Saturday, December 17, 2016

Weakness

Monday morning I went out to shovel the snow. It is Saturday evening and I am still a mess. All it took was one short push of a broom across the hood of my truck, attempting to clear the snow off my vehicle before I shovelled, when that electric shock zapped me mid-back. It had happened before so I started for the front door. I managed to get in the house and to the living room floor. Flattened. In pain. Broken. Sometimes I feel so capable and happy to be able-bodied and of generally sound mind. Then a day like Monday shows up and I remember all over again how weak I am.



The next few days were on the floor, to the doctor, stronger muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatories, a 45 minute attempt at work in the office and back to the floor. In fact, I had to hit the floor once I got to the office.

I don’t like not working. I don’t like having to get other people to put my socks on my feet. I don’t like standing at the window and watching my wife, children and mother(!) shovel my driveway as more and more snow hits. I don’t like not being able to do what I want, when I want to. But there has not been much choice. 

If I stand, my legs go numb. If I sit, my back seizes up. So I go back to the floor. It is definitely improving, but I am still feeble and walking around with that sense of “one bad move and you’re done.” In other words, I am weak. And I do not like it. I first noticed my repulsion to this weakness when I found more comfort in Netflix than my Bible. It took my mind off the pain and distracted me from my condition. I am just watching a movie…

But the more I considered this, the more I realized how deep was my resolve to care for myself. More than that, to find my own happiness. Paul wrote, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” But I could only say, “When I am weak, I dig down even harder to survive without His grace. My power is sufficient for me.” 

I was startled by the revelation, for I have felt a particular closeness in my fellowship with God this fall and winter. I have found my heart wanting more and more of Him. But when this trial appeared, all it did was show me how tight a grip my (supposed) self-sufficiency had on my most secret heart. Thankfully, in His grace, He stretched out the pain and floor time almost an entire week and kept whispering, “You’re not strong enough.”

I wonder why we are so afraid of weakness? In my best moments I glory in His power in the middle of my powerlessness, but perhaps that is only in those areas of my life that I am willing to admit I need Him. I don’t want to need help to get up, to get dressed, nor to move from one part of the house to the other. I want help with big projects or seemingly impossible situations in other peoples lives. I just don’t want help with brushing my teeth. 

All of this made me think of some of my disabled friends, some of whom would be thrilled to move as much as I am moving today. So many of them seem to have reached a calm acceptance of their lot. They are not humiliated by their humble situation. Acceptance. Contentment. That seems to be at the heart of it, doesn’t it? 

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.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)



For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. (2 Corinthians 13:4a)


I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek, more earnestly, His face.
’Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer!
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.

- John Newton

So in the end I thank Him. He loves me so faithfully that He is willing to keep digging down deep to pry my fingers off my idol of self-sufficiency and, in the process, show me all the more how much I need Him.

Come, Lord Jesus.

(And yes, this post was written from the floor.)

Thursday, December 08, 2016

Child Dedication Services: Some Friendly Last Words from Us Paul's

Many Points of Agreement and One Observation on Paul Carter’s Evaluation of My Article on Not Performing Child Dedication Services (Paul Martin)

I really enjoyed reading Paul Carter’s engagement with my article on why we do not practise Child Dedication services in our corporate worship at Grace Fellowship Church. And that sentence was intended to be really precise. Paul’s article highlights a second issue that I want to engage, but some points of agreement first.
First of all, I agree that looking to the one instance of a baby being dedicated (1 Samuel 1) is bad form, but I have heard this very appeal on numerous occasions! Not from guys like Paul, but from many others. In fact, it was hearing this exegetical fallacy so often that caused me to start there in my presentation. (Again, I should note that what I posted was a lightly edited version of something I wrote twenty years ago.) So, I agree that looking to that text is a terrible way to justify a position, but I have heard it done (either vaguely or specifically) on so many occasions that I thought a careful look at what that passage was actually saying was in order. So, I basically agree with what Paul wrote on that point.
I also agree with Paul’s statement that “the abuse of a thing is not the negation of a thing.” But I think Paul would agree with me that neither is it the endorsement of a thing. Child Dedication services are a great example of something that two churches, in very different contexts, might come to very different conclusions on - and both be right. 
I also want to stress my agreement with Paul that we don't become all “grim and forbidding.” (Paul is such a good author. I love his turn of phrase!) So, just to be clear, at Grace Fellowship Church we tend to do wild and crazy things like, wait for it, applaud when we see a new baby in the service for the first time or include a very specific word of thanksgiving to God for a newborn in our pastoral prayer. I even try to visit hospitals and hold babies and pray for them there. To be honest, I really love kids and enjoy them immensely. So, I don’t think we are grim and forbidding nor ungenerous. We just don't have a special Child Dedication service as part of our corporate worship. 
And that leads me to that thing that Paul’s article highlights in a kind of accidental way (I think). Paul quotes Matthew 19:13-14 as a kind of endorsement of such a service. This starts to lead us into the waters of what is typically called the Regulative Principle, or the Hooker Principle, depending on where you land on such things. Basically, it is the way students of the Bible have tried to answer the question of what is allowed in a corporate worship service. If you run with Bishop Hooker, you basically surmise that anything not prohibited is permitted. If you put yourself under the Regulative Principle, the basic gist is that you will only do those things that are positively commanded. Now, read enough and you will realize it is hard to find three pastors who agree on what are those prescribed elements of corporate worship.From my perspective, I think an official Child Dedication Service in an official Sunday Worship Service is very close to adding in to the list of things we can do. In other words, it might be something the Bible does not prescribe and therefore should not be included in corporate worship. Paul might look at Matthew 19 another way and suggest that is exactly the kind of endorsement needed. 
Either way, I wonder how different our practise looks in comparison to First Baptist Church of Orillia’s practise in the end. 
  • We are both very happy when a baby is born.
  • We both publicly thank God for that child and pray for her parents.
  • We both do this in a public worship service, albeit in very different forms. 

