Discipleship | A People for His Name

Martyn on Humility and Prayer

April 20, 2011

John Sargent in his biography of Henry Martyn, missionary to India, records the following from a letter by Martyn to his sister concerning his dealings with himself about his own pride:

The pride which I see dwelling in my own heart, producing there the most obstinate hardness, I can truly say my soul abhors. I see it to be unreasonable, I feel it to be tormenting. When I sometimes offer up supplications, with strong crying to God, to bring down my spirit unto the dust, I endeavour calmly to contemplate the infinite majesty of the most high God, and my own meanness and wickedness. Or else I quietly tell the Lord, who knows the heart, that I would give him all the glory of everything, if I could. But the most effectual way I have ever found, is to lead away my thoughts from myself and my own concerns, by praying for all my friends; for the Church, the world, the nation; and, especially by beseeching that God would glorify his own great name, by converting all nations to the obedience of faith; also by praying that he would put more abundant honour on those Christians whom He seems to have honoured especially, and whom we see to be manifestly our superiors. This is at least a positive act of humility, and it is certain that not only will a good principle produce a good act, but the act will increase the principle.

The Life and Letters of Henry Martyn, 70-71

These words encourage me to avail myself more of the great value of intercessory prayer.

In Quotes

Verses Concerning Comprehensive Prosperity

April 18, 2011

The following passages concern the prosperity of God’s servants in various ways. Two (Num. 6:22-27; Ps. 35:27) use the Hebrew word shalom, which signifies comprehensive prosperity, including physical health. One stresses prospering in everything one does (Ps. 1:1-3). Four point to comprehensive prosperity through teaching that pertains to the prosperity of our entire being in various respects, including physical health (Prov. 4:20-22; Eccl. 11:9-12:1; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 3 John 2).

By meditating on these passages, our minds will be renewed to have God’s perspectives about the comprehensive prosperity of His servants.

22And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying,
On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
24The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
27And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
(Numbers 6:22-27)

1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
(Psalm 1:1-3)

Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause:
yea, let them say continually,
Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
(Psalm 35:27)

20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
(Proverbs 4:20-22)

9Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth;
and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth,
and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes:
but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
10Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh:
for childhood and youth are vanity.
1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,
while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh,
when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
(Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:1)

23And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body
be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24)

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper
and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
(3 John 2)

In Discipleship, Health

Scholarly Comments on the One Who Forgives

April 17, 2011

This post compiles some scholarly comments about Jesus as the One who forgives our sins:

The Pharisees’ attitude is probably like that expressed in [Luke] 5:21: ‘Who can forgive sins but God?’ In Luke-Acts, the right of Jesus to judge and thus forgive sins is one of Luke’s major claims, which shows one must deal with Jesus in order to be accepted by God (Luke 24:47; Acts 10:42; 17:31; on the Son of Man’s authority, see Luke 22:69; Acts 7:55-56). Here is raw eschatological authority, and the Pharisees know it. It is not the claim of a mere prophet. —Comments on Luke 7:49 by Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1-9:50 in BECNT, 707; bold added.

The term [Son of Man] is eschatological in Daniel; Jesus uses it in the same way in Matt. 24:30 and 26:64, and this is done also in the Revelation passages. But this Judge at the great consummation cannot be the judge only then, his work must reach back through the entire process of redemption, the consummation of which is the final judgment. [In Luke 5:24,] Jesus very properly thus expands the title and applies it to his person in the days of his humiliation. . . . Authority . . . to remit sins ‘on the earth’ during the era of grace comports with ‘the Son of man.’ To bring to us and to make our own this remission Jesus had to come on his great mission as ‘the Son of man.’ —Comments on Luke 5:24 by R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel, 303; bold added.

