Pure Church

It's blogspot's loss that you moved. See ...

2010-08-28T19:52:45.229-05:00

It's blogspot's loss that you moved. See you at the new site.

These last three posts on the Pharisee -- it is li...

2009-12-23T12:31:20.816-05:00

These last three posts on the Pharisee -- it is like you have been reading my mail. Thanks for putting my thoughts into words for me: a poetic description it is.

Hey PT, I’ve enjoyed this series, it has been con...

2009-12-23T11:13:39.548-05:00

Hey PT,

I’ve enjoyed this series, it has been convicting, provoking, and “joy” to read. I’ve experienced all that you have written in these posts.

When the Lord saved me, (see before Reformed Theology I would have said “when I came to the Lord” lol) I was zealous, about "getting it right" . So I went on my own pilgrimage, studied on my own, and really trusted no one to teach me.

I grew in knowledge, but man was I lonely. Pride creped in. Graciously God provided me with a few great men to keep me grounded early in my walk, they’re wisdom was invaluable. Still seeking more jumping from church to church…….

God led me to FBC Grand Cayman, and a pastor with a funny name Thabiti Anyabwile lol, to Reformed Theology, to a hold new world it seemed. Grand Cayman being rich with Christian roots; was however widely Arminian, suspicion city. I found I was separating myself even disliking those who thought different. Pharisee!!

Glory to God! I have grown and I’m still growing and may we all grow to understand more what Augustine said years ago “In essential thing Unity, in non-essential things Liberty, in all things Love!!!” Allow me to add “in all things CHRIST!!!”

Grace and Peace!!!

Cayman Reformer

Hey PT, It's so nice to be able to laugh, God...

2009-12-23T09:37:47.241-05:00

Hey PT,

It's so nice to be able to laugh, God is so gracious in gifting individuals who can make us laugh, and who do it for his glory. Tim Hawkins is one of those guys. Check out some of his other videos if your in need of a chuckle.

Delilah(the samson version).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6txa9wD8Kts

Did Jesus laugh? lol

Grace and Peace!!

CR

Great post! Thank you for sharing this with us. I...

2009-12-23T06:17:11.077-05:00

Great post! Thank you for sharing this with us.

I am always suspicious of a lot of things.

We all need to have joy. As for joy, I enjoy eating, studying, and reading His Word during my dinner or lunch break. (Jer 15:16)

I always am joyful when I am with my wonderful church family that I am not suspicious about them.

I tend to be too self-righteous Pharisee when I am around other who claim to be a "believer". I do know that I do need to change my attitude about that.

I am suspicious of my boss at work who told me that he enjoy reading John Piper's books, and his life doesn't reflect his love for Christ. Also yesterday, he told me that he had been reading Dan Brown's lastest book and love it. This had me scratching my head. John Piper's books and Dan Brown's books doesn't go together. I am very suspicious of my boss at work.

I pray that the Lord will continue to mold me to be who He wants me to be for Christ.

Hungry to eat His Word,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion

Wow...really, really good word here brother. See y...

2009-12-22T23:39:07.621-05:00

Wow...really, really good word here brother. See you at T4G!

Dead on, brother. That one hurt...in a good way, ...

2009-12-22T13:47:22.402-05:00

Dead on, brother. That one hurt...in a good way, I think. I too have become overly suspicious and critical of joy. I'm praying with you.

Thanks,

Jeremy

What a word! This is not, however a problem exclu...

2009-12-22T09:36:24.001-05:00

What a word!

This is not, however a problem exclusive to our Calviinist camp. You find this spirit everywhere one loses sight of the realities of the gospel. John 17:3

And that is the Godhead. And yes and experience of grace, which causes our theology to be vital and attractive , only as it assist us in exalting Christ both in doctrine and life, is what we need!

Let the intelectuals carp. And let us continue to pursue the Person and to the picture. The reality and not the shadow. The Spirit and not merely the letter.

And then our Calvinism will be real also.

By Grace alone,

Thank you brother for your honest and convicting r...

2009-12-22T07:27:16.525-05:00

Thank you brother for your honest and convicting reflection.

How true it is that "we settle for knowing more rather than knowing Jesus."

May He grant that we would come to know Him more.

Amen! We need to beware of the error of "sanc...

2009-12-21T17:26:11.007-05:00

Amen! We need to beware of the error of "sanctification by theology alone."

I suspect that my fellow Calvinists "hyper-intellectualism" started with the Reformers, whom the Anabaptists nicknamed "the scholars."

I'll never forget after I had become "Reformed" during college, hearing a chapel message on the filling of the Holy Spirit. All of a sudden, I realized that although I knew the Bible better than most of my fellow students, I was not filled with God's Spirit. Have you ever noticed how the Lord often providentially leads Spirit-filled Arminians and Pentecostals more than non-Spirit-filled Calvinists to evangelistic opportunities?

Even Biblical knowledge can puff up. All of our diligent study should lead us to humble ourselves before Christ, revere Him, trust Him, love Him, and obey Him.

Wow! Thank you for writing this to us, Calvinist (...

2009-12-21T17:18:38.090-05:00

Wow! Thank you for writing this to us, Calvinist (or to those who are leading to Calvinist). We all need to read this.

We all need to have a correct Biblical view to live our life for Christ and not to have the label.

Hungry to eat His Word,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion

I liked it. Bathmate

2009-12-21T16:11:40.687-05:00

I liked it.
Bathmate

Lately, I've been listening to cassette tapes ...

2009-12-21T14:09:14.049-05:00

Lately, I've been listening to cassette tapes of sermons I preached some 10-17 years ago, and it seems to me I've lost some of that enthusiasm & fire of those earlier years. I think part of the problem is traceable to what you've written. I think another part of the problem is I'm not praying as much & as fervently as I was then.

