Posts Tagged With: Christian

Promise and Deliverance

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Pieter Stok

Image: Courtesy Amazon

Yesterday I quoted from the dutch classic by Abraham Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit. There is another work that many English speaking readers may not be aware of: Promise and Deliverance by S.G. De Graaf. This was written in the first half of the C20th as teaching tool to assist in the teaching of young people and translated into English a number of years ago. This 4 volume set is in fact a brilliant excursion through the Old and New Testament looking at the centrality of Christ throughout Scripture; the promise of Christ in the Old Testament and the Deliverance of the promise in the New. Christian school teachers, parents and Sunday School teachers will find this a useful tool to stay out of the trap of moralising Biblical stories but rather remaining centred on the “main story”.

These books are available as PDFs at  Paideia Books along with many other wonderful books – many from the dutch Calvinist tradition.

Below is a quote from the first chapter on Gen1-2:

1: The Kingdom of God
Genesis 1-2:3
In this first section of Genesis we are not just told that God created
all things. What is revealed to us first and foremost is the Kingdom of
God. At this point we cannot speak of this Kingdom as the Kingdom of
God’s grace, for by grace we usually mean the favor to which we have
lost all claim, i.e. the favor of the forgiveness of our sins. To avoid confusion,
therefore, we should speak here of the Kingdom of God’s favor.*

The institution of the Kingdom of God is central to this chapter. In
preparing the earth in six days, God repeatedly brings forth the higher
from the lower and makes the lower subservient to the higher. Finally He
creates man and makes him king (Gen. 1:26-8). With the creation of
earth’s intended king, God reaches the culmination of His work. We
hear something of His rejoicing when He says: “Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion.” These words
give us the impression that God is saying: “Now let Us make man. Now
We are reaching the climax of Our work.”

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The Work of the Holy Spirit – Abraham Kuyper

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Pieter Stok

The Dutch Minister/Statesman, Abraham Kuyper wrote a wonderful series of devotionals on the Holy Spirit entitled The Work of the Holy Spirit which initially appeared in a weekly Christian publication. It is a detailed and thorough explanation of the development of the work of the Spirit through the Old and New Testaments. Over a hundred years later this is still a wonderful and inspiring work. It is available online at CCEL.org.

The first quote is from chapter 1 and the following quote comes from chapter 37:

“The need of divine guidance is never more deeply felt than when one undertakes to give instruction in the work of the Holy Spirit—so unspeakably tender is the subject, touching the inmost secrets of God and the soul’s deepest mysteries.

We shield instinctively the intimacies of kindred and friends from intrusive observation, and nothing hurts the sensitive heart more than the rude exposure of that which should not be unveiled, being beautiful only in the retirement of the home circle. Greater delicacy befits our approach to the holy mystery of our soul’s intimacy with the living God. Indeed, we can scarcely find words to express it, for it touches a domain far below the social life where language is formed and usage determines the meaning of words.

Glimpses of this life have been revealed, but the greater part has been withheld. It is like the life of Him who did not cry, nor lift up nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. And that which was heard was whispered rather than spoken—a soul-breath, soft but voiceless, or rather a radiating of the soul’s own blessed warmth. Sometimes the stillness has been broken by a cry or a raptured shout; but there has been mainly a silent working, a ministering of stern rebuke or of sweet comfort by that wonderful Being in the Holy Trinity whom with stammering tongue we adore as the Holy Spirit.

….

“The Church has a calling in the world. It is being violently attacked not only by the powers of this world, but much more by the invisible powers of Satan. No rest is allowed. Denying that Christ has conquered, Satan believes that the time left him may yet bring him victories. Hence his restless rage and fury, his incessant attacks upon the ordinances of the Church, his constant endeavor to divide and corrupt it, and his ever-repeated denial of the authority and kingship of Jesus in His Church. Altho he will never succeed entirely, he does succeed to some extent. The history of the Church in every country shows it; it proves that a satisfactory condition of the Church is highly exceptional and of short duration, and that for eight out of ten centuries its state is sad and deplorable, cause for shame and grief on the part of God’s people.

And yet in all this warfare it has a calling to fulfill, an appointed task to accomplish. It may sometimes consist in being sifted like wheat, as in Job’s case, to show that by virtue of Christ’s prayer faith cannot be destroyed in its bosom. But whatever the form of the task, the Church always needs spiritual power to perform it; a power not in itself, but which the King must supply.

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The Ladder of Faith

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Pieter Stok

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  2 peter 1:5-7

The Christian life is not some inert situation. Faith, as Peter reflects, is a doorway to a whole new way of existing, no, more than existing, truly living. In this passage, which has echoes of Paul’s “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22-23) we see that we have a responsibility in this new life to build our spiritual muscles. By God’s “divine power’ there are steps we can take to me more Christlike and productive in the kingdom.

