Resources for Studying the Bible: Arching & Tracing

I mentioned at Bible study last week two helpful methods for analyzing the connections between sentences, especially in passages that are teaching (rather than story). Though these principles work for that too.

Here is a link to John Piper describing "arching." You can see him doing something similar (more like what we are doing on Thursday nights though) in his "look at the book" series of videos. In these, he breaks down a passage while you watch (ie. does something similar to COMA).

"Tracing" is similar to arching, and is what I learned in seminary. Here is a link to information about that (this article is more technical and might take a lot of mental energy, but the payoff is well worth the investment). This is a very helpful thing to learn, especially if you plan to teach others in a more formal setting.

If you don't have time to pursue these avenues now, why not set a reminder to revisit them in the summer? And, why not check out the "look at the book" videos now? They are easy to watch and you will learn a lot about how to better study the Bible (hopefully Thursday nights are helping with this too).

"10 Sure Marks of Humility"

Humilty is one of those things we often see the need of but have trouble wrapping our mind around. Just saying, "I need to grow in humility," often does not translate to true growth in humility. I have found, in my life, that true, biblical change only occurs as I repent specifically rather than in generalities.

Tim Challies, a Christian blogger, recently went through the book A Godly Man's Picture, which is by the puritan Thomas Watson. He helpfully summarizes the main points of some sections, and one post summarizes some marks of humility. I list the headings below, and if you are looking to grow in humility, you might find it helpful to look at his article.

1. A humble person thinks little of himself. [though don't mistake this for self-pity which is a form of pride - see my post on self-pity here].
2. A humble person thinks better of others than of himself.
3. A humble person has a low assessment of his spiritual disciplines.
4. A humble person complains about his heart, not his circumstances.
5. A humble person praises God in times of trouble.
6. A humble person magnifies Christ.
7. A humble person accepts reproof for sin.
8. A humble person is content to be eclipsed by others.
9. A humble person accepts the condition God sees best for him.
10. A humble person will stoop to the lowest person and lowest tasks.

For more help in specifically fighting pride and growing in humility, you might find Stuart Scott's booklet "From Pride to Humility" helpful. He lists specific manifestations of pride and humility. 

Why We Value the Sunday Evening Service

The following is a letter sent by the elders to our congregation reflecting on the value of our Sunday evening gathering.

It seems as though the Sunday Evening service, in many churches, is going the way of the dodo (ie. dead dead). As the pastors of this church body, we wanted to express why we value our Sunday evening service with the hope that these sentiments will resonate with you or help you develop new found love for the Sunday evening service. Of course, our ultimate aim is that we not simply love a service, but that we, as a church, aim to glorify God and to experience His grace in all we do together. 

What is the purpose of the Sunday evening service? 

There are several different things that happen in the life of our church family each week and they all serve a slightly different purpose. Perhaps a quick overview would be most helpful.

• The Sunday school hour and mid-week Bible studies serve to equip us as we learn to be better students of God’s Word and glean the fruit of greater trust and obedience to God. 
• Our worship service is the gathering of the whole body, made up of all its diverse members, to join our hearts, voices, and minds in worshiping God by singing, praying, and hearing His Word. It is the main feeding time for the flock. 
• Sunday evenings are a time for us to pray together, to discuss the sermon we heard in the morning, and to receive updates on missionaries, unreached people groups, and local outreach ministries. Additionally, we have a program for preschool through elementary age children with the goal of teaching them foundational theological truth at a child’s level. 

Each of the meetings, services, and studies serve a purpose, and we value all of them. As Shepherds we believe the priority is the Sunday morning time of worship. However, since the evening service is the one that often gets overlooked, we’d like to focus on why we value it with the hope of shepherding us to see its benefits and joyfully participate in it.

Reasons we value the Sunday evening service

1. It is the time we have set aside for praying together. It is such a joy to hear other brothers and sisters thanking God, praying for one another, and praying for the needs of our world. We see the early church was marked by praying together and can imagine that it was not a burden but a joy for them too (Acts 2:42, 4:23-ff; 1 Tim. 2). 
2. It is an opportunity to fulfill the command to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Rom. 12:15). This can and should happen one-on-one, on Sunday mornings, and at Bible studies too. But Sunday evenings provide a great opportunity for this as we are gathering primarily to pray together. We can thank God for engagements, births, and job promotions. We can ask for his mercy for those facing loneliness, losses, and trials (1 Cor. 12:26).
3. It is a great chance to interact with the sermon we heard. Sermons are the main feeding of our souls each week. Rather than having another teaching time (in addition to Sunday school, a Bible study, and the sermon) the elders wanted to provide a chance for us to digest the rich feast of God’s Word we just had during the worship service. We want to be doers of the word. Additionally, this allows an opportunity to ask questions and gain new insights together.
4. It is another time for fellowship. The more often we see each other and interact, the better the chances are that we will be able to move past merely socializing (which is good) to fellowship (encouraging one another in our walk with God).
5. As Christians, we want to be with fellow believers as often as possible. This has always been a mark of God’s people (Psalm 16:3, Acts 2:42, 46).  
6. It helps us keep Sunday set apart for special enjoyment in God. For centuries, Christians have referred to Sunday as “the Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10). Not that this is the only day that is His. Rather it is a day uniquely set aside to have more focused attention on worshiping Him and on being with His people. Sunday evenings give us the other bookend to the Lord’s Day. Without it, Sunday could easily become a day like any other save a 90-minute block of worship.

