A Heart Condition

“Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer” -John Bunyan

Words that every God follower must find true in their own heart, Bunyan addresses something that I fear may be a struggle for quite some time in this life I am living. We attempt to assign to this life a cyclical nature; going back and forth through sin and holiness, guilt and forgiveness, or prayer and sin. Yet I struggle to find biblical support for living in this circle of sin and holiness. I find my fickle faith to be stuck in this cycle, however, and with such a cycle comes the uttermost failure and complete guilt. I'm reminded of Paul's writing in Romans, chapters 7 and 8 specifically, as he contrasts the sinful nature versus those with the Spirit. As he comes out of this section, Paul focuses on redemption of all things (man, the earth, etc.). He describes a groaning of the earth as it cries out to God for redemption, and he goes on to say this:

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

At this time in my life I am coming out of a week full of slothfulness, idleness, spitefulness, anger, waste, and forgetfulness. Things I have said time and again will not happen and have prayed time and again to be taken from me; I find myself again in that place of "what do I have to do?" Perhaps my ignorance of true submission is enough to keep me continually grasping for mercy; I hope so, but perhaps not again grasping as I come out of a destructive path. Prayer is not a simple idea, but it's requirements seem so simple in relation to what one must actually "do." As you battle this life and fight through the struggles your old nature attempts to revive within you, pray.

Prayer is not a matter of finding the right words; it is the matter of understanding who holds all words. Your heart is not hidden before God, therefore, what can you say that will make things more real to God? This is not to say that prayer is not necessary, on the contrary, prayer is the moment we acknowledge God as sovereign and bring our heart poured out before Him. There are days of full thankfulness when our hearts are overjoyed with an understanding of God's greatness. However, days come when our souls are downcast and our hearts have been scarred by the pain of this life; perhaps our minds have been tricked into thinking that the world has come crashing in upon us. Prayer is that time of recognition that God is God and we are not. We have been blessed by Him or we have fallen prey to forgetting His greatness; either way there is an opportunity to truly glorify our God for who He is and who we do not have to be.

"Lord I dare not pass this moment without acknowledging your greatness. Your wholeness and completeness without me, but in this I confess I am incomplete and desire again your mercy of blessing in wisdom to grasp who Jesus Christ is and what He has faithfully done. Thank you Lord for the privilege of prayer, thank you for the grace to exist before you openly, without fear of what may be hidden or disguised from your eyes. Search me Lord, and in so doing find in me the things that are unclean and a part of the natural, sinful man that I Christ removed and the Spirit continues to rid me of. Holiness is something I am so far from understanding, but by your grace I discover what I have yet to learn and am eager to be pushed towards that perfection which seems so unattainable. Father, forgive your Son who tarnishes your gifts, lead me in the path of correction as you block my straying into traps of despair. Continue to grace me in Christ and accept my heart by the sacrifice He has made."

Two Months Later.....

It's been two months since my last blog, and to be honest it is a clear representation of how my life has progressed over this period. To sum it up, I have been stagnant and without much growth. However, I'm thankful God's grace is sufficient to pull my ignorant, rebellious heart back to him. This morning I received this devotional in an email; the words are, again, from Charles H. Spurgeon.

"Many of you know more about your magazines and novels--than what God has written! Many of you will read a novel from the beginning to the end, and what have you got? A head full of froth when you are done! But you cannot read the Bible--that solid, lasting, substantial, and satisfying food goes uneaten, locked up in the cupboard of neglect--while anything that man writes, a best-seller of the day--you greedily devour!"

To challenge Spurgeon would be ludicrous, for his words reveal so much truth about the sad state of Christianity. We have the Word given from God, the very Creator has spoken throughout all of history and it is recorded for us to reflect on. The availability of the Bible perhaps works against us; we sit with multiple copies (5 within my sight) and yet rarely open them expecting the Almighty God to speak through the words. Where have I been for two months? I have been hiding from these words; why, because they are boring? No, the reason so many of us hide from this Word of Life is because it is not boring, it calls for a response and a reaction. Our God calls out to us and asks us to call back to him, giving up what else may distract us in order that we may fully be in His grasp, not holding on to other things.

