This is Hazakim from the new 9 Marks album pointing out the importance of the gospel in the local church. It is also a fascinating way to present to someone the true, uncompromised gospel.
Category: Article
The Dad Life
It’s well done and funny. . .
A.W. Pink on Holiness
A.W. Pink on the attribute of God’s holiness, from chapter 8 of Pink’s book on God’s attributes:
God’s holiness is manifested at the Cross. Wondrously and yet most solemnly does the Atonement display God’s infinite holiness and abhorrence of sin. How hateful must sin be to God for Him to punish it to its utmost deserts when it was imputed to His Son!
Not all the vials of judgment that have or shall be poured out upon the wicked world, nor the flaming furnace of a sinner’s conscience, nor the irreversible sentence pronounced against the rebellious demons, nor the groans of the damned creatures, give such a demonstration of God’s hatred of sin, as the wrath of God let loose upon His Son. Never did Divine holiness appear more beautiful and lovely than at the time our Saviour’s countenance was most marred in the midst of His dying groans. This Himself acknowledges in Psa. 22. When God had turned His smiling face from Him, and thrust His sharp knife into His heart, which forced that terrible cry from Him, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” He adores this perfection—”Thou art holy,” v. 3 (S. Charnock).
Because God is holy He hates all sin. He loves everything which is in conformity to His laws, and loathes everything which is contrary to it. His Word plainly declares, “The froward is an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 3:32). And again, “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 15:26). It follows, therefore, that He must necessarily punish sin. Sin can no more exist without demanding His punishment than without requiring His hatred of it. God has often forgiven sinners, but He never forgives sin; and the sinner is only forgiven on the ground of Another having borne his punishment; for “without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). Therefore we are told, “The Lord will, take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth Wrath for His enemies” (Nahum 1:2). For one sin God banished our first parents from Eden. For one sin all the posterity of Ham fell under a curse which remains over them to this day (Gen. 9:21). For one sin Moses was excluded from Canaan, Elisha’s servant smitten with leprosy, Ananias and Sapphira cut off out of the land of the living.
My Disney Experience
On Saturday, June 12, my family and I made a trip to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando. Yes, everybody told us how hot and crowded it would be and why going in June for only 1 day was a total waste of time. You know what, those people were wrong. My family had a wonderful day. Here are some of the highlights.
Attractions
Usually what people want to know first is what attractions we were able to experience. So, let me get that list out of the way with a comment or two as appropriate.
Park Opening Ceremony – I had no idea that they actually put on a show to open the park. This was very special. I still can hear the sound of Josiah shouting “Mickey!!!” when he caught his first glimpse of the big mouse in the opening number. If you’re going with kids who love the characters, don’t miss this as all the characters show up.
Dumbo’s Flying Circus – the ride is dull for adults, but my kids loved the fact that they could use the stick to make Dumbo fly higher or lower.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic – One of the best ideas a parent can have is to take their kids on attractions that involve air conditioning. This is a 4d experience. Kids watch the movie with 3d glasses and puffs of air and sprinkles of water add feeling to the experience. Josiah was jumping up trying to catch the flying instruments as this show was taking place.
Breakfast with the Princesses in Cinderella’s Castle – This was just Abigail and Mitzi. At the end of the day, Abigail told me that this was her favorite part. She took pictures with Cinderella and met Bell, Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).
Peter Pan’s Flight – there are several experiences at Disney that involve slow moving rides that take you through a theme. This is one of them. These rides are things that don’t scare the kids, generally, and which are inside in the cool air.
It’s a Small World – see Peter Pan
Mad Tea Party – My mom wanted to ride the tea cups, so , we road them while waiting on the kids to come out of something else. Yes, just me and my mom.
The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh – See Peter Pan
The Haunted Mansion – It was too scary for my kids, but it’s so fun. They seemed to get over the fright. Otherwise, see Peter Pan.
The Show In Front of Cinderella’s Castle – This show was wonderful. Several characters, both good guys and bad guys, showed up for this one. Josiah told me when he saw the characters, “Maybe I should go over and meet them.” (
Dumbo’s Flying Circus (second time)
Pirates of the Caribbean – See Peter Pan
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin – This ride is Dumbo with a different theme. But there was no waiting, so we rode it.
Chef Mickey’s (Dinner with characters ) – Holy cow! Worth the time—no question about it. Mickey, Mini, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald were all there. Each character came to our table and interacted with the kids. The food was pretty good, too. No, it’s not cheap.
Light Parade – Very nice, but it was crowded. Get a spot early, at least 45 minutes before parade time.
Fireworks – the fireworks above the castle are breathtaking. They have music and character voices that make this much more than a fireworks display. Tinkerbelle actually flew over the castle during the show (a real person on a wire).
Other Observations
My kids were absolutely wonderful—no melt-downs, no real wining, and they were very happy and excited all day long.
