Awakening Grace is Moving!

Awakening Grace is moving!  You can visit the new site at www.awakeninggrace.org.  All of the old content will be made available on the new site over the coming weeks, as well as a lot of new content.   From this new site you can continue to view and read teachings and sermons by Rob Sturdy delivered at St. Andrew’s Mount Pleasant as well as access the same devotional and educational material that we like to post here.  The current web address, http://www.trinitypastor.wordpress.com will be taken over by Trinity’s new (and improved!) Lead Pastor, Rev. Iain Boyd.

If you currently subscribe to AwakeningGrace,  go on over now and sign up to the new site by clicking the “follow” button near the top of the page on the right hand side.  You can also click here for the latest post, which details a little known fact about Buzz Aldrin reading from John’s Gospel and taking communion on the moon!

See you over at the new site.

Jonah 1.17-2.10

Preached by Rob Sturdy on Oct 30, 2011

Jonah 1.1-16

Preached by Bruce Geary on Oct 23, 2011

Ephesians 1.1-2

preached by Rob Sturdy on June 24th, 2011

How does sanctification work? The story of Dick and Ricky Hoyt

This past Sunday I referenced the remarkable story of Dick and Rick Hoyt and applied it to the process of sanctification, that is the process by which God makes his people holy.  To be fair, I didn’t think of the comparison myself but took it from Bryan Chapel’s excellent commentary on Ephesians from the Reformed Expository Commentary series.  Below is a video of Dick and Ricky Hoyt.  Their story begins a 1 min 22 sec.  Following the video I have excerpted Chapel’s words:

Some years ago I enjoyed watching ‘iron man’ competitions on TV.  Watching those who swim, bike and run multiple- marathon distances in the grueling triathlon makes me dream of what I might be able to do if I had more time, opportunity, and a different body.  More inspiring to me than the usual stories of the big-name competitors, however, was the 1999 account of the father and son team of Dick and Ricky Hoyt.  The two have run together in more than eight hundred races.

More remarkable than the fellowship this father and son enjoy is the fact that the now adult son, Ricky, was born with cerebral palsy.  To race, he must be pulled, pushed, or carried by his father.  There is a part of us that might jump to the conclusion that Ricky does not race at all…that his father does all the work.  But tens of thousands of viewers saw the son’s role in this competition when wind, cold, and an equipment failure made progress hard on Ricky, even though his father was the one pedaling the modified tandem bike.  Dick knelt down to his son, contorted and trembling in the cold, as the two were still facing many more miles of race on the defective bike.  Said the father to the child belted to the bicycle seat, “Do you want to keep going, Son?”

The father would be the one enabling and providing the means to overcome, but the son still had to have the heart to finish well.  To the son were given the privilege and responsibility to desire to continue to make progress.  Though the example is not perfect, it explains much of what the Bible teaches about our spiritual battles.  We have a Father who has already given the power to enable us to resist all the challenges of our Adversary.  We can prevail through the means and strength our Father provides, but we must still have the heart to do so.

In light of this need for a heart that beats for him, our God bids us feed on his Word and seek the Spirit that opens our minds to the knowledge of the Savior and renews our will with a compelling love for him.  By God’s word and Spirit we are filled with the knowledge and love of him that give us the desire to run with him (and to him) more than anything else in this world.  The grace he pours into our hearts enables us “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that (we) may be filled to the measure of  all the fullness of God” (Eph 3.18-19).

Brian Chapel, Ephesians Kindle Edition (P&R Publishing: Phillipsburg 2009) Loc 6464 of 7700

Does God Change His Mind?

There are more than a few texts in the Bible that destabilize our theological frameworks.  One such text comes from Jonah 3.10 which reads “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”  The problem of God “relenting,” or “repenting” or changing his mind is that it seems as if God’s will is dependent upon human interaction.  If this is true, there as some human actions which could in a way, force God’s hand.  Because this is an idea that most Christians and philosophers have always resisted, the reader needs a way to interact with verses such as Jonah 3.10.  Most of the interactions with verses such as this, particularly from the Reformed world have been a disappointment.  However, the excerpt from Jacques Ellul’s splendid commentary from Jonah posted below is a wonderful engaging of God’s repentance.  It might seem like a slow start and you may have to read it several times to fully appreciate, but I can promise you it is well worth your time.  There is precious gold to be found in the passage below.

