We confess: In as much as our first parents, Adam and Eve, throught their transgression, separated themselves from God, and fell into temporal and eternal death, with all their pasterity, and, consequently, lost the image of God, which is righteousness and true holiness; became depraved in their nature, and inclined to sin and wickedness from their youth; so that of all men none can attain unto faith, and a godly conversation through the power of their first birth, which has sprung and proceeded from sinful seed; because that which is born of flesh is flesh, and hence, carnally minded, and the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; therefore, all men, having come of the earth, shall return to dust and earth, and, in part, are also like to the corrupted earth, which of itself does not bring forth good grain, but must thereto be prepared anew, and grown with good seed, thus also all men, when they have passed their youth, and have come to understand and discern good and evil, we perceive, that their carnal hearts and earthly life, being conceived in sin, are inclined to sin, which conceives by its own lust, which awakens sin in them, and allures and moves them to actual sin; and thus they fall from grace,-to which they had been redeemed through the atonement of Christ-which plunges them into the death of sin.
Hence, God, the Lord requires and demands through his word, of all men of understanding, a true reformation and a renewing from these their own actual sins; that is through the hearing of the word of God they receive the faith, become regenerated, from above, of God, be created anew in the inner mind of the heart, according to the image of God, and circumcised, being translated from the carnal into the spiritual, from unbelief unto faith, from that which is earthly-minded and like Adam into that which is heavenly-minded and like Jesus Christ; that they crucify and mortify their earthly members, and feel, prove, and taste that which is heavenly, and not that which is earthly.
To this, God promises life, peace, and all heavenly riches; and it is the sanctification in the spirit of the mind, and the appropriation of all the benefits of Christ (which have been lost through our own actual sin), and has the promise of eternal salvation.
Taken from A Confession of faith, according to the Holy Word of God, written about the year 1600, as recorded in The Martyr's Mirror written during the years, 1625-1664, by Th. J. van Braght.
The first English edition of Martyr's Mirror, published in 1837 at Lampeter Square, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was translated from the German language. The second edition was published in 1853 at London, England. The third edition, published in 1886, in Elkhart, Indianna, was translated from the original Dutch language edition of 1660. A re-print of the third English edition was published at Scottdale, Pennsylvania. Fifth and later English printings, 1950, 1951, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1975. The eleventh English printing of 1977 and subsequent printings include improvised reproductions of the engravings (from The Drama of the Martyrs by permission of the Mennonite Historical Associates, Lancaster, Pennsylvania ). Twelfth and later printings, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1996. Printed in the United States of America. 43,000 copies in print since 1938.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
A Fresh Start
"Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: Have many children, grow in number and fill the earth..." (Gen. 9:1-NCV).
cf. Gen 1:28
Notice that the language is almost the same. After God judged the earth through the flood, he offers Noah and his family a fresh start. They have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to do what our first parents failed to do. Now read the story of Abram and the blessing which follows his encounter with God. Then read, through the rest of Genesis the stories of Jacob and his children. What we see, time and time again, is the failure of God's children to live rightly. It can seem as if all is lost. But, then, God, in his grace, brings healing, hope, and a new beginning. God changes Jacob's name, a slave becomes a prince, and what has been intended for evil, God has intended for good (Gen 50:20). Life begins anew, as through God's grace failures begin to live holy lives that are pleasing to God and that bring blessing to the lives of others.
Have you, like me, ever experienced God's marvelous grace in such a way, as to be given a second chance? Has the tide turned for you once again? Have you rounded the Cape? Are the winds changing? Is the water warming to the touch? I have written, in the last six months, lots about failure. But, there has always been the glint of hope in the making: a new job, unexpected prosperity, a lifting of my grandfather's bann, a family reunion, a new voice in the church, healing and forgiveness, restoration; and the best is yet to come. This is a new day! It is a new beginning! For me, and for you. Grace, forgiveness, restoration, a new beginning, and the blessing which will surely follow.
cf. Gen 1:28
Notice that the language is almost the same. After God judged the earth through the flood, he offers Noah and his family a fresh start. They have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to do what our first parents failed to do. Now read the story of Abram and the blessing which follows his encounter with God. Then read, through the rest of Genesis the stories of Jacob and his children. What we see, time and time again, is the failure of God's children to live rightly. It can seem as if all is lost. But, then, God, in his grace, brings healing, hope, and a new beginning. God changes Jacob's name, a slave becomes a prince, and what has been intended for evil, God has intended for good (Gen 50:20). Life begins anew, as through God's grace failures begin to live holy lives that are pleasing to God and that bring blessing to the lives of others.
