Reformation Day - 3 Things

1. Isn't it interesting how God will use seemingly insignificant actions in our lives to change the world? 492 years ago today, Luther, a relatively obscure monk in a little town in Germany, had just nailed a piece of paper to the door of a church. Little did he know that he had changed the course of western history. You really never know what God is going to do with your life.
   
   
2. There's 2 books I've read about the Reformation that I really enjoyed, so I thought I'd mention them for the occasion:
   
   The Reformation by T.M. Lindsay. This book totally enlightened the way I saw the Reformation. It tells the story of the Reformation from the beginning with Luther to the end during the 30 Years War. It explains its progress in countries you rarely hear of it happening in, like Scandinavia or the Netherlands. And the book doesn't leave you with merely the events of the Reformation - the last section of the book is devoted to the ideas and principles that fueled the movement. I'm of the opinion that every Christian should read this book. :-) Google Books also has it for online reading here.
   
   Ladies of the Reformation by J.H. Alexander. To sum it up, this book is about the great women behind the great men of the Reformation. In the back there's a handy timeline comparing important dates in the lives of each of these women. Also included throughout the book are interesting old-fashioned pictures of the places mentioned and portraits of some of the women.
   
   
3. This day makes me especially thankful for my Bible. Not only can I read it in my own language, I may do so without fear of being executed for it. God's Word is an incredibly priceless gift. One of the greatest experiences is the lightbulb moment that comes when you're reading the Bible, and a verse you've never noticed before suddenly stands out and God uses it to teach you something new, or remind you of something important. There are so many "Christians" out there today who let theirs sit on a shelf and collect dust. What a tragedy! They don't realize that they're groping in the darkness, without a lamp for their feet or a light for their path.

On Meditation

Thomas Watson:

Without meditation the truths that we know will never affect our hearts. Deuteronomy 6:6: "These words which I command this day shall be in thine heart." How can the Word be in the heart unless it is wrought in by meditation? As a hammer drives a nail to the head, so meditation drives a truth to the heart. It is not the taking in of food, but the stomach's digesting it that turns it into nourishment. Just so, it is not the taking in of a truth at the ear, but the meditating on it, that is the digestion of it in the mind, that makes it nourish. Without meditation, the word preached may increase notion, but not affection. There is as much difference between the knowledge of a truth and the meditation on a truth as there is between the light of a torch and the light of the sun. Set up a lamp or torch in the garden and it has no influence. But the sun has a sweet influence: it makes the plants to grow and the herbs to flourish. Just so, knowledge is like a torch lighted in the understanding that has little or no influence; it does not make a man the better. But meditation is like the shining of the sun. It operates upon the affections; it warms the heart and makes it more holy. Meditation fetches life in a truth. There are many truths that lie, as it were, in the heart dead. But these truths, when we meditate upon them, begin to have life and heat in them. It is meditation that makes a Christian.

Humility

Henry Scougal:

That which makes anybody esteem us, is their knowledge or apprehension of some little good, and their ignorance of a great deal of evil that may be in us; were they thoroughly acquainted with us, they would quickly change their opinion.

The thoughts that pass in our heart in the best and most serious day of our life, being exposed unto public view, would render us either hateful or ridiculous; and now, however we conceal our failings from one another; yet sure we are conscious of them ourselves, and some serious reflections upon them would much qualify and allay the vanity of our spirits. Thus holy men have come really to think worse of themselves than any other person in the world: not but that they knew that gross and scandalous vices are in their nature more heinous than the surprisals of temptations and infirmity, but because they are much more intent on their own miscarriages, than on those of their neighbors, and did consider all the aggravations of the one, and everything that might be supposed to diminish and alleviate the other.

But it is well observed by a pious writer, that the deepest and most pure humility does not so much arise from the consideration of our own faults and defects, as from a calm and quiet contemplation of the divine purity and goodness. Our spots never appear so clearly as when we place them before this infinite Light; and we never seem less in our own eyes than when we look down upon ourselves from on high. Oh! how little, how nothing do all those shadows of perfection then appear, for which we are wont to value ourselves! That humility which comes from a view of our own sinfulness and misery, is more turbulent and boisterous, but the other lays us full as low, and wants nothing but that anguish and vexation wherewith our souls are apt to boil when they are the nearest object of our thoughts.

(pp. 131-132 in The Life of God in the Soul of Man)

Common Sense - The Reshaping and Redefining of America

I think the guy's great, but there are 3 things I don't like about Glenn Beck:

1. He's a little apocalyptic. As I said before, it's a non sequitur to state that because America is in an economic recession and we have a liberal president in office, we're on the brink of destruction. Not every crisis has an ugly conclusion. Of course, the 5th century Romans didn't have much to look forward to, but it's dangerous to adopt chronic pessimism when it comes to politics.
   
2. He occasionally makes unrealistic generalizations. I hardly believe that there are nearly as many Americans disillusioned with the system as he surmises. The ironic truth is, humans have a tendency to be apathetic when it comes to big issues. Take abortion for instance: There's only a minority of citizens who are polemical about it. The rest don't give the matter much thought.
   