When Nineveh repents, God repents too:  “God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it” (3:10).  This is a surprising term to be used of God, and yet it is a common one in Scripture.  God decides something, and then events change.  Thus God changes his mind.  He repents.  It is useless to avoid the difficulty this causes by saying it is only a manner of speaking.  Philosophers say that God cannot change.  True enough!  But the God revealed in Scripture is not the God of the philosophers.  Nor can one attribute this to primitive characteristics in the people of Israel.  Historians call this a gross anthropomorphism and one must not take it too seriously.  To be sure it is an anthropomorphism.  But God is not the God of historians.  To be noted first in relation to this repenting is that God repents of the evil he was going to do but never repents of the good.  This general rule is formulated by St. Paul (Romans 2) and it is confirmed by a survey of texts.  Only once to my knowledge do we read that God repented of the good that he had done, and this is explained more by literary than theological considerations.  In effect this repenting takes place only when there is risk of some evil, some human suffering.

Again it is no doubt important to emphasize that the same Hebrew words are not used for repentance of Nineveh and God’s repenting.  In a general way Scripture has different terms for man’s repentance and the Lord’s repenting.  As concerns man, shubh implies a change, a modification in attitude and direction (a conversion) in his very being, as we have seen.  As concerns God, the word macham is the usual term, and this does not imply a change of direction but inner suffering which must be consoled.  It is suffering not because of self but because of the relation between self and others.  This can happen in the relation between God and man, whether because man does not respond to God’s appeal or because of God’s justice necessarily demands man’s condemnation.  The just and perfectly holy God condemns, and can do no other, but where man repents, when man changes, God suffers for having condemned him.  One cannot say absolutely that he suppresses condemnation.  For in effect God does not change.  What is done is done.  What God has decided he has decided, the more so as it is decided for all eternity.  When it is said that God repents, it means that he suffers, not that he changes what his justice has deemed necessary.

Now God’s justice has deemed condemnation necessary because of past sin.  Repentance alone does not efface the past.  Once committed, a guilty act remains so even after repentance.  Condemnation cannot be automatically lifted.  There is no immanent mechanism.  Repentance, as an act of man, does not suppress the sins man has committed.  The two are not in balance.  What is between them is the fact that God repents, that he suffers and finds consolation.

But we must be more precise as to the meaning of this suffering.  It is not just sentiment.  It is not regret for having condemned.  It is not a kindly thought which causes God to lift the condemnation, which would imply a change of attitude.  Most of the passages speak of God repenting say that he repents of evil he had resolved to do.  He suffers the evil, and not just because of the evil, but the evil itself.  We might say with truth that God suffers the evil he has resolved to do.  He takes upon himself the evil which was the wages of man’s sin.  He suffers the very suffering which in his justice he should have laid on man.  God causes the judgment to fall on himself; this is the meaning of his repenting.  We shall see that it is in Jesus Christ that this is done plainly and for us.  Jesus Christ is precisely the one upon whom falls all the judgment and all the suffering decided for each of us, the judgment and the suffering of the world.  In reality  God’s repenting in the face of man’s repentance is Jesus Christ.  Each time there is any question of this repenting in Scripture we thus have a new prophecy of Jesus Christ who puts into effect both the justice of God and also the love of God without doing despite to either the one or the other.

It is only from this perspective of human judgment that there seems to be a change in God’s attitude.  When the Lord proclaims condemnation and then does not fulfill it, we tend to say, if we are believers, that he has changed his will, and if we are not believers, that there is no God.  But that is a purely temporal way of looking at it because we are not able to see Jesus in agony to the end of the world.  God’s purpose has not changed.  From the very beginning his aim was to save the world from his own wrath.

Ellul, Jacques, The Judgment of Jonah (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids 1971) pgs 98-100

J.C. Ryle on the many voices of Scripture

Stumbled upon this little gem this morning while preparing to preach this weekend…

“The waters of the sea have many different shades. In one place they look blue, and in another green. And yet the difference is due to the depth or shallowness of the part we see, or to the nature of the bottom. The water in every case is the same salt sea. The breath of a man may produce different sounds according to the character of the instrument on which he plays. The flute, the bagpipe, and the trumpet, have each their peculiar note. And yet the breath that calls forth the notes is in each case one and the same. The light of the planets we see in heaven is extremely various. Mars, and Saturn, and Jupiter, each have a individual color. And yet we know that the light of the sun, which each planet reflects, is in each case one and the same. Just in the same way the books of the Old and New Testaments are all inspired truth, and yet the aspect of that truth varies according to the mind through which the Holy Spirit makes it flow. The handwriting and style of the writers differ enough to prove that each had a distinct individual being; but the Divine Guide who dictates and directs the whole is always one. All are inspired. Every chapter, and verse, and word, is from God.

