David VanDrunen on the Relevance of Daniel's Ordeal in Babylon

Dr. David VanDrunen, professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary California and the author of many books including Divine Covenants and Moral Order: A Biblical Theology of Natural Law offers a good reminder of the relevance of Daniel’s ordeal in Babylon to contemporary audiences.

He writes,

Daniel and his friends find themselves away from theocratic Israel and in the center of pagan social and political life. Given that contemporary Christians have no theocratic homeland but are called to live in many nations and many social settings, we might suspect that the stories of Daniel 2-6 provide much relevant grist for reflection about how Christians today ought to undertake faithful engagement in and service to their societies. The NT confirms this suspicion when it portrays the Christian’s identity in the world in terms of “exile” (1 Pet. 1.1, 17) and uses the ancient city of Babylon as an image for describing the cities in which Christians live today (1 Pet. 5:13; Rev. 18).

David VanDrunen, Divine Covenants and Moral Order: A Biblical Theology of Natural Law (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2014) pg 196.

Pontus Wellgraf

Still it remains true, "Whosoever shall believe, shall not perish."

Within the Christian church there has been considerable interest in Jesus’ words in Mark 3:29 and the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

In words that are penetrating and gospel-oriented, Thomas Boston wrote the following about this particular matter:

I doubt if the sin against the Holy Ghost can justly be said to be a limitation of God's grace in Jesus Christ. For in the original authentic gospel-offer, in which is the proper place for such a limitation [if there was any] that grace is so laid open to all men without exception, that no man is excluded; but there is free access to it for every man in the way of believing, (John 3:15,16, Rev 22:17); and this offer is sometimes intimated to these reprobates, who fall into that sin, else they should not be capable of it. It is true, that sin is a bar in the way of the guilty, so as they can never partake of the grace of God in Christ; for it shall never be forgiven, (Matt 12:31, Mark 3:29); and any further ministerial application of the offer to them seems to cease to be lawful or warranted, (1 John 5:16). But all this arises from their own willful, obstinate, despiteful, and malicious rejecting of the offer: and fighting against the Holy Ghost, whose office it is to apply the grace of Christ; and not from any limitation, or exclusive clause in the offer, for still it remains true, "Whosoever shall believe, shall not perish."

Footnote 25 in Edward Fisher, The Marrow of Modern Divinity (Fig. Kindle Edition)

Photo credit to:  Ian Espinosa on Unsplash

How should the majesty and ancient authority of the Psalter shape our services?

Bradley Johnston, in his book "150 Questions about the Psalter", quotes from William Binnie to answer the question posed in our title. 

Question 140:

How should the majesty and ancient authority of the Psalter mold worship services?

Answer 140:

"In the Church of Jesus Christ, where the prayers are free, it is of utmost importance that services of worship should be molded in the forms of ancient authority; and surely the best possible mold is that which the Holy Spirit Himself gave by the Psalmists, which has left its divinely guided lines on the Church for these three thousand years."

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I'm struck by that phrase, "divinely guided lines", and the compelling suggestion that this is the mold that we are to see impressed upon our services of divine worship. As I continue to grow in my understanding of and appreciation for the Psalms, I'm amazed at the ways in which the indelible mark of the Holy Spirit's inspiration becomes more and more evident in these sacred compositions. 

What do we currently have in our repertoire that bears the majesty and ancient authority of Holy Scripture? 

"Christ's global garden grows in local plots"

One of the recent trends that has spread rapidly among evangelical Christian churches has been the 'multi-site model' of setting up a single congregation with numerous locations for gathering. Michael Horton highlights some of the issues inherent in this approach in his excellent book, Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless World

"One example of the tendency to shift our focus from the ministry to the ministers, I believe, is the proliferation of multi-site churches. I am not in any way suggesting that those who favor a multi-site model of ministry are guilty of reckless ambition. I take it for granted that they are motivated by mission and would agree heartily with much else that I’ve argued here. My concern, however, is that the model is more susceptible to a greater focus on the minister than on the ministry.

Regardless of intentions, the medium ensures that he can never be the pastor, but only a celebrity teacher. By being the “pastor” of many churches, he is actually the pastor of none. Furthermore, it is his board that has the last word. This model seems far more hierarchical than the others it rebelled against.

