Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Monday, June 25, 2012
Free Book - "A Church in the House" by Henry
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Friendships May End, But Not Forever
It's not an uncommon occurrence or the Apostle Paul to tell his friends that he hopes to see them soon (cf. 1 Tim 3:14). Those he once murdered (Acts 7-8), he now dies for. Being either imprisoned or on mission, the Apostle is constantly expressing his earnest desire for fellowship. He just wants his friends to be around.
The more I think about this, the more I am made aware of how I long for the same. I want to be with loved ones without having to worry about them leaving. But it never fails does it? It seems that the enjoyment is always frustrated by separation. They may be with us now, but the clock is ticking. Geography will soon be placed in between us. Death will soon take one of us away.
I don't know my family like I once did. The miles that separate us have taken their tole. Remembering my childhood has become both a source of great joy and great sorrow. I want that closeness back; but reaching back to get it is impossible. I eagerly look forward to holidays, but at the same time, I dread their end.
I am also frequently frustrated that my time at seminary was so short. Some of the friendships I built there are more valuable to me than any other. I remember the classrooms and study sessions. I remember the town homes and children. I remember being rescued from sin. And I remember laughing till it hurt. I will never be the same. I will always long to be in their company. In a very real way, it hurts to live in another state.
It shouldn't have to be this way. Something is terribly wrong. Even the greatest parts of life are under inevitable attack. All good things must end. There's just no getting around it. Some of my best friends will probably always live in another state. I will more than likely attend my mother and father's funeral. My children will probably attend, with great sorrow, mine. These are the realities that we live with.
Our world has fallen from glory. And no amount of material possessions can fill the emptiness that fallenness brings. We need redemption. We must have hope.
At the end of the Apostle Paul's life he wrote, "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing" (2 Tim 4:7-8).
One Day I will be with my brothers and sisters in Christ forever. As I get older, time goes faster. This is God's grace to me. I know the end draws near. Therefore, I can endure. In glory, the redeemed laughter will never have to end, the glorified joy will be ever-flowing, geography will be easily overcome, and sin will frustrate us no more.
This, Christian, is our hope - the "inheritance of the saints in light" (Col 1:12). The more I long to be with my friends and family here, the more I long to be with them forever, in glory. This is Good News.
The more I think about this, the more I am made aware of how I long for the same. I want to be with loved ones without having to worry about them leaving. But it never fails does it? It seems that the enjoyment is always frustrated by separation. They may be with us now, but the clock is ticking. Geography will soon be placed in between us. Death will soon take one of us away.
I don't know my family like I once did. The miles that separate us have taken their tole. Remembering my childhood has become both a source of great joy and great sorrow. I want that closeness back; but reaching back to get it is impossible. I eagerly look forward to holidays, but at the same time, I dread their end.
I am also frequently frustrated that my time at seminary was so short. Some of the friendships I built there are more valuable to me than any other. I remember the classrooms and study sessions. I remember the town homes and children. I remember being rescued from sin. And I remember laughing till it hurt. I will never be the same. I will always long to be in their company. In a very real way, it hurts to live in another state.
It shouldn't have to be this way. Something is terribly wrong. Even the greatest parts of life are under inevitable attack. All good things must end. There's just no getting around it. Some of my best friends will probably always live in another state. I will more than likely attend my mother and father's funeral. My children will probably attend, with great sorrow, mine. These are the realities that we live with.
Our world has fallen from glory. And no amount of material possessions can fill the emptiness that fallenness brings. We need redemption. We must have hope.
At the end of the Apostle Paul's life he wrote, "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing" (2 Tim 4:7-8).
One Day I will be with my brothers and sisters in Christ forever. As I get older, time goes faster. This is God's grace to me. I know the end draws near. Therefore, I can endure. In glory, the redeemed laughter will never have to end, the glorified joy will be ever-flowing, geography will be easily overcome, and sin will frustrate us no more.
This, Christian, is our hope - the "inheritance of the saints in light" (Col 1:12). The more I long to be with my friends and family here, the more I long to be with them forever, in glory. This is Good News.
