Recently I was listening with about a quarter of an ear to a new Christmas CD. Suddenly my ears perked up and I said to myself, "What did they just sing?" I found the lyrics folder and read the following. What challenging and convicting words!
I'll pass these on to you to meditate on this Christmas.
Have a blessed Christmas.
"While You Were Sleeping" by Casting Crowns
Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight
Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping
Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save
Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping
United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night
America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping
United States of America
Looks like another silent night
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Memorization Monday - Week 15
Here we are at week 15 of our memory program. The next three verses focus on the principle of obedience in the Christian life.
This week’s verse is John 14:21 “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
This week’s verse is John 14:21 “He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Monday, December 08, 2008
Memorization Monday - Week 14 Review
Week 14 and another opportunity for review. I’ll give the section headings, the reference and the first two words of the verse in the NKJV and you see if you can remember the verse.
The Christian Life
The Life in Christ
II Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if
Col 2:6 As you
Col 2:9, 10 For in
Christ the Center
John 15:5 I am
Phil 1:6 Being confident
Gal 2:20 I have
The Word
Matt 4:4 But He
Acts 17:11 These were
Col 3:16 Let the
Prayer
John 16:24 Until now
Matthew 21:22 And whatever
I John 5:14, 15 Now this
The Christian Life
The Life in Christ
II Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if
Col 2:6 As you
Col 2:9, 10 For in
Christ the Center
John 15:5 I am
Phil 1:6 Being confident
Gal 2:20 I have
The Word
Matt 4:4 But He
Acts 17:11 These were
Col 3:16 Let the
Prayer
John 16:24 Until now
Matthew 21:22 And whatever
I John 5:14, 15 Now this
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
And the Word Became Flesh
The verse I decided to focus on this month is from John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
There are many things one could meditate on in this passage, but as we approach the Christmas season, I think it’s worth while to really try to get a handle on what is means that God became flesh and lived here among us. What an amazing thought! If you’ve been a Christian a long time, then perhaps you, like me, tend to skim right over this because we’re so used to it. There seems to be such a wide gap between the kind of being God is and the kind of beings we are that so big a step would be impossible. But as the angel told Mary, with God, nothing shall be impossible.
Michael Card wrote a song several years ago that may help us meditate on this truth. It’s called “The Final Word.”
You and me we use so very many clumsy words.
The noise of what we often say is not worth being heard.
When the Father’s Wisdom wanted to communicate His love,
He spoke it in one final perfect Word.
He spoke the Incarnation and then so was born the Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine.
And so the Father’s fondest thought took on flesh and bone.
He spoke the living luminous Word, at once His will was done.
And so the transformation that in man had been unheard
Took place in God the Father as He spoke that final Word.
He spoke the Incarnation and then so was born the Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine.
And so the Light became alive
And manna became Man.
Eternity stepped into time
So we could understand.
He spoke the Incarnation and then so was born the Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine.
Have a blessed Christmas.
Roger
There are many things one could meditate on in this passage, but as we approach the Christmas season, I think it’s worth while to really try to get a handle on what is means that God became flesh and lived here among us. What an amazing thought! If you’ve been a Christian a long time, then perhaps you, like me, tend to skim right over this because we’re so used to it. There seems to be such a wide gap between the kind of being God is and the kind of beings we are that so big a step would be impossible. But as the angel told Mary, with God, nothing shall be impossible.
Michael Card wrote a song several years ago that may help us meditate on this truth. It’s called “The Final Word.”
You and me we use so very many clumsy words.
The noise of what we often say is not worth being heard.
When the Father’s Wisdom wanted to communicate His love,
He spoke it in one final perfect Word.
He spoke the Incarnation and then so was born the Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine.
And so the Father’s fondest thought took on flesh and bone.
He spoke the living luminous Word, at once His will was done.
And so the transformation that in man had been unheard
Took place in God the Father as He spoke that final Word.
He spoke the Incarnation and then so was born the Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine.
And so the Light became alive
And manna became Man.
Eternity stepped into time
So we could understand.
He spoke the Incarnation and then so was born the Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine.
Have a blessed Christmas.
Roger
Monday, December 01, 2008
Study with Me - Acts Lesson 4
If you’ve just joined us, you’ll see that I am studying the book of Acts, but I’m studying it topically so we’ll be going through it several times looking at different aspects each time. In the past few posts, I shared a discussion of the baptism in the Holy Spirit based on the prepositions that are used in the Bible related to baptism. On the right side of this blog there is a link that takes you to the location where notes and mp3 files of these studies can be found. There is a chart of how the word baptism is used with various prepositions. There are also two versions of the study notes – one without the “answers” and one with. The mp3 files are unedited recordings of the adult Sunday School class at Faith Baptist Church in Mattawan Michigan where I teach. The whole list of resources is here.
