Training Table - Page 4 of 28 - Feast of the Heart

Got the Blues? Turn to Jesus. He’s the Alpha and Omega of the Cure!

JohnDozPosted on January 30, 2017 Posted in Training Table — No Comments ↓

Welcome marathoners in and for Christ. (1 Corinthians 9:24; Hebrews 12:1; 2 Timothy 4:7) Exhausted, depleted from running the Godly, good, and being-a-blessing-to-others race? Welcome. Sit. Relax. Let’s feast.

Feast of the Heart exists to help bring about Christ-centered “reformation, revival, and constructive revolution” (Francis Schaeffer, Death in the City) so that God will be glorified and people blessed.

Reformation… we seek to abide by and serve up the true truth, pure doctrine of the Bible

Revival… we seek to model biblical Christians living in word and deed

Constructive Revolution… we seek to spread the true gospel right where God has planted us with urgency, compassion, and radical self-abandonment

NOTE: The following content was written for use at a Stephen Ministry Continuous Education meeting that I helped organize. The content is super-valuable and, indeed, a feast of the heart!

When Life Goes Dark: Finding Hope in the Midst of Depression, by Dr. Richard Winter

Richard Winter, MD, Past Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (UK), Psychotherapist and Professor of Practical Theology and Counseling, Covenant Theological Seminary, St Louis, MO, USA.

Depression: Is it Sickness or Sin? Yes… It’s complicated.

We live on a spectrum of mood

• Blues…mild depression… discouragement, despair… “major” or “clinical” depression.
• Some people have up-swings too – through enthusiasm, exuberance… hypomania, mania

Signs of “Clinical” Depression

• Depressed mood and/or Loss of Pleasure for at least 2 weeks and almost every day + 4 of the following:
– Appetite disturbance
– Sleep disturbance
– Fatigue/loss of energy/lethargy/slow movements
– Agitation/restlessness/anxiety/irritability
– Worthlessness/inappropriate guilt
– Slow thinking/loss of concentration/indecisiveness
– Suicidal ideas

Sometimes delusions, paranoia and hallucinations
+ Prayer useless, Bible meaningless
+ God far away

We are all vulnerable to depression. Some people, due to genetics, early childhood, family and social circumstances, or particular traumatic events, are more vulnerable than others.

How can we reduce vulnerability? A few pointers…

• When you feel you are going “down” talk to self, God, friends, pastor, counselor…
• Learn to identify and live with the normal full range of human emotion
• Accept feelings of appropriate grief and sorrow after loss
• Understand what it means to live in the shadow of the fall, how we have been sinned against, and how we sin in response to the things and people that hurt us
• Examine your expectations, longings, hopes and dreams… and shattered dreams
• Face and deal with anger, guilt, shame, envy, bitterness, perfectionism, control, relationship problems, perfectionism, lies we believe, ways we try to dull the pain, disappointment with God… all things that can lead to depression
• Learn to resist the devil
– Don’t give him a foothold (Eph 4:27)
– Put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:11)
– Counter the liar and accuser with truth (Rev 12:10)

• Make sure you get exercise and eat a healthy diet
• When depression is severe have a medical exam and take medication if necessary

– Finding right antidepressant and dose may be difficult
– Realism about time on medication

• Develop patience, hope and a perspective on suffering (Rom 8:18-30)
• Learn to groan (Rom 8:23) and lament (Ps 13) well
• Have confidence that God is for us and not against us (Ruth 1:21, 2:20…)
• You can be “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor 6:10)

Taking Care of the Care Giver: The Best Defense is a Great Offense!

Christianity is a Proactive—Not Reactive—Faith

As a Stephen Ministry Care Giver, or the Saint saved to serve in any way, the very best way to deal with any form of depression—or symptom of sin, infirmity, or brokenness of any sort—is to steward our faith carefully, thoroughly, urgently, and in community. In the final part of Dr. Winter’s book When Life Goes Dark he writes,

“We are all caught up in spiritual warfare every day, and the biblical weapons are prayer, discerning good from evil and truth from lies, immersion in biblical reality, putting on the whole armor of God, and living in constant obedience. As we do this, the forces of evil retreat and are restrained, and we can be confident that the spirit of God is stronger than any spirit of the evil one.” (p252)

Please consider how each of these biblical weapons, discipleship practices, and means to help conform you to the image of Christ might be “ramped-up” and retained in your life:

Prayer—“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7); “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Matthew 11:24); “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Resources: Praying Backwards, Bryan Chappell; Improve Your Prayer Life, Dr. Archie Parrish; Redeemer Presbyterian Church—On Prayer

Discerning good from evil and truth from lies—“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1); “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ…” (Philippians 1:9-10); “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Resources: The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, Tim Challis; John Piper on Discernment; Spiritual Discernment, Watchman Nee; Decision Making and the Will of God, Garry Friesen

Immersion in biblical reality—“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12); “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17); “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:7-11). Resources: How to Study the Bible, John MacArthur; Understanding the Bible, John Stott; Knowing Scripture RC Sproul; Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, John Piper.

Putting on the whole armor of God—“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore…” (Ephesians 6:10-20). Resources: Putting on the Armor of God, Stephen A. Cramer; Spiritual Warfare, LifeGuide Bible Studies, InterVarsity Press; The Armor of God: a Children’s Bible Study, Walters, Odell.