The first after faith is

  • goodness or excellence: this describes the expectation that the character of Christ now grows in the person of faith,
  • then the next is knowledge or wisdom, the ability to distinguish good from bad – especially important at the time of writing as false teachers were having an impact. This is an importance that is not diminished today.
  • The third is self control. This is the ability to have authority over our sinful nature. Some believed if they were saved they could do anything they liked. Peter stresses that the child of God reflects a control over their actions rather than abandonment to their desires.
  • That in turn enables endurance – the mature Christian is resolute and determined to maintain this new life,
  •  and exude a godliness – a way of living that shows reverence to God and a right attitude to those around him –
  • mutual affection or brotherly love. As John writes, how can a person love God and hate his brother (1 John 4:20)? The two are inseparably linked.
  • These all culminate in the fulfilment of the law – love. Our lives are to be witnesses to Christ’s agape – sacrificial – love. This is the love for the lives and souls of people around us that empowers the mission of the church.

Above are three short verses we can all spend a life time in practising and the more we do, the more we will see Christ.

Categories: Bible, Christianity, Church, Devotional, Faith, Second Peter | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

Looking and Seeing

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Pieter Stok
Looking is not seeing.
Speaking is not thinking.
Hearing is not listening.
 
How do we
look at,
speak to
and hear the world?
 
How do we
make sense
and meaning?
 
How do we
make decisions
and commitments?
 
Are we standing
on shifting sand
or solid ground?
 
Is our sight focussed?
Anchored?
Is our hearing
sharp and clear?
Are our voices strong 
and sure …
 
Rivetted
to the Word of truth.
Categories: christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Poem, poetry | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

World-Views

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Pieter Stok

My usual habit is to read a number of books at once. Not all at the same time but I rotate through them daily. It is the life of an “abstract random” person. Messy but glorious.

Currently one of the books in my rotation is “Think Like Jesus” by George Barna. In fact it is a re-reading as I first read it a few years ago. Barna’s contention is that far too many Christians do not a have Christian World-view. They do not have a Biblical grid through which to see the world and therefore are not only unable to make Biblically/Christian informed choices but they are subject to the insidious influences of other world-views; world-views that are presented through the popular media, celebrities and the like. I don’t think I need to go into detail.

Barna confesses that he ran away from the concept of a Christian World-view for years. But it was the lack of Christian maturity he encountered in his church surveys that made him reconsider the concept. His definition, which I happen to find useful, is that a Biblical World-view is a means of experiencing, interpreting and responding to reality in the light of Biblical perspective. He adds, it enables us to answer the question, “What would Jesus do if he were in my shoes right now?”

I agree with Barna that there is a paucity of Christian thinking in churches and amongst Christians. I also agree with Barna that one of the key reasons is the lack of in depth Bible teaching in the church and in the home. Christians do not have the Biblical foundations upon which to develop this Biblical perspective. However, even within churches where the Bible is seriously taught there is another issue. Christian are taught “what to think but not “how to think”. Christians desperately need an apologetic (defending the faith) framework to defend and promote the faith against all comers.

Why do we need this world view? Simply, whatever the issues that society brings up (and they change and morph every generation), whether it be the internet, the nature of marriage, family, work, media, and so on, we need Biblical framework to construct a response or an answer. What films or TV shows should I watch or books should I read? How should I use my time, talents and wealth? What about the environment, global warming and elections? Because the issues and questions are endless a healthy Christian life requires a well considered World-view.

To have an inkling of what Jesus would do, we also need to understand the Word of God and the relationship with God that was central to his life.

Categories: christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, World Views | Tags: , , , | 3 Comments

Peter’s Second Letter and the Church Today

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Pieter Stok

Today I want to begin an occasional series on Peter’s second letter. In my personal studies I have spent a lot of time looking at the church in Acts and Second Peter seems a natural development of that. At the time the letter was written the church had been in existence for over 30 years and issues were beginning to arise. In 1 Peter we read about persecution in and in 2 Peter the serious issue of false teachers arises – specifically false teachers from within the church.

However, let me start with a story. A friend was telling me about an issue within a church: should the pastor marry a believer with an unbeliever? The arguments have been flying thick and fast. Some say that 2 Cor 6:14 which warns against believers being yoked to unbelievers summarises what God’s intention is. Others suggest that if the two people love each other the church should be loving and gracious and see the marriage as a possibility for evangelism and outreach.

I’ll be up front. Without going into detail (which I could do very easily) I believe the Bible in the OT and NT reminds us that marriage is an institution (from a Christian’s perspective) which God has instituted and needs to be done in a way that honours His Word. In other words, believers should not marry an unbeliever. (I can sense many hackles rising). Maybe I’ll expand on this on another occasion.

One of the reasons why we need to be careful with this issue is that the reasons that people give for agreeing to these marriages (such as the need to be loving and gracious) can also be applied to same sex marriages. So if we agree to the first we will also need agree to the second.

My point is that when we begin to unpack the Word of God we also need to be aware of what that means in practice. Many good intentions e.g. we need to be “loving and gracious” can have consequences. False teaching can arise because we have good intentions but have failed to understand the full impact of the Word of God.

