A Prayer for the New Year

Happy New Year!

We praise the Lord for the gift of another year. Thankful for his mercies for the past year and praying for more of his grace in the coming days.

On the new year’s eve, a friend shared with me this diary entry from Matthew Henry which I have turned it into my prayer for this year. I am sharing it here perhaps you would like to make it your prayer too.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) was a Presbyterian Minister in England. He is well known for his commentary of the whole Bible which he began to work in 1704 completing it from Genesis to Acts by his death ten years later. Several of his fellow ministers compiled the remainder of the commentary (Romans to Revelation) primarily from Henry’s own notes and writings. Matthew Henry also journaled and in his journal entry of January 1, 1713 he wrote:

Firmly believing that my times are in God’s hand, I here submit myself and all my affairs for the ensuing year, to the wise and gracious disposal of God’s divine providence. Whether God appoints for me health or sickness, peace or trouble, comforts or crosses, life or death — may His holy will be done!

All my time, strength, and service, I devote to the honor of the Lord Jesus–and even my common actions. It is my earnest expectation, hope, and desire, my constant aim and endeavor–that Jesus Christ may be magnified in me. In everything I have to do – my entire dependence is upon Jesus Christ for strength. And whatever I do in word or deed, I desire to do all in His name, to make Him my Alpha and Omega.

I have all from Him – and I would use all for Him.

If this should prove a year of affliction, a sorrowful year to me – I will fetch all my supports and comforts from the Lord Jesus and stay myself upon Him, His everlasting consolations, and the good hope I have in Him through grace.

And if it should be my dying year–then my times are in the hand of the Lord Jesus. And with a humble reliance upon His mediation, I would venture into the eternal world looking for the blessed hope. Dying as well as living – Jesus Christ will, I trust, be gain and advantage to me.

Oh, that the grace of God may be sufficient for me, to keep me always a humble sense of my own unworthiness, weakness, folly, and infirmity – together with a humble dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ for both righteousness and strength.

The Eschatological Hope in “Amazing Grace”

John Newton wrote “Amazing Grace” around Christmas time of 1772 while pastoring an Anglican Church in Olney, England. I had a privilege of visiting the church building a few years ago. Initially, Newton wrote the hymn under the title, “Faith’s Review and Expectation” but was later changed to “Amazing Grace.” The original hymn had six verses with the last two containing a great eschatological hope.

In the fifth verse, John Newton highlighted the truth that many of us Christians will experience one day. Our life is mortal (subject to death). A day is coming when our flesh will fail and our heart will not beat again. However, that will not be the end of us, for we will pass through the veil and experience a life of joy and peace.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

“The veil” is a reference to the holy of holies (the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence) in the Old Covenant temple. The veil or the curtain concealed the holy of holies. Only the high priest was allowed to go through the curtain once a year to make atonement for the sins of God’s people (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7). However, when Christ died on the cross, the curtain was torn into two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:50-51) signifying that he had offered a perfect sacrifice once for all for all his people. All his people could now access the presence of God through him. So yes, on that day when our flesh and heart shall fail, we will enter into the presence of God to an everlasting joy and peace, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).

The sixth verse was based on 2 Peter 3:12 and Revelation 21:

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

On the final day, the current earth and heaven will be dissolved and made anew (2 Peter 3:12), and we will dwell with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth forever (Rev. 21:1). The new earth will not have the sun because the glory of God will be our light (Rev. 21:23), and God will be ours and we will be his forever (Rev. 21:3)

Years later, an American hymnwriter by the name of E.O. Excel added a verse to the hymn which goes:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

The eschatological hope shines brighter in this verse also. After we have lived in the presence of God in the new heaven and new earth for ten thousand years it would not mean that our time with God is getting shorter. Actually, I believe it would feel just like a second because we will live with God eternally. Counting time in heaven will not count. What amazing grace! What amazing hope!

The Eschatological Hope in The Old Christian Hymns

One of the fascinating things I have observed when singing old Christian hymns be it in my personal devotion, family worship, or corporate worship is the eschatological hope in most of them. Eschatological hope is a theological term that refers to the fulfilment of God’s promise to make all things new in the new heaven and new earth which includes no more sin, no more death, no more sorrow, no more pain, and no more tears but a sweet dwelling in the presence of God forever. It is amazing to notice that most of the old Christian hymns, especially, in their last verse are filled with such hope.