The resurrected Jesus is announced to be the Judge-designate. . . . Without this point, we might be tempted to think of the resurrection as something tremendous that happened to him but which has no relation to us at all. Without this statement that the resurrected Lord is the Judge-designate, we might believe the story of Easter and comment, ‘Terrific! But after all, that was Jesus. What has that got to do with us?’ Verse 42 [of Acts 10] answers this question by linking our destiny to that of Jesus, for it tells us that Jesus is every man’s Judge. This statement says that the man whom God designated to judge us is the man executed on Golgotha and raised on Easter. If, then, our destiny depends on the verdict of this Judge, we must recognize that the story of Jesus is the story of the one who will be the arbiter of our status before God. Suddenly for each individual, the story of Jesus is transformed from a piece of interesting ancient history to the disclosure of ‘where my destiny hangs.’ This change makes the story of Jesus real news. But it still does not show why this is good news; it could just as well be bad news. . . . These words [v. 43] transform the information about Jesus into the good news for all mankind. According to this early sketch of the gospel, the good news consists of the headline that the Judge forgives those who believe on his name. That is, he forgives those who believe he is really the Judge. Here is the heart of the good news in this sermon: The Judge forgives. —Leander E. Keck, Mandate to Witness: Studies in the Book of Acts, 68-69; bold added.

Here [Acts 10:43] Peter underscores that it is faith in the Jesus he has just described that brings the forgiveness. So the way of salvation is through the judge of the living and the dead, by appealing to him to forgive sin, which leads into the way of peace through the gospel (v. 35). —Comments on Acts 10:42-43 by Darrell L. Bock, Acts, 400; bold added.

In agreement with Keck and Bock, Schnabel regards Acts 10:43 as an ”exhortation to turn in faith to this judge in order to receive [the] forgiveness of sins.” Eckhard J. Schnabel, Jesus and the Twelve, vol. 1 of Early Christian Mission, 713; bold added.

What do you think about these scholarly comments? Do you agree with their saying that Jesus is the Judge who forgives sin?

In Gospel, Interpretation, Quotes

"Play Skillfully with a Loud Noise"!

April 16, 2011

The book of Psalms is the only collection of songs that God has inspired. It therefore has divine authority that we must heed in understanding what God wants us to do in our music. Those who would be disciples in their music must pay attention especially to the commands that God gives concerning the music of His people. In that respect, Psalm 33 is an especially important passage for understanding God’s mind about music because it records multiple commands and explains the basis for them.

Psalm 33:1-5 presents five commands from God concerning our music. The righteous are to “rejoice in the LORD” because praise is fitting for the upright (33:1). Those who would fulfill all their obligations to God and man must continually delight themselves in God in their music because He deserves such praise because of all that He has done, especially for them (cf. 33:18-22), and because such activity befits those who are upright before Him.

The righteous must also praise Him and sing to Him with various string instruments (33:2). Both of these commands make clear that God wants us to use string instruments in our worshiping Him.

Moreover, we are to sing to Him a “new song” (33:3a), which is a mandate for freshness of quality in the music that we sing to Him: “Praise should be spontaneous and fresh—new mercies demand new songs” (BKC: OT, 819). Repeated commands and statements about such songs (Ps. 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isa. 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3) show that this is a vital element of godly music.

These four commands teach that God calls for joyfully worshiping Him with quality music that consists of the singing of words accompanied by string instruments. Repeated references to the LORD (“in the LORD” [33:1a]; “the LORD” [33:2a]; “unto Him” [33:2b; 3a]) emphasize that He is to be the object of such worship.

Finally, we must “play skillfully with a loud noise” (33:3b). This command conveys God’s mandate that believers be skillful in playing stringed instruments, which calls for diligent preparation for such worship of God. It also mandates playing energetically so that the instruments will produce “a loud noise.” To meet this demand, we must worship God with all our might (cf. 2 Sam. 6:14; Eccl 9:10) and do the best we can in playing skillfully.

