The Book of Esther and Theistic Evolution

I am introduced to one of the most interesting categories to date - Theistic Evolutionists - in layman's terms, Christians who believe that God employed evolution as a means of creation. Tremper Longman III cites the well-known theme of God's clear sovereign hand overseeing the impossibly coincidental events in the book of Esther to defend the Theistic Evolution.

From page 75 of Confronting Old Testament Controversies

Many... make much of what they think is a contradiction within the idea of evolutionary creationism. That is, if God is involved as evolutionary creationists insist, then how can the process of natural selection be random as the theory of evolution claims? However, we should not think that though the process of creation appears to us to be random, this means that it is actually random. Remember what we said about the book of Esther. It sure seems "random" or pure chance that on a sleepless night Xerxes had his people read about Mordecai's efforts to foil an assassination plot, but we all know that a deeper plan was at work. These critics of "randomness" in evolution again show an anemic view of providence.

Going home to participate in world missions

I have considered it rather fascinating - the notion of encouraging foreigners in our midst to go home for the sake of the gospel. I appreciate how Packer iterates the points clearly and succinctly. Practically, there would be less of a cultural barrier (and language barrier) and there would be less suspicion of colonial-type of forceful influence by a foreigner coming to impose a foreign religion upon the indigenous people. Whereas the foreign person would have to find a reason to obtain a long-term visa, be it education or work, the local missionary could be seeking genuine employment (until the church plant has grown large enough to sustain a full-time pastor). I am apprehensive about the efficacy of short-term missions with durations below 2-3 years, and the indigenous missionary would be able to make long-term plans and participate even indefinitely. Monetary-wise, especially if the area of the mission field is a developing country, the same amount of money would go further funding a native citizen as compared to funding a Westerner.


From J I Packer's article on the Lausanne Movement page:

The Work of the Holy Spirit in Conviction and Conversion - Lausanne Movement

POWER AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT I I live in Vancouver, Canada, where the wind rarely rises beyond a gentle breeze. But in Britain, where I lived before, gales would strip branches from trees, roofs from sheds, and make it...Read more ›

"We also need to recognize the intrinsic superiority of nationals evangelizing within their own or similar cultures. This is more effective than having others bear the brunt of evangelizing cross-culturally where the receiving culture differs from their own in a radical way.

National evangelism is superior to cross-cultural evangelism because: (a) nationals have freedom [of] movement, living in lands whereas by A.D. 2000, 83 percent of world's population are expected to to be living in lands to which church-planting Western missionaries will not be admitted; (b) throughout Asia, and in other parts of the Two-Thirds World, anti-Western prejudice is strong; (c) in Asia and Africa, missionary money from the West goes much further when supporting nationals rather than Westerners; (d) pioneering by Western missionaries perpetuates the myth that Christianity is the religion of the West as Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam are religions of the East, in other words, that Christianity is an ethnic rather than a universal religion; and (e) the efforts of Western missionaries in the East so easily look and feel like neo-colonialism and denominational imperialism. But the deepest reason is that appreciating the full humanity of a person who culturally is not felt to be “one of us” is harder than when a person is felt to be a part of that culture. This makes it more difficult for cross-cultural communication to be perceived as incarnational and, therefore, as convincingly true. It is as simple, and as far-reaching, as that. In lands where there are no churches, cross-cultural missionary work remains the only way to begin."

Religious tourists or lifestyle matyrs?

The term "religious tourists" left a deep impression on me and caused me to reflect on how sometimes our faith does not require much of a sacrifice or cost us anything. I'm not propagating a works-righteousness whereby we try to earn our salvation through good works, we receive it through acknowledging our sin and accepting Christ's atonement on our behalf.

What is scary for me is when I observe what kind of creature Christianity in a country with religious freedom may morph into. While the early Christians gave their witness with their lives, dying martyrs' deaths, today following Christ is trendy, popular and financially rewarding even (because of the extensive networking opportunities in church). It's a sobering thought to consider how many of us Christians will continue to pledge allegiance to Yahweh if there is a price to pay for our obedience. Even as we prosper in a tolerant society and government, it is so easy for us to slide into lifestyles contrary to what the bible tells us is demanded of us. 

Oh Lord, awake our souls to long for your rule and reign in our lives, such that we would be so joyfully used to following you in the good days, that when the bad days come, our faiths would be unwavering. Help us Holy Spirit to remind us of the great cost of Calvary and consider the Cross of Christ that we are to take up; give us the strength, discipline and joy to do so and to urge others to do likewise. Amen.


Hansen reflects on Phil 2:12 on page 171-2 of his PNTC commentary:

The Letter to the Philippians

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“It is this ‘long obedience in the same direction’ which the mood of the world does so much to discourage.” When the path of obedience to Christ becomes steep and dangerous, pleasure seekers look for an easier way. Religious tourists hunting for sensational entertainment, instantaneous enlightenment, and emotional excitement will jump on the newest rides and take quick shortcuts, but they will not be found with pilgrims on the long, hard road following in the footsteps of Christ, who was obedient to death—even death on a cross. Paul’s call to unflagging, Christ-like obedience will not be popular in a world that so highly values going fast and having fun and so quickly rejects enduring pain and submitting to authority. But the essential characteristic of the wise who build their community on Christ is their consistent obedience to him.

The mis-selling of a triumphalist Christianity

As I reflect on Carson's exposition on Pages 31-2, my heart breaks at how we have been m mis-selling Christianity to attract people to follow Christ and how far removed it has been removed from denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following him. If the premise at which one decides to become saved is to be as successful and high flying as a prominent Christian personality, then I am overwhelmed with worry at how such a believer will respond during times of trial and suffering. I shudder at this thought because I, once upon a time too, believed in a prosperity theology whereby my religion gave me the right to demand (through prayer) what God needed to give me or come through for me.

Oh Lord, forgive me for wrongfully presenting your gospel and making false promises to seekers on your behalf. Help us believers to communicate the perseverance and joy of submitting our wills to you, and to winsomely communicate a faithful understanding of how we relate to you to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Help us to love, minister to and journey with those of more humble and more elite backgrounds as us, and that we may point them to follow you, for the glory and praise of Jesus Christ I pray, amen!

The Cross and Christian Ministry

The Cross and Christian Ministry has 907 ratings and 73 reviews. Jordan said: Carson would say I totally missed the point of chapter three when I say I w...

This is a point that our generation cannot afford to ignore. Why is it that we constantly parade Christian athletes, media personalities, and pop singers? Why should we think that their opinions or their experiences of grace are of any more significance than those of any other believer? When we tell outsiders about people in our church, do we instantly think of the despised and the lowly who have become Christians, or do we love to impress people with the importance of the men and women who have become Christians? Modern Western evangelicalism is deeply infected with the virus of triumphalism, and the resulting illness destroys humility, minimizes grace, and offers far too much homage to the money and influence and "wisdom" of our day.

