More on “Seeking”
Bethan Philips, was the maiden name of the woman who came to marry the great preacher, Reverend Martyn Lloyd-Jones. She wrote autobiographically back in 1927 this surprising account of what she regarded to be her own conversion:
“Dr. Lloyd-Jones knew that more was happening even in 1927 than was apparent, for his own wife has come into a state of concern and conviction. Having attended church and prayer-meetings from childhood, Bethan Lloyd-Jones had always believed that she was a Christian. Not until she heard Martyn preach for the first time…she was confronted, in his sermon on Zacchaeus, with an insistence that all men are equally in need of salvation from sin. The message shook her, even frightened her, and she almost resented the teaching which appeared to place her in the same condition as those who had no faith at all. In a sense she had always feared God; her life was upright, and yet she knew that she had no personal consciousness of the forgiveness of sins, no sense of inward joyful communion with Christ. And this is Lloyd-Jones own words:
“I was for two years under my husband’s ministry before I really understood what the Gospel was. I used to listen to him on Sunday morning and used to feel, ‘Well, if this is Christianity I don’t really know anything about it. On Sunday night I used to pray that somebody would be converted; I thought you had to be a drunkard or a prostitute to be converted. I remember how I used to rejoice to see drunkards become Christians and envy them with all my heart, because there they were, full of joy, and free, and here I was in such a different condition.
I recall sitting in my husband’s office and I was unhappy. I suppose it was conviction. I felt a burden of sin, and shall always remember my husband saying as he looked through his books, ‘Read this!’ He gave me an excellent book on Reformed evangelism. I have never forgotten what I read in that book. It showed me how wrong was the idea that my sin could be greater than the merit of the blood of Christ – His death was well-able to clear all my sins away. There, at last, I found relief and I was so happy.’”
From David Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The First Forty Years 1899-1939 by Iain Murray. Banner of Truth, 1982, pp. 166-167.
Romans Review
CHAPTER 1
What are the three self-designations Paul uses in his salutation and what is their significance?
How does Paul express the dual nature of God's Son?
Why is Paul writing Romans? (Look for a practical purpose statement beginning with "to...")
Where else do we find this statement in Romans and why is it significant?
Why are all three parts of this purpose statement critical?
How many times does the word "call" appear in verses 1-7, and why is this significant?
Verses 8-15 express an even more practical purpose for the writing of Romans. What is it?
Verses 16-17 is regarded as the thesis/theme statement of Romans. Do you agree?
Verses 17 and 18 have the word "revealed." Why is this very significant?
From verses 18-25: Can a person be saved by a proper view of nature?
Are there true atheists?
What is the role of homosexuality/lesbianism in verses 26-32?
CHAPTER 2
What is the relationship between 2:1-5 and the previous context? Who is is talking about?
Why does Paul need to say,"God shows no partiality?" (verse 11)
What is the relationship between the hearers and the doers (verses 12-24)? Compare to James 2:14-26!
What does circumcision represent in verses 25-29? What really matters in Paul's mind?
Seeking: The Doctrinal Statement
As promised, here is the statement of the doctrine of seeking (for the one who has experienced a conversion to Christ)
"It is the believer’s duty to (violently) press his way into the Kingdom of Heaven as he did prior to his conversion. He is likewise exhorted to employ similar means in the hope that God will grant him final salvation. Heaven is not taken with presumption or passivity but according to God’s grace it is gained through patience, persistence, perseverance and passion. The absence of this pursuing (seeking) is possibly evidence of a false profession."
Please feel free to comment or otherwise interact.
PA
Seeking
Saints and Friends of FCF:
The mini-series on the Doctrine of Seeking has stirred many of you. A number of you have expressed deep concern for the state of your soul and other have found the doctrine(s) difficult both to understand and/or to accept. These are all good and helpful reactions. Hang in there my dear flock. Search the Scriptures; study; see if these things be so. Your elders have been in prayer for you over these matters -- we desire to avoid creating or nurturing false assurance -- similarly, we have no desire to be robbers of the assurance of true saints....who is sufficient to create such difficult balance? Praise be to Christ Jesus who is the Truth (John 14:6).
Please use this post as a forum to dialogue, ask questions or add your own thoughts.
I am and shall remain your unworthy servant and brother,
PA
We MUST Pray!
