<![CDATA[Grace for Española - Pastor's Blog]]>Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:41:02 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Song of Solomon Conference Coming to Albuquerque]]>Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:44:42 -0800http://www.fbcespanola.com/1/post/2010/07/song-of-solomon-conference-coming-to-albuquerque.htmlPicture
Did you know there's an entire book of the Bible devoted to romantic love? Yes, God's Word does address love life and if you've never been through a study of the Song of Solomon now is your chance with one of the best teachers of this Old Testament book.  Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church, Seattle will be in Albuquerque on Saturday, October 9th Love Life – the Song of Solomon conference.  Tickets went on sale yesterday and you can get them here.  The conference will run from 10am-4:30pm on the Saturday. Donovan Medina of Mars Hill Church, Albuquerque will be leading worship for the event.  In partnership with Calvary of Albuquerque, Levi Lusko will be Emceeing the event.  Tickets are only $25 a person.  The event is described as follows:

The Song of Solomon Events feature passionate and dynamic speakers who walk us through the 8 Chapters of The Song of Solomon.

They are geared for: Adults 18 years and older, Married Adults, Single Adults and College Students.Perfect for a small to medium-sized churches to bring a group for a turn key Bible-based relationship conference.

Whether you are newly married, married for years and may think that your marriage can’t get any worse, or better, or perhaps you are a college student or single and want to have the most fulfilling marriage possible, the Song of Solomon is for you. It is God’s foundational and most intimate writing about how to:
  • Attract and become the right kind of a person
  • How to Date and then moving towards a serious relationship
  • The Gift of Intimacy and Sex, and why and how it can be such a blessing or such a struggle
  • How to fight, because we all do, and how to grow closer through fight, not build a bigger wall between us
  • Romancing our spouse after years, fighting boredom and “this is as good as it’s going to get” pitfall
  • Commitment and why it is God’s desire and command, and why it is the most satisfying, simple and fulfilling model ever
For more information about the event and to buy tickets, please check out the web site.  Start telling your friends.
 
]]><![CDATA[Principles of Prayer from the Revival under King Jehoshaphat, Part 2]]>Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:55:21 -0800http://www.fbcespanola.com/1/post/2010/06/principles-of-prayer-from-the-revival-under-king-jehoshaphat-part-2.htmlWe continue our look at 2 Chronicles 20 for principles of prayer. With the busy-ness of the summertime activities, let’s continue to carve out time to be alone with God in prayer by adding the following principles to the one we learned in the previous blog post.

B. God delights to do what He promised to do (vv. 7-11).

Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8　And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,　or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt,and whom they avoided and did not destroy—behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit (ESV).

One way to show submissiveness to the will of God is by praying according to His will and one way to do that is by praying according to the promises God has given in Scripture. Jehoshaphat modeled this in verse 7 by praying in accordance with God's promise to give the land to Israel forever (Gen.13:15; 15:18). Also, at the dedication of the Temple, the Lord had promised Solomon that He would hear the prayers of the people (2 Chron. 6:14-42; 7:15). God said, "Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place" (2 Chron. 7:15 NAS). The believer in prayer can rehearse the promises of God and be confident that the Lord hears and will act to fulfill His promises on behalf of His children.

Now take some time to think through or write down your interaction with this second principle:

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns.
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle.

C. God's people are helpless without Him (v. 12).

O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (ESV).

Commentators disagree as to whether Jehoshaphat went out to meet his attackers with an army or not. It is clear that Jehoshaphat had a large and capable army (2 Chron. 17:12-19). However, he apparently did not trust in his army to deliver him from the combined Transjordanian forces. Rather, Jehoshaphat, without any deliberation, turned to the Lord and asked for His deliverance on their behalf saying, "For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You" (2 Chron. 20:12b).

Likewise, Christians today must choose to rely on either human or divine resources. Lehman Strauss wrote, "Human wisdom and human desire can achieve human results. But praying in the Spirit produces divine results." When believers rely on their human resources, they selfishly seek their own glory and foolishly deprive themselves of God's power. However, Christians can turn to God in prayer, as Jehoshaphat did, even though they may have some means, and allow God to show Himself strong on their behalf and receive all the glory as a result. Whenever God's people face an impossible situation, it is actually a wonderful opportunity for God to test their faith and bring glory to himself.