Have you, like me, ever experienced God's marvelous grace in such a way, as to be given a second chance? Has the tide turned for you once again? Have you rounded the Cape? Are the winds changing? Is the water warming to the touch? I have written, in the last six months, lots about failure. But, there has always been the glint of hope in the making: a new job, unexpected prosperity, a lifting of my grandfather's bann, a family reunion, a new voice in the church, healing and forgiveness, restoration; and the best is yet to come. This is a new day! It is a new beginning! For me, and for you. Grace, forgiveness, restoration, a new beginning, and the blessing which will surely follow.
What an awesome God we serve!
What an awesome God we serve!
Angels bow before him,
heaven and earth adore him.
What an awesome God we serve!
What an awesome God we serve!
Angels bow before him,
heaven and earth adore him.
What an awesome God we serve!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I Am A Work In Progress
"GOD BEGAN DOING A GOOD WORK IN YOU, AND I AM SURE HE WILL CONTINUE IT UNTIL IT IS FINISHED" (PHIL. 1:6-NCV).
I'll tell you what the hard part of walking with God is. It is learning to give him your time and attention so you come to know his voice. That's where the labour comes in. If you are going to march forward in victory, doing what God wants you to do, you are going to have to know what he is saying. You are going to have to learn to hear his voice. The hard part for Moses was not the moment at the Red Sea when he lifted up his staff and commanded the waters to part. The hard part was the time of preparation, that time when nothing significant seemed to be happening, that time of learning about God, of learning to trust him, to obey his voice and to know his ways.
What if, during the days of preparation, Moses had said, "I don't know about all this. I've failed in so much already. I don't know if I can ever learn to discern the voice of God in the midst of all the chaos. What if he had let his past, his opinions, or his poor self image stop him? Well, it doesn't matter that I think that I have failed, Remember the words of Rick Warren, "It's really not about you!" It matters, only, who is with me.
So, I will not look back. Today is a new day. I have determined that I am going to rise up in faith. I am going to throw aside the fear that has held me back. I am going to throw aside the unbelief that has kept me from taking God at his word. I have determined to rise up and go forward. I will not put it off any longer. The promised land is closer today than before, "because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him" (Phil. 2:13-NCV).
Knowing that I am a work in process gives me great hope
I'll tell you what the hard part of walking with God is. It is learning to give him your time and attention so you come to know his voice. That's where the labour comes in. If you are going to march forward in victory, doing what God wants you to do, you are going to have to know what he is saying. You are going to have to learn to hear his voice. The hard part for Moses was not the moment at the Red Sea when he lifted up his staff and commanded the waters to part. The hard part was the time of preparation, that time when nothing significant seemed to be happening, that time of learning about God, of learning to trust him, to obey his voice and to know his ways.
What if, during the days of preparation, Moses had said, "I don't know about all this. I've failed in so much already. I don't know if I can ever learn to discern the voice of God in the midst of all the chaos. What if he had let his past, his opinions, or his poor self image stop him? Well, it doesn't matter that I think that I have failed, Remember the words of Rick Warren, "It's really not about you!" It matters, only, who is with me.
So, I will not look back. Today is a new day. I have determined that I am going to rise up in faith. I am going to throw aside the fear that has held me back. I am going to throw aside the unbelief that has kept me from taking God at his word. I have determined to rise up and go forward. I will not put it off any longer. The promised land is closer today than before, "because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him" (Phil. 2:13-NCV).
Knowing that I am a work in process gives me great hope
Monday, January 21, 2008
Why Am I Here?
For many years now, I have wondered, "What is my role in the church?" I have pastored, I have taught, I have been missional, and still the question plagues me, "What is my role in the church? This church? It seems that in all my endeavors I have failed to meet the mark! I have failed at the One Way Adventure Foundation where I served children in need; I failed as a counselor at the Crisis Centre; I failed at Rediscovery working among First Nation's youth and elders; I failed at the College as a teacher; I failed as a pastor. Where have I gone wrong? "What is my role in the church?" Have I made it all about me? Has the cross lost its power? Why am I here?
Then six months ago, I began a new job. One that took me far out of my comfort zone, and had me working most Sundays, and too tired through the week to take part in any fellowship activities in the church. I began to feel alone, abandoned by the church, and by God himself. The separation became my own dark night of the soul, and the questions rose anew, "What is my role in the church? why am I here?
I began to search the word of God for an answer, and found only the unforgiving silence. I read and re-read the epistles, asking God all the way, "Father, what would you have me do?" Then out of the silence, God began to speak.
"You are where I put you."