Consider being part of the Sunday evening service

There are reasons it may be hard to come. For some, the drive is too much to do twice a day. Those with young children might also find it difficult to come (though we have purposely set the service to run from 5-6 p.m. with the goal of making it easier for those with young children to attend).  We do not want to imply that it is sinful to not attend on Sunday evenings. We simply want to express why we, as your pastors, value Sunday evenings and encourage you to develop the habit of gathering with us. It is a commitment for the elders to lead another service, but we believe it is worthwhile. May it continue to serve as a blessing to our church family.

In Christ,
The Elders

"Why the Church Needs Intergenerational Friendships"

Do all your friends fit within your own age demographic? What might you be missing out on if this is the case? How might this be counterproductive not only in your own spiritual life but in the spiritual health of a local church?

Unfortunately, we are much like electricity, following the path of least resistance, when it comes to friendships. But when we do this, we fail to maintain and participate in the unity God has built into the body of Christ.  We can miss out on hearing more of God's great works, as Psalm 71: says,

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come (v. 18). 

I recently read an article at the gospel coalition blog by Joseph Rhea entitled, "Why the Church Needs Intergenerational Friendships." In his article, Rhea lists several of the benefits of friendships across generational lines and some of the hard work associated with developing such friendships. Below are some excerpts, but you really should read the short article.

Benefits:

1. Wisdom "The most obvious gain is the wisdom that comes from perspectives other than our own."
2. Wonder "Learning the stories of God’s work in wildly different situations leads to wonder at his power and character."
3. Godliness He lists several areas, but one is love. He writes, "Loving someone different from me requires me to love more deliberately. I’m going to have to ask more questions and listen better. To hear things I don’t understand and maybe things I don’t agree with. I might have to sacrifice things on my schedule or my style. But developing that intergenerational friendship will make me into a more maturely loving person."

What it takes to gain these benefits (ie. to form intergenerational friendships). 

1. I must be willing to push through discomfort.
2. I must speak and listen charitably.
3. I must elevate Jesus above all else. 

A quick word about peer friendships. For some, it is hard to develop friendships with peers and, maybe, easier to do this with older folks. It is good to have those friendships with older folks, but don't neglect the benefits and unity with believers your own age within the church body. If you think they are too immature for you, then ask yourself, how should a mature believer respond to those that are immature? What does Christian love look like in such situations? 

Advice from John Piper on Staying Close to God while in College

This short (13 minute) audio from the Ask Pastor John podcast  (episode 1081) is worth a listen. He responds to a question about how to stay close to God while in college. Here are his main points, but you really need to hear him flesh them out (or read the transcript).

1. Prepare for War
2. Love the Word
3. Invest in a Church
4. Find Good Friends
5. Ask for Help

Don't Exchange "Eulogy Virtues" for "Resume Virtues"

I recently read Ben Sasse's book, The Vanishing American Adult: Our coming-of -age crisis and how to rebuild a culture of self-reliance. In one place he writes to parents,

In our effort to develop our kids' talents, to provide them with a set of extracurricular experiences even more impressive than our own to help them stand out from the rest of the college-bound crowd, many of us might be unintentionally displacing lifelong "eulogy virtues" in favor of mere "resume virtures." 

This got me to thinking about the pressure in our culture, especially for high school and college students, to merely produce (and at times not even to produce so much as to get their names on a list or check off a box of having done something). There is a push to do a lot of things to build up our resume and make ourselves more marketable.

But what if that signifies a great loss for us and our culture.  Don't get me wrong, God did make us to produce, and He warns us against being lazy and self-indulgent. However, He made us to represent Him in all our production. This requires us growing in godly characteristics (see Titus 1 - 2 for example).

Perhaps we should still focus on building resumes (after all we will need them to find jobs), but what if we did it more with an eye of seeing how God would use us to serve others and how he would use those situations to develop a greater love in our hearts for Himself.

The usefulness of mere resume virtues will come to end one day. But "eulogy virtues" (or in biblical terms, godliness) is of lasting value.

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (1 Tim 4:6-8).

 If you are looking for a place to start "training yourself for godliness," why not start with the list of virtues God gives us in 1 Timothy and Titus (see below).