But sadly, this eschatological hope is often missing in the lives of many Christians today. If you allow me to get a bit personal, when was the last time you had a lengthy discussion with a fellow Christian on heaven or your glorification? Could it be that we have bought into the lie that “Christians can be so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.” However, the truth is that we are of no earthly good until we are heavenly minded. C.S. Lewis was right when he observed that history testifies that it is those Christians who thought most of the next life that did the most for the present life. When Christians cease to think of the other world, they often become so ineffective in this world.

Therefore, in the next months, Lord willing, I would like us to spur one another toward more reflection of the biblical truths of heaven as contained in the Christian hymns of the past. Obviously, I won’t be able to cover every hymn as there are many of them. My approach is to focus more on the well-known hymns. I pray that this will be a great encouragement for us to be more heavenly minded like those Christians gone before us as we also wait for our blessed hope the appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). Apostle John writes about our Lord’s second coming in Revelation 22:20: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ’s coming is closer now than when these hymns were written.

What is the New Heaven and the New Earth?

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth has passed away, and the sea was no more” (Rev. 21:1)

Apostle John had a privilege to see the new heaven and the new earth in a vision. Now, what is this new heaven and the new earth that Apostle John is talking about here? This is the question that many Bible scholars and theologians have wrestled with, and there are are two main views. One says that this new heaven and new earth will be entirely new and different from the one we have now while the other one holds that the new heaven and the new earth will be a renewed or a transformed heaven and earth but not necessarily an entirely new heaven and new earth.

I am persuaded of the later view because of three main reasons. First, other passages of Scripture show us that the new heaven and the new earth will be a renewed one. Consider Romans 8:20-21 in which Paul writes, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Notice that Paul says that the current creation as we know it will be set free from the bondage and corruption of sin. God is not going to completely wipe away this creation and make a new one rather he will liberate and renew this current creation.

Second, when we consider that in the new heaven and new earth believers will be the same believers, we know today but with renewed bodies and not necessary totally different people than the ones we know we should also conclude that the new heaven and the new earth will be a renewed universe rather than a totally new creation. The Dutch theologian, Anthony Hoekema put it well, “The difference between our present bodies and the resurrection bodies, wonderful though they are, do not take away the continuity: it is we who shall be raised, and it is we who shall always be with the Lord. Those raised with Christ will not be a totally new set of human beings but the people of God who have lived on this earth. By way of analogy, we would expect that the new earth will not be totally different from the present earth but will be the present earth wondrously renewed.”

Third, consider that sometimes the Bible uses the word “new” to mean “renewed” or “transformed” and not necessarily an entirely different thing. For example, 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This verse does mean that when we get saved, we become an entirely different new person. We are the same person who has been renewed in Christ. Of course, our lives change; our thinking changes; our likes change but we are still the same person renewed in Christ. Or consider in Ezekiel 36:26 in which the God says “I will give you a new heart” meaning a changed or transformed heart. In the same way new heaven and new earth in Rev. 21:1 does not mean an entirely new heaven and new earth but a renewed or a transformed heaven and earth which is far more glorious than the current heaven and earth.

As believers we should always long for the new heaven and the new earth. It will surely come! However, it will not be entirely another one made from nothing as God did in the beginning (Genesis 1:1). The new heaven and the new earth will be the current heaven and the current earth renewed with much greater glory and goodness beyond human description (1 Cor. 2:7).

A Review of God’s Grace in Your Suffering by David Powlison

Crossway asked me to consider applying and joining their Blog Review Program. I gladly did and was approved hence from time to time you will see or read reviews of their books on this blog. I trust and pray that these reviews will be helpful to you as you consider reading or recommending books. My reviews will focus more on books about Bible studies/devotions, spiritual growth, theology, Christian living, Christian leadership, and pastoral ministry. God’s Grace in Your Suffering by David Powlison is my first review in this program. Crossway has provided me with a complimentary copy of the book.

One wise and godly man once noted that there are always three groups of people in this world. Those who are just coming out of hard times, those who are passing through hard times, and those who are about to enter into hard times. He was very right. We are all acquainted with suffering, pain, sorrow and hardship. None of us is immune to it and God never promises immunity to suffering even for his own children as David Powlison rightly observes at the beginning of his book, God’s Grace in Your Suffering.