I can’t believe how happy it made me to experience my kids being happy. I almost cried at the opening when Josiah saw Mickey—ditto the show in front of the castle and Chef Mickey’s. I’m not weepy, so if you know me, you know this was special.
Accessibility was excellent. The park gave me a device that gave me audio descriptions of many of the attractions. I’ll describe that later.
I haven’t been that hot and stinky in a long, long time.
Fast pass is wonderful. We would have never made it on so many attractions without it.
Accessibility
As I mentioned, the park gave me a device that was a little larger than an old video IPod that I wore on a lanyard around my neck. When I entered an attraction, let’s use for example It’s a Small World, the device told me what was going on through a pair of headphones. So, as I got ready to get on the boat, my headphones were describing to me the look of the room and the size of the boats. It even told me that diners in a particular restaurant had a view of us as we got on board. As we sailed through the ride, the headphones described for me the different children in their costumes and what they carried or did. Clearly the device was activated by sensors in the ride, so it never got ahead of itself, even when the boats seemed to sit still for loading.
This device also told me what happened on the movie screen in Mickey’s PhilharMagic. It talked me through Peter Pan’s Flight, Pooh, the Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean too. I was truly able to enjoy the rides with my kids, talking with them about things they saw or should look for.
The park staff was also extremely nice and helpful to me as I got on and off of rides like Dumbo with just myself and Abigail or Josiah.
Most Important Thought
The Bible tells us that every good gift comes to us from God. Yes, I grasp the materialism and self-focus that is often present in the Disney experiences. I don’t know that we will ever spend money like that again for a theme park. But I also know that God, out of his grace, gave me a nearly perfect day with my family to laugh and enjoy the park together. I am grateful to God for that kindness, and would be remiss if I did not make this the most important point of my experience.
A Priceless Shopping Experience
On Friday, I found myself at a department store looking for a gift for my wife. Some friends were helping me in the process, and my three-year-old son, Josiah, was along. While conversing with a nice lady on the other side of a jewelry counter, I told her that our family was going to soon take a trip to Disney World in Orlando. Wanting to involve Josiah in the conversation, I instructed him, “Tell her what you are going to do at Disney World.”
You must understand, at this point, that what I expected was for Josiah to tell her that he was going to see Mickey Mouse, ride rides, or something like that. We’re looking for what kind of thing has him excited about going to the happiest place on earth.
Imagine, then, my fatherly pride when my boy piped up and told the saleslady, “I’m gonna tell Mickey Mouse that I can pee-pee in the potty.”
Gift for my wife: $$$
Dinner: $
Gas for the trip: $$
Hearing my son tell a jewelry department lady that he is going to converse with a stranger in a costume about his ability to pee-pee in the potty: Priceless
Tripp on Reasons to Work on Your Marriage
Paul Tripp has some excellent thoughts for us to ponder about how our lives as creations of God give us reason to continue to work hard in our marriages. The following comes from the end of chapter 2 of Tripp’s new book:
Tripp, Paul David. What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.
Where will you find the reasons to continue working on your marriage
in those disappointing moments when those reasons are most needed? Well, you won’t find them in your spouse. He or she shares your condition; your spouse is still a flawed person in need of God’s transforming grace. You won’t find them in the ease of your circumstances. You still live in a world that is groaning and broken. You won’t find them in surface strategies and techniques; your struggles are deeper than that. You will only find your reasons to continue by looking up.
When your heart rests in the amazing wisdom of the choices of a powerful Creator, you have given yourself reason to continue. When your heart celebrates the myriad of careful choices that were made to bring your stories together, you have given yourself reason to continue. When your heart is filled with gratitude for the amazing grace that you both have been and are being given, you have given yourself reason to continue. You are not alone. Your creating, ruling, transforming Lord is still with you. He has brought your stories together and placed them smack-dab in the middle of his redemptive story. As long as he is Creator, as long as he is sovereign, and as long as he is the Savior, you have reason to get up in the morning and love one another, even though you aren’t yet what he created you to be.
Ed Welch on Fearing God Instead of Man
Ever struggle with fearing the opinions or power of others? Perhaps these paragraphs from Ed Welch’s book will help you to see that fearing God is the solution to your struggles.
Edward T. Welch. When People Are Big and God is Small. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 1997.
“If you have ever walked among giant redwoods, you will never be overwhelmed by the size of a dogwood tree. Or if you have been through a hurricane, a spring rain is nothing to fear. If you have been in the presence of the almighty God, everything that once controlled you suddenly has less power” (119).