3. He's prone to president-bashing. Sure, I don't have any plans on joining an Obama fan club any time soon either. But there's a difference between disagreeing with the man's bad policies and dwelling on them. The book of Romans entreats us to live in respect and subjection to our rulers. And who was the audience that it was adressed to? The Christians living under Nero!

All that aside, there are many things I do like about Glenn Beck - his message, humor, etc. He is passionate about bringing America back to the values it was founded upon.

He's right about our government being out of control.

Our leaders repeatedly demonstrate selfishness in their policies. Its more important for them to create an America based on their ideologies than do what's best for the common man. Both Republicans and Democrats do this, and it seems like the middle class often gets the short end of the stick.

I find it ironic that America, being a democracy, is all about making government accessible to the common man. But nowadays we're falling into the same age old trap as many other governments have - you have to be rich if you want to land a seat in the Senate. We're slowly on our way to becoming an oligarchy.

The government is also begining to expand far too much into the personal lives of us Americans. Who cares how your kids are educated, as long as they get a good education! We shouldn't be expected to tone down our religion just because it may be offensive to others. And it isn't the government's job to decide what kind of health insurance everybody gets. I find it insulting that the government treats us citizens like morons who can't make a rational decision for ourselves.

I said that it doesnt follow that America will likely be ruined because of our country's present state of affairs. But if we do merely watch everything happen, without taking a responsible part in our government, we very well could be. We should thank God for giving us a free country, and be wise stewards of His gift.

2 Things.....

.....that stood out to me in the preaching at church today:

1. The simple sections in the Bible explain the harder ones. For example, we would read one of the Gospels to help us understand Who the Suffering Servant is in Isaiah 53, not vice-versa. All too often - especially when it comes to the end times - people do the opposite. They take the passages in Daniel & Revelation (two of the hardest books to understand in the Bible) on eschatology and fit what they say into the rest of what Scripture has to say on the topic. It doesn't make sense.
   
2. The Jewish leaders in the Gospels knew that Christ was from God. (John 3:2) The reason why they hated Him was because He was a threat to their power - many people were interested in His teaching, thus rejecting theirs. I can't imagine how you could justify killing GOD! Christ knew all this, yet He still asked God to forgive them while they were reviling Him as He hung on the cross! What a wondrous Savior we have!

2 Things that annoy me, a cool quote, and conclusive evidence that I'm a nerd

It occurred to me, after writing that title, that it sort of resembles the table-of-contents-titles Puritans gave their books. Cool.

Anyways, sorry for not posting much lately.....you'd think that summer provides a bunch of time to get a gazillion things done, so you make a list of a gazillion and one things to do. I ended up accomplishing....oh, I'll be generous.......maybe.......4.5? [Doesn't it amuse you when researchers proudly report that the average family has 1.5 children? HA!] Oh well. Now that the school year's back, and I have more time to write :-), I'll try to write more boring posts like I did before.

Irritating thing #1: Lately I was thinking about churches that believe that children should remain with their parents at all times so that the fathers can oversee everything the kid learns there; therefore there's no separate Sunday schools, etc. Why on earth would you go to a church if you don't trust the teaching enough to let your kids to be taught by an elder without you being around? Why should you be learning there? The elders of a church are shepherds to the whole flock - both the adults and the children.

Irritating thing #2: I've been reading a book called The Civilization of the Middle Ages. I'm on page 40, and so far the author has taught me this about Christianity (among other things):

1. Our doctrines are borrowed from Platonic and Stoic philosophies. [Hmmmm......I guess he never read Colossians 2:8.....wouldn't it be strange for Paul to warn us against the very philosophies that he "borrowed" our major doctrines from?]
2. The Holy Spirit is the pre-incarnate Christ.
3. Christ didn't consider Himself THE Messiah.
4. Some guy tacked on the ending of Job later on because the story seemed too bleak.

Note to author: Maybe you should read the Bible before you tell people what it teaches.

On a more orthodox note, here's what I read this morning by Henry Scrougal:

The love of the world, and the love of God, are like the scales of a balance, as the one falls, the other rises: when our natural inclinations prosper, and the creature is exalted in our soul, religion is faint, and languishes; but when earthly objects wither away, and lose their beauty, and the soul begins to cool and flag in its prosecution of them, then the seeds of grace take root, and the divine life begins to flourish and prevail. (The Life of God in the Soul of Man, p. 113)

So true!

Later on this week I'll REALLY TRY to get a real post out, since the arduous first week of school is over. Here I come to the sobering evidence that I really am a nerd:

1. I was excited for school to start. Teenagers aren't supposed to be that way.
2. I made a list of medieval great books that I want to read this year, and the result was not the normal 8 or so. It wasn't 12. Nor 18. For crying out loud, IT WAS 24!!!!! I shocked myself! This is the bibliophile's version of the "your eyes are too big for your stomach" syndrome. How on earth am I going to pull this one off? This will take super-human capabilities to accomplish....and the last time I checked, I'm not extremely gifted like that. Yikes.
3. I enjoy reading the aforesaid books. And I used to wonder why I didn't have many friends.......

I need a 12-step program.