However, although God does not guarantee immunity, he does assure and provide his children with grace and help in their suffering. This is the point that Powlison is driving home in his book by answering two key questions: “When you face trouble, loss, disability, and pain, how does the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ meet you and comfort you? How does grace and goodness find you, touch you, work with you, and walk with you through deep waters?”

Powlison ably answers these questions by taking the reader through the verses of that famous hymn which is a favorite to many Christians, “How Firm the Foundation.” As he makes his way through the hymn Powlison also shares his personal experiences of how the truths of the hymn have positively impacted him. Although most words of the hymn are direct quotes from the Scriptures, the book could have failed miserably if it focused on the hymn alone. But I am thankful that Powlison takes us beyond the hymn to the Bible itself and to the Christ of the Bible as the true source of encouragement and comfort in our trials.

Another recommendable thing about God’s Grace in Your Suffering is that it is very practical. Powlison has endeavored to accomplish this by engaging the reader and asking probing questions that enables the reader to apply the truths of Scripture to his own situation. True to its own assertion, this book is a workshop of an afflicted soul.

I think I would be right to say that when passing through hard times one has no time for jargons or hard reading and would greatly appreciate a book that hammers the nail right on its head. Powlison has also managed to do just that in this book. God’s Grace in Your Suffering is an easy reading yet full of profound truths hewn from the ever-trustworthy word of God.

Meditations Toward Christmas: Genesis 12:1-3

Another Old Testament passages that points us to the coming or birth of Christ is Genesis 12:1-3: “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”

In this passage God promises to bless Abraham. The Lord also promises to bless the families of the earth through Abraham. There is no better commentary to this passage that the Bible itself. In Galatians 3:16, Apostle Paul looks back at this passage and writes, “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.”

God’s promise to bless all the families of the earth was ultimately fulfilled through his offspring, Jesus Christ. Today many families of earth have been blessed through Christ. Families that were once not a people, but now are God’s people; once they had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy (1 Peter 2:10).

Today, every nation, race or tribe has people calling upon the name of Christ. John confirms this truth in his vision of heaven. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,” (Revelation 7:9).

This is the real meaning of Christmas namely that in Christ God is pouring out his rich blessings of justification (forgiveness of our sin and declaring us righteous in Christ) and sanctification (transforming us more and more in holiness after Christ). These blessings will climax in our glorification in which we shall be completely like Christ without sin, and we shall live with him in glory eternally. What a blessing!

For sure the hymn writer was right when he penned:

Ponder nothing earthly-minded
For with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descend
King of kings, yet born of Mary…
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly glory.

Malawi, Legalization of Abortion is Really a Bad Idea

As I am writing this post, my heart is filled with fear. I can literary feel it as if it is sinking down into a bottomless pit. Why am I afraid? I hear that the movement pushing for legalization of abortion in Malawi is gaining momentum. They are courting religious leaders, chiefs, law makers and other people of influence and power in our land to sway them towards supporting legalization of abortion.

I cannot help but fear for my country. Friends, legalization of abortion not matter on what grounds is ugly and should not even be the last thought for Malawians. Please let’s learn from the countries who have taken this path before and we will discover what a dangerous beast legalization of abortion is to any society. It will devour our nation.

Right now, I am living in a part of the world that has taken this path. It is sad and heartbreaking to hear that every day women are killing so many unborn children even for lame reasons like “I just don’t want this baby.” Just open your browser and google the numbers of children being killed in their mothers’ womb in the countries that have legalized abortion and you will be shocked. Malawi should not cheat herself that she can legalize abortion and never reach that point because she will sure do.

It is a very dangerous trajectory but it all starts with that one step of legalization. The advocates of legalization of abortion are making it to sound as if it is a very good and harmless idea as they fly their statistics in our face of how many women are dying due to the so called unsafe abortion and how much money our government is spending in post abortion care, but believe you me the consequence of legalizing abortion will overwhelm us. Once Malawi opens this door, there will be no any other way of closing it. Any woman even without any reason would choose to murder their unborn baby. Who would stop them if the law would leave the door wide open?

Those advocating for legalization of abortion argue that they are many women who are dying due to unsafe abortion. But what is causing abortion? Is it the law that prohibits it? Definitely not! No one would abort just because the law states that abortion is illegal. There should be factors that are causing this murdering of unborn children. Why not then address the causes instead of spending more energy on effects.