In the end, what I want for my church and Paul’s is that we think though all the things we do in a corporate worship service biblically. And if we come to varying opinions on how to work that out, we have only to be sure that we can stand before the Lord with a clear conscience with what we do. “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Romans 14:5 ESV) After that, we can happily agree to disagree and should I visit First Baptist on a Child Dedication Service day, I will pray just as much as the next guy for that little one.

Now, here is Paul's rejoinder to my reply. Enjoy!




How I feel when get a reply from Paul Carter.
-------------------------

Closing Thoughts By Paul Carter

I enjoyed this public exercise a great deal and wish that all debates could be handled in such a manner. Of course the game was somewhat rigged in that Paul and I actually really like each other and we hold positions that are really not that far apart. We both reject child dedication done poorly and wish to make clear that it is in no sense and in no way to be understood as an ordinance or a sacrament of the church. We both think it is a great thing to recognize and to celebrate new life in the context of a worship service. In fact, there is a line in Paul’s article that I would have happily included in my own:

“Is it incorrect to publicly pray for a newborn child?  Not for a second. We want to receive children in the spirit with which Jesus held them and blessed them.”

Hear hear.

Where we differ, to the extent that we do, we differ without malice. I appreciate the verse that Paul cited in his closing statement and to it I would add one more from the same chapter:

"Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God" (Romans 14:10 ESV)

This is not the sort of difference over which brothers should judge each other or exclude each other from fellowship. In fact, while I knew that Paul did not practice child dedication at his church, and he knew that I did at mine, we had never even discussed this issue with each other before we engaged in this public exercise. My friendship with Paul is worth more to me than the opportunity to express or to have validated my conviction in this area. Had I not been invited to engage this topic with Paul, I would not have.

Paul rightly makes mention of the Hooker and Regulative Principles. I think both Paul and I would both want to locate ourselves closer to the Regulative Principle on that particular continuum. We would both want to see a strong Biblical warrant for each and every aspect of our corporate liturgy. Our disagreement presently comes down to how we do the things we both feel warrant to do: celebrate babies and encourage moms and dads. I do it a little more formally than my brother Paul. As the Scripture says, let each be convinced in his own mind.

SDG 
-->
Paul Carter

Wednesday, December 07, 2016

Child Dedication Services Are Not Such a Good Thing

My good friend, Paul Carter, recently posted an article on Baby Dedication services that jogged a memory. I recall spending a lot of time thinking through these things when I was a young pastor. There seemed to be a great deal of confusion over what a dedication service was and, more importantly, what it did
As much as I love Paul and appreciated his article, I disagreed with his conclusion. Since he really is my friend, I thought I would offer a different opinion here, in part so you can see that pastors who really do love each other really can disagree about stuff. 
I should note that Paul is the best kind of baby dedicator I can think of! He makes clear what he is doing and what he is not doing. I still disagree with him, but at least he is not all loopy. 
Here is how I thought through the matter. For an opposite conclusion, be sure to read Paul’s post.