This is not to tell everyone that they must give up all other books and possesions, just holding onto the Bible, but it does present a question we must all answer. What have I not been able to live without today? Television? School? Work? Family? Facebook? Coffee? Sports? Was I able to get through my day without humbly approaching the words of my God? Just ask yourself, what must I have each day that I could not live without? If you must have God, you must have His Word. Please put down the novel, please set aside the remote, close your laptop, put down the food; step into a time of silence, praying for God to reveal to your heart how He wishes to change you! All other things will pass away as froth, His Word will never do so, and it cries out from your desk awaiting your heart's desire!

At Last, Amazing Grace I See

This is a poem I wrote during my senior year in high school as I finally realized that my ways weren't worth much; it expresses the kind of desire I hope to have for God's will and for God's plans. It's not much, but it's an attitude that I need to be reminded of quite frequently.

Why do I do it and what is my reason
I've got to keep going from season to season,
It hasn't been me or my own heart's desire
Every vision I saw only made me a liar,
My new heart's desire is not mine at all
Because if it was then surely I'd fall,
God's path is the way which now I must see
I have to rely on His plans for me,
But that means to give up these things that I do
I have to make sure the repentance is true,
There's only one way through the truth and the light
But it means to stand up and to join in the fight,
My life, it must mirror the beautiful Son
This strength I do ask from only but one,
The Creator creating an image in me
It's now I must say "I give it to thee,"
No longer do I stumble through the loops and holes
I am ready and willing to search for lost souls,
To the Lord I confess the words lost in my mind
"It is well with my soul," Lord your will may I find.

Woeful Without the Word

Charles Spurgeon gave his students this instruction in relation to their call to ministry: "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, shall be unable to bear the self-denials incident to it, and shall be of little service to those among whom we minister."

If you dare preach the Word, do you do it because you would grow sick if you didn't? Do the scriptures kindle a fire within you that is consuming? When you get up to speak God's message, do you allow the Word to create the spark that sets you on fire so that others may be drawn to the light? Oh that I would be a preacher because there is nothing else left to me God would have me do. If I go a season without preaching may I grow sick and be consumed with a fire unquenchable by any force other than releasing God's message to sinners in need of Truth. If the Word does not provide the power or the spark, may I never stand in the pulpit! God, please keep me away from speaking about you, but instead may I proclaim your name to the world from whatever text you would have opened. Unlock the treasure box that is your Word that I may see the glorious rewards hidden within, sharing them with your people.

Studying: At the Desk or in the Closet?

"Texts will often refuse to reveal their treasures till you open them with the key of prayer. How wonderfully were the books opened to Daniel when he was in supplication! How much Peter learned upon the housetop! The closet is the best study."

This statement comes from Charles H. Spurgeon's work "Lectures to My Students" in a chapter on the minister's personal prayer life. The idea that any man is given the responsibility of preaching is a completely ridiculous idea, but God has chosen this medium to get His Word to the hearts of people. The ridiculousness of it springs from the fact that no man has any right to speak the thoughts that the Almighty God has spoken, but even through our unrighteousness, God has chosen to sanctify certain men for the task. However, no one moment prepares a man to preach. Preaching stems from the study of the Word, the very scriptures that are given through inspiration of man by the Spirit, and it is only by the work of the Spirit that preaching occurs.

A man can sit and read the text again and again, but no matter how many times he reads it or tries to analyze it, nothing will be opened to him until the truth is revealed. To think that we can simply pick up the Bible and find a sermon is such a horrible understanding of preaching, or to come to the Word with our own ideas already formed is no less tragic. The truth of the text can stay hidden as long as we stubbornly avoid the source of the text. If the Word belongs to God, and even IS God, then how foolish to think we can grasp what is to be used as a transforming force first in our own lives and secondly in the lives of those we're entrusted with teaching. Before the text can even be approached we must be humble enough to recognize we have no right to approach it, except for the fact that Christ has redeemed us and we have been called to preach the Word!

May we have preachers bold enough to call themselves nothing; may we have preachers bold enough to fall before God in tears; may we have preachers bold enough to lock themselves in the closet of prayer until the Spirit moves their heart approach the Holy Word passed down through generations! Study the text yes, but study it in the closet well before you make it to the desk! Listen to the Word and hear what it is saying; do not dare to create something out of what you read in ignorance. Give us preachers who spend hours in prayer and minutes in creation!

