John Piper & Me (#2)

A few months ago, John Piper marked his 30th anniversary in the pulpit of Bethlehem Baptist Church, where I was once a member and a pastoral intern (we were called “apprentices” in those days). As I mentioned this relationship here in The Breadline, I was asked by a blog reader:

What was John Piper like on a personal level, how did he influence or change your perspective on ministry, and what would you say is the most important thing he taught you?

My first answer had to do with John’s vibrant model of a ministry driven by reformed theology. Let me follow up that post with this (and hopefully one more).

Second: I came to know about passionate, biblical worship by attending BBC, led by Pastor John Piper. I first went to hear the preacher, but then was awe-struck by the dynamic, reverent and God-centered worship in that place. Words are hard to come by to adequately describe how significant an impact those worship services made upon me. My very definition of worship is built upon one that John taught —

“WORSHIP IS FOCUSING YOUR MIND’S ATTENTION AND YOUR HEART’S AFFECTION ON THE GLORY AND GRACE OF GOD.”

You can read about John’s theology of worship in his book DESIRING GOD, MEDITATIONS OF A CHRISTIAN HEDONIST [his website allows you to read the book for free online, or to download a PDF copy for free].

There John describes worship with a wonderful word-picture:

The fuel of worship is the truth of God, the furnace of worship is the spirit of man, and the heat of worship is the vital affections of reverence, contrition, trust, gratitude and joy. …

The fuel of worship is a true vision of the greatness of God; the fire that makes the fuel burn white hot is the quickening of the Holy Spirit; the furnace made alive and warm by the flame of truth is our renewed spirit; and the resulting heat of our affections is powerful worship, pushing its way out in confessions, longings, acclamations, tears, songs, shouts, bowed heads, lifted hands and obedient lives.

Preaching sound, biblical theology fuels the passionate worship of a great God! I discovered that thanks to the ministry of John Piper (and Tom Steller and several other dear people at BBC).

pdb

[the first post with this same title was in October 2009]

Holiness

One of the books most often cited on the “top ten” lists of many, many Christians (myself included), is the classic work, HOLINESS by J C Ryle.

[Ryle is one of my favorite authors, particularly for his sweet and simple commentaries on the four Gospels; I'm so thankful that an old friend, Brent Nelson, pointed me to Ryle some 20+ years ago]

In chapter three you’ll find several points on the nature of practical holiness. Here is a short list of points (with some texts added) which I compiled for last Wednesday’s prayer meeting at CPCC:

Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God. 
– 1st Peter 1:14-15

A holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin, and to keep every known commandment. 
 — Psalm 119:127-128

A holy man will strive to be like our Lord Jesus Christ. 
– Romans 8:29; 1 John 2:6

A holy man will govern his emotions and his tongue.
 — Galatians 5:22-24

A holy man will pursue temperance and self-denial.
 — 1 Corinthians 9:27

A holy man will manifest charity and brotherly kindness. 
– Colossians 3:12-13; 1 Peter 1:22

A holy man will show a spirit of mercy and active benevolence. 
– Acts 9:36; 2 Corinthians 12:15

A holy man will follow after purity of heart.
 — Proverbs 4:23

A holy man will follow after the fear of God.
 — 2 Corinthians 7:1

A holy man will follow after humility. 
– 1st Peter 5:5

A holy man will faithfully perform all his duties.
 — Colossians 3:23

A holy man will follow after spiritual-mindedness.
 — 1st Peter 1:13; Philippians 2:5; Colossians 3:2

As he writes, Ryle reminds us in Hebrews 12:14 that there is a “…holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” This should move us to pray, and to pursue greater holiness…
– pdb

The work week…

As the “work week” begins remember the biblical view and context of your labors. Tony Payne & Colin Marshall (in their new book The Trellis & The Vine) share this brief summary….

• Working is a good and fundamental part of being human in God’s world. Form the very beginning, mankind was placed in teh garden to work it and to keep it.

• This side of the Fall, work is cursed and frustrating… but it remains good and worthwhile and necessary.

