Rescue Psalms

I have lately been making my way through the Psalms, and have sometimes found myself reading cries and petitions that don’t seem to have a great deal of immediate application to me. I’m thinking of those psalms in which the psalmist groans for deliverance from his enemies. These 'rescue psalms' (as we might call them) are wonderful psalms! And yet, what to do with them when I don’t really have a great many earthly enemies? What does an American, living a pretty easy life, do, for instance, with verses like the following?

Lord, how long will You look on?

Rescue my soul from their ravages,

My only life from the lions.

I will give You thanks in the great congregation;

I will praise You among a mighty throng.

Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;

Nor let those who hate me without cause wink maliciously.

For they do not speak peace,

But they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

They opened their mouth wide against me;

They said, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!”

You have seen it, O LORD, do not keep silent;

O Lord, do not be far from me.

Stir up Yourself, and awake to my right

And to my cause, my God and my Lord.

Judge me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness,

And do not let them rejoice over me.

Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, our desire!”

Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

Psalm 35:17-25

What do I do when there is no one (seemingly) “open[ing] their mouth wide against me”? A few thoughts on how to make good use of these psalms:

1. Remember our brothers and sisters who do have such enemies. Persecuted Christians in places like North Korea, or the Middle East. Christian business owners in this country, under fire for trying to work according to their consciences. Abused women and children. And so on. There are those for whom the words of such psalms are very immediately relevant. So use the psalms to pray for them!

2. Remember these psalms for when you do need them. Life is not always easy! And a time may come when someone does set him or herself up as your enemy … either because of your faith, or perhaps for some other reason. Gossip, slander, persecution, abuse, unfair lawsuits. These sorts of things can happen. And we’ll need the likes of Psalm 35 then! So remember that they are there! Keep them in your back pocket, as it were, and pull them out when the tough times come.

3. Remember that you do have enemies. Maybe not in the form of other people who desire to “swallow [you] up” … but your own sin is a mortal enemy! And so are the devil and his minions. And so, when sins, or doubts, or temptations, or the devil’s accusations are laid before you like snares, the rescue psalms can be taken up then, too. “Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only life from the lions.”

4. Remember the Messiah. Two of the seven statements Jesus uttered from the cross are direct quotations from the sorts of psalms I have in mind in this article (see Psalms 22:1 and 31:5), and a third is closely connected with Psalm 69:21. So Jesus was thinking of these sorts of psalms when under the thumb of His enemies! And that means, I would say, that we should be thinking of Him when we read them!* No one ever suffered like Jesus! And He repaired to the psalms in the midst of His suffering! And so when we read the suffering and the cries of the Psalms, let us think of this ultimate Sufferer, and praise God that His cries were heard … and that, in Him, so also will be the cries of His people!

_______________________________

*Not to say that everything in the rescue psalms has a correlation in Christ’s suffering and cries. But there are correlations – some more general, others more direct – that you will notice if you are looking for them.  So look for them!  Think about how what you are reading in the Psalms compares to the sufferings and/or cries of Christ.  And, if your Bible contains cross-references, use those to help you!  Not every correlation may be listed in the cross-references (so do some comparative thinking on your own, aside from the cross-references).  But some such correlations (especially the more direct ones) may be noted in the cross-references. And so it would be a good exercise, when reading the rescue psalms, to scan down through those cross-references, looking to see if they call attention to any correlations between the psalm and the life of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Doing this with Psalm 35, while working on this article, the NASB cross-references informed me, for instance, that Psalm 35:19 is quoted in John 15:25 in reference to the sufferings of Jesus: “They hated me without a cause.”

"Sawn in two"

“They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy).” Hebrews 11:37-38a

These and other sufferings (vv.35-38) were the excruciating fates of some of our forefathers in the faith. Great opposition and persecution are sometimes the lot of God’s faithful people. And among the most shocking forms of persecution listed in Hebrews 11 (or anywhere else, for that matter) is the torment of being “sawn in two”. Read it again, soberly: “Sawn in two”. That’s not a grisly scene from a fictional horror movie. It actually happened, says the author of Hebrews. Indeed, there is a tradition that states that it happened to that great and eloquent prophet of God, Isaiah. And all these other great pains and trials actually happened, too – to real people! And some of them still do! The people of God didn’t just suffer in biblical times, but they have suffered greatly at various points since (read, for instance, about the Covenanters or the Huguenots); and they are suffering still (see The Voice of the Martyrs). And thinking about the severe suffering of our fathers and brothers in the faith (and perhaps our own severe trials, still to come) should come with at least four upshots, it seems to me:

1. Let us not murmur about our current, light sufferings. Do we sometimes experience opposition or discrimination for our faith? Yes. Have we been stoned or sawn in two? No. And so, while we rightly recognize, and pray about, and groan under whatever pushback we may receive for our faith … let us not make it out as though we are some great martyrs. And certainly, let us not murmur (Philippians 2:14).

