my life and my doctrine

There were two big questions raised after the sermon on Sunday night (Isaiah 6.1-7).

Firstly, I mentioned something about whether anxiety was a sin if we’re commanded in Philippians not to be anxious.

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)

This was abbreviating a book review of Jerry Bridges’ Respectable Sins which was recently reviewed in the Briefing. The book review made me think it is definitely worth reading, to be reminded again of how easily our Christianity takes on aspects of our worldview that God is against. Other areas mentioned are impatience, selfishness, favouritism …

I’m sorry if what I said was insensitive to those thinking of friends and family with medically diagnosed anxiety issues.

What I was and am keen to challenge us on is the little things we may worry about that are out of our control.

John Bartik’s reflections on Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy are worth a read.

Secondly, I ended with the reminder that we needn’t feel guilt about sin if we’re forgiven.

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.  7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” (Isaiah 6:6-7)

I think there’s a difference between feeling guilty and feeling remorseful about sin. I understand remorse as something which also implies regret and repentance. ie a desire to not keep sinning.

I think feeling guilty about sin can lead to two problems.

1. You feel more and more guilt in which case you don’t trust God’s grace to forgive.
2. The guilt makes you want to try harder and be more godly so you don’t trust God’s grace to forgive.

The right response to recognising the sin in our lives is to repent, to say sorry to God and to ask him to forgive us. I think the danger is that all too often we want to say sorry and I won’t do it again, as though we can make ourselves more godly.

What do you think? Have I overstated my case?

Kevin de Young has written a great piece about the temptation for church to cushion us from our own sin and the need for salvation.

The temptation, subtle and strong in every preacher, is to preach to other people’s sins. And so our sermons rail on emergents or homosexuality or Richard Dawkins. … But the sin we should hear about most is our own. Just as the iniquity I should most disdain is mine.

He quotes John Miller (Outgrowing the Ingrown Church, p. 26):

Among conservatives and evangelicals, its [religious cushioning's] primary mission all too often is to function as a preaching station where Christians gather to hear the gospel preached to the unconverted, to be reassured that liberals are mistaken about God and hell, and renew one’s sense of well-being without have a serious encounter with the living God.

Pray for me, that I don’t succumb to this temptation.

Yesterday I was chatting with an older and wiser friend, further down the ministry track than I am. We were discussing how often we think we can get more done than we really do. In particular I was lamenting how little I read last year, compared to my sedate goal of six books. The one thing I was glad of though, was my commitment to read my Bible more often and more regularly, even if it meant at the expense of other reading. It is probably obvious to you that reading the Bible is more important than any other book, but I certainly find it tempting to read other things before it.

So, next time you see me, if you ask me how my reading is going, check to see that I’m still regularly reading my Bible. (Right now I’m going through Isaiah. Hopefully a chapter a day and plan to be done by the 18th February.)

And, having said all that, if you’ve got suggestions on what should make my list of must read books for 2010, please let me know.

I’m not really into new year’s resolutions, but if you are, and one was to read through the whole Bible in 2010, or even read through the Old Testament, then check out some reading plans. Go to www.bibleplan.org where you can see the schedule for the year and/or you can even be emailed the readings for each day. The famous reading plan was developed by Robert Murray M’Cheyne, a Scottish minister who died at 29.

Though I’m not into resolutions, I’m into Bible reading and would strongly encourage you to, if you haven’t already, read through the whole Bible.

I know it’s not on my reading list, but I’ve recently finished reading Kent and Barbara Hughes’ book Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome. Though I’m only in my first year of full time paid ministry, I think this is a helpful book to warn and encourage me about how to approach a life of ministry. It’s a book that stems from ‘a dark night of the soul’ twenty years into their ministry which cause them to reflect on what success in ministry is all about.

They helpfully outline seven definitions of what success in ministry should look like: faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness and attitude. While most of these are obvious things, it was helpful to consider each of them individually and assess my life and attitude. A realisation I came to, which I’d arrived at previously in my life, is that what God wants me to be is a godly mature Christian. This must be my first and foremost goal. It has the following implications:

1. My identity is not to be found in my ministry. I needed to remind myself that who I am is a child of God, not an evening church minister.
2. My worth is not to be found in my ministry. Being in ministry is not some kind of boost to self-esteem. On the contrary, the more I watch and hear from faithful, long term servants of the gospel is that this is an incredibly naive thought to have. Yet it is easy to feel better about myself in response to how people react and respond to my ministry. This shouldn’t be the case.
3. My maturity is not to be found in my ministry. Well, this is sort of true and sort of not. If I grow in maturity, this will hopefully be reflected in the people I minister to. Yet others may grow more mature as the Holy Spirit works in them and this be no reflection on me. To look for maturity in others and then assume personal maturity is putting the cart before the horse. However, I do suspect that over time, the more I mature, the more I learn, the more others will learn from me. I certainly know this is the case in preaching. If I’ve been particularly challenged in preparing a sermon, not only will this come through in the content of what I preach, it will come through in my manner as I preach.

