Just began our six week look into the Prodigal God series.
Are you the older brother or the younger brother? We yearn for a true elder brother… to welcome us home.
Luke 15
The Prodigal God
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Category Archives: Resources
Time to Worship (February)
The blizzard of 2010 and various circumstances allowed us to worship at different places this past month. Most of it came in the form of family time and personal reading. But we did deal with a lot of sluggard/laziness during this time. Time just slipped away this month.
So this past Sonship meeting was good in which we continued Chapter 7 on Repentance. True repentance is often confused with fake repentance. Things like groveling, offering sacrifice, blame shifting, coming up with great insight on your sin… these things are not true repentance.
So what does true repentance look like? It is an acknowledgement of your sin, turning to God, asking for forgiveness for specific sins and also seeking help. There is a humility, there is joy, there is knowledge of your forgiveness in Christ and freedom in being no longer in the bondage of sin. There is freedom in knowing that you no longer have to justify or atone for yourself. Christ has done it.
There’s also community when we repent we recognize that we are sinners and that we are no better than other people. We humbly acknowledge that other people’s failings are due to their very definite need for Christ… and so we respond with GRACE. An unrepentant person doesn’t see this. An unrepentant person sees only the sin or failings or weakness of that person. The repentant person sees that it is Christ that the other person needs and calls and prays and leads the other person to Christ in order to restore.
With true repentance will come change, but it will be an internal change that will manifest itself outwardly. It is not the other way around. This all coincided with my re-listening to Tim Keller’s sermon series on the Prodigal Son. He mentioned another thing about true repentance that we see God as beauty rather than duty. My prayers will be more and more adoration for God rather than requests from God. We seek relationship with Him opposed to just his blessings.
Thank you Jesus. This is exactly what I (we) needed for such an extended period of laziness. Lord change me and mold me… to be a son.
Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.There is power, power, wonder working power
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb.
Time to Worship (New Year 2010)
As the new year arrives we are doing an account of our past year. Where can we improve, what areas of our lives do we want to see changed? We talked about it today.
Areas needed – organization/effective use of our time, i.e. scheduling,
Areas wanting to improve – evangelism and fellowship. wanting to share the gospel and witness God’s work in our lives and in people’s lives.
Realizing that we lack faith in many areas of life – As we were thinking of areas of change, we realize that our hearts must be changed in order to do the things that we wanted to do.
As we learned this past year through How People Change… all situations, all failures, all successes is the HEAT in this life that God will use for our sanctificatino. Our response shows us where our trust and our faith is. In looking back and recognizing that there were a lot of THORNS and sinful responses, we can see that we place our trust in ourself, our ability, our selfish ambitions, our wisdom, etc. The thorns provide a gauge into our heart to show where we have placed our trust.
In this coming year it is my prayer that we see the CROSS as the first place to go in response to any and every situation. Recognizing the sovereignty of God, God’s goodness to us, God’s redemption of us, God’s provision for us, God’s promises to bless us to be a blessing to others, God’s gift of justification and sanctification… in order that we may bear good FRUIT.
Lord use me, use our family, use our church in a mighty way this year.
Time to Worship (November)
As October ends, we continue in a pretty solid pattern. We have bible reading with the family around 9PM. Just about everyone is ready for bed and it is a good time to settle down. The occasional out day and bible study nights will push this later, but usually around nine and ten has been optimal for us to get ready for bed.
Our readings have been through our family bible and the children’s bible. We have been very blessed with both girls being very attentive to both readings. We are currently in 1 Samuel in our family bible, reading through David’s exploits and seeing the differences between David’s early career and Saul’s kingship, and comparing to later in life. Things get a bit crazy, as always. David is a hero, but he is also human. Sin does not discriminate. Saul struggles. We can see that, he seems to want to please God sometimes, but on his own strength he cannot and fails.
We see the description of the Success and Failures (HEAT) in both of their lives and one responds with THORNS and the other responds by going to the CROSS. It is only at the CROSS do we see FRUIT.
Our sonship class had to do with sharing the Gospel. We have struggled in the past with sharing and continue to see this part of our lives as being a bit weak. I do see however God motivating us or moving us in that direction lately. It has been on my mind to share more directly with people the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is continually reminding me to be faithful in the little things and he will entrust me with more. The parable of the Talents and C. Garriott’s book Work Excellence has been on my mind of late as well.