I'm often reminded of verses from that hymn by William Cowper:

Where is the blessedness I knew
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul's refreshing view
Of Jesus and His word?

Cowper goes on to pray,

Return, O holy Dove, return
Sweet messenger of rest;
I hate the sins that made thee mourn,
And drove thee from my breast.

He pleads further:

The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er the idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.

Thanks Thabiti, I agree. Jesus full of grace and t...

2009-12-21T11:51:36.088-05:00

Thanks Thabiti, I agree. Jesus full of grace and truth. That's why I love reading the stories of Jesus life such as the raising of Lazarus from the dead and seeing His humanity as well as His divinity and His love for that family and also seeking His face in prayer so that His reality is sustained in my heart and life.

I likewise tend toward a Pharisaic intellectualism...

2009-12-21T09:33:12.037-05:00

I likewise tend toward a Pharisaic intellectualism when I dive down into the heady truths of Reformation theology. I think that's why John Piper's preaching has been so crucial for me. Every time I want to get bogged down in mulling over the facts and arguments, he drags me back to the center of joy and adoration of Jesus. Praise God!

Thanks for his thought provoking post. The honest...

2009-12-21T06:02:30.734-05:00

Thanks for his thought provoking post. The honesty is refreshing.

I think you ask a good question for Calvinists: 'How often does your theology leave you with Jesus?'

http://www.reformed.org/calvinism/perkins_chart.gif

Surely there must be some serious questions asked of the system at this point!

Speechless.

2009-12-20T17:05:59.071-05:00

Speechless.

Tony, :-) T

2009-12-20T13:33:54.118-05:00

Tony, :-)
T

Did I hear someone say, "The Gospel Coalition...

2009-12-20T12:48:56.460-05:00

Did I hear someone say, "The Gospel Coalition?" :)

Wow. My situation is exactly like Angela's ex...

2009-12-20T12:45:27.253-05:00

Wow.

My situation is exactly like Angela's except that my ex-wife has knows the gospel of God and the Scriptures better than 90% of Christians (not an exaggeration) and she has outright rejected the gospel of God.

Her words:
"I am not seeking redemption from God. I am running away from God. I believe that I can do enough good to make myself right-standing with God despite what the Bible says."

Endquote.

She is not a believer. I have been saved since then.

What can I do in this case?

For me, it comes down to the doctrine of election. I don't know if she will be saved. Yet, God does. Because my God is wonderfully sovereign, He is the only one who can save my ex-wife.

Honestly, there is not else to discuss about my relationship with my ex-wife until she is reconciled to God.

What do I get to do?

1. Pray because my God is sovereign
2. Proclaim the gospel every miniscule chance that I get i.e. a chance equats talking to her 5 minutes

As far as remarrying, I leave that on God. I know what I have been commissioned to do. It has been prophesied to me that I will be remarried (I take stock in this because the other prophecies made at that time have been confirmed). Now does that mean I get remarried now or when I 90? What God wants. Whatever brings Him glory.

David, Thanks for the great comment and question....

2009-12-19T22:53:50.625-05:00

David,

Thanks for the great comment and question. In truth, it deserves another post. But in brief, I think I'd suggest a couple of things in that case:

1. Do not take Angela into membership.

2. Having counseled Andy against the marriage on the grounds of adultery, begin the process of restoring the brother in corrective love.

3. Encourage repentance; which I think looks like annulmnet since we would not recognize the relationship as a marriage to begin with. Failing the annulment, I think the church works its way to Matt. 18:17.

This is a sticky, sticky situation. A lot of teaching is necessary before a church can respond to a situation like this effectively. And in this scenario, a pastor and his leadership would be wise to also work through the entire process with Angela's pastors and church.

Hi Anonymous, Good question. If the Angela's...

2009-12-19T22:28:02.877-05:00

Hi Anonymous,

Good question. If the Angela's spouse is willing to be reconciled, she should be reconciled to her husband. At bottom, Angela already has a husband and should be living with him in love. 1 Cor. 7 removes any ability for Angela to leave her husband. Matthew 5 and 19 make any subsequent marriage adultery.

Hope that helps.
T-

What about 1 Cor 7:13&15? ("And if a woma...

2009-12-19T20:22:15.546-05:00

What about 1 Cor 7:13&15? ("And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him... But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.")

How does that apply to Angela in this example?

My question, which I suppose goes beyond this post...

2009-12-19T19:02:00.837-05:00

My question, which I suppose goes beyond this post, is what you do when Andy and Angela go get married somewhere else, and then come back and want to join your church. This is no hypothetical. I've seen it happen.

I'm not sure I have great advice in these situ...

2009-12-19T17:56:36.556-05:00

I'm not sure I have great advice in these situations, but I have a couple of observations:

(1) the time to teach Biblical truth to a church is before someone comes with this type of situation.

(2) if the cost of Christian obedience is high, the rewards of church fellowship should be considerable. If we are a group of people who show up on Sunday and have no fellowship during the week, then we have already failed.

(3) there is a lot of unbiblical teaching on divorce and remarriage. I understand that not everyone would take as strong a stand as myself, but there are two important points that we should remember in trying to exegete passages like Matt 19:
(a) the "grace covers all" view is not true to the Biblical teaching. Whatever Jesus meant by "immorality" in Matt 19, he envisioned that there would be some people who would be denied the chance to remarry. Maybe it is a lot of people, or maybe it is just some people, but if you have a theology that allows all to be remarried, then your theology is insufficient.
(b) whatever Jesus meant by "immorality" in Matt 19, it shocked the disciples. They would have been aware of the two camps in Israel, one which allowed divorce for any reason and one that allowed divorce for adultery. Whatever Jesus meant, he would not have been agreeing with one of the two camps because it shocked the disciples to the point where they thought it better to not marry.