Baptism

Grace Sight #20 is My Son's Baptism.

Last Sunday my special needs son Jonathan was baptized. I hope and pray as he grows older God will help him to someday embrace the faith represented in his baptism and affirm it for all eternity. The following is the letter I wrote and read prior to the baptism. Please note that I have intentionally not mentioned what church Jonathan was baptized in because my belief is that we are baptized not into a church but as part of the Christian faith that includes many churches who have some differences in rituals and expressions.

December 11, 2011

Dear Jonathan,

As you are baptized today we want you to know that we love you so much but our love is so small compared to how much your heavenly Father loves you and wants you by his side for all eternity.  All of our dreams for your life are fulfilled in this–that you would come to know the grace of having Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and that you would give your time, talents, and treasures to God in this life.  May you experience personally the words of faith that you are already singing along with the Cedarmont Bible songs.

We know that sometimes life is complicated and difficult for you because of your autism.  Always remember that you are different, not less. If there are ever times in your unknown future when you wish you did not have autism, then hold on to the truth that the sovereign God made you who you are for a reason.  One never knows how our life impacts others. We know that in your short life of 7 years you have already taught us so much about patience, humility, vigilance, hope, and trust in the sovereign God.

The Scripture verse we hope you hold fast in your heart is 2 Corinthians 12:9:  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

A Call to Prayer by J.C. Ryle

Grace Sight #13 is A Call to Prayer.

J.C. Ryle in his study

To be prayerless is to be without God, without Christ, without grace, without hope, and without heaven.  It is to be in the road to hell.  --J.C. Ryle

J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) wrote a classic tract titled "A Call to Prayer".  It is amazing how something written two centuries ago can be so applicable to the Christians today.   In it he writes the following observation:

I have looked careful over the lives of God's saints in the Bible.  I cannot find one whose history much is told us, from Genesis to Revelation, who was not a person of prayer.  I find it mentioned as a characteristic of the godly, that "they call on the Father," that "they call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."  I find it recorded as a characteristic of the wicked, that "they call not upon the Lord." 1 Peter 1:17; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Psalm 14:4 

I have read the lives of many eminent Christians who have been on earth since the Bible days.  Some of them, I see, were rich, and some were poor.  Some were learned, and some were unlearned.  Some were Episcopalians, and some were Christians of other names.  Some were Calvinists, and some were Arminians.  Some have loved to use liturgy, and some to use none.  But one thing, I see, they all had in common.  They have all been people of prayer. 

Here's an overview of the content.

Introduction
"Men ought always to pray."  Luke 18:1
"I will that men pray everywhere." 1 Timothy 2:1
I have a question to offer you. It is contained in three words, DO YOU PRAY?

The outline of the body of the tract is as follows. 

I. I ASK WHETHER YOU PRAY, BECAUSE PRAYER IS ABSOLUTELY NEEDFUL TO A PERSON'S SALVATION.


II. I ASK AGAIN WHETHER YOU PRAY, BECAUSE A HABIT OF PRAYER IS ONE OF THE SUREST MARKS OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN.


III. I ASK WHETHER YOU PRAY, BECAUSE THERE IS NO DUTY IN RELIGION SO NEGLECTED AS PRIVATE PRAYER. 


IV. I ASK WHETHER YOU PRAY, BECAUSE PRAYER IS AN ACT OF RELIGION TO WHICH THERE IS GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT.


V. I ASK WHETHER YOU PRAY, BECAUSE DILIGENCE IN PRAYER IS THE SECRET OF EMINENT HOLINESS.


VI. I ASK WHETHER YOU PRAY, BECAUSE NEGLECT OF PRAYER IS ONE OF THE GREATEST CAUSES OF BACKSLIDING.


VII. I ASK, LASTLY, WHETHER YOU PRAY BECAUSE PRAYER IS ONE OF THE BEST MEANS OF HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT.


Let me speak a parting word to THOSE WHO DO NOT PRAY.


Let me speak, lastly, TO THOSE WHO DO PRAY.

Conclusion:  "I want the times we live in to be praying times. I want the Christians of our day to be praying Christians. I want the church to be a praying church. My Heart's desire and prayer in sending forth this tract is to promote a spirit of prayerfulness. I want those who never prayed yet, to arise and call upon God, and I want those who do pray, to see that they are not praying amiss."--J.C. Ryle

I hope this outline has wet your appetite to read the full text of J.C. Ryle's tract at the Revival Library.  You may also purchase it for $2.99 from Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Call-Prayer-J-C-Ryle/dp/0972237402.

Expository Preaching

Grace Sight #8 is Expository Preaching.

I love expository preaching. Expository preaching is taking the text of the Bible and expounding it verse by verse. An additional explanation is available at the Gotquestions.org website.

John MacArthur is the author of the book Rediscovering Expository Preaching.  On June 5, 2011, John MacArthur completed the expository preaching of the entire New Testament verse by verse.  His final sermon in the book of Mark, which completed his New Testament series can be found at his Grace to You sermon website.  MacArthur demonstrated 42 years of faithfulness to complete the series, which is my entire lifetime.

John Calvin believed in expository preaching.  In this YouTube video, Dr. Steve. Lawson discusses his book The Expository Genius of John Calvin.

I seem to have been drawn to the expository style of preaching though it was not the norm in the church where I was raised and spent the first four decades of my life. Growing up as a child I would spend my days listening to J. Vernon McGee of the Through the Bible radio program preach through the entire Bible.  I then became an attentive listener of every special opportunity to hear Stephen Manley's expository preaching in revival services.  After circumstances led me to change churches last year, I am very grateful I found one where expository preaching is the norm.  