Oh, that men who are troubled with doubts, and thoughts about inspiration, would calmly examine the Bible for themselves! Oh, that they would take the advice which was the first step to Augustine’s conversion, “Pick it up and read it! Pick it up and read it!” How many difficulties and objections would vanish away at once like mist before the rising sun! How many would soon confess, “The finger of God is here! God is in this Book, and I did not know it.”

-J.C. Ryle, “Bible-Reading” in Practical Religion pg 99

New Allegations Leveled Against Bishop Mark Lawrence

I took the first set of allegations with a grain of salt, however the fact that these allegations are accompanied by photo evidence, I’m afraid they are nothing short of damning.

We had to find out the truth eventually...Darth Mark!!!

It saddens me to report to you that new allegations have surfaced against Bishop Mark Lawrence, Diocesan Bishop for South Carolina.  It appears he is not who we thought he was.  I have excerpted full text from the official complaint, which reads: “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, it is a period of institutional conflict.  During the conflict spies managed to steal secret plans to Darth Mark’s ultimate weapon, the DEATH MITRE, an armored space station and Bishop’s accessory with enough power to destroy an entire parish.”

“Bishop Lawrence,” aka “Darth Mark,” apparently contributed to the construction of this deadly weapon.  One may think that because the event took place “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,” that his actions could not be held against him.  But the new Title IV disciplinary canons place no restrictions on time or space, thus Darth Mark will have to answer for his actions.

In the past two days, much has been made about the ordination of the Bishop’s son to the priesthood.  Now that Darth Mark has been unmasked, it appears Chad is not the only son that Darth Mark needs be concerned with.  As the video below plainly makes clear:

Attention!!!  If it was not plainly obvious, the above was a bit of satire.  I’m simply using humor to get you interested in the Title IV revisions, under which Bishop Lawrence is being investigated and unjustly accused.  The revisions expand potential offenses and greatly reduce procedural safeguards.   Click here to read the ACI’s paper on Title IV  to better understand the circumstances under which Bishop Lawrence is currently being investigated.   As to the substance of the accusations themselves, they are every bit as ridiculous as the story above.

What does it mean to be a Reformed Christian part IV

A good friend in Charleston recently asked the question “What does it mean to be Reformed?” That question sparked this most recent series on AwakeningGrace which I suspect will go on for several weeks if not months.

Access Part I 

Access Part II

Access Part III

In my last post I noted that there are many sources from which the Christian can learn about God.  The Christian can learn about God from his pastor, from friends, from thoughtful Christian writers, and of course from the Bible.  The Bible then is but one of many sources we can go to in order to learn about God.  What then differentiates the Bible from these sources?  In the last post I cited the Apostle Peter who writes that in the Bible we have something “more sure” than anywhere else.  He goes on to say that only in the Bible do men speak “from God” (2 Pet 1.19-21).  This is essentially what distinguishes the Bible from all other sources.

What are we then to make of those other sources?  The answer of the Reformed Christian is complex, however I will try and distill my answer to three easy headings.  In short, those extra-Biblical sources which speak about God are (1) helpful, (2) flawed, (3) need to be tested against Scripture.

Helpful:

Extra-Biblical sources can be helpful in learning about God.  If one were to look to certain sources over others, historically the Reformed Church has shown a preference for the early church fathers and the ecumenical councils as particularly helpful sources of guidance in understanding the Scriptures and learning about God.  For example John Calvin writes:

I venerate them (the fathers and the councils) from my heart, and desire that they be honored by all (Inst IV.IX.I).

So too, John Owen, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University (1652-1659) writes:

they (the fathers) loved not their lives unto death, but poured out their blood, like water, under all the pagan persecutions, which had no other design but to cast them down and separate them from the impregnable rock, this precious foundation.  In defense of (Christ) they did conflict in prayers, studies, travels, and writings against swarms of seducers by whom they were opposed.  (Owen’s Works, Vol I pg 6)

Owen goes on to show the high esteem by which he held the early church fathers by claiming to confirm his writing by their testimony, which he does by citing the fathers extensively (Over 50 references to the fathers in the first 10 pages).