Living in constant obedience—“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15); “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men’” (Acts 5:29); “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance…” (1 Peter 1:14); “Jesus said, ‘But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here’” (John 14:31). Resources: Pathway to Freedom: How God’s Laws Guide Our Lives, Dr. Alistair Begg; Putting Amazing Back into Grace, Michael Horton; Sermons on Obedience”

Feast, Feast, Feast On This Heart-Filling, Blessing Fare!!

Pass it along to others. The advent of The Fall (Genesis 3) made the entire universe dark and dire. But God has not left us alone and desperate by any stretch! Come to Jesus. He, the Father, and the Spirit all have a role and have a plan for your pain.

And run the good race… Reformed, Revived, and like a Constructive Revolutionary,
JohnDoz

You’re Coo-Coo if You Can’t Accept Crazy as the New Normal!

JohnDozPosted on January 25, 2017 Posted in Training Table — No Comments ↓

Reformation… we seek to abide by and serve up the true truth, pure doctrine of the Bible

Revival… we seek to model biblical Christians living in word and deed

Constructive Revolution… we seek to spread the true gospel right where God has planted us with urgency, compassion, and radical self-abandonment

Got Insanity? It’s Going Around Ya Know

Many years ago author Paul Scherer, among numerous yet unheeded others, alerted us to a downward cultural slide. Referring to the volatile exchanges between the Church and its detractors he said:

“One by one the generation that refused to be bound by the Pope, and refused to be bound by the church, decided in an ecstasy of freedom that they would not be bound by anything, not by the Bible, not by conscience, not by God Himself. From believing too much that never did have to be believed, they took to believing so little that for countless thousands human existence and the world itself no longer seemed to make any sense. Poets began talking about the `wasteland,’ with ghostly lives,’ as Stephen Spender put it, `moving among fragmentary ruins which have lost their significance.’ Nothingness became a subject of conversation, nihilism a motive, frustration and despair a theme for novelists and dramatists, and the `edge of the abyss’ as much of a nautical term among the intelligentsia as it was for explorers in the days of Columbus!” (Paul Scherer, The Word God Sent, Harper & Row, 1965, p. 11).

Bound by Nothing? Then Nothingness Will be Our Lot in Life.

Akin to Francis Schaeffer’s must-read, prophetic words, humankind cycles through times in history when we use all of our God-given intellect to eradicate God, and then we find it strange that we can’t reason-out why we’re going so bloody insane… welcome to today!

“I am convinced that when Nietzsche came to Switzerland and went insane, it was not because of venereal disease, though he did have this disease. Rather, it was because he understood that insanity was the only philosophic answer if the infinite-personal God does not exist.” (Francis A. Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture)

Sorry, We Can’t Have It both Ways: No God & All Happiness… Humans Just Don’t Function That Way!

If there is one common denominator in every meaningful discussion I’ve had with any human being anywhere I’ve gone on the planet, it’s tied to this sort of question, Can I have a happy life [while living an essentially meaningless life]? The parenthetical, is, of course, only occasionally included by the person willing to be honest; but this is the outcome when anyone goes beneath the surface: What do you mean by ‘life’… or ‘a happy life’? What gives your life meaning in a way that can assure you of a happy life? Is your happiness based upon whether the circumstances of life are going your way? And what if life’s not treating you well?

Got a Daisy Chain Theology of God? “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.” It’s Killer!

You see, all happiness and no meaning can only exist, only “work”, if we stay on the surface of life: not going deep, being open-minded, asking the difficult questions, while being teachable and real. And, guess what? There has never been a time in all of history and culture where living on the surface of life was given more legitimacy, more enabling technology, more popularity… and more pain associated with the insanity of doing so! Insanity works as long as we avoid, mask the repercussions, right? Well, let’s use one outstanding example from the Bible that is more relevant today than ever before:

The Book of Ecclesiastes is all about the meaningless and vanity of life when lived strictly under the sun: a secular, materialist, naturalistic life without God. When any human being makes a decision to NOT know God, via atheism or agnosticism, there are only three life philosophies and ways to live:

Stoicism—a lifestyle that denies or avoids emotions, considering them irrelevant. Stoics deal with destructive emotions by means of extreme self-control and inner fortitude.
Hedonism—Stoicism’s opposite. This lifestyle focuses on experiencing as much unrestrained pleasure as possible, considering pleasure to be life’s chief
Existentialism—a lifestyle that grows out of despair, based on the belief that existence has no purpose or meaning. Existentialists put on a brave front and face daily life with courage and even lofty convictions, despite the deep despair.

[Take Pause, Note: There is no, there can be no synthesis between, a) those who hold the secular, materialist worldview and b) those who hold on to God, in Christ, through the Spirit. Boiled down to their most basic elements and worldview paradigms, Christianity and materialism are mutually exclusive, opposing, opposites… at war in fact. The incessant, and even plausible-sounding siren, “Why can’t we all just get along?!” is, in reality, poppycock… babble, balderdash, bull, bunk, and so much hooey from hell!

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Absolutely: “light and darkness” can agree on what’s for lunch, maybe whether or not stop lights at intersections are plausible; but when it comes to the deepest issues of life and whether or not any decision will or will not glorify God and honor men as His Image Bearers, compromise—a little bit of God and a little bit of Godlessness—will always equate to bringing God down and man’s multifaceted, many, and vile idols up. Period.]