Finally, the theme of Shalom has continued to be with me since the start of my missions class. Seeking the Shalom (Peace and Prosperity) of the City… seemed to be the start of Redeemer Presbyterian Church’s goal… as we view our time at church and our time at our community, we have felt we never truly sought the Shalom of wherever we have been. This is a holistic shalom. Reconciliation between Man and God, Man and man and Man and self. Shalom is not only peace, but also includes prosperity, blessing… it is a restoring of what is wrong to what is right. I need to see this more, I need to live this more.
Time to Worship (Mid-Autumn Summary)
It is mid-October and we are in the midst of the flu/sick season. The past few worship services have focused on work, life, faith.
We started a new Sunday School on Apologetics based on C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. You can follow along here at GentlenessAndRespect.com.
Our family time of worship at home has been stagnant due to illnesses, but it should be the other way around. Our worship should be first irrespective of circumstances.
Recently we have been dealing with the concept of sonship, mercy ministries, and servanthood. May God work in all of our hearts and sanctify his people.
Time to Worship (July Summary)
We are currently beginning the book of Ruth in our nightly bible reading. After finishing Judges we were a bit troubled at how different and “ungodly” many of God’s servants were. Maybe a bit of fresh air, but disturbed nonetheless.
Ruth is someone who is a little bit more in our “scope” of who a servant of God should look like. Anyways, we’ll be surely disappointed when there is sexual sin in her life as well 
As a family, we’ve been pretty busy. We had a weekend retreat up in CT for a friend’s wedding and back in town for my sister’s wedding. I’ve been listening to various seminary classes I downloaded online from iTunesU.
Theology of Ministry (RTS)
Youth Ministry (Covenant Seminary)
These practical theology courses are bit of a change for me as I shift gears from systematic to practical. The actual application has always been what I enjoy doing and as we examine our lives over the past year, we can see areas where we need a lot of work.
Over the next few posts we’ll examine what we need to do, areas we need to focus on, areas we need to change, areas we need to repent of.
Because we are going through “How People Change” series in sunday school, I felt it would be very good for us as a family to examine what areas of our lives when faced with the HEAT of life are THORNY and what areas we need to go to the CROSS in order to bear FRUIT.
Lord help us all.
Sonship
These past few weeks have been interesting. The theme of sonship seems to be popping up more often now. In a sermon series by Tim Keller on the Prodigal Son, he discusses true sonship. I started listening to a series entitled “Grace in the Church” by Steve brown in which he refers to sonship a lot… how we are living as christians and the prisons and traps we fall into when we forget who we are. Then we are doing a series in our fellowship concerning Jack Miller’s Sonship which is referred to a lot by Steve Brown as well. We have been doing a series in sunday school concerned with how people change… the last chapter asks how we are embracing our “sonship.”
Even as we read Samson in Judges, I see how evident it is in prayer and in people’s lives that when we embrace our identity as son of God through Christ we would act and behave in a way that is in conformity with God and bear fruit. When we forget or embrace some other identity we start losing out on things… even becoming enslaved again to the patterns of this world.
As I examine my own life, I see myself falling in ways due to fear of man, trusting things other than God, my own laziness, my own fears, my own selfishness… all of these things are due in some part my misunderstanding of my standing before God. As a son, I can approach the throne of grace with confidence. I can come to my father and ask whatever I want in Jesus name… I can please my daddy by doing his will… but even if I fail… He will delight in me because of who I am. I’ve been living like a pharisee, I’ve been living like a slave… a servant… a hired hand…
Even when I read and re-read the Luke 15 story, I can see clearly how I approach the father thinking that I can work as a hired hand to pay back all that I owe my father. But the father doesn’t want me to be a hired hand… he wants me to embrace my place as a son… as an hier… as one that has been redeemed by my older brother, Jesus.
Oh how I have lived liked the pharisee for too long.
Luke 15:21″The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22″But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
Come to the father… let him embrace you as a son… and embrace him back as his son.
End of June Update
Been pretty busy with family and friends visiting. We are currently in the book of Judges. After finishing Esther, we decided to go back and read the book of Judges.