The point I’m eager to make here is that the early Reformed had a very high view of tradition and its importance.  They didn’t see themselves in discontinuity with historical Christianity, but in continuity with it.

Alongside tradition, the early Reformed had a high regard for the voice of the gathered church.  It was for this reason that Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury pleaded for an ecumenical council in London, where the Protestant Churches of Europe could gather together to seek God’s will for the reformation of the church.  Though this large ecumenical gathering never occurred, small gatherings such as those at Dordt, Westminster, Heidelberg and many others produced a “common mind” on several important theological issues.

The modern Reformed continue to look to the early church and the Reformed confessions of the 16th and 17th centuries as excellent extra-Biblical sources.  Reformed Christians at their best have recognized the helpful contributions of fiction, poetry, music, art, philosophy and science as good tools for reflecting on God and humanity as well.

Flawed:

I venerate them (the fathers and the councils) from my heart, and desire that they be honored by all.  But here the norm is that nothing of course detract from Christ.  Now it is Christ’s right to preside over all councils and to have no man share his dignity.  But I say that he presides only when the whole assembly is governed by his word and Spirit. (Inst IV.IX.I).

The full quote from Calvin above indicates that while Calvin had a high view of the fathers and the councils, he nevertheless placed limits upon their authority.  This is fairly typical of the Reformed approach to tradition, as Article XXI of the Church of England’s Articles of Religion makes clear:

Councils…may err, and sometimes have erred, even in things pertaining unto God. Wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be declared that they be taken out of holy Scripture.

Here we are reminded that it is in Scripture alone where it is believed that words are uttered “from God.”  All other words uttered about God are subject to the words uttered from God.  The two quotes above indicate that sometimes the former fails to measure up.

The caution expressed towards councils in the above quote from the Thirty-Nine Articles accomplishes two things.  First, it forces the institution of the church to take on a posture of humility.  After all, if we are ready to admit that the great Christians of the past may have made mistakes, what will prevent us from making mistakes as well?  This is why the Reformed Christians long ago adopted the slogan Semper Reformanda or “always reforming.”  When this becomes more than a slogan, when it becomes a deeply held principle, it ideally works humility and introspection at an institutional level in the life of the church.

The second thing that the above quote accomplishes is that it works humility and introspection within the life of the individual Christian and makes us aware of our need for the larger Body of Christ.  If great theologians, gathered in prayer and study of scripture can make mistakes, then surely it is more than a possibility that I will make mistakes as well in my private Bible study!  In the awareness of my own weak grasp of scripture, and the fallibility of my mind and heart, I’m driven towards the church and its councils not away from it.  Far from “it’s just me and my Bible,” I’m driven to say me, my Bible, and the church of God!

Must be tested against Scripture

If extra-Biblical sources are helpful, and yet can be flawed, how then are we to use them?  The short answer is that all sources must be measured against the bar of Scripture.  This means that Christians must endeavor to become more familiar with the Word of God than they are with words about God.  J.C. Ryle compares the person who spends more time reading words about God than God’s words to a ship without ballast, “tossed to and fro, like a cork on the waves” (Practical Religion pg 135).  So extra-Biblical sources must be read in such a way that their claims are continually brought before Scripture.  However, I would hasten to add, that extra-Biblical sources must be approached with the charity of mind that the author, not yourself, may have something admirable to contribute to your understanding of God.  

If you’re wondering what extra-Biblical sources may prove helpful to you, I humbly offer the following.  The list below is not meant to be exhaustive.   I simply wanted to give a little head start without being overwhelming.  Also, by and large I wanted the works to be accessible and devotional in nature.  As best as I can remember, I’ve endeavored to put these in chronological order, although I make no promises:

Early Church

Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans:  Note that this is not a commentary on Paul’s letter to the Romans, but is actually a letter from Ignatius to the Church in Rome.  Utterly humbling.  Written on the eve of his martyrdom, Ignatius has given himself over to the glory of Christ.  He instructs his church not to rescue him and rob him of the martyr’s crown.

