A Prayer for Our Pastors
What a joy and what a blessing it is to pray for our spiritual leaders—to ask God to bless them, to sanctify them, and to equip them for the ministry he calls them to. This prayer by John Flavel (as found in Tim Chester’s Into His Presence) offers words we can pray on their behalf.
Lord, cleanse our churches, and repair their walls, so they may become gardens of delight for Christ to walk in and take pleasure in. May her ministers be faithful and wise: faithful so they do not deceive others; wise so they do not deceive themselves. May their wisdom prevent deceivers imposing on them, and their faithfulness prevent them imposing on others. May their wisdom enable them to discern wholesome food for the flock and their faithfulness oblige them to distribute it.
May our leaders be pure with spiritual aims and intentions; serving not their own honour and interest, but yours.
May our leaders show sincerity, not appearing outwardly spiritual while being inwardly carnal.
May our leaders be diligent, like men in harvest, like women in labour, like soldiers in battle, watching while others sleep.
May our leaders lack favouritism, as those who will appear before an impartial God. May they take the same care, manifest the same love, show the same diligence to the poorest and weakest souls in their care as they do the rich, the great and the honourable. For all souls are rated the same in your book of life, and our Redeemer paid as much for one as the other.
May their faithfulness fix their eyes on the right end, and may their wisdom direct them to the best means of attaining it. May they lay a good foundation of knowledge in our souls, choosing subjects that will meet our needs, shaping the language in which they address us, using their own affections to move us, being careful of their behaviour. Send them often to their knees to seek your blessing upon their labours, knowing that all their success entirely depends upon you.
Amen.
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The Word Invites You Into an Ancient Conversation
This week the blog is sponsored by Thomas Nelson Bibles. This post is adapted from the introduction of the Timeless Truths Bible by Matthew Z. Capps, Sr. Pastor of Fairview Baptist Church (Apex, NC), who served as its general editor.
What is the most important thing you need to know about the Bible? In my opinion, it is crucial to understand that Scripture is God’s perfect treasure, a revelation of himself to humankind. Christianity is dependent upon the belief that God has graciously, intentionally, and lovingly chosen to reveal himself and his will to humanity. If God has revealed himself to us, our desire should be that as we study God’s Word, we do so in a way that seeks to understand every passage accurately in light of his divine self-disclosure.
Christianity is dependent upon the belief that God has graciously, intentionally, and lovingly chosen to reveal himself and his will to humanity.Matthew Z. CappsShare
That doesn’t mean it is always easy, though. There are times when the historical distance between the modern reader and ancient text makes it difficult to understand certain parts of scripture. But the good news is that when you read the Bible you are not alone. Because the Bible is one of the most printed books in human history, it also has one of the deepest wells of insightful commentary that we as modern readers can draw from.
Enrich your journey with wisdom from the past
In a modern world that too often sprints along in what C. S. Lewis called in Surprised by Joy “chronological snobbery,” that is, believing that ancient resources are obstacles to our progress, retrieving the past can help clarify our historical shortsightedness and cultural biases. In short, we cannot ignore the contributions of the past or over-exaggerate the wisdom of the present. We must approach the Bible with the humble belief that every generation in the church has unique contributions to offer. The wisest of Christians in history have always drawn from the past to understand how to live in the present.
When you study the Bible, you are welcomed into an ancient conversation, an interpretive community that stretches across time and knows no geographical boundaries. It is a community that includes people from the very earliest disciples of Jesus living in Jerusalem, the second-century converts in Roman-ruled Africa and Europe, medieval monastics, the Reformers, English Puritans, American revivalists, and many more. This rich history affords us the opportunity to cultivate theological instincts and values from trusted guides.