Putman on how the devil changes God's definitions

As I reflect upon this profound thought, I'm compelled to consider how very tragic it is for us to have deviated so very far from God's ways. Have imposed our own man-made ideals and made what is actually opinion/feelings into "law"? Is the focus on the surrender of our wills to God, or is it just another strategy to get God to answer our prayers and meet our desires?

Perhaps it is easy to blame the dogmatic church leaders that have nurtured a hatred in me for institutionalized religiosity, but that would be ignore the sinful condition of my wretched heart. Oh Lord, help me to see the folly of my seared conscience and deliver me from the temptations that I feel that I cannot bear. Remind me evermore of the finished work of the cross and the resurrected Christ, that bought my freedom to live for You and to die to self. Amen.

From 69-70 of Power of Together

Worship has become about music that creates feelings rather than about surrender and praise to God. Leadership has become about dictatorship or politics or giving people what they want rather than what God says they need. The church has become a building rather than a body of believers. And love has become a feeling.

Greenfield on bandaid charity

I was compelled to reflect on this heart-wrenching paragraph on two levels. First was how I am so very thankful about Lee Kuan Yew's vision to provide public housing, education and healthcare for every Singaporean. In Singapore, while there are those who fall through the cracks of the social/welfare nets, I am heartened that at least slums, drugs and gang violence are not as serious as in some other countries.

Secondly, I was grieved by the sorry state of justice and mercy ministries by the local church. While Faith Community Baptist Church (FCBC) is one of the few that stand out for the boots on the ground, I am aggrieved by the one-off "charity" events during festive seasons. How is it that I could have grown up in church and not caught God's heart for the poor? Surely it should take the form of a long term or even permanent ministry? It is indeed easy to criticise the efforts of others, but rather than discussing the theological necessity of justice ministries, Greenfield was compelled by Scripture to uproot his family to live among and be a blessing in the slums of Cambodia and Canada. There is nothing to argue when somebody lives life like that; rather, we are posed with the question of whether we have been faithful and obedient to God's call for us in our lifetime.

I recognise my anger and discontent that a HDB flat (in the areas I'm looking at) has gone by about 40% since 2006. I cannot believe that I'm going to spend so many years slogging my guts out just to own a home. While I had hoped to purchase a 5 room or Executive apartment so as to have extra rooms to host friends and missionaries from overseas, the exorbitant price of HDB flats make 3 and 4 room flats as a more realistic choice. And that would mean that we probably wont be able to host as many as we had hoped to. I pray that the pressures of my own financial needs do not drown out the just-as-important need to use God's money on a group of people that is very close to his heart - the poor.


From Page 110 of Subversive Jesus

"By shuffling the hungry into soup kitchens, charity placates the downtrodden and assures that the rest of us won't need to be bothered by protests or unruly behavior. Meanwhile, temporary homeless shelters have become substitutes for a housing sector that includes affordable housing for the poor. Food banks and soup kitchens have become substitutes for affordable, nutritious food and livable wages. Tutoring has become a substitute for an education system meant to serve everyone. Free clinics and emergency rooms have become substitutes for affordable healthcare for the poor and unemployed."

Marshall on the perseverance of the saints

This is something that I have been pondering about lately (very much in fact). There are probably no easy answers, with both the Calvinists and Arminians viewpoints varying so very much. On one hand I guess salvation at the point of conversion is a gift that we freely receive. Yes we cannot do anything to earn our salvation.. But I really wonder is a person truly saved if he behaves in a manner contrary to the standards that God has set in his holy Word? If I fall so short of the indicative markers of what a Christian is, then does that mean I really have not yet come to the point of being regenerated.

The desire to sin is still a very existent daily reality. I trust not in my own determination but I guess I can go to sleep every night, having repented, to know that his grace and mercy is more than sufficient to keep me from falling into apostasy the next day? It seems that my limited understanding of the reformed position seems to help my heart be in a better state of rest. Well lets see how the book shapes my understanding!

Here's the excerpt from the book where Marshall defines or comments on the perseverance of the saints.

From Page 22 of Btcl/Kept by the Power of God

On the one hand, the Christian life is a life which is continually sustained by the power of God. It does not merely depend upon a once-for-all gift of God received in the moment of conversion, but is a continual relationship to God in which His gracious gifts are received by faith. On the other hand, the believer is continually faced by temptations which jeopardize his faith. He is thus in a state of tension as he receives the gift of life from God and at the same time faces the forces of temptation which threaten to deprive him of that life. Positively, his duty is to grow in the Christian life towards the goal of sinlessness, i.e. of victory by the power of God over the temptations which assail him. This is the process known as sanctification. Negatively, the believer faces the danger of succumbing to temptation through failure to trust in God. He may be said to fall away from his faith in God, and the limit to this process would be apostasy, i.e. complete abandonment of faith and surrender to temptation; in such a case the divine life would cease to exist in the man.

Clowney on characteristics of a Minister

Humility, surrender, discipline and living out the gospel. Clowney affirms are the some characteristics of a Minister. These arent easy to swallow, especially because any one of these would take a lifetime to "master" or take on as a character trait. If left to our own devices, minister or not, we would probably tend to become proud, independent, lazy and sinning. Thank you Holy Spirit for the beckoning back to you and into your service.

Our natural tendency is to savour the praise that we receive from others, but I guess when God works through our weakness that everyone can see it was Him and not us. All the glory would be his. We aint gonna be stealing any. O Lord, grant us the desire for more of you and to conform our lives to your will, more than we desire of any other thing from you, gifts or possessions or anything else. Let us find more joy in pleasing you than chasing the fleeting pleasures of this world. Amen.


From Page 60-63 of: Called to the Ministry

If this survey of the function of the minister has not given you pause, please abandon all thought of becoming a minister. If it has, be encouraged. To the degree that you are overwhelmed you show a willingness to take the ministry seriously...

A man's "natural" gifts cannot add up to a probability that he should choose the ministry. God has chosen the weak and foolish, not the mighty and wise, so that it might be quite clear that he alone is the Saviour. If you are a gifted speaker you should be effective as a lawyer or a salesman, but nothing can be said about your effectiveness as a preacher. The glib confidence of a ready tongue may be the very pride that bars you from the ministry. Not one of the apostles was an orator. If God calls you to speak for him, the speaking will be made possible...