Now take some time to think through or write down your interaction with this third principle:

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns.
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle.

There is nothing we need more than God’s power in our lives. Let’s continue to seek Him together in private that we might see His power evident when we join together for public worship each Lord’s Day.]]><![CDATA[Recommended Reading for Fathers]]>Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:16:42 -0800http://www.fbcespanola.com/1/post/2010/06/recommended-reading-for-fathers.htmlPicture
Read this book!
This Father's Day I am preaching a special message for fathers. I do not believe I can address a more relevant topic than fatherhood. It is not a stretch to say that most problems with individuals and in society stem from the issue of fatherlessness, or even passive, unengaged fathers. Over 40% of children today do not live with their biological fathers. This reality is having massively destructive effects on young people today and society in general. Dad, can I count on you to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem? If so, I want to ask you to purchase and read a book that will instruct and motivate you to be the godly man your children desperately need in their lives.

There are many books I could recommend on this topic and you can visit the links below for more, but I would ask you to please read at least this one: The Masculine Mandate by Richard D. Phillips. Click the image of the book above to order it online from my Amazon referall.

You may also be interested to read some of the free resources on manhood at my teaching web site here. If you are interested in browsing some of the other books I recommend visit the following links:

* Christian Manhood
* Parenting
* Marriage
* Catechism
]]><![CDATA[Principles of Prayer from the Revival under King Jehoshaphat, Part 1]]>Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:46:52 -0800http://www.fbcespanola.com/1/post/2010/06/principles-of-prayer-from-the-revival-under-king-jehoshaphat-part-1.htmlAs we enter the summer months, many of us will have more free time with school being out and less structured activities. Some of us may be busier trying to make the most of the summer opportunities for vacation and outdoor activities. Whatever the case, let’s remember to keep the main thing the main thing in our Christian lives—which is to keep God at the center of our thoughts and lives. If we fail in this, we fail in everything. To help us with this goal, I’d like us to reflect on the revival under King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, almost 3,000 years ago. This has long been a favorite Old Testament passage for me. As we look at it over the coming weeks let’s interact with each principle we learn by considering the following "R’s." Let this study be further training in Bible meditation as we have considered in recent weeks in this column.

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns (the enemies of the soul – the world, flesh, devil), trials, personal conflict, etc.
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle. Apply it to specific areas of concern in your life.

The Setting

After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar" (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord (2 Chron 20:1-5, ESV).

During the reign of King Jehoshaphat over Judah in 853 B.C. a sudden and unexpected invasion took place by a combined force of Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites. When Jehoshaphat heard of the encroaching armies, he immediately turned to the Lord for help. Jehoshaphat called for a national fast and all of Judah gathered together in Jerusalem to seek the Lord in prayer. Jehoshaphat then led the nation in a prayer reminiscent of Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple in 2 Chronicles 6:24-39. It is from this prayer and the related actions that several principles for effective prayer are found. Take a few minutes to look up and read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 right now if you can.

A. God has power over all people and situations (vv. 5-7).

And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

The Bible presents God as One who is all-powerful and completely sovereign over all His creation. For this reason, prayer is not a light matter. The believer in prayer has access to this divine power. Commentator J. Oswald Sanders made an astonishing observation about prayer. He said, "It invests puny man with a sort of omnipotence." The believer need not fear any foe under heaven when he is fully surrendered to the will of God. Effective prayer brings the believer to this state of submission to God's sovereignty.

Now take some time to think through or write down your interaction with this first principle:

* Recognize the truth of the principle.
* Reflect on or meditate on the truth of the principle.
* Relate the truth to real concerns. How does the truth of God’s sovereignty impact you today?
* Rehearse the principle in prayer or pray according to the truth. Express your confidence in God’s sovereignty as you go to the Lord in prayer.
* Respond to or take action on the truth of the principle. How does knowing God is in total control of all things affect your decisions, attitude, concerns today?