In the first 10 verses of 2 Peter 1 the word “knowledge” is mentioned: knowledge of God (vs 2), knowledge (vs5) and knowledge of Jesus (vs8). The healthy Christian life is underpinned by an understanding of God and His will. To stand firm against false teaching we need to know what God intends.

Will this stop arguments? Not at all. But at least our common reference point will be God’s Word in all its fullness and not human opinion and variable feelings. In Peter’s words. we will be “established in the truth” (vs 12).

Lord willing. I will have an opportunity to unpack this further in the future.

So on to Peter.

Categories: christian, Christianity, Church, Faith, Second Peter, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

The Narrow Road

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Pieter Stok

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Why Does God Use Children in His Plans?

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Pieter Stok

After having written the last two posts connected with “Child Theology” I asked myself the question in the title.

And I have a few suggestions but I would love to hear what readers think too.

My first thought is that children are imaginative and spontaneous. For too many of us, the older we get, the less spontaneous we become and we are governed by what other people think and past failures. Children are not bound by that.

My second thought is that God’s uses the young at their stage of development. I have some suggestions from the Bible to back my ideas up.

When Joseph had his youthful dreams about his brothers and family, aged wisdom would have told him to keep his mouth shut. Experience tells us that blabbing these dreams would be a mistake. However Joseph in his immaturity and ego centered youthfulness informs the family. Even his dad was annoyed. Foolish as this was, Joseph’s actions ultimately led to his family’s rescue from starvation.

God used Miriam as the responsible older sister care for her baby brother.

Other events include Isaac’s childlike innocence when being prepared as a sacrifice and David’s childlike faith and idealism when facing Goliath. There is also Samuel’s childlike openness to the idea that God was speaking to him. How many of us would have been that open?

My contention is that God used young people because they had qualities that age had removed from the next generation. Are we missing out on the qualities of our young people simply because we are judging and assessing them on a maturity that we may have but that they haven’t reached?

What are we as churches and families missing out on by not recognising that childishness and youth also have a place in the kingdom?

Categories: Child Theology, christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

Children in the Bible

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Pieter Stok

The other day I mentioned the impressive “Child Theology” movement which strives to consider the impact of the child on theological thinking. (See: https://pieterstok.com/2012/07/15/child-theology/).

Today I want to make a simple observation: Children have an amazing place and role in Scripture. Not only are they made in God’s image, like the rest of us, and not only are they part of the pain and joy of God’s people, but God also uses children in a direct way to achieve His ends.

Let us consider some examples:

1. Joseph (OT) was a young lad of 17 when he started his journey under God’s hand to be his family’s improbable saviour.

2. Samuel went to serve the Lord in the temple after he was weaned – he was very young.

3. David is the forgotten young man who God sets aside to become King of Israel

4. In the midst of rebellion, Josiah became a godly King at 8 years of age.

5. Jeremiah started his work as a prophet at 14 years of age.

There are many more, not the least Mary who became the mother of the Messiah. At Pentecost, Peter especially mentions the young as a group of God’s people upon whom the Spirit of God is poured.

I believe there is a challenge for parents and church leaders to remember these facts, that is, to acknowledge openly and often, the significance of the young in the church and God’s call and claim upon their lives. I also believe that this is an antidote to the directionless teenage years and the ennui that seems to grab hold of too many of our young people.

If the young have a place and a purpose in the kingdom, why are they so often neglected in the church when it comes to active roles? We may teach them and even pander to them but do we challenge them to service, as God did, and still does?

Categories: Child Theology, christian, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

True Faith Oppressed

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Pieter Stok

The following words come from Martin Luther’s sermon: THE METHOD AND FRUITS OF JUSTIFICATION. This was written over 450 years ago. If we put aside the quaintness of the old English translation, the message is still potent and direct. In western counties we may not suffer the direct persecution of Luther’s day, but today, the mockery of the gospel, particularly by militant atheists grows by the day. Luther was standing against those who believed in their own works as the means of salvation. We stand against those who deny God altogether. His call to stand and persevere is still pertinent. Luther declares:

Every one by faith is certain of this salvation; but we ought to have care and fear that we stand and persevere, trusting in the Lord, and not in our own strength. When those of the race of Cain hear faith treated of in this manner, they marvel at our madness, as it seems to them. God turn us from this way, say they, that we should affirm ourselves holy and godly; far be this arrogance and rashness from us: we are miserable sinners; we should be mad, if we should arrogate holiness to ourselves. Thus they mock at true faith, and count such doctrine as this execrable error; and thus try to extinguish the Gospel. These are they that deny the faith of Christ, and persecute it throughout the whole world; of whom Paul speaks: “In the latter times many shall depart from the faith,” etc., for we see by these means that true faith lies everywhere opprest; it is not preached, but commonly disallowed and condemned.

(2011-03-24). The World’s Great Sermons, Volume 01 Basil to Calvin (Kindle Locations 1060-1066). . Kindle Edition.

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