All these biblical examples point to the same conclusions: The triune God delights in showing us his grandeur and holiness, and we should never be satisfied with our present knowledge of him. So aspire to the fear of the Lord. Such a desire will certainly be satisfied as we pray, Lord, teach your church to fear you. Your grace is not always amazing to us. We are slow to hate our sin. We are more concerned with what someone thinks about our appearance than we are about reverential obedience before you. We want to delight in fear. We want to treasure it and give it to the next generation. Amen. (133)
Greg Gilbert on "What Is the Gospel"
Greg Gilbert. “Addendum: WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?” in Proclaiming a Cross Centered Theology. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009.
to proclaim the inauguration of the kingdom and the new creation and all the rest without proclaiming how people can enter it—by repenting and being forgiven of their sins through faith in Christ and his atoning death—is to preach a non-gospel. Indeed, it is to preach bad news, since you give people no hope of being included in that new creation. The gospel of the kingdom is not merely the proclamation of the kingdom. It is the proclamation of the kingdom together with the proclamation that people may enter it by repentance and faith in Christ. (126-127)
I believe it is wrong ever to say that non-Christians are doing “kingdom work.” A non-Christian working for human reconciliation or justice is doing a good thing, but that is not kingdom work, because it is not done in the name of the King. C. S. Lewis was wrong; you cannot do good things in the name of Tash and expect Aslan to be happy about it. (129)
As I’ve argued before, I believe that many in the so-called emergent church—for all their insistence about how astonishing and surprising their gospel is—have missed entirely what really is astonishing about the gospel. That Jesus is king and has inaugurated a kingdom of love and compassion is not really all that astonishing. Every Jew knew that was going to happen someday. What is truly astonishing about the gospel is that the messianic King dies to save his people—that the divine Son of Man in Daniel, the Davidic Messiah, and the suffering servant in Isaiah turn out to be the same man. That, moreover, is ultimately how we tie together the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of the cross. Jesus is not just King, but crucified King. Next to that, what many in the emergent church are holding out as an astonishing gospel is not astonishing at all. It’s just boring. (130)
There is only one command that is actually included in the gospel itself (whether broad or narrow): repent and believe. That is the primary obligation on human beings in this age, and therefore it must be our primary emphasis in our preaching, too. (130)
Mark Dever on Improving the Gospel
Mark Dever “Improving the Gospel: Exercises in Unbiblical Theology (or) Questioning Five Common Deceits” in Proclaiming a Cross Centered Theology. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009.
“People often try to improve the gospel, but in “improving” it, they always end up losing it” (99).
“This gospel we have received is itself full and lacks nothing. Thus, to add to it is only to detract from it—and from God’s glory” (119).
“Rising generation of ministers, hear this call. I don’t know how long in God’s kindness he will even suffer for such an admonition to be given out to you. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about temporary structures; it is about immortal beings made in God’s image. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about pressing issues of passing policy; it is about the death of Jesus Christ on the cross once for all time. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about connecting with the questions the non-Christian has; it is about communicating the answer God has given. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about me experiencing immediate joy with my friends; it is about my ever-lasting joy in God, and it leads me into a local church with people as sinful and as inconvenient to love as I am. And the gospel of Jesus Christ is not about the number of sinners saved; it is about the glory of the God who saves anyone at all” (120).
Thabiti on Race
Thabiti Anyabwile. “BEARING THE IMAGE” in T4G Proclaiming a Cross Centered Theology. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009.
Picture yourself walking into a lunchroom. You enter alone. There are two tables in the lunchroom. The table on your left includes a group of people unlike you, some ethnic other. The table on your right includes a group of people ethnically like you. What would you instinctively do? We gravitate toward those we perceive to be like us. What is the mental calculus behind that gravitation? What are the mental mathematics taking place that lead to that impulse? We enter the room; we look at the two tables with the two groups, and at the speed of thought we calculate “not like me” or “like me.” Then we think, Like me; therefore safe. Like me and safe; therefore, some benefits to be gained. Like me and safe; some benefits to be gained; and therefore the likelihood of some joy and peace from our commonality. There is an opposite calculus going on simultaneously: Not like me; not safe; no benefit to be gained; no joy to share. This happens at the speed of thought for most of us.
When we walk into the lunchroom with differing groups, we want to replace that calculus with this: Descended from Adam—like me. Made in the image of God—like me. Fallen sinners—like me. It’s the emphasis on like me—the heritage we share in Adam—that begins to lay for our feet a bridge to cross over “otherness” (70)
All that we’ve said about our common ancestry in Adam is a resource available to both Christian and non-Christian alike. Our shared ancestry in Adam is a basis and resource for shared identity and understanding apart from our religious background. But for the Christian, there is an even greater basis for unity across ethnic lines and the abandonment of race as a part of our worldview and spiritual life. That basis is our union in Jesus Christ.
When the Christian walks into that lunchroom, she or he sees two groups and thinks, Descended from Adam—like me. Made in the image of God—like me. Fallen sinners—like me. If we find that any of those persons in the lunchroom are Christians, we are able to say, United to Christ—like me. Sharing his Spirit—like me. Received the promises of eternal life and everlasting joy—like me. The Scriptures tell us that in Christ we are given everything that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). I don’t think escaping the problems of race is an exception. (71)
All of human history is headed to this one reality—a new kingdom of priests, one in Christ, redeemed by his blood, serving the one true and living God. If that’s where we’re headed, why not live more like that now? (79)
Pastor Travis Peterson 