A minister's gift of faith draws him to a life of commitment to Christ. We have seen that the calling of discipleship is the calling of the cross. This must be particularly evident in the life of the minister. Examine your calling in this respect. Are you a slave of Jesus Christ, already "bound in the spirit" to go wherever he calls you? (Acts 20:22). Are you willing to leave all and follow him, to rejoice in sufferings, to become a fool for Christ's sake? (1 Cor. 4:9-13).

The commitment of faith is measured by action—the ready obedience of spiritual discipline. The minister is a good soldier of Jesus Christ, trained to obey at once (II Tim. 2: 3,4), a practiced athlete (I Cor. 9:24-27), a hardworking farmer (II Tim. 2:6), a faithful steward (I Cor. 4:2). Growth in this discipline marks Christ's calling. Timothy had to be reminded by Paul that God had not given a Spirit who produced fear, but a Spirit of love, power, and discipline (II Tim. 1:7 A.R.V.)...

The minister's commitment of faith must be grounded in the knowledge of faith... Calling to the ministry and love of the Bible go together. If you do not share the privileges of Timothy's childhood you have the greater obligation to read and study the Word of God... The knowledge of faith is more than a grasp of Biblical facts. It includes a living response to the Biblical message.

Clowney on administrative duties of a Minister

A minister is called unto administration. Having seen pastors being more engrossed with upholding the Ecclesiastical structure/system of the church, I am aware that I have recoiled in the other direction and am probably inclined to spurning or neglecting administrative duties. Clowney's call is a somber reminder not to be caught up in the study, proclamation and application of the Word (which is our primary and most important duty), but to take on a towel and be willing to wish the feet of our peers and sheep. Preaching without personal action would not account for any authenticity to our post-modern hearers. But how can we serve others unless we have come face to face with the transcendent God who humbled himself to the cross? If we have encountered him and surrendered this life for him, then how can we but give our all, our everything for his bride, the church?



From Page 57 of Called to the Ministry

No pastor should despise administrative duties. They are included in his calling. A recent survey reported that most ministers resented the demands of administration upon their time. They felt they had been prepared to minister the Word and the sacraments but were delivered up to the administration of building campaigns and fellowship suppers. No doubt a corrective is needed. Sometimes the church is just too big; sometimes it is busy with the wrong programs. A pastor is not likely to be irked with the administration of a program of evangelistic calling by the members of the congregation. Sometimes the pastor is at fault for seizing leadership himself instead of cultivating it in others. But the minister who supposes that his calling is to the pulpit and the study had better dedicate an office desk to the service of the Lord.

Highlights from The Pastor's Book

Having read Pastor Hughes' chapter in Worship by the book (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145835), I felt that Chapter 1 here (authored by O’Donnell) paled in comparison. I'd skip the chapter, save for the section on page 27 that highlighted how Christ fulfilled the Jer. 31:31-34 prophecy, which was recorded in Heb. 8:7-13,

"Under the new covenant, Christians are thus to worship all the time—in their individual lives, in their family lives, and when they come together for corporate worship. Corporate worship, then, is a particular expression of a life of perpetual worship... Thus, with the New Testament perspective in mind, as Christians we must center our worship on Christ as the temple, priest, and sacrifice." (p27).

Having grown up in a charismatic church, (and even though I recently have found myself resonating increasingly with reformed theology), Chapter 2 is still pretty much foreign to me. I have never celebrated advent and most of the hymns highlighted are foreign to me. The poems for Christmas (p78-86), Good Friday (106-110) and Easter (118-122), however may prove to be useful in time to come! Chapter 3 was a pleasant surprise after two so-so chapters! (Perhaps because I'm looking forward to my own wedding soon; and that I have not been to many weddings that had sound gospel-centered preaching since I entered Bible School). I found this section on Pg 130 especially useful in helping me look at wedding in an entirely different light,

"Christian weddings are not commonly thought of as evangelistic, but they are, and here’s why: First, the presiding pastor's (your) ... preaching is to be gospel redolent, full of the good news... you normally have more non-Christians ... than on any Sunday service! The whole service is built around the Scriptures ... [and] the hymns and songs (rightly chosen) are also full of scriptural truth... paint[ing] a beautiful picture of what the gospel has done for the bride and groom and what it demands of them in marriage. Such a service can be used by Christ to make attendees thirsty for the water of life."

The Crucial Questions segment (p131-133) in the pre-marital counselling section provides advice and guidelines that are timelessly useful, whereby a minister can do himself and the couple a huge favour by ascertaining the following about them:

1. Do you discern that they are Christians? Can they explain what the gospel is? Or perhaps asking them "What are some of the ways you serve Christ?" 2. Is the couple chaste? "If a Christian couple is sexually active (fornicating is the biblical word), they are by definition living in sin... Their flagrant lack of restraint, should they marry, may sow the seeds of distrust... Nevertheless, if the couple repents and submits to pastoral guidance, ... and does so in fellowship with the body of Christ, then holy matrimony may be pursued." (p132) 3. Do they have family support to get married? "Parental distaste for or disapproval of one’s spouse can add substantial stress to a marriage... the pastor should explore the reasons before consenting to perform the wedding." (p132-133) 4. Do they have a similar direction in life? "The pastor needs to ask a few probing questions about their values and goals in life. Mutuality foreshadows harmony. Dissonance augurs trouble." (p133) 5. Do they want to have children? "Couples that marry and covenant with each other to forgo children are at odds with the Scriptures and with the historic church... if a couple is in sharp disagreement about having a family, they should consider whether to pursue marriage at all." (p133)