The mere existence of today’s usual line of bifurcated, inconclusive questioning and illogical reasoning ACCEPTED AS BEING NORMAL points to where all things all went wrong for all of mankind: At the Fall (Genesis 3) when Satan tempted the progenitors of humankind to doubt God’s word and distrust His person and sovereignty. Ever since then all of humankind lives with the deepest doubts possible about whether or not we can be happy while having an identity, a meaning, based upon who we are as God’s created and beloved ones… OR NOT.

The possibility of True, Incorruptible Happiness became an impossibility when Man was separated from his or her reason and meaning to exist. And then Jesus came so that we could be born again, have life, and have it abundantly… through and in Him.

But, as the above authors so eloquently note, we strive, strive, and then strive some more to live a happy life… FOR NO REASON except that we deserve it or it’s simply the instinctually, institutionally best way to live. And this way of life [E.g., I just wanna be happy but I don’t know why, or whether there’s any meaning to my life.] will eventually drive an Image Bearer of God insane, irrational, foolish, and eventually unable to reason at all.

Over Time Things Get Comfy and We’re Prone to Stray… Right?

Over time, incrementally, slowly but surely, and invisibly to most in the culture [but supposedly NOT the church], many things created and controlled by man assist in helping man distance himself from God… and humanism replaces our love of God.

“First dentistry was painless.
Then bicycles were chainless,
Carriages were horseless,
And many laws enforceless.

Next cookery was fireless,
Telegraphy was wireless,
Cigars were nicotineless,
And coffee caffeineless.

Soon oranges were seedless,
The putting green was weedless,
The college boy was hatless,
The proper diet fatless.

New motor roads are dustless,
The latest steel is rustless,
Our tennis courts are sodless,
Our new religion — godless.”
(Arthur Guiterman)

The opposite? This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.(Lamentations 3:21–22) The God of the Bible is the ONLY God Who can be described as “when the infinite became intimate” in Christ Jesus.

In Christ, by the Father, and through the Spirit, our hope is never further away than reminding ourselves of who and what we are by faith in the One Who indefatigably loves who and what we are in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 1:1-15; 1 John 5:11-12)

Then… Only Then… Can We Say with God and His Authors of the Bible… Of Ourselves:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:2)

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. (Proverbs 3:13-18)

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

Hence the Feast of the Heart… my own… mission in life:

Reformation… we seek to abide by and serve up the true truth, pure doctrine of the Bible

Revival… we seek to model biblical Christians living in word and deed

Constructive Revolution… we seek to spread the true gospel right where God has planted us with urgency, compassion, and radical self-abandonment

Love, truth, and blessings ’till we feast again,
JohnDoz

Take Heart: It’s at the Center of Things!

JohnDozPosted on January 18, 2017 Posted in Training Table — No Comments ↓

Hey, ho, marathoners in and for Christ. (1 Corinthians 9:24; Hebrews 12:1; 2 Timothy 4:7) Exhausted, depleted from running the Godly, good, and being-a-blessing-to-others race? Welcome. Sit. Relax. Let’s feast.

Reformation… we seek to abide by and serve up the true truth, pure doctrine of the Bible

Revival… we seek to model biblical Christians living in word and deed

Constructive Revolution… we seek to spread the true gospel right where God has planted us with urgency, compassion, and radical self-abandonment

God Loves Our Heart: Put all your heart into knowing what’s known! [from the book by John Dozier]

“Biblically speaking—which is all that really matters—Take Heart reminds us that the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. It’s vitally important we take time to see how the Bible defines the, our heart. I promise you, we’re going to get into some practical application about how best to handle any and all hurts, but doing so devoid of the “big-picture” truths will not simply make the details more elusive and ineffective: it will leave them greatly diluted and diminished of the healing power God, you, so desperately want and need.

Getting to the Heart of the Heart

‘No secrets of the heart and mind remained hidden when Jonathan Edwards called for self-scrutiny, this meant the relentless need to distinguish between the true and false affections; between those affections having to do with a redeemed heart, and those darkened by sin. To clarify these distinctions was Edwards’ purpose in his life and in seeing the Great Awakening come to pass.’ (Harold Simonson, Jonathan Edwards biographer)

Scripture calls King David ‘a man after God’s own heart’ (1 Sam. 13:13–14), though he faced the same temptations you and I face each day. When confronted with his most grievous sin of adultery, he dropped to his knees and confessed, ‘Against you [God], you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight’ (Ps. 51:4). David’s weeping and penitential prayer serves as a powerful example for us. He recognized the internal cause of his external sins, the ‘sin beneath the sins,’ that had dethroned God and had made adultery and murder first possible, then attractive, and finally consummated.

God Created and Loves Your Heart!

The word heart and its various synonyms show up in the Bible over 2,500 times. Does that tell you something about the high priority God places on your heart? Does it compel you to consider how high a priority you place on the true nature and condition of your own heart? When I first came to realize and understand this emphasis in Scripture and began to discern the distinction between the heart and the spirit, it radically transformed my perspective. How important it is that we give our hearts the kind of focused attention God gives them, the kind of scrutiny Jonathan Edwards recommended in the quote above.

Seen yet another way, when in the Bible Jesus says, ‘Love God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength’ (Luke 10:27), he’s placing three times the emphasis on our ‘soul, heart, mind’ [synonyms for the same center of our being] than he is on our ‘strength,’ or the free will we’re imbued with to carry out life. The Bible repeatedly tells us if our heart is in the right place, our actions will follow. (And the opposite is also true.) You see, ‘soul, heart, mind’ have so much overlap in the Bible that simply saying, ‘…guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life’ (Prov. 4:23) will do.