Athanasius On the Incarnation of the Word:  Perhaps one of, if not the most important work of the early church on Christology.  Not the best start for the beginner but definitely worth working up to.

Ambrose On Repentance:   A beautiful, devotional work that is both memorable and highly accessible for the lay person.   It is also relatively short!  This was personally helpful to me as I was struggling with sin after conversion.

Augustine, Confessions:  What can I say?  I’ve read, re-read, and re-read this worship inspiring work of Augustine.  One of the few works of the early church that I have memorized large portions of.

Middle and Medieval:

Anselm Why God Became Man:  At times a bit tedious for the beginner, it is nevertheless worth digging into for its novel understanding of how Christ satisfies our debt to God.

Dante Alighieri The Inferno:  Undoubtedly his most famous, this is nevertheless part one of his three part Divine Comedy.  As I read this the first time I could not help but notice it is highly Augustinian in its approach to salvation, which makes it a striking precursor of the Reformation several hundred years earlier than expected.  You must put this book on your “bucket list.”

Pearl:  The name of the author is unfortunately lost to us.  This medieval poem is highly complex, touching on issues of grief, grace, redemption, and reward.  In one memorable scene, the narrator resists the idea that God’s grace freely and equally rewards all who receive it.  All in all a tremendous read from this period.

Reformation:

Martin Luther Commentary on Galatians:  Accessible, Gospel centered, offensive, over the top, amazing!  Read, re-read, re-read.

John Calvin Institutes on the Christian Religion:  It will take monumental effort on your part to wade into this heavy, two volume theological masterpiece.  It was the number one bestselling Christian book of Reformation Europe.  I’ve been compelled to memorize large portions of this as well!

John Bunyan The Pilgrim’s Progress:  It is embarrassing to admit that I read this for the first time only recently.  If my memory serves me correct, it is the best selling book of all time apart from the Bible.  You should pick it up and see what all the fuss is about.  I couldn’t put it down and this Citadel grad found himself fighting back tears at the end of Christiana’s journey.

Post Reformation:

John Donne The Complete English Poems:  O.k., some of the poems in this volume are XXX rated and you shouldn’t read them unless you have a bucket of cold water handy.  However, towards the end of this volume you will encounter his Divine Poems, which make my heart ache for God.  Apparently Donne underwent a conversion experience that turned his intense passion for women to an intense passion for the Triune God.

John Milton Paradise Lost:  If nothing else read it for your own good!  I re-read this in 2008 for the 400th anniversary as I’m sure you all did.  If you haven’t bought a copy, make sure you get the edition with C.S. Lewis’ preface and accompanying essays.

Modern:

G.K. Chesterton Orthodoxy:  A wonderfully engaging book that admirably defends the Christian faith against the growing secularism in Europe.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Discipleship:  Though not personally my favorite Bonhoeffer book, I think it is the most easily recognized.  I cannot recommend it without a word of caution.  I’ve known many Christians who have picked this book up as a call to Discipleship, thus turning it into a tool for legalism.  Read the first chapter more closely, you’ll see that only the Lord himself can call disciples, thus discipleship is always and can never be anything more than a gracious gift from Jesus Christ.

C.S. Lewis The Space Trilogy:  O.k., perhaps I’m not playing fair.  I listed Bonhoeffer’s most popular book but failed to do so with Lewis.  Oh well!  I listed the Space Trilogy because I find it terribly engaging.  The second volume of Lewis’ three volume trilogy is essentially a reflection on Gen 1-3.  You will learn much about God, yourself, and the devil by reading these books.  They are highly neglected in my opinion.

I’m afraid to go further I would have to list living authors and theologians.   I’ve already broken my rule by listing theologians who were alive in the past three hundred years so I must stop now.  The point of this post ultimately is to get you in the Scriptures but also engaging with God glorifying extra-Biblical sources that I have found personally helpful.  To that end, I hope I accomplish my goal!

Disciplinary Board for Bishops Investigates “Serious Charges” Against Bishop Mark Lawrence and the Diocese of S.C.

Yesterday I was reminded by a parishioner that the Disciplinary Board does not make allegations, it investigates allegations.  I have amended the title and some of the language of this post to reflect that.  I apologize for any confusion that might have caused.

On Sept 29th, 2011 Bishop Mark Lawrence received communication from the President of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops that “serious charges” have been made under Title IV of the Canons of The Episcopal Church. These are allegations that he has abandoned The Episcopal Church.