A Bible designed with history in mind
The Timeless Truths Bible is designed with this history in mind. It will remind you that, as you read the Word of God, you’re a part of a sacred communion made up of believers past and present. Not only is this particular Bible beautifully designed, it has also been carefully crafted with selected features to help you in your journey through the text.Regardless of your spiritual journey, if you are new to the Bible or a seasoned saint, hearing from voices of the past will deeply enrich your understanding of God’s Word. The church in every generation has gathered around the Bible to read, study, ponder, debate, and meditate on the scriptures. Through personal study and communal discussion on the Bible, God has shaped his people, setting them apart to love him and each other, to worship, and to work toward advancing his good news to the whole world.
Dig deeper with trusted guides
My prayer is that the Timeless Truths Bible will encourage and strengthen you, and that your own study of this incomparable book will be enriched by the reflections and insights of faithful saints from across the centuries who, just like you, came to scripture to learn from the Author of life. As you read, do so with an open mind and heart. There is a sense in which we do not simply read the Bible, the Bible also reads us. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “Nobody ever outgrows Scripture! The Book widens and deepens with our years! It is true, it cannot really grow, for it is perfect, but it does so to our apprehension. The deeper you dig into Scripture, the more you find that it is a great abyss of truth.” -
Seven Biblical Principles for Being the Man God Wants You To Be
I always find it interesting to pay attention to trends within Christian publishing. As certain ideologies appear within wider society or as certain questions are brought to the surface, the publishing industry inevitably responds with books on the subject. In the past couple of years, we have seen a good number of titles dealing with masculinity. And no wonder, for masculinity is now hotly debated. What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be masculine? And is it possible to embrace any form of masculinity without it becoming toxic? This is the subject Matt Fuller turns to in Reclaiming Masculinity: Seven Biblical Principles for Being the Man God Wants You To Be.
Fuller begins by pointing out that where Western society used to have a widely accepted idea of what it means to be a man, this is no longer the case. “In the 21st-century West, there simply isn’t, and our culture is far more likely to ask ‘Why can’t a man be more like a woman?’ ‘Traditional’ male attributes such as competitiveness, stoicism (that is, bearing difficulties without complaint or displaying much emotion) and risk-taking are discouraged in classrooms and derided in sitcoms and films. The language of business management has shifted to emphasize ‘traditional’ feminine virtues of empathy, co-operation and emotional intelligence. Women do better at school and a higher percentage go to university. Men are far more likely (to an alarming extent) to go to prison, become homeless or commit suicide. Perhaps really we need to ask, ‘Why can’t a man be more like a woman?’”
Of course, society also tends to make the claim that there is no intrinsic difference between men and women and that anything men are doing women ought to be doing as well. “I keep hearing these two opinions, expressed in a variety of ways but basically boiling down to ‘Men and women are the same’ and ‘Men should be more like women.’ The upshot is that we’re getting a bit confused about what it means to be a man.”
Fuller’s burden in this book is to provide a positive vision of masculinity—to offer an answer to the question “What kind of man does God want you to be?” A good answer will necessitate setting aside the cultural assumptions of the 20th century as much as the 21st and instead allowing the Bible to guide us in its timeless way. And Fuller does this through seven principles “that describe a biblical, healthy, confident, helpful masculinity.”
The first of these is “men and women are different (but don’t exaggerate).” From the inner person to the outer, it is clear that God has created men and women to be different from one another, even as they share a common humanity. Where some societies have been prone to exaggerate the differences others have been prone to minimize them. Here he describes some of the differences and explains how these then work themselves out in ways that are bound by culture. He distinguishes between timeless truths and cultural manifestations of distinctions.
The second principle is “take responsibility.” Though men and women have much in common, God has assigned certain responsibilities to men and he means for them to embrace these. Though this is most often displayed in marriage, there are other ways in which men need to grab hold of their God-given responsibilities.
Next is “be ambitious for God.” Men are tempted to aim their God-given ambition at power or video games or sexual conquests, but God has something better for them. Men are to be ambitious in life, ambitious in work, and ambitious in godliness.
From here Fuller advances to “use your strength to protect,” “display thoughtful chivalry,” “invest in friendships” and “raise healthy ‘sons’.” The word “sons” is in quotation marks because a man’s task is not merely to influence his biological children but also to influence sons in the faith, much as the Apostle Paul did so well.
