Spurgeon’s warning.

Hear this warning about the two dangers of congregational singing:

It is to be feared from the slovenly way in which some make a noise in singing, that they fancy any sound will do.  On the other hand, from the great attention paid by some to mere music, we feel sadly sure that the sense has no effect upon upon them.  Is it not a sin to be tickling men’s ears with sounds when we profess to be adorning the Lord?  What has a sensuous delight in organs, anthems, etc., to do with devotion?  Do not men mistake physical effects for spiritual impulses?  Do they not often offer to God strains far more calculated for human amusement than for divine acceptance?  An understanding enlightened of the Holy Spirit is then and then only fully acceptable of offering worthy praise.

–  C. H. Spurgeon (in his commentary on Ps. 47, Treasury of David)

Some Very Sad News.

The dissident group from Coral Ridge, who lost the recent congregational vote, are picking up their toys and going to play somewhere else.

See the story in the Sun Sentinel here.

I cannot express my disappointment and anger at this horrendous development.

The Beauty of Presbyterianism.

In the authority of these assemblies, parochial [Session], presbyterial [Presbytery], provincial [Synod], and national [General Assembly], and in the subordination of the lesser unto the greater, or of the more particular elderships to the larger and general eldership, doth consist the order, strength, and steadfastness of the Church of Scotland. . . . Here is a superiority without tyranny, for no minister hath a papal or monarchical jurisdiction over his own flock, far less over other pastors and over the congregations of a large diocese. Here there is parity without confusion and disorder, for the pastors are in order before the elders, and the elders before the deacons. Every particular church is subordinate to the presbytery, the presbytery to the synod, and the synod to the national assembly. One pastor also hath priority of esteem before another for age, for zeal, for gifts, for his good deservings of the Church, each one honouring him whom God hath honoured, and as he beareth the image of God, which was to be seen among the Apostles themselves. But none hath pre-eminence of title or power or jurisdiction above others ; even as in nature one eye hath not power over another, only the head hath power over all, even as Christ over His church. . . . And lastly, here there is a subjection without slavery, for the people are subject to the pastors and assemblies, yet there is no assembly wherein every particular church hath not interest and power; nor is there anything done but they are, if not actually yet virtually, called to consent unto it.

– Alexander Henderson

E. P. Sanders.

Here is an astonishing video, produced by Duke University, in which E. P. Sanders gives his view on various theological matters, including what the unforgivable sin is, grace in Rabbinical scholarship, and the difference between the Jesus of history and the Jesus of faith:

Breath-taking – but not in a good way.

ht:  David Meredith.

Coral Ridge

I am pleased to hear that Tullian Tchividjian is continuing as Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church.

According to the Official Press Release,

In a rare congregational meeting today [Sunday, September 20], members of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church rejected, by a vote of 69%-31%, a motion to end their relationship with senior pastor, Tullian Tchividjian

Now, let us pray that Coral Ridge will be unified in Christ – that there would be humility and reconciliation – and that they would be able to press on in the work of advancing the kingdom in southern Florida, and around the world.

Coral Ridge.

If you think of it, please pray today for Coral Ridge PCA, and their Senior Minister Tullian Tchividjian.

Justin Taylor reported the trouble that has come upon that congregation in recent days and the congregational vote which is being held today, to determine Tchividjian’s future in the congregation. You can find the post here.

Tchividjian summarises the tragedy of this situation well:

The saddest thing about all of this is that, because of the visibility of both Coral Ridge and my family, this conflict has taken on a national interest. The reason this grieves me so deeply is because the Bible says God wants the church to be a visual model of the gospel. He wants us, in other words, to live our lives together in such a way that we demonstrate the good news of reconciliation before the watching world.

This is truly a heart-breaking situation, and we can only pray that God will glorify Himself through this mess, and that somehow this would work for the good of them that love Him.

Please pray for the Session of Coral Ridge, for Tullian Tchividjian, the congregation and the six complainants.

A Call for Bible-Soaked Preachers.

Expository preaching is a most exacting discipline. Perhaps that is why it is so rare. Only those will undertake it who are prepared to follow the example of the apostles and say, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the Word of God to serve tables… We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6: 2, 4). The systematic preaching of the Word is impossible without the systematic study of it. It will not be enough to skim through a few verses in daily Bible reading, nor to study a passage only when we have to preach from it. No. We must daily soak ourselves in the Scriptures. We must not just study, as through a microscope, the linguistic minutiae of a few verses, but take our telescope and scan the wide expanses of God’s Word, assimilating its grand theme of divine sovereignty in the redemption of mankind. “It is blessed,” wrote C. H. Spurgeon, “to eat into the very soul of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in Scriptural language, and your spirit is flavoured with the words of the Lord, so that your blood is Bibline and the very essence of the Bible flows from you.”

– John Stott, The Preacher’s Portrait, as quoted in Harry Reeder, From Embers to a Flame.

Macarthur does it again.