Life is very sacred and priceless. God the creator and giver and sustainer of life has not entrusted the right of taking it to a mother who thinks that she does not need the child in her womb for various reasons . “You shall not murder,” he commands us in Exodus 20:13. He also tells us in his word, the Bible, that life begins at conception (Psalm 51:5) hence abortion is murder and sinful.

Malawi, seriously ponder on this: according to God’s Word, God’s wrath shall rest heavily on a nation that perseveres in such murderous tragedies as abortion. Dr. Joel Beeke and Jim Beeke have explained this point very well in their essay, “Is Abortion Really So Bad?” and I will borrow some of their thoughts to expound it.

In Exodus 21:22-23 we read: “When men strive together and hit a woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judge determines. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life.”

If God commands such a heavy and great penalty for an accident like this one, will he stand aside and idly look at a deliberate and planned abortion? Legalizing abortion is tantamount to calculated and legalized murder of nameless, voiceless, helpless human beings created by God. Like those ungodly nations we read in the Bible who sacrificed their infants to their gods (Deuteronomy 12:31), I am afraid that if we legalize abortion in Malawi, it will also one day be said of us that Malawians sacrificed their unborn sons and daughters to the god called Selfishness on the altar of abortion. I pray that we will not reach that extent. May God bless Malawi and keep it a land of peace where we continue to value, respect and appreciate the lives of unborn children just as we value, respect and appreciate any other human life.

May You Have a Blessed and Christ-Centered 2014

Dear follower and reader of Scripture Alone,

Thank you so much for following and reading the blog in 2013. Thank you very much also for you comments. I would like also to thank those who rebloged or shared the blog with other readers. I should confess here: “I write so that God’s truth should be read by many, and when you visit the blog, read it and share it with others, I am always glad.”

My prayer is that God will continue to use the blog to His own glory in 2014. By God’s grace, Scripture Alone will continue to “Give a reason for our faith and contend for this faith to the glory of God.”

Once again, thank you very much for reading and following the blog.

May you have a Blessed 2014 and may Christ and His Word richly dwell in you.

Image from: http://photo.elsoar.com

Lecture #2: The Call to the Ministry (Second Session)

Pastor Spurgeon continues with his lecture…

“The first sign of the heavenly call is an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work. In order to a true call to the ministry there must be an irresistible, overwhelming craving and raging thirst for telling others what God has done to our own souls…If any student in this room could be content to be a newspaper editor, or a grocer, or a farmer, or a doctor, or a lawyer, or a senator, or a king, in the name of heaven let him go his way.

“We must feel that woe is unto us if we preach not the gospel; the word of God must be unto us as fire in our bones, otherwise, if we undertake the ministry, we shall be unhappy in it and unable to bear the self-denials incident to it, and shall be of little service to those among whom we minister. I speak of self-denials, and well I may; for the true pastor’s work is full of them. (Therefore), the desire to ministry must be thoughtful one and must be thoroughly disinterested one meaning that if a man can detect, after the most earnest self-examination, any other motive than the glory of God and the good of souls, he must turn aside from it at once.

“In the second place, combined with the earnest desire to become a pastor, there must be aptness to teach and some measure of the other qualities needful for the office of a public instructor. I do not claim that the first time a man rises to speak he must preach as well as Robert Hall did in his later days…If a man be called to preach, he will be endowed with a degree of speaking ability, which he will cultivate increase. If the gift of utterance be not there in a measure at the first, it is not likely that it will ever be developed.

“I have heard of a gentleman who had a most intense desire to preach, and pressed his suit upon his minister, until after a multitude of rebuffs he obtained leave to preach a trial sermon. That opportunity was the end of his importunity, for upon announcing his text he found himself bereft of every idea but one, which he delivered feelingly, and then descended the rostrum. “My brethren,” said he, “if any of you think it an easy thing to preach, I advise you to come up here and have all the conceit taken out of you.”

“I should not complete this point if I did not add, that mere ability to edify, and aptness to teach is not enough, there must be other talents to complete the pastoral character. Sound judgment and solid experience must instruct you; gentle manners and loving affections must sway you; firmness and courage must be manifest; and tenderness and sympathy must not be lacking.

Gifts administrative in ruling well will be as requisite as gifts instructive in teaching well. You must be fitted to lead, prepared to endure, and able to persevere. In grace, you should be head and shoulders above the rest of the people, able to be their father and counselor. Read carefully the qualifications of an elder, given in 1 Timothy 3:2-7, and in Titus 1:6-9. If such gifts and graces be not in you and abound, it may be possible for you to succeed as an evangelist, but as a pastor you will be of no account.