"And, where is that?"
"I'll let you know."
When?
"When I let you know."
This spiritual place has no windows or doors, but there are plenty of chairs. I choose one, sit on it, and wait.
"After John Kennedy Jr.'s death, the Chicago Tribune ran an article about flying. In it amateur pilot, Steven Hedges, wrote about the difficulty of flying a plane by instruments alone. . During one instrument lesson, Hedges notes, I flew the headings and turns as instructed, but even with ten hours of instrument flying experience already in my logbook, I was amazed at how quickly the plane slid into a banking turn if I diverted my attention for just a few moments" (Kenneth Ulmer- January 14, 08, Promise Keepers Men of Integrity).
At this point in my reading I recalled a similar experience while flying with a friend who was teaching me to fly. I asked him to explain to me the meaning of virtigo. As part of his explaination Buzz asked me to close my eyes and to keep them tightly closed until he told me to open them. I closed my eyes and suddenly, the little Ceasna was in an out of control vertical dive. Unable to see, I experienced a moment of absolute terror. Were it not for my trust in Buzz's ability, the panic would have been unbearable. Now, my eyes were wide open; and Buzz repeated the manouver, dipping the nose of the little plane just two points below the horizon. "The panic that you felt is virtigo, and is the reason that many pilots simply crash and burn."
Many times in the Christian life we are forced to fly in the fog when its hard to get our bearings. We cannot see the horizon and get the perspective necessary to stay level. At such times it is doubly important to keep our trust fixed on the flight instructor's ability. I began an exegetical study in Paul's First Letter to the struggling church in Corinth, hoping there to find answers to my questions.
Now I understand the need for separation. Without it I would have no reason to trust. I find myself in that room without doors or windows, and I have to trust God's guiding and assuring word. "The calling and gifts of God are irrevocable." I suddenly find my own voice, and my reason for being. Do I yet fully understand? No, but I am trusting on the flight instructor's ability to take me where he wants me to go. I am in the place where he has sent me. You see, God is faithful, I am not alone.
"I thank God because in Christ you have been made rich in every way, in all your speaking and in all your knowledge. Just as our witness about Christ has been guaranteed to you, so you have every gift from God while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. Jesus will keep you strong until the end so that there will be no wrong in you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful" (1 Cor. 1:5-9-NCV).
Then six months ago, I began a new job. One that took me far out of my comfort zone, and had me working most Sundays, and too tired through the week to take part in any fellowship activities in the church. I began to feel alone, abandoned by the church, and by God himself. The separation became my own dark night of the soul, and the questions rose anew, "What is my role in the church? why am I here?
I began to search the word of God for an answer, and found only the unforgiving silence. I read and re-read the epistles, asking God all the way, "Father, what would you have me do?" Then out of the silence, God began to speak.
"You are where I put you."
"And, where is that?"
"I'll let you know."
When?
"When I let you know."
This spiritual place has no windows or doors, but there are plenty of chairs. I choose one, sit on it, and wait.
"After John Kennedy Jr.'s death, the Chicago Tribune ran an article about flying. In it amateur pilot, Steven Hedges, wrote about the difficulty of flying a plane by instruments alone. . During one instrument lesson, Hedges notes, I flew the headings and turns as instructed, but even with ten hours of instrument flying experience already in my logbook, I was amazed at how quickly the plane slid into a banking turn if I diverted my attention for just a few moments" (Kenneth Ulmer- January 14, 08, Promise Keepers Men of Integrity).
At this point in my reading I recalled a similar experience while flying with a friend who was teaching me to fly. I asked him to explain to me the meaning of virtigo. As part of his explaination Buzz asked me to close my eyes and to keep them tightly closed until he told me to open them. I closed my eyes and suddenly, the little Ceasna was in an out of control vertical dive. Unable to see, I experienced a moment of absolute terror. Were it not for my trust in Buzz's ability, the panic would have been unbearable. Now, my eyes were wide open; and Buzz repeated the manouver, dipping the nose of the little plane just two points below the horizon. "The panic that you felt is virtigo, and is the reason that many pilots simply crash and burn."
Many times in the Christian life we are forced to fly in the fog when its hard to get our bearings. We cannot see the horizon and get the perspective necessary to stay level. At such times it is doubly important to keep our trust fixed on the flight instructor's ability. I began an exegetical study in Paul's First Letter to the struggling church in Corinth, hoping there to find answers to my questions.