1 Samuel 12:23 far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you,
We must pray! We must pray for each other; for our church; for the world; for the glory of God; for our own souls' sake that we might grow in conformity to Christ etc., etc.,
We must pray! We must pray alone; aloud; silently; in groups (8:30 Sunday mornings); at planned times; spontaneously etc., etc.,
We must pray! We should pray Bible prayers (the Lord's Prayer); liturgical prayers; written prayers; extemporaneous prayers; in tongues etc., etc.,
We must pray! Bowing; kneeling; prostrate on our faces; standing; sitting; kneeling; walking; talking; pacing; singing etc., etc.,
WE MUST PRAY!
Prayerfully,
pa
"Satan trembles when he sees
the weakest saint upon his knees."
"What a man is on his knees, that he is and nothing else."
"Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
"There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God.
a place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.
O Jesus blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God."
It’s Time!
Psalm 119:33-34 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Psalm 119:97-100 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.
It's time, brothers and sisters! If you haven't yet, please take a moment and commit yourself to a plan/resolution to read your Bible more and better than 2011 (perhaps ever?).
There is a plan on our website (fcf.cc).
There are 14 plans to suit your needs/schedule (bibleplan.org).
You can follow along with the Closer Walk plan we are doing for C.E. (maybe you would resolve to come regularly).
My plan is to do the Robert Murray McCheyne's "Daily Bread" (OT 1X // NT & Psalms 2X @ 4 chapters a day). I will also be reading a chapter in Romans everyday....join me?
Remember: failing to plan is planning to fail.
It's time!
pa
“The Bible is a book that man could not write if he would and would not write if he could.” J. Wesley
“O give me that book! At any price give me the Book of God! I have it. Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri.” John Wesley
“Resolved: To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.”
Jonathan Edwards
“This Book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.” Anonymous
“Those who read the Bible as literature do not read the Bible.” C.S. Lewis
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” George Washington
“I am sorry for men who do not read the Bible every day. I wonder why they deprive themselves of the strength and pleasure.” Woodrow Wilson
“Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of your liberties, write its precepts on your hearts and practice them in your lives.” Ulysses S. Grant
“The more profoundly we study this wonderful book [the Bible], and the more closely we observe its divine precepts, the better citizens we will become and the higher will be our destiny as a nation.” William McKinley
“Education is useless without the Bible.” Daniel Webster
“A thorough understanding of the Bible is better than a college education.” Theodore Roosevelt
“It is necessary for the welfare of the nation that men's lives be based on the principles of the Bible. No man, educated or uneducated, can afford to be ignorant of the Bible.” Theodore Roosevelt
“Believe me, sir, never a night goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the Word of God before I go to bed.” Douglas MacArthur
Here then is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God’s Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy.
R.C. Sproul
Those who use their Bible’s little are really not much better off than those who have no Bible’s at all.
Donald Whitney
Seeking
Saints,
The sermon series coming up on the doctrine of seeking is an important one. I would truly apreciate it if we would look ahead and pray and think on these things together. Here is the information:
January 15 "No One Seeks" (Psalm 14)
January 22 "Seeking Salvation" (Matthew 11:12)
January 29 "Saved Unto Seeking" (Philippians 3:7-14)
Much of what you will hear you have heard from me before. I am just putting a spotlight on it for these three weeks. Please pray for FCF that we would be faithful to God's Word as we are led by the Spirit of Truth in the name of Christ who is the Truth.
PA
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!
Search us, O God, and know our hearts! Try us and know our thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting! Psalm 139:23-24
It was an amazing day!
I encouraged our leaders to prepare ourselves for the fact that the first day won't be perfect. We would be wise to prayerfully consider how to spur the flock of FCF on to love and good deeds in this challenging transition.
Frankly, none of us expected it would go as well as it did. It was not perfect, but it was close. God was so kind and faithful to us in pouring out His Holy Spirit. We were given the grace to worship our Lord Jesus Christ in Spirit and in Truth with joyful and substantial praise.
The days ahead look bright for FCF. There will be opposition, challenges and obstacles. These are a sovereign God's way of purifying and refining us as a community of faith. Let us strive to patient with one another through the changes before us.
The dear people of Emerson have been a heavenly blessing. This new place, while a potential for idolatry, also has the potential to increase our opportunities to be a more effective ministry for the Kingdom for God's glory.
What were your impressions?
PA
Prophecies Concerning Jesus
Romans 1:1-6 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
I was directed to a website that has compiled an impressive list of prophecies concerning the Christ and their New Testament fulfillment.
http://www.cynet.com/jesus/prophecy/ntquoted.htm
Check it out!
PA
Thank you
Greeting FCF family & friends:
Our Fifth Birthday Bash was an enjoyable success. I thank God for all of you. A special thank you to all who worked behind-the-scenes. Belinda and Kristine are especially notable here. Thank you for everything. Let's look forward now. Let's trust God for every day ahead of us.