What the Bible calls the “heart”—which, as we have and will see, in biblical usage—does not mean feelings or emotions, as we often use the word heart today. But rather, it is the heart that encompasses the entire feeling, thinking, and soulful being. It’s the animating center of the human being that drives all we do—it was created by God very good (Gen. 1:21) and then went very bad (Gen. 3; Rom. 1:18-32). God’s plan of redemption is all about remaking and redeeming the heart—and all else in the universe—very good, even better than it was in the beginning, again.

The Heart of the Matter: Good News to Everyone Who Believes

In God’s realm, the heart is the seat of the entire self. It includes our worldview, our core values and commitments, our idealized image of how the world should be, and our non-negotiables. This is why the Bible exhorts us, ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life’ (Prov. 4:23, emphasis added).

What matters to God is the human heart (soul, mind)—the body too is important, will be raised but is secondary—as it reflects the state of the heart. As the revivalist preacher, philosopher, and Congregational Protestant theologian—and master of diagnosing humanity’s makeup by how God created mankind and we image bearers are designed to glorify him—Jonathan Edwards wisely said of the soul/heart, ‘The soul/heart is what is united to Christ. It is the soul/heart that is regenerated. It is the soul/heart that has its very nature changed. It is the soul/heart that is renewed and conformed into the image of Christ. It is the soul/heart that rejoices and grieves. The soul/heart does not choose one or the other philosophical, moral paths from a state of neutrality; the soul/heart actively chooses one path or another based upon what it loves, and cannot do otherwise.’ (Dane Ortlund, Edwards on the Christian Life, WJE, 13:219-20; 14:295; Ibid; 17:135; 2:98; 22:363-62, emphasis added).

As we will see, this should get under why God’s sovereign and loving use of suffering is focused on a change of heart: a change for choosing based upon God’s true truth and love and not the falsehoods of the world, the flesh, or the devil; a change for the betterment or—if suffering is suppressed, compartmentalized, and unused—a change for the embitterment of our heart.

What is your heart’s default mode? What, who does your heart love? What do you think about when you are experiencing no pressure to think about anything else? Of what do your daydreams consist? What ideas, hopes, and ambitions most regularly compete for ascendancy in your heart? What do you most hope to accomplish? For what would you practically die to achieve/get?

Pause for a moment right now. Before you go on, think it through. In your heart of hearts, on what do you focus? In the margin of this book, finish this sentence “If only I…” Though the actual words may vary, most answers may sound strikingly similar to yours.

Aspirations, Affections, and Exponential Complications

When God is not seated squarely in the center of our hearts, then just like a black hole in outer space, all else besides God will rush into the vacuum. Nature abhors a vacuum. Chaos, pain, guilt, fear, internal conflict, shame, anxiety, and all the other fruit of misplaced priorities result. Always. Where the God of the Bible does not reign, all forms of lesser gods will rush in to take God’s place of preeminence within our heart. Seated in God’s stead, idols will demand as much as God does but not offer any of God’s mercy when we fail to worship the idol(s)—and fail over and over we will.
St. Augustine once defined sin as ‘making a good thing, the only or ultimate thing.’

Satan cleverly uses “good things made ultimate things” to tempt us into worshiping the creation rather than the Creator. Since Satan the Deceiver has no original creative power in himself whatsoever, he must borrow God’s good things to do what he does best: deceive, distract, delude, and eventually destroy any who might worship God.

The heart is meant to be the throne room of God only. God made your heart; his preeminence there is well deserved, and God knows we can only live a joyous and fulfilled life with him on the throne. If we get this even halfway right, we will come to see our pain as God painstakingly reminding us (not creating the pain, or pointing pain at us, but sovereignly using the pain of a broken world) of exactly who our hearts were made to worship. He is passionate about revealing to us the true nature of our hearts so that we might know ourselves well, and in knowing our need, we might throw ourselves on the salvation Jesus won for us on his cross and the sanctification faithfully following him provides.

The Heart-Emotion [Spirit] Connection

Now we come to the word spirit, also linked to our hearts. In the Old Testament, the word spirit (Hebrew, ruwach) is equivalent to “wind.” In the New Testament, the word spirit refers to our emotions or affections. Please get a hold of this: our emotions are linked directly to those things we treasure as most important to our well-being; they link directly to the things of the heart—our worldview, hopes, dreams, core beliefs, values, non-negotiables, and deepest desires. If our heart is, according to God’s standards, “in the right place,” our emotional homeostasis, stability, “fruit” will be good as well (Gal. 5:22–23). But if our heart has wandered away from, or is in conflict with God’s will and standards for our life, our emotional makeup will reflect it in a host of negative and destructive ways (Gal. 5:19–21). Or, put another way, look up the antonyms, opposites of each of the Fruit of the Spirit.” (John O. Dozier, Jr., Take Heart)

What’s at the center of the born-again and right-minded heart? “Of all the knowledge that we can ever obtain, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves, are the most important.” (Jonathan Edwards)

Please consider reading my new book, Take Heart. It’s a boiled down version of my first, “The Weeping, the Window, the Way: Will suffering make you bitter of better?”

