The Foray

The #1 National Bestseller, Lone Survivor

One of the books I'm currently reading is Marcus Luttrell's, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. 

What an incredible book! Though the language is often graphic, the story is ultra-compelling. The courage of these men is simply incredible. In the fight against "terror," I wish the politicians in Washington D.C. would turn these warriors loose, stop treating them as the enemy, and allow them to do their jobs without having to worry about (as Luttrell puts it), "being charged with murder [in a U.S. court] if we defend ourselves too vigorously."

But that's another post.

One thing I read just today reminded me of the Christian life. Describing his battlefield experiences, Luttrell says,

"It was tough out there. But in many ways I'm grateful for the experience. I learned precisely how seditious and cunning an enemy could be. I learned never to underestimate him. And I learned to stay right on top of my game all of the time in order to deal with it. No complacency." (p. 40)

Does what Paul says in Ephesians 6 come to mind? 

How different would our effectiveness as Christians be in the world today if we viewed our spiritual battles this seriously?

What would our prayers sound like? Our worship be like? Our lives look like?

Followers of Jesus Christ are soldiers in battle.

That's just the way it is.

Greg 

Why Pray?

Reading this morning from Miller's book on Spurgeon (http://greglindsey.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/01/a-few-words-of-prayer-.html), I came across this thought on prayer from Spurgeon. It blew me away!

"We do not bow the knee merely because it is a duty and a commendable spiritual exercise, but because we believe that, into the ear of the eternal God, we speak our wants, and that his ear is linked with a heart feeling for us, and a hand working on our behalf. To us, true prayer is true power."

Why pray? Spurgeon's three-fold answer:

1. Because we speak our wants to a listening God.
2. Because we speak our wants to a caring God.
3. Because we speak our wants to a providing God.

Incredibly good reasons to pray, don't you think?

Greg

"A few words of prayer ..."

I guess I should go ahead and warn you: You will likely see more posts like this one in the coming days because, on my computer desk in my study, now lies a book by Steve Miller titled, C.H. Spurgeon on Spiritual Leadership. This small volume is a "compilation of sermons, prayers, and writings on leadership" from the man whom my readers well know is my "pastoral hero."

My goal for the opening of 2009 is to read a page or two of this little book at the start of every day that I enter my study.

The first chapter is titled, "A Passion for Prayer," where he shares this very brief anecdote:

"Spurgeon himself once told a friend, 'I always feel it well just to put a few words of prayer between everything I do.' He lived out the biblical admonishment to pray unceasingly, which had a profound impact on his ministry."

I love that expression, don't you?

"... to put a few words of prayer between everything I do." What a worthy goal!

My dear readers, if you would be inclined to show me just one kindness in 2009, this is what I would ask for: "Pray for my prayer life." Because I know this much: I will be no better in the pulpit (and out!) than I am in private prayer.

Middle Valley Baptist needs a pastor whose ministry is "profoundly impacted" by prayer.

Thank you so much!
Greg

PS I hope whatever posts may follow this one (based on Miller's book) will be a blessing to you!

Just Days Away ...

... from THE Study Bible that is NOT to be missed!

The above picture (left to right) is of Wayne Grudem (Research Professor of Theology at Phoenix Seminary and General Editor of the ESV Study Bible) and Lane Dennis (President and Publisher of Crossway Books and Bibles; Executive Editor of the ESV Study Bible).

[You might recognize Grudem's name as the author of the text for the "Basics Forum" that I announced in connection with our new members this past Sunday morning. The text by the way is titled, "Christian Beliefs."]

I strongly encourage every member and attender of MVB to purchase a copy of the ESV Study Bible upon its release. I ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE that you'll benefit from owning and reading it! In your hands, you will instantly have solid, clear, and (most of all!) biblically faithful explanations of even the most obscure Bible passages that may have long perplexed you. Every available study help from today's finest Bible-honoring scholarship will be at your fingertips.

I PROMISE you'll be absolutely delighted!

Greg

PS See for yourself! Spend some time at http://www.esvstudybible.org/

Andrew Fuller's "The Downward Course of Sin" (4)

We're learning from the wisdom of the 19th-century English Baptist pastor and theologian, Andrew Fuller. 

Does the personal downgrade he describes sound familiar?

"Every sin we commit goes to destroy the principle of resistance, and produce a kind of desperate carelessness.... The first time a person yields to a particular temptation, it is not without some struggles of conscience; and when it is past, his soul is usually smitten with remorse; and, it may be, he thinks he shall never yield again; but temptation returning, and the motive to resist being weakened, he becomes an easy prey to the tempter.