I just listened to John Macarthur’s sermon on 1 Timothy 4: 6-16, 12 Marks of Excellent Pastoral Ministry. It is an excellent charge to all who are going into, or are already in, full-time ministry.

[The minister] makes the following commitments.  I will warn my people of error.  I will devote myself to the study of Scripture.  I will avoid the influence of unholy teaching that sucks out my conviction.  I will discipline myself in godliness.  I will work hard.  I will teach with divine authority.  I will endeavor to be a model of spiritual virtue.  I will maintain a thoroughly Biblical ministry.  I will employ my spiritual gift and not neglect it.  I will be passionate about this privileged work.  I will let all see my growth in grace and persevere with endurance to complete the task that God gives me and pledge at the end as the _____ and joy the salvation of God and so will those to whom you minister.

I heartily recommend it to ministers and lay people alike.  It is a clear clarion call to faithful gospel ministry.

Leadership.

One of the most helpful articles I have read on leadership is a 1995 article by John Piper, entitled “The Marks of a Spiritual Leader”, which I read this week after Matt Perman linked it on his blog – What’s Best Next.

At the beginning of the article John Piper defines spiritual leadership as

knowing where God wants people to be and taking the initiative to use God’s method to get them there in reliance on God’s power… Therefore, the goal of spiritual leadership is that people come to know God and to glorify him in all that they do.

He begins by identifying the Inner Circle of Spiritual Leadership, which “is that sequence of events in the human soul that must happen if anyone is to get to first base in spiritual leadership”:

1. That Others Will Glorify God.
2. Love Both Friend and Foe by Trusting in God and Hoping in His Promises.
3. Meditate On and Pray Over His Word.
4. Acknowledge Your Helplessness.

Piper then moves on to the Outer Circle of Spiritual Leadership, which “are qualities that characterize both spiritual and non-spiritual leaders”:

1. Restless.
2. Optimistic.
3. Intense.
4. Self-controlled.
5. Thick-skinned.
6. Energetic.
7. A Hard Thinker.
8. Articulate.
9. Able to Teach.
10. A Good Judge of Character.
11. Tactful.
12. Theologically Orientated.
13. A Dreamer.
14. Organized and Efficient.
15. Decisive.
16. Perseverant.
17. A Lover.
18. Restful.

This article is tremendously encouraging and challenging, and one that I will be sure to keep close at hand.

Reading.

Every so often I hear something, or read something which suddenly makes me not feel quite so alone in my struggles after all, and this morning I had such an epiphany while reading David Ulin’s short piece on The lost art of reading.

I constantly struggle with the desire to read, but yet not finding quiet, peaceful in which to do it. There is so much that I want to read, but yet I fill my time with the inane, or at best the interesting-but-not-useful, and I have found an unexpected sympathizer in a man whose job it is to read! It seems that my struggle is not one which I bear alone, but which even reaches to the literati!

Ulin, who is the book editor of the LA Times, meditates on the problem of reading in a culture that surrounds us with distraction. He describes his (and mine) all-too-familiar problem:

I find it difficult to quiet down. I pick up a book and read a paragraph; then my mind wanders and I check my e-mail, drift onto the Internet, pace the house before returning to the page… What I ‘m struggling with is the encroachment of the buzz, the sense that there is something out there that merits my attention, when in fact it’s mostly just a series of disconnected riffs and fragments that add up to the anxiety of the age.

For a long time I identified my problem as being a child of my era – a child of the televised society, which has ruined my ability to concentrate. But, as Ulin points out, there much more than television to ruin our focus today, and overarching it all is the spirit of the age -

Today, it seems it is not contemplation we seek but an odd sort of distraction masquerading as being in the know. Why? Because of the illusion that illumination is based on speed, that it is more important to react than to think, that we live in a culture in which something is attached to every bit of time.

As I read this, I felt like a light had gone on! Ulin has named the beast! Why do I think it is more profitable to check my Google Reader every ten minutes, or check my email constantly? Because I attach value to being the first to read it, or know about it. I have adopted my culture’s value of speed over contemplation.

As a Christian this challenge is an acute one. I know that there is a burden upon me to redeem the time. I know the truth of Jonathan Edwards’ statement,

If men were as lavish of their money as they are of their, we should think them beside themselves, and not in the possession their right minds. Yet time is a thousand times more precious than money; and when it is gone, cannot be purchased for money, cannot be redeemed by silver or gold. (The Preciousness of Time and the Importance of Redeeming It)

I know that this is true, but too often find myself bogged down by a myriad of little things which steal my time away.

Ulin concludes that there is a paradox in our culture – “since in giving up control we somehow gain it, by being brought in contact with ourselves.” In a sense, he is saying with Bob Newhart “Just stop it!” If I am to gain control of my time and my reading, then I must give up the control of living the ever-present, information-saturated, time-less life that our culture promotes.

In a way, this article is a call to contemplation. And for it, I am very grateful.

(article ht:  challies)