Soli Deo gloria.
pa
Smooth Stones from Thomas Brooks
Enjoy These Selections from
Smooth Stones Taken From Ancient Brooks:
"Sin is bad in the eye, worse in the tongue, worse still in the heart, but worst of all in the life."
"O how strong is grace! How victorious over sin, how dead to the world, how alive to Christ, how fit to live, and how prepared to die, might many a Christian have become had they been more frequent, serious, and conscientious in the discharge of closet duties!"
"There is no time yours but the present time, no day yours but the present day; therefore, do not please and feed yourselves with hopes of time to come; that you will repent, but not yet; and lay hold on mercy, but not yet; and give yourselves up to the Lord next week, next month, or next year; for that God who has promised you mercy and favour upon the day of your return, has not promised to prolong your lives till that day comes."
"There is no such way to attain to greater measures of grace, as for a man to live up to that little grace he has."
"A sincere heart weeps and laments bitterly over those secret and inward corruptions, which others will scarcely acknowledge to be sins."
"A murmurer is an ungodly man: he is an ungodlike man; no man on earth more unlike to God than the murmurer; and therefore no wonder if, when Christ comes to execute judgment, he deals severely and terribly with him. Let him make what profession he will of godliness; yet if murmuring keeps the throne in his heart, Christ will deal with him at last as with ungodly sinners."
"I think that oftentimes men charge that upon the devil which ought to be charged upon their own hearts."
"A lazy Christian will always want four things -- comfort, content, confidence, and assurance. Assurance and joy are choice donatives that Christ gives to laborious Christians only. The lazy Christian has his mouth full of complaints, when the active Christian has his heart full of comforts."
"True repentance is a gift that is from above; and if the Lord does not give it, man will eternally perish for the want ot it."
Quotes on Christian Virtue
"The humble soul endeavors more how to glorify God in afflictions, than how to get out of them... The humble soul says: 'Lord, keep down my sins, and keep up my heart to honor you in all my troubles.'" --Thomas Brooks
"We are not only to do God's will, but to also seek to do it with the proper motive. The manner in which we serve God should be considered more than the work itself. Motive is a main emphasis in Scripture. God does not only notice that we pray, but if it is fervent and effectual prayer, not drowsy devotion." --Thomas Manton
"A humble sinner is in a better condition than a proud angel." --Thomas Watson
"In spiritual graces let us study to be great, and not to know it." --Thomas Adams
Servanthood and a Lesson from Katriela
FCF family:
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. --3 John 1:4
It has been such an encouragement how many of you have resonated with the message on servanthood (3/13/11). It is clear that the Spirit of Truth ran free among us and drove the call to humble servanthood deep into so many hearts. I urge you all to get alone with your Lord; open your Bible and your journal; and seek the Lord on this matter. Ask Him, "Am I the servant you would have me to be?" "Does humble foot-washing-servanthood mark my love for others?" "Would those closest to me who know me best characterize me as a servant?"
Imagine what our Lord's Spirit could do if we each sought His help to grow downward in this rare virtue: if we refreshed our commitment to be Christ's slaves; if we allowed ourselves to be awakened to the virtue of being servants of one another. O how Jesus Christ would be honored! O how our love for each other would grow! O how our Father's Kingdom would be advanced through FCF! O how our joy would be full!
Hear my humble plea, O FCF family! Do not take this message lightly. Do not shrug it off as another weekly sermon to be filed away with the rest. Listen to it again (or check it out if you haven't heard it yet). Paul intentionally chose to strike this chord at the outset of the mighty Romans. May it ring in our ears throughout the series.
On the series: Please take seriously my encouragement to read Romans through in one sitting. Do this periodically. I am confident you will be blessed.
Also, I will be making the sermon manuscripts available for the asking. I am also keeping (but not making available) my exegetical notes. At this point, I am strongly considering converting this series into a commentary that will be a gift to the FCF family. I tell you this to solicit your prayers and to ask for your help. As you listen/read the messages, listen to the Holy Spirit and apply your mind to them and offer any suggestions/as any questions. We will all be thebetter for it.
Katriela put together a list in her astute (look that one up, Katriela!) sermon notes of words she didn't know the meaning of. She came up to me and we chatted about them after the service. I did my best to define and explain the terms. Brothers and sisters, we must all learn from our dear sister-in-Christ! In your notes (and I hope you ALL take notes!), you should be doing the same thing as Katriela: write down words you don't know; jot down Bible references for later inspection; make note of statements that are unclear to you; pose questions that arise in the course of the message. Do this and then go to work on it -- ask me; ask a friend; journal your thoughts/questions/discoveries; above all, get alone with the Lord and take these things further in the form of a personal Bible study. Every sermon will be richer and much more usable by the Holy Spirit throughout the week and throughout your life.