Chapter 4 is immensely useful. Hughes reminds us of the "the divinely appointed opportunity that every funeral allows" (p182). For him, "Death is an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26), but also an evangelist... Death forces the most profound questions to be asked, but mercilessly mocks those who sleep through its lessons.” (p183). In providing initial pastoral care to a grieving family, Hughes cautions that "comfort can morph into awkwardness if, for example, the grieving family feels that they have to be attentive to the pastor as they are making and receiving calls from loved ones... Sometimes the necessary details regarding the times for the visitation, funeral, and burial can be discussed at the initial visit with the family." (p184). The list of questions for the purposes of gathering information about the deceased on pgs 186-187 are extremely helpful; the busy pastor can then best conserve his time by immediately drafting a brief remembrance while the conversation is still fresh (and edit later). Downloadable versions of the Sample Funeral Information Worksheet and Sample Funeral Service Planning Worksheet (p585) will probably make the book price seem like a bargain. Hughes affirms that "the apparent reason for a funeral service is to confront loss, mourn the deceased, and offer comfort to the family; the conscious purpose of a Christian funeral must be to glorify Christ by declaring the good news of his death, burial, and resurrection" (p191). He closes the chapter with the insightful counsel that "pastoral care can be easily enhanced with a simple plan for follow-up, monitored through the church office or administrative assistant. The following is a sequence that honors the anniversaries of the day of death: One-month anniversary—call or visit; Three-month anniversary—send a card; Six-month anniversary—call; One-year anniversary—visit; Two-year anniversary—visit" (p195-196). The sample funeral sermons are invaluable in illustrating to us new ministers how the theoretical is applied to reality. (p197-231). I found the Poem enrichment segment extremely difficult to read through, perhaps because my own exposure to literature was only two years in secondary school (when I was 13-14 years old). The only poem that resonated with me was Samuel's Crossman's "My song is love unknown." I guess still prefer quoting from hymns, because the words would subconsciously relate better with something that they had heard before, even if it were decades ago. Chapter 5: I thoroughly enjoyed it. My imagination and concept of what prayer could be is expanded. I have never seen prayers like these! I am most probably going to spend alot of time reading, re-reading and meditating on these model prayers. This chapter is definitely not one to be sped-read through, but one that you should consider savouring and enjoying piece by piece. The only type prayers I had been exposed to thus far were "extemporaneous" prayers (spoken or done without preparation) and I treasure D A Carson's the exhortation that "public praying is a pedagogical opportunity... The answer ... is to provide more prayers that are carefully and freshly prepared." (cited in p263). I also appreciate the advice that "much depends on how well pastoral leaders prepare to lead the people in prayer... [as] prayer is more easily caught than taught." (p263). Another piece of extremely helpful counsel, "public prayers of the pastor must be a reflection of his private prayer; public prayer must flow from our communion and intercession with God in secret. Congregational prayers can be theologically precise and beautiful but hollow if they are not rooted in the heart and practice of the pastor." (p265). The last helpful advice was that prayer should never be "a pro forma weekly confession in which brain-numbed worshipers repeat a confession of sin... [but] transparent, engaged, passionate confession by the assembled body of Christ... it should never be routine." (p271). I realise that I have been exhorted all these years to pray, pray, pray, and yet have not had prayer modeled for me so that I could do likewise (until now)! I am challenged and inspired to pray like never before! On the topic of confessions, I found this piece of advice helpful,

"we are not advocates of a pro forma weekly confession in which brain-numbed worshipers repeat a confession of sin in muffled Latinate cadences. Rather, we are advocating transparent, engaged, passionate confession by the assembled body of Christ. We believe it should never be routine. Corporate confession of sin must be varied. Sometimes there needs to be no more than a reading of a Scripture passage along with the pastoral invitation, “Let us confess our sins” (or, “Let us confess our sins, as is fitting to each of our souls”), followed by sixty seconds of silence (real silence, without musical accompaniment) in which the congregation may do so! Another time it may be done by the use of an ancient confession with a brief pastoral rubric about praying it from the heart and then praying it slowly enough for people to do it." (p271-2).

Like Chapter 2 on Annual Services, the closest I've been to Creeds (Chapter 6) is Hillsong's This I Believe (The Creed). I did appreciate the suggestion of introducing creeds in a worship service by means of a short, thoughtprovoking paragraph, such as:

"My brothers and sisters, there are many ways we identify ourselves as God’s people. We sing the great hymns of the faith. We pray in the Spirit. We celebrate the sacraments. We listen to God’s Word proclaimed. Now we come to profess God’s story of our salvation through words of the ___________ Creed. And in doing so, we seek to acknowledge the past and present communion of saints and long for the time when all God’s people from every tongue, tribe, and nation will acknowledge together the truths of God’s Word before his throne. Let us now confess wholeheartedly the faith of the universal church." (p331).

I understand the authors' choice of Hymns and Songs (Chapter 7), but unfortunately I would not be able to provide much helpful evaluation of their suggested song lists (as I come from a very different tradition or song preference, of Planetshakers, Jesus Culture, Hillsong, Passion, Paul Baloche). I do resonate with their affirmation that "Music must be the servant of preaching" (in contrast to the worship segment being the highlight of the service, pre and post-sermon),

"This means that the lyrics of the songs used during the service should reflect the text of Scripture preached that day and that the music attached to those lyrics needs to maintain the integrity of the words in an enhancing and confirming manner. We believe that the Word of God read and preached is the central component of our public worship, but the music helps raise our affections—provided they are raised primarily by the truth of God’s revelation." (p352).

I cannot agree more that we are to be "sensitive to our specific congregations’ vocal abilities and knowledge of music, ... pitch, tempo, and rhythm, [therefore] we must select songs that are singable." (p352). I emphatically concur that we should and cannot allow sub-standard worship leading,

"Musicians must see themselves as fellow laborers in the Word and must lead with understanding and an engaged heart. Those who minister in worship services must be healthy Christians who have confessed their sins and by God’s grace are living their lives consistently with the music they lead. The sobering fact is that over time the congregation tends to become like those who lead. Musicians are also called to render their very best to God. Qualitative standards can be expressed classically (unity, clarity, proportion), and biblically (creativity, beauty, craft). In Christian worship, where music is a servant of the Word of God, musical standards are a requisite to clear communication. Church music must be judged by universal standards of musicianship: it must be good music, well performed, with due attention paid to intonation, rhythmic accuracy, articulation, and tone. Happy is the congregation led by godly, competent musicians." (p353).

Baptism (Chapter 8) was so-so, perhaps it is far simpler in complexity as compared to weddings or funerals! I found that this was a wonderful suggestion, or what they term "A very nice touch," is when 'the congregation sings a stanza of a hymn or song [to] allow time for the one just baptized to exit the baptismal tank and the next to be ready for entrance. Some stanzas that work well are from the following hymns (p388): • “My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness” • “My Jesus, I Love Thee” • “Praise the Name of Jesus” • “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” • “I Love Thee”' My takeaway actually was how Christians, like the two authors, could extend charity to one another even though they differ on certain non-essentials. In this instance it would be Kent Hughes (Baptist) and Douglas O’Donnell (Paedobaptist); in layman's terms, they differ in that the latter baptises infants and the former does not. And yet they come together to affirm what they hold in common:

i. The theological symbolism of immersion and elevation from the water throbs with the movement of the gospel. Submersion pictures our union with Christ in his death and burial, elevation our being raised with him to newness of life. (p375). ii. The waters of baptism are emblematic not only of our death, burial, and resurrection with Christ, but also of our washing and cleansing from sin that occurs concurrent with conversion. (p375). iii. The New Testament consistently records that baptism was reserved for those who professed faith in Christ—believers only. (p376). iv. Baptism is not necessary for salvation. A symbol cannot save... The imperative is simply to obey Christ, who commanded baptism for all who believe. (p376). Fundamentally, baptism is an outward physical sign of an inward spiritual reality. Nothing magical or supernatural takes place because someone is immersed in these waters. The act of baptism does not save you, but only is a symbol pointing to the reality of your salvation. You could liken it to a wedding ring that, in and of itself, does not make you married, but serves as a sign to the world that you have committed yourself in marriage to your lifelong spouse. (p392) v. In discerning the readiness of a professing believer for baptism, the church should consider whether the person is regenerate (p377), repentant (p377) and old enough (p378). vi. Congregational Covenant: where the pastor asks the people being baptised to stand and affirm their commitment as printed in the bulletin. Eg. “Do you, the body of Christ, promise to receive these children in love, pray for them, help instruct them in the faith, and encourage and sustain them in the fellowship of believers?” (p399).