• Christians are strongly motivated to work, not only because of the place of work in creation, but also because work (like any other field of life) is a theatre for our service of Christ. Whatever you do, says Paul to the Colossians, “in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

• At a deep level, when we work at any job, we work for Christ. As Paul goes on to say in Colossians 3, “Whatever you do , work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

• As Christians, we do not work in order to gan self-fulfilment or fame or personal kudos. We work not for ourselves but for others, to serve them, to not be a burden to them, and to have something to share (Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:8)

• Secular work is thus very valuable, worthwhile and important. But like any good thing, it can become an idol. We can start to look to our work for our significance and value.

[pp. 137-138, emphasis added]

Love the Word of God

I love God’s Word, and Psalm 119 helps me understand why. A friend has recently shared an arrangement of verses from Psalm 119 which direct our affections for — and approach to — the Bible. I hope this encourages you to sit and read the whole psalm this weekend. Enjoy! — pdb

Our Heart & Attitude when We Study the Bible – Texts from Psalm 119

God’s Word Is Greater than All Wealth and Sweeter than Honey
The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces (119:72).
Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold (119:127).
I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil (119:162).
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth (119:103)!

God’s Word Should Be Our Delight
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word (119:16).
Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors (119:24).
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it (119:35).
If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction (119:92).
Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end (119:111-112).

We Should Long for God’s Word
My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times (119:20).
My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me (119:81-82)?
I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments (119:131).

God’s Word Helps Keep Us from Sin
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (119:9-11).
Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me (119:133).

God Revives Us through His Word
My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word (119:25).
My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word (119:28).
I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life (119:93).
I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word (119:107).

God’s Word Makes Us Wise and Guides Us
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts (119:98-100).
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (119:105).
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple (119:130).

We Need God’s Help
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law (119:18).
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart (119:34).
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain (119:36).
Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared (119:38).

Foundation for peace

“Without justification it is impossible to have real peace. Conscience forbids it. Sin is a mountain between a man and God, and must be taken away. The sense of guilt lies heavy on the heart, and must be removed. Unpardoned sin will murder peace. The true Christian knows all this well. His peace arises from a consciousness of his sins being forgiven, and his guilt being put away. His house is not built on sandy ground. His well is not a broken cistern, which can hold no water. He has peace with God, because he is justified.”

~ J.C. Ryle

Old Paths, “Justification”, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1999], 215.

Haiti — in numbers…

The following is compiled and presented by CNN:

Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) — Two weeks after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, the numbers have mounted. The numbers tell stories of death and destruction, as well as a global outpouring of aid. CNN has compiled the latest, most reliable figures available as the devastation continues to unfold:

THE TOLL
150,000: Latest estimate of the death toll, from the Haitian Health Ministry. The European Union and the Pan American Health Organization, which is coordinating the health-sector response, have estimated the quake killed 200,000 people.
194,000: Number of injured
134: Estimated number of people rescued by international search teams since the quake

THE EFFECT
9 million: Population of Haiti
3 million: Estimated number of people affected by the quake
1.5 million: Homeless people living on streets, including the thousands who lived in slums or makeshift homes prior to the quake
235,000: People who have left Port-au-Prince using free transportation provided by the government. The number who left by private means is undetermined.
At least 50: Aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or higher that have hit Haiti since the January 12 quake

THE CHILDREN
300,000: Children younger than 2 who need nutritional support
90: Percentage of schools in Port-au-Prince that have been destroyed
497: Haitian orphans who have been evacuated

THE RESPONSE IN DOLLARS
$1.12 billion: International aid pledges
$783 million: Funds received as of Tuesday
$317 million: U.S. assistance as of Monday

THE RESPONSE IN MANPOWER
17,000: U.S. military personnel in and around Haiti
8 million: Meals the World Food Programme has delivered to nearly 400,000 people
300: Aid distribution sites that are up and running
130 to 150: Flights arriving every day at the single-runway Port-au-Prince airport with aid

EFFECT ON FOREIGNERS
12,000: U.N. workers in the country at the time of the quake
53: U.N. workers still missing
At least 82: U.N. workers confirmed dead
27: U.N. workers injured or hospitalized
11,500: Americans and family members who have been evacuated
4,800: Americans unaccounted for
60: Americans confirmed dead

Sources: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Red Cross, the United Nations, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. State Department and the World Food Programme, Haiti Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive

Tattoos and biblical counsel

I love this response by Dr Moore to a young man who writes for advice on: Should I Get a Christian Tattoo (Even If My Parents Don’t Like It)?

