Teach Me Some Melodious Sonnet

Then Sings My Soul Book 3 by Robert J. Morgan

imageUnlike other books of this genre that provide insight into the background of our favorite hymns, Then Sings My Soul inspires. Christians raised on the worship music of today will discover the passion and depth of songs that they had never considered including in a set as they encounter the stories outside of John Newton or Horatio Spafford’s lives. Reading the accounts of tragedy and triumph that have led those who came before to pen the words that have endured as tools of worship for centuries in the ever-transitive life of the Church.

Morgan expands the individual accounts in this volume with material that expands the perspective of the reader in a number of directions. Brief sketches of musical movements throughout different eras broaden our understanding of why, for example, the German hymns follow the developmental course that they did and that the English hymnal is more than a collection of drinking songs. At the other end of this volume, Morgan includes a series of extended stories that will open the reader’s eyes, in many cases bringing new color and texture to some long-treasured life stories shared over and over in worship.

Of special interest is a brief plea to worship leaders to reconsider the concept of blended worship. Having spoken these same words to the Church many times, to read Robert’s eloquent support of intertwining ancient-historic-modern music was heartening. All inspired music has a story to tell, and the worship leader facing an intergenerational congregation honors God and His people by blending all of the eras to lead each to learn from another.

I am grateful to Thomas Nelson who provided this copy for review.

Spiritual Gifts: Cautious Openness

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For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. 1 Cor 13:12

Where the Cessationist takes the view that certain of the spiritual gifts-specifically those of a miraculous nature-have ceased to be given to modern believers, a mediating position grants that they may be seen again. This position is often labeled open but cautious, indicating a recognition of God’s sovereign ability to once again visit believers with spiritual gifts of a miraculous nature. If He were to do so however, their receipt and use would align with the experiences recorded in Scripture in both purpose and practice.

Arriving at this theological position follows many of the threads that establish the cessationist position. Though the Holy Spirit distributes gifts to believers as He sees fit to edify and build the church of Christ, certain of the gifts —tongues, prophesy and healing-– were given for an earlier time in church history. Their purpose was to establish the authenticity of the Apostles and to aid in establishing the Church in the world. In the broader scope of all Scripture, the bible records miraculous events and happenings being clustered around three eras in history: Moses-Exodus, Elija-Elisha and the Christ-Apostolic era. (This does not diminish or dismiss other singular manifestations; it simply recognizes a concentration of activity around these points in history.) This review also establishes that nowhere does scripture indicate that the miraculous gifts are to be considered a normal condition of the Church era experience.

Complicating all theological discussion of the spiritual gifts is the lack of any explicit biblical statement with regard to the cessation of specific gifts. The cessationist position hinges upon the statement made in 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 as evidence for the discontinuation of the miraculous gifts. Contained within this pericope is the reference to that time “when completeness (cf: perfection) comes (1 Cor 13:10)” which is read as pointing to the time of the Lord’s return. This schedule thus leaves open the possibility of continuation for these gifts.

Limited openness to the continuation of the miraculous is encouraged by further examination of the New Testament record. First, the silence of the scriptures on the matter of cessation must cause us to expand the scope of our consideration. Second, the scriptures do not testify to the state of the Church in a post-Apostolic era. For this reason, we must rely upon recorded history since that century in evaluating what is to be normative, and this history includes limited manifestations of the miraculous. Finally, as God elected to utilize the signs of the miraculous for specific purposes in His unfolding of history, we must always be cognizant of His sovereign ability to do so again.

Though an openness is encouraged in this theological position, it is intertwined with the belief that nowhere does scripture support  the apprehension of the miraculous gifts as a normal part of the Christian’s experience. Since every manifestation in the scriptures is given by God for a ‘sign’ purpose or an exercise of His grace, this precludes the use of these gifts as a test of salvation. Nor does scripture support the giving of the spiritual gifts at the request of an individual for their personal use.

Any purported manifestations of the miraculous gifts must be joined with the Apostle’s exhortation to “test everything” (1 Thes 5:21). Any instance of these gifts should align with the historical purposes of their past application (purpose, use, etc.) and their manifestation in the Bible. Prophecy will be for the edification of the church, rather than individuals. The expression of tongues will be languages which express thought, not gibberish that cannot be interpreted by others present. Healings that are a part of a campaign are foreign to the scriptures and will likely remain so. In all things God is sovereign but He is also a God of order and verification.