And now the clamors of conscience subside, his heart grows hard, and his mind desperate. 'There is no hope,' saith he; 'I have loved strangers, and after them I will go.' Under the first workings of temptation he sets bounds to himself, 'Hitherto I will go, and no farther'; but now, all such resolutions are of no account. The insect entangled in the spider's web can do nothing; every effort it makes only winds another thread round its wings; and after a few ineffectual struggles, it falls a prey to the destroyer."

Do you get what Fuller is saying? If not, circle back and read it again -- this time a little slower, aiming to drink down each line.

Fuller is describing how sin is a down-hill tumble. Think of the person who falls down. More times than not, the result isn't good.

So it is with sin.

Let me illustrate it another way: This past summer, we took the kids to the NASCAR Speedpark in Pigeon Forge. In addition to the 8 go-kart tracks outside, they have a tall, inside climbing wall. I saw a lot of kids (including my Jacob) determined to climb the toughest wall and ring the bell at the top. And here's what I observed: If the climber didn't make it by his second or third attempt, he wasn't going to make it, try as he may! The reason? The longer he clung to the wall, the more tired he grew, the weaker his physical stamina and strength. Eventually the climber would reach the point of exhaustion and have to be unstrapped from the climbing harness in defeat. 

The longer on the wall, the weaker; likewise the longer in sin, the weaker.

Fuller's words are again a clarion call to flee FROM sin, and to flee TO Christ -- the Savior from sin.

Greg

PS Were you able to identify with Fuller's description in the above two paragraphs? If so, how do you think he was able to describe so accurately what you've faced in your own Christian life? Do you think he himself may have wrestled against the decline he describes? Remember: There are no perfect people; only a perfect Savior. And imperfect people MUST turn to him -- or perish!

One Reason I'm Highly Recommending the New ESV Study Bible

Actually, more like 50 reasons! 

Take a minute to check out the titles of the 50 essays contained in the soon-to-be-released English Standard Version Study Bible. You'll see why I can't stop talking about this new publication and why I'm literally counting down the days until its release!

http://www.esvstudybible.org/blog/2008/09/complete-list-of-articles-in-the-esv-study-bible/#more-158

C.J. Mahaney, of Sovereign Grace Ministries in Gaithersburg, M.D., (and author of The Cross-Centered Life, which our Community Groups read last year) says: 

"A Christian could make no wiser investment for himself, a pastor could recommend no better resource for his congregation." 

I wholeheartedly agree!

Greg

Andrew Fuller's "The Downward Course of Sin" (3)

In this series of posts, we're examining Fuller's tract on the subject of "sin" -- by the way, a topic as popular in his day (19th century) as it is in ours. 

Listen carefully as Fuller explains why playing around with sin in any form is such a deadly mistake:

"He that yields himself a servant to sin in any one of its forms admits a principle which opens the door to sin in every other form." 

What principle does he mean? The principle that ...

"the authority of God is NOT to be regarded when it stands in the way of our inclinations."

In other words: "Who cares what GOD says about ______? It appeals to ME, so I'm going to do it!" 

The person who thinks this way, however, does so at a devastating cost:

"If you admit this principle there is nothing to hinder you from going into any evil which your soul lusteth after."

(Fuller knew what he was doing when he titled his tract!)

Ever heard someone lament another person by saying, "He went from bad to worse!"? 

Well, Fuller tells us exactly how it happens: We go "from bad to worse" when we adopt the principle that GOD will not be our authority, but we will be OUR OWN AUTHORITY. Once this becomes our principle, we will chase after and indulge whatever wickedness our heart desires -- without even realizing that our wickedness is in fact ruling us!

There's a song that paints the picture this way:

"My life was an awful disgrace, every piece out of place, in disarray; wounding the people who loved me and who prayed daily for me, while I went my own way ..."

Beware yielding yourself to sin in any way!

Greg

The "Prove-It!" Kids Wrap Up "Pilgrim's Progress" This Sunday

What a great summer with the "Prove-It!" Kids!

Reading a children's version of Pilgrim's Progress to them each Sunday has been a blast! Thanks to this incredible classic of Christian literature, they've met a lot of interesting true-to-life characters along the way, combined with a truckload of biblical truth in compelling story form.

I've been amazed at how even the youngest kids have paid attention to the story. I wish all of you could see their eyes the way I can when I'm reading to them. They may not understand "everything," but they're focused in just the same.

[By the way, when we move to our larger setting, we're going to have a camera that will provide close-ups of the kids on the screens. This way everyone will actually be able to "see better" than we can in our current smaller setting. Who'd have "thunk" it?! I suspect parents and grandparents will especially enjoy this aspect of our new setting.]

As a pastor, I wish to thank the many moms and dads who've been so faithful this summer to bring their kids to the Sunday morning worship gathering so they could participate in learning Pilgrim's Progress . I sincerely hope that, for these children and parents, this hearing of Pilgrim's Progress will be just the start!

What do I mean?

