djr - 1960 -2008

David was a friend of mine

Happy Reformation Day

In the midst of the pomp and circumstance of Halloween, let me offer a nod to Reformation Day

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted some advice to the Pope - his 95 Thesis. What started as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church, quickly spread to become the Protestant Reformation.

While many things came from the reformation, one thing is (to me) the most important - That every believer can read, interpret, and apply the bible in their own lives - indeed, Christianity's Dangerous Idea

So this day, in the midst of costumes and candy, of things we do to distract our children from the paganism and commercialism that has overtaken a once religious holiday, may I suggest pointing to that day which is well worth remembering.

Martin Luther penned this hymn - seldom sung in our modern churches, but well worth remembering

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

Happy Reformation Day

David

Is There Fellowship In Church Without Love?

And What Does Love Look Like in Fellowship?

The Nine Marks has a nice series on the church, with lesson six being on Fellowship. One of the interesting things is they do not talk about pot lucks, small groups, singing or any other action. All they focus on is Love.

Fellowship: Building a Bond of Unity

"Living as a Church"—Class 6

For the first few weeks of this class, we looked at some of the key building blocks of a healthy New Testament church. We explored the essential attributes of the church and considered how each of those fosters unity. We also thought about how we, as individual members, can promote unity.

Over the next two weeks, we turn to a different set of questions: How should church members relate to one another? What should their relationships look like? What does it mean to have healthy relationships in the church? Why should we care?

I. Love, and why it's important

So how should Christians relate to one another? What should characterize their relationships? The Bible actually has a lot to say about this, and the answer is pretty simple: Christians are to love.

Is it Love - Without Obedience?

The Christian cannot be certain of the reality and depth of his love until he comes face-to-face with the commandments of Christ and is forced to decide what to do about them. Then he will know. “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings” (John 14:24), said our Lord. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me" (John 14:21). So the final test of love is obedience. Not sweet emotions, not willingness to sacrifice, not zeal, but obedience to the commandments of Christ. Our Lord drew a line plain and tight for everyone to see. On one side He placed those who keep His commandments and said, “These love Me.” On the other side He put those who keep not His sayings, and said, “These love Me not.”

A.W. Tozer

Is it Love - If There Is No Sacrifice?

Greater love hath no man....

Husbands, love your wives....

For God...

Since Jacob had fallen in love...

And live in love...

Now I will most gladly spend and be spent...

When they could not pay...

If there is not actual sacrifice involved, do you actually love?

A Son's Love for His Father

A Eulogy for My Father

by Christopher Buckley

Do Christian Fundamentalists Truly Love God?

A provocative accusation by A.W. Tozer

Neither the word adoration nor any of its forms is found in our familiar King James Bible, but the idea is there in full bloom. The great Bible saints were, above all, enraptured lovers of God. The psalms celebrate the love which David (and a few others) felt for the person of God. As suggested above, Paul admitted that the love of God was in his breast a kind of madness: “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is of God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us” (2 Cor. 5:13-14). In Weymouth’s translation the passage reads, “For the love of Christ overmasters us.” The idea appears to be that Paul’s love for Christ carried him beyond himself and made him do extravagant things which to a mind untouched with the delights of such love might seem quite irrational. Perhaps the most serious charge that can be brought against modern Christians is that we are not sufficiently in love with Christ. The Christ of Fundamentalism is strong but hardly beautiful. It is rarely that we find anyone aglow with personal love for Christ. I trust it is not uncharitable to say that in my opinion a great deal of praise in conservative circles is perfunctory and forced, where it is not downright insincere.

I never thought of this in exactly this way - but I wonder if it is why I gravitated towards Chi Alpha in college as a new believer - they were a group that was completely in love with Christ, and we did many things that non-believers may well of thought of us out of our mind for. Far more than the other groups on campus (CC, Navs, etc) (which are all fine groups, fyi)