The Disciplinary Board for Bishops is investigating twelve charges in all against Bishop Lawrence.  The allegations as well as their supporting evidence can be found in a 63 page document that you can access by clicking here.  In addition to that document, a letter from the attorney for the Disciplinary Board to Bishop Lawrence may be found by clicking here.   You can view Bishop Lawrence’s response here.

To be frank, many of the allegations brought against Bishop Lawrence are improbably absurd.  Here are a few examples:

• Churches in the Diocese of South Carolina no longer have the word “Episcopal” prominently displayed on their web pages.  Yes, that is actually one of the accusations.  If you go to the Diocese of S.C. web page you’ll notice at the bottom of the page it does say “Episcopal Diocese of S.C.”  Furthermore, if you go to the “About us” section you’ll notice that the Diocese of S.C. clearly identifies itself as an Episcopal Diocese.   So what is the allegation?  That the word “Episcopal” has been “removed substantially” from the Diocesan web page, that is, it is not displayed prominently enough to satisfy the Disciplinary Board.  Does that sound like an offense serious enough to discipline a Bishop of one of the largest Dioceses in the Episcopal Church?
• One time, at an ACNA conference that Bishop Lawrence did not even attend, his name was used in a powerpoint presentation.  I kid you not, that is actually an accusation.
• In 2006, while Mark Lawrence was still a parish priest, he drew attention to the rapid decline of the Episcopal Church and recommended institutional reform.  Apparently that is now an offense worthy of disciplinary procedures.  I suppose I might be next, for penning this little piece in 2009.  If you wanted to go after our associate pastor as well, you could always go here.  There’s plenty of material there to hang us both if you’re playing by these rules, which seem to have been lifted straight from Orwell’s “thought police” of 1984.
• In 2010, Bishop Lawrence said that the membership of the Episcopal Church was on a “downward spiral of radically decreasing membership and increasing irrelevance.”  Though both are statistically true, it is nevertheless an offense worthy of disciplinary procedures to say this publicly.
• Hundreds of clergy have left the Episcopal Church to join the ACNA.  Bishop Lawrence found one ACNA clergy who, defying the odds wanted to join the Episcopal Church.  Bishop Lawrence permitted this ACNA Deacon to be ordained in the Episcopal Church as an Episcopal Priest.  Apparently this is an offense worthy of discipline.

Mixed in with those allegations that transcend all reason, there are three allegations that make more sense, even though ultimately I would reject them.  These allegations are those which argue that the Diocese of S.C. abandoned communion by changing its constitution and canons.  The easy rejoinder is that these documents were changed not to help the Dio of S.C. leave the Episcopal Church, but to help the Diocese stay in the Episcopal Church.  The fact that this was said repeatedly by many of the involved parties is apparently not worthy of consideration by the Disciplinary Board.

Bishop Lawrence has called a special clergy day on Oct 11th “to understand the possible implications and to engage in corporate prayer for the diocese.”  The clergy at Trinity Church will be there to hear from Bishop Lawrence as well as to show our complete support for him as well as the Standing Committee.

What does this mean for us at Trinity Church?  Mercifully God has provided us with men and women willing to give time and energy towards these matters so that we don’t have to.  To these people we should all be grateful because they enable the local church to focus on what the local church does best, that is, proclaiming the Gospel.  Please pray for these people, specifically the Bishop and the Standing Committee, who have faithfully and with great valor enabled S.C. churches to continue to proclaim the Gospel without inhibition or interference.  Pray that God would defend them from false and unjust accusations.  Pray also that their spirits might be kept high.  I know their deep passion and love for the Gospel and their equally deep disgust for unnecessary legal distractions.  Pray that they might be encouraged by the fact that their engagement in these issues frees churches like Trinity to continue in our Gospel mission, which is the very thing we plan to do.

This Sunday we’ll celebrate the one year anniversary of our church plant in Carolina Forest, which has grown from 22 t0 70.  We’ll continue to mentor young college students that have initiated new ministries at Coastal Carolina University.  We’ll follow up on the seven young adults who filled out contact cards indicating they wanted to hear a one on one Gospel presentation from a member of the clergy.  Later this month we’ll begin our new members class and celebrate the joining of dozens of new members to Trinity Church both in Myrtle Beach and Carolina Forest.