Now I understand the need for separation. Without it I would have no reason to trust. I find myself in that room without doors or windows, and I have to trust God's guiding and assuring word. "The calling and gifts of God are irrevocable." I suddenly find my own voice, and my reason for being. Do I yet fully understand? No, but I am trusting on the flight instructor's ability to take me where he wants me to go. I am in the place where he has sent me. You see, God is faithful, I am not alone.
"I thank God because in Christ you have been made rich in every way, in all your speaking and in all your knowledge. Just as our witness about Christ has been guaranteed to you, so you have every gift from God while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. Jesus will keep you strong until the end so that there will be no wrong in you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful" (1 Cor. 1:5-9-NCV).
Monday, January 7, 2008
Wandering thoughts on Separation
At first the separation was difficult. I was clearly outside of my comfort zone. At age 58 I was learning a new trade, one for which I was poorly prepared. I was no longer using my education, gifts, or abilities. I was washing dishes, prepping food for the cooks, and cooking on the line when no one else was around. The stress of the kitchen is continual; orders to meet, food to prep, dishes to clean, and last, but certainly not least, the customers to please. But it was missing the fellowship at church that proved to be the most trying. For five months now, I have worked most Sundays. I tried to make up for it with personal study, sharpening my Greek skills once again; but that too fell to the side as rising at 4:30 to open for the 6:30 breakfast shift leaves me too tired at night to do anything but sleep. Then life started to settle into a routine, and as much as I missed the fellowship, the ebb and flow of life as a hermit began to make sense, and I began to value the time of separation.
Life is changing, the tide has turned. We have leased a house until August of 2008. We have purchased our first vehicle in almost 20 years. God has taken me as far from my comfort zone as is possible, I am learning new stuff every day, and it seems that life cannot get better. I still miss the fellowship, but the Christian music that plays on the TV, on the radio, through the CD player in the new van, has taken a new, deep, and rich meaning. God is in the house. I am sensing that something is on the horizon. I don't quite yet have the whole picture, but it is becoming clearer day by day. Whatever it is, God is in the picture. What began as scary and difficult is becoming warm and fuzzy. There is a joy unspeakable, full of glory. I now know what the pillar saints of old saw in a ascetic life, lived alone.
Holiness is another translation for both the Hebrew and the Greek words that have until now been translated as separation. I know that I have been set apart for something, and excitement fills the air, and I am looking through the glass darkly at what God has in store. "Now I see as a dim reflection, as if I were looking into a mirror...Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as God has known me" (1 Cor. 13:12 NCV).
"I speak a wisdom to those who are mature. But this widsod is not from this world or from the rulers of this world, who are losing their power. I speak God's secret wisdom, which he has kept hidden. Before the world began, God planned this wisdom for our glory...It is written in the scriptures: No one has ever seen this, and no one has ever heard about it. No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit searches out all things, even the deep secrets of God. Who knows the thoughts that another person has? Only a person's spirit that lives within him knows his thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but we received the Spirit that is from God so that we can know all that God has given us" (1 Cor. 2:6-12 NCV).
"I want you to know how hard I work for you, those in Laodicia, and others who have never seen me. I want them to be strengthened and joined together with love so that they may be rich in their understanding. This leads to their knowing fully God's secret, that is, Christ himself. In him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are safely kept" (Col. 2:1-3 NCV).
"I am happy in my sufferings...There are things that Christ must still suffer through his body, the church. I am accepting, in my body, my part of these things that must be suffered. I became a servant of the church because God gave me a special work to do...and that work is to tell fully the message of God...Christ himself...our hope for glory" (Col. 1:24-27 NCV).
How and under what circumstances is yet to be revealed. Like the adventurers of old, I am exploring new lands, setting my eyes on new vistas that to now have been unseen. And, I wake each morning to say with my native friend, "I thank the Creator that he opened my eyes once more, to look upon the Son."
Life is changing, the tide has turned. We have leased a house until August of 2008. We have purchased our first vehicle in almost 20 years. God has taken me as far from my comfort zone as is possible, I am learning new stuff every day, and it seems that life cannot get better. I still miss the fellowship, but the Christian music that plays on the TV, on the radio, through the CD player in the new van, has taken a new, deep, and rich meaning. God is in the house. I am sensing that something is on the horizon. I don't quite yet have the whole picture, but it is becoming clearer day by day. Whatever it is, God is in the picture. What began as scary and difficult is becoming warm and fuzzy. There is a joy unspeakable, full of glory. I now know what the pillar saints of old saw in a ascetic life, lived alone.
Holiness is another translation for both the Hebrew and the Greek words that have until now been translated as separation. I know that I have been set apart for something, and excitement fills the air, and I am looking through the glass darkly at what God has in store. "Now I see as a dim reflection, as if I were looking into a mirror...Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as God has known me" (1 Cor. 13:12 NCV).