“In order further to prove a man’s call, after al little exercise of his gifts, such as I have already spoken of, he must see a measure of conversion-work going on under his efforts, or he may conclude that he has made a mistake, and therefore, may go back by the best way he can…There must be some measure of conversion-work in your irregular labors before you can believe that preaching is to be your life-work…Brethren, if the Lord give you no zeal for souls, keep to the lapstone or the trowel, but avoid the pulpit as you value your heart’s peace and your future salvation.

“A step beyond all this is however needful in our inquiry. The will of the Lord concerning pastors is made known through the prayerful judgment of his church. It is needful as a proof of your vocation that your preaching should be acceptable to the people of God. God usually opens doors of utterance for those whom he calls to speak in his name…Standing up to preach, our spirit will be judged of the assembly, and if it be condemned, or if, as a general rule, the church is not edified, the conclusion may not be disputed, that we are not sent of God.

“Churches are not all wise, neither do they all judge in the power of the Holy Ghost, but many of them judge after the flesh; yet I had sooner accept the opinion of a company of the Lord’s people than my own upon so personal a subject as my own gifts and graces.”

Professor Spurgeon wraps up the session with this deep insight borrowed from John Newton’s letter to a friend:

“If it be the Lord’s will to bring you into his ministry, he has already appointed your place and service, and though you know it not at present, you shall at a proper time. If you had the talents of an angel, you could do no good with them till his hour is come, and till he leads you to the people whom he has determined to bless by your means. It is very difficult to restrain ourselves within the bounds of prudence here, when our zeal is warm: a sense of the love of Christ upon our hearts, and a tender compassion for poor sinners, is ready to prompt us to break out too soon; but he that believes shall not make haste.”

The lecture to be concluded later…

Pray That Your Character and Ministry Agree

Pastor Spurgeon continues with his lecture entitled, “Minister’s Self-Watch.” For the last two classes, he has lectured on two points namely that a minister or any servant of Christ must be a converted man and have vigorous piety. Today, he concludes the lecture with this final point: a minister or any servant of God should take care THAT HIS PERSONAL CHARACTER AGREES IN ALL RESPECTS WITH HIS MINISTRY. Let’s listen and learn from our professor. Please note that taking notes from the lectures is strictly encouraged although there will be no exams at the end.

“As actions, according to the proverb, speak louder than words, so an ill life effectually drown the voice of the most eloquent ministry…Abhor, brethren, the thought of being clockwork ministers who are not alive by abiding grace within, but are wound up by temporary influences; men who are only ministers for the time being, under the stress of the hour of ministering, but cease to be ministers when they descend the pulpit stairs. True ministers are always ministers.

“It is a horrible thing to be an inconsistent minister…if holiness be wanting, the ambassadors dishonor the country from whence they come, and the prince from whom they come…the life of a preacher should be a magnet to draw men to Christ, and it is sad indeed when it keeps them from him. Sanctity in a minister is a loud call to sinners to repent, and when allied with holy cheerfulness it becomes wondrously attractive.

“You must be a man of God, not after the common manner of men, but ‘after God’s own heart; and men will strive to be like you, if you be like to God: but when you only stand at the door of virtue, for nothing but to keep sin out, you will draw into the folds of Christ none but such as fear drives in.

“When we say to you, my dear brethren, take care of your life, we mean be careful of even the minute of your character. Avoid little debts, unpunctuality, gossiping, nicknaming, petty quarrels, and all other of those little vices which fill the ointment with flies. The self indulgence which have lowered the repute of many must not be tolerated by us. The familiarities which have laid others under suspicion, we must chastely avoid. The roughness which have rendered some obnoxious, and the fopperies which have made others contemptible, we must put away.

“Even in your recreations, remember that you are ministers. When you are off the parade you are still officers in the army of Christ, and as such demean yourselves. But if the lesser things must be looked after, how careful should you be in the great matters of morality, honesty, and integrity! Here the minister must not fail. His private life must ever keep good tune with his ministry, or his day will soon set with him, and the sooner he retires the better, for his continuance in his office will only dishonor the cause of God and ruin himself.

“Brethren, the limits of a lecture are reached, and we must adjourn.”