Clowney on one's calling and gifting in context of Christ's church

Indeed one cannot exercise spiritual gifts without a faith community. Who are you going to teach, serve or preach to? Yourself? Even if it is your family unit, surely there will come a day when the reading and proclamation of Scripture will compel us to follow Christ's beckoning, which often involves a certain "neighbour."

This is personally very real to me, because there are some professing Christians that I rather not count as my brothers in Christ. I would rather a distance be kept, not because of any offence or unforgiveness, but because I really do not like them. I therefore struggle with Jesus call for me to love my neighbour. Just like the expert of religious law's reluctance to mention that it was the Samaritan who proved to be a good neighbour to the man who was robbed (Luke 10:37), I too am extremely reluctant to regard some as my brothers. I do not think that Christ would excuse me just because I do not see any displayable attributes of a born again life in another person.

Help me a Lord I pray. I confess I do not desire to love the unlovable.


From Page 32 and 34 of: Called to the Ministry

Within the church of Christ, the mutual ministry of gifts moves constantly to the pulse-beat of the life of the Spirit. The body grows through the organic interdependence of each part... that means that you cannot grow without ministering to others and receiving the ministry of others...

You cannot bring your gifts to mature function apart from the mutual ministries of Christ's church. Therefore no Christian can determine his calling in isolation from the throbbing organism in which he is called. No doubt a Christian who is joined to Christ can exist outside the fellowship of the church, almost as a surgically removed bodily organ may be kept alive if the links of arteries and nerves are unsevered. But a living brain on a laboratory stand is a monstrosity. There are emergencies which may require surgery: Christians may be forced to separation, and Christ himself warned of the necessity of cutting off an offending member of the body (Matt. 18:7-9, 17). But the Christian is endued of his Lord for corporate life. His freedom and growth are found in fellowship.

No Spiritual Inventory Test can measure your gifts and capacities in Christ's service. Such a test may help you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think; it may reveal unsuspected abilities and strengths. But Christ's own test is not the [Spiritual Inventory Test]; it is administered only in action. We might call it the Service In Fellowship Test. As you labor with other Christians, hidden gifts are brought to light and new gifts are received.

Clowney on how Jesus transforms "You shall not steal"

We would have stopped short if we only mention that Jesus transforms "You shall not steal" by giving himself as our treasure. That would be a rather self-centered sermon. We have to also remember that instead of being judged and punished, we now have the privilege of being in his service. For we belong to God, his treasured possession, as we are refined by the trials and testings in this life.

I dont know about you guys, but as a young Singapore who will soon have to deal with the pressures of wedding bills and home mortgage, it takes a supernatural awakening of my spirit to be generous. Every fibre of my being wants to be debt-free and that would mean cutting back on blessing others. Yet once again I am reminded to fix my eyes and my heart on life beyond earth, that the money I supposedly earn is but under my stewardship. What better way to spend it than for the glory of his kingdom, not on my own interests but that of others whom Christ loves just as much as I.



From pages 99-102 and 120-121 of: How Jesus Transforms The Ten Commandments

"Our inheritance is more than the blessings of glory, more than the new heavens and earth. It is the Lord, who gives himself to us, that we may be one with him. Yes, Jesus Christ does all this in transforming the commandment of property rights, "You shall not steal." He gives himself as our treasure...

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knew that he could keep those whom the Father had given him. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." He added, "No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one" (John 10:27-30). No one can steal the inheritance of the divine Shepherd. As we are the inheritance, the property of the Lord, so, too, we possess our inheritance in Christ. We belong to Jesus; he belongs to us...


In the power of Christ and his love we can learn not only to refrain from stealing what belongs to others, but to multiply our treasure by clinging to Christ alone. Out of the bounty of that miraculous multiplication of our gifts and treasure, we can amply supply those whom Christ places in our path. Let us shower on those around us the treasure God has given us, not counting the cost, but looking to that treasure that is laid up in heaven for us, namely, Christ himself."

Thomas on choosing your children's father/mother

This really got me thinking, do I want my kids to be like in future? That made me do some serious reflection on how I am living my life now. Do I want them to inherit my laziness, messiness or procrastination? It is reality hitting me really hard when I realise that I really have to impart character to my children, and I definitely cannot pass on something that I do not have.

In two days I built a shelf to rehouse all the clutter in my room, cleaned the other bookshelves and posted unwanted books for sale on carousell. Now to start wrapping up the other 20 or so brand new books and put them on the to-read shelf. And to build another shelf so as to move all my inventory for my business into my room in a more space efficient manner.



From Pages 126-127 of: The Sacred Search

"If three people applied to babysit my kids, the mere fact that they all wanted a job wouldn’t be what I based my choice on. I’d hire the babysitter who seemed most stable, safe, qualified, and competent. That’s not being selfish or judgmental; it’s being wise, responsible, and protective of my kids.

You get to start protecting your kids before they’re even born. Give them a godly mom or dad. Even better, raise them in a godly family with lots of spiritual support. Most young people completely discount this. I think it should be much more of a factor in your final decision than many people make it.

If the person you love knows you’re a Christian and says he or she’s a Christian too, that means almost nothing. In one sense, it means a lot, in that if they categorically say they’re not a believer, you have no business marrying them. However, I hope you want more than just someone who simply says he or she’s a Christian. Consider marrying a certain kind of Christian, one with a humble spirituality."

Tripp on formal and informal ministry

As a bible student with just 1 year left to go to graduate with a degree, I look back at the past three years when I tried (and probably am still failing miserably) to balance a business with studies and other responsibilities in life, I often think about the notion whereby Christian ministry seems to be unique in that many things we do in lay capacity are not remunerable. Many a service is done "unto the Lord" which is all good and nice, but when the realities of school fees, bills and textbooks (and commentaries and other books) come into the equation, it really eats into you. When two of your classmates have all their school fees and textbooks paid for by their church, even having a monthly allowance, but most importantly, are given the blessing by their leadership to attempt to apply whatever they have studied, one cannot but think about why do I make so many sacrifices just to complete a theological degree.