-----------------------------------

Where Does the Idea of a Baby Dedication Come From?
The only Biblical reference for a baby dedication is 1 Samuel 1:28 “So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.”  These were Hannah’s words as she brought her freshly-weaned son, Samuel,  to the temple and gave him to the priest, Eli.  Hannah had prayed fervently for a child to end her barrenness, and had promised the Lord that, should He enable her to conceive, she would (literally and physically) give her child to God.  The practical, geographical location to do this was the Temple in Jerusalem.  So when she dedicated Samuel to the Lord, she actually gave the child to God’s human representative on earth, the High Priest. It was here in the temple that Samuel grew up and received an annual visit from his mother from far-off Ephraim (1 Samuel 2:19).
Thus, the only biblical example of dedicating a child to God consisted of actually giving the child to the God… and walking away.  This is affirmed by Eli’s prayer for Hannah to have more children “in place of the one she dedicated to the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:20).  The Hebrew word translated “dedicated” (used only here in the Old Testament in this way) means, “to lend.”  It is a business or commercial term that means to either “borrow or lend some valuable asset to another.”  In Samuel’s case, he was permanently lent to the Lord by his parents to do the Lord’s work. If we work from this example, to dedicate a child to God means to permanently lend him/her to God. 

Are There Other Examples in the Bible of Parents Dedicating Their Children to God?
No. The only other times the word “dedicate” was used refer to items being handed over to the temple or the Lord for His use (especially those items recovered in war or given to Israel as a gift from other nations.) 

Why Do Some Churches Hold Child Dedication Services Today?
There is probably a wide range of answers to this question including the infamous, “We don’t know! It is just what we have always done.” But I think on the whole, there is generally one good motivation and one not so good.

Genuine Love
Christians love their children and acknowledge them as a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127). They note how Jesus invited little children to come to Him that He might pray for them (Matthew 19:13-15). In a desire to thank the Lord for the real gift of these children, many churches feel some kind of public ceremony of thanks to God and prayer for the child is appropriate.
This is a good motivation. We ought to be thankful to God for our children and we ought to rejoice when parents are blessed with a newborn. However, there might be other ways to do this that do not involve a dedication service. 

Theological Envy?
A less noble motivation is theological envy. Some Christians understand infant baptism to be a parallel to the Old Covenant requirement of male circumcision. Children (infants) are therefore sprinkled with water (baptized) as a sign of entering into the “covenant community.”  Although it is expressed in many different ways, the underlying result of this baptism is a supposed “inclination” or “better chance” of responding to the gospel later in life. This drifts dangerously close to superstition.
Unfortunately, some of our Baptist churches seem to have wanted a similar ordinance for their children to perhaps give a similar kind of confidence to parents. Churches developed their own kind of kingdom initiation rite called “baby dedication.”  J. I. Packer, accurately (although with tongue in cheek), suggests these baby dedications are nothing more than “dry baptisms” and adult (believer) baptisms are simply “wet confirmations!”  In other words, they are accomplishing the same thing. He has a point.
We do not baptize babies because there is no biblical example or instruction to do so and the whole concept is contrary to the biblical definition of baptism as that which follows conversion. In the same way, we would be better off not practising Baby Dedications as there is no Biblical precedent for them and to do so confuses the dedication service with something like an infant baptism.



Don’t You Love Children?
At Grace Fellowship Church, we love children.  Our theology, however, teaches us that as sweet as our children are, they are born under the curse of sin (Romans 5:12ff). As sinners, they are not any more predisposed to the gospel of grace than the child of the witch doctor in some forgotten land.  Both children need the enlightening work of the Holy Spirit to bring about the new birth.  Both need to turn to Jesus in repentance and faith.  This is their only hope for salvation.  
It is true that the child who grows up under the “sound of the Gospel” is given many benefits that the child of the witch doctor does not receive, but the Bible is crystal clear that both need the same Saviour in the same way.
One of our hopes in omitting Child Dedications from the formal worship services of our church is that parents will be more motivated to do the four most important things they can for their children: 
  • pray for their salvation
  • preach to them the gospel
  • model to them a growing Christian life
  • and train them up in the discipline and instruction of His Word. 

A parent who (perhaps even subconsciously) holds on to the false hope of some supposed “dedication” may be prone to depend on a ceremony rather than the Saviour of sinners.

Why Make Such a Big Deal About Baby Dedications?
Part of the responsibility of churches is to teach. As a pastor who formerly practiced baby dedications, my own experience was that I would spend more time explaining what the ceremony was not than I would actually praying for the child and parents. The reason for this was who came to the ceremony. Generally it would be the family and friends of the parents, many of whom were unbelievers or who came from churches where infant baptism was practiced. In order to ensure they understood we were not ushering the child into some kind of safety net for babies we would go to great lengths to explain this was more a ceremony of accountability for the parents to fulfill their biblical parenting obligations than it was of anything to do with the child. Is it incorrect to publicly pray for a newborn child?  Not for a second. We want to receive children in the spirit with which Jesus held them and blessed them.  However, we feel that it is important to express this love in a way that is consistent with the Word and does not mislead any (the parents, the relatives and friends, the church and even, later on, the child himself).