In the following weeks, we will look at additional principles from this dramatic story of revival. May you have a truly God-centered summer filled with the joy of knowing the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God who saves His people!]]><![CDATA[The Indispensable Link Between Meditation and Sanctification, Part 4]]>Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:14:26 -0800http://www.fbcespanola.com/1/post/2010/06/the-indispensable-link-between-meditation-and-sanctification-part-4.htmlA Suggested Text for Meditation.In our last article we left off introducing Colossians 3:1-4 as a suggested text to begin practicing meditation. As you get the flow of thought in the first four verses begin to see the connection to the verses following all the way through verse 17 which are the practical commands that follow the spiritual reality of our union with Christ. Here’s the outline for the first four verses:

I. Our life in Christ is to be pondered (vv. 1-2)
II. Our life in Christ is presently hidden (v. 3)
III. Our life in Christ is to be revealed (v. 4)

Here, we find the "already/not yet" tension of our present Christian experience. John Piper has a sermon titled "Already: Decisively and Irrevocably Free, Not Yet: Finally and Perfectly Free." This summarizes very well our current relationship to sin. We currently live in the tension between the overlapping of the current age in which sin, evil, and death are still present and the age to come when God’s kingdom is unveiled in all its glory. We are to live in the present age as if coming age is what defines us and give us the incentive to live for Christ.

Reflect on the remaining verses (vv. 5-17) and write down on index cards or in a journal a summary of what God is saying to you in His Word so that you can apply it and make it part of your thinking and living. When you have done this for some time, this text should become one of those bedrock passages of Scripture in your walk of faith. These truths should come to mind over and over again as you go through life.

You may want to include in your meditation journal a record of how God is working in your life through the practice of meditation. This will become an additional source of encouragement to your faith and something you can pass on to your children or others you are discipling. By doing these things, God will be glorified in us as we find ourselves increasingly satisfied in Him. Soli Deo Gloria!

Points to Ponder in Sanctification. Below are some pithy gospel truths that I regularly meditate on. Feel free to adopt these and/or add some of your own as God leads. I have printed a card with these that you can keep in your Bible. If you’d like one, just ask me.

* Christ alone (not my works) is my eligibility for sonship, favor, love, and acceptance with God. 
* I consent to be represented by Christ before the Father. 
* I am justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
* There is no condemnation for me since I am "in Christ." 
* I am dead to sin. Sin’s reign is Already decisively and irrevocably broken in my life even though I am Not Yet finally and perfectly free from it. 
* I am glory bound. When Christ who is my life is revealed, I will be reveal with Him in glory (Col 3:4). 
* God is reconstructing His image in me. I exist to reflect His glory. Though God’s image was marred in my life before salvation, mercifully God has, is, and will restore me to my created purpose. 
* Faith is the root of works. I will feed my faith in my effort to be obedient to God. 
* I will continually give thanks to God for His many blessings. In cultivating a thankful heart, I reject pride and self-pity, I reject thoughts of "rewarding" myself with sin. 
* I refuse to offer obedience in an effort to "pay God back" for His many blessings. I will depend on God’s power through faith in His sure promises in order to obey Him. 
* Obedience to God provides a better future and a deeper satisfaction than sin does. 
* I will meditate on the excellencies of God’s being and sing His praises. I will delight in God. I will think on God’s marvelous works and His spectacular glory (def. of glory – "the beauty of God’s manifold perfections"—John Piper). 
* I exist for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples. –John Piper
* God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him. –John Piper 
* Systematically build a case for obedience and a case against disobedience by conducting a cost/benefit analysis for obedience versus disobedience.