I personally have been the recipient of the grace and love of many lay leaders in church, most significant of a full time staff member of another church, who mentored and journeyed with me through the days I was anti-Christian, until today when I am about to venture into ministry for my beloved Jesus Christ. If the tithes and offerings of his church did not allow him to provide for his family, I do not know if I still would be still not too different from the angry and bitter teenager I was.

I guess that if God has truly called a minister, then he would be gracious to provide the means necessary to carry out the call, be it in family blessing, finances or opportunity for ministry. It is the working out toward the end goal (in my case, a church plant) that requires faith from on high to keep the workman going.

As I reflect on Tripp's short discourse, I would like to add that some churches have large full time staff because their members somehow do not minister to one another, so they pay others to take care of them. But if a person has truly been taught and captured the heart of the gospel, all followers of Jesus by nature would minister informally, whether or not they are paid by the church. 

I often point out the dilemma why the sunday school teacher or the cell group leader is not paid, whereas the air con or the elevator repair man is. If we want to use a ministry of helps as a basis of comparison, we can consider whether the sound, light, money counters, security volunteers should be paid. I do recognise that when a church starts paying her congregation for certain tasks, like for editing an announcement video, that would be precedent for every other ministry volunteer to receive pay. That would not be an issue for a church which has a culture of giving generously (in terms of tithes/offering and to one another), but for a church that is barely balancing the accounts, that would not be possible.

So to go back on topic, in reflection to Tripp's stance, a church possibly should ask itself whether is its paid staff equipping its lay leaders to minister informally to one another or if they spend most of their time ministering to its congregation.


From Pages 19-20 of Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands

"The only metaphor that captures God's plan for the church is the metaphor of a body. Christ has given his church leaders, not to bear the full ministry load of the body of Christ, but to equip each member to join in God's work of personal transformation. Remember: no local church could hire enough staff to meet all the ministry needs of a given week! In the biblical model, much more informal, personal ministry goes on than formal ministry. The times of formal, public ministry are meant to train God's people for the personal ministry that is the lifestyle of the body of Christ. Reflect on your own life. Isn't it true that change has not come only through the formal ministry of the Word? Hasn't God also used ordinary people to change your heart and transform your life?"

Blanchard's careful preparation for public reading of Scripture

In the two decades or so of attending church, I have rarely seen many people read Scripture with much passion, reverence and definitely such extensive preparation. Blanchard has challenged me to reconsider who we should choose to read the Holy Word aloud in service, and also the importance of the posturing of one's heart for this precious privilege.


From pages 190-191 of Worship by the Book

British evangelist and Bible teacher John Blanchard describes how he has prepared for the public reading of God's Word and the powerful results:

There are times when I have felt that the Bible was being read less preparation than the notices—and with considerably less understanding. I hesitate to use the following illustrations because of my part in it, but I do so as a reminder to my own heart of the seriousness of the issue. A year or two after my conversion I was appointed as a Lay Reader in the Church of England, to Holy Trinity Church, Guernsey. There were two other, more senior, Lay Readers on the staff, with the result that on most Sundays the responsibilities could be evenly shared out. As it happened, the Vicar almost always asked me to read the Lessons, following a Lectionary which listed the passages appointed to be read on each Sunday of the year. My wife and I lived in a small flat at the time, but I can vividly remember my Sunday morning routine. Immediately after breakfast I would go into the bedroom, lock the door, and begin to prepare for reading the Lesson that morning. After a word of prayer I would look up the Lesson in the Lectionary, and read it carefully in the Authorized Version, which we were using in the church. Then I would read it through in every other version I had in my possession, in order to get thoroughly familiar with the whole drift and sense of the passage. Next I would turn to the commentaries. I did not have many in those days, but those I had I used. I would pay particular attention to word meanings and doctrinal implications. When I had finished studying the passage in detail, I would go to the mantelpiece, which was roughly the same height as the lectern in the church, and prop up the largest copy of the Authorized Version I possessed. Having done that, I would walk very slowly up to it from the other side of the room, and begin to speak, aloud: 'Here beginneth the first verse of the tenth chapter of the gospel according to St. John' (or whatever the passage was). Then I would begin to read aloud the portion appointed. If I made so much as a single slip of the tongue, a single mispronunciation, I would stop, walk back across the room, and start again, until I had read the whole passage word perfect, perhaps two or three times. My wife would tell you that there were times when I emerged from the bedroom with that day's clean white shirt stained with perspiration drawn from the effort of preparing one Lesson to be read in the church. Does that sound like carrying things too far? Then let me add this: I was told that there were times when after the reading of the Lesson people wanted to leave the senäce there and then and go quietly home to think over the implications of what God has said to them in his Word.

Norman on dogma, doctrine and belief

I was just joking with the my girlfriend the other day about an angry comment I received. I was chided for thinking that I had studied too much until my head grew too big. Well, we bible school students would constantly receive such scoldings when we differ from the church's commonly held doctrine or belief (or as my professor calls it, opinion). Allow me to indulge in two hypothetical scenarios.

You have a piece of hardened skin on your sole that does not go away for a couple of months. You go to your doctor who tells you not to worry about it because it is just a corn, perhaps even giving you a cream for pain relief. You then bump into your friend who is in medical school, whose favourite subject happens to be dermatology. Instinctively you show your friend the corn and she tells you that it is unmistakably a wart and to go have it removed. Will you respond in anger and tell her off, "YOU STUDY TOO MUCH ALREADY, YOUR HEAD GREW TOO BIG?!"

Of course not! You would get a second opinion from perhaps a practicing dermatologist at the specialist clinic.

Perhaps you want to venture into investing in stocks and consult your friend who had been investing for a couple of decades. He did not receive any formal training and regards himself to be an average investor who just manages to make ends meet, thankfully because his wife holds a full time job. He tells you to buy a certain share. You then decide to look up your nephew who has been scoring close to a perfect GPA in finance for a second opinion. You then find out that he disagrees with your friend's insider tip. Do you get mad and tell him off, "WHY ARE YOU SO PROUD TO THINK THAT YOU KNOW BETTER THAN A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR TWENTY YEARS?!"

I don't so. Thankfully I have come to a point whereby I know how very little we know about interpreting the ancient text of Scripture and applying it to today's contemporary context. It is okay if others think I am wrong. What we young bible school students will continually face when we differ with conventional thinking, is that the older generation thinks that we are rebelling or trying to show up the older guard of preachers. Many of them have never gone to seminary, and have been faithfully but perhaps not too successfully shepherding the people and preaching hermeneutically sound sermons.