Monday, August 1, 2011
The Church's Blind Spot Regarding Abortion
The Scriptures tell us that "the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor 11:3). There is a necessary order to relationships, even within the divine relationship of the Trinity. This does not mean that Christ is less than God in His nature or being, nor does it mean that a women is less than a man in her nature or being. However, with regards to the economy of relationships, there is a right authoritative order. The Father exercises authority over the Son. The Son exercises authority over man. Man exercises authority over his wife. These relationships are covenantal in nature.
We must not import the radical assumptions of our modern egalitarian world, where authority is seen as oppressive and submission is seen as a form of inferiority. When understood biblically, authority is a blanket of freedom and submission is an expression of gratuitous trust.
When a husband embraces this headship, he will begin to take initiative, serve responsibly, provide for his family, as well as represent them to the church and to the world. This world includes the civil government. And this is where our current topic begins.
As a church, we have not represented the family well - especially in the ways that have been set forth in Scripture (cf. 1 Cor 11:3). Consequently, our government continues to make decisions as if the family unit does not exist. For our civil society, individualistic autonomy has taken first seat. The results have been disastrous. Here is a comment from Wilson concerning abortion:
When our Supreme Court made its infamous decision to allow the slaughter of infants, the Christians of our nation were so covenantally blind that we did not see it for what it was - the abortion of the covenanted family. This is not to minimize in any way the horrific nature of the abortion carnage itself; God is just and He will judge. But why did we not even see the other problem? Consider the result of that decision. When a woman is considering an abortion, the Court informed us that this is a decision between her and her doctor. As far as our civil order is concerned, whether she is married or not is completely irrelevant.
Whether she has a covenant head or not was not worth considering. The fact that a man has taken a solemn vow assuming covenantal responsibility for his offspring was judged by our highest court to be a matter of no legal consequence. It is difficult to understand what is more tragic, the decision of the Court to slaughter the children or the inability of modern Christians to even notice that the Court had declared every child in the nation to be, as far as they were concerned, a covenant bastard.
Many men will rise up and insist that the government officials should be tossed out. But this would be hasty and neglectful. When confronted with the reality of our current situation, we must first go to the Lord, our Covenant Head. We must come to Him with repentance and faith. After that, and only after, we must pray that the Lord would bring light to all of our dark places - even our blind spots.
We must not import the radical assumptions of our modern egalitarian world, where authority is seen as oppressive and submission is seen as a form of inferiority. When understood biblically, authority is a blanket of freedom and submission is an expression of gratuitous trust.
When a husband embraces this headship, he will begin to take initiative, serve responsibly, provide for his family, as well as represent them to the church and to the world. This world includes the civil government. And this is where our current topic begins.
As a church, we have not represented the family well - especially in the ways that have been set forth in Scripture (cf. 1 Cor 11:3). Consequently, our government continues to make decisions as if the family unit does not exist. For our civil society, individualistic autonomy has taken first seat. The results have been disastrous. Here is a comment from Wilson concerning abortion:
When our Supreme Court made its infamous decision to allow the slaughter of infants, the Christians of our nation were so covenantally blind that we did not see it for what it was - the abortion of the covenanted family. This is not to minimize in any way the horrific nature of the abortion carnage itself; God is just and He will judge. But why did we not even see the other problem? Consider the result of that decision. When a woman is considering an abortion, the Court informed us that this is a decision between her and her doctor. As far as our civil order is concerned, whether she is married or not is completely irrelevant.
Whether she has a covenant head or not was not worth considering. The fact that a man has taken a solemn vow assuming covenantal responsibility for his offspring was judged by our highest court to be a matter of no legal consequence. It is difficult to understand what is more tragic, the decision of the Court to slaughter the children or the inability of modern Christians to even notice that the Court had declared every child in the nation to be, as far as they were concerned, a covenant bastard.
Many men will rise up and insist that the government officials should be tossed out. But this would be hasty and neglectful. When confronted with the reality of our current situation, we must first go to the Lord, our Covenant Head. We must come to Him with repentance and faith. After that, and only after, we must pray that the Lord would bring light to all of our dark places - even our blind spots.
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