Many great preachers have taken the expository style of preaching.  G. Campbell Morgan, Chuck Smith, and Arthur W. Pink were prominent expository preachers. Wikipedia says, "Other famous expository preachers include John Stott, Dick Lucas and Charles Spurgeon from England, William Still from Scotland, Phillip Jensen and David Cook from Australia, and Stephen F. Olford, and Fred Craddock from America." 


God can use both expository and topical preaching. We need to pray for all preachers of the Gospel, regardless of their style of preaching.    Pray that all preachers generally and your preacher specifically would study to be approved by God and, "avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness" (2 Timothy 2:16, ESV).   May God be glorified through every word uttered from pulpits in the world.  

Unanswered Prayers

Grace Sight #6 is Unanswered Prayers.

Unanswered Prayers. Yes they really are a blessing. I've been thinking about prayer and how sometimes prayers go unanswered.   As I thought on this subject I listened to some country music.

Garth Brooks wrote a song in 1990 called Unanswered Prayers.   While Brooks is certainly not a reliable theologian, when I hear the overall message of this song I think of the sovereignty of God and how amazing it is that God loves us enough to not answer all our prayers.  I am reminded that he can see the future we cannot see.  The words to the the astute refrain are:

Sometimes I thank God, for unanswered prayers
Remember when you’re talkin’ to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn’t answer doesn’t mean he don’t care
Some of God’s greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers.



Jesus said these words, among many, on the subject of prayer.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7, ESV)

There are two things John 15:7 shows us about how we are able to believe we will receive whatever we ask.   First, we must abide in Christ and second, Christ's words must abide in us.   If like me you think you still aren't abiding like that 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, then pray more and accept unanswered prayers as an inevitable byproduct of the fact that we are sinners prone to put self over Christ at times.

In John Calvin's Commentary on John for this verse (John 15:7), he states the following on this passage.  

When he promises that he will grant whatever we wish, he does not give us leave to form wishes according to our own fancy. God would do what was ill fitted to promote our welfare, if he were so indulgent and so ready to yield to us; for we know well that men often indulge in foolish and extravagant desires. But here he limits the wishes of his people to the rule of praying in a right manner, and that rule subjects, to the good pleasure of God, all our affections. This is confirmed by the connection in which the words stand; for he means that his people will or desire not riches, or honors, or any thing of that nature, which the flesh foolishly desires, but the vital sap of the Holy Spirit, Which enables them to bear fruit. 

If we are unable to understand unanswered prayers it could be because we don't really comprehend our own sinfulness.  If we look carefully at John 15:7 we will find it is not about getting God to answer all our prayers.  We get prayer grossly wrong when we see it as a mechanism to get something from God.  Like many concepts, this is partly right. The purpose of prayer is to get something from God, it's to get God himself through abiding in his perfect son, Jesus Christ.  

Just as I trust God to make the arrangements for the next stage of my eternal life, I know he alone knows best for my life on earth. And prayer should never be about me. God has matchless wisdom and infinite power that I am not worthy to behold. I'm not bothered by unanswered prayers. What amazes me more than anything else is that God answers any of my prayers at all.

English Standard Version Bible

Grace Sight #4 is the English Standard Version Bible.

Christians who have longed for a more readable literal Bible translation will find much to praise in the English Standard Version. The ESV's translation team of over 100 members has admirably attempted to preserve the stylistic variety of biblical authorship and ease of reading (at the eighth-grade level) despite the word-for-word translation, which historically has resulted in a choppier text flow. -- Cindy Cosby

The popular Bible Gateway indexes over 100 translations of the Holy Bible. Many churches and Christians are choosing the relatively new English Standard Version (ESV), among all the options available to them (The ESV Bible was written in 2001).   The following YouTube video explains how the English Standard Version (ESV) is trusted by various Christian leaders.

If you wish to share ESV material there are several  unique ways to do so.

1. Create a shortened internet link of any verse of the ESV.
2. Put audio of the ESV on a website.
3. Retweet from the @esvdaily account on Twitter.
4. Play the ESV Listener's Bible in a place where others will hear it.  

Students of the Bible will appreciate the detailed ESV Study Bible.   J.I. Packer edited each single note in the ESV Study Bible and in the following YouTube video he explains his work on the massive project.

Nick Kennicott wrote a blog post on "10 Reasons Teens Why Every Teen Should Use the ESV Study Bible".  In addition, Bob Kauflin of Worship Matters Blog wrote a post on "Ten Reasons Why I Appreciate the ESV Study Bible".  These posts have some very practical reason why the ESV Bible is appropriate for all ages and will likely be treasured for years to come.  

The ESV Bible Online site at http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/ lists many ways to utilize the ESV. To keep up to date on ESV developments follow the Crossway blog and search for specific references to any ESV posts. Next time you need to buy a new Bible consider making the ESV Bible your translation of choice.

Bob Hostetler

Grace Sight #1 is Bob Hostetler.

Bob Hostetler has written an excellent resource called "31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children".  It is set up to provide a different prayer focus each day of the month.

Sometimes in life we look at our child unable to sleep at night because of sickness, crying after a hard day at school, heartbroken after the break up of a human relationship, or otherwise misguided in their ways and wonder what the most effective thing we can do to help them is.  We want to help them but we don't seem have the power on our own to make everything better.  That's where prayer comes in. Always remember to pray for your children. They were given to you for a reason by the sovereign God.  It is in prayer that you may find that reason becomes clearer.

Bob Hostetler's resource is also available at Revive Our Hearts Website.