I love the church, especially one that is not preaching the full counsel of God. My heart is broken when violence is done to Scripture and methodologies of leadership would make any postmodern person cringe. I would be crazy to spend 4 years of my life studying in bible school just to prove that I am smart. Studying in a local university would earn me much more money and provide another galaxy of job security. I went because I could no longer resist the call and the prompting to do so.

With one year left to graduate, and with no guaranteed job (let alone a decent paying one) in sight, it takes so much faith to keep going and trying our very best to do our very best in our studies. We have no choice but to trust that God will take care of our monetary needs and perhaps even material wants. I just do not get fed by the esigetical preaching in pentecostal churches, and find it a challenge to focus if the worship or sermon is a tad too serious. Where would I feel 100% at home? A church that reveres God's Word that the preachers and teachers do their utmost not to put their own meaning into Holy Scripture, and yet relies on and welcomes the Holy Spirit to minister in the service and meetings. I hope that eventually I can find it in Singapore!


From Perspectives on Church Government:

Following the insights of other theologians, I have adopted a threefold scheme for the categorization of valid doctrines.' These categories are: "dogma," "doctrine," and "belief." The category "dogma" encompasses those tenets that make us "Christian." "Dogma" consists of concepts that are absolutely nonnegotiable for the Christian faith. To deny a tenet within the "dogma" category would be to deny a tenet of orthodox Christianity. Students typi­cally and rightfully place such concepts as the Trinity and the per-son and work of Jesus Christ in this grouping. The second category, "doctrine," includes those concepts that shape our understanding of the nature and ministry of the church. Differences of under-standing for concepts within this classification would not necessarily constitute a denial of the Christian faith, but differing perspectives on concepts within "doctrine" would determine differ­ences in denominational identity, nature of ministry, and such. My students (primarily Southern Baptists) typically place beliefs such as a regenerate church membership, believer's baptism, or a memorial view of the Lord's Supper in this category. The final cat­egory, "belief," encompasses those ideas that are important but can be matters of difference of opinion. Concepts within the "belief" category are matters on which Christians can "agree to disagree" without disruption or breach of fellowship. Differences of theolog­ical understanding for tenets within the "belief" grouping neither constitute a denial of the Christian faith nor separation into differ­ing denominations or churches. Students often place within this third category eschatological concepts such as the sequence of events and the timing of the second coming of Christ.

Longman III and Allender on how our relationships reveal our selfishness

Without the gospel, we would use even the people closest to us for selfish purposes; "even our good relationships... become a prime breeding ground for anger and frustration, lust and violence and even idolatry." I reckon that most of the time, the reason people leave jobs and churches or even the faith is because of relating to another person. Indeed I recognise that I am not much different from the corrupt tax collectors who "love those who love them" (Matt. 5:46; cf. Luke 6:32). I don't think I even desire to love with an other-centered love, yet that is what Christ calls me to. Sure it will help if there are godly people around me who model how to do that... 


From pages 56-58 of Breaking the Idols of Your Heart

When we are honest, we realize that even our good relationships cant fulfill our needs for intimacy. Other people let us down. They use us, as the Teacher recognized in Ecclesiastes 5: 11: "The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it." And we do the same thing to them. If we take a close look at ourselves, we realize we can't fulfill the needs of others. So our relationships become a prime breeding ground for anger and frustration, lust and violence and even idolatry...

When we sinners come together in relationship, the problems intensify; they don't go away. We feel not only the frustration created by the inadequacy of another person but also the guilt of our failures as a spouse, a relative or a friend.

Perhaps no other area in our life raises more questions than our relationships. Perhaps no other area in our life causes more anger, jealousy, disappointment and stress than other people. The Teacher, though he had positive things to say about relationships, recognized this frustration:
"This is my conclusion," says the Teacher. "I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of every thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path." (Ecclesiastes 7:27-29)

Don't be distracted by the Teacher's attitude toward women here. His words are not meant to be a definite statement of what is right. They are being quoted by the second wise man, who uses them as an example to teach his son. Remember, too, that the Teacher reflects life under the sun and that he prizes men only a tad better than women. If the Teacher were a woman, she would probably say the same thing about men.

The main point is that relationships are unsatisfactory. And even when they are good, as the Teacher ruthlessly points out, they all end in death: "Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth" (Ecclesiastes 9:6).

Our under-the-sun relationships can't supply us with ultimate meaning or purpose in life. Disappointments, rejections, betrayals, bereavements make this clear.

So what do we do? Should we adopt the devil-may-care attitude to which the Teacher resigns himself? "So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne!" (Ecclesiastes 9:7). Or is there something more? Can we move from relational frustration under the sun to something better above the sun?

The answer is yes. But to understand how this works, we have to look beyond the Teachers cynical proclamations or even the wise mans admonition to obey God's commands. We have to look to the gospel—and the amazing love of God himself.

Why is it so hard to live in love and intimacy with God and others? The Bibles answer to that question is that deep down we love only ourselves. Love of self conflicts with loving another person. We want to be loved, but it hard to give love to another unless we get something in return. Indeed often give only as a way of filling our own needs. How often have we withdrawn from people to whom we have been close because we were getting nothing out of a relationship. How often have we wanted to be with another person because that person was making us feel good and was serving our own needs?

That kind of selfish love comes naturally to us. Its the ultimate source of the lust and violence that afflicts our relationships. But there's another to live and to love, as the apostle Paul points out in the thirteenth Chapter of 1 Corinthians. We often think of this chapter in the context of marriage, and indeed it is appropriately applied in that most intimate of human relationships. But Paul is really talking about attitudes and actions that should characterize all healthy loving relationships.

After asserting the importance of this alternative kind of love (1 Corinthians 12:31—13:3), Paul describes a heart that loves with passion and depth. First, the apostle tells us that love is patient and kind. It waits for the other, and it does so with concern, not irritability. It waits. It hopes. It loves beauty and justice and does not give in to the petty pleasure of seeing the one who hurt us stumble. Love is the Atlas of the soul; it keeps holding us up. It does not quit; it does not lose the memory of connection; it does not kill the dreams of reconciliation.

On the other hand, love wants nothing to do with jealousy or pride, which seek their own good at the expense of the other Instead, love cares for the other, not for the self. Love does not keep accounts, weighing the advantages of a particular relationship. It is not based on what we can get out of a connection, but on what we can put into it. Instead it sacrifices safety ("I wont let myself be hurt again") and deals a death blow to self-righteousness (After all I've done for them, I deserve better"). Love seeks the good of the other without denying the hunger of our heart or demanding that desire be satisfied.

It is this high call to other-centered love that strips us of any pretense that we love well.