That moms and dads will be encouraged to actually dig into a grown-up version for themselves, and that they might even buy a copy of the kids' version that I used and re-read it in their homes to their children! (See this post for information about the book: http://greglindsey.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/08/the-pilgrims-progress-book-im-using-with-the-prove-it-kids.html)

How incredibly valuable doing such things would be for the the spiritual growth of the ENTIRE FAMILY!

This Sunday's conclusion of the Pilgrim's Progress is not to be missed! Come see how the author combines great joy with great sorrow.

Greg

PS The great sorrow has to do with "Stupid."

Andrew Fuller's, "The Downward Course of Sin" (1)

What Happens the Longer We Stay in Sin

"When our Savior spake of his making men 'free,' the Jews were offended. It hurt their pride to be represented as slaves; yet slaves they were -- and such is every sinner, however insensible of it, till Christ has made him free. And the longer he continues in this state, the more he is entangled, and the greater is the difficulty of making his escape." Andrew Fuller

I don't know about you, but I can't help but think of a spider's web when I read Fuller's ("F") description of the "unregenerate" (my word here, not his; those who need to be "born again," or "born from above" by God's Spirit, bringing spiritual life). The more desperately the victim caught in the spider's web seeks to escape, the greater his entanglement and the likelihood that the spider will immediately race over to him to do what spiders do to their prey.

Now I guess this may be rather unpleasant (although certainly not for the spider!), but think about an insect caught in a spider's web:

What hope of escape does it have? How would you rate its chances of survival?

Likewise, "people" caught in sin -- apart from the life of God -- have no chance ON THEIR OWN of escape. (NOTE: Because he wrote in the 1700s, Fuller will frequently speak of "men" when he intends "men and women" or "people." In his day, depending on the context, "men" often meant "men and women" or "all people." It's an example of how the English language has changed over the centuries. Be assured, he intends no slight to females!) They are like the insect trapped in the spider's web.

It's a dreadful picture!

What they MUST have, if they are ever to be freed, is someone to come rescue them and set them free! (Much like the recently freed hostages in Columbia!)

"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, 'If you abide in MY WORD, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE." Jn 8: 31-32  

Jesus came to bring a message of freedom for those in sin. His truth sets them free. That's why we need a 100% effort in getting out the message! In our home. On our job. At the gym. In our church. With our friends and colleagues -- through lives that back up our words with genuine credibility!

For the longer one stays in sin, the greater the difficulty of escape!

 

Next time

"The Way of Sin a Downhill Road"

Greg

Andrew Fuller's, "Downward Course of Sin" (Intro)

Back on Aug 8, I cited a tract penned by Andrew Fuller entitled, "The Downward Course of Sin." I did so in relation to a certain political figure whose "fall" had just become "news." I suggested that I might even devote a series of posts to this tract at some later date. 

That "later date" has now arrived.

 

Who? How? And Why?

In case you're scratching your head, asking, "Andrew who?" Fuller was a British Baptist pastor/theologian (1754-1815). [See a good, brief biography of Fuller at http://www.siteone.com/religion/baptist/baptistpage/Portraits/fuller.htm.] 

Fuller's publication, "The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation" (1785), played an influential role in the modern missionary movement and was especially used of God to help send the famous missionary, William Carey, to India. In fact, so outstanding was Fuller's thought that a certain other British preacher (with the initials C.H.S.) called him, "The greatest theologian of his century."

[By the way, if you're interested in reading Fuller for yourself, Banner of Truth (a publisher) has recently released a 1000+ page, hardback volume entitled, "The Works of Andrew Fuller." You can order a copy from the fine folks at www.cvbbs.com for $19.95 plus shipping. Trust me: You'll be hard-pressed to beat their price and service!]

"Okay, Greg. You've told us WHO Fuller was and HOW we can access his writings. But you haven't told us WHY. Why point us to this 'Downward Course of Sin' tract?"

Because, if the times cried out for it in Fuller's day (which they did), they're screaming for it today!

Never in the history of America has evil been so readily accessible, yet private (and acceptable!) for so many. The wickedness that even Christians can engage in and play with in their own homes (on the computer, on TV, etc., etc.) is truly shocking -- and terribly powerful, if it ever gets a grip. Read 1 Cor 10 to see why we should care about this!

I present Fuller's tract because, by the mercy of God, I believe it might still be used to bless God's people as they live in incredibly dangerous times (spiritually speaking). It might help a Christian who reads something here to say "no" to a present temptation. It might help another Christian decide to come out of the misery of "sinning in the dark," and get help for an addiction. Or it might help an unbeliever, traveling the road that leads to hell, to recognize his need and to flee into the loving arms of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

An Important Request

Between now and the first installment of Fuller's "Downward Course," will you ask God to show you something he wants you to see?

 

Next time

"What Happens the Longer We Stay in Sin"

Greg