Is Holding a Child Dedication Service a Sin?
Not if it is accompanied with correct teaching and those in attendance are not led to believe it means anything more than simply praying for the Lord’s blessing on the child’s life and the parents’ parenting.  It is a sin, however, if it pretends to be ushering the infant into some kind of special relationship with the Lord that He never promised.
The line between what is taught and what is perceived, however, is not always easy to keep sharp.  Therefore, since omitting such a service would not be a sin, and would certainly keep anyone from misunderstanding, it might be better for all churches to stop having them.


Thursday, September 22, 2016

Intentional Spiritual Friendships

Something we are going to seek to work at in the coming year at Grace Fellowship Church is what I like to call intentional spiritual friendships. We tend to let fear or fancy dictate most of our relationships - we avoid people that intimidate us and strain to cozy up to folks we think will make us happy. Neither of these motives is Biblical love.
When you join our church you enter into a covenant with all the existing members “to seek to watch over your fellow members, in brotherly love” and “to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling.” In other words, you declare your intention to get to know the other members and to build a relationship with them around the Gospel, not fear or fancy. That takes work. At least, it takes initiative, risk and some death to self. And that is wonderful.
So, the goal for our members to is to seek to cultivate relationships with other members that are centred on God. Intentional spiritual friendships.
Sometimes the most difficult aspect of this is the intentionality component. How do I get started? At our Members’ Meeting last night I listed a bunch of potential ways to do this and promised one sister I would post the list on the blog so it could be reviewed and hopefully spark some ideas. So, here you go!


  • One woman gathers with others one morning per week to complete the new Missional Motherhood study by Gloria Furman.
  • A brother looks on our (soon to be released) “Where I Work Map” for a brother who works in same geographical vicinity. Even though he has never met this guy before, he shoots him an email and suggests that eat their lunch together once a week and read through the book of Acts one chapter at a time.
  • A couple asks another couple (or two!) to set aside one night a month to get together. Before each meeting they will all read one chapter of Tim Keller’s, The Meaning of Marriage, then spend time talking together about what they learned and how they intend to apply it in their own lives.
  • A group of friends pull together a Truth Application Group then meet at a home every Monday night to discuss the previous week’s sermon.
  • Five sisters decide to study True Womanhood 101 in our building on Wednesday nights while GraceYouth is going on.
  • An older dad grabs five single young adult men and has them come over to his home every Sunday night after church service to talk about life and how they are progressing in their own sanctification.
  • Man2Man /  Woman2Woman. You join a group or start a new one.
  • A couple with a young family decides that dad will meet with some brothers on the first and third week of every month and mom will meet with some sisters on the second and fourth. That way, one of them is out every week one night, but childcare is taken care of.



These are just a handful of ways to intentionally cultivate spiritual friendships. Can you think of some more?

Saturday, September 10, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: "Being There - How to Love Those Who Are Hurting" by Dave Furman


Dave Furman has written a helpful little book for the church. “Being There: How to Love Those Who Are Hurting” is just what it sounds like - a how-to manual to care for the hurting. It may seem like this is unnecessary for Christians, what with the Gospel and the indwelling Spirit and all that, but Dave has lived through suffering in the first person and he writes from the perspective of the sufferer and the one who has caused suffering in others.



There are two things about this book that are very unique. One is that the first chapter is addressed to the suffering that caregivers and those surrounding the sufferer experience. The first chapter, not the last. This is not what I expected when I picked up the book, but having lived through some of this stuff myself I am so glad to see this topic addressed. Too often the faithful spouses, family members and friends of the suffering never have their experiences addressed, but that is precisely where good Gospel balm can be applied:

“We must remember to love those who are hurting not because they’ve done anything for us, but because of what Jesus has already done for us. You will get the strength to help the hurting only when you understand what God has done for you in the gospel.”  (35) 
“Your strength to care for the hurting comes directly from Christ. You have no hope to truly help the hurting if you are disconnected from Christ, the vine.” (38) 
“You must be much with Christ before you are anything for anybody else.” (40)

The second big surprise in the book was that, in my opinion, the second to last chapter was the best. (Side note: It is a pet peeve of mine that most popular Christian books seem to have two to five chapters of good material followed by endless prattle to fill publishing pagination requirements. Give me blank pages rather than empty thoughts!) This chapter is entitled, “Whatever You Do, Don’t Do These Things” and it is brilliant. 

Dave gives a kind of Top Ten List of stupid things people do and say for the hurting. Most of these are not new, but it floors me how often these same old bad moves get played. I am thrilled to have a comprehensive list to hand out to the church, especially to new or aspiring elders, to say, “Don’t do these things and you are 80% of the way there to helping the suffering.”

I don’t want to make it sound like the book is a big gripe session. Dave writes in a winsome style mostly because he is a winsome guy. I feel like I am pretty attune to suffering and disability, but even after the third time I forgot Dave can’t shake hands when we greet each other, he still reminded me with a big grin and an invitation for a hug. That may not sound like much to you, but if you read the book you will see how the Lord has applied the Gospel to Dave’s life to move him from depression to love, and this in the context of authentic Christian friendships. 

