, and for the other a consideration. What an expressive word! "Consider my meditation." If I have asked that which is right, give it to me; if I have omitted to ask that which I most needed, fill up the vacancy in my prayer. "Consider my meditation." Let thy holy soul consider it as presented through my all-glorious Mediator: then regard thou it in thy wisdom, weigh it in the scales, judge thou of my sincerity, and of the true state of my necessities, and answer me in due time for thy mercy's sake! There may be prevailing intercession where there are no words; and alas! there may be words where there is no true supplication. Let us cultivate the spirit of prayer which is even better than the habit of prayer. There may be seeming prayer where there is little devotion. We should begin to pray before we kneel down, and we should not cease when we rise up.
Take solace my friend; we serve the Omniscient Maker of the universe! He knows our need, even if we don't. Romans 8:26 advises, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
I like that! How about you? Blessings!
Friday, January 1, 2010
On Beginning Strong!
Most of us pilgrims reading this today have experienced an extraordinary privilege, living to see not only a few decades (almost 5 in my case), but the turn of a century; even the turn of another millennia. Of the eleven or so that have elapsed since the dawn of time there have been no doubt countless new beginnings. When one stops to imagine the people that have experienced such a phenomenal event as a new “thousand”, and put that through the grid of our current technological era our generation perhaps is treading in places only experienced by a very few to have lived top-side of the earth.
As I begin a new decade I cannot help but hearken back to the edge of the Jordan River as the Jewish peoples surveyed across, looking into the Promised Land. Most of those of the age of reason had passed on some previous 40 years, having ignored the pleas of Joshua and Caleb to throw off the testimony of the ten for the Promises of God; to taste of the fruit of Eschol; to take God at his Word that they would no longer have to feast on Manna. Now, a new multitude stood at the threshold of the river and peered across at the place of giants.
Now I tell you, the land of giants in the future may cause some trepidation, but it does not have to. The decade beginning here is the year 2010 may hold some seeming obstacles, but our Lord said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid“, John 14:27. I don’t know about you, but I like having the Lord on my side; I cherish the Peace of Christ. Now frankly, lets admit it, being in the right fellowship with God means ridding myself of those things that will introduce enmity with Him; right? That is what James 4:4 teaches. Let us put the fellowship with the world behind us; let us understand that we must put away the leeks of Egypt, the fine Babylonian garments, the foreign snares that entangle us and make us unfit and cause friction of fellowship with Christ.
Join me to resolve right now through genuine repentance of un-confessed sins, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the fellowship of His sufferings to press into 2010! Let’s start strong! Press towards the mark of the high calling! Look, Joshua is standing! The priests are standing in the Jordan! Let’s move out!! I am Sherrell……blessings for a new year!
As I begin a new decade I cannot help but hearken back to the edge of the Jordan River as the Jewish peoples surveyed across, looking into the Promised Land. Most of those of the age of reason had passed on some previous 40 years, having ignored the pleas of Joshua and Caleb to throw off the testimony of the ten for the Promises of God; to taste of the fruit of Eschol; to take God at his Word that they would no longer have to feast on Manna. Now, a new multitude stood at the threshold of the river and peered across at the place of giants.
Now I tell you, the land of giants in the future may cause some trepidation, but it does not have to. The decade beginning here is the year 2010 may hold some seeming obstacles, but our Lord said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid“, John 14:27. I don’t know about you, but I like having the Lord on my side; I cherish the Peace of Christ. Now frankly, lets admit it, being in the right fellowship with God means ridding myself of those things that will introduce enmity with Him; right? That is what James 4:4 teaches. Let us put the fellowship with the world behind us; let us understand that we must put away the leeks of Egypt, the fine Babylonian garments, the foreign snares that entangle us and make us unfit and cause friction of fellowship with Christ.
Join me to resolve right now through genuine repentance of un-confessed sins, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the fellowship of His sufferings to press into 2010! Let’s start strong! Press towards the mark of the high calling! Look, Joshua is standing! The priests are standing in the Jordan! Let’s move out!! I am Sherrell……blessings for a new year!