We will not get wrapped up in church politics.  We won’t lose hours of our lives surfing blogs to get the latest in Episcopal gossip.  And we will not worry about the national church or its lawyers.  We had hoped and prayed that this day would not come, but at Trinity we prepared for it and we have prepared for it to the best of our ability.  There is nothing more for us to do on that front.

Our Gospel ministry, which is our priority because it is the Lord’s command, will continue uninterrupted.  May God keep our passion, our energy, our thoughts, our bodies, our talents, and our tithes fully devoted towards God and His glorious Gospel.  May nothing distract us from this great commission!

-Rob Sturdy

Lead Pastor, Trinity Church

John Owen: “The Promise Stands Invincible”

The following is a letter published in vol. I of Owen’s works.   It is remarkable on numerous fronts, which I shall let you discover for yourself.  I will point out though, that these great men of the 17th century had a remarkable experience of God the closer they drew to death.  I would point you to Richard Baxter’s “Dying Thoughts,” as well as John Owen’s preface to “Meditations and Discourses on the Glory of Christ,” both of which were written while the two men were close to death.  You’ll notice that what comes across in these writings is not a fixation on death, but rather a fixation on Christ.  That’s what makes them so comforting.

Dear Sir,

Although I am not able to write one word myself, yet I am very desirous to speak one more word to you in this world, and do it by the hand of my wife. The continuance of your entire kindness is not only greatly valued by me, but will be a refreshment to me, as it is, even in my dying hour.

I am going to Him whom my soul has loved, or rather who has loved me with an everlasting love, — which is the whole ground of all my consolation. The passage is very wearisome, through strong pains of various sorts, which are all issued in an intermittent fever.

All things were provided to carry me to London today, according to the advice of my physicians. But we are all disappointed by my utter disability to undertake the journey.

I am leaving the ship of the church in a storm. But while the great Pilot is in it, the loss of a poor under-rower will be inconsiderable. Live, and pray, and hope, and wait patiently, and do not despond. The promise stands invincible, that He will never leave us, nor forsake us.

Remember your dying friend with all fervency. I rest upon it that you do so, and am yours entirely,

John Owen

Rob Sturdy: The Knowledge of God in the Christological Thought of John Owen

As many of you know I continue my studies for a Masters in Theology.  I post these mainly for accountability so that the good people of Trinity Church can know that I’m not wasting my continuing ed. budget on a vacation in the Bahamas.  The essay below is about the knowledge of God in the Christological thought of John Owen.  Thanks again to Colin Burch for graciously reviewing this essay!   Footnotes and bibliography are at the bottom of the paper in case you want to chase anything down.

How do we know God?  Can we have an experience of God?  Can we be in relationship with him?  These questions will no doubt be familiar to the philosopher and theologian.  But perhaps that vocation most intimately familiar with such questions is the pastor, whose responsibility it is to provide adequate and honest responses to such questions.  The 17^th-century Puritan, John Owen, was a man who at one point or another found himself occupying each of the roles of philosopher, theologian, and pastor.  Yet it was the last decade of his life, which he devoted to the pastoral ministry, that he engaged the above questions with the most depth and attention.  Owen concluded that knowledge of God depended upon an infinite condescension of God towards his creatures.  This condescension in the theology of John Owen took the form of a covenant, whereby man learns who God is by virtue of his covenant relationship with God.

Owen notes that two things are necessary for a proper revelation of God to a finite creature in the context of a covenant.  First, that “all the properties of the divine nature…be expressed in it, and manifested to us,” and second that “there be, therein, the nearest approach of the divine nature made unto us, whereof it is capable, and which we can receive (emphasis mine).”[1]  As will be shown, a simple covenant between God and man is insufficient for the type of revelation which Owen describes in the above quote.  For a full and proper revelation of God, Owen believes that God himself must draw as near as possible, so near in fact, that he must become a man himself.  This happens in the person of Christ, whereby the divine Son of God assumes the human nature unto himself.  Christ being fully God is the nearest manifestation of God imaginable.  Christ being fully man is the nearest manifestation of God which is nevertheless fit for the human capacity.  Owen believed that it was the rational, human mind of Christ which ultimately accommodated the knowledge of God to the capacity of human comprehension.  This paper will argue that it is only through the mediation of the human mind of Christ that full communion with God is possible.  This will be done by examining the transcendence of God, his condescension in entering into covenant relationship, and the full manifestation of his glory through the Triune God’s covenant with the person of Christ. 

