Theology Thursday

Below is a helpful quote from Richard Foster's book, The Celebration of Discipline:

"Just as worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. If worship does not propel us into greater obedience, it has not beeen worship. To stand before the Holy One of eternity is to change."

To Be Known By God

This is a GREAT section from Packer's classic, "Knowing God". I hope it's an encouragement to you, as you think on God's faithful watch over us.



What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it--the fact that HE KNOWS ME. I am graven on the palms of his hands. I am never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me. I know him because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when his care falters.

This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort--the sort of comfort that energizes, be it said, not enervates--in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love and watching over me for my good. There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me.

There is, certainly, great cause for humility in the thought that he sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow humans do not see (and am I glad!), and that he sees more corruption in me than that which I see in myself (which, in all conscience, is enough). There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as his friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given his Son to die for me in order to realize this purpose. We cannot work these thoughts out here, but merely to mention them is enough to show how much it means to know not merely that we know God, but that he knows us.

— J. I. Packer, KNOWING GOD. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.

Haiti Relief

First Baptist Paducah is joining the North American Mission Board in gathering funds to aid the survivors of the Haiti earthquake. If you would like to contribute, you can give to NAMB directly at www.namb.net.

Consider giving through your local church, and if you are in Paducah, call our church office at (270) 442-2728.

Christmas Spirit

Last week, our pastor warned us against the dangers of celebrating Christmas without remembering the greatest commandment: to love God, and love our neighbors (listen here: http://www.fbcpaducah.org/images/audio/11.29.09.mp3). Christians ought to be a peculiar people in how they celebrate Christ's birth. We find joy in remembering the miracle of Christ's birth, and hope for His return to claim His Church.

The scriptures are clear that all we have should be submitted to God. Sometimes we feel prompted by God to be generous in a specific way. To my shame, I live most of my days fairly self-absorbed. If you're like me, those promptings don't come often enough. We need to be disciplined about reflecting Christ's love with our generosity. In the name of "Christmas Spirit" here are a few suggestions to make this Christmas less materialistic. These are a few ways you can support others while celebrating Christmas.

1) Give to your local church. This has been a tough year for most churches. The Southern Baptist International Mission Board has called back hundreds of missionaries around the world because giving is so critically low. Give a specific offering for the Lottie Moon Offering.

2) Consider sponsoring a child. You can even initiate a sponsorship on behalf of someone else as a gift, and let them correspond with the child. Visit: http://www.compassion.com/

3) Visit Samaritan's Purse, and consider buying a few things from their gift catalog in honor of friends and relatives. Visit: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

There are lots of great ways to spread the Christmas Spirit. Be intentional, and remember to SPEAK of Christ when you have the opportunity.

Advent Poetry

Today, I wanted to share a little advent poetry here, and I pray these words are an encouragement to you. Remember all that our great God has done.

"Let every heart prepare Him room!"

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love's sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love's sake becomes poor.

Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising
Heavenwards by thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest man.

Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
Make us what thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.

-- Frank Houghton (1894-1972) in PRAYING WITH THE ENGLISH HYMN WRITERS, Triangle, 1989. Also found in HYMNS II, InterVarsity Press, 1976.

Words and Music

Authentic Christian faith is not merely believed. Nor is it merely acted upon. It is sung—with utter joy sometimes, in uncontrollable tears sometimes, but it is sung. “Words and music did for me what solid, even rigorous, religious argument could never do, they introduced me to God, not belief in God, more an experiential sense of GOD”—that’s the way Bono, lead singer of the band U2, puts it.

What is it about singing that takes us beyond mere belief or behavior?

Think of singing as a language that allows us to embody our love for our Creator. Song is a means he has given us to communicate our deepest affections, to have our thoughts exquisitely shaped, and to have our spirits braced for the boldest of obediences. Through music, our God draws us deeper into a love affair with himself.

— Reggie Kidd, from WITH ONE VOICE: DISCOVERING CHRIST’S SONG IN OUR WORSHIP, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, ISBN: 0801065917.

Saved to Worship

The foundation upon which true worship is based is redemption. The Father and Son have sought to redeem us that we may become worshipers. Jesus said that the Son of Man came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). In John 4 He reveals the purpose for His seeking: "For such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers" (v. 23). The Father sent Christ to seek and save for the specific purpose of producing worshiping people.

Thus, the objective of redemption is making worshipers. The primary reason we are redeemed is not so that we may escape hell—that is a blessed benefit, but not the major purpose. The central objective for which we are redeemed is not even so that we might enjoy the manifold eternal blessings of God. In fact, the supreme motive in our redemptive is not for US to receive anything. Rather, we have been redeemed so that God may receive worship—so that our lives might glorify Him. Any personal blessing for us is a divine response to the fulfillment of that supreme purpose.

— John MacArthur, Jr., from THE ULTIMATE PRIORITY, Chicago: Moody Press, 1983, p. 23.