The blessed, joyous yet radically difficult and organic journey of the Christian life must have its origins in the reality of, a) the heart of how God first made things, b) the heart of what went wrong, and, c) how God is rectifying things leading to making all things new… beginning in YOU: The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart (Deuteronomy 6:5; Psalm 37:4; Proverbs 4:23; Ezekiel 11:19; Romans 2:29).

Thank you! And hope to see you next week at The Training Table,
JohnDoz

Resources:
Knowing the Heart, by Jonathan Edwards

Shepherding a Child’s Heart, by Tedd Tripp

Search: The Heart, by Ligonier Ministries

The Gospel and the Heart Conference, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC

Let Freedom Ring! But Mind the GAP…

JohnDozPosted on January 11, 2017 Posted in Training Table — No Comments ↓

Reformation… we seek to abide by and serve up the true truth, pure doctrine of the Bible

Revival… we seek to model biblical Christians living in word and deed

Constructive Revolution… we seek to spread the true gospel right where God has planted us with urgency, compassion, and radical self-abandonment

But first, define “freedom”… ding-a-ling-a-ling!… and then answer the call.
In the spirit of an upcoming Presidential Inauguration and a remembrance of our Independence Day (or the name I prefer, “Interdependence Day”), I would like to offer up a few quotes that reflect the deep-rooted definitions of what “freedom” can mean to people. Why? There exists today a major GAP which, if we do not better understand and deal with it for what it is NOW we will, as a people, be increasingly confused, counterproductive, and despairing about our unique and hard-fought “freedoms” – as well as the sort of fruit various “freedoms” [E.g., truly free or actually in bondage] will inevitably bear.

Starting with the more contemporary quotes and ending with America’s historical foundations,

“INVICTUS”, 1875 – last stanza
William Ernest Henley
The Freedom of Self = Defiance, Despair, Disillusionment, Darkness
“It matters not how strait the gate, (RE: Matthew 7:13)
How charged with punishments the scroll, (RE: Revelation 5)
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.”

“Ends and Means”, 1937
Aldous Huxley, – commentary by Ravi Zacharius
The Freedom of Pleasure = Meaninglessness, Abuse, Disintegration, Isolation
“We all love stories of emancipation as can be seen by the success of movies like Braveheart or more recently, The Patriot. However, we must also see the deep longing for personal freedom from any and all restraints that inhibit free self-definition, self-expression, and personal movement. Aldous Huxley, in his book “Ends and Means”, sums it up clearly when he says, “For myself, no doubt, as for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of sexual liberation.” Again, whether in the writings of the utilitarians, in the movies, or the advertising industry, the unqualified pursuit of freedom often leads to unexpected an often unfortunate outcomes.”

The Mayflower Compact, 1620
The Freedom of Service & Submission = Glory, Grace, Order, Unity, Preservation
“In the Name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid…”

There followed the signatures of 41 of the 102 pilgrim passengers, 37 of whom were Separatists fleeing religious persecution in Europe. This compact established the first basis in the new world for written laws. Half of the colony failed to survive the first winter, but the remainder lived on and prospered to provide the spiritual, philosophical, legal, social, political and cultural foundation for future colonies and the United States of America.

“So, what’s the big GAP?”

Today’s definition of Truth is “all truth is relative”. Each person should have the “freedom” to define what truth is for him or her. And yet, is it possible for all truths to be relative or equally true? No. Not by the law of Non-Contradictory Logic. Both Henley and Huxley’s lives ended with epitaphs of deep despair and darkness on the one hand, and a very similar sorts mystical-mescaline-induced coma on the other. Both men’s ideas have been highly influential to our modern-day culture. Ideas do indeed have consequences!

But, we must think again before we lose the capacity to reason altogether.

I thank God for the Truth of the founding principles of this truly unique, great and most blessed nation. It is only particular Truths that shall indeed set each one of us truly free! And it is only by means of the correct definition and activities of freedom that honors, glorify God first, that the story of our greatness will begin again; and end in, “…one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”.

Otherwise, we, like Henley, Huxley, and others of their ilk, should at least be more honest by stating, “Come and celebrate on Independence Day, ‘…MANY nations, OVER God, DIVIDED, with and INJUSTICES for all’”. Carefully consider the reality of how this sort of twisted declaration has come to fruition in our beloved land today; and “MIND THE GAP”: Beginning in our hearts and spread abroad from there.

God bless you in the most intimate, massive, and meaningful ways possible,
JohnDoz

The Discipleship Equation Factor

JohnDozPosted on January 4, 2017 Posted in Training Table — No Comments ↓

Reformation… we seek to abide by and serve up the true truth, pure doctrine of the Bible

Revival… we seek to model biblical Christians living in word and deed

Constructive Revolution… we seek to spread the true gospel right where God has planted us with urgency, compassion, and radical self-abandonment

I’m so mathematically challenged… that the ONLY reason I got through Math at the H.S. level was because my Math/Geometry “Master” [as we called a teacher in Prep School] was my Crew/Rowing coach. Warren Riley, a Dartmouth grad with 800’s on three Board exams and lightest rower in the Stroke position in the “Dartmouth 8 Heavyweights”, got me through… or actually failed me through. I was in Salisbury’s First Boat at the time; Master Riley and I were close friends; and there was no way I was gonna fail out.

But get this: Even I’m not “mathematically challenged” enough to misunderstand, and unable to apply, what “The Discipleship Equation Factor” adds up to! Check it out:

Above the Line: The Fruit of the Spirit [Make It Big!]
Below the Line: Inherited and Habitual Sin [Make It Small!]