“People suffering with pain, depression, or loss will be pressed in ways they’ve never been pressed before. Naturally, their sin will show itself. It’s not an excuse, but they will need faithful friends who will be committed to the well-being of their souls by rebuking them in love. Help your friends know that they need to stay in community and that the cross has already criticized them more than anyone else can.” (109)

The fact is, the local church ought to be the one place where the suffering are loved. If we really grasp what Jesus endured for us, we will have an increasing capacity to love the troubled. Not that this is an easy thing. No one said anything about easy, but Jesus did talk a lot about death to self.

“When we serve those who are depressed, disabled, handicapped, and hurting, we’re going to have to serve without need for recognition or thanksgiving. Our giving of service cannot be dependent on the response we get. Distinctly Christian service must be humble and lowly, and we must aim to honor the Lord if we want to look like Jesus.” (74)

To sum it up, we need to learn to simply be there for our suffering friends.  Essentially, we need to be Job’s three counsellors before they opened their mouths.

”…ask more questions and grow in your understanding of another’s pain rather than offering solutions for something you know very little about. Sometimes the best thing you can do is say, ‘I’m sorry, can you help me better understand what you are going through?’ And then listen.” (113)

Oh, for more loving and careful listeners.

If you are suffering or know a sufferer, buy the book. It will help you and remind you of what is most important.


Thursday, August 04, 2016

Why Did the People of Lystra Think Paul and Barnabas Were Greek Gods? (Acts 14)

About 50 years before Paul and Barnabas entered the small town of Lystra, the Latin poet Ovid wrote his epic Metamorphoses. In it, he described a fictitious scene in which Zeus and Hermes took on human appearance and asked a thousand homes in Phrygia for lodging. They were rebuffed again and again until they came to the unassuming cottage of Baucis and Philemon.

Ovid is putting into poetic form what was a widely-known myth. This helps to explain why the citizens of Lystra were so quick to identify Paul as Hermes and Barnabas as Zeus after the miraculous raising of the paraplegic. Nobody wanted to miss extending hospitality to those two Greek gods again since, in the myth, they wiped out the entire area with a flood for their failure! 

You can read it here if you like this kind of thing.

The Story of Baucis and Philemon 

Thus Achelous ends: his audience hear 
With admiration, and admiring, fear 
The Pow'rs of Heav'n; except Ixion's Son, 
Who laugh'd at all the Gods, believ'd in none: 
He shook his impious head, and thus replies. 
These legends are no more than pious lies: 
You attribute too much to heav'nly sway, 
To think they give us forms, and take away. 



By Jacob van Oost (I) - Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36404794


The rest of better minds, their sense declar'd 
Against this doctrine, and with horror heard. 
Then Lelex rose, an old experienc'd man, 
And thus with sober gravity began; 
Heav'n's pow'r is infinite: Earth, Air, and Sea, 
The manufacture mass, the making Pow'r obey: 
By proof to clear your doubt; in Phrygian ground 
Two neighb'ring trees, with walls encompass'd round, 
Stand on a mod'rate rise, with wonder shown, 
One a hard oak, a softer linden one: 
I saw the place, and them, by Pittheus sent 
To Phrygian realms, my grandsire's government. 
Not far from thence is seen a lake, the haunt 
Of coots, and of the fishing cormorant: 
Here Jove with Hermes came; but in disguise 
Of mortal men conceal'd their deities; 
One laid aside his thunder, one his rod; 
And many toilsome steps together trod: 
For harbour at a thousand doors they knock'd, 
Not one of all the thousand but was lock'd. 
At last an hospitable house they found, 
A homely shed; the roof, not far from ground, 
Was thatch'd with reeds, and straw, together bound. 
There Baucis and Philemon liv'd, and there 
Had liv'd long marry'd, and a happy pair: 
Now old in love, though little was their store, 
Inur'd to want, their poverty they bore, 
Nor aim'd at wealth, professing to be poor. 
For master, or for servant here to call, 
Was all alike, where only two were all. 
Command was none, where equal love was paid, 
Or rather both commanded, both obey'd. 