For further study of the benefits and method of biblical meditation, see Jay Wegter’s article on meditation that you can download here. May you find the truths of God’s Word to be the bedrock of your life as you meditate daily on it.]]><![CDATA[The Indispensable Link Between Meditation and Sanctification, Part 3]]>Fri, 21 May 2010 11:12:10 -0800http://www.fbcespanola.com/1/post/2010/05/the-indispensable-link-between-meditation-and-sanctification-part-3.htmlYour meditation on God’s Word will never cease to pay rich dividends of joy, wisdom, peace, maturity, and fellowship with God and others. God’s Word will become a source of life and the world, the flesh, and the Devil will look more and more like the dead ends that they are. You will begin to learn to feed your faith on God’s Word in general. You will see the true meaning of verses like John 4:13-14, "Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’ " Remember, Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:14). Knowledge of Scripture is knowledge of Christ.

During a Q & A at the end of Pastor Jay Wegter’s time with us, I asked Jay what how he practically meditates on Scripture. He mentioned color-coding themes in his Bible. I was delighted to hear this as I also have used color coding for many years. Here’s the way I do it. I use an 8-color mechanical pencil from Pentel (to order one online go to http://www.frontlinemin.org/bookstore.asp and click on "Bibles." You’ll see it listed first at the best price you can find). The colored pencil is better than ink because it won’t bleed through the thin Bible paper. Then I highlight verses according to the following colors which I just made up myself: Red (salvation, redemption, repentance), green (prophecy), light blue (commands, Christian living, doctrine), royal blue (eternity, heaven, millennium), brown (sin, judgment, curse), orange (golden promises), yellow (miscellaneous). Jay also mentioned writing down cross references in his Bible. I encourage you write in your Bible as well. Use the empty spaces in the front or page to jot down outlines or summaries that you want to remember and reflect upon.

Along with writing down your observations and responses to your meditation on Scripture, make an effort to see the infinitely surpassing value of believing God’s Word rather than the fleeting and vain promises of sin. As John Piper said, "Faith is also being confident that His way is better than sin. His will is more wise. His help is more sure. His promises more precious. And His reward more satisfying." When you train yourself to think this way, you will have spiritual power to live in holiness.

Cost/Benefit Analysis. Here’s one way you can do this: Jay Wegter suggests that we "systematically build a case for obedience and a case against disobedience with an exhaustive list of benefits for the former and negatives of the latter." Take some time to write lists like this down in your journal. Yes, it will be a fight to make the time and to discipline your mind to think through this, but the rewards are immeasurable. Your heart will follow what your mind chooses to dwell on. The benefits of obedience will begin to look far better than the supposed benefits of disobedience and you will begin to find the desire to obey welling up in you. There is a cost/benefit or pleasure/pain dimension to all of the choices we make. What we need is wisdom to choose that which will lead to the greatest benefit or pleasure regardless of the cost or pain involved.

Points to Ponder. Begin writing down a list somewhere that you can turn to again and again (a journal, for example) of summary points of spiritual truth that help you think biblically about your spiritual life. Every time you hear or think of a concise way of stating a biblical truth that can help you think and live biblically, write it down in your list. A beginning list of examples will be included in my next blog post.

A Suggested Text for Meditation.Begin practicing meditation on Colossians 3:1-17. The opening four verses are crucial and pave the way for the practical commands which follow. Begin with serious, personal reflection on the first four verses which can be outlined this way (This outline is from Jay Wegter, "Christ Our Life," available online at: http://www.frontlinemin.org/christlife.asp):

I. Our life in Christ is to be pondered (vv. 1-2)
II. Our life in Christ is presently hidden (v. 3)
III. Our life in Christ is to be revealed (v. 4)]]><![CDATA[FBC Hosted Speaker Jay Wegter]]>Fri, 14 May 2010 20:33:46 -0800http://www.fbcespanola.com/1/post/2010/05/fbc-hosted-speaker-jay-wegter.htmlAbout 25 pastors and ministry leaders attended our first Santa Fe Baptist Association Leadership Training Seminar held at First Baptist Church of Espanola on May 8. Jay Wegter of Gospel for Life (http://www.gospelforlife.org) taught on "Training Disciples to be Disciple-Makers."  Drawing from Scripture and his own personal experience of disciple-making, Jay presented the vision for disciple-making taught in the New Testament and illustrated it with examples of men he has personally discipled. Jay shared his experience of taking men from weak and sputtering Christian lives to stable maturing men who have become involved in using their giftedness in ministry of their own. Jay said that we cannot bypass the role of personal mentoring in the process of disciple-making. Disciple-making is the fruit of initiating intentional, redemptive relationships with one or more others who are interested in personal development as a follower of Jesus.
 
