False Comforts When Death Is Near

"I was violently seized with a disorder very rife here, and which carried off many, supposed to be an inflammation of the bowels. One Sabbath evening I felt such alarming symptoms that I did not expect to see Monday morning. In these circumstances I realized the feelings of a dying man. My mind had been so accustomed to reflect on virtue and moral goodness, that the first thing I attempted was a survey of my own conduct; my diligence and faithfulness in the ministry, my unspotted life, &c. &c. But, ah, vain props these for dying men to rest on! Such heart sins, such corruptions, and evil propensities, recurred to my ind, that if ever I knew the moment when I felt my own righteousness to be as loathsome and filthy rages, it was then. And where should I, where could I, where did I flee, but to Him whose glory and grace I had been of late degrading, at least in my thoughts? Yes, there I saw peace for guilty consciences was to be alone obtained through an almighty Savior. And oh, wonderful to tell, I again came to him; nor was I sent away without blessing. I found him full of all compassion, ready to receive the most ungrateful men."

From a portion of a letter written by Samuel Pearce. Taken from A Heart for Missions: Memoir of Samuel Pearce, 20-21.

Radical by David Platt

I won this book on Library Thing in exchange for a review. Although I'm required to review the book, I am free to express my opinions. I received no reimbursement.

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

By David Platt

Multnomah Books; 230 pages

Reviewed by A. Michael Cole

The book’s title, Radical, encapsulates the author’s message. Platt attempts to call his readers away from a self-indulgent, self-focused lifestyle. The book conveys Platt’s teaching to his mega-church and his mega-church’s response to his call for radical living. Platt writes popularly, inserting plenty of interesting stories and anecdotes to illustrate his points. Although the book is 230 pages (including end notes), most readers will find it a quick read—if they don’t pause to think. Those who take Platt seriously will find themselves reverting to self-examination and prayer.

Platt begins the book with the accusation that American Christianity as a whole has a created a safe, tamed Jesus who encourages its narcissism (13). He does not promise any easy answers, but he does invite the reader to join him and his church in seeking a true understanding of the cost of discipleship. According to Platt, this understanding requires that one “commit to believe whatever Jesus says” and 2) “commit to obey whatever Jesus says” (20).

Chapter 2 challenges the modern trend away from a commitment to the Bible. Based on visits with foreign Christians who risked everything to spend hour studying the Bible, Platt began something his church calls “Secret Church”: six hours on a Friday night for Bible study and prayer. Nothing else. Contrary to expectations, the buildings are filled to capacity for these meetings (27-28). His point is that Christians need to hunger for God and that God rewards such hunger with knowledge of himself.

Platt rehearses the call for a gospel centeredness that relies on God’s power for living and for evangelism. He seems especially intent on calling Christians to live with worldwide evangelism in focus. That does not mean that everyone must go, but that everyone must live with redemption in focus. He decries the division of missionary work into called and not called categories (72-73) and argues that everyone is called to influence the world for Christ.

He focuses his attention on the fact that discipleship of a few is the way for most Christians to carry out the missionary task (88-89). This requires a radical change from an inward focus to an outward focus that invests time and money into people (99-101). Platt distinguishes between people who arrive at church meetings to receive and those who attend in order to reproduce (99). The majority are receivers—they take no notes and have no intention of passing on what the learn. The others, reproducers, take notes and pay careful attention so they can pass on what they learn. This was a very convicting section.

Also, he challenges the purpose of church gatherings. Is it for the purpose of disinfecting or discipling? His point is that if we simply rejoice in how many come to be purified then we are missing the point of church gatherings. We should take more joy in how many are coming to be taught how to go out (103-104).

Finally, he challenges people to consider how much is enough when it comes to possessions. He encourages American Christians to ask God to reveal their blind spots when it comes to materialism. Specifically, he calls for believers to live below their means for the sake of the gospel. Also, he calls for believers to simplify their lives so they have time for others (chapter 6).

Platt’s book is helpful. His call for radical living is not new, but the unnatural nature of the message requires that it be given again and again. He avoids the trap of social gospel because he continually submits his call to God’s redemptive purposes for mankind. He also avoids the pitfall of an easy answer that aims at externals. He realizes that situations differ, so he focuses on the internal. I recommend this book as a helpful read, but also because it gives a year’s challenge for how to live radically. You can hear his pastoral care come out in his call for his church people (and readers) to do the following: 1) pray for the entire world, 2) read through the entire Word, 3) sacrifice (not give the excess) your money for a specific purpose, 4) spend your time in another context, and 5) commit your life to a multiplying community.