One of the topics that I thought was important to look at was the comments of Christ about the Holy Spirit prior to His coming on the Day of Pentecost. In John 14:16 and 26, for example, Jesus told the disciples to ask the Father and He would give the Holy Spirit. He told them that the Father would send them in Christ’s name and that His mission would be to teach them and to bring to remembrance the things which Christ had taught.
In John 15:26 Jesus said that He would send the Spirit from the Father. He called Him the Spirit of Truth.
And finally in John 16:7, 13 we are told that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment and would guide us into all truth.
From these passages I believe we can get an overview of how the Spirit is supposed to come and what He will do. In several of these passages we gain the understanding that both Jesus Christ and the Father are involved. He comes in the name of Christ and sent by Christ from the Father. He comes at the request of the Son. This shows us how caring Christ is for His disciples and consequently for us in that He did not want to leave us without His very presence in our lives. In John 14: 16-18 Jesus says, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
As far as the ministry of the Spirit is concerned, we can see that He has a convicting work in the world and a teaching work in the lives of believers. The focus of that teaching is on the mission and work of Christ. In John 14:26 we read, “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” And in John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”
So if we wonder what the content of the Holy Spirit’s teaching is going to be, we can see it in the previous verse. He will glorify Christ and will take what is Christ’s and declare it to us. Much of the emphasis on the Holy Spirit among Christians is on the Holy Spirit Himself, but the Holy Spirit never lifts Himself up, but always focuses on Christ.
As far as His ministry to the world is concerned, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:8) Sometimes we think that we can do the convincing; that it is somehow our job to change people’s minds. We know that we can present the truth and even argue persuasively and passionately for it, but it is the Holy Spirit’s job to do the convicting and convincing. And, I might add, He is better equipped to do so. He knows exactly what sort of motivation will work on which people. After all, He is God. He is all-powerful and can fully be trusted to accomplish what God intends to do in the world.
One of the topics that I thought was important to look at was the comments of Christ about the Holy Spirit prior to His coming on the Day of Pentecost. In John 14:16 and 26, for example, Jesus told the disciples to ask the Father and He would give the Holy Spirit. He told them that the Father would send them in Christ’s name and that His mission would be to teach them and to bring to remembrance the things which Christ had taught.
In John 15:26 Jesus said that He would send the Spirit from the Father. He called Him the Spirit of Truth.
And finally in John 16:7, 13 we are told that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment and would guide us into all truth.
From these passages I believe we can get an overview of how the Spirit is supposed to come and what He will do. In several of these passages we gain the understanding that both Jesus Christ and the Father are involved. He comes in the name of Christ and sent by Christ from the Father. He comes at the request of the Son. This shows us how caring Christ is for His disciples and consequently for us in that He did not want to leave us without His very presence in our lives. In John 14: 16-18 Jesus says, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
As far as the ministry of the Spirit is concerned, we can see that He has a convicting work in the world and a teaching work in the lives of believers. The focus of that teaching is on the mission and work of Christ. In John 14:26 we read, “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” And in John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”
So if we wonder what the content of the Holy Spirit’s teaching is going to be, we can see it in the previous verse. He will glorify Christ and will take what is Christ’s and declare it to us. Much of the emphasis on the Holy Spirit among Christians is on the Holy Spirit Himself, but the Holy Spirit never lifts Himself up, but always focuses on Christ.
As far as His ministry to the world is concerned, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:8) Sometimes we think that we can do the convincing; that it is somehow our job to change people’s minds. We know that we can present the truth and even argue persuasively and passionately for it, but it is the Holy Spirit’s job to do the convicting and convincing. And, I might add, He is better equipped to do so. He knows exactly what sort of motivation will work on which people. After all, He is God. He is all-powerful and can fully be trusted to accomplish what God intends to do in the world.
Memorization Monday - Week 13 Prayer
How are you guys doing on these verses? I don’t hear much feedback, but hopefully they are encouraging. Even if you haven’t got all the other ones, let’s get this one down.
Today is the 3rd verse with a promise concerning prayer.
The outline section is The Christian Life – Prayer
I John 5:14, 15
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Today is the 3rd verse with a promise concerning prayer.
The outline section is The Christian Life – Prayer
I John 5:14, 15
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
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