Lovers of the Word

Thomas Watson:

Do we love the written Word? What sums of money the martyrs gave for a few leaves of the Bible! Do we make the Word our bosom friend? As Moses often had "the rod of God" in his hand, so we should have "the Book of God" in our hand. When we need direction, do we consult this sacred oracle? When we find corruptions strong, do we make use of this "sword of the Spirit" to hew them down? When we are disconsolate, do we go to this bottle of the water of life for comfort? Then we are lovers of the Word! But alas, how can they who are seldom conversant with the Scriptures say they love them? Their eyes begin to be sore when they look at a Bible. The two testaments are hung up like rusty armor, which is seldom or never made use of. The Lord wrote the law with his own finger—but though God took pains to write, men will not take pains to read.

Why we have the Scriptures

The Bible is one of the most influential yet undervalued books in our day. It's the core of Western Civilization. Most of the Great Books were influenced by its teachings. Numerous lives have been lost over conflicting interpretations of it. Governments have been based on those described within its pages.

Yet many of us give it little notice each day. How many Americans can recite the 10 Commandments, or quote a verse within context? We disregard the most influential text in history.

Perhaps we would appreciate it more if we thought more deeply about why we have the Bible, and what people went through to give it to us.

Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to men whom He charged with proclaiming His will to His people. The people hated the prophets. As Hebrews puts it, these men "experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two...." and why? They loved God, and were committed to declaring His message at any cost. After Christ's life on earth, His disciples painstakingly recorded His ministry. The Apostles wrote letters of encouragement, instruction, and admonition to their fledgling churches while in prision.

At the close of the Canon, church councils met to determine which were the genuine books of the Bible, and which texts were imposters. A task as arduous as this could only have been successfully accomplished by the grace of God. The Confession states criteria by which we may know the true Biblical books -

1. The Heavenliness of the Matter
2. The Efficacy of the Doctrine [one book doesn't promote doctrine in contradiction to another's]
3. The Majesty of the Style
4. The Consent [or agreement] of all the Parts
5. The Scope of the Whole (Which is to Give all Glory to God)
6. The Full Discovery it Makes of the Only Way of Man's Salvation

During the Middle Ages, the Bible was undermined by Catholic dependence on the pope and tradition to dictate God's will for the church. Men gave their lives in defense of the Scriptures - they translated them into the common languages, stood up for correct interpretation of them, and circulated them among the laypeople.

Why all this? God has a reason for preserving His Word throughout all generations. Romans 1 states that all men instinctively know of God's existence; nature proclaims it everywhere we look. But looking at a tree isn't going to teach us in-depth theology. And so God mercifully gave us the His written Word - to proclaim Who He is, and how we might be saved.

The message is the most important in the world. Dont ignore the Book in which it's found. Would that we had the same love of the Scriptures that those who courageously went before us did.

Love to God

"If my father were weeping on his knees before me, my mother hanging on my neck behind me, my brethren sisters and kinsfolk howling on every side to retain me in a sinful course, I would fling my mother to the ground, run over my father, despise all my kindred, and tread them under my feet that I might run unto Christ."

- St. Jerome

"Let us test our godliness by this touchstone: Do we love God? Is he our treasure and center? Can we, with David, call God our "joy", yes, our "exceeding joy" (Psalm 43:4)? Do we delight in drawing near to him, and "come before his presence with singing"? (Psalm 100:2) Do we love him for his beauty more than his jewels? Do we love him, when he seems not to love us?"

- Thomas Watson

"He loves but little who tells how much he loves."

- John Boys

"We are never nearer Christ than when we find ourselves lost in a holy amazement at His unspeakable love."

- John Owen

How much do you love Christ?

Ironic providence

This morning I was reading from The Reformation by T. M. Lindsay, and came to the section on the Scottish reformation. The circumstances which helped bring it about amused me!

Back in the Middle Ages, Scotland was - like most European countries - predominantly Catholic. One of the primary priorities of the Scottish church was the education of the laypeople, and to its credit, a significant number of the people there were literate. During the medieval times, the typical monastery was a formidable repository of learning - monks scrupulously transcribed ancient manuscripts and also wrote many books of their own. Those of Scotland were no exception.

Because of the high standards of the typical Scotsman's education, they began to attract attention from notables abroad. Over on the continent, Charlemagne, in his quest for re-establishing the Roman Empire, was busy setting up the schools which would over time grow into many of the renowned universities of Europe still existent today. He sent for the Scottish scholars to be teachers in his schools.

Slowly, the ideas of Huss, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and others began to trickle into the universities. One by one the Scotsmen brought them back home with them. Before long, Presbyterianism had gained a considerable presence in the country.

Isn't it deliciously ironic that the Roman Catholic Church was a significant aid in bringing the Protestant Reformation - its nemesis - to Scotland? It reminds me of the story of Joseph and his brothers - they tried to kill him, but he turned around and became the second in command of Egypt, the most powerful nation in the world at that time.

This is why I love history. In a nutshell, it's the study of God's providence. Seeing what God has done in the lives of others - how He works everything out perfectly for His glory and the good of those who love Him - makes me readier to face what He has in store for me.

.....and of course, as in this case, it can be pretty entertaining as well. :-)