Christ’s global garden grows concretely only in local plots."

(Kindle: location 1931)

Joanna Wishard

Clothing Choices in a Worship Service Context

You might wonder, "How should I dress when I visit a service? " Neither informality nor formality are virtues in and of themselves.  Rather, dress in a manner that prepares you to worship with both body and soul.  The way we dress affects our mental state – no one puts on formal attire if they want to relax! – so you should ask yourself, “What kind of clothing will best prepare me to receive God’s word and respond to it with reverence and joy?”  In their wisdom, some may decide to wear jeans and others, a shirt and tie.

(Wise words from Zach Wyse at the Westside Reformed Church in Cincinnati, OH)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the Christian message of sin and grace

“The most experienced psychologist or observer of human nature knows infinitely less of the human heart than the simplest Christian who lives beneath the Cross of Jesus.  The greatest psychological insight, ability, and experience cannot grasp this one thing: what sin is. Worldly wisdom knows what distress and weakness and failure are, but it does not know the godlessness of men.  And so it also does not know that man is destroyed only by his sin and can be healed only by forgiveness.

“In the presence of a psychiatrist I can only be a sick man; in the presence of a Christian brother [or sister] I can dare to be a sinner.  The psychiatrist must first search my heart and yet he never plumbs its ultimate depth. The Christian brother knows when I come to him: here is a sinner like myself, a godless man who wants to confess and yearns for God’s forgiveness.  The psychiatrist views me as if there were no God. The brother views me as I am before the judging and merciful God in the Cross of Jesus Christ.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Faithful words on prayer from David Murray

“It is very hard to hate someone for whom we pray. It is almost impossible to pull someone down when we prayerfully raise him or her up to heaven for God’s blessing. Prayer never changes God. It sometimes changes the person we pray for. It always changes us.” ― David P. Murray, The Happy Christian: Ten Ways to Be a Joyful Believer in a Gloomy World

"At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord"

In Genesis 4, one of the bleakest chapters in the Bible, we have a closing sentence that adds a note of hope to an otherwise dark description of human corruption. What a difference it makes to call on the name of the Lord!

Throughout the year we have to turn to this Incarnate Son of God or else we are filled with despair. The rivals against God's people are too great. The threats against the Christian confession are too numerous, the battles that are external to the faithful are overwhelming and the internal battle that we wage against sin in our lives is too intense – too severe – to have any hope of finding a solution in ourselves.

But God provides. As he always does!

The offspring given to Eve. The seed born of a woman. The descendant of Seth who came in the fullness of time to redeem sinners and set the crown of righteousness upon the head of those who are weak in spirit, crushed by the condemnation of the law, and raised in new life through the Spirit of God!

That's what the people who began to call upon the name of the Lord were praying for!

Michael Horton on the Drama, Doctrine, Discipleship and Doxology of the Church

“All of our faith and practice arise out of the drama of Scripture, the “big story” that traces the plot of history from creation to consummation, with Christ as its Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. And out of the throbbing verbs of this unfolding drama God reveals stable nouns — doctrines. From what God does in history we are taught certain things about who he is and what it means to be created in his image, fallen, and redeemed, renewed, and glorified in union with Christ. As the Father creates his church, in his Son and by his Spirit, we come to realize what this covenant community is and what it means to belong to it; what kind of future is promised to us in Christ, and how we are to live here and now in the light of it all. The drama and the doctrine provoke us to praise and worship — doxology — and together these three coordinates give us a new way of living in the world as disciples.”

― Michael S. Horton, Pilgrim Theology: Core Doctrines for Christian Disciples

There’s a lot to chew on in Dr. Horton’s comments here and his work in Pilgrim Theology is highly recommended to you if you are interested in reading further!

Tim Challies on the significance of a Call to Worship

“The call to worship is a means of acknowledging that God’s people come to church each week weary, dry, and discouraged. They have labored through another week and need to be reminded of the rest Christ offers their weary souls. They have endured another week of trials, temptations, or persecutions and come thirsty, eager to drink the water of life and to be refreshed by it. They have walked another seven days of their journey as broken, sinful people and need to be reminded of who Christ is and who they are in him. Church is urgent business! Instead of being asked how they are, Christians need to reminded who they are. Instead of being asked where everyone else is, Christians need to be reminded where Christ is.”