= EQUALS = Conformity to the Likeness of Jesus Christ! [Make It Real… For Time and In Eternity!]

Let’s Break It Down:

Above the Line: The Fruit of the Spirit — which we chewed on at length last week.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.“ (Galatians 5:22-23; Mark 12:29-31; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

The Fruit of the Spirit, by FamilyLife Today

1. Love. This word for love doesn’t refer to warm feelings but to a deliberate attitude of good will and devotion to others. Love began with God’s unmerited love for us, and then gives love freely without looking at whether the other person deserves it, and it gives without expecting anything back.

Question: Am I motivated to do for others as Christ has done for me, or am I giving in order to receive something in return?

2. Joy. Unlike happiness, joy is gladness that is completely independent of the good or bad things that happen in the course of the day. In fact, joy denotes a supernatural gladness given by God’s Spirit that actually seems to show up best during hard times. This is a product of fixing your focus on God’s purposes for the events in your life rather than on the circumstances.

Question: Am I experiencing a joy of life on a regular basis, or is my happiness dependent on things going smoothly in my day?

3. Peace. It’s not the absence of turmoil, but the presence of tranquility even while in a place of chaos. It is a sense of wholeness and completeness that is content knowing that God controls the events of the day.

Question: Do I find myself frazzled by the crashing waves of turmoil in my life, or am I experiencing “the peace that passes all comprehension” (Philippians 4:6-7)?

4. Patience. Other words that describe this fruit are lenience, long-suffering, forbearance, perseverance, and steadfastness. It is the ability to endure ill treatment from life or at the hands of others without lashing out or paying back.

Question: Am I easily set off when things go wrong or people irritate me, or am I able to keep a godly perspective in the face of life’s irritations?

5. Kindness. When kindness is at work in a person’s life, he or she looks for ways to adapt to meet the needs of others. It is moral goodness that overflows. It’s also the absence of malice.

Question: Is it my goal to serve others with kindness, or am I too focused on my own needs, desires, or problems to let the goodness of God overflow to others?

6. Goodness. While kindness is the soft side of good, goodness reflects the character of God. Goodness in you desires to see goodness in others and is not beyond confronting or even rebuking (as Jesus did with the money changers in the temple) for that to happen.

Question: Does my life reflect the holiness of God, and do I desire to see others experience God at a deep level in their own lives?

7. Faithfulness. A faithful person is one with real integrity. He or she is someone others can look to as an example, and someone who is truly devoted to others and to Christ. Our natural self always wants to be in charge, but Spirit-controlled faithfulness is evident in the life of a person who seeks good for others and glory for God.

Question: Are there areas of hypocrisy and indifference toward others in my life, or is my life characterized by faith in Christ and faithfulness to those around me?

8. Gentleness.Meekness is not weakness. Gentleness is not without power, it just chooses to defer to others. It forgives others, corrects with kindness, and lives in tranquility.

Question: Do I come across to others as brash and headstrong, or am I allowing the grace of God to flow through me to others?

9. Self-control. Our fleshly desires, Scripture tells us, are continually at odds with God’s Spirit and always want to be in charge. Self-control is literally releasing our grip on the fleshly desires, choosing instead to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is power focused in the right place.

Question: Are my fleshly desires controlling my life, or am I allowing the Spirit to direct me to the things that please God and serve others?

10. Walk by the Spirit. While not a fruit of the Spirit, the final item on the checkup produces all nine qualities listed above. When we follow the Spirit’s lead instead of being led by our self-focused desires, He produces the fruit.

But even when we don’t walk by the Spirit, He is the very one who convicts us that things are not in proper order in our lives.

God promises that if we are willing to admit that we have been walking our own way and ask for His forgiveness and cleansing, He will empower us through His Spirit to live above ourselves and live the abundant life for which He has created us.

Question: Am I actively depending on the Holy Spirit to guide me in God’s ways so I don’t get wrapped up in myself? If not, am I willing to confess to God that His ways are better than mine, and that I need the Spirit’s guidance to live above the fray?” (Copyright © 2008 by FamilyLife. All rights reserved.)

Below the Line: Inherited and Habitual Sin

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21; Genesis 3; 1 John 1:8-10; Mark 7:20-23; Romans 1:18-32)

The Mortification of Sin

Several passages come to mind for study: Romans 8:13; Romans 13:8–14 (Augustine’s text); 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1; Ephesians 4:17–5:21; Colossians 3:1–17; 1 Peter 4:1–11; 1 John 2:28–3:11. Significantly, only two of these passages contain the verb “mortify” (“put to death”). Equally significantly, the context of each of these passages is broader than the single exhortation to put sin to death. As we shall see, this is an observation that turns out to be of considerable importance.

Of these passages, Colossians 3:1–17 is probably the best place for us to begin.

But as in our evangelical sub-culture of quick fixes for long-term problems, unless the Colossians had a firm grasp of Gospel principles, they were now at risk! For just at this point young Christians can be relatively easy prey to false teachers with new promises of a higher spiritual life. That was what Paul feared (Col. 2:8, 16). Holiness-producing methods were now in vogue (Col. 2:21–22) — and they seemed to be deeply spiritual, just the thing for earnest young believers. But, in fact, “they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (Col. 2:23). Not new methods, but only an understanding of how the Gospel works, can provide an adequate foundation and pattern for dealing with sin. This is the theme of Colossians 3:1–17.