Finished reading Samson’s story yesterday and finding a lot of things about God’s servants. Surprising to say the least.
Also listening to Steve Brown‘s lectures on “Grace and the Church” from RTS Virtual on iTunesU. It is a very good lecture. Steve refers to Jack Miller’s Sonship very often and talks about finding grace in Jesus especially in church and other parts of our lives where we do not act like grace exists.
we’ve been praying lately for our church, family and various situations going on in our families. I’m learning grace… for the very first time, again.
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
Time to Reflect (Week 7 Sunday)
This past weekend was crazy to say the least and to top if off we experienced some of human depravity first hand. Usually we just discuss things, but Sunday afternoon was a time where we were not only able to share our faith in God, but also learn a little bit about apologetics and human depravity and everyone’s need for Jesus.
My wife and I were at a friend’s house where we met some other people. One used to go to church, the other is a former catholic who goes to another church because of his wife. Both my wife and I were stumped. We didn’t know what to say, our heads were swirling as they continued with one accusation after another. It was interesting how easily it was to attack catholics, then protestants, both the hypocrisy of the church and also its exclusivity. It didn’t help that my wife pointed out we went to presbyterian church (highly exclusive) and that I was a deacon…
It didn’t occur to us until after we left the party… it was supposed to be a kids party, but some of the adults got out of hand and so we were more than happy to make an escape for it. But it was a shame we didn’t have the “right words” to say while there. On our drive back home, we prayed and finally understood what we “should have” said. Even during the conversation, my mind was being pushed to the Matthew 7 passage:
1″Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3″Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
But I didn’t know what to make of it. Finally in the car it occurred to me that we were all so quick to judge, even myself, that we didn’t really understand the extent of Christ’s words. We are far worse than we think we are. The bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God… we are all under condemnation. The conversation never went to that extent and I think we all missed it.
We think we merit something because we are better than Catholics or other Christians, but we all have that plank in our eye and we all have specks in our eyes. It is only through the saving work of Christ that anyone can be saved. One argument that was brought up was the righteous Buddhist monk that lived a life that far exceeded any Christian… Would he too be sentenced to Hell just because he didn’t believe in Jesus? In our eyes, he probably was a saint and angel… but in God’s eyes, which sees things much differently… sees through the heart of man knows the corruption that lays within, far within. And it is only being in Christ that God sees a man as being righteous. That’s the difference between faith and unbelief. One is willing to accept things from God’s perspective (we are far worse than we think)… the other fails to see God’s ways because of our limited perspective (at least we’re better than those people).
As we drove home, we realized that unless we understood fully our own depravity, we would be useless in sharing the Gospel. Unless we stopped judging other people and started judging ourselves, we would be totally unequipped to know and share the Good News…
I’m bad. I’m evil. I’m corrupt. That is the reason why I need Jesus.
Time to Worship (Week 5 Wednesday)
We had an hour and a half online session yesterday listening to and discussing chapter 1 of Sonship by Jack Miller. Just read a review of it by Van Dixhoorn concerning it from WTJ vol.61-2. I’m a little biased since Van Dixhoorn was my professor last semester.
Anyways, we looked at sin, grace, Christ, adoption, the Gospel… The audio was a bit dated but the message was received. I think after listening to the Gospel Coalition, I was spoiled by some really good teaching. But one thing that this has is community. We were able to connect with different people and have a little bit of discussion and prayer. This is different from individual learning and studying. As we’ve been learning, change happens in a community. We were blessed last night with a community of believers that was willing to share.
…
We had our family reading last night as well. We looked at Ezra chapter 7. In it we see that Ezra came from a long line. He was descended from a line that was recorded by the author. He was also highly respected by the King as one who knew the Law of the Lord. Ezra spent his life studying and teaching and preaching. This is one man who was purpose driven. He was goal driven. And had a singular vision… to glorify God.
In the letter from Artaxerxes, Ezra was claimed to possess the knowledge of God, he was claimed to know the law of God so well that he was able to command his fellow Israelites in the ways of the Lord.
That was my prayer last night. That we as a family would know God so well that we can not only live well, but also be a witness of our Great God and make him known to others.
Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. – Ezra 7:27-28