From lofty roofs the Gods repuls'd before, 
Now stooping, enter'd through the little door: 
The man (their hearty welcome first express'd) 
A common settle drew for either guest, 
Inviting each his weary limbs to rest. 
But ere they sate, officious Baucis lays 
Two cushions stuff'd with straw, the seat to raise; 
Coarse, but the best she had; then rakes the load 
Of ashes from the hearth, and spreads abroad 
The living coals; and, lest they should expire, 
With leaves, and bark she feeds her infant fire: 
It smoaks; and then with trembling breath she blows, 
'Till in a chearful blaze the flames arose. 
With brush-wood, and with chips she strengthens these, 
And adds at last the boughs of rotten trees. 
The fire thus form'd, she sets the kettle on 
(Like burnish'd gold the little seether shone), 
Next took the coleworts which her husband got 
From his own ground (a small well-water'd spot); 
She stripp'd the stalks of all their leaves; the best 
She cull'd, and them with handy care she drest. 
High o'er the hearth a chine of bacon hung; 
Good old Philemon seiz'd it with a prong, 
And from the sooty rafter drew it down, 
Then cut a slice, but scarce enough for one; 
Yet a large portion of a little store, 
Which for their sakes alone he wish'd were more. 
This in the pot he plung'd without delay, 
To tame the flesh, and drain the salt away. 
The time beween, before the fire they sat, 
And shorten'd the delay by pleasing chat. 

A beam there was, on which a beechen pail 
Hung by the handle, on a driven nail: 
This fill'd with water, gently warm'd, they set 
Before their guests; in this they bath'd their feet, 
And after with clean towels dry'd their sweat. 
This done, the host produc'd the genial bed, 
Sallow the feet, the borders, and the sted, 
Which with no costly coverlet they spread, 
But coarse old garments; yet such robes as these 
They laid alone, at feasts, on holidays. 
The good old housewife, tucking up her gown, 
The table sets; th' invited Gods lie down. 
The trivet-table of a foot was lame, 
A blot which prudent Baucis overcame, 
Who thrusts beneath the limping leg a sherd, 
So was the mended board exactly rear'd: 
Then rubb'd it o'er with newly gather'd mint, 
A wholsom herb, that breath'd a grateful scent. 
Pallas began the feast, where first was seen 
The party-colour'd olive, black, and green: 
Autumnal cornels next in order serv'd, 
In lees of wine well pickled, and preserv'd. 
A garden-sallad was the third supply, 
Of endive, radishes, and succory: 
Then curds, and cream, the flow'r of country fare, 
And new-laid eggs, which Baucis' busie care 
Turn'd by a gentle fire, and roasted rare. 
All these in earthen ware were serv'd to board; 
And next in place, an earthen pitcher stor'd, 
With liquor of the best the cottage could afford. 
This was the table's ornament and pride, 
With figures wrought: like pages at his side 
Stood beechen bowls; and these were shining clean, 
Varnish'd with wax without, and lin'd within. 
By this the boiling kettle had prepar'd, 
And to the table sent the smoaking lard; 
On which with eager appetite they dine, 
A sav'ry bit, that serv'd to relish wine: 
The wine itself was suiting to the rest, 
Still working in the must, and lately press'd. 
The second course succeeds like that before, 
Plums, apples, nuts, and of their wintry store 
Dry figs, and grapes, and wrinkled dates were set 
In canisters, t' enlarge the little treat: 
All these a milk-white honey-comb surround, 
Which in the midst the country-banquet crown'd: 
But the kind hosts their entertainment grace 
With hearty welcome, and an open face: 
In all they did, you might discern with ease, 
A willing mind, and a desire to please. 

Mean-time the beechen bowls went round, and still, 
Though often empty'd, were observ'd to fill; 
Fill'd without hands, and of their own accord 
Ran without feet, and danc'd about the board. 
Devotion seiz'd the pair, to see the feast 
With wine, and of no common grape, increas'd; 
And up they held their hands, and fell to pray'r, 
Excusing, as they could, their country fare. 

One goose they had ('twas all they could allow), 
A wakeful sentry, and on duty now, 
Whom to the Gods for sacrifice they vow: 
Her with malicious zeal the couple view'd; 
She ran for life, and limping they pursu'd: 
Full well the fowl perceiv'd their bad intent, 
And would not make her master's compliment; 
But persecuted, to the Pow'rs she flies, 
And close between the legs of Jove she lies: 
He with a gracious ear the suppliant heard, 
And sav'd her life; then what he has declar'd, 
And own'd the God. The neighbourhood, said he, 
Shall justly perish for impiety: 
You stand alone exempted; but obey 
With speed, and follow where we lead the way: 
Leave these accurs'd; and to the mountain's height 
Ascend; nor once look backward in your flight. 

They haste, and what their tardy feet deny'd, 
The trusty staff (their better leg) supply'd. 
An arrow's flight they wanted to the top, 
And there secure, but spent with travel, stop; 
Then turn their now no more forbidden eyes; 
Lost in a lake the floated level lies: 
A watry desert covers all the plains, 
Their cot alone, as in an isle, remains. 
Wondring, with weeping eyes, while they deplore 
Their neighbours' fate, and country now no more, 
Their little shed, scarce large enough for two, 
Seems, from the ground increas'd, in height and bulk to grow. 
A stately temple shoots within the skies, 
The crotches of their cot in columns rise: 
The pavement polish'd marble they behold, 
The gates with sculpture grac'd, the spires and tiles of gold. 