2. Let us pray and act on behalf of the sufferers. “Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body” (Hebrews 13:3). Don’t forget the people who are suffering, even today, after the manner of Hebrews 11:35-38! Remember them in your prayers, and in your generosity, too. The Voice of the Martyrs is a good organization to help you do both.

3. Let us be serious about our faith. If our forefathers (and many of our contemporaries, too) have been committed enough to the Lord to have ended up stoned, sawn in two, and persecuted in many other ways … then this Christianity thing is serious business! And if the devil is so opposed to Christ that he incites people to carry out such torture of Christ’s followers, then this Christianity thing is serious business! Let us be sure we treat it that way in every area of our lives … whether it results in us being respected, rejected, or rent in two. “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us [in Hebrews ch.11, that is], let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-2a).

4. Let us hope in eternity. “Here we do not have a lasting city” (Hebrews 13:14). And, indeed, sometimes we have, in this life, a hostile city, or nation, or culture. Perhaps we are just on the cusp, in this culture, of finding that out, first-hand. But this life is not all there is; this city is not the lasting one! And “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). And so, while I do not say that we should not groan under our trials, yet we must not fixate on our trials … but on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), and on “the glory that is to be revealed to us” when all these difficulties will be ended forever. Let us fix our minds on “the city which is to come” (Hebrews 13:14), where “they will hammer their swords into plowshares” (Isaiah 2:4) … and their saws, too! “Here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”

The Crown Rights of the Redeemer

Among my historical heroes are the Scottish Covenanters – those lesser-known contemporaries of the English Puritans – who stood (and suffered) for the faith during the reign of the Stuart dynasty in Britain in the 1600’s.

The issue in Scotland, in those days, was: ‘Who is king … in the church?’ The Stuart kings of England and Scotland seemed to think that, in fact,they themselves were! They presumed that, since God had put them on the throne of the land, then they should have ultimate say in the churches of the land, too … in determining who pastored where, and how the churches worshipped, and so on. To make matters worse, these Stuart kings proved woefully incapable of making such decisions according to biblical doctrine and principal. So it wasn’t just that they usurped a power that wasn’t their own … but that they used that power to infect the churches with bad preachers, bad theology, and unscriptural worship practices. And so the churches often had ungodly, sometimes infidel ‘ministers’ foisted upon them, along with forms of worship that still smacked of the superstitions of Roman Catholicism.

But the Covenanters would have none of this nonsense. Loyal to the king as they wished to be in civil affairs, their great contention was that Christ, and no other, is King in His church! He and He alone, speaking through His word, sets the parameters of doctrine and worship for His covenant people. And the king, lawful as his jurisdiction is in other areas, has no right to interfere in the governing of Christ’s church!

Now that’s a message and a commitment that we will do well to remember in the decades ahead. In civil matters, Christians are to be as loyal as we possibly can to the governments that God has given to us (see Romans 13.1-7). But no other crown has authority to rule in Christ’s church. No king, or president, or congress, or parliament has the right to tell the subjects of Christ how to worship, or what to believe, or what to preach (or not preach) in His church. In those matters, Christ alone is King!

And I say that we will do well to remember these things. For a time may well be coming (and perhaps the first small storm clouds have already arisen over the land) in which it will not be so obvious, to the pressure groups and powers-that-be in our own land, that Christ alone is King in His church. We hope, and pray, and vote, and work against such a turn of events. But it may well come anyway. And we, like the Covenanters, may someday be forced to answer – perhaps with a law-enforcement officer standing over us – which King we intend to obey: King Jesus, or the civil authorities.

In many such cases, when the Covenanters would not bow the knee – when they kept on preaching without the king’s permission; or kept meeting for worship outside of the ‘approved’ churches – they were imprisoned, tortured, shot, drowned, hanged, and even dismembered. All because they wouldn’t let the Stuart kings tell them how to worship King Jesus. But it was worth it to them, if only they might uphold ‘the crown rights of the Redeemer.’

Will the American church be so bold and willing to suffer for Jesus? Do we even give Jesus full authority in His church now, without much outside pressure? The evidence, in many places, is sparse. So what will become of us when the screws are tightened? How will the American church stand for Christ’s kingship against outside pressures when, in so many places today, we are standing against it by our own pragmatism, biblical illiteracy, and lack of discipline? Maybe government pressure would serve to harden us like steel. Or maybe much of the American ‘church’ will collapse under pressure. But let’s pray that we will stand firm under trial – even willing to go to the gallows for Jesus, if He should call us to it. And let us prepare ourselves for such days by giving King Jesus crown rights in His church, even today.

"But the midwives feared God"

I’ve recently begun reading through the book of Exodus, a chapter a day. And, though I have read and heard their story many times, I’ve found myself encouraged more than ever by the mettle of those two women in Exodus 1, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah – the valiant midwives who took care of pregnant Hebrew ladies and their babies in the days of Israel’s bondage in Egypt.

You may remember the story. After the death of Joseph, the population of Israelites living in Egypt had grown prolifically – “so that the land was filled with them.” And Pharaoh became nervous – fearing that the Israelites might turn against the native Egyptians. So he determined to “deal wisely with them” – first by inflicting “hard labor” upon them, and eventually with a kind of ethnic cleansing program whereby he sought to eliminate all the newborn Hebrew baby boys. And, to aid in his plan, he pressganged these two midwives – Shiphrah and Puah – into his service (or so he thought). He ordered them that “when you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death.”

‘That’ll take care of the Hebrew problem,’ Pharaoh must have thought to himself. Surely these simple, low-ranking midwives would do his bidding, posthaste! After all, who would dare stand against mighty Pharaoh?

“But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.” “The midwives feared God”! Isn’t that marvelous? They stood up to the most powerful man in their known world … not because they necessarily had no fear, but because they feared God more than they feared the king!

And I am stirred by their example! Because how often do I compromise, or cower, or just fail to stand and be counted because I fear man? I fear what people will think. I fear criticism. I fear hard conversations, or of being thought fanatical or overzealous. Maybe sometimes I am overzealous! But many times I’m just plain afraid – and often of people a lot less frightening than Pharaoh! But I am encouraged by Shiphrah and Puah! They weren’t in-your-face in their reaction to Pharaoh (and perhaps there’s a lesson in that for some of us, too). But they just kept on quietly doing what they knew was right. And what an example they are to us all!

They are an example especially, it seems to me, to Christians in the medical community today who, like Shiphrah and Puah, may increasingly have to face government pressure to participate in the snuffing out of little human lives. They’re also an example to other Christians who may, in other areas of conscience, find themselves pressured by the government to set aside their beliefs in order to maintain the secular status quo* (when it comes to healthcare coverage, and free speech, and so on).

But these midwives are also an example to those of us who are afraid of people a lot less influential than Pharaoh or modern day law-makers. We can do the right thing, even if it’s unpopular or difficult. We can just quietly go about our business – doing right, speaking for God, loving the least of these, honoring the commandments, and so on – no matter what man may say about us. And, if Sphiphrah and Puah are any indication (Exodus 1.20-21), God will reward our faithfulness!

So let’s be like these two courageous women. “The midwives feared God.”

*Charles Tassell's recent article “In Search of Religious Freedom in Ohio” (in the Ohio Conservative Review) was helpful to me in forming this point of application. In it, he gives an example of the sort of pressure I mention above, and highlights some work going on to protect religious freedom in Ohio.

Sunday Reading

Last Sunday I urged you to spend your Sundays well – delighting in the Lord and His work in the world, rather than in the distractions and toils of everyday life. Sunday is meant to be something of a weekly slice of heaven, brought down to earth! And one of the ways we can spend it well is by reading – reading the Bible; and reading good Christian books that will encourage us in the Lord. I do hope and pray that many of us will, more and more, become readers! With that in mind, we have a whole slew of newly arrived materials on the PRBC Resource Rack in the church foyer. If you're local, check out these 20+ new books and booklets … and some videos for kids, too!

Additionally, I thought this might be a good time and place to recommend some other books to you as well. And, since we have recently been thinking about the persecuted church; and since I also mentioned, last Sunday, the need to help our children “call the sabbath a delight” as well … this list will have a slant in those two directions.

So then, here are some books worth checking out at the local library, purchasing online*, or ordering through your local Christian bookstore:

The Crown and Covenant series by Douglas Bond (P&R Publishing). These books, written for pre-teens (but excellent for adults, too) follow the adventures, trials, and faith of a fictional Scottish family (the M’Kethe’s) living in the very real period of persecution in the late 17th century in Britain. Each of the three books focuses on a young boy who learns, as the story unfolds, what it means to trust God in trying times, and how to stand for Christ under pressure. Great for family read aloud times!

Fair Sunshine by Jock Purves (Banner of Truth). A gathering together of the true stories of several great saints who lived during (and some who died because of) the great persecution of the Scottish Covenanters (mentioned in the previous paragraph).

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. Written (from prison) during the aforementioned times of trial in Britain, Bunyan’s classic novel is an allegory on the often trying process of coming to Christ, and on following the narrow path in allegiance to Him. One of the great books (Christian or secular) ever written … and available in some abridged versions for smaller children, too.

John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides (Banner of Truth). This missionary autobiography will whet your appetite for the beauty of the Christian family, the glory of the cause of missions, and the goodness of a God who is sovereign over all life’s twists and turns. Along the way, it will also give you good perspective on the suffering of God’s people – particularly on the mission field. This book is available in the “biography” section of our church library, but is currently checked out!

Singing in the Fire by Faith Cook (Banner of Truth). A gathering together of several mini-biographies of historic Christians who struggled and suffered while (and sometimes for) following Jesus. Several moving accounts of the faithfulness of God are re-told in this excellent little book.

Huguenot Garden by Douglas Jones (Canon Press). Another historical fiction book, in the same vein as the Crown and Covenant series mentioned above … following the story of two young girls and their family during a time of great opposition to the Protestant churches and Christians in 17th century France. I haven’t read this one yet, but hope to have it in hand soon, and to read it aloud together as a family.

The Crook in the Lot by Thomas Boston, my historical hero. This is one of only two books in the list that are not either history or biography (can you tell I love church history?).  The Crook in the Lot is, rather, a series of sermons on Ecclesiastes 7.13 (KJV): “Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?” Boston expertly works the reader through appropriate, biblical ways to deal with the various sufferings that God allows in our lives. 

The Building on the Rock series by Joel Beeke, Diana Kleyn, and Jeff Anderson (CF4K). This series of five children’s books contains roughly 2-3 dozen brief, real-life stories per book, each of which teaches lessons of faith, courage, obedience, God’s faithfulness, the gospel of Jesus, and so on. These stories are great for children’s own personal reading, and for family read aloud times as well … and each contains a suggested corresponding Scripture reading, and two questions for discussion.

So there you have it. Just a few suggestions for how you and your children might warm your hearts and stir your souls on Lord’s Day afternoons and evenings (and on any other day of the week, too!). May these books and others make for happy, helpful reading!

*Please do remember that, while online retailers do not always collect state and local sales tax, you are still required to pay any applicable state and local tax on internet, through-the-mail, and other purchases for which tax is not collected by the retailer.  In Ohio, this can be done by following the instructions connected with the “use tax” line on your state income tax return.  For residents of other states, consult your state tax office for details. Matthew 22.21.

"Remember the prisoners"

As I noted in last Sunday’s sermon, one recurring theme in the book of Acts is that of persecution. The early church – both leaders and lay people alike – suffered difficulty, imprisonment, and sometimes even death for the sake of Christ. And the book of Acts draws our attention to these things on several occasions, surely so that we might learn from them. So that we might learn, I think, that difficulty for the sake of Jesus is not to be thought of as rare and exceptional (see also 2 Timothy 3.12). And also that we might learn to pray for our brothers and sisters who find themselves in such difficulty today.

On this latter count, I have been convicted more than once in my studies and preaching in Acts – convicted that I do not pray for my suffering brothers and sisters as I ought. Perhaps you have been convicted as well (or should be, even as you read these lines!). That we should pray for the persecuted church is both exampled in the book of Acts, and commanded in the book of Hebrews! Consider the following two verses:

“So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.” Acts 12.5

“Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body” Hebrews 13.3

In that latter verse, I believe that “the prisoners … and those who are ill-treated” are those who are imprisoned and suffering for their faith in Christ. And the way we are to “remember” them, it seems to me, is by means of prayer; by doing for modern-day sufferers what the Jerusalem church did for Peter in Acts 12.5!

“Remember the prisoners … and those who are ill-treated.” And the best way that I know how to do that, as I have said before, is through the ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs, ‘a non-profit, inter-denominational Christian organization dedicated to assisting the persecuted church worldwide.’ One of the great ways they achieve this goal is by telling the stories of modern-day sufferers for Jesus – making folks like us alert to these precious people and their needs by means of their monthly newsletter. It is free of charge, and relatively easy to subscribe to. And, O, how I would urge you to do so! Subscribe. And read. And pray. And give to the various projects of mercy that VOM regularly undertakes. And then pray some more!

‘How do I subscribe?’ you ask. Call, write, or click the following:

877.337.0302

Voice of the Martyrs

P.O. Box 443

Bartlesville, OK 74005-0443

VOM Newsletter

This is not the only way to put Hebrews 13.3 and Acts 12.5 into practice. But it is, as I said, the best way that I have found. So subscribe. And read. And give. And, especially … pray!

Be Still

“Cease striving and know that I am God.” Psalm 46.10

Some time ago I had a problem with my eye-glasses. The screw that holds the right lens in place was loose. What I should have done from the beginning was to take my glasses to the eye-care center to be repaired. But instead I used a kitchen knife day after day to ‘fix’ the loose screw. But it kept coming loose (surprise, surprise). So, One day I decided to superglue it in. Resourcefulness, right? Except that the glue dried faster than I anticipated … and I ended up sealing the screw out of the socket instead of into it. Big mistake! Why did I not just take it to the expert to begin with?

The sad truth is, many of us handle life’s problems this way. Instead of going to God, our problem-solving expert and all-wise Father, we strive to fix things in our own ingenuity – super-gluing and duct-taping things together, so to speak – and end up making our problems worse, many times! If only we could all learn to obey Psalm 46.10: “Cease striving and know that I am God” (or, as the King James rendered it famously, “Be still, and know that I am God”). This command is to be applied in day-to-day situations like broken glasses, and aching bodies, and empty bank accounts, and uncertainties of every kind. It is also to be applied in big-time problems like wayward children, dying parents, and broken homes. And it is to be applied when it comes to personal salvation, too. “Cease striving and know that I am God.”

What a theme verse this seems often to have been for the men and women of the Bible! I don’t know if they were thinking of Psalm 46.10, specifically … but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survived the fiery furnace by doing what it says! We might say the same about our Lord Jesus Himself. He had silent confidence under the fiercest accusations and harshest physical punishments because He understood how to “cease striving” and put His hope in God. And when Paul and Silas were thrown in prison for their ministry in the name of Jesus, their response was not moaning or fretting … but singing! Why? Probably because they had learned to be still, and to trust the Lord!

Through the ages, obedience to Psalm 46.10 has brought peace, and hope, and holy character to the church. The persecuted early church maintained a godly testimony under trial by being still and trusting God (1 Peter 2.20-23). Mistreated African Americans endured the cruelty of their oppressors with great hope by singing songs like ‘Be still, be still, God will fight your battles.’ And beat-down believers in places like Sudan and China endure hardship and trial even today … not by taking matters into their own hands, but by waiting on the Lord.

Do you face issues tin which you are tempted to strive in your own strength instead of waiting on the Lord? I pray that you will “cease striving,” and lay your concerns at the Savior’s feet … and be still while God fights your battle!

Sermons on the Book of Revelation

We've just completed a fly-over of the book of Revelation - usually taking a chapter or two at a time (although moving more slowly through chapters 1-3).  We did not attempt to unpack every detail, answer every burning question, or decipher every symbol.  But it is hoped that we allowed the main things to be the main things, and the plain things the plain things.  Listen in, benefit, and enjoy!

Revelation 1-22 - Introduction to Revelation
Revelation 1.1-11 - Editor's Preface*
Revelation 1.1-20 - Biographical Sketch of the Author*
Revelation 2.1-7 - To the Ephesians*
Revelation 2.8-11 - To the Smyrnites*
Revelation 2.12-17 - To the Pergamites*
Revelation 2.18-29 - To the Thyatirans*
Revelation 3.1-6 - To the Sardisians*
Revelation 3.7-13 - To the Philadelphians*
Revelation 3.14-22 - To the Laodiceans*
Revelation 4 - "A throne standing in heaven"
Revelation 5 - "A Lamb standing, as if slain
Revelation 6 - The Seven Seals of World History
Revelation 7 - "Sealed for the day of redemption"
Revelation 8-9 - The Seven Trumpets of the Great Tribulation
Revelation 10-11 - The Little Scroll and the Two Witnesses
Revelation 12-13 - The Unholy Trinity
Revelation 14 - The Second Coming of Christ
Revelation 15-16 - The Seven Bowls of the Wrath of God
Revelation 17-18 - "Fallen is Babylon the great"
Revelation 19.1-16 - "Hallelujah!"
Revelation 19.17-20.15 - The Last Battle, the Millennium, and the Great White Throne
Revelation 21.1-22.5 - The New Heaven and the New Earth
Revelation 22.6-21 - "The Revelation of Jesus Christ"

*Note that the sermons on chapters 1-3 were preached on an earlier occasion, which accounts for some of the content overlap with the introductory message, and explains why these chapters were covered at a slower pace than the rest of the book.

Remember

Today is not just a day for hot dogs, lemonade, and cornhole … but a time to remember those who have gone before; those who sacrificed their youth, their blood, and even their lives so that we might enjoy the freedoms we have today. Tomorrow is also, most importantly, a time to thank God for these men, and women, and freedoms. As Israel periodically set up stones and pillars in various places, reminding them of the kindnesses of God in times past, so it is good that we deliberately remind ourselves of His blessings. Memorial Day, therefore, is one of our national Ebenezer stones, if you will – a marker that we pass by once a year, which urges us to pause and give thanks.

But these thoughts of our national day of remembrance got me thinking: ‘Wow! The Bible is actually filled with calls to remember various things’ – mighty acts of God; commandments; warning signs; and so on. Let me remind you of a few of these calls to “remember”:

Remember the sabbath, to keep it holy (Exodus 20.8). Every Sunday is a kind of Ebenezer stone, set up to remind us of God’s work in creation … and particularly of Christ’s resurrection from the dead on the first day of the week. This is why we rest and worship on the Lord’s Day … so that we have time to “remember” all that God has done for our souls!

Remember your creator in the days of your youth (Ecclesiastes 12.1). How easy it is for young people to ‘sow their wild oats,’ and to think that following the Lord is something they will begin to do in middle age. But what if you never reach middle age? And what of the fact that, at middle age, your energies for serving the Lord will be significantly depleted? And what of the fact that the wild oats we sow in youth may be very difficult to root out, once we finally decide to serve the Lord? Rather than waiting to serve the Lord, then – and filling our past with all sorts of bad memories – let us “remember” our Creator while we are still young!

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you (Hebrews 13.7) … “and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” Do you ever stop to do that … to thank God for parents, Sunday School teachers, elders, and pastors who consistently pointed you to the cross, and down the narrow path beyond? And do you remember them, specifically, so that you might “imitate their faith”? That is not the express purpose of Memorial Day, of course … but it might not be a bad addendum to your plans!

Remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17.32). So said Jesus. Remember how God offered her rescue from the destruction about to rain down on Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember how reluctant she was to leave her home and her worldly pleasures. Remember how she looked back at the world, longingly (as we are so sorely tempted to do). Remember how she was turned into a pillar of salt. And don’t look back yourself. “Remember” her fate, and put your own hand to the plough, and follow Jesus with all your heart!

Remember the prisoners (Hebrews 13.3). Specifically, “remember the prisoners” who are in prison because of their faith in Jesus. Don’t forget, this Memorial Day, that there are nations in the world where Christians do not have the freedoms we celebrate, and where pastors are taken from their churches and fathers from their homes for preaching the same things I preach, and sitting in the same kinds of services you sit in. “Remember” them, pray for them, and help them!

Do this in remembrance of Me (Luke 22.19). That was Jesus’ command regarding the broken bread and the poured wine of the Lord’s Supper. This is the great Ebenezer Stone of the Christian faith! This is the great, Christian Memorial Day – recalling and thanking God for the one who sacrificed His blood and even His very life so that we might enjoy freedom from sin and condemnation! The Lord’s body was broken so that we might be free! His blood was spilt so that we might be set at liberty! And so we must never fail to “remember” Him – in the Lord’s Supper, and in every moment of every other day!

So this Memorial Day, as you rightly remember God’s kindnesses to our nation (and thank Him for them), let this day of remembrance also be a reminder of just how much we really have been given, on so many different fronts; and how important it is, on so many levels, that we “remember”.

The English Bible and the Protestant Reformation

Since it's Reformation Day, I thought I'd re-post another article from a couple years back.  It was also the introduction to yesterday's sermon, from Psalm 119.24, entitled "Your Testimonies are my Delight."

“Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be Thy name.” So many of us know those words so well. Our parents or Sunday School teachers taught them to us decades ago … and we can still remember them now – twenty, thirty, forty years on. But did you know that there was a time when those parents and Sunday School teachers could have been burned alive for teaching you those lines from Matthew 6?

It’s true. That is exactly what the Roman Catholic Church was doing in the early 1500’s. Not only was it politically expedient, in the middle ages, for the common man to be prevented from reading the Bible in his own language … but the Church itself realized that many of its practices could not be found in the Scriptures, and would actually be unmasked as heretical and soul-destroying if normal people could actually read God’s word. So the Bible – by both church and political laws – was kept locked in the Latin tongue that almost no one could read. And if you were caught reading, possessing, or reciting the newly (and illegally) published English version … the penalty was uniform: death by burning at the stake.

That was the fate that numerous people suffered in England – for reading or possessing the Bible in English! Included among them were seven parents, in 1519, who dared to teach their children the Lord’s Prayer in their own language.

It may distress some Christians that the Ten Commandments are being systematically removed from public display. But that is almost like nothing in comparison to the 1500’s! We can still display the commandments in our homes and churches. We can still own, read, and teach the Bible freely. We can stand on Fountain Square and read it aloud if we want. But here were seven parents who died for teaching Matthew 6.9-13 to their children … in English. It is absolutely unthinkable. And yet it was real. And it happens, in other nations with other languages, even today. And, oh, how we should pray that God continues to give His suffering people strength.

But as we approach the 494th anniversary of the beginning of Protestant Reformation (10/31) … we should thank God for these martyrs for the English Bible. Yes (praise God!) Luther, Calvin, and others rediscovered the biblical and liberating doctrine of salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus alone (and not by works of the law). But we English speakers might have totally missed the blessing were it not for a few brave men and women who dared to get the Bible into English – against the law. Men like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and Miles Coverdale translated it – and Tyndale was martyred for doing so. Countless cloth workers smuggled the English Bible into England hidden in bales of cloth sent over from the European continent. And then there were those brave men and women who lost their lives for simply possessing the word of God. Their deaths were not in vain. For such cruelty always arouses the attention of the public to the injustices of those in power … and fans the flame of hunger for God’s word, and for justice!

So this October 31; this Reformation Day – remember these English translators, cloth-workers, and martyrs. And thank God that we have the Bible – and the message of salvation, full and free in Jesus alone – in our own language!

To read more on this topic, check out Piper's bio on William Tyndale (where I got most of this info).

"Remember the prisoners"

At least three different times in recent weeks – in a couple of sermons (here and here), and in last week’s article – I have drawn your attention to the persecuted church. Let me do so again today. Why? Not to depress you, or even to frighten you as to what may come our own way someday … but rather because the Bible mandates that I do so. Did you know that? The Bible actually commands that we keep in our hearts the plight of those who suffer for the sake of Jesus. Where? In Hebrews 13.3: “Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated.”

Now, while it is important that Christians reach out to all sorts of prisoners, and not forget them as they languish … the author of Hebrews has in mind, particularly, those who are “prisoners” for Jesus’ sake; those who are “ill-treated” because of their faith. After all, there were a number of such people in the early days of the church. But even more today. Yes, in spite of all the horrific persecution that we read of during the times of the Roman Empire, the number of Jesus’ sufferers is greatly multiplied in our own era – especially in the Muslim North Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. And, even though they are so many and so far away, the Bible tells us not to forget them! Even though we have never met them face-to-face, we are to “remember” them. How so? Let me make four suggestions:

1. Know them. How hard is it to remember someone you’ve never met? Quite! And so how can we, who probably do not know many persecuted believers, remember such people? By learning their stories! By signing up, perhaps, for the free monthly newsletter published by The Voice of the Martyrs. In it you will find a half-a-dozen or so stories every month – stories of real live people who have been threatened, arrested, beaten, tortured, widowed, or orphaned simply for being Christian. It’s not upbeat news. But it is uplifting to read of these wonderful believers and their faith in our good, wise, merciful God. I cannot recommend too highly that you subscribe! Doing so will help you know these dear men and women, which will help you “remember” them in these next three ways …

2. Pray for them. Perhaps there is no better way to “remember the prisoners … and those who are ill-treated” than to remember them in prayer. I want and need to do better at this myself. I hope you do, too. If so, you could get the aforementioned newsletter, and pray as you finish each article; or pick a certain day of the week on which you will consistently pray for the persecuted believers you’ve been reading about. But, however you do it, do it! Remember them in prayer!

3. Support them. What would we need if radicals burned down our church building this week? Or if several of our families became widowed and orphaned by mob violence against our church leaders? Or if one of our members was hospitalized for three months, recovering from burns or broken bones received from those who hate our Lord? What would we need in these situations … especially if we lived in the third world where insurance is only a dream? You get the picture, I think. O how many of our brothers and sisters need rebuilt buildings and homes! How many widows need a stipend and job training to help them get back on their feet! How many brothers in the Lord would clap for joy if their enormous hospital bill came back with “paid” stamped in red on the front! How many orphaned children need food and clothing that their murdered fathers are no longer there to provide!

And what a privilege if we had the opportunity to chip in! Indeed, we do! Again, I point you to The Voice of the Martyrs. They are constantly on the ground in various persecuted regions – paying bills, rebuilding buildings, supporting widows, caring for orphans … and providing gospel materials so that these intrepid saints can keep reaching out to their communities! And I urge you to pitch in! There are few, if any, better causes that meeting the needs of those who suffer for Jesus!

4. Join them. Paul has taught us that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3.12). Maybe it won’t always be to the extent of burnings, beatings, and so on. But, if we are godly, people will oppose us just like the opposed our Lord. And so, in this last segment, let me just urge you to be that kind of godly. I’m not suggesting you go out looking for persecution. Just encouraging you to live in such a way that the enemies of the cross will take notice! The rest will take care of itself. “Remember the prisoners … and those who are ill-treated” by not being afraid to join them!

Anthony, Ethiopia, and Persecution

Anthony is in Ethiopia this week and next ... hoping to train pastors in the cities of Hosanna and Jimma. But this just in from his twitter account:

60+ churches & homes have been burned w/in the last week in Jimma. So, we're unable to work there. Pray for the believers in that region.

And here's a news link. Please be praying.

An Encouraging Update from Pakistan

Last week, you read this. Today, there is better news. Keep praying ... and remember that their are thousands upon thousands of Christians suffering who will never make it onto CNN. Learn more at http://persecution.com.

Sad news from Pakistan

A Christian mother of two to be hanged for 'blaspheming' Mohammad. Read it here ... and pray.

Unmasking China

The Olympics have passed us by for another four years. And, if you are like me, the impression left by Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Nastia Liukin, and those 15,000 absolutely amazing Chinese Chinese Opening Ceremony performers have already begun to fade.

But there were other stories; stories I hope you do not allow to fade; stories that had to do, not so much with athletic achievements or entertainment, but about the realities of life in China. A few reporters actually dared to take the watching world behind the Chinese scenes, reminding us that not everything in Beijing was exactly as it seemed. The city – for better or for worse – put on its best Chinese New Year’s mask, as it were. Phony (but beautiful) buildings were erected. Computer generated streetscapes were beamed in for the televised marathon, hiding slums and poverty. A little girl was pulled from the stage at the eleventh hour for having crooked teeth. Everything had to be (or at least look) perfect.

I suppose we could have a debate about what one should think about these various facades. Was it a political move, making China appear to be far more progressive and open than it really is? Or should we simply smile at the pretend buildings and the straight teeth and say ‘that’s entertainment’? I’ll let you be the judge.

But one thing cannot be ignored by those of us who are followers of Jesus. Despite how things looked in Beijing, China is not as open and free as the IOC, the Chinese organizers, and the vast majority of American news outlets would have us believe. There are still great injustices, particularly toward our brothers and sisters in Jesus. Here is just one excerpt, from the Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail:

It's been a brutal Olympics for China's non-registered church. Just a snapshot of the crackdown happened in Beijing, where all major house churches were forced to stop meeting during the Games and most of their leaders were arrested or put in seclusion. That excludes the names on nearly a dozen pages of documented Chinese church arrests and assaults publicized by Canada's Religious Liberty Commission just before the Olympics.

That’s the reality we must never forget. For all the talk about the world coming together at the Olympics (no matter where they are held); and for all that there is to admire, learn from, and rightly enjoy about an event like the Olympics – we must remember that the world that we see on television is often very different from the reality … especially for the persecuted church. Pray for them.