"I speak a wisdom to those who are mature. But this widsod is not from this world or from the rulers of this world, who are losing their power. I speak God's secret wisdom, which he has kept hidden. Before the world began, God planned this wisdom for our glory...It is written in the scriptures: No one has ever seen this, and no one has ever heard about it. No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit searches out all things, even the deep secrets of God. Who knows the thoughts that another person has? Only a person's spirit that lives within him knows his thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but we received the Spirit that is from God so that we can know all that God has given us" (1 Cor. 2:6-12 NCV).
"I want you to know how hard I work for you, those in Laodicia, and others who have never seen me. I want them to be strengthened and joined together with love so that they may be rich in their understanding. This leads to their knowing fully God's secret, that is, Christ himself. In him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are safely kept" (Col. 2:1-3 NCV).
"I am happy in my sufferings...There are things that Christ must still suffer through his body, the church. I am accepting, in my body, my part of these things that must be suffered. I became a servant of the church because God gave me a special work to do...and that work is to tell fully the message of God...Christ himself...our hope for glory" (Col. 1:24-27 NCV).
How and under what circumstances is yet to be revealed. Like the adventurers of old, I am exploring new lands, setting my eyes on new vistas that to now have been unseen. And, I wake each morning to say with my native friend, "I thank the Creator that he opened my eyes once more, to look upon the Son."
Friday, January 4, 2008
In the Desert
The Hebrew title for the Book of Numbers has nothing to do with numbers, and everything to do with the journey-In the Desert. Consider these words :
So often, when God places a call on one of His children, it requires a separation between the old life and the new life. There is a time of being away from the old in order to prepare the heart for what is coming. It can be a painful and difficult separation. Joseph was separated from his family. Jacob was sent to live with his uncle Laban. Moses was sent to the desert. The Hebrew word for "Holy" can also mean separate. What do you think that's all about, this connection between holiness and separation? When you mix all the paints on your palate together, the resulting colour is dull and muddy. Music only works when musicians limit themselves to playing in the same key and at a designated tempo. And, you must certainly want to keep the cows out of the cornfield and the children out of traffic. The safety, order, and beauty of our world can depend entirely on observing proper boundaries. Much of the language of faith today assumes that separation is bad and that unity is good. But when God begins a deeper work in our own lives, it may require a separation from all we have known before. He has removed all that I had placed confidence in up to this point. It has been very painful and very scary. My present situation in life is hardly secure. I struggle every day to do the job, cooking on the line. I continue to fail and make mistakes on a daily basis, but the picture is getting clearer, and I now know that this part of the journey has been, and continues to be necessary. Like the title of the blog, "Sometimes the journey is the destination."
Perhaps God has placed you in your own desert period. Perhaps you cannot make sense of the situation in which you find yourself. Press into God during this time. He will reveal the purposes He has for you. The key is pressing into Him. Seek Him with a whole heart and He will be found. God may have a special calling and message He is building in your life right now. Trust in His love for you that He will fully complete the work He has started in you.
So often, when God places a call on one of His children, it requires a separation between the old life and the new life. There is a time of being away from the old in order to prepare the heart for what is coming. It can be a painful and difficult separation. Joseph was separated from his family. Jacob was sent to live with his uncle Laban. Moses was sent to the desert. The Hebrew word for "Holy" can also mean separate. What do you think that's all about, this connection between holiness and separation? When you mix all the paints on your palate together, the resulting colour is dull and muddy. Music only works when musicians limit themselves to playing in the same key and at a designated tempo. And, you must certainly want to keep the cows out of the cornfield and the children out of traffic. The safety, order, and beauty of our world can depend entirely on observing proper boundaries. Much of the language of faith today assumes that separation is bad and that unity is good. But when God begins a deeper work in our own lives, it may require a separation from all we have known before. He has removed all that I had placed confidence in up to this point. It has been very painful and very scary. My present situation in life is hardly secure. I struggle every day to do the job, cooking on the line. I continue to fail and make mistakes on a daily basis, but the picture is getting clearer, and I now know that this part of the journey has been, and continues to be necessary. Like the title of the blog, "Sometimes the journey is the destination."
Perhaps God has placed you in your own desert period. Perhaps you cannot make sense of the situation in which you find yourself. Press into God during this time. He will reveal the purposes He has for you. The key is pressing into Him. Seek Him with a whole heart and He will be found. God may have a special calling and message He is building in your life right now. Trust in His love for you that He will fully complete the work He has started in you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)