This command receives considerable expansion in the passage, with the next two verses serving as the explanation of the basis for the command (33:4-5). Four statements comprise the basis for the mandate to worship God skillfully with instrumental music:

“The word of the LORD is right”
“All His works are done in truth”
“He loves righteousness and judgment”
“The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD”

These statements highlight the perfections of His word and His works. They also set forth His excellent character, especially as it is bountifully manifested in the earth.

Alternatively, this teaching (33:4-5) may be the basis not just for this command, but also for all the preceding commands as well. Either way, the great elaboration of the basis for His authoritative direction concerning our music shows that we must excel in our music because He demands that it be in keeping with the excellence of His word, His works, and His person!

Based on this teaching, believers must continually be involved in activities to become skillful at playing string instruments for the glory of God. Renewing our minds with these truths, our homes, churches, and schools should provide suitable opportunities for the continual discipling of top-notch Christian musicians by those who are already highly skillful and dedicated Christian musicians.

In Music

Standing Desk

April 12, 2011

After reading a post from a friend on Facebook that linked to an article that emphasized the serious health risks of sitting at a desk all day, I decided to come up with my own standing desk.

: My Standing Desk

I’m thankful for how well this is working for me to be able to stand and work on my computer for hours at a time.

In Health

Living Worthily While Waiting for the Return of God's Son

April 11, 2011

In light of the soon return of His Son, God wants you to live worthily as an exemplary disciple of Jesus Christ while you wait for that glorious day:

By becoming a follower of Paul and of Christ (1 Thess. 1:6)
By being thoroughly evangelistic (1:7-8)
By slaving for God the Father and waiting for His Son (1:9-10)
By having your glory and joy in the disciples that God enables you to make for His glory (2:19-20)
By praying intensely and persistently for opportunities to make disciples for His glory (3:10-13)
By having the comfort of the hope of the return of His Son as you go on making disciples for His glory who have the comfort of the hope of the return of His Son (4:14-18)
By being alert and sober in your waiting – 17 commands (5:11-22)
By being sanctified totally for His glory (5:23)

Every chapter ends with a reference to the Second Coming (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:15-17; 5:23)! Let us therefore walk worthy of God, who has called us unto His kingdom and glory (2:12).

In Discipleship

"The Temple of the Body"

April 10, 2011

Jowett’s remarks on Romans 12:1-9:

The Lord wants my body. He needs its members as ministers of righteousness. He would work in the world through my brain, and eyes, and ears, and lips, and hands, and feet.

And the Lord wants my body as “a living sacrifice.” He asks for it when it is thoroughly alive! We so often deny the Lord our bodies until they are infirm and sickly, and sometimes we do not offer them to Him until they are quite “worn out.” It is infinitely better to offer them even then than never to offer them at all. But it is best of all to offer our bodies to our Lord when they are strong, and vigorous, and serviceable, and when they can be used in the strenuous places of the field.

And so let me appoint a daily consecration service, and let me every morning present my body “a living sacrifice” unto God. Let me regard it as a most holy possession, and let me keep it clean. Let me recoil from all abuse of it – from all gluttony, and intemperance, and “riotous living.” Let me look upon my body as a church, and let the service of consecration continue all day long. “Know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit?”

John Henry Jowett, My Daily Meditation, November 5

In Discipleship, Quotes

"The Sacrament of Living"

April 9, 2011

The “layman” need never think of his humbler task as being inferior to that of his minister. Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. All he does is good and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For such a man, living itself will be sacramental and the whole world a sanctuary. His entire life will be a priestly ministration. As he performs his never-so-simple task, he will hear the voice of the seraphim saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”

A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, 127

In Quotes

Overcoming Potential Bias in Our Doctrine and Practice

April 8, 2011

When God saves people, He miraculously makes them a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). His work of remaking people, however, is not complete at the initial point of salvation; He renews us on a continuing basis (Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 3:18).

Because He has ordained that there be such continual renewing, we must be mindful of potential lingering wrong thinking that biases our doctrine and practice. Biased doctrine and practice is sourced in wisdom that is not from God, but is “earthly, sensual, devilish” (James 3:15; cf. 1 John 2:16). Correcting such bias requires wholehearted acceptance of all that God in His wisdom has given us in His word.