Deliverance (with a little less banjo)

Reading through the story of Jonah again, I am blown away by some of the things that I have missed before. With such a short narrative, it would seem that studying over it many times would reveal all there is to know, but once again the layers of Biblical study have been opened up. There were quite a few things that stood out, but the most intriguing to me is Jonah's prayer, found in chapter 2.

There have been many children's books telling the story of Jonah, and some of those constructed as pop-up books, but they always focus on that great fish. Perhaps this prayer would be much more appropriate, seeing as it has the power to leap out of the page into the mind with such vivid imagery. However, even the imagery that Jonah expresses is not what hits me in the heart with such conviction. Being a perpetual pessimist, I put myself in Jonah's position of being in the belly of a great fish and I say "wow, this really stinks, God I'm sorry I'm running but I wish you would save me and get me out of here or just let me die."

Jonah does not do this, Jonah applies the past tense, for he "called to the Lord and he answered me." Jonah's focus while he is in the big, stinky, dark fish-belly is not "Lord deliver me now," but instead he is focused on the fact that God saved him from death in the ocean. He recognizes that God is the one who threw him into the water, and then immediately he professes that it was God who saved him. Now I do not believe that Jonah had no desire to get out of the fish, but what he came to realize was that he had done wrong, God called him on it, but God's punishment did not come in the form of death, and Jonah was delivered from his situation almost as quickly as he was punished.

The story of Jonah, as a whole, is actually not as storybook as we like to make it; make sure you read chapter 4 of the book, you won't find it in 9 of 10 children's books or sermons. Jonah completely understood that God is a merciful, gracious God, but Jonah was too unwilling to accept others and so he remained angry at the Lord's compassion after he preached to the people of Nineveh and God saved them. In his prayer, Jonah says that those who "cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs," so Jonah knows that his Saving God is not just another god, but is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. However, Jonah's desire is that God remain angry with those outside of grace, which is ironic because those within God's grace were at once outside of it.

Ultimately, what I take from the story of Jonah cannot be summed up in a single blog, but what I'd like to express is an understanding of grace. When I am in trials, if I look back to previous struggles I can clearly see God and thank Him for where He has brought me to, but looking forward I can trust that whatever happens is within His plan. With that, I look to Paul and admit that my only reason for living is in the fact that I have a life of service dedicated to God. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Jonah got to the point of knowing that he had to live for God, but he missed something. Paul says in Philippians that because of his need to serve his fellow Christians: "I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me."

Paul's service was not for himself and his own gratification; Jonah did not understand completely that his service was for God first, man second, and himself perhaps at a distant third. In my own service, it is my prayer that I understand that I work for God, in order that His grace is shown to other people. Being "delivered" is a wonderful thing, but if every time I'm "delivered" I find myself distressed and worried, what am I learning? Has God not been there in times past, will He not show His face again? Forgive me Lord, for there are times I forget who you are, but with that in mind I ask for strength in service to know who is my master!

Power in the Word

"More important than any amount of grandeur of style to those of us who seek to be listened to with obedience is the life of the speaker." -Augustine, On Christian Teaching

I have just finished Augustine's book On Christian Teaching (Doctrine) and I acknowledge the worth of this text when read with conviction. Although some of the work is tedious and difficult to get through, if you can pick out the information that is useful, you will become a better teacher of the Gospel. The quote above is one which stuck out and acquired no thought on it's validity; instead it causes a person to examine one's life to see if you are demanding obedience through your actions.