At the end of all this, being a godly man means “taking responsibility to lead, being ambitious for God’s kingdom, using your strength to protect the church and serve others, investing in friends, and raising ‘sons’.” Men who commit themselves to this kind of life will be displaying God’s design and living out God’s purpose.
At a time when confusion about masculinity reigns within the church as well as without, I am grateful for books like this that offer clarity—clarity grounded in the infallible, inerrant, timeless, and culture-transcending Word of God. I trust it will help many men live in a way that is confidently, biblically, and definitively masculine.
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The Loveliest Place
We can sometimes get dismayed as we think about the church. We can sometimes get frustrated or even embittered. And sometimes our dismay is fair, for the church is made up of people who, though they love the Lord, still sin against God and still harm one another. Though it is a blessing to belong to the church, it can also be a challenge and even a trial.
Yet in God’s eyes, the church is beautiful. It is lovely. It is precious. The unique wonder of the church is the subject of Dustin Benge’s book The Loveliest Place. “This book is about the beauty and loveliness of the church,” he says. “It’s for all those who sometimes struggle to see those qualities in her. If you tirelessly serve within her ministries while dismayed by her apparent failures, or have rare, unsustainable glimpses of her beauty, this book is for you. The singular goal is to awaken your affections. Not affections for form, methodology, structure, organization, or programs, but affections for who she is and why she exists.”
At a time when many people are perplexed by the nature or definition of the church, and at a time when many are considering walking away from the church altogether, this book means “to set before you a thoroughly biblical portrait of the church that derives its life from the sweet fellowship of the Father, Son, and Spirit, creating a community of love, worship, fellowship, and mission, all animated by the gospel and empowered by the word of God.” It means to show that the church is not just a lovely place, but the loveliest place of all.
Through fourteen relatively brief chapters Benge highlights different aspects of the church as we read of them in Scripture. Beginning with Song of Solomon he shows the church to be beautiful in the eyes of God—Christ’s very own bride. “We consider what the church can give us and do for us, how she can serve us, and even what’s in it for us, but rarely do we enjoy the eye-opening and soul-stirring truth that she is beautiful and lovely in just being who she is.”
He looks to the church as the household of God, then shows how the Trinity relates to the church: God as Father and friend, Christ as Savior and head, Spirit as helper and beautifier. He considers the church as the pillar and buttress of the truth, he looks at the need for shepherding and feeding the flock, he describes the church’s responsibility to evangelize, and he tells how the church ought to expect to face persecution. “Every faithful believer must expect persecution. Not that every believer will be tortured, imprisoned, asked to recant, or even burned at a stake—but you will experience, at one point or another, opposition from the world. What does this mean for the church? It means that the church is composed of those whom the world despises. There may be a facade of friendliness and desire for cooperation, but in the recesses of the heart of the ungodly, there is a vehement hatred for the things of God and the good news of the gospel.”
He wraps up with an examination of the oneness of the church—the unity that we share and the unity that serves as a powerful testimony of the gospel. ”The church’s growing oneness is what defines the church as having an otherness. Why would the world be supernaturally drawn to an institution filled with conflict, cliques, hostility, fighting, and division?” It’s a valid question and a very good reason to pursue actually the unity God says we have positionally.
At a time—and maybe it is always such a time—when even Christians seem intent on disparaging the church, we need a reminder of the beauty, the loveliness, and the sheer wonder of what God has done in setting his love on a people who are his own. To that end, The Loveliest Place will help you marvel at the church, love the church, and further commit yourself to it. For you will deepen your convictions that “the church isn’t just about organization, leadership, function, and vision. There’s something much more beautiful and lovely to recognize. The church is about people being rescued, redeemed, and renewed. The church is about savoring, rejoicing, and service. The church is about proclaiming, enduring, and walking. The church is about being the bride adorned, beautiful, and lovely.”Buy from Amazon