They continue with five areas where we can gain encouragement: from God, the call, the ordinary, fellow workers and reward. I intend to post again about my thoughts and reflections of my call to ministry. It certainly prompted much discussion with my wife.

So, please pray for me, and others you know involved in ministry, that we may be faithful, holy  servants who love, trust and pray for those under our care.

Today I read Thomas Cranmer’s homily entitled, ‘A Fruitful Exhortation to the Reading and Knowledge of Holy Scripture’. It’s an incredibly inspiring read! I’ve been considering the importance of preaching in a particular pastoral context, and yet here’s a homily, a sermon to be read out in the 17th century which still inspires to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the Bible.

Cranmer has such confidence in Holy Scripture as containing the Word of God, as sufficient for all knowledge to live a godly life and as scalpel to judge the human condition of those who read it.

‘In these books we may learn to know ourselves, how vile and miserable we be; and also to know God, how good he is of himself, and how he maketh us and all creatures partakers of his goodness.’

Three things in particular struck me as I read it.

Firstly, Cranmer uses such figurative language as he wrote this homily. It doesn’t seek to appeal purely to those academically inclined. Rather, his communication style includes painting a lot of visual images for the hearers. For example,

as drink is pleasant to them that be dry, and meat to them that be hungry; so is the reading, hearing, searching, and studying of Holy Scripture, to them that be desirous to know God, or themselves, and to do his will.

This is a challenge to me as I’m still working my way out of four years in theological college, which can often result in my sermons being considered heady or academic. It’s not that I want to lose theological rigour or depth, but rather, I want to work harder at communicating.

Secondly, Cranmer also speaks negatively against those who would choose not to read and know Holy Scriptures. At the start he refers to those who are ’so drowned in worldly vanities’ and ‘desire such vanities, rather than the true knowledge of God.’ He concludes his first section saying,

‘nothing more darkeneth Christ and the glory of God, nor bringeth in more blindness and all kinds of vices, than doth the ignorance of God’s word.’

This is confronting as I find it easy to play down the harsh reality of judgment on those who aren’t yet Christian. Yet in big, bold, black and white, I’m reminded that, but by the grace of God, I have been brought from the kingdom of darkness into his wonderful light. This awareness of what I’ve been saved from should inspire me to boldly continue preaching the reality of life without Christ.

Thirdly, Cranmer exhorts the hearers of the homily to not just read their Bibles, but seek to understand it. I’ve made a few comments about my desire to spend more time reading my Bible than other books or listening to mp3 sermons or on Facebook etc. This homily has rebuked me to not think about it in terms of time spent, nor chapters read, nor obligation or legalism. Rather, reading the Bible ought to lead to knowledge of God. If it doesn’t, not much is going in.

Furthermore, reading the Bible ought to be part and parcel of what it means to be a Christian.

‘If we profess Christ, why be we not ashamed to be ignorant in his doctrine, seeing that every man is ashamed to be ignorant in that learning which be professeth? That man is ashamed to be called a Philosopher which readeth not the books of philosophy; and to be called a Lawyer, an Astronomer, or a Physician, that is ignorant in the books of law, astronomy, and physic. How can any man, then, say that he professeth Christ and his religion, if he will not apply himself, as far forth as he can or may conveniently, to read and hear, and so to know, the books of Christ’s Gospel and doctrine?’

I’ll let Cranmer have the last word,

‘Let us therefore apply ourselves, as far forth as we can have time and leisure, to know God’s word, by diligent hearing and reading thereof, as many as profess God, and have faith and trust in him.’

PS. A more complete set of homilies, though with ye olde style spelling can be found here.

This isn’t so much learning from Calvin’s preaching as learning from what someone else has learnt from Calvin’s  preaching. I’ve just finished reading the first essay in Engaging with Calvin: Aspects of the Reformer’s legacy for today. This essay is by Peter Adam called ‘”Preaching of a lively kind’ – Calvin’s Engaged Expository Preaching’. He notes the distinction between theological writings, like Calvin’s Institutes, commentaries and sermons. The article is clearly reliant on Calvin’s sermons which were recorded by shorthand and published, rather than the first two. So Adam learns from what Calvin preached and how he preached it.

Adam notes five main areas to his preaching; engaging with the congregation, with God, with the Bible, with theology and in training. It is no surprise that these five overlap on the edges and it is no surprise that these five are key areas to think about in any preaching. There are a few things that were particularly noteworthy for me, which I’d like to share.

Firstly, the reminder that in preaching God is present. It is an incredible privilege and joy that as God’s word is taught, so God will be there teaching and convicting the hearers. It should not be unreasonable, in fact it should be expected, that as the Scriptures are taught, that God is at work through them by his Spirit. More specifically, ‘[t]he present secret work of the Spirit is to change us, not to make the Scriptures more powerful.’ (p24) That is, God is present as his Spirit works within us, using the words of the preacher as he expounds the Bible.

Secondly, it was a great challenge to see how Calvin was deliberately keen to be expositional so that his congregation would know their Bibles better.