John Stott dead at age 90

The Rev. John Stott, one of the world’s most influential figures in the spread of evangelical Christianity over the past half-century, died Wednesday in Lingfield, Surrey, in the south of England. He was 90.

His death was confirmed by Suanne Camfield, a spokeswoman for his publisher, InterVarsity Press.

The religion scholar Michael Cromartie once said that if evangelicals could elect a pope, they would be likely to choose Mr. Stott. Though less known in the United States and hardly a household name outside the evangelical sphere, Mr. Stott, an author, preacher and theologian, was often compared to the Rev. Billy Graham, his American contemporary.

But while Mr. Graham’s influence is rooted in a rousing preaching style and a personal magnetism that has filled stadiums, Mr. Stott’s relied on a proliferation of books — grounded in learning but accessible to all — and the evangelical organization he founded, Langham Partnership International, named after its cradle, All Souls Church at Langham Place in London’s West End.

“We must be global Christians,” he once wrote, “with a global mission, because our God is a global God.”

read the whole thing here

Does preaching grace make people lazy?

The letter copied below, titled “Dear Mr. Antinomian” (anti-law), is an amusing little bit of satire with quite a serious point. Because of our emphasis on grace here at Trinity, I will occasionally have to deal with church member fear that our Gospel focus will make people serve less, give less, and just be generally lazy. My experience is that this fear is typically unfounded. Rather, I’ve found that the Gospel, when it truly grips someone has quite the opposite effect. Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed this letter so much.

Dear Mr. Antinomian,

Forgive me for writing to you in such an open forum but I’ve been trying to meet you for years and we just never seem to connect. While it’s true that I live in a little corner of the States and while it’s true that I am, well, a woman, I did assume that I would meet you at some point in my decades old counseling practice. But alas, neither you nor any of your (must be) thousands of brothers and sisters have ever shown up for my help… So again, please do pardon my writing in such a public manner but, you see, I’ve got a few things to say to you and I think it’s time I got them off my chest.

I wonder if you know how hard you’re making it for those of us who love to brag about the gospel. You say that you love the gospel and grace too, but I wonder how that can be possible since it’s been continuously reported to me that you live like such a slug. I’ve even heard that you are lazy and don’t work at obeying God at all…Rather you sit around munching on cigars and Twinkies, brewing beer and watching porn on your computer. Mr. A, really! Can this be true?

So many of my friends and acquaintances are simply up in arms about the way you act and they tell me it’s because you talk too much about grace. They suggest (and I’m almost tempted to agree) that what you need is more and more rules to live by. In fact, I’m very tempted to tell you that you need to get up off your lazy chair, pour your beer down the drain, turn off your computer and get about the business of the Kingdom.

I admit that I’m absolutely flummoxed, though, which is why I’m writing as I am. You puzzle me. How can you think about all that Christ has done for you, about your Father’s steadfast, immeasurable, extravagantly generous love and still live the way you do? Have you never considered the incarnation, about the Son leaving ineffable light to be consigned first to the darkness of Mary’s womb and then the darkness of this world? Have you never considered how He labored day-after-day in His home, obeying His parents, loving His brothers and sisters so that you could be counted righteous in the sight of His Father? Have you forgotten the bloody disgrace of the cross you deserve? Don’t you know that in the resurrection He demolished sin’s power over you? Aren’t you moved to loving action knowing that He’s now your ascended Lord Who prays for you and daily bears you on His heart? Has your heart of stone never been warmed and transformed by the Spirit? Does this grace really not impel zealous obedience? Hello…Are you there?

Honestly, even though my friends talk about you as though you were just everywhere in every church, always talking about justification but living like the devil, frankly I wonder if you even exist. I suppose you must because everyone is so afraid that talking about grace will produce more of you. So that’s why I’m writing: Will you please come forward? Will you please stand up in front of all of us and tell us that your heart has been captivated so deeply by grace that it makes you want to watch the Playboy channel?

Again, please do forgive me for calling you out like this. I really would like to meet you.

Trusting in Grace Alone,
Elyse

Go read the whole thing here

“There are many things my King can do…” (Acts 1)

preached by Rob Sturdy