Then thus the sire of Gods, with looks serene, 
Speak thy desire, thou only just of men; 
And thou, o woman, only worthy found 
To be with such a man in marriage bound. 

A-while they whisper; then, to Jove address'd, 
Philemon thus prefers their joint request: 
We crave to serve before your sacred shrine, 
And offer at your altars rites divine: 
And since not any action of our life 
Has been polluted with domestick strife; 
We beg one hour of death, that neither she 
With widow's tears may live to bury me, 
Nor weeping I, with wither'd arms may bear 
My breathless Baucis to the sepulcher. 

The Godheads sign their suit. They run their race 
In the same tenour all th' appointed space: 
Then, when their hour was come, while they relate 
These past adventures at the temple gate, 
Old Baucis is by old Philemon seen 
Sprouting with sudden leaves of spritely green: 
Old Baucis look'd where old Philemon stood, 
And saw his lengthen'd arms a sprouting wood: 
New roots their fasten'd feet begin to bind, 
Their bodies stiffen in a rising rind: 
Then, ere the bark above their shoulders grew, 
They give, and take at once their last adieu. 
At once, Farewell, o faithful spouse, they said; 
At once th' incroaching rinds their closing lips invade. 
Ev'n yet, an ancient Tyanaean shows 
A spreading oak, that near a linden grows; 
The neighbourhood confirm the prodigy, 
Grave men, not vain of tongue, or like to lie. 
I saw my self the garlands on their boughs, 
And tablets hung for gifts of granted vows; 
And off'ring fresher up, with pious pray'r, 
The good, said I, are God's peculiar care, 

And such as honour Heav'n, shall heav'nly honour share. 

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Make Me a Barnabas


Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:36-37)

And when [Saul] had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.
But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. (Acts 9:26-28)

The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.  When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. (Acts 11:22-26)



I have spent a fair bit of time over the last years working to build coalitions and Gospel-centred cooperative movements. I have noticed that the best builders of these kind of groups are pastors who are generous of time and money, quick to build relationships between others and godly. They are not petty, suspicious, or worldly.

My life was deeply impacted by reading Arnold Dallimore’s biography of George Whitefield. To me, Whitefield was a master at bringing men together by emphasizing what they had in common instead of where they differed. Later in life, John Newton became a second mentor to me in this regard. Both men, in my mind, were Barnabas’s in their day. I hope that when I die I might be remembered in the same way. I want to give my life to helping Christians move closer together rather than further apart. 


Lord, make me a Barnabas.

Wednesday, June 08, 2016

Announcement: Here We Grow!


You may not have heard our big news. Grace Fellowship Church has two encouraging announcements to make.

A New Auditorium
First off, we have prayed for many years that the Lord would provide us a physical meeting place of our own. He has faithfully done that through our long-term partnership with Timothy Christian School. TCS has been a great landlord and I hope we have been a decent enough tenant. Even though we have desired our “own” place, we have developed a very workable relationship with the school that enables us to do almost everything we want to do as we work around their schedule. 
Last summer we started talks with the school concerning a building project. It has been their desire to increase the gym size which would be of immediate benefit to us. Grace Fellowship Church currently pushes some 50 folks into a video feed overflow room so getting a new auditorium that seats 400 instead of 200 is a big help to us.
The project also includes an addition along the front of the building with a new lobby area and new office space. As we got to talking, the school offered to include us in the project. So, for a donation of $150,000, we help finish the new auditorium, gain all new (real), permanent office space, and guarantee our rental for the next ten years. This seemed like a great move to our members, so we jumped in with both feet. 
We intend to help with the purchase of seating and a sound system on top of this $150,000 donation. We are excited to work with the school on this and even more excited to get renovated bathrooms! :-)

A New Summer Meeting Location
The construction is scheduled to begin July 1. That leads to our second announcement. Since the bathrooms are being gutted and most of the parking lot will be fenced off over the summer, we have decided to move our summer services to a nearby school. For every Sunday in July and August we will be meeting at St. Basil the Great College School (20 Starview Lane, North York, ON, M9M 3B2 - just 3km from our current meeting location). Due to the increased rental cost and the unavailability of TCS, we are only able to offer one service during the summer at our normal time of 10AM. The nice things about being at St. Basil are that we will all be in one room, there should be some air conditioning for the hot months of the year and there is still plenty of free parking.



We are super grateful to TCS for inviting us in to their building project. Although we do not end up increasing our capitol (our donation does not buy ownership), we are pleased to help another Christian group and thrilled to have a facility for our unhindered use during our rental times. Plus, TCS is a great group of people to work with. We are thankful for the Lord’s provision.