Thomas on the life-giving love in a marriage

In the context of a marriage, Gary Thomas comments on Matt. 6:33 "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

The first paragraph sounds like a fulfilling marriage to me! Bet it is going to be built upon super alot of hard work of dying to self and giving of Christ-like love to one another. Too bad it doesnt just happen magically... 

How can we as sinful, selfish people do as such? Only when in surrender to the moulding of our hearts and wills by you Holy Spirit. We confess we are so prone to sinning again you and one another Lord, help us, if we so choose to be married, to do so with a kingdom framework - that we would seek to put our spouse as more important than ourselves, that a giving of ourselves would be the hallmark of our married lives. Give us a greater glimpse and understanding of how you love your church so that we can do likewise! Amen.

From page 17-18 of The Sacred Search:

When husband and wife are committed in Christ, growing together in the Lord, supporting each other in their spiritual walks, raising children in the fear of the Lord, loving each other out of reverence for God, joy abounds and miracles happen. Selfish people become servants. Self-centered children grow up to become workers in God’s kingdom. Strangers become intimate friends. Daily life is filled with the drama of kingdom building. There are plenty of mistakes, lots of repenting, times of frustration, sickness, and even doubts. But in the end, God’s presence prevails, people are transformed, kingdom work is accomplished, and trials are overcome. If two people join themselves around this mission—if they make their marital choice based on the best person with whom they can accomplish this mission—they are far more likely to have a fulfilling and soul-building marriage.

On the other hand, I’ve witnessed how miserable people can make each other when they live for themselves. Though their initial sexual attraction might have been off the charts, it is usually only a matter of months until they are saying and doing awful, awful things to each other, so awful that they will call a pastor on the phone, someone they don’t even know, because they are so desperate to find another way to live. There was a time when they couldn’t live without each other; every second, they had to be together. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Now they can’t bear to live together. When they’re in the same room, or in the same car, or on the same telephone call, they can’t stop fighting.

It’s made me realize that the old cliché is all too true: a good marriage is the closest two people will ever come to heaven this side of eternity; a bad marriage is the closest two people in an affluent society will ever come to hell. 

Such problems usually erupt from trying to build a life together without purpose, without mission, without something that not only establishes a connection but keeps you caring about each other for the next fifty to sixty years.

Clowney on marriage as a reflection of covenant

I guess I have been guilty in letting the Hollywood portrayal of marriage shape my worldview more than the Bible's. We think of the romantic times spent together, of the lovely adventures and of the beautiful places in the world to travel to together etc, of the amazing material things we can purchase and the wonderful home we can build up together. Well all of these things are not bad in themselves, but they do not encapsulate the rich theological metaphor of marriage!

When we reflect on how God used marriage as a reflection of his covenantal love for his people (both ancient Israel and us today), how would that change the way we look at marriage? Do we bail out when things go sour? How often would we insist on having our own way? What then can do to honour our spouse given the beautiful metaphor that God has modelled for us?



From pages 93-5 of: How Jesus Transforms The Ten Commandments

The prophet Ezekiel uses the figure of marriage to describe God's covenant relation to Israel. He speaks of marriage in its legal force as a figure for God's covenant made at Sinai. Yet it is not left as one contract among others. No, the Lord holds his people with jealous love. He cannot permit other gods to share his claim of love. The worship of other gods is the greatest offence against the Lord, whom the people of Israel must love with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The prophets describe the love of God for his people as the love of a father leading his son Israel through the desert. "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son . . . It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them" (Hos. 11:1, 3). More often, the prophets speak of God as a loving husband. The time when God led Israel through the wilderness was a tryst with them. The Lord was wooing his people and leading them home to the house where he would dwell with them. When Israel turned aside in spiritual adultery, the Lord cried, "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? . . . My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused" (Hos. 11:8).

The Lord, the Creator, uses the image of a husband's love to show the love he has for Israel:

For your Maker is your husband—the LORD Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer... The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—a wife who married young, only to be rejected. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. (Isa. 54:5-7)

The Lord gives his people tender names of love, the way a husband would proudly claim and perhaps even tease his wife, loving her for just the person she is. "You will be called Hephzibah [my delight is in her], and your land Beulah [married]; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married . . . As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you" (Isa. 62:4b-5).

Ezekiel 16 compares the Lord's love to that of a young man who discovers an abandoned baby girl, kicking in her blood by the side of the road. He finds the girl, washes and clothes her, and provides for her as she grows into a beautiful young woman. He then marries her, spreading his robe over her in protection and claiming her as his beloved bride. God says that he has taken to himself his bride, his people Israel. But the bride, wedded to the Lord in his covenant, becomes a prostitute, and offers up the children of the Lord to heathen gods. The Lord will judge her, but at last restore her and establish his covenant with her.

There will come a great and final day when the covenant is fulfilled, not by the faithfulness of the bride, but by the steadfast love of the Bridegroom. That day will bring the sealing of the love of the Lord for his people. " 'In that day,' declares the LORD, 'you will call me "my husband"; you will no longer call me my master" [Baal]' " (Hos. 2:16). In that day, the Daughter of Zion will sing, for "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" (Zeph. 3:17). The prophet speaks of the Lord's deepest love, to be revealed with the coming of the Lord. Then at last, the Lord, the Bridegroom, will come to claim his own.

Clowney on how Christ transforms Israel's need for table separation

The term "Christian" is overrated. So many people calls themselves Christians and yet some I feel are some of the most horrible people I have ever come across. I do not know what to make out of that. I have no desire to love these enemies. No way do I regard them to be my "brother!" Perhaps if we are all being persecuted, there would be weeding out of the "nominal" followers. And yet I reflect on this attitude of mine and recognise that my heart desires to disobey a direct command of Scripture.

I thus gain a better appreciation of what it was like for the Jews in the early church to warm up to and come to accept the Gentiles. It really was not an easy thing to do! Perhaps the only manner it could have been done was by the empowering of the Spirit (interacting with their free wills). O Lord, I recognise the hate and disdain in my heart for certain groups of people. I admit that I do not want to love them or show them mercy, but help me confirm my heart to become more like yours. Let the change be less out of fear of judgment day, and more of a willingness to please you and bring joy to your heart. Amen.


From page 87 of: How Jesus Transforms The Ten Commandments

The physical distinctiveness of Israel no longer marks the new Israel. For that reason the kosher diet no longer applies, and the separation of Israel from table fellowship with Gentiles is ended. The mark of the new Israel is love toward God and toward the people we meet—and the people we would rather not meet. This love, as we have seen, is the infinitely deepened love that Jesus showed to his Father and to us. The love of Christ draws and drives us to talk to people, to surprise others by seeing what they need.