The "loss of authority" in the "pulpit" is not due to any one thing, however, the contemporary preacher seems to be in constant danger from opposition. I would argue that this issue lays heavily upon the back of preachers who have fallen into the temptations of their old lives, but even so, the authority demanded by the Bible and by Jesus' teaching is not a suggestive authority. Many times, specifically in the Sermon on the Mount, we find Jesus quoted as saying something along these lines: "You have heard it said....but I say to you." The authority that Jesus held was due to the fact that He was the author of life, He is. We preachers are not God, but we have been charged to present His message with authority. But how is this done? We know that people do not accept hypocrisy, therefore, the greatest way to open the door of the Gospel is to live it! Did Paul not say the same thing to Timothy in his first letter to the young preacher:

I Timothy 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

Timothy's authority as a young man was found in his example; Timothy gained the respect and the obedience of the people in Ephesus not because he was the greatest speaker, the loudest yeller, nor was it because he was always quoting Bible verses and condemning people for their lifestyle. No, Timothy was to gain authority through his example, living out what was right, and he only knows what is right because of what God has revealed. People who live their life in a holy, separate way get noticed and people respect that.

The conclusion of this idea is found in this, the authority of the preacher is established in the way his life is lived, and the way his life is lived is determined by the scriptures; ultimately, the authority of the preacher is established in the authority of the Bible. I like the way Albert Mohler Jr. puts it in his book He is Not Silent:

"Preaching will cease to be Christian preaching if the preacher loses confidence in the authority of the Bible as the Word of God..."

God has given us the Word and the Word has been fulfilled, therefore, there is no reason to lack boldness or confidence in what we have to say, if we are saying what is under the authority of the Word. If I do try to preach a message based on anything but the Cross of Christ then I have ceased to preach, but if I preach a message from God, yet do not live out what has been said then what have I really done?

The Severest Thing

"This ethic of Jesus, which does not express itself in small rules, but in great principles; not in a decalogue on stone, but in a requirement in the heart, is the severest thing the world has ever heard." -G. Campbell Morgan

The teaching that Morgan is alluding to in this quote can be found in Matthew 5:27-30; what is so difficult about Jesus' teaching to be called the "severest thing the world has ever heard?" Jesus has taken the 7th commandment, "thou shall not commit adultery," and has extended it to say that if you even look upon a woman lustfully you have already commited adultery with her.


Two things should be noticed:
1. Even the entertainment of lust is adultery
2. The term "woman" in the greek does not allude to a married woman, therefore, this is a teaching for all men and women; it does not matter if you are married or not, the lustful desires are adulteress

So how do we fight our lustful desires? Must we really pluck out our eyes to keep from viewing that computer screen, is it really necessary to cut off that hand which continues to move that mouse around? Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation, but what he is commanding is that the source of sin be cut off in our heart. If you know that woman at work creates desires in your heart that are just not tasteful, then do not dwell on any thought that may involve you and her together.

The power of Jesus' teaching in the essence of what he is doing; he has taken an Old Testament Law and has totally expanded it to include your attitude and heart. Sure, you may never act on the urge to cheat on your spouse or sleep with someone you have yet to marry, but if you have even entertained the thought then Jesus says you have committed evil already.

What then, if we can't help but think bad things should we go ahead and act on them since we're condemned either way? What a rediculous thought, instead we must take our comfort in the Spirit that helps us live the new life brought upon us through Christ's death. Christ's death was the death of our sins if we choose to be his disciple, so our sins have been killed already and we are a new creation. Go back to Matthew 5:27-30 at any point and "read it until it search you and burn you, and know for evermore that this is the ethic of purity in the Kingdom of the great King" (G. Campbell Morgan). Allow Christ's death to cover your sins and allow the Spirit to create a life you live, instead of living a life of flesh.

May all who pledge their allegiance to Christ define themselves not by their morality or ethical stability, but instead may we be "tiny Christs" who live our lives according to His Kingdom. Heed the words of Christ and be radically different by allowing the scriptures to search you and burn the truth into your heart as a permanent sign of Christ's mark upon your life, cutting off the dead weight that is sin.

Then I Will Teach

I must admit that my thoughts today are developed through reading another blogger's thoughts. He released a rough copy of the introduction to his thesis; you can read it under the title "Part of Thesis Proposal" at http://www.savageheartburn.blogspot.com/


My own pursuit of God has lead me to the pursuit of preaching, but after coming through preaching classes and Bible college courses on the development of a sermon, I found myself quite disappointed in where I was going. I struggled with developing sermons according to the guidelines given by my professors, but that was on paper. Each time I had the chance to actually proclaim a message, I was encouraged by the response of my professors. I think that the blog, alluded to above, helps me better understand my struggle.