First the letter….

Dear Dr. Moore,

I want to get a tattoo. I’d like it on my stomach, with a cross, with the words, “Flee Immorality: You Were Bought with a Price.” I’d like this as a measure of accountability for myself as the years go by, in case the zeal I have for the gospel ever wanes and I’m ever in a place of temptation this will be an ever-present reminder of what I know to be true.

I am really convicted that this is what the Lord would have me to do. Here’s my problem.

I am 19 years old and a college student. I live at home with my parents. I work and pay for my own school, but I live with them. I love my parents and truly believe I honor them, but where does “honor your father and mother” end? I really believe this is an issue of obedience in doing what the Lord seems to be directing me to do.

You probably agree with my parents that I shouldn’t get the tattoo and I can respect that. I’ve thought it all through. My question isn’t whether I should get the tattoo; it’s whether I’d be sinning against God and my parents if I did it.

If I am under their authority right now, when does that end? When I’m 21? When I’m out of the house? Or does it ever end, when it comes to making decisions like this?

Sincerely,
Bought with a Price

Then this response….

Dear Bought,

First of all, I hope my sons grow up to be like you, in all sorts of ways seen in this question. Your letter evidences a lot of commendable qualities: a desire to identify yourself radically with Christ, the recognition that you must protect yourself from your own potential future rebellion, concern for honoring your father and mother.

The command to honor father and mother never ends.

There’s a God-shaped void within you…

…which only God Himself can fill.

This famous phrase, reportedly coined by Blaise Pascal (philosopher, scientist & author), referring to “the God-shaped vacuum” in everyone, may actually be (according to Dr Douglas Groothuis), a paraphrase from one of Pascal’s Pensées —

What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.
(Penguin ed., 148/428).

pdb

New post at “Bloom and Grow”

In case you didn’t know, my college-student daughter Kathryn writes (once and a while) at her own blog, called Bloom & Grow. I love reading her insights and reflections, and thought you might too. Her latest post was inspired by Sunday’s worship at her church in Grove City, PA.

Amen, Kathryn!
Dad (pdb)

The Duty of Laughter

“The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:52

“The fruit of the Spirit is joy” Galatians 5:22

J. R. Miller wrote:

The Wise Man says that there is “a time to laugh.” That is, there is a time when laughter is right, when it is a duty–and when it would be wrong not to laugh. Perhaps we have not been accustomed to think of laughter in this way. We regard it as an agreeable exercise–but are not apt to class it among duties, like honesty or kindness.

It would be a sad thing, however, if laughter should be altogether crowded out of life. Think of a world of human beings with no laughter–men and women always wearing grave, serious, solemn faces. Think of the laughter of childhood, departing from the world–how dull and dreary life would be! Nothing on earth is more beautiful, than the merry laugh of childhood.

Laughter has its place in every wholesome, healthy, holy life. The man who never smiles–is morbid! He has lost the joy chords out of his life. He has trained himself to think only of unpleasant things, to look only and always at the dark side. He has accustomed himself so long to sadness–that the muscles of his face have become set in hard, fixed lines–and cannot relax themselves. His thoughts of life are gloomy–and the gloom has entered his soul and darkened his eyes!

Where there is no laughter–all evils nest. Demons do not laugh!

The man who never laughs, must not blame his fellows if they think there is something wrong with his life, something dark within.

If the streams which flow out are only bitter–the fountain cannot be sweet!

The Wise Man says:
“A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:13
“A cheerful heart has a continual feast.” Proverbs 15:15
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.” Romans 15:13

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4