Soli Deo gloria!
PA
P.S. Lola's party was a warm and sweet season of fellowship as we honored the Lord for the 90 years He has given her.
P.S.S. Please continue to pray for the suffering people of Japan. Cry out to God for a clarion call of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they are in a vulnerable condition and know there deperation acutely in these dark days. Petition the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills for relieving, rebuilding and restoring grace in their time of need.
Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
Times of Refreshing!
"Satan trembles when he sees
the weakest saint upon his knees."
-- Cowper
It appears that Providence is leading us toward capitalizing on the time before our 10AM worship to be our (weekly) prayer time. It makes sense. This way, (keeping in mind the rising gas prices) our members who travel from significant distances would only have to make one trip weekly. [for example, our people travel from.... Red Wing, Elk River, Hastings, Maple Grove, Lino Lakes, Plymouth, Apple Valley, Roseville, Arden Hills, South Bloomington, Savage, Woodbury etc.]
Our hope and prayer is that the intern prayer series together with the recent sermon series on prayer might have caused a spark that would move FCF toward a greater reliance upon the Holy Spirit's strength and supply such that a spirit of adoration, supplication, repentance, petition and praise would be born from within. Again, we will NOT program prayer. The spark needed for the blaze we seek must proceed from our hearts as a desperate people.
"O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival- start the work in me:
Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our
need;
For blessing now, O Lord, I humbly plead." --Orr
Please come out for this prayer! Plan to get up a bit earlier for a brief time of instruction and a season of corporate prayer.
Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. (Acts 3:19-21)
"Lord, we're desperate; help our lack of deperation!"
PA
A New Series
Brothers, sisters and friends of FCF:
I thank our Lord who proved Himself faithful in Christ by dispensing His Spirit in great measure as I spoke at the Set Apart Conference for Women at NWC this past weekend. It was an new and unusual experience for me, but again, our Lord infused me with clarity and the power to proclaim the "indeed-ness" of the John 8:36 freedom.
In time, I will share more detail about what I am learning these days about God's uncaused and thus unconditional love from 1 John 4:7-11. This love involves a fresh appreciation for the power and wonder of the Gospel of Jesus Christ whom God put forward as a propitiation in His blood to be received by faith (Romans 3:25). Such love set upon us while we were sinners (Romans 5:8) sets us free to love others because He "so loved us." This will liberate us to forgive others as we have been forgiven. This Gospel and this view of love will set us free to forgive/accept/love ourselves in Biblically appropriate ways (see Ephesians 5:29).
This last dimension of freedom is a new(er) perspective for me that is a corrective to my possible overemphasis on human sinfulness (which is hard to imagine) and self-deprecation /self-loathing / self-denial. There is a lot of depression and "stuck-ness" and poor (emotional/spiritual) health when such things are out of balance.
More later.
This past Lord's Day the Holy Spirit led me to begin a new series on Romans. A series on Romans has been in the works for some time. The issue came down to when the best time would be to start. Providence led me to start this past Sunday. [Please listen to the sermon titled "Paul" on our website, www.fcf.cc/sermons Please note as well that the sermon manuscripts will also be a available for this series.].
An excerpt from the introduction:
"I have waited over twenty years to begin this series. From my earliest days as a believer, I have had a high reverence for this book:
- Much about the Gospel has been made clear to me in the early chapters of this book.
- Paul’s wrestle with his sinful nature in chapter 7 helped me know that the Bible understands me.
- The hope, assurance and mighty promises in chapter 8 captured my heart from early on in my walk.
- The clear teaching about God’s sovereign electing purposes in chapters 9-11 connected me to Reformed theology such that I could never abandon them.
- The standard of godliness held out in chapter 12 and the instructions for godly living in chapters 13-15 have been tough yet inspiring.
- The high view of God held up throughout by a man whose love for Jesus has driven me often to the Savior’s heart grabbed me early and has never let me go.
But this is Romans: the mighty Romans. It has a reputation that has prevented me thusfar from preaching through it...
My decision early on in my preaching career was to hold off on preaching through this book until I grow to some level of maturity as a preacher. After some 23 years of trying to preach, I will go ahead and try to preach through the mighty Romans before I die.