Thirdly, the last key area, training had lots to ponder. I’ve thought that the way preachers preach demonstrates a model of how to read the Bible and ought to include tips and advice on how to do this well. The insights that Adam draws from Calvin’s sermons are fuller and all the more challenging.

1. ‘Calvin wanted to train his people to hear God’s words in sermons’ (p35). This reminds me of a comment I recently heard that preaching ought to generate in congregations a love for hearing God’s word taught.
2. ‘Calvin’s aim was to ensure that lay people read and understood the Bible’ (p36).
3. ‘Christians are to serve others in ordinary matters of daily life, and also in bringing them the words of eternal life’ (p36). Through regular Bible teaching, congregations should be equipped and inspired to share the insights they’ve learnt with friends. This could be through teaching and encouraging other Christians or through evangelising their non-Christian friends.
4. Calvin was keen for world mission. ‘”For the knowledge of God must be known through the whole world, and every one must share in it”‘ (p37, quoting Calvin in his sermons on the pastorals). Thus a congregation should consider and plan to prepare and equip people to leave as they serve God elsewhere.

So, how do I cram all this into the next sermon I write? I don’t think I’ll be radically different in one hit. However, I hope that over time, the reminder to consider five broad aspects of preaching will sharpen my preaching. Even Adam, after reading copious sermons Calvin preached acknowledges that ‘Calvin did not always meet the high standards that he set for himself’ (p40). Please pray for me and other preachers, that we may continue to work hard at preaching to our congregations, confronting them with God himself as the text is expounded, theology taught and people are trained and equipped for godly living.

I’m still thinking through what is often referred to as celebrity preachers. I am keen to encourage those I have pastoral care over to spend more time reading and studying the Bible than listening to someone else explaining it to them. Last night I started reading Kent and Barbara Hughes’ book Liberating Ministry from the Success Sydnrome. I was reminded of the importance of being a committed and regular Bible reader. As someone who isn’t a regular listener to mp3 sermons, it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t challenge myself. As I reflected on yesterday morning’s reading time before the kids got up, I realised I spent about as much, if not more time reading an essay (a very interesting and engaging one on preaching and church) as I had reading Isaiah (I’ve finished Proverbs and started on Isaiah). So, this morning I decided, again, to spend my time reading the Bible, praying about issues that it brought to mind and leave the computer off and other books/papers to one side.

I’m still not sure how much time I’ll give to thinking through celebrity preachers. Maybe I should first of all be committed to my own Bible reading and prayer, then diligent in my own sermon preparation. As it is, many older, wiser and smarter people have put a few of their thoughts together, so check them out instead.

I’ve never been mistaken for Brad Pitt (h/t Con Campbell) (http://www.challies.com/archives/articles/ive-never-been-mistaken-for-brad-pitt.php)

The Nameless One (http://www.reformation21.org/articles/the-nameless-one.php )

What to do when the sermon is bad (http://yingyee.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/when-the-sermon-is-bad/)

Commentaries are a wonderful resource provided by those who have the time, the skills and the brains to help us understand the Bible better.  However, how can we choose one or two from the many that are written on each book of the Bible? Often we can rely on the commentary series and four worth checking out are suggested below.

The reason that I’m writing this post is to point you to a great website where someone has done a lot of hard work in checking out many commentaries. From the few books that I did look at, I’m sure I’d trust their recommendation on the rest of the books.

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2009/07/top-commentaries-on-every-book-of-the-bible.html

(Societas, the Moore College yearbook, also has a recommended commentary list. The most recent issue with one was 2007.)

Bible Speaks Today: A tried and true series which claims a three fold goal, ‘to expound the biblical text with accuracy, to relate it to contemporary life, and to be readable.’

Tyndale/Inter-Varsity Press: Another tried and true series which was originally based on the KJV. The General Preface for the Tyndale New Testament Commentary series states they ‘will be primarily exegetical and only secondarily homiletic, though it is hoped thatboth student and preacher will find them informative and suggestive.’

Teach the Bible: A recent series backed by the Proclamation Trust in which ‘the preacher or teacher, the sermon or talk, and the listener are the key “drivers”‘.

Read/Mark/Learn:  Another more recent series, built on the Read, Mark, Learn Bible study series at St Helen’s Bishopsgate, these are prewritten Bible studies/devotions that would be of great benefit to any Christian.

I was at a large Christian bookshop the other day and realised how much I missed Moore Books. There was an incredible amount of ridiculous and trite trinkets and stuff, without even getting to the content of the books. They’ve got a great mission statement:

To effectively supply and promote an extensive range of Christian products that will be of spiritual benefit to the body of Christ.

The concern to me is who determines whether a glass inspiration tealight holder is or is not going to be of spiritual benefit for the body of Christ? Sure, they have a broader range than Moore Books, and occasionally they are significantly cheaper.¹ However, I think it is worth the few extra dollars showing support for those bookshops whose range is assessed based on content, not saleability.

Check out Moore Books in Newtown and Reformers’ Bookshop in Stanmore.

1. I must confess that I did buy one book for $59.95 that I didn’t expect Moore Books to stock. I’ve since discovered they do, but at $124.95, so I guess my principles can be bought at a price.