Five Vices to Replace

Vice	Opposite	Application
Arrogance/Self-will- Pushy and seeking one's own will instead of God's and instead of looking out for the interests of others. It is also a pride that won’t receive criticism well.	A humble servant who looks out for the interest of others instead of using power for personal gain (Matt. 20:25-28). A proper view of self (a sinner) which enables you to receive criticism.	Do you often push for your own way? How are you looking out for the interests of others? How do you handle criticism?  Do you examine it humbly to see if it is true or does it go “in one ear and out the other?”
Quick-Tempered- Having a “short fuse,” or being easily angered.	Humility, gentleness, patience, love (Eph. 4:1-2)	Are you easily provoked to anger by people and situations? If you ask someone to do something and they don’t do it the way you want or they fail, how do you respond? With patience or in anger?
Drunkard- A person whose companion is wine (or any other substance that causes a person to not be clear-headed/sober-minded).	Being self-controlled and filled with the Spirit (Eph. 4:18).	Are you free not to drink? Do you drink to the point of not being clear-headed? Do you see alcohol as a means of escaping life’s problems?
Violent- Abusiveness, meanness, or fighting to get one’s own way or to suppress opposition. Riding rough-shod over others or bullying them with physical violence or with your words.	Gentleness (1 Tim 3:3) and being a peacemaker (Rom. 12:18).	Do you like brawling to get your way (physically or striking with your words)? Are you argumentative or quick to attack those who get in your way or express a different opinion? Or, do you seek peace in situations?
Greedy for Gain- Seeking financial or material gain without integrity.  Loving money and material things. Unsatisfied with what you have.	Contentment (1 Tim. 6:6), seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness above all (Matt. 6). Being a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).	Are you content financially and materially? Or do you constantly seek happiness in having newer and nicer things (phones, clothes, etc.)?

Six Virtues to Put on

Virtue	Application
Hospitable- One who gives practical help to new comers.	Are you welcoming new people at church instead of just talking to your group of friends? Do you try to meet the needs of other Christians that you do not know that well? Or are you quick to make excuses and slow to inconvenience yourself for others?
Loving what is good- Loves what is good as opposed to sinful, worthless, and not God-glorifying.	Our close friendships should be with those who love good things. The ultimate “good” is Christ. So you should love those who love Christ. Do the TV shows you watch make light of that which is evil according to God?  The problem is not that you would go do the things you see, but that you are mentally delighting in what is not good.
Sensible- Being wise and thoughtful. Not being driven by emotion, but cool-headed.	Are you controlled in your thinking, not given to a lack of control and being “feelings” driven?
Upright- Living righteously and justly.	Do you seek to practice righteousness in your everyday life? Do you want to be just in your dealings with others?
Holy/Devout- Living a life that is pleasing to God.	Do you regularly confess and repent of your sin before the Lord (even if others don’t know about it)? Do you seek to find out what pleases the Lord from His Word? Do you seek to do what is pleasing to the Lord?
Disciplined/ Self-controlled- Having one’s desires in check and under control.	Are you ruled by your desires for money, sleep (laziness), food (overeating), and/or material things? Do you lack control with your use of time (wasting much time on TV or the Internet) or money? Or do you rule over your desires so that you might be focused on pursuing the one prize- namely, Jesus (1 Cor. 9:24-27)?

The Heresy of Racial Superiority

I have not really kept up with news recently, but based on the news out of Charlotte, I think it is worth reminding ourselves that ideas of racial superiority are not in line with the gospel.

Dr. Mohler has a good article entitled "Letter from Berlin: the lessons of history and the heresy of racial superiority." Below is a section that I wanted to highlight (but the whole thing is worth a read).

We must see claims of racial superiority–and mainly that means claims of white superiority–as heresy. 

That is not a word we use casually. Heresy leads to a denial of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the eclipse of the living God as revealed in the Bible. A claim of white superiority is not merely wrong, and not merely deadly. It is a denial of the glory of God in creating humanity—every single human being–in his own image. It is a rejection of God’s glory in creating a humanity of different skin pigmentation. It is a misconstrual of God’s judgment and glory in creating different ethnicities. 

Most urgently, it is a rejection of the gospel of Christ–the great good news of God’s saving purpose in the atonement accomplished by Christ. A claim of racial superiority denies our common humanity, our common sinfulness, our common salvation through faith in Christ, and God’s purpose to create a common new humanity in Christ. 

You cannot preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and hold to any notion of racial superiority. It is impossible.

Why is this true? Here are a few reasons ideas of racial superiority are antithetical to the gospel:

1. The gospel is predicated on the fact that there is one race - the human race- which began in Adam and in which we all find ourselves dead in sin. All of us are "in Adam" (Rom. 5). 
2. The gospel is the good news of God for our salvation - all of our salvation. Colossians 3:11 tells us that being in Christ is what saves us. When it comes to our salvation we all come to God through Jesus Christ. We are on equal footing. 
3. The gospel restores what was broken at the fall into sin, including a breaking down of hostility between people based on racial differences (Ephesians 2:13-15). 
4. White supremacy (or any other type) is not compatible with the gospel because it is a form of self-righteousness and pride. 

As Christians, as people shaped by the gospel, we must  clearly articulate that all people are created equal.