We Need Africa

I will be back sometime soon, but until then check out a post by Missionary/ Preacher/ Professor Jaime Johns.  We think that Africa needs us, when in many ways we need them!

I know that HaMoreh would greatly appreciate any support you can give!

Thanks for reading!

Mickey

The Necessity of War

In the midst of a long absence fueled by work and being swallowed by a summer Hebrew class, enjoy this short clip by Tedashii with a lead in from Piper…

In The Midst of Why

Here is a sermon I preached at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church on May 3, 2009.  Thanks, Ralph, for yet another opportunity!

Enjoy (I hope!), and any and all comments are welcome!  We have a lot to learn from Job.  The title is “In the Midst of Why.”

done

Thanks for watching!

Mickey

Sanctified Dieting

It is easy to fly through life and miss the stuggles that others are having around us, even those of our friends that we see on a regular basis.   That happened to me with my friend Casey Cease, who I know from school here in Houston and have really enjoyed getting to know over the last year.  He is an electric Christian speaker who specializes in communicating to youth, but he also has about 20 or so other irons in the fire, including being on the board of directors for Hamoreh.

All that being said, Casey created the blog 40 Pounds of Purpose this spring to capture his journey of getting back into a healthy style of life. While it is great to keep up with his weekly posts, I especially enjoyed reading his opening post describing his battle as well as what he needs – and more importantly doesn’t need – from those around him.

You can check out Casey’s first post here, and I pray that his journey will help those of us who need help controlling this area of our lives as well as make the rest of us more sensitive – and prayerful – for those around us who are struggling with eating and related issues.

Thanks for reading!

Mickey

Sermon on Psalm 46

A recent sermon of mine on Psalm 46 can be heard here (the audio buzz comes and goes but is mostly absent).  It is from New Life Baptist Church in East Houston on March 22.  Thanks to Bryan and his whole congregation for the opportunity, and praise God for the comfort of  His presence and protection!

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Where be love??

I came across the example of the missionary Robert A. Jaffrey this week:

Robert Jaffrey played a major role in opening Vietnam to the gospel.  He did so largely because of this quality that all great leaders share.  “Nothing can take the place of affection… Intellect will not do.  Bible knowledge is not enough.”  Jaffrey loved people for their own sakes.  He was happy in the presence of human beings, whatever their race and color.

Jaffrey was able to love all people because of how Christ loved him, and that is the same love that we are called to.  Yeah, yeah, I know that most Christians know this, and many Christians excel in this area.  There is an area in each of our hearts, however, where we would like to hide away a few individuals that we consider exempt from the command to love, or times in our daily lives that we excuse ourselves from having to love.

How well do we love when it is inconvienient, or when the recipient does not love us back? What about when the person is actively sinning against us, either openly or behind our backs?  The words of Jesus often convict me at this point:

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:32-36)

Can we say that, like Robert Jaffrey, we are really “happy in the presence of human beings?”  Can we say that we really love indiscriminately? The purpose of conviction is to lead us to Christ, and in Christ this type of love is possible.  He is the example of this type of love, and his Spirit is our source.  Let us thank Christ for this love, pray for this love in our own lives, and seek specifically to live it every day!

Thanks for reading,

Mickey

ESV vs. NIV, briefly

Exploring the differences in English Bible translations is not hard to do, however I have not always been able to find specific examples of where the NIV falls short of the accuracy of the ESV.  Because of everything going on the past few years I have not devoted significant time to this issue, but I stumbled across this article where the Matthew Blair compares excerpts between the ESV and NIV.  The renderings of the NIV do not throw the reader directly into heresy, but they do assume that the reader needs a little too much help in interpreting the meaning of the verses.

As mature Christians, we are given certain “enzymes” to digest the Bible for our selves – the Holy Spirit, the rest of the Bible, prayer and meditation - and yet we are tempted to settle for pre-digested versions of the Bible.  I still love and will sometimes use the NIV (as well as the NLT and The Message, on occasion), however I feel that the ESV is more fruitful and accurate to read, memorize, meditate, and pray over… Thanks Matthew for your work to help clarify the issue!