Because the primeval account in Scripture of human failure to think properly (Gen. 3:1-13) highlights our first parents’ rejection of divine revelation about the doctrine of judgment (2:17; 3:3), we should not be surprised to find lingering manifestations of such bias in our doctrine and practice. In order to overcome any lingering inherited Edenic bias in our doctrine and practice, we must scrutinize our perspectives concerning the doctrine of judgment.

Beginning with the account of the Fall of man, Scripture provides us with key passages that suggest areas about which we need to examine our thinking concerning many potential manifestations of lingering Edenic bias against the full biblical teaching about the doctrine of judgment:

1. Is God’s punitive judgment to be viewed as a “negative” teaching of Scripture?

See Deuteronomy 28:63, Psalm 119:119, and Revelation 18:20.
Should we then have a “negative” perspective about God’s condemnation of unrepentant sinners?

2. Is judgment mainly condemnation that lost people will experience in the future?

See Genesis 16:5, Psalm 75:6, Ezekiel 22:2, John 12:31, Romans 14:9-10 and 16:20,
1 Corinthians 11:32, and James 4:12.
Scripture teaches that God/the Lord is the Judge who judges between believers. He is the Judge who presently abases people and exalts others, especially in the realm of civil authority. He sends people to judge others by declaring their sinfulness to them. At the Cross, the world was judged, and the prince of this world was cast out.
Jesus died and rose again that He might be the Lord, the Judge of the living and the dead, who will judge all believers one day. God will shortly bruise Satan under the feet of believers. The Lord judges believers when He chastens them, and He does so that they will not be condemned.
Is the doctrine of judgment, therefore, concerned mainly just with the future condemnation of lost people?

3. Why did Jesus come into the world?

See Genesis 3:15, John 9:39, Hebrews 2:14-15, and 1 John 3:8.
Both testaments speak of the woman’s Seed who would come to render judgment, especially on the evil one. Is it right, therefore, to focus mainly only on His coming as the One who would save people?

4. Who saves people?

See Isaiah 33:22 and James 4:12.
Both testaments explicitly teach that God/Jesus as the Judge is the One who saves people. Is it right, therefore, to say dichotomously that God/Jesus as the Judge is “the bad news,” while Jesus as the Savior is “the good news”?

5. What are we to preach to the world?

See Psalm 96:10 and Acts 10:42-43.
Both testaments explicitly teach that God has commanded us to proclaim who the Judge is. Is it right, therefore, to say that what we really have to preach is that God/Jesus is the Savior, but we do not necessarily have to preach that Jesus is the Judge?

These five points are representative of many major aspects of the biblical teaching concerning the doctrine of judgment about which we must allow all the Scripture to renew our minds if we desire to overcome any potential lingering manifestation of our inherited Edenic bias in our doctrine and practice.

(See this post with the full text of all the verses here.)

In Discipleship, Interpretation

Remember Jesus as the Risen Davidic Messiah!

April 7, 2011

Nearing the end of his life, Paul wrote his last epistle, Second Timothy. In his final words to his beloved son in the faith, Paul commanded Timothy concerning who and what he was to remember: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel” (2 Tim. 2:8). This verse reveals to us many key truths about how we are to be Pauline in our understanding of and ministry of the gospel.

Paul commanded Timothy to be engaged in the mental activity of remembering on an ongoing basis. His commanding Timothy to be engaging in this activity suggests that Timothy needed forceful challenge to be actively mindful of the truth that he had been given. Paul’s command also suggests that Timothy had a propensity to forget the truth that had been given to him, especially in his context of suffering for the faith.

The truth that Paul specified Timothy to be remembering concerned a Person. He said that Timothy was to be remembering Jesus, the Christ. . . .

(Read the full article.)

In Discipleship, Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation

Archives For Discipleship

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: