During one of John Bunyan's imprisonments (in the mid 1660's) he wrote Grace Abounding. (This was his first major work. Pilgrim's Progress was written later during another imprisonment.) In this book he acknowledged that when someone makes a commitment to Jesus Christ, he becomes more aware of his own miserable condition.
Near the end, he listed "seven abominations that still lingered in my heart."
They were:
(1) An inclining to unbelief
(2) Suddenly to forget the love and mercy that Christ manifests
(3) A leaning to the works of the law
(4) Wanderings and coldness in prayer
(5) To forget to watch what I pray for
(6) Aptness to murmur because I have no more and yet ready to abuse what I have
(7) I can do none of those things which God commands me to without my corruptions thrusting themselves in, just as Saint Paul said in Romans 7:21: "I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me."
All seven of these "abominations" weigh heavily on me. too. Especially #7.
Later he concluded that maybe these issues could have a divine purpose.
That idea reminds me of the DVD Bro Mike showed us a month or so ago -- Voddie Baucham's message on Psalm 51 and how our memory of our own sins does serve a divine purpose.
That message really changed my life in many ways. To remember our past sins leads us to rely more on Christ's presence in our lives -- a reminder of how close we are to sin -- only a breath away from disobedience. And how thankful we are for God's grace when we recall our past sins.
"There is a name for people who don't remember their past sins," Baucham said. "It's called 'amnesia.'"
I also loved the way he talked about the "sissy Jesus" we tend to worship and adore...when what we really need to see and worship is that "Warrior on the White Horse!" in Revelation. "You can have your sissy Jesus if you want. But as for me, I want that Rider on the White Horse" and that's how he ended his message.
OK, that part about Voddie Baucham is a "by the way."
Here is how John Bunyan perceived possible divine purpose in the remembrance of his sins:
1. They make me abhor myself.
2. They keep me from trusting my heart.
3. They convince me of the insufficiency of all inherent righteousness.
4. They show me the necessity of flying to Jesus.
5. They press me to pray to God.
6. They show me the need to watch and be sober.
7. They provoke me to pray to God, through Christ, to help me and carry me through the world.
I think Vodie Bauchman would like this list.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
(US) Brush Arbors
This has been a really great week -- I learned some new things, and learning something new brings such excitement. It's like sparklers going off in my brain!
From a woman at a meeting I learned we have shrews around here. I didn't even think a shrew was a real animal (but I did know a shrew was the description of an angry, hostile, bossy woman!) From Bro Mike I learned we also have voles -- and no, I didn't know about them either.
But here's the best -- brush arbors!
The Beginning of the story...
Last year one of our Bay Breeze students, Trina James, died and her services were held at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Bay City.
In front of the church is one of those large, standing historical markers describing the beginning
of Bethel. According to the inscription, Bethel was built in 1905 at the site of the brush arbor.
Since reading that I have been asking people what the arbor was.
I have searched for quite a while for accurate information. I finally gathered enough info to
understand this important historical adventure!
The Middle of the story....an American epic!
A brush arbor was not unique to Bay City. There is an entire religious and cultural phenomenon
surrounding brush arbors.
Settlers in New England clustered their small communities around their churches. But as pioneers moved toward the western frontier, their farms and small villages were scattered far apart.
It was not possible to get together for weekly church services. Villages were often 50 to 100 miles apart and so they were only able to get together between the "laying by and gathering" time for their
crops.
After the crops were planted and before harvest, these settlers arranged to meet together for extended services -- 2 to 3 weeks usually -- at a fairly central place, and near a creek or river.
The settlers would load their wagons with the same type of necessities we might consider packing for a camping trip.
The wagons (flat bed type) had no seats. The farmer would bring a chair or two from their cabin for
mother to sit on during the wagon ride, which might take several days.
The girls would probably ride with mother, sitting on home-made blankets and straw cushions.
Father and the boys would walk most of the time, maybe jumping on and off the wagon occasionally.
It was probably a great adventure -- the boys could run ahead or through the countryside as they
traveled, looking for those fascinating treasures little boys used to look for. (I don't know what young boys look for now, but apparently those items of fascination are no longer outdoors!)
When the wagons began to arrive at the meeting site, the men would take the oxen and mules to the creek for water and then hobble (tie) them up to graze in a grassy place.
The women would unpack their provisions, start a fire, and begin preparing food.
Some of the men and boys would begin fishing and hunting. Others would start the important task of building their brush arbor! It was to be a temporary structure to shelter the worshippers from wind, rain and sun during the outdoor church services.
A perfect site would be a centralized grove of young saplings, with as many trees in a straight line as possible (that way they wouldn't have to dig as many post holes.) They would use their axes (no chain saws) and cut the saplings to about 10 feel high. Usually that would leave some forked limbs which would be left in place to brace the cross timbers that would support the roof of branches. (These pioneers would have done well on Survivor!)
Often the arbor would be about 20 x 25 feet and sometimes for large crowds they would have to
build several joining each other.
Bay and magnolia trees worked best. The pulpit was usually a hickory post, standing about 4 feet high and set in the ground to mark the front. The women would sit in their own chairs which they had brought from their cabins on the ox cart.
Benches would be made by splitting logs, shaping the seats with a broad axe, and then smoothing the seating surface with sandstone rubbing rock.
Probably all that finishing work did not make the "pews" very comfortable for the hours-long services.
Between preaching services Sunday School classes would meet out under shade trees.
Under the arbor the only lighting would be a pump type coal oil lantern, for the preacher's benefit.
These brush arbor meeting places became very popular and sprang up all over the frontier, even down here to Bay City! There was a wide-spread revival during the later 1800's which is referred to as the brush arbor revival movement. And there were a number of brush arbor Bible conferences.
Circuit-riding preachers would make as many of these as they could. It didn't matter what denomination -- Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist -- just having someone to preach was considered an act of God's grace.
In addition to preaching, the visiting clergy would perform marriages and, of course, many baptisms and Lord's Supper celebrations.
These brush arbor meetings were important to our pioneer ancestors. Being able to hear God's Word
proclaimed and explained was worth the hard trip.
The Rest of the Story...
Finally discovering what the brush arbors were was an exciting event for me. I rushed over to an elderly friend (she is almost 96) and told her I had just learned about brush arbors. She looked at me
in amazement and said, "Yes, I know all about brush arbors. My husband's grandfather helped build them in East Texas. He used to take us around showing some of their locations and explained how his father and grandfather helped the early Texans erect brush arbors for their reival meetings."
She was very excited to share the memories of her early marriage. And I found myself wondering
why I didn't just ask her first if she knew anything about brush arbors -- it would have saved me a lot of time.
And Way Before That....
Were our ancestors thinking about our Old Testament book of Nehemiah?
When the Jews came back to Jerusalem from Babylon, they re-read the Holy Scriptures (Leviticus 23):
On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra to give attention to the words of the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month.
And that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem:
"Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms, and shade trees, to make booths"... (Nehemiah 8:13-15)
The making of these booths was to remind the Israelites of their years in the wilderness and God's faithfulness to them.
Maybe it would be a good idea for us to do the same --
From a woman at a meeting I learned we have shrews around here. I didn't even think a shrew was a real animal (but I did know a shrew was the description of an angry, hostile, bossy woman!) From Bro Mike I learned we also have voles -- and no, I didn't know about them either.
But here's the best -- brush arbors!
The Beginning of the story...
Last year one of our Bay Breeze students, Trina James, died and her services were held at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Bay City.
In front of the church is one of those large, standing historical markers describing the beginning
of Bethel. According to the inscription, Bethel was built in 1905 at the site of the brush arbor.
Since reading that I have been asking people what the arbor was.
I have searched for quite a while for accurate information. I finally gathered enough info to
understand this important historical adventure!
The Middle of the story....an American epic!
A brush arbor was not unique to Bay City. There is an entire religious and cultural phenomenon
surrounding brush arbors.
Settlers in New England clustered their small communities around their churches. But as pioneers moved toward the western frontier, their farms and small villages were scattered far apart.
It was not possible to get together for weekly church services. Villages were often 50 to 100 miles apart and so they were only able to get together between the "laying by and gathering" time for their
crops.
After the crops were planted and before harvest, these settlers arranged to meet together for extended services -- 2 to 3 weeks usually -- at a fairly central place, and near a creek or river.
The settlers would load their wagons with the same type of necessities we might consider packing for a camping trip.
The wagons (flat bed type) had no seats. The farmer would bring a chair or two from their cabin for
mother to sit on during the wagon ride, which might take several days.
The girls would probably ride with mother, sitting on home-made blankets and straw cushions.
Father and the boys would walk most of the time, maybe jumping on and off the wagon occasionally.
It was probably a great adventure -- the boys could run ahead or through the countryside as they
traveled, looking for those fascinating treasures little boys used to look for. (I don't know what young boys look for now, but apparently those items of fascination are no longer outdoors!)
When the wagons began to arrive at the meeting site, the men would take the oxen and mules to the creek for water and then hobble (tie) them up to graze in a grassy place.
The women would unpack their provisions, start a fire, and begin preparing food.
Some of the men and boys would begin fishing and hunting. Others would start the important task of building their brush arbor! It was to be a temporary structure to shelter the worshippers from wind, rain and sun during the outdoor church services.
A perfect site would be a centralized grove of young saplings, with as many trees in a straight line as possible (that way they wouldn't have to dig as many post holes.) They would use their axes (no chain saws) and cut the saplings to about 10 feel high. Usually that would leave some forked limbs which would be left in place to brace the cross timbers that would support the roof of branches. (These pioneers would have done well on Survivor!)
Often the arbor would be about 20 x 25 feet and sometimes for large crowds they would have to
build several joining each other.
Bay and magnolia trees worked best. The pulpit was usually a hickory post, standing about 4 feet high and set in the ground to mark the front. The women would sit in their own chairs which they had brought from their cabins on the ox cart.
Benches would be made by splitting logs, shaping the seats with a broad axe, and then smoothing the seating surface with sandstone rubbing rock.
Probably all that finishing work did not make the "pews" very comfortable for the hours-long services.
Between preaching services Sunday School classes would meet out under shade trees.
Under the arbor the only lighting would be a pump type coal oil lantern, for the preacher's benefit.
These brush arbor meeting places became very popular and sprang up all over the frontier, even down here to Bay City! There was a wide-spread revival during the later 1800's which is referred to as the brush arbor revival movement. And there were a number of brush arbor Bible conferences.
Circuit-riding preachers would make as many of these as they could. It didn't matter what denomination -- Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist -- just having someone to preach was considered an act of God's grace.
In addition to preaching, the visiting clergy would perform marriages and, of course, many baptisms and Lord's Supper celebrations.
These brush arbor meetings were important to our pioneer ancestors. Being able to hear God's Word
proclaimed and explained was worth the hard trip.
The Rest of the Story...
Finally discovering what the brush arbors were was an exciting event for me. I rushed over to an elderly friend (she is almost 96) and told her I had just learned about brush arbors. She looked at me
in amazement and said, "Yes, I know all about brush arbors. My husband's grandfather helped build them in East Texas. He used to take us around showing some of their locations and explained how his father and grandfather helped the early Texans erect brush arbors for their reival meetings."
She was very excited to share the memories of her early marriage. And I found myself wondering
why I didn't just ask her first if she knew anything about brush arbors -- it would have saved me a lot of time.
And Way Before That....
Were our ancestors thinking about our Old Testament book of Nehemiah?
When the Jews came back to Jerusalem from Babylon, they re-read the Holy Scriptures (Leviticus 23):
On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra to give attention to the words of the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month.
And that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem:
"Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms, and shade trees, to make booths"... (Nehemiah 8:13-15)
The making of these booths was to remind the Israelites of their years in the wilderness and God's faithfulness to them.
Maybe it would be a good idea for us to do the same --
Sunday, July 20, 2014
The Meaning of the Cross - Keith Getty
A Song for Every Day
Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day,
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood
This, the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath --
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face.
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Every bitter thought,
Every evil deed,
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.
Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life
"Finished!" the victory cry!
Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free,
Death is crushed to death
Life is mine to live
Won through Your selfless love.
This the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us
Took the blame, bore the wrath --
We stand forgiven at the cross!
-- by Keith Getty
Friday, February 14, 2014
Henry and Richard Blackaby - Right Now!
The moment God speaks to you is the time He wants you to respond to Him.
Don't think you have the next 3 or 4 months to decide whether this is really God's timing.
The moment God speaks to you is God's timing. That is why He chooses to speak when He does.
He speaks to His servant when He is ready to move. Otherwise, He wouldn't speak to you.
As God enters the mainstream of your life, the timing of your response is crucial. When God speaks to you, you need to believe and obey Him.
--From Experiencing God,
by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
What is God's Objective in the World? Dr. Nicolas Ellen
What is God's objective in the world?
A. God's objective is to make the greatness of His character known throughout the entire world.
B. The greatness of God's character is seen in His salvation of people from all nationalities from the penalty, power, and presence of sin into a right relationship with Himself, resulting in His people showing forth His character through their service.
C. The greatness of God's character is the transforming of all the people He saves into His image to be with Him forever as He reigns in Heaven and on Earth.
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:36
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.
Bu we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.
Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
I John 3:1-3
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
I saw the Holy City, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God.'
Revelation 21:1-3
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb....And they cried out in a loud voice:
Salvation belong to our God, who sits on the throne and to
the Lamb...
Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks for honor and
power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!
Revelation 7:9-12
From Understanding & Developing a Biblical View of Life, by Dr. Nicolas Ellen
We are saved --
We have been saved -- from the penalty of sin.
We are being saved -- from the power of sin.
We will be saved -- from the very presence of sin when we live
with Him forever.
Saved -- past, present, and future.
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