Want to Help?
A number of pastors and other folks have asked me if they can help us in any way. That is part of the reason for this post. We have about $92,000 pledged toward our $150,000 goal. I am thankful that a church of our size, economic standing and age (we are very young) has been able to come up with these funds, but it leaves us a little shy of what we need. So, if you would like to help us in this project you are welcome to make a donation. You can do that online at gfcto.com/donate It would be pretty cool to see the Lord provide that needed $58,000 by September 1 when we intend to make our donation to the school. 

We are so very grateful to our wise God for all the ways He answers our prayers and supplies our every need. If you have a second, please thank Him with us for all He has done!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Ministering to the Sick - Some Practical Considerations

I came across this little list the other day and thought it might prove helpful for young pastors in particular. Much of this I learned from tagging along with my father-in-law to hospital visits during our summer vacations. But this is the kind of stuff every Christian can do. 


Your Demeanour - - You should be humbly confident.
  • the sick are already struggling to not be anxious, they don’t need you to add to their anxiety
  • “pray yourself up” before meeting with them; yours is a spiritual work
  • enter the room slowly, but with a smile that is full of love 
  • don’t let your eyes rivet on tubes and monitors... look into the eyes of the sick or the family that attends them
  • hospitals are not modest or clean - just deal with it
  • have some idea of what you are going to say before getting there --> a plan breeds confidence (I like to have a Psalm in mind that I have read over in advance)

Your Speech - - You should get to Christ and the Gospel.
  • there is lots of time to talk about physical conditions, but not everyone has someone in their lives to remind them of Christ
  • remember to speak in a calm, conversational, not-too-loud voice (this is where nervousness can kill you - getting too loud or stuttering, etc)
  • have a specific passage of Scripture to read and comment on
  • I like to use whatever the Lord has blessed me with recently in my own devotional time
  • you do not need to read all of a passage
  • admonish through the Word (e.g. “Here the Psalmist says that God’s voice can still a war or move a city... how glad I am that our Saviour is that strong.  He is still that strong and will be for you.”)
  • keep your admonishment simple, and clear... no need to “preach the whole counsel” today; avoid obscure thoughts or things that do not relate to suffering
  • don’t shy from asking simple questions that remind them of Jesus
  • don't shy away from asking difficult questions. The very ill often want to speak of death, their salvation, heaven, their assurance, etc. Often some of the sweetest fellowship happens when you ask a saint if they are prepared to die.

Your Timing - - You should serve the sick, not your schedule (whenever possible).
  • ask family and/or medical staff when the sick one is at their best
  • if you visit in hospital, avoid shift changes (frustrates nurses) and mornings (when much lab work, etc completed)
  • if visiting in hospital, it is great to tell duty nurse who you are (“I am an elder/deacon from Grace Fellowship Church, their home church”) and who you plan to visit
  • usually 5-10 minutes per visit is good for those recovering from surgery or suffering from serious ailments (you have to be careful here to not appear rushed like you have other things you would rather be doing, and not to overstay a welcome.  People are usually quite tired when very sick and long visits only wear them out -  you become counter-productive)
  • you may stay longer for new births, etc... again, offer to leave within 10 minutes and stay if they beg you to do so
  • the dying: you will get to know when things are drawing near to the end; I always pray that I might be there as they pass, if not, be ready to stay for long seasons to minister to the family and to be with them afterwards
  • prior to surgery is a great time to pray with someone
  • day of surgery, give plenty of recovery time

Your Prayer - - To the point, to the cross and for their good.
  • keep it simple
  • keep it short; don’t be offended if a person duped up on morphine falls asleep!
  • pray the Gospel
  • pray the Truth you have taught/admonished with
  • intercede for what they need most: Christ
  • pray believingly 

Your Person - - A live body visiting is better.
  • emails are okay
  • a card is better
  • a live visit is best
  • being there communicates love: you have taken time out of  your busy life to come and see them
  • it will cost you gas, time, parking, etc. (If you do a lot of hospital visits, we will gladly reimburse your parking!)
  • make sure you don’t stink (body, breath, etc)- odours take on a new life to many sick folks
  • take a Bible with you
  • usually holding a hand is a nice gesture; some kind of human touch tells the sick they are not disgusting
  • do not sit on bed of sick unless invited
  • try to stand still, not wiggle around or move quickly (just think how you feel when you have a flu)
  • dress appropriately (I have a theory that if you are dressed “better” you will get more help from hospital staff and also subtly communicate more confidence to the sick)

Your Optimism - - The Lord can do things
  • the Lord can use you in the lives of staff, family members, other patients
  • the Lord may use you to greatly encourage a fellow saint
  • the Lord may answer your prayer and heal someone.  Why not risk praying.

A Few Other Things

  • read up on their medical condition
  • be careful of what you ask female patients
  • a little gift of flowers is always nice