Psalm 119, Aleph

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!

An Ode to Cheese

O, to bask near a glorious repaste

of stiltens and cheddars and chevre.

To place on yon cracker some delicious weisslacker

and drink beer to wash down this great spread!

So bring goudas and fetas, provologne too

bring bread with some bleu cheese and skyr

I’ll delight in havarti, it’s the life of the party

if you’ll bring gorgonzola o’er here!

Church Membership: How’s Your Ecclesiology?

Recently, a lot of discussion has come up in our church and among friends regarding the nature of church membership. Is it biblical? Isn’t it just a little bit “fundamental”? Why should I let anyone else control my life?

Mark Dever’s 9Marks ministry has a lot to say on this topic; it’s been a helpful aid for me in my understanding of church membership. I will highlight a few of their points that were key for me as I began to wrestle with this issue.

A biblical understanding of “church”

What is the church? I think simply responding “a group of Christians” or “everyone who believes in God” may be a bit naive. Throughout history God has interacted with a covenant group of people, starting with two in the garden, then Israel, now the church. To these people he has revealed himself with revelation, prophecy, and spectacular theophanies. He guided them, corrected them, provided for them, and taught them his rules. Then, he sent his Son to die for them. This death was immensely important for bringing other people into the fold (John 10:14–16).

This concept of a covenant group has many implications of being “in or out.” When discussing the questions “is church membership biblical,” the 9Marks crew writes this:

• The garden of Eden had an inside and an outside (Gen. 2:8, 3:24).
• Noah’s ark had an inside and an outside (Gen. 7:16).
• The people of God in the wilderness had to be ceremonially clean to remain inside the camp and not to be cast outside (Lev. 13:46, Num. 5:3).
• The nation of Israel was to have an inside and an outside, as represented by food laws, festivals, political boundaries, places of worship, and even strong provisions against inter-marriage (Lev. 11, Lev. 23, Josh. 14-21, 1 Kings 8, Deut. 7:3).
• In the New Testament, the ethnic and cultural boundary markers of the Old Testament are exploded. But a clear, bright line remains between those who are God’s people and those who are not, as indicated by their profession of faith and the visible fruit of their lives, as well as by the practices of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Rom. 6:3-4, 1 Cor. 11:17-34, Gal. 3:27). Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are what give substance and shape to a church’s membership. There is an inside (those who have been baptized and are welcomed to the Lord’s table) and an outside (those who are not).
• In 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 Paul challenges the Corinthian church to judge those who are inside the church and leave judging outsiders to God. How did the Corinthians know who was in and who was out? They knew whom Paul was talking about because some people had formally, publicly identified themselves with the church in Corinth while the rest of the city had not. Those who had were inside the church. They were the church’s members. Those who hadn’t were not.

More thoughts on this topic will come—for further reading, see the following links.

Where do we see church membership in the New Testament?

According to Scripture, why should every Christian join a church?

3 Things to Learn from Nebuchadnezzar

1) Share your story to God’s glory

King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
(Daniel 4:1,2)

Most of us who have been Christians for any length of time have a story of God intervening with our life. These stories typically end with God being glorified, and us being humbled. Likewise, Nebuchadnezzar learned the ultimate lesson in humility. As the greatest king of his day, and perhaps one of the most famous in history, he fell a long way. From ruling all of Babylon and creating one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,—the Hanging Gardens of Babylon—to succumbing to temporary insanity, and living like an animal, eating the grass of his kingdom.

But Nebuchadnezzar, with the wisdom God graciously gave him, deemed it right to tell his embarrassing story. And he told it for the purpose of glorifying God.

2) Peace comes from being right with God, not from worldly prosperity

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me.
(Daniel 4:4, 5)

Nebuchadnezzar literally had it all; he was the ruler of the known world, with no one to oppose him. He had overthrown and captured God’s chosen people, and even destroyed the temple that Solomon built, Yahweh’s dwelling place. Who could stand against this great king?

And yet, he was troubled. God gave him visions and stirred his dreams, and ultimately showed that peace does not come with prosperity, but rests solely in one’s standing before a righteous God.

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:5–7)

Paul teaches us his epistle to the Philippian church that when we humbly submit our requests before God, then he grants us peace. We must submit our circumstances to the Lord in such a way as to say “I cannot control this, everything is in your hands; thy will be done.” Then comes peace—the heart-protecting peace of God that passes all understanding. Nebuchadnezzar experienced the flip side of this coin. In his hubris he said “Look at all that I have done!” and the Lord gave him no rest until he gave God the glory.

3) The sovereignty of God; the nothingness of man

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,
for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”
(Daniel 4:34, 35)

God took the man with the most reason to be proud, and he humbled him completely and absolutely. Everything that Nebuchadnezzar had came from God—all the glory, all the riches, all the majesty. God demonstrated this by taking it for a time, then handing it back.

Praise be to God for Nebuchadnezzar’s response! Instead of turning bitter and hating God, he breaks into doxology!

. . .my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
(Daniel 4:36–37)

Lord, humble us in our pride, and help us by your grace to lift our eyes to heaven, and to praise you as our provider, and our everything.

The Munchies

My wife and I run into this problem all the time: we’ve just gone grocery shopping, we ate lunch an hour ago, and we’re hungry. Thus begins what I call Scavenging. The fridge stays open for about five minutes as I peer mindlessly in, trying to figure out how lettuce, ketchup, plain yogurt, and eggs can make a meal. The fridge is then abandoned and the cupboards are scoured. Matzo, marshmallows, year-old orzo, and chocolate liqueur.

No luck. We resign ourselves to another snack-less afternoon.

So what do you keep around your house for a snack?

Here are a couple of our favorites.

Dark Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers

Trader Joes carries an awesome one-pound dark chocolate bar (in a red package) that we buy once every couple of weeks. Break off a few chunks and melt them over medium heat in a saucepan with a splash of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt—don’t forget to stir constantly! When it’s melted, use a spatula and spread it thinly over graham crackers, and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Greek Salad & Pita

Greek salad is a snap. Chop up some cucumbers, red onions, and roma tomatoes. Mix with a little olive oil, a little balsamic, a pinch of salt, and some feta cheese. There it is! Slather some of this with a little plain yogurt onto a pita (check out the 10 minute pita recipe) and you’re good to go!

What are your favorite snacks to keep around?

Liberate: Grace Unmeasured

Tullian Tchivdjian and Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church are hosting Liberate Conference next weekend in Fort Lauderdale. It’s probably too late for you to plan to fly down there and attend (though if you want to, get $15 off with the promo code LOGOS at checkout), but if you want to see these awesome speakers, you can watch it streaming online at CRPC.TV!

Be sure to check out the streaming video at 11:30 PST on Thursday, 2/23, to watch an awesome Logos workshop, introduced by Pastor Tullian. Sign up here.

Watch the invitation for the Liberate Conference

Learn more about Liberate

Sign up for the Logos workshop

Enjoy!

Comforts of a Rural Life and a Shredded Beef Pie (RamblingTart.com)

Today I want to feature a post by my friend Krista, over at RamblingTart.com.

On such sunny, peaceful days in the country, I crave comfort food like homemade bread slathered with butter and honey. My favorite country, comfort food is a Shredded Beef Pie. It’s basically a savory beef stew tucked in pie dough and baked until the crust is flaky and beautifully browned. I admit I’ve been known to eat all the stew first then linger happily over the salted pie crust. Sigh.I like making personal pies in little ramekins. They go perfectly with a glass of chilled sparkling Shiraz (summer) or your favorite red wine (winter) or good stout beer (anytime).

Read more!