Paul gives us the pattern and rhythm we need. Like Olympic long jumpers, we will not succeed unless we go back from the point of action to a point from which we can gain energy for the strenuous effort of dealing with sin. How, then, does Paul teach us to do this?

First of all, Paul underlines how important it is for us to be familiar with our new identity in Christ (3:1–4). How often when we fail spiritually we lament that we forgot who we really are — Christ’s. We have a new identity. We are no longer “in Adam,” but “in Christ”; no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit; no longer dominated by the old creation but living in the new (Rom. 5:12–21; 8:9; 2 Cor. 5:17). Paul takes time to expound this. We have died with Christ (Col. 3:3; we have even been buried with Christ, 2:12); we have been raised with Him (3:1), and our life is hidden with Him (3:3). Indeed, so united to Christ are we that Christ will not appear in glory without us (3:4).

Failure to deal with the presence of sin can often be traced back to spiritual amnesia, forgetfulness of our new, true, real identity. As a believer I am someone who has been delivered from the dominion of sin and who therefore is free and motivated to fight against the remnants of sin’s army in my heart.

Principle number one, then, is: Know, rest in, think through, and act upon your new identity — you are in Christ.

Second, Paul goes on to expose the workings of sin in every area of our lives (Col. 3:5–11). If we are to deal with sin biblically, we must not make the mistake of thinking that we can limit our attack to only one area of failure in our lives. All sin must be dealt with. Thus Paul ranges through the manifestation of sin in private life (v. 5), everyday public life (v. 8), and church life (vv. 9–11; “one another,” “here,” that is, in the church fellowship). The challenge in mortification is akin to the challenge in dieting (itself a form of mortification!): once we begin we discover that there are all kinds of reasons we are overweight. We are really dealing with ourselves, not simply with calorie control. I am the problem, not the potato chips! Mortifying sin is a whole-of-life change.

Third, Paul’s exposition provides us with practical guidance for mortifying sin. Sometimes it seems as if Paul gives exhortations (“Put to death…,” 3:5) without giving “practical” help to answer our “how to?” questions. Often today, Christians go to Paul to tell them what to do and then to the local Christian bookstore to discover how to do it! Why this bifurcation? Probably because we do not linger long enough over what Paul is saying. We do not sink our thinking deeply into the Scriptures. For, characteristically, whenever Paul issues an exhortation he surrounds it with hints as to how we are to put it into practice. This is certainly true here. Notice how this passage helps to answer our “how to?” questions.

1. Learn to admit sin for what it really is.Call a spade a spade — call it “sexual immorality,” not “I’m being tempted a little”; call it “impurity,” not “I’m struggling with my thought life”; call it “evil desire, which is idolatry,” not “I think I need to order my priorities a bit better.” This pattern runs right through this whole section. How powerfully this unmasks self-deceit — and helps us to unmask sin lurking in the hidden corners of our hearts!

2. See sin for what your sin really is in God’s presence.“On account of these the wrath of God is coming” (3:6). The masters of the spiritual life spoke of dragging our lusts (kicking and screaming, though they be) to the cross, to a wrath-bearing Christ. My sin leads to — not lasting pleasure — but holy divine displeasure. See the true nature of your sin in the light of its punishment. Too easily do we think that sin is less serious in Christians than it is in non-believers: “It’s forgiven, isn’t it?” Not if we continue in it (1 John 3:9)! Take a heaven’s-eye view of sin and feel the shame of that in which you once walked (Col. 3:7; see also Rom. 6:21).

3. Recognize the inconsistency of your sin.You put off the “old man,” and have put on the “new man” (3:9–10). You are no longer the “old man.” The identity you had “in Adam” is gone. The old man was “crucified with him [Christ] in order that the body of sin [probably “life in the body dominated by sin”] might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Rom. 6:6). New men live new lives. Anything less than this is a contradiction of who I am “in Christ.”

4. Put sin to death (Col. 3:5).It is as “simple” as that. Refuse it, starve it, and reject it. You cannot “mortify” sin without the pain of the kill. There is no other way!

But notice that Paul sets this in a very important, broader context. The negative task of putting sin to death will not be accomplished in isolation from the positive call of the Gospel to “put on” the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14). Paul spells this out in Colossians 3:12–17. Sweeping the house clean simply leaves us open to a further invasion of sin. But when we understand the “glorious exchange” principle of the Gospel of grace, then we will begin to make some real advance in holiness. As sinful desires and habits are not only rejected, but exchanged for Christ-like graces (3:12) and actions (3:13); as we are clothed in Christ’s character and His graces are held together by love (v. 14), not only in our private life but also in the church fellowship (vv. 12–16), Christ’s name and glory are manifested and exalted in and among us (3:17). (Sinclair Ferguson, Ligonier Minsitries, TableTalk Magazine)

= EQUALS = Conformity [More and More Over Time] to the Likeness of Jesus Christ!

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29; 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:13-25; Psalm 1:1-6)

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” (Romans 13:14; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:1-2; Philippians 2:5; Romans 6:3-10; John 13:15; 2 Corinthians 4:10; Romans 8:10-11)

NOTE: Do the Math! And Is the Divisible Visible Only to YOU?