The thesis statement of the article: "When God is transforming the receptive preacher and establishing His authority in the preacher, then the potential for spiritual transformation in the hearers is increased.”

The key words in this thesis are God/transforming/receptive/establishing/potential/increased. I choose God, transforming, and establishing, as key words because it gives God all of the credit, it is His work of transforming and establishing. I choose receptive because it reveals the activity of the preacher, for he has to be in tune with God and able to catch the waves of God's grace himself. Potential caught my eye because it again reveals the humility necessary to preach the Word, because the best “preacher” in the world can get up every week to bring the Bible, but that does not force the listener into truly hearing what is said. The potential for growth and maturity is always there, but it is only potential from the point of view of the preacher. My job is not to make people grow, but it is to present God's message so that those listening may hear! That is the importance of “increased;” if the preacher's sermon is well crafted, creative, culturally relevant, or whatever else is necessary for “good preaching,” there is no increase in potential for his listener's to hear God unless he is being transformed and having authority established in him.

Many folks question the authority of preachers and preaching, and at one time I thought it a silly thing; however, perhaps those who are given the task of proclaiming God's active Word are the ones who should question themselves. Each time that I get up to present a sermon, am I presenting a sermon based on good writing or creativity? Or have I let God do His work? In preaching, are we writing sermons or are we letting God work. God's work is first in the preacher, and if that work is not done then how can the preacher expect for his listener's to be changed by God's work. I am not limiting God to the words of the preacher, but what I am limiting is the preacher's power if he is not being transformed to the image of Christ.

I do not call King David a preacher, but I believe he understood the importance of God in the work of changing people. I take my role in preaching as David presents it; a man is only qualified to teach others once he himself has been transformed; look at what he wrote in the 51st Psalm and note the position of "then":

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you."

Is My God Real?

It has been quite a while since I made my last post, but I feel a new urge to perhaps share my thoughts with some in hopes that God may move in my life and in others' lives as I release some of what God has given to me. Many things have triggered my re-interest in posting something; specifically this week I have been in a whirlwind of events. So, for this post I would just like to examine some of the things occurring in my life at the moment. A few days ago me and my roommate decided to email a local weatherman; we have come to enjoy watching his broadcast for little to no reason, or at least we thought. However, his reply to our email threw me for a loop; to sum up our email I will just say that we told him we were students at Johnson Bible College, we described some similarities in our positions (meteorology and ministry), and finally asked him to take on a catch-phrase (we threw in some suggestions). I expected a quick, canned email that just thanked us for watching...but what I got was a humbling message that has stuck with me all week. He Wrote...

Lucas/Jacob,
Thanks for the great e-mail. I do appreciate you watching and for the
"catch" phrase suggestions. Those phrases usually come out unexpected
chatter at the set. I've thought about it a few times but never came of
with anything and didn't want it to sound forced.
I'd love to say, "So that is what God has coming your way on Thursday,"
but don't think I would get away with that very long.
As a believer, appreciate your witness and wish you many blessings as
you prepare to share HIS word.
Joshua 1:9

I was surprised by his kind demeanor and the way he encouraged us in our journey in ministry. By his words I was reminded that what I was doing was something that moved well beyond bible college or Sunday/Wednesday services. This man understands the reality of Christ, while I, a man preparing to spend the rest of my life working for the progress of the Gospel, at times forget the role that I have been given. The text he put at the end of his email, Joshua 1:9 says this,

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

I would not have been so impacted by this email if it had not been for our annual awards chapel here at school. During the ceremonies, I was surprised with an award for "Outstanding Student in Homiletics I" which is given to students who stand out in the first year preaching class. I did not expect this award to come my way, for I know that there are better preachers and better men who were just as, if not more, worthy of such an honor. This was a humbling experience for me, but it has only reassured me that God is active in my life.

Basically, I would like to end with recognizing God's living nature; many people question where God is and wonder if He exists, but this week has been such a wonderful reminder that God takes unworthy people and gives them tasks to do, but He is not done with giving us tasks because He gives us the power to perform the tasks given to us. I charge myself and I charge you to be courageous and bold for the our LORD, Yahweh, for He will be with us wherever we go.