Marana Tha …

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In Him All Things Hold Together

Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian

imageThomas Paine described the crisis of revolution as the “times that try men’s souls”, a season of life in which one would have to be undeniably sure of the foundation on which his feet rested. Without that assurance there would be no resistance against which to create forward motion. Though not as momentous as the birth of a nation, author Tullian Tchividjian was confronted with a leadership challenge in the melding of two ministries that brought an unexpected resistance. The crisis forced him back to the irreducible minimum that formed his foundation, faith in Christ alone.

Driven to reflection, Tullian renewed his understanding of the rock on which he stood as character attacks and questions of ministerial competency swirled around, making him doubt the efficacy of what had brought him to that point. A performance ethic in particular threatened to derail his belief in the completed work of Christ as the touchstone against which he pushed for momentum. His exposition of key passages in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians restored his understanding of the sufficiency of Christ and the atonement and it is these reflections that form the core of the book.

Tchividjian’s writing and structure are dense, limiting the appeal of the tome to those willing to reflect alongside him. It will be read in small sections that turn your attention back to the Scriptures to see things that may have been masked to your eyes on previous reading. It is this density that gives the book its timeless appeal. Unlike the myriad volumes that will be published giving advice that quickly goes out of date, Pastor Tullian has written a book that can be pulled from the shelf over and over in the years to come as a guide to returning to the key, Christ alone.

Snipping the Tail of Rupert’s Drops

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As readers have come to expect from Dr. Sweet, an upending of long-held paradigms is to be found in the pages of I Am a Follower. Less about mimicking the the ego eimi statements of the Savior and more about challenging modern perceptions of the Mission, Sweet’s book orients around the idea that leadership was not in Jesus’ mind when He set about discipling His followers and the generations that follow through the Bible. Sweet may be right, but a mature and finely-honed sense of discernment are needed to apply this notion, something that those new to the author’s works may not be prepared for.

Many Evangelical’s are immediately critical of Leonard Sweet and his body of work labeling it emergent and him as being on the fringes of orthodoxy. This misses his role as a provocateur working to prod the Christian masses to a deeper meditation of what Christ and His Church are to be about. In Follower, Sweet challenges the infatuation we have leadership in all of its permutations. He critiques the corpus of leadership material, training and practice, saying that it has led Christians away from the true command of Jesus to “follow me.” Creating an environment in which leaders are celebrated threatens to diminish Jesus when those leaders are not intentional about pointing others back to Him. The cure, he says, is for leaders to return to the original position as disciples at the feet of the Rabbi. As their wonder and humility are restored, a new attitude will be reflected in their discipleship of others.

I agree with Dr. Sweet in his premise that good leaders must be first and foremost good followers of Christ. I don’t believe that he intends to say that there should be no focus on leadership in the Church though it is difficult to see in his blanket indictment. Clearly, the Spirit calls some to be leaders. The illustrations that Sweet elects to provide of leaders who ‘get it’ show his bias. Standing up Shane Clairborne as a model of humility is difficult to accept as everything about the carefully cultivated image of Clairborne screams ‘look at me.’ Effective leaders such as John Piper, Bill Hybels and Jim Shaddix can both impress us with the leadership gifts and the calloused knees of true disciples.

Reading Sweet is never easy and Follower is no different. He will cause you to stop and think, considering his use of scripture and illustration. Dr. Sweet’s work is not for the casual Christian who lacks the ability to process the often challenging ideas that he types. The reader must be able to not only say that he or she doesn’t believe what is written, they must also be able to state why.

I am grateful to Thomas Nelson who provided this book for review.

That’s Not Like Me!

imageEnemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley

How many times have we heard,

I can’t believe I just said that or I don’t know where that came from?

Dr. Luke records the words of Jesus that put these exclamations to rest: “A good man brings good things out of the good things stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45) As Pastor Stanley points out, regardless of our attempts to control, hide or otherwise diminish its impact, the heart is the source and control of our speech, action and thoughts. Troubles in the heart will soon become troubles in life.

Four enemies of the heart capture Stanley’s attention in this excellent book: guilt, anger, greed and jealousy. Four poisons that we allow to take root in the soul and then act surprised when their green tentacles reach out at the most inopportune time and damage the relationships that we value so much. Though Oprah would suggest a different path, Stanley correctly identifies these monsters as having spiritual components. Ever the excellent pastor, Andy devotes the largest portion of the book to armor and weaponry needed to combat them.

Pastor Stanley has penned a long string of must-have books for any Christian’s library and this volume belongs on the top shelf. Better yet, buy two copies so you can keep one and pass the other one around to everyone you know. (You should be aware that the book was previously published as It Came From Within, and you may already posses the material.) A useful discussion guide is included with the book enabling you to develop a dialog around the material, whether in a one-on-one relationship or in a group setting.