Marathoners in and for Christ, I have a challenge for ALL of us: Will we be as urgent, explicit, real, intentional, systematic, continuous, and COMMUNAL as is impossible to get after this… WITH the help of the Holy Spirit and some Saints in our life to:

List and know The Fruit of the Spirit and begin the process of rating ourselves and our progress of Christlikeness in EACH one… IN A COMMUNITY OF FAITH?
List and know The Sins of the Flesh and begin the process of rating ourselves and our progress of Christlikeness VIA MORTIFYING THEM in EACH one… IN A COMMUNITY OF FAITH?
Be real about “the divisible of your discipleship”: Is The Fruit of the Spirit a real and measurable part of our Christian life? Is our God- and self-awareness of our sinful state and habits real? If the Fruit is unknown, distant, foreign, and pithy… AND our level of our Sin Nature is equally foggy… Guess what? Christlikeness isn’t going to be real, happening in our life. Period.
And lastly, will we KNOW, in the deepest realms of our heart, that the above is a vitally important representation and process of our DISCIPLESHIP JOURNEY because of this: The WORLD, the FLESH, and the DEVIL… HATE IT… and will do any and everything to prevent us from getting into this process!

This is absolutely the most important realm of our life as a Disciple of Jesus Christ: It’s the full meal deal! And this is why is it absolutely impossible to do without a born again and mature FAITH and ALONE.

Amen.

Lots of love and truth from a fellow sinner saved by grace and marathoner at The Training Table,
JohnDoz

Prepare the Heart for Fruitfulness… Like It Was Life or Death

JohnDozPosted on December 28, 2016 Posted in Training Table — No Comments ↓

Reformation… we seek to abide by and serve up the true truth, pure doctrine of the Bible

Revival… we seek to model biblical Christians living in word and deed

Constructive Revolution… we seek to spread the true gospel right where God has planted us with urgency, compassion, and radical self-abandonment

We should ALL aim toward thinking and living more like farmers, right? People closer to the land…

Of the numerous and complicated foibles of living in a high-tech, blurringly fast, super-convenient, easy-peasy, byte-by-byte, move-on move-up world, the immutable and astonishingly true and abiding “law of the farm” or, as the Bible teaches, the law of “sowing and reaping” is mostly or completely unknown for many—[especially in the church which has become as worldly as the world in many ways]:

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:7-10 ESV)

If we’re not sowing the sort of faith-life God expects of us, we will not reap The Fruit of the Spirit. We may be born-again, but we can live a fallow spiritual, effectual, and world-changing life.

The problem is that we are moving so fast across the landscape of life, relationships, jobs, status, meals, families [our own or multiple given the fragmentation of the family], all little and big things of life… that we do not often see the results OR FRUITS of our actions in word or deed. Perhaps you could think of the problem this way: We’re not big on facing up to consequences, are we? Or, worse yet, hanging around long enough to truly see the consequences. [It’s super-analogous and fruitworthy to how poorly we mourn: We cannot stay put in the pain long enough to see how God will bless, heal, and redeem it. We’re just on the next thing… fast.]

We just get more distracted, more shallow, more worldly, worried, and anxious, more in denial, more in avoidance mode, more addicted, more able to suppress the yuck that always, always, always—not always immediately but in due time—comes from sowing bad seed! Or, in many cases, even from sowing good seed: We just don’t care to stick around to notice how God can be glorified in it. But consequences impact our lives either way! Sowing and reaping is a sacrosanct and changeless fact of life put in place by God in the beginning (Genesis 1,2). Period.

Farmers cannot afford to live this way: season by season the fruits of their labor are right before their eyes, in their homes, under their nails, in their nostrils, at their meals, in their prayers… The fruitfulness of their sowing and reaping is as immediate and real as their every-moment life. We could greatly benefit from a “doing life and consequence”, sowing and reaping, “living the fruit of the Spirit” paradigm like this…

If a farmer were to shine-on or just get slothful or thin-skinned about the immutable law of the farm, he or she would perish. We, even in the church, think we can blow it off—in the form of “The Fruit of the Spirit”—by repeating, mouthing the fruits from Galatians 5:22-23 a lot, but not actually using these invaluable measureables of the Spirit’s person and power in our life to guide, measure, improve, or reflect whether or not the fruits of the Spirit are present in our lives by getting to know the Holy Spirit intimately and inviting others, a community of trustworthy and loving Saints, to provide us feedback. Farmers know stagnant, unused fruits are wasted and putrid fruits… They won’t go another season without making amends.

Christians should be as real: Ignoring the real, live, growing, maturing, increasingly sweet and world-changing Fruit of the Spirit is ignoring the Holy Spirit Himself. [And considering the Holy Spirit is likely the least known person of the Trinity in the church of our day, this makes sense… at least as much sense as insanity and a sorry neglect goes.]

So, as we’re in a place of seeing Christmas JUST in the rear-view mirror, and seeing the New Year—a potential new beginning—very soon, I’m inviting you to take a FRESH PERSPECTIVE of The Fruit of the Spirit in YOUR faith life—in word and in deed.

Following is a host of quotes and resources to help you do just that, Beloved of God. Please use this as a divine appointment for you to keep… put off… or ignore all together. I pray you will be RE-vitalized, inspired, renewed, RE-familiarized and RE-committed to taking this most important facet of the faith TO HEART (Mark 12:30; Ezekiel 36:36; Psalm 51:10; Matthew 5:8; Hebrews 4:12).