Audio recordings of the sessions may be downloaded from the Sermons page. Jay also made available a complete 36-page syllabus of his lessons titled "Christ's Pattern for His Church" for just $5. The syllabus may be ordered from Jay by contacting him by email or call him at 661-254-2105.
 
Future seminars will range from topics such as biblical counseling to conflict resolution to God's plan for the family. Those interested in helping to organize or fund future seminars may contact Pastor Massimo Lorenzini.

Jay also gave messages to our youth and the FBC congregation Sunday morning and evening services. These too were recorded and Jay also made available to us some of his teaching manuscripts for further study and reflection. These resources are all posted on our Sermons page.]]><![CDATA[The Indispensable Link between Meditation and Sanctification, Part 2]]>Thu, 06 May 2010 11:03:05 -0800http://www.fbcespanola.com/1/post/2010/05/the-indispensible-link-between-meditation-and-sanctification-part-2.htmlThe Role of Faith in God’s Word in Meditation
Continuing with our current series on the link between meditation and sanctification I would like to now draw your attention to the role of faith in the process of sanctification. Progressive sanctification is simply the idea of growing progressively sanctified or set apart in personal holiness. Christ Himself is the measure of our sanctification. We are being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29). Christlikeness is the goal of our calling. Faith and meditation are essential to this process in our practical lives.

My friend Jay Wegter, our upcoming May 8 seminar speaker who will also be in the FBC pulpit May 9, has said, "When we meditate we are informing our affections of the worthiness of its object of desire.　 Thus meditation is indispensable to holiness;　for holiness is delight in the things of God. To that we would add all that John Piper emphasizes on the relationship of enjoyment of God to glory of God."　 Here’s a bit of John Piper’s strategy for breaking the power of sin by meditating on the Word of God (Condensed from John Piper, "How Dead People Do Battle With Sin," sermon manuscript available online at:  http://www.desiringgod.org/library/topics/sin/dead_battle.html):

This is the answer to our first question: How do dead people do battle with sin? They do battle with sin by trusting the Son of God. They are dead to Satan's lie, which goes like this: "You will be happier if you trust your own ideas about how to be happy instead of trusting the counsel and the promises of Christ." Christians have died to that deceit. So the way they fight Satan is by trusting that the paths and promises of Christ are better than Satan’s.

This way of doing battle with sin is called the "fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 4:7). The victories of this fight are called the "works of faith" (1 Thess 1:3; 2 Thess 1:11). And in this warfare Christians "become holy by faith" (Acts 26:18; 2 Thess 2:13).

How then do dead people "put to death the (sinful) deeds of the body"? We have answered, "By faith!" But just what does this mean? How do you fight sin with faith?

I wonder how many believers today realize that faith is not merely believing that Christ died for our sins. Faith is also being confident that His way is better than sin. His will is more wise. His help is more sure. His promises more precious. And his reward more satisfying. Faith begins with a backward look at the cross, but it lives with a forward look at the promises. Abraham grew strong in his FAITH ... fully convinced that God was able to do what He had PROMISED" (Rom 4:20ff.). "Faith is the assurance of things HOPED for" (Heb 11:1).

When faith has the upper hand in my heart I am satisfied with Christ and his promises. This is what Jesus meant when he said, "He who BELIEVES in me shall NEVER THIRST" (John 6:35). If my thirst for joy and meaning and passion are satisfied by the presence and promises of Christ, the power of sin is broken. We do not yield to the offer of sandwich meat when we can see the steak sizzling on the grill.

The fight of faith is the fight to stay satisfied with God. "By faith Moses. . . forsook the fleeting pleasures of sin ... He looked to the reward" (Heb 11:24-26). Faith is not content with "fleeting pleasures." It is ravenous for joy. And the Word of God says, "In God’s presence is fullness of joy, and in his right hand are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11). So faith will not be sidetracked into sin. It will not give up so easily in its quest for maximum joy.