And thanks for reading

Mickey

Wanted: Faith!

Due to traveling between Houston and Dallas every week and the demands of school, my blog activity has  suffered as of late!  Things are going well, though, and I hope to begin posting more regularly soon.

I ran across an excerpt from Luther’s “Preface to the Epistle to the Romans” this week in one of my classes.   This passage discusses what real faith looks like in the life of a Christian.  Mere profession of belief does not necessarily an experience of the heart, and yet we are always quick to point friends and family back to their moment of “belief” when they are looking for security of salvation.

While the initial moment is exciting and important, if the believer never matures, bears the fruits of the Spirit, or produces good works, it might be a grave sin on our part to give them assurance that they are saved.  Rather than needing to hear how to be a good Christian, they may need to hear the Gospel and to ask God to give them faith!

An excerpt from Luther’s “Preface” is below, and it can be read  in full here.  How does this compare to your faith?  How does this compare to how you explain faith to others?

Faith is not that human illusion and dream that some people think it is. When they hear and talk a lot about faith and yet see that no moral improvement and no good works result from it, they fall into error and say, “Faith is not enough. You must do works if you want to be virtuous and get to heaven.” The result is that, when they hear the Gospel, they stumble and make for themselves with their own powers a concept in their hearts which says, “I believe.” This concept they hold to be true faith. But since it is a human fabrication and thought and not an experience of the heart, it accomplishes nothing, and there follows no improvement.

Faith is a work of God in us, which changes us and brings us to birth anew from God (cf. John 1). It kills the old Adam, makes us completely different people in heart, mind, senses, and all our powers, and brings the Holy Spirit with it. What a living, creative, active powerful thing is faith! It is impossible that faith ever stop doing good. Faith doesn’t ask whether good works are to be done, but, before it is asked, it has done them. It is always active. Whoever doesn’t do such works is without faith; he gropes and searches about him for faith and good works but doesn’t know what faith or good works are. Even so, he chatters on with a great many words about faith and good works.

Faith is a living, unshakable confidence in God’s grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it. This kind of trust in and knowledge of God’s grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures. This is what the Holy Spirit does by faith. Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; he will serve everyone, suffer everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace. It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire. Therefore be on guard against your own false ideas and against the chatterers who think they are clever enough to make judgments about faith and good works but who are in reality the biggest fools. Ask God to work faith in you; otherwise you will remain eternally without faith, no matter what you try to do or fabricate.

Thanks for reading!

Mickey

Sermon on Revelation 21-22

I would like to give another thanks to Ralph Clements and his congregation for letting me preach again at their church, Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Montgomery. Here is my message from 2/15/09 on Revelation 21:22-23:5.  I pray that as you listen that you are able to share in the joy and worship of the glory of God that I experienced as I prepared and that we as a body of believers experienced on Sunday.done

Thanks for visiting!

Mickey

Confidence in the midst of doubts

I found a great statement in my reading for school this week.  It is by Anselm (a really old guy), and he is explaining his faith to a new Christian.  Anselm (through the character of his disciple) makes this statement:

“I come not for this purpose, to have you remove doubts from my faith, but to have you show me the reason for my confidence [in the Gospel].”

We often think that we must lay our/others’ doubts to rest before there can be belief in the Gospel, however faith is different than having all of our questions answered.  Faith is stepping forward – based on what we do know – and trust that God will/ has taken care of the rest.  It is normal for us to have doubts even after we are a Christian, and we need to make sure that we help our non-Christian friends understand that their doubts are ok as well!

If we knew all of the answers, faith in Christ would be the most logical decision in the universe.  As it is, we act on what we know, what the Spirit has revealed in our hearts, and we call it faith!

Thanks for reading!

Mickey