I am grateful to Multnomah who provided this copy for review.

Danger Close

 

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A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for.  J.A. Shedd

Moving forward in any meaningful way demands a step in faith. Faith–deep soul-rooted, life-directing faith–may lead to danger. We take the steps of faith because we trust in God for what may come, whether it be into blissful comfort or the first tentative steps into the enemy’s territory, fully aware that sacrifice may be the result. A church that never moves from the sanctuary is safe, but that is not what the Church is for.

Read Paul’s boasting in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33. Contrary to the witness of those who merely call themselves Apostles, Paul has the scourge scars and water marks of one who has walked, trusting God with each step as he fulfilled His calling to bear witness to Christ to the Gentile world. We continue to marvel at his effectiveness thousands of years later as he is held up as the model for our own vocational calling. We marvel, but are tempted time and time again to retreat to the safety of tradition and practice.

Church, this is not what we were created to be or do. We are the last hope of a dying world. We possess the fire of the indwelling Spirit meant to guide our hands and feet in boldly stepping into the darkness to call others out. Like the sailor who knows nothing of buoyancy and displacement but who trusts the Oak, nails and pitch to keep them afloat in the capricious and danger-filled seas, Christians need not know how or why God may lead them into a ministry effort, only that they may trust Him that it will not be in vain. 

Grace and peace in the Spirit to you…

image National Library of New Zealand

Worship the Mystery of Christmas

imageWhen they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented and presented him with gifts of gold and incense and of myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11

For God to condescend to assume human form and to walk among a people clumsy violence known for killing their prophets is the mystery of the first Advent. He does not appear as a fully grown man of mysterious provenance, but rather, as a baby with a human mother who herself possessed the sin nature derived of her descent from Eve and Adam. The baby Jesus endures the growth process, emptied of His divine powers and prerogatives and walks sinless on the inexorable journey to Calvary.

How is it that the baby attracts the worship that He deserves? He possesses nothing outward that belies His perfection and divinity. No halo, no translucent glow surrounding him, he does not spring from the womb preaching the good news. He is a hungry, cranky, sleepy and weepy infant, despite the beatific scene painted by the hymnists. Yet worshipped He is.

He is worshipped because of the divine revelation of heavenly hosts singing Gloria in excelcis deo. He is worshipped because the archangel Gabriel left the presence of God and appeared to various people telling them that the long-awaited King had come. He is worshipped because the string of witnesses stretching from Mary to Elizabeth to John to the shepherds quietly watching over their flocks at night. He is worshipped because it is indisputable as to who He is.

With the distance of time comes a casual familiarity. We can see how the story ends and see the baby as the grown Savior. Returning to the first days of His life we return to a faith that requires trust in an unknown future. It is faith in history that is not written yet, but rooted in the signs we have seen. We may know the ultimate conclusion to the story as God has revealed it to us, we can restore the mystery about tomorrow. We can step out in faith to attempt great things according to our calling, knowing that all preceding promises have been fulfilled.

Be blessed this Christmas and in all of your days to follow…

The Big Story

Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow

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David Murrow’s updated book asks the same question as the first edition with even more vigor, why are our churches predominantly female? The answers that he proposes are, in many cases, self-evident to any churchman that cares to look. Walk through the church building, look at the dominant programs, review the bible studies and prayer meetings and you see all of the things that turn men off to becoming a part of the church. That is, if we truly want to see these things.

As much as we would like men to hear Jesus’ words two thousand years later and follow him without reservation, the reality is far different. By and large, church programs trend toward the cerebral and relational, two things that men find contrary to their nature. This doesn’t mean that men cannot identify with study, prayer, relationship building; they can but they naturally are attracted to them in less touch-feely ways that our sisters in the faith.

Why Men Hate Going to Church is far more than analysis, Murrow’s short chapters also contain answers. Not in the sense of enumerated steps to be followed to invite the men streaming back into the church but in answers broad enough that an intuitive pastor can apply them to their particular church setting. Most helpful in these is his chapter about Getting the Big Story Right. This was one of the things that Promise Keepers did without fail during their heyday. They placed men in the battle, showing them their place and their mission under Christ their leader. It inspired them in ways that the most well thought out sermon often cannot because it is designed to inspire or challenge men and women simultaneously.

Challenge them, limit hand holding and praying out loud when there is a chance that they will not look good. Small steps but big dividends.

I’m grateful to Thomas Nelson who provided this book for review.