The role of God’s Word is to feed faith’s appetite for God. And in doing this it weans my heart away from the deceptive taste of lust. At first lust begins to trick me into feeling that I would really miss out on some great satisfaction if I followed the path of purity. But then I take up the sword of the Spirit and begin to fight. I read that it is better to gouge out my eye than to lust (Matt 5:29). I read that if I think about things that are pure and lovely and excellent the peace of God will be with me (Phil 4:8ff.). I read that setting the mind on the flesh brings death, but setting the mind on the Spirit brings life and peace (Rom 8:6).

And as I pray for my faith to be satisfied with God’s life and peace, the sword of the Spirit carves the sugar coating off the poison of lust. I see it for what it is. And by the grace of God, its alluring power is broken.

The challenge before us then is not merely to do what God says because He is God, but to desire what God says because he is good. The challenge is not merely to pursue righteousness, but to prefer righteousness. The challenge is to get up in the morning and prayerfully meditate on the Scriptures until we experience joy and peace in believing "the precious and very great promises" of God (Rom 15:13; 2 Peter 1:4). With this joy set before us the commandments of God will not be burdensome (1 John 5:3) and the compensation of sin will appear too brief and too shallow to lure us.

How to Meditate on Scripture
Find portions of Scripture that you feel have much to say to you and that you really want to understand and assimilate into your life. Go back to these portions over and over again, even committing them to memory and praying through them.

As you read and begin to get familiar with the passage, keep in mind that there are three things that must go together in biblical meditation: READING, REFLECTING, and RESPONDING. Simply read the text of Scripture slowly and prayerfully. Reflect on the meaning of the text. Be careful not to rush the reflecting stage. Ask God to open your eyes to give you insight into the passage of His Word (Ps 119:18). Then prayerfully respond to what God shows you asking what the text means to you personally. How can you apply it to your life?

As you go through this exercise, keep a pen and notepad handy to write down your observations and thoughts. Make an effort to summarize the main ideas God wants you to take away from your meditation. Try to remember these summaries and incorporate them into your prayer life. As you practice biblical meditation you will find yourself going much deeper in your understanding of spiritual truth and growing in your relationship to God.

In the next article I will share some suggested exercises giving you a practical example and some points to ponder I have gleaned from God’s Word over the years. Nothing is more exciting than knowing the Sovereign Lord who created you and is actively leading you through His powerful Word. You don’t have to remain stuck in your Christian life. Pour over the pages of the Bible, meditate on its rich truths, respond as God leads and you will grow in spiritual fruitfulness and maturity. That is the promise of God in Psalm 1:

Blessed is the man　who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;　but his delight is in the law　of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.　He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers (ESV).]]><![CDATA[The Indispensable Link between Meditation and Sanctification, Part 1]]>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:58:17 -0800http://www.fbcespanola.com/1/post/2010/04/the-indispensable-link-between-meditation-and-sanctification-part-1.htmlIf you were the Devil, what would be one of your main strategies to counteract Christians today? I suggest that one of them would be to distract them from serious interaction with the Word of God by filling their minds with the things of this world.

In his book, Pathways to Power, a book written in the early 1950s, Dr. Merrill Unger wrote: "Meditation upon God’s Word is fast becoming a lost art among many Christian people. This holy exercise of pondering over the Word, chewing it as an animal chews its cud to get its sweetness and nutritive virtue into the heart and life, takes time, which ill fits into the speed of our modern age. Today most Christians’ devotions are too hurried, their lives too rushed."

If that was true in the early fifties, how much more is it true today—fifty years later in an age that has become even busier, more entertainment and activity-oriented, materialistic, and consumer-minded. Unger goes on to say: "But holiness and hurry never did suit well together. Prayer and preoccupation have always been strange bed-fellows. A head knowledge of the Word may perhaps be consonant with the scurry of the age, but not a deep heart experience of its preciousness. A deep knowledge of spiritual things can only come by the way of unhurried reflection upon God’s truth and by prayer."