God's Sovereignty and Goodness in our Lives

"How pleasing, my dear friend, to a pious mind, is the reflection that all our goings are in his hands whose love inclines him to every thing that is kind-whose purity connects with his conduct every thing that is good-whose wisdom infallibly adopts the best means, and whose power cannot fail to accomplish all his will. With his blessing, our felicity cannot fail of being accomplished-without it, it can never be attained."

A portion of a letter from Samuel Pearce to his wife found on page 10 of A Heart for Missions: Memoir of Samuel Pearce. He wrote these words to her after they had been married one year or so in a letter explaining that he would not be returning home on the appointed date due to opportunities for ministry. They had already been apart for several weeks without the blessings of email, texting, skype, etc.

Samuel Pearce on Christ as High Priest

"I rejoice in that he who pleads for us knows our wants individually, as well as the necessities of the whole church collectively. Through his intercession alone I expect my sins to be pardoned, my services accepted, and my soul preserved, guided, and comforted; and, with confidence in his intercession, I cannot doubt but I shall enjoy all. Oh how sweet is it, my dear friend, to exercise a lively faith in a living Savior!"

This is a portion of a letter sent in 1790 to a friend. Found on page 8 of A Heart for Missions: Memoir of Samuel Pearce published by Solid Ground Christian Books in 2006.

Sharing and Backup Option

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Thanks.

Evangelistic Hospitality

I read this passage earlier and was duly convicted:

"We go down in humility as we open our lives in hospitality. But why do so few Christians today open their hearts and homes to the non-Christian community? The reason is that they are fearful of being hurt by involvement with others. They do not want the trouble and the risk, the exhaustion that hospitality brings, the struggles with sloth that it requires, and all the rest of the suffering that it entails."

C. John Miller, Outgrowing the Ingrown Church, 87.

Resurrection Sunday

Liz and I enjoyed staying close to home this Resurrection Sunday. It was a blessing to fellowship with the people of our sending church. Michael also had the blessing of teaching a short lesson in the SS hour on how the resurrection is pivotal for our justification. His outline is below:

I. Promise

a. John 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

b. John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

c. John 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

d. John 11:23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

e. John 11:24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

f. John 11:25-27 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

i. How does Martha’s statement in 11:24 relate to Jesus’ teaching in John 6?

ii. Compare Jesus’ teaching in John 6 and 11? What new thing does Jesus say in chapter 11?

iii. According to 11:27, what must one believe to participate in the resurrection from the dead?

II. Prediction

a. Matt 16:21 From that time [Peter’s confession] Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. [Peter responds by telling him no way!]

i. What was Peter’s response to Jesus’ prediction?

ii. Why did Peter respond this way?

iii. What was Peter focused on? What did he miss?

b. Matt 17:9 And as they were coming down the mountain [from the transfiguration], Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

c. Matt 17:22-23 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

i. Why were the disciples greatly distressed?

ii. What does their distress reveal about what they heard?

d. Matt 20:19 See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

e. Matt 26:32 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

III. Proof

a. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

i. To whom was Paul speaking?

ii. What purpose did the resurrection serve according to verse 31?

b. Rom 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴ and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

i. To whom is Paul speaking?

ii. What did the resurrection accomplish according to verse 4?

c. 1 Cor 15:3-8 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

i. How essential does Paul think the resurrection is?

ii. What proof does he offer for believing in Christ’s resurrection?

iii. What does Paul say is true if Christ did not rise from the grave?

IV. Conclusion

Romans 4:24-25 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, ²⁴ but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ²⁵ who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Watermelon Creek Baptist Church

We had a good time with Watermelon Creek Baptist Church at the end of March. It was a blessing to see how the Lord has sustained a church for 170 years so that it continues to have a vibrant testimony in its community. We appreciate those who spent time learning about France and the kindness the church showed us.

Another blessing we enjoyed that weekend was the opportunity to spend time with one of my cousins and his family. I found out two weeks before we went down that Josh and his family live only a few miles from the Watermelon Creek. They welcomed us into their home and were graciously hospitable. We enjoyed spending time with them and catching up with them since we don't often see them.

Here are a couple of photos of the kids. Viviane enjoyed time with her cousin.