I have no idea how long it will take and frankly, I don’t care. We will not rush it. As the Lord leads, we will interrupt and come back, but I am determined to grow with you in internalizing the argument of this majestic epistle.
On that note, this is an epistle, a letter and an argument. I encourage you to periodically throughout this series, step back and read the entire letter in one sitting – aloud if possible. You will be assisted greatly in seeing the flow of Paul’s argument."
Let us seek to grow together in this series. Let us learn from our beloved Apostle Paul as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Remember, this blog is always open for questions and comments on the sermons or just about anything else. I look forward to a fruitful dialogue with you, my dear flock.
Your unworthy servant in Christ,
PA
The True Source of Divine Knowledge
Those reading the FCF Bible Reading Plan are in Matthew 16 today.
I throw this out as a discussion question. When our Lord said to Peter,
Think about it.
PA
Fresh-Start February
How did January go for you? Specifically, how did your commitments in the Word fare?
The Proverbs can be difficult for some. If you have any thoughts you would like to share or questions you would like to ask about any reading or sermon, you may simply respond to this post.
February is upon us. Fresh-Start February. 28 days. 28 chapters in Matthew. Let's join in together. You can find a link to the Bible reading plan on the FCF website
I will be praying for you.
PA
Start the New Year Right
FCF family and friends:
2011 is upon us. 1/1/11. Happy New Year.
Let us resolve to start this year off right. Let's get along with our Lord and spend time in His Word and in prayer (if you haven't already).
More than any other successes and triumphs this year ahead sees, let us be sure to excel in this grace above all.
You are in my prayers.
PA
Pressing into Heaven in 2011
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
FCF family and friends:
The end of the 2010 year is upon us. The elders and interns spent the final meeting of the year before the Throne of Grace on your behalf. We fueled our prayer with Scripture, Valley of Vision, prayers of John Calvin and Henry Scougal. We closed the time with our feeble voices in song.
* We expressed our humble gratitude to our dear Lord for His grace and mercy in this past year. His blessings were many and evident.
* We cried out in repentance and contrition for our many failures and shortcomings as leaders and as a church. Chief among our faults in the year past has been our relative prayerlessness. If we are going to be a Christ-exalting ministry, then we must, as a church and as individuals, cry out to our Father in desperation more than has been our practice.
* We pleaded to our great and mighty God for help and grace for the year ahead. As beggars deserving nothing, we reached out to our kind Father to give us bread....even His crumbs will do!
It was a sweet, intimate and at times, intense season of adoration, petition and supplication [We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. (Acts 6:4) ]
Your shepherds ask three things of you this New Year:
1. Seriously consider joining us in our Bible reading plan in 2011. Our brother, Gottfried served us all to this end by uploading it to our homepage. Get it. Print it. Put it in your Bible. Pray for a diligent and devoted heart and mind as you attend to the Word this coming year.
Make the first day (we will be in Proverbs 1) a special day where we corporately cry out for the wisdom we will desperately need in 2011. As you read what the rest of the FCF family is reading, our confidence is that our prayers will be divinely directed in concert. God can do amazing things in us/to us/through us/for us/for His sake if we join in this effort together.
2. Join us in a New Year’s Eve prayer. We will not meet…in body. Rather, we can/will join in our spirits before God’s Throne and link arms in a concerted plea for Christ’s help in 2011. Make it special: pull away from the crowd; get on your knees or face; take hands with other FCF family; do your first reading at that time etc.
3. Dream with us as we seek ways to overcome our impediments to corporate prayer. Our demographic and distances pose unique challenges that we are convinced are NOT insurmountable. Prayers are coveted. Ideas are welcomed. Let us storm the gates of Heaven in 2011!
Dear friends, 2011 is officially our fifth year as a church (April 1st – we will celebrate on Sunday, April 3rd)! It can be our best year. Pray that our God would be pleased to make it so! One of the most common prayers at this past elder meeting was that our growth would be in depth and spiritual maturity. Numbers are meaningless if we are not sober-minded, full of Christ-like integrity and looking for His return with holy vigilance and spiritual diligence. Stand with us in praying for the growth that glorifies God.
Would you join us?
PA with and for the Elders and interns
Soli Deo Gloria!
A Christmas Eve Poem
Some had asked for the poem I wrote for the Christmas Eve sermon:
A camels jaunt through needle's eyes
has little power to surprise.
A cross to us appears austere
no shock upon our necks to wear
We miss the power of God’s intent
the message of what at first He meant
Especially true at Jesus’ birth
Meekness sadly lost its worth
O may we do our best this time
to restore the Gospel truth sublime
The truth God always meant to be
a call to true humility