Speaking of Satan and his activity, someone has said "our adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds." What we need is a time for quiet, stillness, and solitude for the purpose of meditating on the Word of God. Everything in your life will resist this. It will require firm resolve to become a truly spiritual person; resolve to think deeply about God’s truth in order to live it more consistently. Our thoughts, whether they are in harmony with God’s Word or not, will determine the way we live.

Consider these words from the Psalms:

* Psalm 19:14, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

* Psalm 104:34, Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the Lord.

From these verses it is clear that our meditation can be unacceptable and displeasing to the Lord. Therefore, we must take care to ensure that the meditations of our hearts are right before God. The only way we can do this is by patient reading, reflection, and response to the Word of God.

The Bible instructs us to make it a habit to meditate on the Word of God:

* Joshua 1:8, This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

* Psalm 1:2, But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

* Psalm 4:4, Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.

What is Biblical Meditation? Meditation in the Bible means reflective thinking on biblical truth so that God is able to speak to us through Scripture and through the thoughts that come to mind as we are reflecting on the Word, but that must also be filtered by the Word. The Word of God is central to biblical meditation, but sadly we too often neglect it to our peril. Irving Jensen wrote in How to Profit from Reading the Bible, "An unread Bible is like food that is refused, an unopened love letter, a buried sword, a road map not studied, a gold mine not worked."

The goal of Christian meditation is to internalize and personalize the Scripture so that its truth can affect how we think, our attitudes, how we live, and all our actions. This doesn’t come easy or natural to anyone. We must work at it. As we’re told in Proverbs 2:1-5: My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.

My friend and upcoming seminar speaker at FBC, Jay Wegter, has estimated that 95% of God’s people do not really make it their practice to meditate upon Scripture.　 Theologian J.I. Packer gives the following definition of meditation: to apply to oneself what one knows about the works, ways, wonders, and will of God.　 If 95% of God’s people neglect to do this, then it’s no wonder why so many Christians are floundering in their walk of faith rather than flourishing.

In the upcoming articles I will elaborate how to meditate on Scripture and the role of faith in the sanctification process. We must have regular interaction with God’s Word in order to fuel our faith in God’s promises. Our faith in God’s promises is the key to growth in practical sanctification.

Are you feeling spiritually dry? Do you long for greater Christlikeness in your character and conduct? Then dive into God’s Word. The Bible is an ocean of spiritual riches. God wants to meet you there in the pages of the Bible. Take a few minutes at the beginning of each day to find some precious insight in God’s Word to think on throughout the day. The cost of neglecting God’s Word is far greater than any time and effort you might put into it. Think about that for a minute! ]]><![CDATA[Are You a Person of Faith?]]>Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:36:54 -0800http://www.fbcespanola.com/1/post/2010/03/are-you-a-person-of-faith.htmlToday there is a lot of talk about "people of faith" or "faith-based communities." People, mainly politicians and the media, use this type of language to refer to religous people or organizations. But in reality, everybody is a person of faith to one degree or another. Faith, in its general sense, is something every human exercises. Faith is the expression of confidence and trust in something or someone to work for our good. We trust in doctors when we need surgery. We trust in newspapers to report what actually happened yesterday. We trust in a friend to confide in and find comfort.

But what about biblical faith? What kind of faith does God's Word encourage? If we look at the book of Hebrews in the New Testament we see a lot of discussion about faith and its relation to God's promises throughout the book. But just examining chapter 11 we find the chapter begins with a simple definition of faith: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb 11:1, ESV). Throughout the chapter we find explicit connection between faith and promise:
  • By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise (11:9).
  • By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised (11:11).
  • These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth (11:13).
  • By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son (11:17).
  • who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions (11:33).
  • And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised (11:39).
So faith is only as good as its object. Biblical faith rests on the sure promises of God. Faith is being sure and certain that God will do what He has promised. Pastor John Piper said, "Faith is being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus, not just an assent to truths (past or future) but heartfelt valuing and treasuring of all God promises to be for us in Jesus."

Faith corresponds to promises. They go hand in hand. Living the life of faith is living as if God will keep His promises. Ask yourself, "How would I live differently if I really believed God is who He says He is, the Bible is really His sure and infallible Word, and the gospel promises are really mine forever?"

Where do people go wrong in their life of faith? Mainly in two ways:
  1. Believing something God has not promised.
  2. Not believing what God has promised.
Those two errors seem to cover it all. First, faith is not wishful thinking or a "hope-so" sentiment. Faith is not a force that works supernaturally to make things go our way. Faith is not a lasso we throw on the neck of God to get Him to do our will. No, biblical faith is humble, submissive, confident knowledge, assent, and trust in what God has said.

Many people have expressed disappointment with God. Perhaps you know someone who has stopped attending church or praying or reading the Bible because something in their life didn't turn out the way they had hoped. Circumstances become larger to them than God's love expressed in the gospel. They wrongly conclude, "If God loved me He would never allow this miscarriage." "God let my spouse leave me for another person. I just can't trust Him anymore." "My son became an atheist even though I took Him to church all his childhood." Some people look at their negative situation and read into it that God doesn't care for them.

But, these people neglect to remember that God has not promised everything to go well for us in this life. Rather we find promises to the contrary:

  • In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
  • through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).
  • Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer (12:12).
  • Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12).
  • Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you (1 Pet 4:12-14).
Rather than looking to our circumstances to see God's love and care we should look to the place where God has settled once for all His love and concern for us--the cross! "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). Or, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10). In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find references to God's love in the New Testament that do not directly or indirectly point to the cross of Christ.

So God has made it unmistakably clear to us who believe that His intention to us is good and not evil. Even the trials and suffering we undergo in this life are not wasted but allowed by God for our good: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Rom 8:28). So even though our sufferings and hardships are very real we know that God has our good at heart and the glory that awaits us when Christ is revealed will far outweigh whatever sufferings we endure: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom 8:18). Yes, we can trust Him even in the midst of suffering.

So some people grow disillusioned with God because of their circumstances and so show that they have believed something God has not said, that "things go better with Jesus." The other way people go wrong in their life of faith is to not believe what God has said.

Ancient Israel is a good example of an unbelieving people. God had led them out of slavery in Egypt. They witnessed the 10 plagues on Egypt and the stunning deliverance through the Red Sea. They were led in the desert by God's manifest presence and experienced His faithful provision of manna and water. God placed His shekinah glory in the tabernacle and brought them to the edge of the promised land. Yet, the people believed the negative report of 10 of the spies rather than trust God's promise to give the land to them and believe the report of Joshua and Caleb. For this reason, God's anger burned against them and He promised that none of those people would enter the promised land (Deut 1).

Then 38 years later the next generation again is brought to the edge of the promised land and God instructs the Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant to stand in the Jordan River (Joshua 3). God promised to cause the water to cease flowing and the people would cross over on dry land. They had to trust God and obey Him before they experienced God's promise.

Some people say, "I'll believe it when I see it." The Bible way is to say, "You'll see it when you believe it." Christ's enemies taunted Him while He was on the cross saying, "Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe” (Mark 15:32). Earlier Jesus told these people, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe" (John 4:48). Some people want proof and understanding before they will believe. But if that we had the kind of proof these people want, what need would there be for faith? Understanding is the reward of faith. "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Heb 11:6).

We have no right to believe something God has not promised. We also have no right to disbelieve what God has promised. Where are you struggling today in your faith in God's promises? Have you neglected to feed your faith with reading and reflecting on God's Word? Have you neglected prayer? Are you believing things you have no Bible chapter and verse to support? Your faith will strengthen to the degree you know and believe God's Word. "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom 10:17).

If you don't already have one, why don't you make a daily appointment with God to meet Him in Scripture reading and prayer right now? Don't let the circumstances of life control you and your trust in God. Make up your mind to fight the fight of faith and triumph over the world, the flesh, and the devil. You can be an overcomer as you feed your faith on God's promises: "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith" (1 John 5:4).]]>